# Write-Output to file ForEach loop **URL:** \ **Category:** PowerShell Help\ **Created:** [December 31, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/write-output-to-file-foreach-loop/598 "2011-12-31T18:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![archives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@archives](https://forums.powershell.org/u/archives)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/write-output-to-file-foreach-loop/598/1 "2011-12-31T18:30:00Z")
by netman06 at 2013-02-13 10:11:13 > Hello, > > I have never needed to have a ForEach loop, output it’s data other then a one liner to a file. > > So how can I perform it using this code. Since I would like to use either the Export-Output or maybe Convert-To-HTML, but need to figure out how to perform the output first. > > `ForEach ($Site in $ADSites) { ## OPEN ForEach Site in ADSites $SiteName = $Site.Name $SiteSubnets = $Site.Subnets $SiteServers = $Site.Servers $SiteAdjacentSites = $Site.AdjacentSites $SiteSiteLinks = $Site.SiteLinks $SiteInterSiteTopologyGenerator = $Site.InterSiteTopologyGenerator $SiteOptions = $Site.Options Write-Output “Site Name: $SiteName r”
Write-Output “Site Subnets: $SiteSubnets r” Write-Output “Site Servers: $SiteServers r”
Write-Output “Adjacent Sites: $SiteAdjacentSites r” Write-Output “Site Links: $SiteSiteLinks r”
Write-Output “Site InterSiteTopologyGenerator: $SiteInterSiteTopologyGenerator r” Write-Output “Site Options: $SiteOptions r”
Write-Output " r" | Out-File "C:\My Scripts\Results.txt"` > > This is the line that is casing me troubles. > > Write-Output " `r" | Out-File "C:\My Scripts\Results.txt" > > I do not know how to make it output to a file. > > Any Ideas would be great. > > Thanks, Mike by DonJ at 2013-02-13 10:32:58 > You need to create a custom object and output that. Right now you’re outputting formatted text - bad. > > `$data = @{‘Site Name’=$sitename;‘Site Subnets’=$SiteSubnets;‘Site Servers’=$SiteServers}$obj = New-Object -Type PSObject -Prop $dataWrite-Output $obj` > > Something like that. You can add as many pieces of data to that hash table as you need - I added three as an example. Let’s assume this is all in a script called MyScript.ps1. > > `.\MyScript.ps1 | ConvertTo-HTML | Out-File whatever.html` > > Is how you convert the output. Don’t put Out-File into the script itself, or you’ll eliminate the possibility of converting it properly. by netman06 at 2013-02-13 13:17:59 > Hi Don, > > So this is how I set it up: > > `ForEach ($Site in $ADSites) { ## OPEN ForEach Site in ADSites $SiteName = $Site.Name $SiteSubnets = $Site.Subnets $SiteServers = $Site.Servers $SiteAdjacentSites = $Site.AdjacentSites $SiteSiteLinks = $Site.SiteLinks $SiteInterSiteTopologyGenerator = $Site.InterSiteTopologyGenerator $SiteOptions = $Site.Options $data = @{‘Site Name’=$sitename;‘Site Subnets’=$SiteSubnets;‘Site Servers’=$SiteServers;‘$SiteAdjacentSites’=$Site.AdjacentSites;‘$SiteSiteLinks’=$Site.SiteLinks;‘$SiteInterSiteTopologyGenerator’=$Site.InterSiteTopologyGenerator;‘$SiteOptions’=$Site.Options} $obj = New-Object -Type PSObject -Prop $data Write-Output $obj` > > But it seems to not output to file in the loop, can you see any problem in my ForEach statement? > > Thanks, by DonJ at 2013-02-13 13:27:17 > It won’t output to the file. You need to do what I told you above: PIPE the results of the script to another command, like ConvertTo-HTML or Out-File. The script is just producing the data (objects) - you can then PIPE those to another command to export them, convert them, etc. > > If you want this all in one script: > > `function DoSites {ForEach ($Site in $ADSites) { ## OPEN ForEach Site in ADSites $SiteName = $Site.Name $SiteSubnets = $Site.Subnets $SiteServers = $Site.Servers $SiteAdjacentSites = $Site.AdjacentSites $SiteSiteLinks = $Site.SiteLinks $SiteInterSiteTopologyGenerator = $Site.InterSiteTopologyGenerator $SiteOptions = $Site.Options $data = @{‘Site Name’=$sitename;‘Site Subnets’=$SiteSubnets;‘Site Servers’=$SiteServers;‘$SiteAdjacentSites’=$Site.AdjacentSites;‘$SiteSiteLinks’=$Site.SiteLinks;‘$SiteInterSiteTopologyGenerator’=$Site.InterSiteTopologyGenerator;‘$SiteOptions’=$Site.Options} $obj = New-Object -Type PSObject -Prop $data Write-Output $obj}DoSites | Out-File whatever.txt` > > Write-Output puts objects in the PowerShell pipeline… from there, other commands can do whatever they want with them. Consider looking into my "Toolmaking" book ([powershellbooks.com](http://powershellbooks.com)). It covers this whole approach and the technique… it’s the ‘right’ way to be building these things in PowerShell. by netman06 at 2013-02-13 14:54:28 > Hi Don, > > Yes, that works now. I did purchase your book, I have not yet read it, so this will make me. > > One last question, is where is the out-file sorting happening, since your this new method, it seems that my data is not in the correct order, like when I was using the Write-Output method. > > I would think that this is performed at the $data - @{'SiteName, etc level. I tried a Sort-Object before the Out-File whatever.txt, but that did not work either. > > Thanks, ---
**Author:** ![dotnVo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@dotnVo](https://forums.powershell.org/u/dotnVo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/write-output-to-file-foreach-loop/598/2 "2024-05-16T21:02:45Z")