Dos batch file check if directory empty

Thanks, good answer! To expand on what blak3r said For example, your batch file is named batch. In the simplest terms, you execute: batch. That is, only one parameter consisting of one double-quote mark. Or batch. I think it properly catches the empty string. You can define, that for your arguments the outer quotes will be removed, but then the string is still empty with a length of 0 — jeb. In this context win cmd arguments , you can not denote an empty string with any other way, not even with double single-quote which equally empty under unix shell.

You right, I might improperly stated, it not just for empty string but a safe way to enumerate arguments. Only 2 steps above for test, the rest are verbose example. Script 1: Input "Remove Quotes. Press any key to continue.

For example: Script 2: Input "Remove Quotes. Rick Mr. Rick 2, 1 1 gold badge 13 13 silver badges 3 3 bronze badges. GrayFace GrayFace 8 8 silver badges 12 12 bronze badges. No problem: Call ifSet. Hashbrown Hashbrown 9, 8 8 gold badges 65 65 silver badges 76 76 bronze badges. Found a case; If you try the if with else syntax, and the last command in the then block fails, the else will execute: Call ifSet.

What cases does the accepted answer use square brackets not work on? I guess my only gripe with [] now is it lets empty quotes pass, whereas this wont so it's up to your use case, really — Hashbrown. Lin W Lin W 4 4 silver badges 4 4 bronze badges. The tip is really bad. Quotes can handle spaces and special characters at least, but exclamation marks can't. And exclamation marks get really nasty here when delayed expansion is enabled — jeb.

Remember we have two kind of empty arguments : really empty nothing and empty quotes "". We have to detect both. But it is still can fail with "abnormal" expressions with unbalanced quotes do not use them. Alex Kuryakin Alex Kuryakin 1. Using [] is useless, they have no special meaning and can't escape anything. REM go. Turn on for debugging REM You can't see this. Xorange Xorange 1 2 2 bronze badges. It's a long post, but doesn't even try to answer the question.

It's about how to detect empty arguments, not what could be a default behaviour for an empty argument — jeb. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Sign up using Facebook. Sign up using Email and Password.

Post as a guest Name. Email Required, but never shown. The Overflow Blog. Stack Gives Back Safety in numbers: crowdsourcing data on nefarious IP addresses. Featured on Meta. New post summary designs on greatest hits now, everywhere else eventually. Hi, Check this out. It took me a while to come up with that.

REM The good news here is that the dot and double dot for current and parent directory will be skipped. REM Find is now told to search for anything it is being passed, but an empty string. REM The good thing is if nothing has been found then the command is regarded as having failed. REM So now I know if it has failed the directory currently being worked on is empty. REM And then I happily delete it.

You don't have to use them. REM I have looked around and all I googled was unsatisfactory. REM Either too complicated or too much programming or what have you. REM Cheers, Andi. Maris, thanks for posting your original thread! Ask Question. Asked 8 years, 6 months ago. Active 1 month ago. Viewed 21k times. I tried above command, but it didn't work. Improve this question. Bobby Rachel Bobby Rachel 5 5 gold badges 10 10 silver badges 20 20 bronze badges.

See also stackoverflow. A shorter and easier way can be seen here stackoverflow. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer.

Endoro Endoro To check for more folders, remove the -d option from dir. Works great for me and I use it. Worked great in w Compo