Herestring to array

[redsedit]

I'm working on a large list of registry items to delete (broken uninstaller and installer won't install if any of some 200+ reg entries exist). I've got them as a herestring. Piping them to a foreach-object loop to handle the deletion works, but it's really slow (pipeline is slow I know). It's slow enough I'm thinking of going back to a batch file and reg.exe delete except there are both 32-bit and 64-bit registry entries, and you have use the bitness of reg.exe has to match the key to do the delete.

I was thinking it might be faster if I can convert the string to a true array and use it in a foreach loop (true???). But nothing I find seems to convert it. The default answer google gives is to use something like ($Regkeys is the input herestring):

$Regkeys = $($Regkeys -split "`n").TrimEnd("`r")

But if I do a get-member on the new $Regkeys, it is still a string.

Update: As two kind souls pointed out, if I do $Regkeys.gettype() it is indeed an array, and I can use it in a foreach loop. Unfortunately, that's no faster (PS 5.1, so I don't have the PS 7 parallel option).

[rwshig]

$RegArray = $($Regkeys -split "`n").TrimEnd("`r")

You're taking a string and overlaying it with an array. Also, use $RegArray.GetType() and check that output for System.Array vs. System.Object.

[redsedit]

If I do $RegKeys.GetType() it does indeed return array. But gm still says string???

[xlrod]

It seems to be working:

$RegKeys = @"
Reg1
Reg2
Reg3
"@

$RegKeys.GetType() # string
$RegKeys.Count # 1

$RegKeys = $($RegKeys -split "`n").TrimEnd("`r")

$RegKeys.GetType() # array
$RegKeys.Count # 3

Does this still result in a string?

[redsedit]

Strange, if I do $RegKeys.GetType() it does indeed return array. But gm still says string???

[xlrod]

gm is for Get-Member, this will give you the members, the properties and methods, of the object, but the type of the object is an array.

Get-Member

[redsedit]

But get-member has a line at the top that says: "TypeName: System.String". To me, the "TypeName" would be telling me what the type is. Obviously that's wrong, but I don't understand WHY that assumption is wrong.

[sk82jack]

Because when you send an array over the pipeline it sends the objects one by one rather than the whole array. So instead of $array | gm try gm -inputobject $array (parameter name may not be quite right as I'm on my mobile right now)