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Batch file date format


How to get date in batch file scripts?

Keeping track of log files with date on the filename is a good practice.

Easier to manage and keeping track of the files is not difficult and whenever there’s a need to review the log files you can just open the exact date that you need to check.

Using command line you can get time and date.

Getting the date in command line comes in one format.

Running this command:  echo %date%

It will display an output like: Mon 04/21/2014 and this is the only format that can be displayed using the command above.

But using batch file scripts it can be processed to some other formats that are a standard in an organization.
If it is using DD-MM-YYYY, OR MM-YYYY-DD, or Day of the Week+ MM+YY+DD and other specified formats.

The output of echo %date% which is “Mon 04/21/2014” is a 15 columns string including spaces.

It’s quite important to know that the output is a 15 columns string; to trim the output to get the desired data will be specified by column position.

Let’s try some batch file commands to process the output string of echo %date%.

Running this command below from a batch file script:

set xmonthdate=%date:~7,2%%date:~0,0%%date:~0,0%
echo %xmonthdate%

Output will be “21”.

set xyear=%date:~10,4%%date:~0,0%%date:~0,0%
echo %xyear%

Output will be “2014”.

set xmonth=%date:~4,2%%date:~0,0%%date:~0,0%
echo %xmonth%

Output will be “04”.

set xdayoftheweek=%date:~0,0%%date:~0,3%%date:~0,0%
echo %xdayoftheweek%

Output will be “Mon”.


If we try this command below:

set  xmmddyyyy=%date:~4,2%-%date:~7,2%-%date:~10,4%
echo %xmmddyyyy%

Output will be:  04-21-2014


If the output will be something like: 04-05-2014 and the user reading the output can read it as April 5, 2014 or May 04, 2014. If he or she is does not know of the standard format used on the system.


Using the batch script “if then statement” it can be used to substitute the month output to its equivalent month abbreviation.

REM Bath Script Begin
@echo off
set xmonth=%date:~0,0%%date:~4,2%%date:~0,0%
echo %xmonth%

set mydate=%date:~7,2%%date:~0,3%%date:~10,4%
echo %mydate%

 if %xmonth%==12 set monthresult=Dec
 if %xmonth%==11 set monthresult=Nov
 if %xmonth%==10 set monthresult=Oct
 if %xmonth%==09 set monthresult=Sep
 if %xmonth%==08 set monthresult=Aug
 if %xmonth%==07 set monthresult=Jul
 if %xmonth%==06 set monthresult=Jun
 if %xmonth%==05 set monthresult=May
 if %xmonth%==04 set monthresult=Apr
 if %xmonth%==03 set monthresult=Mar
 if %xmonth%==02 set monthresult=Feb
 if %xmonth%==01 set monthresult=Jan

 echo %monthresult%
 REM Bath Script Ends


Running the script above will output something like this:
04
21Mon2014
Apr


That’s it batch file scripting is fun! Cheers!!!  Hope you can apply it to your work!
Please post a comment if it helps! J Thanks for reading.


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