PowerShell Add-NoteProperty

This function will allow you to create very complex PSCustomObject's easily.

What it can and cannot do:

• It can
  • Add or edit complex custom properties to objects
    • If the property or object structure is missing, it will add it
    • If the property and structure is preexisting, then it will edit it
  • Add complex arrays with sub objects to those arrays
  • Add simple arrays of value types
• It can not:
  • Edit arrays. To edit an array item, pass the individual array item into the -InputObject parameter

Examples:

Installs the latest version of the module from the Powershell Gallery

Install-Module-Name AddNoteProperty -Force

Overwrites an existing property on an object with a new value

$obj= [PSCustomObject]@{ Testing="foo"}
Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Testing"-Value "bar"

Adding properties with special characters

$obj= [PSCustomObject]@{}
Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Build","system.debug"-Value $trueAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Build","configuration"-Value "release"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Build","platform"-Value "any cpu"$obj|ConvertTo-JSON

Outputs:

{
"Build": {
"system.debug": true,
"configuration": "release",
"platform": "any cpu"
}
}

Adds a complex structure onto an object

$obj= [PSCustomObject]@{ }
Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Name","First"-Value "Tim"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Name","Last"-Value "Cartwright"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Age"-Value "Old"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Phones","Home"-Value "281-867-5309"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Phones","Mobile"-Value "713-867-5309"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Address","City"-Value "Houston"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Address","State"-Value "Texas"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Address","Zip"-Value "8675309"$obj|ConvertTo-JSON

Outputs:

{
"Person": {
"Name": {
"First": "Tim",
"Last": "Cartwright"
},
"Age": "Old",
"Phones": {
"Home": "281-867-5309",
"Mobile": "713-867-5309"
},
"Address": {
"City": "Houston",
"State": "Texas",
"Zip": "8675309"
}
}
}

The optional [ref]$hasChanged parameter can be used to keep track of whether or not the function made any changes to the object. Useful to determine you are changing a pre-existing object, and need to know whether to save it or not.

[bool]$changed=$false$obj= [PSCustomObject]@{ Testing="foo" }
#test has changed, with nil changeAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Testing"-Value "foo"-hasChanged ([ref]$changed) "1. HasChanged: $changed"#test property that pre-existsAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Testing"-Value "bar"-hasChanged ([ref]$changed) "2. HasChanged: $changed"#test haschanged not flipping back on nil changeAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Testing"-Value "bar"-hasChanged ([ref]$changed) "3. HasChanged: $changed"

Outputs:

1. HasChanged: False
2. HasChanged: True
3. HasChanged: True

Working with complex objects and arrays

$obj= [PSCustomObject]@{ }
Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Testing"-Value "foo"-ArrayProperty "Testing"-IsNew
Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Testing"-Value "bar"-ArrayProperty "Testing"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Name","First"-Value "Tim"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Name","Last"-Value "Cartwright"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Age"-Value "Older than an ant, younger than a mountain"# we are going to add an array of phones, each new phone must be marked off with -isnew$ArrayProperty="Phones"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Phones","Number"-Value "281-867-5309"-ArrayProperty $ArrayProperty-IsNew
Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Phones","Type"-Value "Home"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Phones","Number"-Value "713-867-5309"-ArrayProperty $ArrayProperty-IsNew
Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Phones","Type"-Value "Mobile"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Phones","Number"-Value "555-867-5309"-ArrayProperty $ArrayProperty-IsNew
Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Phones","Type"-Value "Work"-ArrayProperty $ArrayProperty# we are going to add an array of addresses, each new address must be marked off with -isnew $ArrayProperty="Addresses"Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","Address 1"-Value "123 Foo Lane"-ArrayProperty $ArrayProperty-IsNew
Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","Address 2"-Value "APT 987"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","City"-Value "Houston"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","State"-Value "Texas"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","Zip"-Value "8675309"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","Type"-Value "home"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","Address 1"-Value "555 Blueberry Hill"-ArrayProperty $ArrayProperty-IsNew
#leave off this property#Add-NoteProperty -InputObject $obj -Properties "Person", "Addresses", "Address 2" -Value "" -ArrayProperty $ArrayProperty Add-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","City"-Value "Houston"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","State"-Value "Texas"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","Zip"-Value "77777"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyAdd-NoteProperty-InputObject $obj-Properties "Person","Addresses","Type"-Value "work"-ArrayProperty $ArrayPropertyClear-Host$obj|ConvertTo-JSON

Outputs:

{
"Testing": ["foo", "bar"],
"Person": {
"Name": {
"First": "Tim",
"Last": "Cartwright"
},
"Age": "Older than an ant, younger than a mountain",
"Phones": [
"@{Number=281-867-5309; Type=Home}",
"@{Number=713-867-5309; Type=Mobile}",
"@{Number=555-867-5309; Type=Work}"
],
"Addresses": [
"@{Address 1=123 Foo Lane; Address 2=APT 987; City=Houston; State=Texas; Zip=8675309; Type=home}",
"@{Address 1=555 Blueberry Hill; City=Houston; State=Texas; Zip=77777; Type=work}"
]
}
}

Credits

• Original idea came from here
• Original author
• Modifications:
  • Rewrote to loop instead of recursion
  • modified property string to property string array, allows w/e to be passed in as the property, no need to split / replace
  • can handle adding very complex structures
  • will add or replace last value property
  • can pipeling in the original object, made the main parameters mandatory
  • added haschanged so if changing an existing object you can determine if any changes have occured. once true, never resets to false
  • added ability add arrays