Vista - =?Utf-8?Q?Puzzle:_=E2=80=9Cgci_-r_-n=E2=80=9D_vs._=E2=80=9Cgci_*_-?==?Utf-8?Q?r_-n=E2=80=9D?=

I would rather expect that the commands:

Get-ChildItem -recurse -name
Get-ChildItem * -recurse -name

are the same. But the results are slightly different:

*) the first produces subdirectory names; the second does not;
*) the first produces relative paths with file names; the second produces
just file names without paths.

Could anybody explain these differences? If it is a feature, I would like to
understand the logic.

--
Thanks,
Roman

Roman Kuzmin wrote:
> I would rather expect that the commands:
>
> Get-ChildItem -recurse -name
> Get-ChildItem * -recurse -name
>
> are the same. But the results are slightly different:
>
> *) the first produces subdirectory names; the second does not;
> *) the first produces relative paths with file names; the second produces
> just file names without paths.
>
> Could anybody explain these differences? If it is a feature, I would like to
> understand the logic.
>

Get-ChildItem -recurse -name

is the same as

Get-ChildItem . -recurse -name
(the current directory)

not

Get-ChildItem * -recurse -name
(all subdirectories)

Roman, I'll let the devs jump in here with the rationale, but I have slight
correction for the assumptions. If this isn't clear, please let me know.

The default value for the Path parameter in Get-Childitem is the current
directory. But PS distinguishes between the directory itself -- the container
(.) -- and its contents (*).

In this case, the default value is the directory itself (.), so these two
command should be the same, and the results are, in fact, identical.

gci -r -n
gci . -r -n

The * case (gci * -n -r) is interesting, though. It will list the contents
of the subdirectories first, then lists the contents of the current directory
last. Also, a subdirectory that has no contents doesn't appear at all.

--
June Blender [MSFT]
Windows PowerShell Documentation
Microsoft Corporation
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.



"Roman Kuzmin" wrote:

> I would rather expect that the commands:
>
> Get-ChildItem -recurse -name
> Get-ChildItem * -recurse -name
>
> are the same. But the results are slightly different:
>
> *) the first produces subdirectory names; the second does not;
> *) the first produces relative paths with file names; the second produces
> just file names without paths.
>
> Could anybody explain these differences? If it is a feature, I would like to
> understand the logic.
>
> --
> Thanks,
> Roman

Thanks all, perhaps I have got the idea. But if it is so, then:

-Path currently deals with both directories and files. It puzzles me and the
others (see the nearby thread "Do the *-item cmdlets really need a -include
parameter?"). If the name of the cmdlet is Get-ChildItem - thus, IMO, the
primary goal is to specify directories/containers which child items should be
returned. Let -Path does that (i.e. actually defines directories/containers;
files do not have child items!). Child items specification is the secondary
goal; let -Include and -Exclude do that.

Thus, according to the above the command

Get-ChildItem *

must not return files in the current directory because * defines all
directories in the current directory but not the current directory itself.

Get-ChildItem .
or
Get-Item *

should return them.

And the command

Get-ChildItem X

where X is a file should return nothing simply because X has no child items;
instead,

Get-Item X

should return X.

This is just my quick and not really serious try to bring some logic into
the issue. Get-ChildItem is one of the most important cmdlets. Almost
everybody will start getting familiar with PowerShell playing with it. It has
to be well done and well documented, ambiguities should be avoided. The
current help topic is far from ideal and simply has mistakes.

I do not complain at all, the product is not yet released. Actually I do
love PowerShell already.

--
Thanks,
Roman