How do I fix encoding issues in a PowerShell script affecting my global.ini file?

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Asked By CuriousCoder42 On

I'm attempting to modify the 'global.ini' file for OneDrive located in my %localAppData%MicrosoftOneDriveSettings directory. The goal is to search the file for folders named "Business1" or "Personal" and change a specific line, switching "CoAuthEnabledUserSetting = true" to "CoAuthEnabledUserSetting = false". However, I'm running into an encoding problem. When I execute the script, it defaults the file encoding to UTF-8, while the actual encoding of the file is UTF-16 Little Endian as confirmed by Notepad++. This is causing the content to be improperly formatted, as seen in the example linked here. I'm looking for suggestions to ensure the script preserves the correct encoding when modifying the file!

3 Answers

Answered By DebugDude On

I had a similar experience when editing config files. Always double-check the original encoding before processing; it can save you from headaches! If all else fails, consider replacing problematic parts with hard-coded strings to start fresh.

Answered By ScriptMasterGee On

You might want to use `Get-Content -Raw` instead of just `Get-Content`. This helps you get the entire content as a single string rather than an array of lines, which could be fragmenting the data during processing. This can mess up how your script interprets the file's contents. After that, when you set the content back, use the correct encoding flags with `Set-Content` to avoid the usual UTF-8 issues. Just a thought!

SleepyDev -

Thanks for this! I totally overlooked the `-Raw` parameter. I'll try this out tomorrow.

Answered By ScriptingSage On

It sounds like you're having a tough time with encoding! You might want to try using the `Out-File` cmdlet instead of `Set-Content`. `Out-File` has options that allow you to specify the encoding directly, which could help maintain the integrity of your file. For instance, you can do something like this:
```powershell
$updatedContent | Out-File -FilePath $filePath -Encoding UTF16
```
This should ensure that your changes are saved correctly without messing up the file's format. Give it a shot!

TechieTom -

Great suggestion! I usually use `-Encoding ASCII` as a default, but I think switching to a more appropriate encoding is key in this case.

FileFixer98 -

I've faced similar issues and switching encodings usually works. Make sure to also check for the byte order mark (BOM) in UTF encoding!

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