Load a .PS1 file into current session without simulating user input?

Question

I have this file called Local_Paths.txt . Its just a text file full of paths:

C:\Temp\README.md
C:\Temp\README.md
C:\Temp\object_lifetime_management.md
C:\Temp\object_reference.md
...
...
...

The paths are being logged there, in real time as I interact with folders and files, in file manager and other tools.

The purpose of this Local_Paths.txt is for a module I made in powershell. For example I can quicly call up Terminal and pipe the 5 most recent .Md files into this module.

I have the file loaded into a variable in my $Profile:

cls
$LocalPaths = Get-Content "C:\Users\...\Documents\Local_Paths.txt"

On the rare case I have to boot up Powershell, this works fine. The problem I have is that I always have a Powershell session minimised on the taskbar.

So I am constantly either . $Profile my entire profile, which is quite a heavy file. or just declaring a $LocalPaths = Get-Content "C:\Users\...\Documents\Local_Paths.txt".

This proccess just kills the purpose of my module (Less hand wringling, more automation)

I am wondering is there a way to inject powershell code into the current session through a .Ps1 script or even through the wt command?

so that when I press the hotkey to focus Powershell this script to load the txt file gets executed first.

I did go through the Windows Terminal page for the Actions command. This is still user simulation though.

I have taken the liberty to cross post this question on other forums as well. Any help or just pointing me in the right direction would appreciated.

Maybe not quite what you're looking for but could be a start. You can set a custom key combination to run a scriptblock using Set-PSReadLineKeyHandler. Something like this should work for you Set-PSReadLineKeyHandler -Chord "Ctrl+j" -ScriptBlock {$Global:LocalPaths = C:\Users\...\Documents\Local_Paths.txt"}. If you add that to your profile it will be available each session and easy to quickly do anytime you need. You might want to double-check that whatever key chord you choose is not in use first using Get-PSReadLineKeyHandler — Daniel
– Daniel, Commented Aug 20, 2022 at 0:41

mklement0 · Accepted Answer · 2022-08-20 13:45:54Z

1

If I understand correctly, you want the value of $LocalPaths to always reflect the latest content of your Local_Paths.txt file.

Since you need some identifier to refer to this content, you could use a function instead, which reads the file on every invocation, and you can place that in your $PROFILE file:

# Note: I'm using a name that follows PowerShell's naming convention here,
#       but you're free to choose your own, possibly shorter name.
#       The use of @args means that you can pass arguments through
#       to the Get-Content call, such as -Tail 5
function Get-LocalPaths { 
  Get-Content -LiteralPath 'C:\Users\...\Documents\Local_Paths.txt' @args
}

If reading the file every time the function is called is too costly, you could implement a caching mechanism that only reloads the file if its .LastWriteTime property has changed.

edited Aug 20, 2022 at 13:45

answered Aug 20, 2022 at 13:39

mklement0

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