Pass partial parameter in bat file

I have about 200 files
examples:
20200101 FILE10.TXT
20200102 FILE10.TXT
20200103 FILE10.TXT
20200104 FILE10.TXT

I need a way to accept only the first 8 positions in a bat file and copy the whole file to another directory.
If enter 20200101 and it will pass the file 20200101 FILE10.TXT to another directory.
After it is passed it has to be renamed to update.txt to be run from inside another bat file.
Presently, I have to manually copy each file to the other directory.

Copy 20200104*.txt c:\folder should do it

GUPPY said:

I have about 200 files
examples:
20200101 FILE10.TXT
20200102 FILE10.TXT
20200103 FILE10.TXT
20200104 FILE10.TXT

I need a way to accept only the first 8 positions in a bat file and copy the whole file to another directory.
If enter 20200101 and it will pass the file 20200101 FILE10.TXT to another directory.
After it is passed it has to be renamed to update.txt to be run from inside another bat file.
Presently, I have to manually copy each file to the other directory.

Hi there
@GUPPY

this would be known as a substring function in most programming languages --however it works in a windows batch cmd :

%variable:~num_chars_to_skip, -num_chars_to_keep%

e.g SET _test=123456789abcdef0

for example to extract only the first 5 characters of variable _test

SET _result=%_test:~0,5%
ECHO %_result% =12345

Now you need CONCATENATE type of function (add the .txt to the first variable where you've extracted the 8 chars)

e.g

@echo off
set myvar="the list: "
for /r %%i in (*.doc) DO call :concat %%i
echo %myvar%
goto :eof

:concat
set myvar=%myvar% %1;
goto :eof

"Seemples !!!"

Modify for your directories -- and include copy / other funcs you need..
Cheers
jimbo

Good info from the above two posters.... Also An A-Z Index of Windows CMD commands - SS64.com is a handy reference for MSDos box commands.

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