Replace path in Powershell string

Question

in my script I check some files and would like to replace a part of their full path with another string (unc path of the corresponding share).

Example:

$fullpath = "D:\mydir\myfile.txt"
$path = "D:\mydir"
$share = "\\myserver\myshare"
write-host ($fullpath -replace $path, $share)

The last line gives me an error since $path does not not contain a valid pattern for regular expressions.

How can I modify the line to make the replace operator handle the content of the variable $path as a literal?

Thanks in advance, Kevin

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 10:30:19Z

31

Use [regex]::Escape() - very handy method

$fullpath = "D:\mydir\myfile.txt"
$path = "D:\mydir"
$share = "\\myserver\myshare"
write-host ($fullpath -replace [regex]::Escape($path), $share)

You might also use my filter rebase to do it, look at Powershell: subtract $pwd from $file.Fullname

edited May 23, 2017 at 10:30

CommunityBot

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answered Feb 25, 2010 at 12:24

stej

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1 Comment

stej Over a year ago

:) When I didn't kwnow about this method the code was complicated (escaping regex sensitive characters by hand). This method pays off ;)

nixda · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-01 09:25:21Z

17

The method $variable -replace $strFind,$strReplace understands regex patterns.
But the method $variable.Replace($strFind,$strReplace) does not. So try this one.

PS > $fullpath.replace($path,$share)

\myserver\myshare\myfile.txt

edited Oct 1, 2015 at 9:25

nixda

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answered Mar 3, 2010 at 18:05

Shay Levy

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