PowerShell Usual Commands

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Here is a memento of several useful commands in PowerShell (check files, folders and registry, create or delete files and folders, run executables with or without arguments, displaying MsgBox…).

Here is the TechNet listing the standard CmdLets: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh848794.aspx

There are only few commands for the time being, but this article will be updated progressively.

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Check Files, Folders and Registry

Cmdlet: Test-Path

## Check if a folder exists
Test-Path C:\Workdir

## Check if a file exists
Test-Path C:\Workdir\test.txt

## Check if there is any txt file in C:\Workdir
Test-Path C:\Workdir\*.txt

## Check if registry exist
Test-Path HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

 

Create Files and Folders

Cmdlet: New-Item

## Create a folder
New-Item C:\Workdir\Scripts -type directory

## Create a file
New-Item C:\Workdir\Scripts\new_file.txt -type file

## Force to create a new file and overwrite if already exist
New-Item C:\Workdir\Scripts\new_file.txt -type file -force

 

Delete Files and Folders

Cmdlet: Remove-Item

## Remove a file
Remove-Item C:\Workdir\test.txt

## Remove all files in a folder
Remove-Item C:\Workdir\*

## Remove all txt files from a folder
Remove-Item C:\Workdir\*.txt

## Remove a folder with sub-folders and files without confirmation
Remove-Item C:\Workdir -recurse

 

Run Executables

## Run an exe file in the same folder as the script
& .\setup.exe

## Run an exe file using an absolute path
& "C:\Workdir\setup.exe"

## Run an exe file with arguments
$EXE = 'setup.exe'
$ARG = '-silent'
& $EXE $ARG

 

Display MsgBox

[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.Windows.Forms")
[System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show("Hello Guys !" , "Info")

 

Properties

# Get all information
Write-Host "Get all information"
Get-Host

# Get only the "Name" property
Write-Host "Get only the Name property"
Get-Host | Select Name

# Get the "Name" property as a string
Write-Host "Get the Name property as a string"
Get-Host | % {$_.Name}

# Same thing with another method
Write-Host "Same thing with another method"
(Get-Host).Name