Difference between string and array

I used the following statements:


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Sorry about the previous post - finger slipped.

I have the following statements:

$files = get-childitem -name $dir/*$date*

which returns the names of files in a directory. When there is only one file
returned, $files.length returns the length of the string. If the command
returns more than a single file name, $files acts like an array and returns the
number of elements in the array for $files.length.

So the next statement will not be what I expect when there is a single file
name. How can I make it so that $files is only an array?

$(for ($i=0; $i -lt $files.length; $i++) {'"' + $dir + $files[$i] + '"'}) |
set-variable -name list

Thanks, Flomo

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Make $files an array first and then add your objects to that. Like this:

$files = @()
$files += get-childitem -name $dir/*$date*

That should work no matter how many results you get.


-= IJuan =-


"Flomo Togba Kwele" wrote:

> Sorry about the previous post - finger slipped.
>
> I have the following statements:
>
> $files = get-childitem -name $dir/*$date*
>
> which returns the names of files in a directory. When there is only one file
> returned, $files.length returns the length of the string. If the command
> returns more than a single file name, $files acts like an array and returns the
> number of elements in the array for $files.length.
>
> So the next statement will not be what I expect when there is a single file
> name. How can I make it so that $files is only an array?
>
> $(for ($i=0; $i -lt $files.length; $i++) {'"' + $dir + $files[$i] + '"'}) |
> set-variable -name list
>
> Thanks, Flomo
>
> --
>
>

Thanks, IJuan. That worked perfectly.



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IJuan wrote:
> Make $files an array first and then add your objects to that. Like this:
>
> $files = @()
> $files += get-childitem -name $dir/*$date*

Give that a try, but keep in mind:

Actually, I've had something like this *not* work once when only one
line was written to $files, and it caused me major headaches.

I've had to go with something more like this instead:

[array]$files += get-childitem -name $dir/*$date*

Marco,

I tried to determine how to declare a type from the docs, but was not
successful. Thanks for this.

> [array]$files += get-childitem -name $dir/*$date*

Flomo


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"IJuan" <IJuan@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
newsAF1DAF6-57D9-40E2-B7AC-C26D0FD9D6B8@microsoft.com...
> Make $files an array first and then add your objects to that. Like this:
>
> $files = @()
> $files += get-childitem -name $dir/*$date*

You could simplify that to:

$files = @(get-childitem -name $dir/*$date*)

--
Keith