Writing .txt files from lines 1 to i

Question

I am very close to my answer, but I cant seem to find it. I am using the Findstr function in a batch file to narrow now an entire directory to just one file.

cd ...
findstr /s /m "Desktop" *class.asasm >results1.txt
findstr /m /f:results1.txt "Production" *class.asasm >results2.txt
findstr /n /f:results2.txt "Capabilities" *class.asasm >results3.txt

TASK 1: I need to figure out a way to make findstr search backwards for a fourth string from the line number the third line was found on

TASK 2: I need to write lines 1-the one we arrive at of the file in results2.txt the insert a .txt file. Then write the rest of the original lines.

I am writing an application in VB.Net with Visual Studios and I am having a difficult time figuring out how to complete this process. I am currently having better luch with having the application run batch files that are written within the application.

Answer 1

The correct solution is to find a tool that does this properly. batch/CMD does not.

Here's a script that tells you the line numbers of the 3rd and 4th match. It's probably not exactly what you want, but it is a demonstration of how one can effectively work with line numbers.

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION

SET FILE=TestFile.txt

SET _LINENO=1
SET _MATCHNO=0
SET _THIRDLINENUM=
SET _FOURTHLINENUM=
FOR /F %%l IN (%FILE%) DO (
   ECHO %%l | FINDSTR "Target" %_TMP% >NUL
   IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 1 (
      SET /A _MATCHNO=!_MATCHNO!+1
      IF !_MATCHNO!==3 SET _THIRDLINENUM=!_LINENO!
      IF !_MATCHNO!==4 SET _FOURTHLINENUM=!_LINENO!
   )
   SET /A _LINENO=!_LINENO!+1
)

@ECHO %_THIRDLINENUM% : %_FOURTHLINENUM%

Here's what's in TestFile.txt

abcdefg
bcdefgh
Target 1
cdefghi
defghij
fghijkl
Target 2
ghijklm
hijklmn
ijklmno
jklmnop
klmnopq
lmnopqr
mnopqrs
Target 3
nopqrst
Target 4
opqrstu
pqrstuv
qrstuvw
rstuvwx
stuvwxy
tuvwxyz

If you insist on using batch/CMD (and I sometimes do when nothing else is available), and you need to get the text on line #n (otherwise, head and tail would do just fine), you could produce a similar loop but replace the code from FINDSTR down to the end of the IF statement with something that compares _LINENO with some other variable, ECHO'ing the line if it is between the two values. I don't know if IF supports logical operators, so you may have to nest the IF statements, like

IF !_LINENO! GEQ %START_LINE% IF !_LINENO! LEQ %END_LINE% @ECHO %%l

Answer 2

assuming you need this (from your first comment):

I still have not found a way to search starting at line xx rather than 1 or to search in reverse order

you can try this (from the command line):

for /r %i in ("file pattern") do @more "%~i" +starting_line |findstr  "search string"

• for /r = recursively (if you mean really reverse, please explain)
• "file pattern" = files to find, eg. "*class.asasm"
• starting_line = search starting line, eg. 7 (more +6)
• "search string" = your search pattern, eg. "Desktop"
  • OR search "Desktop Production Capabilities"
  • AND search |findstr "Desktop"|findstr "Production"|findstr "Capabilities"