Batch script to add a line of text to files - batch-file

Question

I am a novice and found some info here on howto make a script that write a text line to files. The result seems fine (also for multiple files), except that the text ends up at the bottom and I need it at the top.
#echo off
set "$New_line=TEXT"
for /r "C:\" %%A in (*.txt) do >"%%A" echo %$New_line%

Answer 1

#ECHO Off
SETLOCAL
rem The following settings for the source directory, destination directory, target directory,
rem batch directory, filenames, output filename and temporary filename [if shown] are names
rem that I use for testing and deliberately include names which include spaces to make sure
rem that the process works using such names. These will need to be changed to suit your situation.
SET "sourcedir=u:\your files"
set "$New_line=TEXT"
:: a filename that simply won't exist in the subtree and doesn't end ".txt"
SET "dummyfilename=##qqyhnggqvxjr.#$#"
FOR /F "delims=" %%b IN ('dir /b /s/a-d "%sourcedir%\*.txt"') DO (
SET "skipme="
FOR /F "delims=:" %%c IN ('FINDSTR /n /L /C:"%$new_line%" "%%b"') DO IF "%%c" equ "1" SET "skipme=Y"
IF NOT DEFINED skipme (
>"%%~dpb%dummyfilename%" ECHO %$new_line%
TYPE "%%b">>"%%~dpb%dummyfilename%"
MOVE /y "%%~dpb%dummyfilename%" "%%b" >NUL
)
)
GOTO :EOF
I really don't believe you'd want to prepend the text to every .txt file on your c: drive. You should set "sourcedir" to start the processing on a small sample subtree.
The findstr processing looks for %$new_line% as the first line of each file selected by the outer for loop and sets skipme if that condition is found. In this way, the processing is skipped for files that have already been processed.
Re: use of closing parenthesis in added line:
If there are closed-parentheses in the line to be inserted, you need to "escape" the ) with a caret ^ thus : set "$New_line=#Firm_Begin(16368^)"
The reason for this is that batch will render the escaped-) as
IF NOT DEFINED skipme (
>"%%~dpb%dummyfilename%" ECHO #Firm_Begin(16368^)
TYPE "%%b">>"%%~dpb%dummyfilename%"
MOVE /y "%%~dpb%dummyfilename%" "%%b" >NUL
)
and recognise the ^) as an escaped-) hence treat the ) as if it was any regular text character.
Without the escape character, batch interprets the command as
IF NOT DEFINED skipme (
>"%%~dpb%dummyfilename%" ECHO #Firm_Begin(16368)
TYPE "%%b">>"%%~dpb%dummyfilename%"
MOVE /y "%%~dpb%dummyfilename%" "%%b" >NUL
)
This has two consequences.
For files where skipme is not defined, #Firm_Begin(16368 is sent to the dummy file as the first and only line, and the text of the entire file is then added and then fortunately the resultant is moved over the original file so that the dummy file does not exist.
In files where skipme is defined however, only the ...ECHO %$new_line% is skipped. The original file is then typed into the non-existent dummy file, and then the dummyfile overwrites the original - so no damage done....
...Or is there?
findstr...C:"%$new_line%"... discriminates whether to select the file to have the foreword added or not, via the flag skipme. Unfortunately, the value of $new_line now contains ^ and in this instance the ^ does not escape the ) because the /c:"expression" is quoted (as it has to be since the string-value contains spaces), so its contents are taken literally. findstring will search for the literal string #Firm_Begin(16368^), not #Firm_Begin(16368).
cure for this is to remove any ^ from $new_line, so
...'FINDSTR /n /L /C:"%$new_line:^=%" "%%b"'...
and add the /x switch as a refinement so that the string must match the entire line, hence
...
FOR /F "delims=" %%b IN ('dir /b /s/a-d "%sourcedir%\*.txt"') DO (
SET "skipme="
FOR /F "delims=:" %%c IN ('FINDSTR /n /x /L /c:"%$new_line:^=%" "%%b"') DO IF "%%c" equ "1" SET "skipme=Y"
IF NOT DEFINED skipme (
>"%%~dpb%dummyfilename%" ECHO %$new_line%
TYPE "%%b">>"%%~dpb%dummyfilename%"
MOVE /y "%%~dpb%dummyfilename%" "%%b" >NUL
)
)
GOTO :EOF
which should cure the problem.
But then there's the clean-up, where \x can be used to detect files which have #Firm_Begin(16368 as the first line, not #Firm_Begin(16368).
[this part I haven't tested, and unfortunately have no time to test atm]
FOR /F "delims=:" %%c IN ('FINDSTR /n /x /L /c:"%$new_line:~0,-3" "%%b"') DO IF "%%c" equ "1" echo incorrect headline in "%%b"
should indicate the files that suffer that condition. All that would need to be done for any such file detected would be to initialise the dummy file with the correct top line and then use >>"%dummyfile%" for /f "usebackqskip=1delims=" %%L in ("%%b") do echo %%L to append the contents of the file %%b , all but the first line to the dummy file.