Powershell array of arrays [duplicate] - powershell

Question

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Powershell create array of arrays
(3 answers)
Closed 5 years ago.
This is building $ret into a long 1 dimensional array rather than an array of arrays. I need it to be an array that is populated with $subret objects. Thanks.
$ret = #()
foreach ($item in $items){
$subret = #()
$subRet = $item.Name , $item.Value
$ret += $subret
}

Answer 1

there might be other ways but arraylist normally works for me, in this case I would do:
$ret = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList
and then
$ret.add($subret)

Answer 2

The suspected preexisting duplicate question is indeed a duplicate:
Given that + with an array as the LHS concatenates arrays, you must nest the RHS with the unary form of , (the array-construction operator) if it is an array that should be added as a single element:
# Sample input
$items = [pscustomobject] #{ Name = 'n1'; Value = 'v1'},
[pscustomobject] #{ Name = 'n2'; Value = 'v2'}
$ret = #() # create an empty *array*
foreach ($item in $items) {
$subret = $item.Name, $item.Value # use of "," implicitly creates an array
$ret += , $subret # unary "," creates a 1-item array
}
# Show result
$ret.Count; '---'; $ret[0]; '---'; $ret[1]
This yields:
2
---
n1
v1
---
n2
v2
The reason the use of [System.Collections.ArrayList] with its .Add() method worked too - a method that is generally preferable when building large arrays - is that .Add() only accepts a single object as the item to add, irrespective of whether that object is a scalar or an array:
# Sample input
$items = [pscustomobject] #{ Name = 'n1'; Value = 'v1'},
[pscustomobject] #{ Name = 'n2'; Value = 'v2'}
$ret = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList # create an *array list*
foreach ($item in $items) {
$subret = $item.Name, $item.Value
# .Add() appends whatever object you pass it - even an array - as a *single* element.
# Note the need for $null = to suppress output of .Add()'s return value.
$null = $ret.Add($subret)
}
# Produce sample output
$ret.Count; '---'; $ret[0]; '---'; $ret[1]
The output is the same as above.

Answer 3

Edit
It is more convoluted to create an array of tuples than fill an array with PsObjects containing Name Value as the two properties.
Select the properties you want from $item then add them to the array
$item = $item | select Name, Value
$arr = #()
$arr += $item
You can reference the values in this array by doing this
foreach($obj in $arr)
{
$name = $obj.Name
$value = $obj.Value
# Do actions with the values
}