How to escape commands when comparing strings in batch file?

Question

I noticed that string comparison in a batch file doesn't work properly if you compare against words like "IF" and "DO".

IF "DO" == "DO" (
    ECHO YES
)

The above works fine, but isn't useful.

SET stringDO=DO
IF %stringDO% == "DO" (
    ECHO YES
) ELSE ( 
    ECHO NO
)

When we use a variable, the result for the above example is "NO"

Strangely, comparing 2 variables works fine.

SET stringDO=DO
SET compare=DO
IF %stringDO% == %compare% (
    ECHO YES
)

So my question is, am I doing anything wrong or is this an intended behavior?

Is there another way to escape command words in string comparisons?

Answer 1

Question code if comparison evaluated in order:

1. IF "DO" == "DO"
2. IF DO == "DO"
3. IF DO == DO

Double quotes are included in the comparison. DO does not equal "DO" .

SET stringDO=DO
IF "%stringDO%" == "DO" (
    ECHO YES
) ELSE ( 
    ECHO NO
)

results in YES .