How to invoke ConvertFrom-String in PowerShell on Linux?

Question

Looking to use ConvertFrom-String on Linux as per the example from the help file:

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PowerShell transcript start
Start time: 20230204142830
Username: mordor\nicholas
RunAs User: mordor\nicholas
Configuration Name: 
Machine: mordor (Unix 5.15.0.58)
Host Application: /snap/powershell/229/opt/powershell/pwsh.dll
Process ID: 1193147
PSVersion: 7.3.2
PSEdition: Core
GitCommitId: 7.3.2
OS: Linux 5.15.0-58-generic #64-Ubuntu SMP Thu Jan 5 11:43:13 UTC 2023
Platform: Unix
PSCompatibleVersions: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 5.1.10032.0, 6.0.0, 6.1.0, 6.2.0, 7.0.0, 7.1.0, 7.2.0, 7.3.2
PSRemotingProtocolVersion: 2.3
SerializationVersion: 1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion: 3.0
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Transcript started, output file is /home/nicholas/powershell/PowerShell_transcript.mordor.ciSjO_A6.20230204142830.txt
PS /home/nicholas/powershell> $template = @'
{Name*:Phoebe Cat}, {phone:425-123-6789}, {age:6}
{Name*:Lucky Shot}, {phone:(206) 987-4321}, {age:12}
'@
PS /home/nicholas/powershell> $testText = @'
Phoebe Cat, 425-123-6789, 6
Lucky Shot, (206) 987-4321, 12
Elephant Wise, 425-888-7766, 87
Wild Shrimp, (111)  222-3333, 1
'@
PS /home/nicholas/powershell> $PersonalData = $testText | ConvertFrom-String -TemplateContent $template

ConvertFrom-String: The term 'ConvertFrom-String' is not recognized as a name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or executable program.
Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.

ConvertFrom-String: The term 'ConvertFrom-String' is not recognized as a name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or executable program.
Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
PS /home/nicholas/powershell> $PersonalData = $testText | ConvertFrom-StringData -TemplateContent $template
PS /home/nicholas/powershell> TerminatingError(ConvertFrom-StringData): "A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'TemplateContent'."

ConvertFrom-StringData: A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'TemplateContent'.

ConvertFrom-StringData: A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'TemplateContent'.
PS /home/nicholas/powershell> help ConvertFrom-String
PS /home/nicholas/powershell> help ConvertFrom-StringData
PS /home/nicholas/powershell> $PSVersionTable

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      7.3.2
PSEdition                      Core
GitCommitId                    7.3.2
OS                             Linux 5.15.0-58-generic #64-Ubuntu SMP Thu Jan 5 11:43:13 UTC 2023
Platform                       Unix
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion              3.0

PS /home/nicholas/powershell> lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description:    Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Release:    22.04
Codename:   jammy

what throws me off here is that the help file loads fine, which would indicate that the component is installed. Perhaps that's an incorrect understanding.

Check the environmental variable PSModulePath. See : https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShellGet/issues/218 — jdweng, Feb 04 '23 at 22:41
@jdweng, `ConvertFrom-String` is a Windows PowerShell-only module, which is therefore by definition unavailable on _Linux_. (On _Windows_, it is _automatically_ available via the Windows PowerShell Compatibility feature, but there are good reasons to avoid it). — mklement0, Feb 04 '23 at 23:09
Note: `ConvertFrom-String` is not to be confused with the [`ConvertFrom-StringData`](https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.utility/convertfrom-stringdata) cmdlet, which _is_ available in PowerShell (Core) as well, on all supported platforms. — mklement0, Feb 04 '23 at 23:11

mklement0 · Answer 1 · 2023-02-05T13:16:22.270

ConvertFrom-String is available only in Windows PowerShell, the legacy, Windows-only edition of PowerShell - it was never ported to PowerShell (Core), the modern, cross-platform edition.

On Windows only, the cmdlet is technically still available, via the Windows PowerShell compatibility feature (which comes with its own limitations); however, for the reasons stated below, it's best to avoid this cmdlet altogether.
Note: ConvertFrom-String is not to be confused with the ConvertFrom-StringData cmdlet, which is available in PowerShell (Core) as well, on all supported platforms.

However, even in Windows PowerShell / on Windows there are good reasons to avoid use of this cmdlet:

It provides separator-based parsing as well as heuristics-based parsing based on templates containing example values.
The separator-based parsing applies automatic type conversions you cannot control, and the poorly documented template language results in behavior that is inherently hard to predict.

@NicholasSaunders, either that, or a `Convert-FromStringData` approach, possibly with some pre-processing, as suggested in [this answer](https://stackoverflow.com/a/75303797/45375) to one of your previous questions. Honestly, `ConvertFrom-String` is a dead end, and I suggest neither using it nor accepting answers that use it. — mklement0, Feb 05 '23 at 03:24

How to invoke ConvertFrom-String in PowerShell on Linux?

1 Answers1