'Pretty print' windows %PATH% variable - how to split on ';' in CMD shell

Question

I want to run a simple one-liner in the Windows CMD prompt to print my %PATH% variable, one entry per line.

I tried this: for /f "delims=;" %a in ("%path%") do echo %a but this only prints the first entry:

Z:\>for /f "delims=;" %a in ("%path%") do echo %a  Z:\>echo c:\python25\. c:\python25\. 

Also as you can see from the output above, this is also printing the echo %a command as well as the output. Is there any way to stop this?

If I try a similar command, I get all the entries, but still get the echo %a output spamming the results. I don't understand why the following prints all entries, but my attempt on %PATH% doesn't. I suspect I don't understand the /F switch.

Z:\>for %a in (1 2 3) do echo %a  Z:\>echo 1 1  Z:\>echo 2 2  Z:\>echo 3 3 

Answer 1

The simple way is to use

for %a in ("%path:;=";"%") do @echo %~a 

This works for all without ; in the path and without " around a single element
Tested with path=C:\qt\4.6.3\bin;C:\Program Files;C:\documents & Settings

But a "always" solution is a bit complicated
EDIT: Now a working variant

@echo off setlocal DisableDelayedExpansion set "var=foo & bar;baz<>gak;"semi;colons;^&embedded";foo again!;throw (in) some (parentheses);"unmatched ;-)";(too"  set "var=%var:"=""%" set "var=%var:^=^^%" set "var=%var:&=^&%" set "var=%var:|=^|%" set "var=%var:<=^<%" set "var=%var:>=^>%"  set "var=%var:;=^;^;%" rem ** This is the key line, the missing quote is intended set var=%var:""="% set "var=%var:"=""%"  set "var=%var:;;="";""%" set "var=%var:^;^;=;%" set "var=%var:""="%" set "var=%var:"=""%" set "var=%var:"";""=";"%" set "var=%var:"""="%"  setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion for %%a in ("!var!") do (     endlocal     echo %%~a     setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion ) 

What did I do there?
I tried to solve the main problem: that the semicolons inside of quotes should be ignored, and only the normal semicolons should be replaced with ";"

I used the batch interpreter itself to solve this for me.

• First I have to make the string safe, escaping all special characters.
• Then all ; are replaced with ^;^;
• and then the trick begins with the line
  set var=%var:"=""%" (The missing quote is the key!).
  This expands in a way such that all escaped characters will lose their escape caret:
  var=foo & bar;;baz<>gak;;"semi^;^;colons^;^;^&embedded";;foo again!;;...
  But only outside of the quotes, so now there is a difference between semicolons outside of quotes ;; and inside ^;^;.
  Thats the key.

Answer 2

A simple one liner to prettying printing the PATH environment variable:

ECHO.%PATH:;= & ECHO.% 

If your PATH was equal to A;B;C the above string substitution will change this to ECHO.A & ECHO.B & ECHO.C and execute it all in one go. The full stop prevents the "ECHO is on" messages from appearing.