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SET--Notes

Displaying the current environment settings When you type the SET command alone, MS-DOS displays the current environment settings. These settings usually include the COMSPEC and PATH environment variables that MS-DOS uses to help find programs on disk. PROMPT, DIRCMD and COPYCMD are some other environment variables that MS-DOS uses. For more information about DIRCMD, see the <DIR> command. Using parameters When you use a SET command and specify values for both variable and string, MS-DOS adds the specified variable value to the environment and associates the string with that variable. If the variable already exists in the environment, the new string value replaces the old string value. If you specify only a variable and an equal sign (without a string) for the SET command, MS-DOS clears the string value associated with the variable (as if the variable is not there at all). Using SET in batch files When creating batch files, you can use the SET command to create variables and use them in the same way as you would the numbered variables %0 through %9. You can also use the variables %0 through %9 as input for the SET command. Calling a SET variable from a batch file When you call a variable value from a batch file, you must enclose the value with percent signs (%). For example, if your batch program creates an environment variable named BAUD, you can use the string associated with BAUD as a replaceable parameter by inserting %BAUD% on the command line. Effect of SET on environment space After you use a SET command, MS-DOS might display the following message: Out of environment space This message means the available environment space is insufficient to hold the new variable definition. For information about how to increase the environment space, see the <COMMAND> command. Using the COPYCMD environment variable You can set the COPYCMD environment variable to specify whether you want the COPY, MOVE, and XCOPY commands to prompt you for confirmation before overwriting a file, whether issued from the command prompt or a batch file. To force the COPY, MOVE, and XCOPY commands to prompt you before overwriting in all cases, set the COPYCMD environment variable to /-Y. To force these commands to overwrite in all cases without prompting you, set the COPYCMD environment variable to /Y. Typing any of these commands with the /Y or /-Y switch overrides all defaults and the current setting of the COPYCMD environment variable.
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