Batch to PowerShell Language Conversion - windows

Question

My batch script in DOS is processing way to slow, so someone recomended I use powershell. I'm running it now for my first time on windows, but I've never used it before today. I hear it's similar to batch scripting, so I'm currently converting my batch script into a powershell script. Below is my script so far half way through conversion:
# ask user for network share and file that they would like to search
$textFilePath = Read-Host Please enter filesystem location of "filenames.txt". Include drive letter or // at start of path
$uncPath = Read-Host Please enter the UNC path you would like to search. Include // at start of path.
# REM check if network path is available. If it is, search network directory for files with same name as the strings in filenames.txt
IF (Test-Path %uncPath%) {
echo Network Path Exists. Searching %uncPath% for files with same name and extension as filenames in the filenames.txt file
for (/r %uncPath% %%G IN (*)) {for (/F "tokens=*" %%i in (%textFilePath%)) {if (%%~nxG==%%i) {echo %%~nxG,%%~fG >> filenamesOutput.txt}}}
pause
}
IF (!(Test-Path exist %uncPath%)) {
echo File not found
GOTO:userInput
}
I'm currently learning the powershell commands as I go and changing the batch command to powershell. Help with conversion would be appreciated.
AFter Edit:
Here's my original batch script:
#echo off
echo Please enter filesystem location of "filenames.txt". (Include Drive letter or // at start of path)
set /p textFilePath=Enter The Value:%=%
:userInput
REM ask user for network share and file that they would like to search
echo Please enter the UNC path you would like to search. (Include // at start of path)
set /p uncPath=Enter The Value:%=%
REM check if network path is available. If it is, search network directory for files with same name as the strings in filenames.txt
IF exist %uncPath% (
echo Network Path Exists. Searching %uncPath% for files with same name and extension as filenames in the filenames.txt file
for /r %uncPath% %%G IN (*) DO for /F "tokens=*" %%i in (%textFilePath%) DO if %%~nxG==%%i echo %%~nxG,%%~fG >> filenamesOutput.txt
pause
)
IF NOT exist %uncPath% (
echo File not found
GOTO:userInput
)
After 2nd Edit:
$VerbosePreference = "continue"
# ask user for network share and file that they would like to search
$textFilePath = Read-Host Please enter filesystem location of "filenames.txt". Include drive letter or // at start of path
$uncPath = Read-Host Please enter the UNC path you would like to search. Include // at start of path.
# check if network path is available. If it is, search network directory for files with same name as the strings in filenames.txt
IF (Test-Path $uncPath){
echo "Network Path Exists. Searching $uncPath for files with same name and extension as filenames in the filenames.txt file"
foreach($file in Get-ChildItem $uncPath -Recurse) {
# Get-Content reads in a file, line by line
foreach($line in Get-Content $_.FullName) {
# if goes in here
if($file.Name -eq $line){
echo $file.Name
"{0},{1}" -f $file.Name,$file.FullName | Out-File filenamesOutput2.txt -Append
}
}
}
Write-Host -NoNewLine 'Press any key to continue...';
$null = $Host.UI.RawUI.ReadKey('NoEcho,IncludeKeyDown');
}
IF (!(Test-Path $uncPath)){
echo "UNC path not found"
Write-Host -NoNewLine 'Press any key to continue...';
$null = $Host.UI.RawUI.ReadKey('NoEcho,IncludeKeyDown');
}

Answer 1

Variables:
In PowerShell, variable references are always prefixed with $ (much like in PHP or Perl).
So any variable you would assign and dereference in cmd/batch as:
set /p varname= somevalue
echo %varname%
Would in PowerShell be treated as (notice no difference between assigning and dereferencing):
$varname = "varvalue"
Write-Host $varname
So your exists/Test-Path statements should be:
if(Test-Path $uncPath){
# Loops in here
# "#" starts is a single-line comment btw
}
For loop:
In cmd, the for loop construct behaves different depending on the first switch:
for /r roughly means "loop recursively through filesystem tree"
for /f roughly means "loop through tokens in a file"
it should be noted that cmd for loops use parameters, denoted by the prefix %% (like %%G or %%i in your example)
PowerShell doesn't have this concept and just uses variables in loops. Thus, your for /r and for /f loops become:
# Get-ChildItem is equivalent to the "dir" command
# The -Recurse is pretty self-explanatory ( = /S)
foreach($file in Get-ChildItem $uncPath -Recurse) {
# Get-Content reads in a file, line by line
foreach($line in Get-Content $textFilePath) {
# if goes in here
}
}
Parameter modifiers:
In cmd, a parameter (like %%G) can be modified using a tilde (~) followed by a sequence of modifier characters.
%%~nG means "treat %%G as a path, return the name without extension"
%%~xG means "treat %%G as a path, return the file extension"
so %%~nxG naturally means "return filename WITH extension".
In PowerShell, everything is a .NET object, and in the case of $file, it's a FileInfo object. From the FileInfo object, the filename (WITH the extension) is stored in the Name property, so your if statement:
if %%~nxG==%%i
becomes:
if($file.Name -eq $line){
# echo and output goes in here
}
%%~fG means "treat %%G as a path, give me the full rooted path"
Again, the fact that $file is a FileInfo object comes in handy, the full path can be accessed from the FullName property:
"{0},{1}" -f $file.Name,$file.FullName | Out-File filenamesOutput.txt -Append
The -f operator is a simplified syntactic shortcut to String.Format, .NET's version of sprintf if you will.
Ultimately resulting in something like:
# ask user for network share and file that they would like to search
$textFilePath = Read-Host 'Please enter filesystem location of "filenames.txt". Include drive letter or \\ at start of path'
$uncPath = Read-Host 'Please enter the UNC path you would like to search. Include \\ at start of path.'
# check if network path is available. If it is, search network directory for files with same name as the strings in filenames.txt
if (Test-Path $uncPath) {
Write-Host "Network Path Exists. Searching $uncPath for files with same name and extension as filenames in the filenames.txt file"
foreach($file in Get-ChildItem $uncPath) {
foreach($line in Get-Content $textFilePath) {
if($file.Name -eq $line){
'"{0}","{1}"' -f $file.Name,$file.FullName | Out-File filenamesOutput.txt -Append
}
}
}
pause
} else {
Write-Host "File not found"
}