If you’re looking to catalog the files and folders in a specific directory and its subfolders, a PowerShell script can be a powerful tool. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through creating and using a PowerShell script to log detailed information about files and folders in your chosen directory.

Prerequisites

Before we dive in, make sure you have the following:

1. Basic PowerShell Knowledge: A basic understanding of PowerShell commands will be helpful.
2. Directory Location: Know the path to the directory you want to log information from.
3. Text Editor: A text editor like Notepad is handy for creating and editing PowerShell scripts.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Open a Text Editor

• Open a text editor like Notepad. This is where we’ll create our PowerShell script.

Step 2: Copy the Script

• Copy the following PowerShell script and paste it into your text editor:

# 1. Define variables for folder location and log file
$folderLocation = "C:\YourFolderPath"
$logFile = "C:\YourLogFolderPath\log.txt"

# 2. Initialize the log file
"Type,Path,Name,Date Created,Last Modified" | Set-Content -Path $logFile

# 3. Recursively traverse the folder and subfolders
Get-ChildItem -Path $folderLocation -File -Recurse | ForEach-Object {
    $path = $_.DirectoryName
    $file = $_.Name
    $created = $_.CreationTime
    $modified = $_.LastWriteTime

    # Check if the item is a file or folder
    $type = "File"
    if ($_ -is [System.IO.DirectoryInfo]) {
        $type = "Folder"
    }

    # 4. Append file information to the log file
    "$type,$path,$file,$created,$modified" | Add-Content -Path $logFile
}

Write-Host "Process completed. Log file created at $logFile"

Step 3: Customize Folder and Log File Paths

• Replace $folderLocation with the actual path of the folder you want to log information from.
• Replace $logFile with the desired path for your log file.

Step 4: Save the Script

• Click on “File” in your text editor.
• Choose “Save As.”
• Set “Save as type” to “All Files.”
• Name the file with an .ps1 extension, for example, LogInfo.ps1.
• Save the script to a location of your choice.

Step 5: Run the Script

• Open a PowerShell window.
• If necessary, set the execution policy to allow running PowerShell scripts by typing: Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned.
• Navigate to the folder where you saved LogInfo.ps1 using the cd (Change Directory) command.

Step 6: Execute the Script

• Run the script by entering .\LogInfo.ps1 and press Enter.
• The script will process the specified folder, logging file, and folder information into the log file as specified.

Step 7: View the Log File

• Once the script completes, open the log file (specified in the script) using a text editor to see the collected data.

Important Notes

• Ensure you have permission to access the specified folder and create files in the specified log file location.
• Back up important data before running scripts that modify or create files.
• Always validate and understand scripts from untrusted sources to ensure they don’t contain harmful code.

With these steps, you’ve successfully created and used a PowerShell script to log file and folder information from a specific directory. This can be particularly useful for keeping track of your files or creating a record of folder contents for various purposes.