Windows Batch - User input in a batch

Batch Files - User Input

The "set" command is also able to pass user input.

This is done by set /p.

For example:

@echo off
echo Type something!
set /p test="Input :"
exit

test is the variable. "Input :" is printed on the screen and prompts the user for input.
If you just type this in a batch. The user can type anything he wants.
To narrow this down, you can use the "IF" statement and check if the user typed what he was supposed
to.
The following code does this:

@echo off
echo Type s to exit this batch!
set /p test="Input :"
if %test%==s ( echo Good job
) else ( echo You did not type the correct letter! )
pause > nul
exit

What this does is it prompts the user to write something, if this is not the letter s, the if statement check fails and prints
"You did not type the correct letter!".

> nul quashes the output of any text by not sending it to the CLI.

One way to extent this code is to add an option to it that gives the user three tries to type the wanted letter. This can be achieved by working with
jumpmarks and if statements.

@echo off
echo Type q. You have three tries!
set /p input="Type: "
if %input%==q ( goto JUMP ) else ( goto IF1 )
:IF1
echo You have two more tries!
set /p input="Type: "
if %input%==q ( goto JUMP ) else ( goto IF2 )
:IF2
echo You have one more try!
set /P input="Type: "
if %input%==q ( goto JUMP ) else ( goto FAIL )

:FAIL
echo You failed!
pause>nul
exit

:JUMP
echo Well done!
pause>nul
exit

The following batch asks the user over and over again to type the right letter, by just setting a jumpmark at the very beginning of the code.

@echo off
:J1
echo Type s to start a program!
set /p var1="Input:"
if %var1%==s ( goto J2 ) else ( goto J1 )
:J2
echo Well done! That was just a test!
pause
exit

Note: The input-variable can be empty, you don´t need to specify a string.

set /p input=

Which displays nothing.