Vista - Changing the PATH variable in the registry with Powershell

It would be really nice to be able to manipulate the Path variable.

Adding to the end of $env:Path will change the Path variable for the session
of shell in powershell. But then your changes go poof when you close the
session.

If you want to change the path permanently...you need to edit the registry.
This is pretty easy to do.

$original = (Get-ItemProperty
"HKLM:SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment" Path
).Path

Set-ItemProperty "HKLM:SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Environment" Path -value ( $original + ";" + $dirname )

The issue is that registry settings are only read at login.
Starting a new powershell or cmd shell does not pick up the new settings
until I reboot.
When I google it seems to indicate I need to "broadcast" the new registry
settings. Something to do with Windows SendMessage

How do I do that from powershell? Do I need to do P/Invoke? Is there an
easy way from within powershell?

Karl

A simpler method would be to add a line like this to your profile eg

$envath+=";C:\pathextra"

--
Jon


"meissnersd" <meissnersd@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:FA52D495-262A-434C-B0E2-A3CE151D8078@xxxxxx

well that would work for things within powershell.
Tut I have tools and utilities which need the "real" path set which is why I
need to set it in the registry.


"Jon" wrote:

"meissnersd" <meissnersd@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:7194743F-93EC-4505-9040-2D8DBE1BEAA7@xxxxxx


You could use the static '[environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable' method,
specifying an 'EnvironmentVariableTarget' as the third parameter eg an
example setting an environment variable 'apples'


[environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("apples","three","User")
[environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("apples","three","Process")

$env:apples

OR

[environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("apples","three","Machine")
[environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("apples","three","Process")


Similarly for the 'path' environment variable, but use with caution.

cf

EnvironmentVariableTarget Enumeration
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...et(VS.80).aspx

--
Jon

"meissnersd" <meissnersd@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:7194743F-93EC-4505-9040-2D8DBE1BEAA7@xxxxxxYou probably already know this but if you do what Jon suggests above, all
tools and utilities invoked from that PowerShell session will get the
updated path. That is, they will inherit PowerShell's process env block.

--
Keith