I have a script that I need to replace a couple of lines in. The first replace is going fine but the second is wiping out my file and duplicating the line multiple times.
My code
(get-content $($sr)) -replace 'remoteapplicationname:s:SHAREDAPP',"remoteapplicationcmdline:s:$($sa)" | Out-File $($sr)
(get-content $($sr)) -replace 'remoteapplicationprogram:s:||SHAREDAPP',"remoteapplicationprogram:s:||$($sa)" | Out-File $($sr)
The first replace works perfectly. The second one is causing this:
remoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredrremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagarederemoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagareddremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagarediremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredrremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagarederemoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredcremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredtremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredcremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredlremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagarediremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredpremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredbremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredoremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredaremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagaredrremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagareddremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagared:remoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagarediremoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagared:remoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagared1remoteapplicationprogram:s:||stagared
etc...
Is this because of the ||? If so, how do I get around it?
Thanks!
To begin with, you should be using slightly more meaningful names for your variables. Especially if you want someone else to be reviewing your code.
The gist of your issue is that -replace supports regexes (regular expressions), and you have regex control characters in your pattern string. Consider the following simple example, and notice everywhere the replacement string is found:
PS C:\Users\Matt> "ABCD" -replace "||", "bagel"
bagelAbagelBbagelCbagelDbagel
-replace is also an array operator, so it works on every line of the input file, which is nice. For simplicity's sake, if you are not using a regex, you should just consider using the string method .Replace(), but it is case-sensitive, so that might not be ideal. So let's escape those control characters in the easiest way possible:
$patternOne = [regex]::Escape('remoteapplicationname:s:SHAREDAPP')
$patternTwo = [regex]::Escape('remoteapplicationprogram:s:||SHAREDAPP')
(get-content $sr) -replace $patternOne, "remoteapplicationcmdline:s:$sa" | Out-File $($sr)
(get-content $sr) -replace $patternTwo, "remoteapplicationprogram:s:||$sa" | Out-File $($sr)
Now we get both patterns matched as you have them written. Run $patternTwo on the console to see what has changed to it! $patternOne, as written, has no regex control characters in it, but it does not hurt to use the escape method if you are just expecting simple matching.
Aside from the main issue pointed out, there is also some redundancy and misconception that can be addressed here. I presume you are updating a source file to replace all occurrences of those strings, yes? Well, you don't need to read the file in twice, given that you can chain -replace:
$patternOne = [regex]::Escape('remoteapplicationname:s:SHAREDAPP')
$patternTwo = [regex]::Escape('remoteapplicationprogram:s:||SHAREDAPP')
(get-content $sr) -replace $patternOne, "remoteapplicationcmdline:s:$sa" -replace $patternTwo, "remoteapplicationprogram:s:||$sa" |
Set-Content $sr
Perhaps that will do what you intended.
You might notice that I've removed the subexpressions operators ($(...)) around your variables. While they have their place, they don't need to be used here. They are only needed inside more complicated strings, like when you need to expand object properties or something.
Related
I am writing a script which at one point has to check in a text file and remove certain strings. So far I have this:
powershell -Command "(gc myFile.txt) -replace 'foo', 'bar' | Out-File -encoding ASCII myFile.txt"
The only problem is that that can find and replace but will not remove the line all together.
The second problem is that say I am removing the line that has Mark, it needs to not remove a line that has something like Markus.
I don't know if this is possible with the powershell interface?
Your current code will only replace foo with bar, this is what replace does.
Removing the whole line if it matches requires a different approach, almost backwards, as you can use notmatch to output any lines that do not match you filter - effectively removing them.
Also using regex word boundaries will then only match Mark but not Markus:
(Get-Content file.txt) | Where-Object {$_ -notmatch "\bMark\b"} | Set-Content file.txt
I'm trying to replace multiple strings for new ones, always in the same file.
This would be an example. This give me no problems.
(get-content modTags.bas) | %{$_ -replace "rng_origin.Offset(ColumnOffset:=1)", "rng_origin.Offset(ColumnOffset:=0)"} | set-content modTags.bas
But if I repeat this line in the script (in fact, i must do it like 20 times) I get the error that the file is currently in use.
I have tried to put (set-content) like in (get-content), but it seems it doesn't works for only allow parameters in the first command in the pipeline.
I already know how to "bypass" this error.
By typing all my replacements inline it works (or continue the code in a new line) like this.
(get-content modTags.bas) | %{$_ -replace "X","Y" `
-replace "A","B"} | set-content modTags.bas
So this is a question about why set-content keeps the file occupy for new query in the same script and how can it be avoided? With get-content it easy with the () solution, and I was kinda expecting something similar for set-content.
And second. Could you suggest any better alternative for replacing multiple strings for different ones and save it in the same file (not creating a file.new.txt file.old.txt or something like that)
Thanks!
I am trying to make further use of a wonderful piece of code I found when I tried to replace text at a specified line.
However trying to get it to read $_.Substring() and then using $_ -replace is giving me troubles; although I get no error messages the text does not get replaced.
Here is code that does not work:
$content = Get-Content Z:\project\folder\subfolder\newindex2.html
$content |
ForEach-Object {
if ($_.ReadCount -ge 169 -and $_.ReadCount -le 171) {
$a = $_.Substring(40,57)
$linked = '' + $a + ''
$_ -replace $a,$linked
} else {
$_
}
} |
Set-Content Z:\project\folder\subfolder\newindex2.html
The whole point is to make the content of a cell in a html table column link to a file on a webserver with the same name as what's in the cell.
I didn't have any luck trying my hand at regex trying to match the filenames, but since I managed to make it so the text that's to be replaced always ends up at the same position, I figured I'd try positional replacement instead.
The text that is to be replaced is always 57 characters long and always starts at position 40.
I looked at the variables getting set, and everything gets set correctly, except that
$_ -replace $a,$linked
does not replace anything.
Instead, the whole file just gets written anew with nothing changed. Can anyone please point to what I am missing and/or point to how to reach the result more easily? Maybe I'm using Substring wrong and should be using something else?
The first item in the right-hand argument of -replace is a regex pattern, so depending on what the substring contains, some of the characters might be regex control characters.
You can either escape it:
$_ -replace $([regex]::Escape($a)),$linked
Or use the String.Replace() method, which does not use regex:
$_.Replace($a,$linked)
Finally, as #Matt points out, you might want to avoid the find-and-replace approach altogether, since you already know at which character indices you need to insert your new value:
$_.Remove(40,57).Insert(40,$linked)
I am trying to create a Powershell script which wraps quotes around each columns of the file on export to CSV. However the Export-CSV applet only places these where they are needed, i.e. where the text has a space or similar within it.
I have tried to use the following to wrap the quotes on each line but it ends up wrapping three quotes on each column.
$r.SURNAME = '"'+$r.SURNAME+'"';
Is anyone able to share how to forces these on each column of the file - so far I can just find info on stripping these out.
Thanks
Perhaps a better approach would be to simply convert to CSV (not export) and then a simple regex expression could add the quotes then pipe it out to file.
Assuming you are exporting the whole object $r:
$r | ConvertTo-Csv -NoTypeInformation `
| % { $_ -replace ',(.*?),',',"$1",' } `
| Select -Skip 1 | Set-Content C:\temp\file.csv
The Select -Skip 1 removes the header. If you want the header just take it out.
To clarify what the regex expression is doing:
Match: ,(.*?),
Explanation: This will match section of each line that has a comma followed by any number of characters (.*) without being greedy (? : basically means it will only match the minimum number of characters that is needed to complete the match) and the finally is ended with a comma. The parenthesis will hold everything between the two commas in a match variable to be used later in the replace.
Replace: ,"$1",
Explanation: The $1 holds the match between the two parenthesis mention above in the match. I am surrounding it with quotes and re-adding the commas since I matched on those as well they must be replaced or they are simply consumed. Please note, that while the match portion of the -replace can have double quotes without an issue, the replace section must be surrounded in single quotes or the $1 gets interpreted by PowerShell as a PowerShell variable and not a match variable.
You can also use the following code:
$r.SURNAME = "`"$($r.SURNAME)`""
I have cheated to get what I want by re-parsing the file through the following - guess that it acts as a simple find and replace on the file.
get-content C:\Data\Downloads\file2.csv
| foreach-object { $_ -replace '"""' ,'"'}
| set-content C:\Data\Downloads\file3.csv
Thanks for the help on this.
My text file looks like this.
"MikeCRLF","","","Dell","DevelCRLFCRLFoper"CRLF
"SuCRLFsan","","","Apple","ManagCRLFer"CRLF
Desired result:
"Mike","","","Dell","Developer"LF
"Susan","","","Apple","Manager"LF
I tried this on PowerShell:
"C:\Users\abc\Desktop\1.txt"
(Get-Content $path -Raw).Replace("`r`n","`n") | Set-Content $path -Force
When I do this, I don't get the desired result. Also, I am left with one CRLF at the end. I don't want that either.
Please tell me how to do this using PowerShell v3.
This method avoids checking to see if \r\n is in quotes. Instead, it tries to find the "real" end of line situations and converts those first. Then it just purges the rest.
(Get-Content test.txt -Raw) -replace '([^,]")(\s*\r\n\s*)+("[^,])',"`$1`n`$3" -replace '\r\n',''
I think this should handle most of the stuff you throw at it, but let me know if you find a special case.
edited to fix the replacement string
If you are using the PowerShell Community Extensions, you can use the ConvertTo-UnixLineEnding command e.g.:
ConvertTo-UnixLineEnding C:\users\abc\desktop1.txt -dest desktop1-converted.txt -Enc ascii