How do i overwrite a field in a csv file with PowerShell? - powershell

CSV sample:
I have the below code, where I would like to overwrite the current value in the PreviousGroup field. I know that -append adds to the end of the column, but that's not what I want to do.
$UserGroup = read-host "Enter Group Name"
$csvFile = Import-Csv "C:\HomeFolder\Locations.csv"
if ([string]::IsNullOrEmpty($PreviousGroup)) {$PreviousGroup = ""}
else {$PreviousGroup = $csvFile | Select-Object $csvFile.PreviousGroup -Verbose}
$csvFile.PreviousGroup = $UserGroup
$csvFile | Export-Csv
Secondly, is it possible to link Dom*_Groups in the below code to the list on the CSV?
param([Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
[ValidateSet(*"list from csv"*)] [string]$Dom1_Groups)
param([Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
[ValidateSet(*"list from csv"*)] [string]$Dom2_Groups)

$csvFile, as returned from Import-Csv, is an array of [pscustomobject] instances.
Therefore, assigning to the .PreviousGroup property of $csvFile in an attempt to assign to its elements' .PreviousGroup properties will not work: while it's understandable to attempt this, given that getting the elements' property values this way does work, via member-access enumeration, member-access enumeration by design only works for getting, not also for setting property values.
The simplest solution is to use the .ForEach() array method:
# Set the .PreviousGroup property of all elements of array $csvFile
# to the value of $UserGroup.
$csvFile.ForEach('PreviousGroup', $UserGroup)
Caveat: As of PowerShell 7.1, the above method of assigning property values unexpectedly fails if the input object happens to be a scalar (single object), which can happen if the CSV file happens to contain just one data row; see GitHub issue #14527.
An - inefficient - workaround is to use #(), the array-subexpression operator:
#($csvFile).ForEach('PreviousGroup', $UserGroup)
or to use a script block ({ ... }):
$csvFile.ForEach({ $_.PreviousGroup = $UserGroup })

Related

Powershell Array Output to html

Apologies if this is irrelevant but I'm new to powershell and I've been scratching my head on this for a few days on and off now. I'm trying to write a script that will output two columns of data to a html document. I've achieved most of it by learning through forums and testing different combinations.
The problem is although it gives me the result I need within powershell itself; it will not properly display the second column results for Net Log Level.
So the script looks at some folders and pulls the * value which is always three digits (this is the Site array). It then looks within each of these folders to the Output folder and grabs a Net Log Level node from a file inside there. The script is correctly listing the Sites but is only showing the last value for Net Log Level which is 2. You can see this in the screenshot above. I need this to take every value for each Site and display as appropriate. The image of the incorrect result is below. I need the result to be 1,4,2,2,2. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
function getSite {
Get-ChildItem C:\Scripts\ServiceInstalls\*\Output\'Config.exe.config' | foreach {
$Site = $_.fullname.substring(27, 3)
[xml]$xmlRead = Get-Content $_
$NetLogLevel = $xmlRead.SelectSingleNode("//add[#key='Net Log Level']")
$NetLogLevel = $NetLogLevel.value
New-Object -TypeName System.Collections.ArrayList
$List1 += #([System.Collections.ArrayList]#($Site))
New-Object -TypeName System.Collections.ArrayList
$List2 += #([System.Collections.ArrayList]#($NetLogLevel))
}
$Results = #()
ForEach($Site in $List1){
$Results += [pscustomobject]#{
"Site ID" = $Site
"Net Log Level" = $NetLogLevel
}
}
$Results | ConvertTo-HTML -Property 'Site','Net Log Level' | Set-Content Output.html
Invoke-Item "Output.html"
}
getSite
Restructure your code as follows:
Get-ChildItem 'C:\Scripts\ServiceInstalls\*\Output\Config.exe.config' |
ForEach-Object {
$site = $_.fullname.substring(27, 3)
[xml]$xmlRead = Get-Content -Raw $_.FullName
$netLogLevel = $xmlRead.SelectSingleNode("//add[#key='Net Log Level']").InnerText
# Construct *and output* a custom object for the file at hand.
[pscustomobject] #{
'Site ID' = $site
'Net Log Level' = $netLogLevel
}
} | # Pipe the stream of custom objects directly to ConvertTo-Html
ConvertTo-Html | # No need to specify -Property if you want to use all properties.
Set-Content Output.html
As for what you tried:
New-Object -TypeName System.Collections.ArrayList in effect does nothing: it creates an array-list instance but doesn't save it in a variable, causing it to be enumerated to the pipeline, and since there is nothing to enumerate, nothing happens.
There is no point in wrapping a [System.Collections.ArrayList] instance in #(...): its elements are enumerated and then collected in a regular [object[]] array - just use #(...) by itself.
Using += to "grow" an array is quite inefficient, because a new array must be allocated behind the scenes every time; often there is no need to explicitly create an array - e.g. if you can simply stream objects to another command via the pipeline, as shown above, or you can let PowerShell itself implicitly create an array for you by assigning the result of a pipeline or foreach loop as a whole to a variable - see this answer.
Also note that when you use +=, the result is invariably a regular [object[] array, even if the RHS is a different collection type such as ArrayList.
There are still cases where iteratively creating an array-like collection is necessary, but you then need to use the .Add() method of such a collection type in order to grow the collection efficiently - see this answer.
Instead of populating two separate lists, simply create the resulting objects in the first loop:
function getSite {
$Results = Get-ChildItem C:\Scripts\ServiceInstalls\*\Output\'Config.exe.config' | ForEach-Object {
$Site = $_.fullname.substring(27, 3)
[xml]$xmlRead = Get-Content $_
$NetLogLevel = $xmlRead.SelectSingleNode("//add[#key='Net Log Level']")
$NetLogLevel = $NetLogLevel.value
[pscustomobject]#{
"Site ID" = $Site
"Net Log Level" = $NetLogLevel
}
}
$Results | ConvertTo-HTML -Property 'Site', 'Net Log Level' | Set-Content Output.html
Invoke-Item "Output.html"
}
getSite

Make select -unique on arraylist return arraylist instead of string

I have three arraylists in below class. I want to keep them unique. However if there's only one item (string) in the arraylist and you use select -unique (or any other method to achieve this) it will return the string instead of a list of strings. Surrounding it with #() also doesn't work because that transforms it to an array instead of an arraylist, which I can't add stuff to.
Any suggestions that are still performant? I tried HashSets before but somehow had horrible experiences with those. See my previous post for that.. Post on hashset issue
Code below:
Class OrgUnit
{
[String]$name
$parents
$children
$members
OrgUnit($name){
$this.name = $name
$this.parents = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList
$this.children = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList
$this.members = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList
}
addChild($child){
# > $null to supress output
$tmp = $this.children.Add($child)
$this.children = $this.children | select -Unique
}
addParent($parent){
# > $null to supress output
$tmp = $this.parents.Add($parent)
$this.parents = $this.parents | select -Unique
}
addMember($member){
# > $null to supress output
$tmp = $this.members.Add($member)
$this.members = $this.members | select -Unique
}
}
You're adding a new item to the array, then selecting unique items from it, and reassingning it every time you add a member. This is extremely inefficient, maybe try the following instead:
if (-not $this.parents.Contains($parent)) {
$this.parents.Add($parent) | out-null
}
Would be much faster even with least efficient output supressing by out-null.
Check with .Contains() if the item is already added, so you don't have to eliminate duplicates with Select-Object -Unique afterwards all the time.
if (-not $this.children.Contains($child))
{
[System.Void]($this.children.Add($child))
}
As has been pointed out, it's worth changing your approach due to its inefficiency:
Instead of blindly appending and then possibly removing the new element if it turns out to be duplicate with Select-Object -Unique, use a test to decide whether an element needs to be appended or is already present.
Patrick's helpful answer is a straightforward implementation of this optimized approach that will greatly speed up your code and should perform acceptably unless the array lists get very large.
As a side effect of this optimization - because the array lists are only ever modified in-place with .Add() - your original problem goes away.
To answer the question as asked:
Simply type-constrain your (member) variables if you want them to retain a given type even during later assignments.
That is, just as you did with $name, place the type you want the member to be constrained to the left of the member variable declarations:
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $parents
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $children
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $members
However, that will initialize these member variables to $null, which means you won't be able to just call .Add() in your .add*() methods; therefore, construct an (initially empty) instance as part of the declaration:
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $parents = [System.Collections.ArrayList]::new()
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $children = [System.Collections.ArrayList]::new()
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $members = [System.Collections.ArrayList]::new()
Also, you do have to use #(...) around your Select-Object -Unique pipeline; while that indeed outputs an array (type [object[]]), the type constraint causes that array to be converted to a [System.Collections.ArrayList] instance, as explained below.
The need for #(...) is somewhat surprising - see bottom section.
Notes on type constraints:
If you assign a value that isn't already of the type that the variable is constrained to, PowerShell attempts to convert it to that type; you can think of it as implicitly performing a cast to the constraining type on every assignment:
This can fail, if the assigned value simply isn't convertible; PowerShell's type conversions are generally very flexible, however.
In the case of collection-like types such as [System.Collections.ArrayList], any other collection-like type can be assigned, such as the [object[]] arrays returned by #(...) (PowerShell's array-subexpression operator). Note that, of necessity, this involves constructing a new [System.Collections.ArrayList] every time, which becomes, loosely speaking, a shallow clone of the input collection.
Pitfalls re assigning $null:
If the constraining type is a value type (if its .IsValueType property reports $true), assigning $null will result in the type's default value; e.g., after executing [int] $i = 42; $i = $null, $i isn't $null, it is 0.
If the constraining type is a reference type (such as [System.Collections.ArrayList]), assigning $null will truly store $null in the variable, though later attempts to assign non-null values will again result in conversion to the constraining type.
In essence, this is the same technique used in parameter variables, and can also be used in regular variables.
With regular variables (local variables in a function or script), you must also initialize the variable in order for the type constraint to work (for the variable to even be created); e.g.:
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $alist = 1, 2
Applied to a simplified version of your code:
Class OrgUnit
{
[string] $name
# Type-constrain $children too, just like $name above, and initialize
# with an (initially empty) instance.
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $children = [System.Collections.ArrayList]::new()
addChild($child){
# Add a new element.
# Note the $null = ... to suppress the output from the .Add() method.
$null = $this.children.Add($child)
# (As noted, this approach is inefficient.)
# Note the required #(...) around the RHS (see notes in the last section).
# Due to its type constraint, $this.children remains a [System.Collections.ArrayList] (a new instance is created from the
# [object[]] array that #(...) outputs).
$this.children = #($this.children | Select-Object -Unique)
}
}
With the type constraint in place, the .children property now remains a [System.Collections.ArrayList]:
PS> $ou = [OrgUnit]::new(); $ou.addChild(1); $ou.children.GetType().Name
ArrayList # Proof that $children retained its type identity.
Note: The need for #(...) - to ensure an array-valued assignment value in order to successfully convert to [System.Collections.ArrayList] - is somewhat surprising, given that the following works with the similar generic list type, [System.Collections.Generic.List[object]]:
# OK: A scalar (single-object) input results in a 1-element list.
[System.Collections.Generic.List[object]] $list = 'one'
By contrast, this does not work with [System.Collections.ArrayList]:
# !! FAILS with a scalar (single object)
# Error message: Cannot convert the "one" value of type "System.String" to type "System.Collections.ArrayList".
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $list = 'one'
# OK
# Forcing the RHS to an array ([object[]]) fixes the problem.
[System.Collections.ArrayList] $list = #('one')
Try this one:
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Collections
Class OrgUnit
{
[String]$name
$parents
$children
$members
OrgUnit($name){
$this.name = $name
$this.parents = [System.Collections.Generic.List[object]]::new()
$this.children = [System.Collections.Generic.List[object]]::new()
$this.members = [System.Collections.Generic.List[object]]::new()
}
addChild($child){
# > $null to supress output
$tmp = $this.children.Add($child)
$this.children = [System.Collections.Generic.List[object]]#($this.children | select -Unique)
}
addParent($parent){
# > $null to supress output
$tmp = $this.parents.Add($parent)
$this.parents = [System.Collections.Generic.List[object]]#($this.parents | select -Unique)
}
addMember($member){
# > $null to supress output
$tmp = $this.members.Add($member)
$this.members = [System.Collections.Generic.List[object]]#($this.members | select -Unique)
}
}

CSV input, powershell pulling $null value rows from targeted column

I am trying to create a script to create Teams in Microsoft Teams from data in a CSV file.
The CSV file has the following columns: Team_name, Team_owner, Team_Description, Team_class
The script should grab Team_name row value and use that value to create a variable. Use that variable to query if it exists in Teams and if not, create it using the data in the other columns.
The problem I am having is my foreach loop seems to be collecting rows without values. I simplified the testing by first trying to identify the values and monitoring the output.
Here is the test script
$Team_infocsv = Import-csv -path $path Teams_info.csv
# $Team_infocsv | Foreach-object{
foreach($line in $Team_infocsv){
$owner = $line.Team_owner
Write-Host "Team Owner: $owner"
$teamname = $line.Team_name
Write-Host "Team Name: $teamname"
$team_descr = $line.Team_Description
Write-Host "Team Description: $team_descr"
$teamclass = $line.Team_class
Write-Host "Team Class: $teamclass"
}
I only have two rows of data but yet returned are the two lines as requested with extra output (from rows) without values.
There's no problem with your code per se, except:
Teams_info.csv is specified in addition to $path after Import-Csv -Path, which I presume is a typo, however.
$path could conceivably - and accidentally - be an array of file paths, and if the additional file(s) has entirely different columns, you'd get empty values for the first file's columns.
If not, the issue must be with the contents of Teams_info.csv, so I suggest you examine that; piping to Format-Custom as shown below will also you help you detect the case where $path is unexpectedly an array of file paths:
Here's a working example of a CSV file resembling your input - created ad hoc - that you can compare to your input file.
# Create sample file.
#'
"Team_name","Team_owner","Team_Description","Team_class"
"Team_nameVal1","Team_ownerVal1","Team_DescriptionVal1","Team_classVal1"
"Team_nameVal2","Team_ownerVal2","Team_DescriptionVal2","Team_classVal2"
'# > test.csv
# Import the file and examine the objects that get created.
# Note the use of Format-Custom.
Import-Csv test.csv test.csv | Format-Custom
The above yields:
class PSCustomObject
{
Team_name = Team_nameVal1
Team_owner = Team_ownerVal1
Team_Description = Team_DescriptionVal1
Team_class = Team_classVal1
}
class PSCustomObject
{
Team_name = Team_nameVal2
Team_owner = Team_ownerVal2
Team_Description = Team_DescriptionVal2
Team_class = Team_classVal2
}
Format-Custom produces a custom view (a non-table and non-list view) as defined by the type of the instances being output; in the case of the [pscustomobject] instances that Import-Csv outputs you get the above view, which is a convenient way of getting at least a quick sense of the objects' content (you may still have to dig deeper to distinguish empty strings from $nulls, ...).

Read a CSV in powershell with a variable number of columns

I have a CSV that contains a username, and then one or more values for the rest of the record. There are no headers in the file.
joe.user,Accounting-SG,CustomerService-SG,MidwestRegion-SG
frank.user,Accounting-SG,EastRegion-SG
I would like to read the file into a powershell object where the Username property is set to the first column, and the Membership property is set to either the remainder of the row (including the commas) or ideally, an array of strings with each element containing a single membership value.
Unfortunately, the following line only grabs the first membership and ignores the rest of the line.
$memberships = Import-Csv -Path C:\temp\values.csv -Header "username", "membership"
#{username=joe.user; membership=Accounting-SG}
#{username=frank.user; membership=Accounting-SG}
I'm looking for either of these outputs:
#{username=joe.user; membership=Accounting-SG,CustomerService-SG,MidwestRegion-SG}
#{username=frank.user; membership=Accounting-SG,EastRegion-SG}
or
#{username=joe.user; membership=string[]}
#{username=frank.user; membership=string[]}
I've been able to get the first result by enclosing the "rest" of the data in the csv file in quotes, but that doesn't really feel like the best answer:
joe.user,"Accounting-SG,CustomerService-SG,MidwestRegion-SG"
Well, the issue is that what you have isn't really a (proper) CSV. The CSV format doesn't support that notation.
You can "roll your own" and just process the file yourself, something like this:
$memberships = Get-Content -LiteralPath C:\temp\values.csv |
ForEach-Object -Process {
$user,$membership = $_.Split(',')
New-Object -TypeName PSObject -Property #{
username = $user
membership = $membership
}
}
You could do a half and half sort of thing. Using your modification, where the groups are all a single field in quotes, do this:
$memberships = Import-Csv -Path C:\temp\values.csv -Header "username", "membership" |
ForEach-Object -Process {
$_.membership = $_.membership.Split(',')
$_
}
The first example just reads the file line by line, splits on commas, then creates a new object with the properties you want.
The second example uses Import-Csv to create the object initially, then just resets the .membership property (it starts as a string, and we split the string so it's now an array).
The second way only makes sense if whatever is creating the "CSV" can create it that way in the first place. If you have to modify it yourself every time, just skip this and process it as it is.

Powershell - Iterate through variables dynamically

I am importing a CSV file with two records per line, "Name" and "Path".
$softwareList = Import-Csv C:\Scripts\NEW_INSTALLER\softwareList.csv
$count = 0..($softwareList.count -1)
foreach($i in $count){
Write-Host $softwareList[$i].Name,$softwareList[$i].Path
}
What I am trying to do is dynamically assign the Name and Path of each record to a WPFCheckbox variable based on the $i variable. The names for these checkboxes are named something such as WPFCheckbox0, WPFCheckbox1, WPFCheckbox2 and so on. These objects have two properties I planned on using, "Command" to store the $SoftwareList[$i].path and "Content" to store the $SoftwareList[$i].Name
I cannot think of a way to properly loop through these variables and assign the properties from the CSV to the properties on their respective WPFCheckboxes.
Any suggestions would be very appreciated.
Invoke-Expression is one way, though note Mathias' commented concerns on the overall approach.
Within your foreach loop, you can do something like:
invoke-expression "`$WPFCheckbox$i`.Command = $($SoftwareList[$i].Path)"
invoke-expression "`$WPFCheckbox$i`.Content= $($SoftwareList[$i].Name)"
The back-tick ` just before the $WPFCheckBox prevents what would be an undefined variable from being immediately evaluated (before the expression is invoked), but the $I is. This gives you a string with your $WPFCheckbox1, to which you then append the property names and values. The $SoftwareList values are immediately processed into the raw string.
The Invoke-Expression then evaluates and executes the entire string as if it were a regular statement.
Here's a stand-alone code snippet to play with:
1..3 |% {
invoke-expression "`$MyVariable$_` = New-Object PSObject"
invoke-expression "`$MyVariable$_` | add-member -NotePropertyName Command -NotePropertyValue [String]::Empty"
invoke-expression "`$MyVariable$_`.Command = 'Path #$_'"
}
$MyVariable1 | Out-String
$MyVariable2 | Out-String
$MyVariable3 | Out-String
As a side note (since I can't comment yet on your original question,) creating an array just to act as iterator through the lines of the file is really inefficient. There are definitely better ways to do that.