Template for Yes/No Choice input in batch files

choice.bat

@ECHO OFF
:start
SET choice=
SET /p choice=Do something? [N]: 
IF NOT '%choice%'=='' SET choice=%choice:~0,1%
IF '%choice%'=='Y' GOTO yes
IF '%choice%'=='y' GOTO yes
IF '%choice%'=='N' GOTO no
IF '%choice%'=='n' GOTO no
IF '%choice%'=='' GOTO no
ECHO "%choice%" is not valid
ECHO.
GOTO start

:no
ECHO Do all of the no things here!
PAUSE
EXIT

:yes
ECHO Do all of the yes things here!
PAUSE
EXIT

Minor fixes this:

IF '%choice%'=='Y' GOTO yes
IF '%choice%'=='y' GOTO yes

Replace with this:
IF /i '%choice%'=='Y' GOTO yes
It supports uppercase and lowercase text input

Minor fixes this:

IF '%choice%'=='Y' GOTO yes
IF '%choice%'=='y' GOTO yes

Replace with this: IF /i '%choice%'=='Y' GOTO yes It supports uppercase and lowercase text input

This may depend on OS (???) because on my machine, this input is case-sensitive (meaning that you need both the upper- and lowercase options or else one will be read as an invalid input). I'm on Windows 10, running in console.

@jcefoli

I would recommend using PowerShell as a much more modern and capable way of scripting

Could you give a hint, how one would write an equal batch file for PowerShell? Would that file use the same extension *.bat?
Thanks!

I would recommend using PowerShell as a much more modern and capable way of scripting

Could you give a hint, how one would write an equal batch file for PowerShell? Would that file use the same extension *.bat? Thanks!

PowerShell and Batch are two different things. Batch files are handled by cmd.exe and you can double click them to run a string of commands. They are very old and it's not as good as linux bash or PowerShell

PowerShell scripts have the .ps1 extension. You cannot just click them like a batch file, and you must call them from the powershell console.

There are much more elegant ways to create a menu in Powershell, but porting the code above over to parity looks like so:

$choice = ""
while ($choice.ToUpper() -ne "Y" -and $choice.ToUpper() -ne "N") {
    $choice = Read-Host "Do Something (Y/N)"

    if ($choice.ToUpper() -eq "Y") {
        Write-Host "You chose yes"
    } elseif ($choice.ToUpper() -eq "N") {
        Write-Host "You chose no"
    } else {
        Write-Host "$choice is not valid"
    }
}

This batch file handles Yes/No inputs and performs actions based on the user's choice. It uses case-insensitive checks for "Y" or "N" and defaults to "No" if no input is given. Looks solid! I was working on an essay about victimology and found a highly informative sample on https://www.topessaywriting.org/samples/victim This sample delved into the different types of victimization, the psychological effects on victims, and the societal response to victims. The paper was well-researched and presented in a clear and structured manner. It provided me with valuable insights and a better understanding of the subject, which significantly improved the quality of my essay. This is an excellent resource for anyone exploring the topic of victimology.