Assign command output to variable in batch file

I'm trying to assign the output of a command to a variable - as in, I'm trying to set the current flash version to a variable. I know this is wrong, but this is what I've tried:

set var=reg query hklm\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\CurrentVersion>

or

reg query hklm\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\CurrentVersion >> set var

Yeah, as you can see I'm a bit lost. Any and all help is appreciated!

Solution 1:

A method has already been devised, however this way you don't need a temp file.

for /f "delims=" %%i in ('command') do set output=%%i

However, I'm sure this has its own exceptions and limitations.

Solution 2:

This post has a method to achieve this

from (zvrba) You can do it by redirecting the output to a file first. For example:

echo zz > bla.txt
set /p VV=<bla.txt
echo %VV%

Solution 3:

You can't assign a process output directly into a var, you need to parse the output with a For /F loop:

@Echo OFF

FOR /F "Tokens=2,*" %%A IN (
    'Reg Query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Macromedia\FlashPlayer" /v "CurrentVersion"'
) DO (
    REM Set "Version=%%B"
    Echo Version: %%B
)

Pause&Exit

http://ss64.com/nt/for_f.html

PS: Change the reg key used if needed.

Solution 4:

Okay here some more complex sample for the use of For /F

:: Main
@prompt -$G
    call :REGQUERY  "Software\Classes\CLSID\{3E6AE265-3382-A429-56D1-BB2B4D1D}"

@goto :EOF

:REGQUERY
:: Checks HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ 
:: for the key and lists its content

    @call :EXEC "REG QUERY  HKCU\%~1"
    @call :EXEC "REG QUERY "HKLM\%~1""

@goto :EOF    

:EXEC
    @set output=

    @for /F "delims=" %%i in ('%~1 2^>nul') do @(
        set output=%%i
    )

    @if not "%output%"=="" (
        echo %1 -^> %output%
    )

@goto :EOF

I packed it into the sub function :EXEC so all of its nasty details of implementation doesn't litters the main script. So it got some kinda some batch tutorial. Notes 'bout the code:

1. the output from the command executed via call :EXEC command is stored in %output%. Batch cmd doesn't cares about scopes so %output% will be also available in the main script.
2. the @ the beginning is just decoration and there to suppress echoing the command line. You may delete them all and just put some @echo off at the first line is really dislike that. However like this I find debugging much more nice. Decoration Number two is prompt -$G. It's there to make command prompt look like this ->
3. I use :: instead of rem
4. the tilde(~) in %~1 is to remove quotes from the first argument
5. 2^>nul is there to suppress/discard stderr error output. Normally you would do it via 2>nul. Well the ^ the batch escape char is there avoids to early resolving the redirector(>). There's some simulare use a little later in the script: echo %1 -^>... so there ^ makes it possible the output a '>' via echo what else wouldn't have been possible.
6. even if the compare at @if not "%output%"==""looks like in most common programming languages - it's maybe different that you expected (if you're not used to MS-batch). Well remove the '@' at the beginning. Study the output. Change it tonot %output%==""-rerun and consider why this doesn't work. ;)