PowerShell: How to read data from a text file.

This is a simple, but yet very useful task for anyone who scripts, how to read data from a text file. We will be utilizing the Get-Content cmdlet for this task.

In VBScript, we first had to create an object from the FileSystemObject. We then used the GetFile method to set another object to point to the data file itself. Next we would open the data file and then set up code to read the data file one line at a time and display each line as it was read. Then we would close the the file.

In Powershell, we can get a simple display of the contents of a data file simply by typing:

Get-Content DataFile.txt where Data File.txt is the path and name of the file that we want to read.

Lets say you want to count the number of lines. In VBScript, we would set a variable to increment with each line of test. In Powershell we type in the comment below:

Get-Content DataFile.txt | Measure-Object.

Count : 7

Average :

Sum :

Maximum :

Minimum :

Property :

The text file sampled above has 7 lines of text.

If you only wanted to return the count:

Get-Content DataFile.txt | Measure-object -property count

Count : 7

Comments

How to list all the AD LDS instances on a server

AD LDS allows you to provide directory services to applications that are free of the confines of Active Directory. To list all the AD LDS instances on a server, follow this procedure: Log into the server in question Open a command prompt. Type dsdbutil and press Enter Type List Instances and press Enter . You will receive a list of the instance name, both the LDAP and SSL port numbers, the location of the database, and its status.

How to run GPResult on a remote client with PowerShell

In the past, to run the GPResult command, you would need to either physically visit this client, have the user do it, or use and RDP connection. In all cases, this will disrupt the user. First, you need PowerShell remoting enabled on the target machine. You can do this via Group Policy . Open PowerShell and type this command. Invoke-Command –ScriptBlock {GPResult /r} –ComputerName <ComputerName> Replace <ComputerName> with the name of the target. Remember, the target needs to be online and accessible to you.

Where did a User’s Account Get Locked Out?

Updated: May 15, 2015 When this article was originally published, two extra carriage returns were add causing the code to malfunction. The code below is correct. My client for this week’s PowerShell class had a really interesting question. They needed to know where an account is being locked out at. OK, interesting. Apparently users hop around clients and forget to log off, leading to eventual lock out of their accounts. The accounts can be unlocked, but are then relocked after Active Directory replication. This problem is solved in two parts. The first one is to modify the event auditing on the network. The second part is resolved with PowerShell. The first part involves creating a group policy that will encompass your Domain Controllers. In this GPO, make these changes. Expand Computer Configuration \ Policies \ Windows Settings \ Security Settings \ Advanced Audit Policy Configuration \ Audit Policies \ Account Management Double click User Account Management C...

Jason Yoder, MCT

Search This Blog