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From: cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (Gordon Hlavenka)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Zero byte DOS files
Message-ID: <26da9c0d-3e8.3comp.windows.ms-1@vpnet.chi.il.us>
Date: 28 Aug 90 17:55:05 GMT
References: <23366@sequoia.execu.com> <1990Aug27.163336.17116@cimage.com>
Lines: 18


>Does anybody know how to get a .bat file to test for the length of another
>file; specifically, for the presence of a zero byte file?

Microsoft distributed (with source!) a program called WHAT.COM with some
versions of MASM.  The file was redistributed on some BBSs; I'm not sure of
the legality.

WHAT checks several interesting things, and leaves its results in a variable
in the master environment.  Thus, you could do this:
WHAT S GOODFILE.TXT
if "%WHAT%" == "0" echo File is zero-length.

WHAT also allows prompted input of strings, and other nifty things.  Sounds
like what you're looking for.

-----------------------------------------------------
Gordon S. Hlavenka            cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us