powershell script: Find and replace, and insert lines in a file

Question

Background

I'm trying to write a small utility that searches through a file to find all instances of lines that look like this:

 [SecuredEndpoint(widgets.UpdateWidget)]

And make it look like this:

 //[SecuredEndpoint(widgets.UpdateWidget)]
 [AllowAnonymous]

So far, I have the following script - haven't written it back to the file yet.. just doing everything in memory first.

#Find and comment out all [SecuredEndpoint] attributes
(Get-Content -path .\TestController.cs -Raw) -replace '\[SecuredEndpoint','//\[SecuredEnpoint' | Foreach-Object {
        $_ # send the current line to output
        if ($_ -match "//[SecuredEndpoint") 
        {
            #Add Lines after the selected pattern 
            "[AllowAnonymous]"
        }
    }

It correctly comments out all the various the SecuredEndpoint lines, but it doesn't insert a new line afterwards. So the results look like this:

    [Route("widgets/")]
    [HttpGet]
    //[SecuredEnpoint(mywidget.GetAll)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

    [Route("widgets/)]
    [HttpPost]
    //[SecuredEnpoint(mywidget.Create)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

I don't get any errors.

Questions

What am i missing in the logic to make it insert the new line? Once that's fixed, I'm assuming I can do something like this to actually save the contents back to the file:

(Get-Content -path .\TestController.cs -Raw) -replace '\[SecuredEndpoint','//[SecuredEnpoint' | Foreach-Object {
        $_ # send the current line to output
        if ($_ -match "//\[SecuredEndpoint") 
        {
            #Add Lines after the selected pattern 
            "[AllowAnonymous]"
        }
    } Set-Content .\TestController.cs

Please and thanks!

I'm surprised you don't receive a parsing error - "//[SecuredEndpoint" is not a valid regex pattern, it needs to be "//\[SecuredEnpoint" — Mathias R. Jessen
– Mathias R. Jessen, Commented Feb 9, 2023 at 16:03
You could use a literal replacement method .Replace('[SecuredEndpoint(widgets.UpdateWidget)]', "//[SecuredEndpoint(widgets.UpdateWidget)]`n[AllowAnonymous]") and read the file as single multiline string with -Raw — Santiago Squarzon
– Santiago Squarzon, Commented Feb 9, 2023 at 16:11
@SantiagoSquarzon would you mind posting an answer with the sample code? This way I can make sure I'm following your suggestion properly and accept your answer? Please and thanks! — dot
– dot, Commented Feb 9, 2023 at 18:15
Also in case it wasn't clear, the text after each instance of '[SecuredEndpoint(' can be different so the replace method needs to look for the pattern [SecuredEndpoint*'. Updating question to be clearer — dot
– dot, Commented Feb 9, 2023 at 18:26
The literal replacement method won't work in that case. Doesn't allow wildcards or regex. — Santiago Squarzon
– Santiago Squarzon, Commented Feb 9, 2023 at 18:30

Santiago Squarzon · Accepted Answer · 2023-02-10 12:37:40Z

2

The following regex replacement might do the trick:

(Get-Content .\TestController.cs -Raw) -replace '\[SecuredEnpoint\(.+?\)]', "// `$0`n[AllowAnonymous]"

See https://regex101.com/r/WZDaEx/2 for regex details.

If you want to match SecuredEnpoint using case sensitive comparison use -creplace instead.

If there could be already commented [SecuredEnpoint(...)] lines and you want to avoid adding a new layer of comments you could use the following:

(Get-Content .\TestController.cs -Raw) -replace '(?<!//\s*)\[SecuredEnpoint\(.+?\)]', "// `$0`n[AllowAnonymous]"

See https://regex101.com/r/6gPgws/1 for regex details.

edited Feb 10, 2023 at 12:37

answered Feb 9, 2023 at 19:31

Santiago Squarzon

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4 Comments

postanote Over a year ago

;-} HA... @Santiago Squarzon, beat me to it. I just posted a similar one, with a minor change, but deleted it when I saw yours. ;-} Well, that and you led with the initial prudent answer, that my post was adjusting a bit, to what you just showed in your second response.

Santiago Squarzon Over a year ago

@postanote mind as well undelete it if you have it already ;)

postanote Over a year ago

;-} well.... ok. done.

dot Over a year ago

@postanote I upvoted your answer to thank you! thanks to you both!

postanote · Accepted Answer · 2023-02-09 23:41:02Z

A quick refactoring of '@Santiago Squarzon' helpful answer. Try it this way.

Well, in case there are multiple files that may require updating as well, with other mixed string content.

'   
    [Route("widgets/")]
    [HttpGet]
    //[SecuredEnpoint(mywidget.GetAll)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

    [Route("widgets/)]
    [HttpPost]
    //[SecuredEnpoint(mywidget.Create)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }
' | 
Out-File -FilePath 'D:\Temp\TestController.cs' -Force

'   
    [Route("widgets/")]
    [HttpGet]
    //[SecuredRemoteEnpoint(mywidget.GetAll)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

    [Route("widgets/)]
    [HttpPost]
    //[SecuredLocalEnpoint(mywidget.Create)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }
' | 
Out-File -FilePath 'D:\Temp\TestController1.cs' -Force

Clear-Host
(Get-ChildItem -Path 'D:\Temp' -Filter '*TestController*.cs').
ForEach(
    {
        "********* Updating $(($PSItem).Name) content *********"

        Get-Content -Path $PSItem.Fullname 

        (Get-Content $PSItem.Fullname -Raw) -replace '\[Secured.*\]', "`$0`n`t[AllowAnonymous]" | 
        Set-Content -Path $PSItem.Fullname

        Get-Content -Path $PSItem.Fullname 
    }
)

# Results
<#
********* Updating TestController.cs content *********
   
    [Route("widgets/")]
    [HttpGet]
    //[SecuredEnpoint(mywidget.GetAll)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

    [Route("widgets/)]
    [HttpPost]
    //[SecuredEnpoint(mywidget.Create)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

   
    [Route("widgets/")]
    [HttpGet]
    //[SecuredEnpoint(mywidget.GetAll)]
    [AllowAnonymous]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

    [Route("widgets/)]
    [HttpPost]
    //[SecuredEnpoint(mywidget.Create)]
    [AllowAnonymous]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }


********* Updating TestController1.cs content *********
   
    [Route("widgets/")]
    [HttpGet]
    //[SecuredRemoteEnpoint(mywidget.GetAll)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

    [Route("widgets/)]
    [HttpPost]
    //[SecuredLocalEnpoint(mywidget.Create)]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

   
    [Route("widgets/")]
    [HttpGet]
    //[SecuredRemoteEnpoint(mywidget.GetAll)]
    [AllowAnonymous]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }

    [Route("widgets/)]
    [HttpPost]
    //[SecuredLocalEnpoint(mywidget.Create)]
    [AllowAnonymous]
    public List<Widgets> GetWidgets()
    {
    }
#>

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