This batch script processes text from the system clipboard and...

September 4, 2025 at 05:30 PM

@echo off setlocal enableextensions enabledelayedexpansion rem grab 1st non-empty line of clipboard, trimmed for /f "usebackq delims=" %%i in ( `powershell -noprofile -c "$t=Get-Clipboard -Raw; $t=$t.Trim(); ($t -split '\r?\n') | ? { $_ -ne '' } | select -first 1"` ) do set "clipboard=%%i" if not defined clipboard ( echo clipboard empty & exit /b 1 ) rem robust substring test (won’t choke on & ? = etc)

This batch script processes text from the system clipboard and extracts the first non-empty, trimmed line. Here's a line-by-line breakdown of what it does:

  1. @echo off:

    • Prevents commands from being displayed in the console as they execute.
  2. setlocal enableextensions enabledelayedexpansion:

    • Enables advanced batch scripting features, including the use of delayed variable expansion (important when modifying variables in loops).
  3. rem grab 1st non-empty line of clipboard, trimmed:

    • A comment describing the intent of the upcoming section of code.
  4. for /f "usebackq delims=" %%i in (...) do set "clipboard=%%i":

    • Reads the output of the enclosed command and processes it line by line, assigning the first result to the variable clipboard.
  5. Powershell Command inside the for loop:

    • powershell -noprofile -c: Runs a PowerShell command without loading a profile for improved performance.
    • $t=Get-Clipboard -Raw;: Gets the raw text content from the system clipboard and assigns it to the variable $t.
    • $t=$t.Trim();: Trims leading and trailing whitespace from the clipboard content.
    • ($t -split '\r?\n'): Splits the trimmed text into lines (handles both Windows and Unix-style line endings).
    • | ? { $_ -ne '' }: Filters out empty lines.
    • | select -first 1: Selects the first non-empty line.
    • The overall result is the first non-empty, trimmed line of clipboard data.
  6. if not defined clipboard (...):

    • Checks if the clipboard variable is defined (contains content). If it is empty, a message "clipboard empty" is displayed, and the script exits with an error code 1.
  7. rem robust substring test (won’t choke on & ? = etc):

    • Another comment suggesting that the subsequent code will handle special characters in the clipboard content robustly.

Summary of Functionality:

This script retrieves text from the system clipboard, trims whitespace, selects the first non-empty line, and assigns it to the variable clipboard. If the clipboard is empty or contains no valid text, it displays a message and exits with an error.

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