CODEWITHSUNDEEP
powershell
Ruben_PH
Ruben_PH

Reputation: 1812

Use variable as -path when using Get-Content on PowerShell

I am trying to get a content of a text file by using Get-Content and I want the value for the -path to be on a variable like so:

$MyFileName = "testfile"    
$MyFilePath = "(.\MyFolder\" + $MyFileName + ".txt)"
$ServerList = Get-Content -Path $MyFilePath

But I keep getting the error:

Cannot bind argument to parameter 'Path' because it is null.

It works if I hard code the file path

$ServerList = Get-Content -Path (.\MyFolder\MyFile.txt)

Write-Host $MyFilePath
.\MyFolder\testfile.txt

Upvotes: 4

Views: 9716

Answers (4)

Ruben_PH
Ruben_PH

Reputation: 1812

I found out that the issue is on using a variable inside a workflow. I was so focused on that block of code that I forgot to look at the bigger picture.

I have the code below which had the issue:

Workflow GetServerStatus{
   $ServerList = Get-Content -path $FullFileName
   $ServiceList = Get-Content service_list.txt
   ForEach -Parallel ($Server in $ServerList){
      InlineScript{
         Get-Service -ComputerName $Using:Server -name $Using:ServiceList
      }
   }
}

#credits to @Lee_Dailey
$Extension = 'txt'
$FileName = $BaseName, $Extension -join '.'
$Directory = '.\server'
$FullFileName = Join-Path -Path $Directory -ChildPath $FileName

GetServiceStatus

It turns out that the issue is that I am not passing the variables correctly to a workflow It should be:

Workflow GetServiceStatus{
    param(
        $FullFileName
    )

It is then called like so

GetServiceStatus $FullFileName

Upvotes: 0

js2010
js2010

Reputation: 27428

If you look at the variable, the string literally has parentheses in it:

$MyFileName = "testfile"
$MyFilePath = "(.\MyFolder\" + $MyFileName + ".txt)"
$myfilepath

(.\MyFolder\testfile.txt)

This would work:

$MyFileName = "testfile"
$MyFilePath = ".\MyFolder\" + $MyFileName + ".txt"
$myfilepath

.\MyFolder\testfile.txt

You could put the parentheses on the outside, but you don't need to. Or

".\MyFolder\$MyFileName.txt"

Upvotes: 2

Lee_Dailey
Lee_Dailey

Reputation: 7479

here's one way to do what you seem to want. [grin] the 1st part is your code with the very peculiar resulting file name. the 2nd part is broken out into parts that are easier to read/understand/modify. 

$YourFileName = "testfile"    
$YourFilePath = "(.\MyFolder\" + $YourFileName + ".txt)"

$BaseName = 'testfile'
$Extension = 'txt'
$FileName = $FileName, $Extension -join '.'
$Directory = $env:TEMP
$FullFileName = Join-Path -Path $Directory -ChildPath $FileName

$YourFilePath
$FullFileName

output ... 

(.\MyFolder\testfile.txt)
C:\Temp\testfile.txt

note that your code made a file name that is almost certainly invalid. [grin]

Upvotes: 1

Guenther Schmitz
Guenther Schmitz

Reputation: 1999

try setting the full file path like 

$MyFilePath = "C:\My Folder\My File.txt"

or if you the relative path is really what you want remove the brackets like

$MyFilePath = ".\My Folder\My File.txt"

Upvotes: 1

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