Resolve Path - PowerShell

Overview

Resolve-Path is a PowerShell command that calculates the full path to a file, directory, or command. It resolves symbolic links, environment variables, and other forms of indirection to provide the real, absolute path to the specified resource.

Syntax

Resolve-Path [[-Path] <String>] [-Depth <Int32>] [-ErrorAction <ActionPreference>] [-ErrorVariable <String>] [-Force] [-LiteralPath] [-PassThru] [-ResolveProvider <Boolean>] [-WhatIf] [<CommonParameters>]

Options/Flags

• -Depth: Specifies the maximum number of levels to resolve for symbolic links or other redirections. Defaults to 0, which means unlimited depth.
• -ErrorAction: Controls how errors are handled. Options include: Continue, Stop, Suspend, and Ignore.
• -ErrorVariable: Stores any errors encountered in the specified variable.
• -Force: Suppresses warnings and errors, including those caused by overwriting existing files.
• -LiteralPath: Specifies that the input path should be treated as a literal path, without performing any resolution or expansion.
• -PassThru: Returns the resolved path as a PSCustomObject instead of a string.
• -ResolveProvider: Indicates whether to use the provider for resolution. Defaults to true.
• -WhatIf: Performs a simulation of the command without actually executing it.

Examples

Simple path resolution:

Resolve-Path Documents\MyTextFile.txt

Resolving a path with symbolic links:

Resolve-Path -Depth 3 ~/Downloads/link.lnk

Using PassThru to return a PSCustomObject:

$path = Resolve-Path -PassThru Documents\MyTextFile.txt

Common Issues

• Permission denied: Ensure you have sufficient permissions to access the specified path.
• Path not found: Verify that the path exists and is spelled correctly.

Integration

Combining with other commands:

echo $(Resolve-Path -PassThru mycommand.ps1).Path

Related Commands

• Get-Location: Gets the current working directory.
• Set-Location: Sets the current working directory.
• New-Item: Creates a new file or directory.