Escape Characters in Windows
Escape Characters in Windows
The various versions of Microsoft Windows interpret the caret character (^) and percent character (%) differently from one another. A specific line of text may also be interpreted differently depending on whether you type it into a “batch” window (DOS prompt) or include it as input in a batch script.
The following table gives the different input sequences required to represent the following line on different operating systems:
cterm /console=cn_ap:cache[USER]:^%D
Operating System Differences
| Operating System | Environment | Rule | Input Sequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 | DOS prompt | No escaping needed | cterm /console=cn_ap:cache[USER]:^%D |
| Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP | DOS prompt | Double caret (^) characters | cterm /console=cn_ap:cache[USER]:^^%D |
| Windows 7, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP | Batch file | Double caret (^) characters
Double percent (%) characters |
cterm /console=cn_ap:cache[USER]:^^%%D |
| Windows 9x, Windows ME | DOS prompt or batch file | Double percent (%) characters | cterm /console=cn_ap:cache[USER]:^%%D |
For other operating systems, consult the documentation for the relevant operating system.
