Powershell to clean up a file

Question

Hi there,

I'm requesting help on powershell script to clean up a input file and write to an output file.

Contents of the input.txt file are..

abcd
cdef
["abcd"]
["ab
cd"]

["efgh"]

xyz

Expected OUTPUT.txt file

abcd
cdef
["abcd"]
["abcd"]

["efgh"]

xyz

Wanted to suggest the criteria to clean up the file is
If a line contains start square bracket but does not end with square bracket, then concatenate the next line to current line.

Looking forward Appreciate your help towards script.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Assuming you don't have a sequence like this that extends over more than two adjacent lines:

[ab
cd
ef]

Then this should work:

$file = "c:\junk\test.txt"
$BufferedLine = $null

Get-Content $file |
    ForEach-Object {
        if ($_ -match "^[^[].*[^]]$") {
            # line doesn't begin with "[" or end with "]"
            $_                                  # -- line is okay, just return it
        }
        elseif ($_ -match "^\[.*\]$") {
            # line begins with "[" and ends with "]"
            $_                                  # -- line is okay, just return it
        }
        elseif ($_ -match "^\[.*[^]]$") {       # line begins with "[" but doesn't end with "]"
            $BufferedLine = $_                  # remember line as beginning
        }
        elseif ($_ -match "^[^[].*\]$") {
            # line doesn't begin with "[" but ends with "]"
            if ($BufferedLine) {                # AND there's a preceeding line awaiting closure
                $BufferedLine += $_             # concatenate with contents of previous line
                $BufferedLine                   # return completed line
                $BufferedLine = $null           # and forget the value
            }
        }
        elseif ($_.length -eq 0){
            $_
        }
    }
if ($BufferedLine) {
    $BufferedLine                           # return the last line of necessary
}

Answer 2

This below gives the same result expected.

$file = Get-Content -Path "c:\junk\test.txt" -Raw
$file = $file -ireplace '(?<match1>[[^]])\r\n(?<match2>[^]]])','${match1}${match2}'
$file | Out-File -FilePath "C:\Junk\Results.txt"

Answer 3

To search for [" (start square bracket with quotes) anywhere in a line which does not contain close square bracket with quotes "]

$file = $file -ireplace '(?<match1>[\"[^]])\r\n(?<match2>[^]]\"])','${match1}${match2}'