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 set(CMD)                        19 June 1992                        set(CMD)


 Name

    set - display, set, or remove MS-DOS environment variables

 Syntax


    set [variable=[string]]

    To display the current environment settings, use the following syntax:

    set


 Description

    You use environment variables to control the behavior of some batch files
    and programs and to control the way MS-DOS appears and works. The set
    command is often used in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to set environment vari-
    ables each time you start MS-DOS.

 Parameters


    variable  Specifies the variable you want to set or modify.

    string    Specifies the string you want to associate with the specified
              variable.


 Notes


    Displaying the current environment settings

    When you type the set command alone, MS-DOS displays the current environ-
    ment settings.  These settings usually include the COMSPEC and PATH
    environment variables that MS-DOS uses to help find programs on disk.
    PROMPT and DIRCMD are two other environment variables that MS-DOS uses.
    For more information about DIRCMD, see the dir(CMD) 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 string with that variable.  If 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 vari-
    able (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 vari-
    ables 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(CMD) command.

 Examples

    To set an environment variable named INCLUDE so that the string C:\INC
    (the INC directory on drive C) is associated with it, type the following
    command:

       set include=c:\inc


    You can then use the string C:\INC in batch files by enclosing the name
    INCLUDE with percent signs (%).  For example, you might include the fol-
    lowing command in a batch file in order to display the contents of the
    directory associated with the INCLUDE environment variable:

       dir %include%

    When MS-DOS processes this command, the string C:\INC replaces %include%.

    Another possible use for the set command is in a batch program that adds
    a new directory to the PATH environment variable, as the following exam-
    ple shows:

       @@echo off
       rem ADDPATH.BAT adds a new directory
       rem to the PATH environment variable.
       set path=%1;%path%
       set


 Related commands

    For information about setting environment variables that MS-DOS uses to
    control its own operations, see the path(CMD), prompt(CMD), shell(CMD),
    and dir(CMD) commands.