Batch file, wildcard in folderpath, no idea what the wildcard can be

Question

I have a batch file that attempts to replaces a file in

C:\Users\All Users\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\12.*\Data\Config

But the * varies from computer to computer, so it's not as if I can have an input list

This batch file is executed in another batch file, which is called from command-line.

Here is the batch file with the * path, C:\script.bat

@echo off
if exist "C:\Users\All Users\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\12.*\Data\Config\SyLink.xm_" del /Q "C:\Users\All Users\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\12.*\Data\Config\SyLink.xm_"
ren "C:\Users\All Users\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\12.*\Data\Config\SyLink.xml" sylink.xm_bak
del /Q "C:\Users\All Users\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\12.*\Data\Config\SyLink.xml"

echo.
echo Copying new SyLink.xml
echo.
copy C:\SyLink.xml "C:\Users\All Users\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\12.*\Data\Config"


echo.
echo Deleting temp files
del /Q "c:\SyLink.xml"

And this is another batch file, C:\copy.bat that calls the first one, i.e. C:\script.bat

xcopy C:\sylink.xml \\10.10.10.10\c$
xcopy C:\sylink.xml \\10.10.10.11\c$
D:\pstools\psexec.exe @C:\clients.txt -c C:\Script.bat

C:\clients.txt

10.10.10.10
10.10.10.11

Batch file is executed through the command-line

C:\> C:\copy.bat

Question is, how do I make this batch file work so it recognizes * as a wildcard?

Thanks

Answer 1

for /d %%a in (
  "C:\Users\All Users\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\12.*"
) do set "theFolder=%%~fa\Data\Config"

echo %theFolder%

You can only include a wildcard in the last element of the path.

To do what you need, you have to enumerate the 12.* folders and select one. In this case the last folder matching the wildcard is selected (as the code in the do clause is executed, the variable is overwritten)