Search code examples
powershellpwd

Get the current working directory or any directory with "/" instead of "\" in powershell script

In order to deliver the current working directory adress to a program. I need to provide the directory Path separated by forward slashes /. The program does not accept a string containing backslashes.

Currently, the pwd-Command delivers the following: C:\testdir1\testdir2

I want the following string: C:/testdir1/testdir2

Is there an easy way to transform this directory adress in a powershell script?

Thank you in advance.

Solution

  • Use the -replace operator[1] to perform (invariably global) string replacements (since it is regex-based, a verbatim \ must be escaped as \\); the automatic $PWD variable contains the PowerShell session's current location (which, if the underlying provider is the FileSystem provider, is a directory):

    $PWD -replace '\\', '/'

    If you want to ensure that the resulting path is a file-system-native path (one not based on PowerShell-only drives):

    $PWD.ProviderPath -replace '\\', '/'

    If there's a chance that the current location is from a provider other than the file-system (e.g., a registry-based drive such as HKLM:).

    (Get-Location -PSProvider FileSystem).ProviderPath -replace '\\', '/'

    [1] In this simple case, calling the [string] type's .Replace() method is an alternative, but the -replace operator is more PowerShell-idiomatic and offers superior functionality. This answer contrasts the two.