Format-Table adds a top empty line (row)

PowerShell Help
1

I hope you all are doing well!
I am exporting a directory file list to text with the following PS Code:

 Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms
  $saveDialog = New-Object -TypeName System.Windows.Forms.SaveFileDialog
  $PathFiles=(Get-ChildItem c:\temp\Files | Select-Object @{expression={$_.Name};label='Full Name'})
  $RegKeyContent = $PathFiles
  $saveDialog.initialDirectory = [environment]::getfolderpath(“mydocuments”)
  $saveDialog.filter = 'Text file (*.txt)|*.txt|All files (*.*)|*.*';
  $saveDialog.ShowDialog()
  $RegKeyContent | Format-Table * | Out-File $saveDialog.FileName

The code works as should but, when I open the text file there is a empty row on top as shown here:

BlankSpace

I have looked for but I have not been able to find how to remove the top empty line and, make sure the exported text starts on the very top.

Any suggestions is appreciated.
Regards,

2

Joisrm,
Welcome to the forum. :wave:t4:

Format cmdlets like Format-Table or Format-List and so on are made to be used for formatting console output only and should always be the last cmdlet in a pipeline. If you pipe their output to the next cmdlet it’s in the vast majority of the cases wrong. :wink:

Since you have only one column anyway you could use in this case Out-File directly. If you have a proper table you can use ‘Export-Csv’.
So your last code line could be like this:

 $RegKeyContent | Out-File $saveDialog.FileName

Or like this:

 $RegKeyContent | Export-Csv -Path  $saveDialog.FileName -NoTypeinfromation

In the latter case I’d recommend to cahnge the extension of the file to CSV. :wink:

3

Hi Olaf,
I am running a PowerShell Runspace within my WinForms C# app. I am providing the user with exporting options such as; Text, HTML and CSV.

I already have all three-export options working. I thought there would be a way to remove the first blank space just to make it look nice.

Thanks.

4

If you’re using Format-Table to pipe it to the next cmdlet you’re doing it wrong. :point_up_2:t4: Have you tried my suggestion?

5

The only issue was the empty space on top that I wanted to remove when exporting to text file.

Using your code suggestion gives me the same empty space on top:

$RegKeyContent | Out-File $saveDialog.FileName

Same Top empty space

I already have a code to export to CSV that is working just fine. I do not need another Export-CSV code as you suggested:

 $RegKeyContent | Export-Csv -Path  $saveDialog.FileName -NoTypeinfromation
6

I have to admit that I did not test my solution. I just assumed that it works. Sorry. :pray:t3:

Try it this way:

($RegKeyContent | Out-String).Trim() | 
    Out-File -FilePath $saveDialog.FileName
7 
($RegKeyContent | Out-String).Trim() | 
    Out-File -FilePath $saveDialog.FileName

Your code worked!

Now Working

Thank you