I am using a CMD batch file to rename hundreds of files with the REN command, but this one file with a "%" in the name is being skipped:
REN "40% @ thesuper.ogg" "ZXS 40% @ thesuper.ogg"
I'm guessing the batch file interpreter is seeing the % as a variable, especially when followed by the @ sign afterwards. The problem is, both % and @ should be there in the filename. Is there a way to force the rename?
@echo off
cd /d "D:\Path\To\Your\Files.ogg"
for /f tokens^=1*delims^=^%% %%i in =;('
"%WinDir%\System32\where.exe" .:*^%%*.ogg
');= do rename "%%~fi%%%%~j" "ZXS 40%%%%~j"
This for /f loop command lists .ogg files that contain the % character in their names. It defines the file name in two parts: the portion before the % and the portion after it. To handle the % correctly in the command, an extra % is added as an escape for the % itself, while the initial % is escaped using ^. This prevents the command interpreter from misinterpreting the double %% as a reference to a variable with no value (null). The original command would fail to rename these files because it doesn’t properly account for the escaping required when handling the % character in file names.
But note that @ does not interfere in any way with the rename command via the command line and/or the batch file.
