How to store the hostname in a variable in a .bat file?

Question

I would like to convert this /bin/sh syntax into a widely compatible Windows batch script:

host=`hostname`
echo ${host}

How to do this so that it'll work on any Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 machine?

To clarify: I would then like to go on in the program and use the hostname as stored in the variable host . In other words, the larger goal of the program is not to simply echo the hostname.

Answer 1

hmm - something like this?

set host=%COMPUTERNAME%
echo %host%

EDIT : expanding on jitter's answer and using a technique in an answer to this question to set an environment variable with the result of running a command line app:

@echo off
hostname.exe > __t.tmp
set /p host=<__t.tmp
del __t.tmp
echo %host%

In either case, 'host' is created as an environment variable.

Answer 2

I usually read command output in to variables using the FOR command as it saves having to create temporary files. For example:

FOR /F "usebackq" %i IN (`hostname`) DO SET MYVAR=%i

Note, the above statement will work on the command line but not in a batch file. To use it in batch file escape the % in the FOR statement by putting them twice:

FOR /F "usebackq" %%i IN (`hostname`) DO SET MYVAR=%%i
ECHO %MYVAR%

There's a lot more you can do with FOR . For more details just type HELP FOR at command prompt.

Answer 3

I'm using the environment variable COMPUTERNAME :

copy "C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\" %SYSTEMROOT%\system32
srvcheck \\%COMPUTERNAME% > c:\shares.txt
echo %COMPUTERNAME%

Answer 4

Why not so?:

set host=%COMPUTERNAME%
echo %host%

Answer 5

Just create a .bat file with the line

hostname

in it. That's it. Windows also supports the hostname command.

Answer 6

 set host=%COMPUTERNAME%
 echo %host%

This one enough. no need of extra loops of big coding.