Powershell check if file exists and replace it with new copy

Question

I'm trying to check if a directory exists, and if it does replace all files in that directory with updated files from another directory.

$path = "C:\mypath\config"
if([System.IO.Directory]::Exists($path)){
    $files = Get-ChildItem -Path $path | Select-Object "Name"
    ForEach ($File in $files)
    {
        Copy-Item -Path "C:\tmp\$File" -Destination "$path\$File.txt"
    }
}

I keep getting an error with the Copy-Item command because the $File is returning @{Name=filename} instead of just the name of the file. I've tried using $File.name, $File.basename, etc. but none of those appear to work. How do I get Powershell to not wrap the filename in "@{Name=}"?

Just keep your pipeline going: `Get-ChildItem -Path $path | Copy-Item -Destination {"$path\$_.txt"}` — Maximilian Burszley, Mar 07 '19 at 20:11

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 07 '19 at 20:01

2

You've got it almost right, you just need to use the -ExpandProperty parameter for Select-Object.

$files = Get-ChildItem -Path $path | Select-Object -ExpandProperty "Name"

This will get you an array of strings that are the names of the files.

What you had previously is an array of custom objects with the Name property copied from the file-info objects.

edited Mar 07 '19 at 20:01

mklement0

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answered Mar 07 '19 at 19:57

TheMadTechnician

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This did the trick. Thanks!! – Gary Henning Mar 07 '19 at 20:20

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 07 '19 at 20:01

1

An alternative way to access the name is to reference the name property directly:

$files = (Get-ChildItem -Path $path).name

answered Mar 07 '19 at 20:01

AdminOfThings

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Powershell check if file exists and replace it with new copy

2 Answers2