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Add new lines in variable displayed via PowerShell message box

I have made a simple PowerShell message box to display the names of missing files. I call them with a variable. When I echo the variable in ISE it displays each on a separate line, however when displayed in the message box it comes out as a string separated by spaces. I haven't had any luck replacing the spaces with `n but perhaps I did it wrong.

Any one have any ideas?

Current code:

$missing = Compare-Object $capture.BaseName $output.BaseName | Select-Object -ExpandProperty InputObject
If($missing -ne $null){
Write-Host 'Here are the missing file(s):'
    echo $missing

#send pop up alert
$ButtonType = [System.Windows.MessageBoxButton]::OK
$MessageboxTitle = “Please Process Files”
$Messageboxbody = “
The following are missing:

$missing”
$MessageIcon = [System.Windows.MessageBoxImage]::Warning
[System.Windows.MessageBox]::Show($Messageboxbody,$MessageboxTitle,$ButtonType,$messageicon)
}Else{
}

Output in ISE looks like:

File1

File2

File3

Output in message box looks like:

File1 File2 File3

Solution

  • $missing is a list of strings, so when you Echo them the console takes care of formatting them on multiple lines.

    Achieving the same in a MessageBox requires that you join the strings using newline characters (ASCII 10).

    $([String]::Join(([Convert]::ToChar(10)).ToString(), $missing)

    This line uses the String.Join Method (System) to concatenate the file names into a single string, joined by newline characters. [Convert]::ToChar(10) is essentially \n but using that results in that literal string being used instead of the newline character. We're just converting the ASCII code 10 to a character (and then a string) and using it to join the file names.

    Here's the updated script:

    $missing = Compare-Object $capture.BaseName $output.BaseName | Select-Object -ExpandProperty InputObject

If($missing -ne $null){
    Write-Host 'Here are the missing file(s):'
        Echo $missing

    # Send pop up alert

    $missingWithNewlines = $([String]::Join(([Convert]::ToChar(10)).ToString(), $missing))

    $ButtonType = [System.Windows.MessageBoxButton]::OK

    $MessageboxTitle = “Please Process Files”

    $Messageboxbody = “
The following are missing:

$missingWithNewlines”

    $MessageIcon = [System.Windows.MessageBoxImage]::Warning

    [System.Windows.MessageBox]::Show($Messageboxbody,$MessageboxTitle,$ButtonType,$messageicon)

}Else{

    # Nothing missing

}

    Here is the result:

    MessageBox