Hi! Lee,

On 27 Aug 08 00:02, you wrote to Gord Hannah:

 LG> -> PQ> Well, if it makes you feel better I've found it doesn't like
 LG> 2:2/2 -> PQ> as well.  :)
 LG> -> Wonder about 3:3/3, 4:4/4, or 5:5/5?

 LG> I think its the colon that is throwing your batch file off.

It's not really the problem.  In fact the colon is used as an additional
target 'separator', to separate out the individual bits of a Fidonet
address (with NSET) to environment variables, like so (in the batch):

-----88-----
[ ...]
  :: Extract the zone number from the input...
  ECHO %1|NSET /P1 /X: ZONE=$1

  :: Separate the net # (or region #) -and- node # (i.e. 999/9999)...
  ECHO %1|NSET /P2 /X: NETNODE=$1

  :: Grab the net # or region #...
  ECHO %NETNODE%|NSET /P1 /X/ NETREGON=$1

  :: Extract the node #...
  ECHO %1|NSET /P2 /X/ NODENUM=$2
[ ...]
-----88-----

The percent identifier above (%1) is a Fido address in the form:
9:999/9999, supplied as a parameter when the batch is executed.  The above
scrap just pulls the requested address to bits to be tested and used.  Only
the bits are used later, not the whole address.

 LG> The colon is an illegal label character. with regards to batch files,
 LG> a DOS "label" is a word or a series of numbers/characters used to
 LG> identify a part of a batch file. Some people use a single colon to
 LG> place remarks in a batch file, but since DOS uses this to identify its
 LG> labels and those lines will be read, I suggest the single colon not be
 LG> used, except of course, as a label precursor
 LG> ie:
 LG> goto end
 LG> :end

A double-colon (::) works better and faster for making remarks, since DOS
sees it as an error condition (bad label) and ignores the rest of the line.
 A line beginning with REM is -still- parsed by DOS and acted upon if it
contains useful-to-DOS text, like redirection symbols (''). 
I like using whitespace remarking as well, a lot:

-----88-----
[ ... ]
GOTO USE_ZONE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                       PLACE ADVERTISEMENT HERE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:USE_ZONE
[ ... ]
-----88-----

=:)

BTW, you helped me sort out the problem.  In another version of this note,
I started to frame an explanation of what goes on in the batch and
discovered where the apparent problem actually was.  It's always a
GoodThing(tm) to have someone else to mouth-off to about an ongoing
problem.  No one here would understand what I'm saying nor have the
requisite patience.  In this case, it was you.  Thank you.  :)

Cheers,
Paul.

... General failure reading drive A: Please remove your fist.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-31012