for loop with findstr going through multiple directories

[jerry8989]

Hello,

I'm trying to find a way to create a batch file that will cycle through text files in the directory I set plus it's subdirectories.
The word I'm searching for has to be the first word on the line. With the loop I need to print out the file name then below it any lines that have the word "ERRORS" as the first word in the line.

ex.
c:\temp\test1.txt
-----------------
ERRORS: This is a line with ERRORS

c:\temp\test2.txt
-----------------
ERRORS: This is another line with ERRORS

Here is the code i'm working with that isn't working
for /f c:\temp %%G in (*.log) do (Findstr /B "ERRORS:" %%G)

Thank you

[dbenham]

No batch file is required. One simple FINDSTR command should give you all you need:

Code: Select all

findstr /bs ERROR: "c:\temp\*.txt"

However, there is a FINDSTR /S option bug that can lead to missed matches if your folders contain file name extensions longer than 3 characters like *.txt2

The following works around the bug:

Code: Select all

for /r "c:\temp" %F in (.) do @findstr /b ERROR: "%~fF\*.txt" 2>nul

If used in a batch script, then the percents must be doubled:

Code: Select all

@echo off
for /r "c:\temp" %%F in (.) do findstr /b ERROR: "%%~fF\*.txt" 2>nul

Dave Benham

[jerry8989]

dbenham,

thank you for your reply.

The issue I'm having with FINDSTR is that it will put the full file path first then the line that the word is found on.
I need to show the file that it is looking at one time then list all the lines that have the word below it. It would need to do that for each file with the txt extension in the folder listed and sub-folders.

I was using the for loop because I read that it would stop the listing of the full file path when a line matches the find.

[jerry8989]

dbenham,

Thank you again for your help. I was able to figure out my issue by doing the following:

Code: Select all

Set _OutFile=c:\temp\temp.txt
If Exist "%_OutFile%" Del "%_OutFile%"
For /F "Tokens=* Delims=" %%I In ('Dir /A-D /B /S "c:\temp\*.log"') Do (
(Echo.
Echo.%%~I
Echo.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
)>>"%_OutFile%"
Findstr /B /C:"ERROR:"  "%%I">>"%_OutFile%"
)

If you see any future issues with this approach please let me know.

Thank you again.

[foxidrive]

If you see any future issues with this approach please let me know.

It's just less efficient, slower.

For many people that doesn't matter - for some it does.

[dbenham]

As foxidrive said, your approach is not particularly efficient.

I believe a more efficient method is to add an extra FOR /F to my approach and detect whenever the filename prefix changes. I haven't actually done the timing comparisons however.

ListErrs.bat

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@echo off
set "prior="
for /r "%~f1" %%F in (.) do for /f "tokens=1,2* delims=:" %%A in (
  'findstr /b ERROR: "%%~fF\*.log" 2^>nul'
) do (
  set "file=%%A:%%B"
  setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
  if "!file!" neq "!prior!" (
    endlocal
    echo(
    echo %%A:%%B
    echo --------------------------------------------------
    set "prior=%%A:%%B"
  ) else endlocal
  echo %%C
)

Simply pass the root folder as the one and only argument (required). use a dot to represent the current directory. You can easily redirect the output of the script if you want to create an output file.

Code: Select all

ListErrs c:\temp >c:\temp\temp.txt

Dave Benham