PowerShell 2.0: One Cmdlet at a Time #85 ConvertFrom-StringData

Continuing the series looking at new cmdlets available in PowerShell 2.0. This time we look at the ConvertFrom-StringData cmdlet.

What can I do with it?

Converts a string which contains one or multiple key and valuepairs into a hash table. Input is typically from a here-string since each key and value must be on a separate line.

Example:

Create a here-string and store it in the variable $herestring. Convert it into a hash table.

$herestring = @'
Fruit1 = Orange
Fruit2 = Apple
'@

$herestring | ConvertFrom-StringData

You will notice that the data is now in the form of a hash table

How could I have done this in PowerShell 1.0?

To create a new hash table you could use a new .Net Object of type System.Collections.Hashtable, something like the below

$strings = ('Fruit1 = Orange','Fruit2 = Apple')
$table = New-Object System.Collections.Hashtable

foreach ($string in $strings){

$split = $string.split("=")
$part1 = $split[0]
$part2 = $split[1]
$table.add("$part1","$part2")
}

1000 things 1% better!