Background

As I went back and started closing out the many Google Chrome Windows and Tabs that I had opened, I took another look at a blog post titled “A Taste of PowerShell – String Manipulation: Splitting and Joining Strings” –http://tasteofpowershell.blogspot.com/2009/08/string-manipulation-splitting-and.html .

 

Introduction

The Blog post has a very concise code that was quite honestly over my head.  It accesses a data file and read and emit the contents.

Actual Code:

Get-Content people.txt |
>> %{$data = $_.split("`t"); Write-Output "$($data[1]) $($data[0]), $($data[2])"}

 

I tried changing it to

Get-Content people.txt | %{$data = $_.split("`t"); Write-Output "$($data[1]) $($data[0]), $($data[2])"}

 

so that I can see everything on one line, but I am still thinking to myself what does the % sign mean.

Later I found that it is a shortcut for iterating through a list. i.e. for / while.

 

Sample Rewrite attempts

Here is my attempts at rewrites.

 

($data[2]):

Here is what happens when we have ($data[2]) as part of Write-Output

Get-Content people.txt | %{ $data = $_.split("\s+"),3; Write-Output "First Name: ($data[2]) " }

Output:

($arrayPeople[0]):

Here is what happens when we have ($arrayPeople[0]) as part of Write-Output

(Get-Content people.txt ) | %{ $data = $_; $arrayPeople = $data -split "\s+"; Write-Host "First Name: $arrayPeople[0]"; }

Output:

($arrayPeople[0]) ($arrayPeople[1]) (arrayPeople[2]):

Here is what happens when we have ($arrayPeople[0])  ($arrayPeople[1]) ($arrayPeople[2]) as part of Write-Output

(Get-Content peoplepiped.txt ) | %{ $data = $_; $arrayPeople = $data -split '\s+';  Write-Host  "($arrayPeople[0]) ($arrayPeople[1]) in ($arrayPeople[2])" ; }

Output:

 

 

Using format -f argument1, argument2, argument3 ( Works ):

Using format ( -f ) argument1, argument2, argument3

(Get-Content people.txt ) | %{ $data = $_; $arrayPeople = $data -split '\s+'; "{0} {1} in {2} " -f $arrayPeople[1], $arrayPeople[0] , $arrayPeople[2] }

Output:

 

 

Write-Host ( Works ) :

Preceding the array element with a dollar using ($) — $(arrayVar[position])

(Get-Content people.txt ) | `
	%{ 
		$data = $_; 
		$arrayPeople = $data -split '\s+'; 
		Write-Host "$($arrayPeople[0]) $($arrayPeople[1]) in $($arrayPeople[2])" ; 
	 }

Output:

 

 

Summary

When array elements are referenced within a Write-Host statement, please surround with dollar sign ($)….$($Array[array-element]).

Or use composite formatting.

Syntax:

"{} {1} in {2} " -f variable-1, variable-2 , variable-3

 

Sample:

"{0} {1} in {2} " -f $arPeople[1], $arPeople[0] , $arPeople[2]

 

Parting Comment

Sorry it took a bit of time to explain what one hopes will be easy to code; the idea of printing array elements.

Now when I go back and look at the earlier code, I see the importance of the $sign that precedes each array element:

    Get-Content people.txt | %{$data = $_.split("`t"); Write-Output "$($data[1]) $($data[0]), $($data[2])"}

 

Reference

Powershell – Q/A

• Referencing Powershell array index produces unexpected results when referenced with string
  http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8592677/referencing-powershell-array-index-produces-unexpected-results-when-referenced-w

Powershell – Format

• Powershell – ABCs – F is for format operator
  https://devcentral.f5.com/articles/powershell-abcs-f-is-for-format-operator

 

Powershell – Composite Formatting

• Use Powershell to format strings with composite formatting
  http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2013/03/12/use-powershell-to-format-strings-with-composite-formatting.aspx

 

Powershell – String Manipulation

• Taste of Powershell – String manipulation splitting and joining strings
  http://tasteofpowershell.blogspot.com/2009/08/string-manipulation-splitting-and.html
  

 

Powershell – Get-Content

• Why Get Content ain’t yet friend
  http://powershell.org/wp/2013/10/21/why-get-content-aint-yer-friend/comment-page-1/