How to Replace String Containing Double Quotes in PowerShell?

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When working with strings in PowerShell, you may often need to replace or modify strings that contain double quotes. This can be tricky because double quotes are also used to denote string literals in PowerShell. In this PowerShell tutorial, I will explain how to replace string containing double quotes in PowerShell.

To replace a string containing double quotes in PowerShell, use the escape character () before the double quote inside a string. For example, $newString = $oldString -replace “"value“”, “‘newvalue'”will replace“value”with‘newvalue’. Alternatively, use the .Replace()method, such as$newString = $oldString.Replace(‘”‘, “‘”)`, which replaces all instances of double quotes with single quotes without regex patterns.

PowerShell Replace String Containing Double Quotes

Before we dive into replacing strings with double quotes, it’s important to understand the two types of quotes used in PowerShell:

  • Double Quotes (“”): These are used for expandable strings which allow for variable interpolation and expression evaluation within the string.
  • Single Quotes (”): These are used for literal strings where the contents are taken as is, without any interpolation or evaluation.

Escaping Double Quotes

To include double quotes within a double-quoted string, you need to escape them using the backtick character (`), which is PowerShell’s escape character. For example:

$stringWithQuotes = "He said, ``Hello, World!``"

Alternatively, you can double the embedded double quotes:

$stringWithQuotes = "He said, ""Hello, World!"""

Replacing Double Quotes

To replace double quotes within a string in PowerShell, you can use the -replace operator or the .Replace() method. Here’s how to do it with both methods:

Using -replace Operator

The -replace operator uses a regular expression pattern on the left side and the replacement string on the right side.

$appendedQry = 'SELECT * FROM Table WHERE Column = "Value"'
$appendedQry = $appendedQry -replace '\"','\''  # Replaces double quotes with single quotes

In this example, the double quotes around “Value” are replaced with single quotes. Notice the use of the escape character (`) before the double quote in the pattern.

Using .Replace() Method

The .Replace() method in PowerShell is simpler to use as it does not require escaping characters, and it is not regex-based.

$appendedQry = 'SELECT * FROM Table WHERE Column = "Value"'
$appendedQry = $appendedQry.Replace('"', "'")  # Replaces double quotes with single quotes

This will replace all instances of double quotes with single quotes in the PowerShell string.

Here is a complete PowerShell script that demonstrates how to replace a string containing double quotes:

# Original string with double quotes
$originalString = 'The quick "brown fox" jumps over the lazy dog'

# The string you want to replace including the double quotes
$stringToReplace = '"brown fox"'

# The string you want to use as a replacement including the double quotes
$replacementString = '"red fox"'

# Using the -replace operator to replace the string
$updatedString = $originalString -replace [regex]::Escape($stringToReplace), $replacementString

# Output the updated string
Write-Output $updatedString

Once you run the above PowerShell script, you can see the output in the screenshot below.

The quick "red fox" jumps over the lazy dog
How to Replace String Containing Double Quotes in PowerShell

In this script, [regex]::Escape($stringToReplace) is used to escape any special characters within the string to replace, ensuring that the -replace operator interprets it as a literal string rather than a regex pattern. This is particularly useful when your string to replace might contain regex special characters.

Conclusion

Replacing strings that contain double quotes in PowerShell is straightforward once you understand how to escape double quotes and use the -replace operator or .Replace() method. In this PowerShell tutorial, I have explained how to replace a string containing double quotes in PowerShell.

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