Help With Batch File

Crazy Dave · May 30, 2025

Good morning,

I hope someone can help me with this. I have the following batch file that I'm comparing the most current dates for 3 files. I want to open the location for the most current file folder. I'm not sure what the correct syntax is to open a folder path location that's held within a variable.

@echo off
setlocal

:: Set file paths
set "file1=C:\Folder1\File1.accdb"
set "file2=C:\Folder2\File2.accdb"
set "file3=C:\Folder3\File3.accdb"

:: Get timestamps
for %%F in ("%file1%") do set "date1=%%~tF"
for %%F in ("%file2%") do set "date2=%%~tF"
for %%F in ("%file3%") do set "date3=%%~tF"

:: Display timestamps
echo File 1: %file1% - %date1%
echo File 2: %file2% - %date2%
echo File 3: %file3% - %date3%

:: Compare dates
set "newest= Folder1"
set "newestDate=%date1%"

if "%date2%" GTR "%newestDate%" (
set "newest= Folder2"
set "newestDate=%date2%"
)

if "%date3%" GTR "%newestDate%" (
set "newest= Folder3"
set "newestDate=%date3%"
)

echo.

echo The most recently modified file is: %newest% (%newestDate%)

endlocal

%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe %newest%

pause

pseymour · May 30, 2025

explorer.exe X:\Path\To\Folder should work. What is in the variable %newest%?

OAT · May 30, 2025

Crazy Dave said:
Good morning,

I hope someone can help me with this. I have the following batch file that I'm comparing the most current dates for 3 files. I want to open the location for the most current file folder. I'm not sure what the correct syntax is to open a folder path location that's held within a variable.

@echo off
setlocal

:: Set file paths
set file1="C:\Folder1\File1.accdb"
set file2="C:\Folder2\File2.accdb"
set file3="C:\Folder3\File3.accdb"

~~I have not looked at the script but the quotes are wrong in the var definitions..~~

pseymour · May 30, 2025

The quotes are unnecessary, but it's legal.

Code:

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26100.4061]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Lady.Godiva
> set "file3=C:\Folder3\File3.accdb"

C:\Users\Lady.Godiva
> set f
file3=C:\Folder3\File3.accdb

OAT · May 30, 2025

pseymour said:

The quotes are unnecessary, but it's legal.

Code:

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26100.4061]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Lady.Godiva
> set "file3=C:\Folder3\File3.accdb"

C:\Users\Lady.Godiva
> set f
file3=C:\Folder3\File3.accdb

Thank you. Never used it that way.

garlin · May 30, 2025

Quotes are a good habit to follow, because you could have have a path with spaces.

OAT · May 30, 2025

garlin said:
Quotes are a good habit to follow, because you could have have a path with spaces.

I always use quotes but usually after the '='

AndreyT · May 30, 2025

garlin said:
Quotes are a good habit to follow, because you could have have a path with spaces.

True. But they are still unnecessary in a set command specifically even of you have a path with spaces. The entire portion of the input string that follows the = character is taken as a new value for the variable, spaces and everything, regardless of whether it is enclosed in quotes.

In this example the quotes are placed in a rather nonsensical fashion, but it still "works" in a set command simply because they don't really affect anything.

In fact one can do set x y = v w (no quotes) and that will produce variable x y (yes, with a space at the end) with value v w (yes, with a space in front).

garlin · May 30, 2025

I said it's a good programming habit. I'll freely admit I'm not a CMD guru, more fluent in PS. But how many times have I been burned when writing batch and you don't put the quotes on the outside of the = expression. This is why I write real scripts in PS, none of this nonsense is required.

CMD has these weird expression rules that everyone just puts up with. And remains broken to maintain backwards compatibility to the '90's.

pseymour · May 30, 2025

Hey, at least we're not writing in KiXtart anymore.

OAT · May 30, 2025

garlin said:
CMD has these weird expression rules that everyone just puts up with. And remains broken to maintain backwards compatibility to the '90's.

Isn't that because you are more fluent with Powershell though because I really do not know what you mean.
What remains broken? What weird expression rules?
Are you referring to the tilde used for files exceeding the nnnnnnnn.nnn format?

garlin · May 30, 2025

pseymour said:
Hey, at least we're not writing in KiXtart anymore.

I had to look that up. "?" for print command takes me back to Applesoft BASIC.

Crazy Dave · May 30, 2025

pseymour said:
explorer.exe X:\Path\To\Folder should work. What is in the variable %newest%?

This variable holds the file location of which file has the most recent date file was changed.

pseymour · May 30, 2025

Yes, but what is in it? What is the value?

garlin · May 30, 2025

%newest% doesn't appear to be a full path (just plain "Folder2").

pseymour · May 30, 2025

Right, that's what I wanna know what's actually in it... to solve the problem but also show OP how something like this is debugged.

Crazy Dave · May 30, 2025

pseymour said:
Yes, but what is in it? What is the value?

It could be one of the 3:
"C:\Folder1\File1.accdb"
"C:\Folder2\File2.accdb"
"C:\Folder3\File3.accdb"

garlin · May 30, 2025

He's looking for the literal output of this echo line:

Code:

echo The most recently modified file is: %newest% (%newestDate%)

@pseymour is playing a teaching game of "What am I not looking at correctly?"

pseymour · May 30, 2025

Right, because you're doing set "newest= Folder3", you're never putting the full path in. So when your batch script gets to


echo The most recently modified file is: %newest% (%newestDate%)

, %newest% does not have a full path in it.

garlin · May 30, 2025

A common debug trick is to echo the line you're expecting to execute:

Code:

echo %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe %newest%
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe %newest%

This prints out the calling arguments, so you can confirm you didn't mess up for example, the path to explorer.exe, or the passed on argument(s).

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