shift
Changes the position of batch parameters in a batch file.
Syntax
shift [/n <N>]
Parameters
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
/n <N> |
Specifies to start shifting at the Nth argument, where N is any value from 0 to 8. Requires command extensions, which are enabled by default. |
| /? | Displays help at the command prompt. |
Remarks
The shift command changes the values of the batch parameters %0 through %9 by copying each parameter into the previous one—the value of %1 is copied to %0, the value of %2 is copied to %1, and so on. This is useful for writing a batch file that performs the same operation on any number of parameters.
If command extensions are enabled, the shift command supports the /n command-line option. The /n option specifies to start shifting at the Nth argument, where N is any value from 0 to 8. For example, SHIFT /2 would shift %3 to %2, %4 to %3, and so on, and leave %0 and %1 unaffected. Command extensions are enabled by default.
You can use the shift command to create a batch file that can accept more than 10 batch parameters. If you specify more than 10 parameters on the command line, those that appear after the tenth (%9) will be shifted one at a time into %9.
The shift command has no effect on the %* batch parameter.
There's no backward shift command. After you implement the shift command, you can't recover the batch parameter (%0) that existed before the shift.
Examples
To use a batch file, called Mycopy.bat, to copy a list of files to a specific directory, type:
@echo off
rem MYCOPY.BAT copies any number of files
rem to a directory.
rem The command uses the following syntax:
rem mycopy dir file1 file2 ...
set todir=%1
:getfile
shift
if "%1"=="" goto end
copy %1 %todir%
goto getfile
:end
set todir=
echo All done