Convert comma separated string to an array with Powershell

Question

This is probably a simple thing I am missing but I am trying to convert a comma separated variable into a csv like formatted array ($myarray) using powershell.

FROM:

$ftitemsname = "itemname"
$ftitemssrc= "\\server\folder\a"
$ftitemsdst = "/sftp/items/"
$ftitemstiming = "4" 
   # 4 AM Execution
$ftobjectsSrc = "/sftp/objects/"
$ftobjectsdst = "\\server\folder\b"
$ftobjectsTiming = "4" "\\server\folder\a","/sftp/objects/","4"

#<WINSCP File Transfer Snippet>
# Download files
       $transferResult1 = $session.GetFiles($ftitemsSrc, ($ftitemsdst + $itemsname), $true, $transferOptions)
       $transferResult.Check()
       Write-EventLog -LogName "Application" -Source "Winscp" -EventID 51221 -EntryType Information -Message "Upload of {0} succeeded -f $transfer.FileName" -Category 1 -RawData 10,20
  
   
# Download files
       $transferResult1 = $session.GetFiles($ftobjectsSrc, ($ftobjectsdst + $objectsname), $true, $transferOptions)
       $transferResult.Check()
       Write-EventLog -LogName "Application" -Source "Winscp" -EventID 51221 -EntryType Information -Message "Upload of {0} succeeded -f $transfer.FileName" -Category 1 -RawData 10,20

To make it look like this in my powershell array. Csv representation of the array

I don't want it to actually export to a csv I want to use it in order to pipe those values into a powershell array.

I want to use that array to start an action to them.

This is the manual way I was building it.. but I want to simplify it for others to edit a simply comma separated list versus creating all net new variables.

Eventually, I will be using a foreach value to perform action.

TO:

    $myheaders = "name, source, destination, timing" 
    $mylist1 = "objects","\\server\folder\a","/sftp/objects/","4"
    $mylist2= "items","\\server\folder\a","/sftp/items/","4"

foreach($item2do in $entries){
    $transferResult1 = $session.GetFiles($item2do.source, ($item2do.destination + $item2do.name), $true, $transferOptions)
        $transferResult.Check()
        Write-EventLog -LogName "Application" -Source "Winscp" -EventID 51221 -EntryType Information -Message "Upload of {0} succeeded -f $transfer.FileName" -Category 1 -RawData 10,20
        }

Answer 1

I'm not quite sure I understood the premise of the question but, what you're looking for might be accomplished by hardcoding the CSV in the code itself, this would solve the "but I want to simplify it for others to edit a simply comma separated list versus creating all net new variables.".

So for this you can use a here-string combined with ConvertFrom-Csv:

@'
"name","source","destination","timing"
"objects","\\server\folder\a","/sftp/objects/","4"
"items","\\server\folder\a","/sftp/items/","4"
'@ | ConvertFrom-Csv | ForEach-Object {
    $transferResult = $session.GetFiles($_.source, ($_.destination + $_.name), $true, $transferOptions)
    $transferResult.Check()
    Write-EventLog -LogName "Application" -Source "Winscp" -EventID 51221 -EntryType Information -Message "Upload of $($_.FileName) succeeded" -Category 1 -RawData 10,20
}

Technically you could use a hardcoded Json too, but adding new objects to process may be harder in this case. This method uses ConvertFrom-Json:

@'
[
  {
    "name": "objects",
    "source": "\\\\server\\folder\\a",
    "destination": "/sftp/objects/",
    "timing": "4"
  },
  {
    "name": "items",
    "source": "\\\\server\\folder\\a",
    "destination": "/sftp/items/",
    "timing": "4"
  }
]
'@ | ConvertFrom-Json | ForEach-Object {
    $transferResult = $session.GetFiles($_.source, ($_.destination + $_.name), $true, $transferOptions)
    $transferResult.Check()
    Write-EventLog -LogName "Application" -Source "Winscp" -EventID 51221 -EntryType Information -Message "Upload of $($_.FileName) succeeded" -Category 1 -RawData 10,20
}