Reading a text file

PowerShell:
Reading a text file

How to:

Let’s roll with the basics! Here’s how you read from a text file in PowerShell:

# Get the content of a file
$content = Get-Content -Path "C:\path\to\your\file.txt"
# Display the content in the console
Write-Output $content

Sample output might look like this if your file contained a couple lines of text:

Hello, PowerShell!
End of file.

Now, want to read line by line?

# Read the file line by line
$lines = Get-Content -Path "C:\path\to\your\file.txt" -ReadCount 0
foreach ($line in $lines) {
    Write-Output $line
}

Same sample output as above, but processed one line at a time.

Deep Dive

Long before PowerShell, command-line tools like cat in UNIX-like systems or type in DOS were the go-to for reading files. PowerShell’s Get-Content is the sharp tool for this today, with added perks like reading line by line, which helps in avoiding memory overload with huge files.

Beyond Get-Content, we’ve got .NET classes up our sleeves for more control – enter System.IO.StreamReader:

$stream = [System.IO.StreamReader] "C:\path\to\your\file.txt"
try {
    while ($line = $stream.ReadLine()) {
        Write-Output $line
    }
}
finally {
    $stream.Close()
}

This is a more memory-efficient method, helpful for massive text mountains.

Alternatives? Well, you could use Import-Csv for CSV files or ConvertFrom-Json for JSON, if you want to scoop data into structured objects. But stick to Get-Content for the raw text stuff.

PowerShell:Reading a text file

How to:

Deep Dive

See Also

PowerShell:
Reading a text file