I want to open a text file located on a network drive with notepad++ in Windows PowerShell.
I create the following PS1 file
Set-Location -Path "C:\Program Files\Notepad++\"
$Targetfile="\\server\path\myfile.txt"
.\Notepad++.exe $Targetfile
Error message : cannot find file
Can I run the following command in Windows PowerShell(Run exe file with path in PowerShell)
.\"C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" "\\server\path\myfile.txt"
Note:
The answer below contains general information about invoking executables from PowerShell.
Your specific problem may be one of the following:
Executable Notepad++.exe may be missing from directory C:\Program Files\Notepad++
The target file may not exist or the server may not be reachable.
Note that prefixing an executable path with .\ (which refers to a file in the current directory) if that path is a full (absolute) path (as in your 2nd attempt.,
.\"C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" ) is both logically pointless and fails in practice.
If Notepad++.exe is in one of the directories listed in the $env:PATH environment variable:
# Note: NO ".\" prefix, which is only needed to invoke an executable
# located in the *current directory*.
Notepad++.exe $TargetFile
If you need to reference it by its full path, there is no need to use Set-Location followed by a .\-prefixed invocation (unless you truly need the working directory to be Notepad++'s installation directory).
To call it by its full path directly, use &, the call operator:
& "C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" $TargetFile
Note that & is required in this case, because your executable path is quoted, of necessity, due to containing embedded spaces. As the first command above shows, & is optional if the executable name or path is unquoted (and contains no variable references) - see this answer for more information.
.\abcmeans means "abc in the current location". IfNotepad++.exeisn't in the current directory, then of course you will get a "file not found" message.