Running a script block for PowerShell

Question

When running the part below through PowerShell prompt, it does what it is supposed to do - change anything that contains MYID to MyValue.

(Get-Content C:/tmp/test.txt) | ForEach-Object {$_ -replace "MYID", "MyValue"} | Set-Content C:/tmp/test.txt

Yet when I'm running it through a script block like below, it fails:

PowerShell Invoke-Command -ScriptBlock {Get-Content C:/tmp/test.txt | ForEach-Object {$_ -replace "MYID", "MyValue"} | Set-Content C:/tmp/test.txt}

Below is the trace of the command above

λ powershell invoke-command -scr {get-content c:\tmp\test.txt | foreach-object {$_ -replace "MYID", "MyValue"} | set-content c:\tmp\test.txt} 'foreach-object' n’est pas reconnu en tant que commande interne ou externe, un programme exécutable ou un fichier de commandes.

I tried to do diverses variations like the one below

 powershell invoke-command -scr {(get-content c:\tmp\test.txt) | (foreach-object {$_ -replace "MYID", "MyValue"}) | (set-content c:\tmp\test.txt)}

The command above, gives me the following error

} was not expected.

Any ideas?

"But each time, I have issues." what issues? Please post relevant error messages and descriptions of the unexpected behavior you're seeing — Mathias R. Jessen
– Mathias R. Jessen, Commented Feb 21, 2018 at 14:37
Try: powershell -Command "& {get-content 'c:\tmp\test.txt' | foreach-object {$_ -replace 'MYID', 'MyValue'} | set-content 'c:\tmp\test.txt'}" — JohnLBevan
– JohnLBevan, Commented Feb 21, 2018 at 14:44
Hi @JohnLBevan, it gives me this error i.sstatic.net/LJF2p.png What it says is the file is being used by another process therefore it cannot write on it. Yet the file is closed. I created an another file and same thing. — Andy K
– Andy K, Commented Feb 21, 2018 at 14:49
Ah; that's your process; Get-Content reads the first line, passes it down the pipeline to be changed, then Set-Content tries to write it and fails because Get-Content still has the file open for reading. — JohnLBevan
– JohnLBevan, Commented Feb 21, 2018 at 15:14

Ben N · Accepted Answer · 2018-02-21 15:26:01Z

2

You don't need to use Invoke-Command or a script block if you just want to execute a command on the local machine under normal conditions. Rather, we can just use the -Command switch to PowerShell:

powershell -command "(get-content c:\tmp\test.txt) | foreach-object { $_ -replace 'MYID', 'MyValue' } | set-content c:\tmp\test.txt"

Note the single quotes around the -replace strings; this avoids problems with the command processor's escaping. This command works on my machine with a multiline file, but if it gives you trouble with the file still being open, you can use this version, which reads the file in full rather than line by line:

powershell -c "(get-content c:\tmp\test.txt -raw) -replace 'MYID', 'MyValue' | set-content c:\tmp\test.txt -nonewline"

answered Feb 21, 2018 at 15:26

Ben N

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