From: fizzbintuesday@that-google-mail-domain.com   
      
   Here's a subroutine to get the length of a string that uses successive   
   approximation so it runs very fast because it only loops 13 times (once   
   for each bit of the resulting number) no matter how long the string is.   
      
      
   :GetStringLength   
   rem  Takes string variable NAME which must have no spaces. Returns   
   variable: StringLength   
   rem  Environment variables go up to 8191 characters so approximation   
   starts with 4096 which is the MSB.   
   rem  Practical limit is 8185 because "set x=" has 6 characters   
   if [%1]==[] set "StringLength=" & goto :eof   
   if not defined %1 set /a StringLength=0 & goto :eof   
   set /a GetStringLength_PlaceValue=4096   
   set /a GetStringLength_Guess=0   
   :GetStringLength_Loop   
   set /a GetStringLength_Guess^|=GetStringLength_PlaceValue   
   set /a GetStringLength_Skip=GetStringLength_Guess-1   
   call set "GetStringLength_Char=%%%1:~%GetStringLength_Skip%,1%%"   
   if not defined GetStringLength_Char set /a   
   GetStringLength_Guess^^=GetStringLength_PlaceValue   
   set /a GetStringLength_PlaceValue/=2   
   if %GetStringLength_PlaceValue% GTR 0 goto :GetStringLength_Loop   
   set /a StringLength=GetStringLength_Guess   
   set "GetStringLength_String="   
   set "GetStringLength_PlaceValue="   
   set "GetStringLength_Guess="   
   set "GetStringLength_Skip="   
   set "GetStringLength_Char="   
   goto :eof   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)