How to check the users currently using a powershell program? - powershell

Question

So I have a basic program (incredibly buggy but we quite like it) that uses a shared folder that a couple of people at school have access to (Paths have been changed for ease of use). It is designed to work as a messaging application, with each user writing into the same Notepad file to send a message to a Poweshell script using the Get-Content and -Wait parameter. I have added a couple of commands using "/", but I want one (i.e. /online) that a user can type and see all of the other people currently using the program.
I have tried to set up a different text file that is updated every x seconds by each individual user with their own user name, while wiping the previous record:
while (1){
Clear-Content -Path C:\users\Freddie\Desktop\ConvoOnline.txt
Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 5000
Add-Content -Path C:\users\Freddie\Desktop\ConvoOnline.txt $env:UserName
}
So this can be called upon later:
elseif($_ -match "/online"){Get-Content -Path C:\users\Freddie\Desktop\ConvoOnline.txt}
But this doesn't work, it won't sync up between users, so one user will wipe the current users and only that will apear as active, until the other users' cycle wipes THEIR name.
To avoid the XY Problem, I want a fairly simple way (still only using two files maximum) to determine which users are actively using (therefore updating) the Powershell script they are running.
Whole code:
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.speech
$speak = New-Object System.Speech.Synthesis.SpeechSynthesizer
$speak.Volume = 100
Write-Host "Type /helpp, save it, then hit backspace and save it again for a guide and list of commands!"
Get-Content -Path C:\users\Freddie\Desktop\Convo.txt -Wait |
%{$_ -replace "^", "$env:UserName "} |
%{if($_ -match "/cls"){cls} `
elseif($_ -match "/online"){Get-Content -Path C:\users\Freddie\Desktop \ConvoOnline.txt} `
elseif(($_ -match "/afk") -and ($env:UserName -eq "Freddie")){Write-Host "$env:UserName has gone afk"} `
elseif(($_ -match "/say") -and ($env:UserName -eq "Freddie")) {$speak.Speak($_.Substring(($_.length)-10))} `
elseif($_ -match "/whisper"){
$array = #($_ -split "\s+")
if($array[2] -eq "$env:UserName"){
Write-Host $array[2]
} `
} `
elseif($_ -match "/help"){
Write-Host "Help: `
1. Press Ctrl+S in Notepad to send your message `
2. Make sure you delete it after it's been sent `
3. If your message doesn't send properly, just hit backspace and all but the last letter will be sent `
`
COMMANDS: `
`
/online - Lists all users currently in the chat `
/cls - Clears you screen of all current and previous messages `
/whisper [USERNAME] [MESSAGE] - This allows you to send a message privately to a user"
}
else{Write-Host "$_"}}
#
#
#
#
#Add a command: elseif($_ -match "/[COMMAND]"){[FUNCTION]}
#
#Make it user-specific: elseif($_ -match "/[COMMAND]" -and $envUserName -eq "[USERNAME]"){[FUNCTION]}

Answer 1

You can add time stamp with add-content and another ps1 file for clearing data written before 5 seconds (you can do this in the same ps1 file but another ps1 file is better)
Modified user online updation part :
while ($true){
Add-Content -Path d:\ConvoOnline.txt "$($env:UserName);$(get-date)"
Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 5000
}
Another script which watches and clears content before 5 seconds ,so the online file is always updated
while($true){
Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 5000
$data = get-content -Path D:\ConvoOnline.txt
clear-content -Path D:\ConvoOnline.txt
if($data){
$data | %{if(!([datetime]($_.split(";")[1]) -lt (get-date).addmilliseconds(-4500))){Add-Content -Path d:\ConvoOnline.txt $_}}
}
}