Batch script date into variable

for /F "tokens=1-4 delims=/ " %%i in ('date /t') do (
set Day=%%k
set Month=%%j
set Year=%%l
set DATE=%%k/%%j/%%l)

I am try to get the date into the above variables in a batch script, but currently the date comes out as

2011/04/

Any suggestions on how to fix this?

You don't get what you expected because `%DATE%` returns the current date using the windows settings for the "short date format". This setting is fully (endlessly) customizable.

One user may configure its system to show the short date as Fri040811; while another user (even in the same system) may choose 08/04/2011. It's a complete nightmare for a BAT programmer.

One possible solution is to use **WMIC**, instead. WMIC is the WMI command line interface to WMI. **WMI** *Windows Management Instrumentation* is the

[To see links please register here]

WMIC Path Win32_LocalTime Get Day,Hour,Minute,Month,Second,Year /Format:table

returns the date in a convenient way to directly parse it with a `FOR`.

Completing the parse and putting the pieces together

FOR /F "skip=1 tokens=1-6" %%A IN ('WMIC Path Win32_LocalTime Get Day^,Hour^,Minute^,Month^,Second^,Year /Format:table') DO (
SET /A TODAY=%%F*10000+%%D*100+%%A
)

Feel free to use this any way you want

:: Date in year, day, month format

FOR /f "tokens=2-4 skip=1 delims=(-)" %%G IN ('echo.^|date') DO (
FOR /f "tokens=2 delims= " %%A IN ('date /t') DO (
SET v_first=%%G
SET v_second=%%H
SET v_third=%%I
SET v_all=%%A
)
)

SET %v_first%=%v_all:~0,2%
SET %v_second%=%v_all:~3,2%
SET %v_third%=%v_all:~6,4%
SET DATE2= %MM%_%DD%_%YY%
ECHO. The date is: %DATE2%

This is what I'd use in an XP pro machine and higher. XP Home does not have wmic.

:: timestamp YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS
@echo off
for /f "delims=" %%a in ('wmic OS Get localdatetime ^| find "."') do set dt=%%a
set dt=%dt:~0,8%_%dt:~8,6%
echo %dt%
pause

and another

:: timestamp YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS
@echo off
for /f "delims=" %%a in ('wmic OS Get localdatetime ^| find "."') do set dt=%%a
set dt=%dt:~0,4%-%dt:~4,2%-%dt:~6,2%_%dt:~8,2%-%dt:~10,2%-%dt:~12,2%
echo %dt%
pause

I have derived the shortest from the already given solutions. This works on every system (XP Pro and up):

REM ===================================================================
REM CREATE UNIQUE DATETIME STRING IN FORMAT YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS
REM ======================================================================
FOR /f %%a IN ('WMIC OS GET LocalDateTime ^| FIND "."') DO SET DTS=%%a
SET DateTime=%DTS:~0,8%-%DTS:~8,6%
REM ======================================================================

Of course you can play with the resulting string format.

for /f %%a in ('wmic os get localdatetime ^| find "."') do set dts=%%a
set ymd=%dts:~0,8%
set hour=%dts:~8,6%

Couldn't you simply use the following 1 line to create your var (using any var name)?

set ymd=%date:~6,4%/%date:~0,2%/%date:~3,2%

The following script will give local time with timezone (TZ) information, in both true ISO8601 and human format (no 'T'). It converts the TZ offset in minutes into the HHMM format needed e.g. `2019-01-25T08:26:55.347+1300` and `2019-01-25 08:26:55.347+1300` for NZ with DST.

@echo off
for /F "usebackq tokens=1,2 delims==" %%i in (`wmic os get LocalDateTime /VALUE 2^>NUL`) do if '.%%i.'=='.LocalDateTime.' set ldt=%%j
set ccyy_mm_dd=%ldt:~0,4%-%ldt:~4,2%-%ldt:~6,2%
set hh_mm_ss=%ldt:~8,2%:%ldt:~10,2%:%ldt:~12,2%
set _fff=%ldt:~14,4%
set tzsign=%ldt:~21,1%
set tzmins=%ldt:~22%
set /a tzHH=(%tzmins%/60)
set /a tzMM=(%tzmins%-(%tzHH%*60))
set /a tzHH=100 + %tzHH%
set tzHH=%tzHH:~1,2%
set /a tzMM=100 + %tzMM%
set tzMM=%tzMM:~1,2%
set ldt=%ccyy_mm_dd% %hh_mm_ss%%_fff%%tzsign%%tzHH%%tzMM%
set ldt8601=%ccyy_mm_dd%T%hh_mm_ss%%_fff%%tzsign%%tzHH%%tzMM%
echo %ldt%
echo %ldt8601%
You probably want to remove one of the echo commands

*EDIT* for those wanted a colon in the TZ, change `%tzHH%%tzMM%` to `%tzHH%:%tzMM%`

I think this is what you want:

@echo off
:MENU
CLS
for /f "delims=" %%a in ('wmic OS Get localdatetime ^| find "."') do set xsukax=%%a
echo Year=%xsukax:~0,4%
echo Month=%xsukax:~4,2%
echo Day=%xsukax:~6,2%
echo hour=%xsukax:~8,2%
echo Minutes=%xsukax:~10,2%
echo seconds=%xsukax:~12,2%

pause
goto MENU