Команда echo в командной строке windows

Batch script is a type of scripting language used in Windows operating systems to automate repetitive tasks, perform system administration functions, and execute a series of commands. The echo command is one of the most commonly used commands in batch scripting, used to display text or messages on the console or in a text file.

In batch scripting, the echo command can be used to display a message, variable value, or system information on the console. The command can be followed by a message or text string enclosed in double quotes. For example, echo “Hello, World!” will display the message “Hello, World!” on the console.

The echo command can also be used to display the value of a variable. To display the value of a variable, the variable name must be preceded by a percent sign (%) and enclosed in double quotes. For example, if a variable named username contains the value “John”, the command echo “Welcome, %username%” will display the message “Welcome, John” on the console.

Additionally, the echo command can be used to redirect the output to a file, rather than displaying the message on the console. This can be done by using the > operator followed by the name of the file. For example, echo “Hello, World!” > output.txt will create a file named “output.txt” and write the message “Hello, World!” to the file.

In most of the modern and traditional operating systems, there are one or more user interfaces (e.g. Command Line Interface(CLI), Graphical User Interface(GUI), Touch Screen Interface, etc.) provided by the shell to interact with the kernel. Command Prompt, PowerShell in Windows, Terminal in Linux, Terminology in Bodhi Linux, and various types of Terminal Emulators [also called Pseudo Terminals] (e.g. Cmder, XTerm, Termux, Cool Retro Term, Tilix, PuTTY, etc.) are the examples of CLI applications. They act as interpreters for the various types of commands we write. We can perform most of the required operations (e.g. I/O, file management, network management, etc.) by executing proper commands in the command line.

If we want to execute a series of commands/instructions we can do that by writing those commands line by line in a text file and giving it a special extension (e.g. .bat or .cmd for Windows/DOS and .sh for Linux) and then executing this file in the CLI application. Now all the commands will be executed (interpreted) serially in a sequence (one by one) by the shell just like any interpreted programming language. This type of scripting is called Batch Scripting (in Windows) and Bash Scripting (in Linux). 

Why use Batch Script – Echo Command?

Here are a few reasons why the echo command is commonly used:

1. Displaying messages: The echo command can be used to display messages or information on the console or in a text file. This is useful for providing feedback to the user, displaying error messages, or providing instructions.
2. Displaying variables: Batch scripts often use variables to store information or data. The echo command can be used to display the value of a variable on the console or in a text file, making it easier to debug and troubleshoot scripts.
3. Debugging: The echo command can be used to debug scripts by displaying the values of variables, commands, or system information. This can help identify errors and improve the efficiency of scripts.
4. File output: The echo command can be used to redirect output to a file, making it easier to save and share information. This can be particularly useful when generating reports or logs.
5. Script automation: Batch scripts can automate repetitive tasks, making them more efficient and less prone to human error. The echo command can be used to provide feedback and ensure that scripts are running as expected.

Advantages:

There are several advantages of using the echo command in batch scripting:

1. Ease of use: The echo command is simple and easy to use, requiring minimal knowledge of scripting or programming. It can be used to display messages, variables, and system information quickly and easily.
2. Debugging: The echo command can be used to debug scripts by displaying the values of variables, commands, or system information. This can help identify errors and improve the efficiency of scripts.
3. Automation: The echo command can be used in conjunction with other batch commands to automate repetitive tasks. This can save time and reduce the likelihood of human error.
4. Output redirection: The echo command can be used to redirect output to a file, making it easier to save and share information. This can be particularly useful when generating reports or logs.
5. Customization: The echo command can be customized to display messages or information in different colors or formats, making it easier to distinguish between different types of information.

Disadvantages:

There are a few disadvantages of using the echo command in batch scripting:

1. Limited functionality: The echo command is limited in its functionality and can only be used to display messages, variables, and system information. For more complex operations, additional batch commands or scripting languages may be required.
2. Formatting limitations: The echo command has limitations when it comes to formatting messages or information. It may not be possible to customize the formatting of text or add images or graphics to messages.
3. Compatibility issues: The echo command may not be compatible with all versions of Windows or other operating systems. This can cause issues when sharing scripts or running scripts on different machines.
4. Security concerns: The echo command can be used to display sensitive information, such as passwords or usernames. This information may be visible in the command history or log files, making it a security risk.

Example:

Step 1: Open your preferred directory using the file explorer and click on View. Then go to the Show/hide section and make sure that the “File name extensions” are ticked.

Step 2: Now create a text file and give it a name (e.g. 123.bat) and edit it with notepad and write the following commands and save it.

echo on
echo "Great day ahead"
ver

Step 3: Now save the file and execute this in the CLI app (basically in CMD). The output will be like the following.

Explanation:

It was a very basic example of batch scripting. Hereby using echo on we ensure that command echoing is on i.e. all the commands will be displayed including this command itself. The next command prints a string “Great day ahead” on the screen and the ver command displays the version of the currently running OS. Note that the commands are not case sensitive (e.g. echo and ECHO will give the same output). Now I will discuss everything about the ECHO command.

ECHO Command: The ECHO command is used to print some text (string) on the screen or to turn the on/off command echoing on the screen.

 Syntax:

echo [<any text message to print on the screen>]

or

echo [<on> | <off>]

Using the ECHO command without any parameter:

When echo is used without any parameter it will show the current command echoing setting (on/off).

Syntax:

echo

Example:

Printing a message on the screen using ECHO:

We can print any text message on the screen using echo. The message is not needed to be enclosed within single quotes or double quotes ( ‘  or  “), moreover any type of quote will also be printed on the screen.

Syntax:

echo <any text message to print on the screen>

  Example:

Command Echoing:

• By using echo on we can turn on command echoing i.e. all the commands in a batch file will also be printed on the screen as well as their outputs.
• By using echo off we can turn off command echoing i.e. no commands in the batch file will be printed on the screen but only their outputs, but the command echo off itself will be printed.

Syntax:

echo [<on> | <off>]

Example:

This is an example where the command echoing is turned on.

Let’s see the output.

Example:

This is an example where the command echoing is turned off.

Let’s see the output.

Using <@echo off>:

We have seen that when we use echo off it will turn off command echoing but it will print the command echo off itself. To handle this situation we can use @echo off as it will turn off command echoing and also will not print this command itself.

Syntax:

@echo off

Example:

Let’s see the output.

Printing the value of a variable:

We can declare a variable and set its value using the following syntax.

Syntax:

set variable_name=value

We can print the value of a variable using the following syntax.

Syntax:

echo %variable_name%

Note that we can put the %variable_name% anywhere between any text to be printed.

Example:

Concatenation of Strings:

We can concatenate two string variables and print the new string using echo.

Example:

Last Updated :
24 Apr, 2023

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Команда echo в командной строке используется для вывода данных на экран консоли или же в файл, и для включения/выключения эхо-отображения команд.

Эхо-отображения – вывод на экран самих команд, а не только результат их выполнения. Так, если мы пропишем в сценарии следующую строку кода:

а потом запустим его через консоль командной строки, то вначале нам выведет сами команды (echo Hello World & dir), а уже потом результат их выполнения. В данном случае команда cmd – echo, выводит строку Hello World, а команда dir (смотрите статью «Утилита DIR«) – содержимое текущего каталога, символ & отвечает за конкатенацию (объединение) обеих команд (смотрите статью «Урок 2 по CMD — операторы командной строки«).

Для простоты запуска сценариев, пропишите в командной строке:

Path %PATH%;<путь к папке>

Вместо <путь к папке> пропишите путь к каталогу, в котором собираетесь хранить сценарий. Дайте сценарию простое имя, например, test.bat. Теперь в переменных окружения будет прописан путь к тестируемому сценарию, и вам не придется лишний раз делать переходы по папкам.

Hello World – да, да, зачем ломать традиции. Наверно, автор каждой книги по программированию начинает свои примеры с это фразы… Можно даже составить целую подборку в стиле “Привет Мир на тысячи языках программирования”. Как не странно, но по этому запросу в выдаче Яндекса и правда большая часть сайтов посвященных программированию!

Для управления эхо-отображениями после echo в командной строке нужно прописать off (выключить эхо) или on (включить эхо). Теперь давайте перепишем предыдущий пример:

echo off
echo Hello World & dir

Хорошо, теперь последняя строка уже не отображается, но отображается первая, что не является показателем достигнутой цели, как это исправить, я покажу дальше, по ходу статьи.

Как уже упоминалось, утилита командной строи (cmd) echo позволяет выводить данные в файл, для это после нее нужно прописать оператор > (выводит данные в файл и полностью переписывает его содержимое) или >> (выводит данные в файл, и если он не пустой, дописывает данные в конец) и путь к файлу, или просто имя файла:

echo off
echo Hello World>d:\work\hello.txt

В данном случае, если запустить сценарий с этим кодом из консоли командной строки (cmd), то в самом окне cmd отобразится первая строка кода, а в файл hello.txt запишется строка Hello World.

Однако, можно включить или выключить вывод эхо-команд на экран в самом окне командной строки, а не только через сценарий. Для начала просто введите команду cmd echo в командной строке и нажмите ENTER, вам выведет сообщение о том, включен режим эхо или нет. Что бы отключить или включить режим эхо-вывода, используйте аналогичные команды с предыдущий примеров: on и off. Так, если вы выполните эхо off, то не будет отображаться даже путь к текущему каталогу, а если выполните команду cls (очистка экрана), то окажетесь перед черным экраном с мигающим курсором и только неизвестность из темноты будет всматриваться в ваши глаза

Для справки: что бы вывести на экран консоли пустую строку, нужно ввести команду эхо и сразу после нее прописать точку: “echo.”, межу командой и точкой не должно быть пробела.

Хорошо, теперь давайте рассмотрим cmd команду @, которая довольно часто используется на ровне с ЭХО. Данная команда предотвращает отображение эхо-команд для отдельной строки, то есть, команда @ фактически является аналогом echo off, только не для всего кода, а лишь для отельной строчки, в которой она собственно и фигурирует.

Давайте перепишем предыдущий пример:

@echo off
echo Hello World>d:\work\hello.txt

Бинго, теперь после запуска сценария в окне командной строки cmd echo off не будет отображаться.

Или можно так прописать:

@echo Hello World>d:\work\hello.txt
@dir>>d:\work\hello.txt

В данном случае мы не использовали команду echo off, зато прописали оператор cmd @ для каждой строки.

Можно даже попробовать в окне командной оболочки ввести @echo off на выполнение, в таком случае пропадет и приглашение командной строки.

По теме данной статьи можно провести аналогию с сервером сценариев Windows Script Host, в котором объект WScript.Shell использует аналогичную команду эхо для вывода данных. Так же, если мне память не изменять, функция эхо применяется в языке программирования php. Тот, кто пробовал свои силы в различных языках программирования с легкостью сможет провести между ними аналоги и найти общие точки.

1. Use the echo Command in Batch
2. Use the echo Command to Print Message
3. echo a New Line or Blank Line in a Batch File
4. echo Text Into a File
5. Use the echo Command to Echo a Variable
6. Echo the System Path
7. Use the echo Command With Escape Command Characters
8. Conclusion

In Windows, the echo command displays messages on the command line. Apart from Command shell and PowerShell, it is available in many other operating system shells such as DOS, OS/2, ReactOS, and other Unix and Unix-like operating systems.

Nowadays, it is mainly used in shell scripts and batch files. Let’s discuss Batch’s echo command and its options.

Use the echo Command in Batch

The echo command is an internal command used to print out the text on the screen or turn on or off the command-echoing. It does not set the errorlevel or clear the errorlevel.

Every command executed on running a batch file is shown on the command line along with the output. When we run a batch file, all the commands are executed line by line in a sequential manner.

Using the echo command, we can turn off the echoing of the commands in the command prompt even with the echo command itself.

Syntax:

echo [on | off]
echo <message>
echo /?

• on — display commands along with the output.
• off — hides the commands and only displays the output.
• message — text to be printed.

If you type echo without any parameters or options, it will show the status of the echo command(i.e., on or off). In Batch files, it is mostly used to turn off the command’s echoing and only show the output, and the echo on command is useful while debugging a batch file.

To check the status of the echo command or echo setting, execute the following command in the command prompt.

Output:

To turn off the echoing of the command, add echo off at the top of your Batch file.

Output:

However, the above command will show the line echo off in the command prompt. To hide this line, add @ at the start of the echo off.

Output:

Use the echo Command to Print Message

The echo command can also display messages while executing commands in a batch file.

@echo off
echo hello world
echo this is an example of how to print a message using the echo command.
cmd /k

Output:

You can also use both echo on and echo off in the same batch file. Sometimes, you may need to turn off the echoing for some commands and turn on the echoing for other commands.

In that case, you can use both echo on and echo off, as shown in the following example.

@echo off
echo hello world
echo Here, the echoing is turned off i.e. no commands are shown.

@echo on
echo Hello
echo Here, the echoing is on i.e. commands are shown along with the output
cmd /k

Output:

echo a New Line or Blank Line in a Batch File

To echo a new line or display a message in a separate line in a batch file, use echo. or echo: between the commands to add a new line. The output for both the commands will be the same.

Example — 1:

@echo off
echo hello
echo:
echo world
echo this will add a blank line between hello and world
cmd /k

Example — 2:

@echo off
echo hello
echo.
echo world
echo this will add a blank line between hello and world
cmd /k

Output:

echo Text Into a File

To echo a message into a text file, execute the following command.

echo this line will be saved to a text file > testfile.txt

You can also create an empty file using the echo command. To create an empty file, execute the following command.

Use the echo Command to Echo a Variable

To echo a variable using the echo command, execute the following command:

It’s recommended to use echo: instead of space as given below though it has some limitations. However, the output will be the same for both.

It is because if you use space, it may turn out to execute the command as echo on or echo off instead of displaying the variable’s value. As shown in the example below, if the value of the variable is set to off, using space will take it as echo off and turn off the echoing.

Instead, if we use echo: it will just display the value of the variable.

Example — 1:

Set test=OFF
Echo %test%
echo echo is turned off instead of displaying the value
cmd /k

Output:

Example — 2:

Set test=OFF
Echo:%test%
echo the value is displayed

Output:

Echo the System Path

To echo each item in the path in a new line, execute the following command.

Output:

Use the echo Command With Escape Command Characters

When you use the echo command along with the command characters, like the redirection(&) and pipe(|, on, off) characters, the command character will by default precede the echo command. To avoid this, we need to use the escape characters(:, ^) whenever the command characters are used.

Add the escape character before the command character for each command character separately.

@echo off
ECHO Here, the escape character is used for the ^& character like Mickey ^& Mouse
ECHO file1 ^| file2 ^| file3

Output:

Conclusion

We have discussed the echo command and covered almost everything, along with examples. It is a very useful command used in Batch files for various reasons, as explained in the examples above.