INI file parsing in PowerShell

Hello.

I'm parsing simple (no sections) INI file in PowerShell. Here code I've came up with, is there any way to simplify it?

convertfrom-stringdata -StringData ( `
  get-content .\deploy.ini `
  | foreach-object `
    -Begin { $total = "" }  `
    { $total += "`n" + $_.ToString() } `
    -End { $total } `
).Replace("\", "\\")

From stackoverflow

• I'm not exactly sure what your source data looks like, or what your goal is. What exactly are you parsing for? Can you post a sample of the file? As-is, it looks like you're just concatenating carriage returns to the existing lines of the file and replacing \ with \.

  Nor certain why you're using $.ToString() since $ is already a string object output by Get-Content.

  Is the goal just to take a file containing a bunch of name=value pairs, and convert that to a hashtable? That's what ConvertFrom-StringData does, although that cmdlet is only available in the preview of PowerShell v2.

  If your file looks like... key1=value1 key2=value2 key3=value3

  Then all you should need is

  ConvertFrom-StringData (Get-Content .\deploy.ini)

  I'm not sure I understand why you're tacking on extra carriage returns. There's also no need to use the -Begin and -End parameters, at least not as far as I can see from what you've posted.

  Artem Tikhomirov : Your example does not work because of 'unified' get-content cmdlet output. It outputs System.Object[]: ConvertFrom-StringData : Cannot convert 'System.Object[]' to the type 'System.String' required by parameter 'StringData' That's why I iterate wrought it and reassemble to string.

  Don Jones : That's not something I could have determined without looking at your source data, unfortunately. As I tried to indicate, I was trying to help answer your question but I need more information to do so accurately. I thought I made that clear - sorry.

  Lars Truijens : No need to give him -1 for him being helpful. And he is stating he does not know for sure what you want.

  Artem Tikhomirov : Hm.. I've said, that I have simple INI file without sections. Isn't it clear enough? And get-content advise is wrong anyway. Try run (get-content anyFile.whatever).GetType() on any data. And of course person calming himself as PS expert in bio should know it or be able to check it before writing BS.

  Don Jones : An "ini file without sections" could be anything. I have INI files which use key:value, others which use key=value, and others which use an entirely different format. And as I sit here testing it, Get-Content is returning String objects when I give it a text file. If you don't want help, don't ask.

  Artem Tikhomirov : Aha, sure it returns. Try execute this "book author": (get-content 'Your Text Document.txt').GetType() -eq [System.String]

  Artem Tikhomirov : BTW be sure to check this for your own education: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INI_file

  Don Jones : Jeez, you're bitter.

• After searching internet on this topic I've found a handful of solutions. All of them are hand parsing of file data so I gave up trying to make standard cmdlets to do the job. There are fancy solutions as this witch support writing scenario.

  There are simpler ones and as far as I need no writing support I've chose following very elegant code snippet:

  Function Parse-IniFile ($file) {
    $ini = @{}
    switch -regex -file $file {
      "^\[(.+)\]$" {
        $section = $matches[1]
        $ini[$section] = @{}
      }
      "(.+)=(.+)" {
        $name,$value = $matches[1..2]
        $ini[$section][$name] = $value
      }
    }
    $ini
  }
  

  This one is Jacques Barathon's.