How-to: Assersions in PowerShell

In some cases it can be useful to assert certain prerequisite conditions.

For example, you might want to ensure that a given folder exists, and use code like this:

# path to download files to
$OutPath = "$env:temp\SampleData"

# does it already exist?
$exists = Test-Path -Path $OutPath -PathType Container

# if not, create it
if (!$exists)
{
   $null = New-Item -Path $OutPath -ItemType Directory
} 

Writing code like this every time it is needed, gets repetitive.

Here is a library function (actually a filter) to ensure that a given folder exists:

filter Assert-FolderExists
{
   $exists = Test-Path -Path $_ -PathType Container
   if (!$exists) { 
      Write-Warning "$_ did not exist. Folder created."
      $null = New-Item -Path $_ -ItemType Directory 
   }
}

With this filter available, the code becomes much cleaner.
The examples below make sure (Assert) that the folders exist and can also assign the folder paths to variables:

# make sure a bunch of folders exist
'C:\test1', 'C:\test2' | Assert-FolderExists

# make sure the path assigned to a variable exists
($Path = 'c:\test3') | Assert-FolderExists 

Code samples above via powershell.one (CC by 4.0).

“Remind yourself that all men assert that wisdom is the greatest good, but that there are few who strenuously seek out that greatest good” ~ Pythagoras

Related PowerShell Cmdlets

Functions and Filters - Write a named block of code.
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