Microsoft KB Archive/34760

Knowledge Base

Missing <CR> after Batch Label Causes Repeat of Last Command

Article ID: 34760

Article Last Modified on 11/25/2003

---

APPLIES TO

• Microsoft MS-DOS 3.3 Standard Edition
• Microsoft MS-DOS 3.3a
• Microsoft MS-DOS 4.0 Standard Edition
• Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0 Standard Edition

---

This article was previously published under Q34760

SUMMARY

If the last line in a batch file is a label and there is no carriage return character after the label, the command immediately preceding the label will be executed twice.

The workaround for this problem is to include a carriage return at the end of a label.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in MS-DOS versions 3.3, 3.30a, 4.0, and 5.0. This problem was corrected in MS-DOS version 6.0.

MORE INFORMATION

The following batch file

echo hello <cr>
:label <cr>
<eof>
                

will produce the following output:

C>echo hello
hello

C>
C>
                

If the carriage return after the label is omitted, as follows

echo hello <cr>
:label <eof>
                

the file will produce the following output:

C>echo hello
hello
hello

C>
C>
                

Additional query words: 3.30 3.30a 4.00 5.00 noupd

Keywords: KB34760

---

Send feedback to Microsoft

© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.