powershell array contains - Brave Search

How can you check whether input value is in array or not (Powershell)

stackoverflow.com › questions › 16965537 › how-can-you-check-whether-input-value-is-in-array-or-not-powershell

Use the -contains operator:

Copy$InputArray -contains $UserInput

With more recent PowerShell versions (v3 and above) you could also use the -in operator, which feels more natural to many people:

Copy$UserInput -in $InputArray

Beware, though, that either of them does a linear search on the reference array ($InputArray). It doesn't hurt if your array is small and you're not doing a lot of comparisons, but if performance is an issue using hashtable lookups would be a better approach:

Copy$validInputs = @{
    'a' = $true
    'e' = $true
    'i' = $true
    'o' = $true
    'u' = $true
    '1' = $true
    '2' = $true
    '3' = $true
    '4' = $true
    '5' = $true
}

$validInputs.ContainsKey($UserInput)

Answer from Ansgar Wiechers on Stack Overflow

devblogs.microsoft.com › dev blogs › scripting blog [archived] › powertip: does powershell array contain a value?

PowerTip: Does PowerShell Array Contain a Value? - Scripting Blog [archived]

June 8, 2014 - Use the Contains method from an array. In the following example, the $array variable contains an array. The next line checks to see if the number 2 is in the array. It is, and the method returns True.

stackoverflow.com › questions › 16965537 › how-can-you-check-whether-input-value-is-in-array-or-not-powershell

How can you check whether input value is in array or not (Powershell) - Stack Overflow

Use the -contains operator:

Copy$InputArray -contains $UserInput

With more recent PowerShell versions (v3 and above) you could also use the -in operator, which feels more natural to many people:

Copy$UserInput -in $InputArray

Beware, though, that either of them does a linear search on the reference array ($InputArray). It doesn't hurt if your array is small and you're not doing a lot of comparisons, but if performance is an issue using hashtable lookups would be a better approach:

Copy$validInputs = @{
    'a' = $true
    'e' = $true
    'i' = $true
    'o' = $true
    'u' = $true
    '1' = $true
    '2' = $true
    '3' = $true
    '4' = $true
    '5' = $true
}

$validInputs.ContainsKey($UserInput)

I understand that you are learning but you need to use Google-fu and the documentation before coming here.

Copy$inputArray -contains $userinput

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lazyadmin.nl › home › powershell array contains explained

PowerShell Array Contains Explained — LazyAdmin

October 16, 2024 - To check if a value exists in an array, we can use the -Contains operator in PowerShell. This will return return true if the value exists.

idera.com › home › determine if array contains value – using wildcards

Determine if Array Contains Value – Using Wildcards | IDERA

April 21, 2025 - If you’d like to know whether an array contains a given element, PowerShell provides the –contains operator.

dev.to › taijidude › check-if-an-array-contains-a-certain-string-4ao

Check if an array contains a certain string - DEV Community

November 13, 2022 - Last week I was searching through a huge array of strings by hand/eye. I was looking for certain active directory groups. I quickly realized how stupid this was and researched ("googled" ;-)) how to check if a powershell array contains a string.

reddit.com › r/powershell › how do i check if an array of arrays contains an array?

r/PowerShell on Reddit: How do I check if an array of arrays contains an array?

August 24, 2023 -

After having initialised an array of arrays, I wanted to check whether if this array of arrays contained a specific array or not. So, I tried this:

$array = (1, 2), (3, 4), (5, 6)
($array -contains (1, 2))

Unfortunately, that returned "False", for some reason. I then tried to use a foreach loop to solve this, with this setup:

$array = (1, 2), (3, 4), (5, 6)
foreach ($item in $array)
{
($item -eq (1,2))
}

but the comparisson of the two arrays seems to return absolutely nothing, and I don't get why. However, doing something like this:

$array = (1, 2), (3, 4), (5, 6)
($array -contains $array[0])

works mighty fine, despite of $array[0] and (1, 2) being essentially the same in function.

Please provide me with some enlightenment about this issue.

There are a variety of approaches here. E.g. Using HashSet/SortedSet or Compare-Object. $array = (1, 2), (3, 4), (5, 6) $matchArray = 1, 2 foreach ($item in $array) { [Collections.Generic.HashSet[int]]::CreateSetComparer().Equals($item, $matchArray) } foreach ($item in $array) { $null -eq (Compare-Object $item $matchArray) } Things to consider: When dealing with large data sets, Compare-Object can be very slow. HashSet and SortedSet ignore duplicates whereas Compare-Object does not. Array elements do not have to be in the same order to find equality between two arrays. Compare-Objects's -SyncWindow parameter can be used if order is important.

Arrays are reference type objects, meaning they're called by reference, not by value. Check this: $array = (1, 2), (3, 4), (5, 6) $chkArr = (1, 2) $array -contains $chkArr # prints False $array[0].Equals($chkArr) # prints False because object references are being compared, not object values # One possible workaround: $res = $array | Where-Object -FilterScript { ($_ -join "|") -eq ($chkArr -join "|") } if ($res) { Write-Host '$array contains $chkArr' } # Note that if you want (1, 2) be considered equal to (2, 1), you'd additionally have to sort the values in the to-be-compared arrays before joining their values

reddit.com › r/powershell › powershell -contains comparisson against an array of string

r/PowerShell on Reddit: PowerShell -Contains comparisson against an array of string

May 23, 2024 -

Greetings,

I am trying the following PS but it is not working. In other words, it is not returning any value to list

$Offices = @('India','Guatemala')

$List = Get-MsolUser -All | Where-Object {$_.Office -Contains $Offices} | Select UserPrincipalName

But if I try with just one value, it works

$Offices = @('India')

$List = Get-MsolUser -All | Where-Object {$_.Office -Contains $Offices} | Select UserPrincipalName

So, what am I doing wrong on the $Offices array? Is there another way to do this?

Thanks in advance

-Contains is looking for exact values on the right. If you pass an array on the right, it's looking for that array in the collection on the left. Since you don't have a collection on the left I think you have got it the wrong way around. either: $offices -contains $_.office or use in, which swaps the inputs: $_.office -in $offices is what you want.

You have the comparison reversed, basically. You can use -in instead of -contains, or you can switch the comparison order. You use -contains when the right side is a scalar, and you use -in when the left side is a scalar. "If this bucket contains beer" "If there is beer in this bucket"

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devblogs.microsoft.com › dev blogs › scripting blog [archived] › using the powershell contains operator

Using the PowerShell Contains Operator - Scripting Blog [archived]

December 13, 2013 - This following technique illustrates an array of three values that is created and stored in the variable $noun. The Contains operator is then used to see if the array contains “hairy-nosed wombat”. Because the $noun variable does not have an array element that is equal to the string “hairy-nosed wombat,” the Contains operator returns False.

Microsoft Learn

learn.microsoft.com › en-us › powershell › scripting › learn › deep-dives › everything-about-arrays

Everything you wanted to know about arrays - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn

PS> $data = @('red','green','blue') PS> $data -contains 'green' True · When you have a single value that you would like to verify matches one of several values, you can use the -in operator. The value would be on the left and the array on the right-hand side of the operator.

community.spiceworks.com › programming & development

Powershell match an item in an array - Programming & Development - Spiceworks Community

February 3, 2017 - There have been many times where I wanted select items that match one or more items in a list/array. Is this possible? I can’t seem to find any documentation on if what I am trying to achieve can be done as I expect. Example: $ToMatch = @('String1','String2','String3') Get-ADComputer -Filter * | ?{$_.Name -match $ToMatch}

SharePoint Diary

sharepointdiary.com › sharepoint diary › powershell › how to use powershell “contains” – a quick guide!

How to use PowerShell "Contains" - A Quick Guide! - SharePoint Diary

August 8, 2025 - The Contains method in PowerShell helps you see if a specified string or character exists within a string. The PowerShell operator -Contains lets you check if a collection of objects, such as an array, contains a specific object or value.

PowerShell Forums

forums.powershell.org › powershell help

-contains vs .contains() - PowerShell Help - PowerShell Forums

December 2, 2014 - This may be a easy question, but I am a bit confused. I have a script that I am using in a point-of-sale environment. 700 PCs. Each named consistently, like this - POS_A_[NUMBER] for each location. For example, POS_A_101, POS_B_101, POS_A_102, POS_B_102, etc…all the way to 700.

netwrix.com › home › resources › blog › how to use powershell arrays

How to Use PowerShell Arrays | Netwrix

December 13, 2024 - IntroductionCreating an Array of ObjectsCreating an Array with Just One ElementCreating an Empty ArrayCreating a Strongly Typed ArrayCreating a Multidimensional Array (Matrix)Comparing, Grouping, Selecting and Sorting ArraysLooping through an ArrayUsing a PipelineAdding to an ArrayCreating an ArrayListRemoving an Item from an ArrayClearing an ArrayPrinting an ArrayFiltering an ArrayChecking the Length of an ArrayChecking Whether an Array Contains a Particular ValueAccessing Items using the Array IndexUsing the Join Operator and the Split OperatorUsing the Replace OperatorSlicing an ArrayReversing an ArrayConclusionNow Netwrix Can Help

PowerShell Forums

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PowerShell -Contains comparission against an array of string - PowerShell Help - PowerShell Forums

May 23, 2024 - Greetings, I am trying the following PS but it is not working. In other words, it is not returning any value to list $Offices = @(‘India’,‘Guatemala’) $List = Get-MsolUser -All | Where-Object {$.Office -Contains $Offices} | Select UserPrincipalName But if I try with just one value, ...

PowerShell Forums

forums.powershell.org › powershell help

Check if 1 value of one array inside another array array exists inside the master Array - PowerShell Help - PowerShell Forums

May 20, 2022 - I have a master array ($proccessarray) that has other arrays inside it ($proccessarray[0] and $proccessarray[1]). There are some situations where I would like to check if 1 of the values of the one of the sub-arrays (‘proccess1’) that is inside the master array, but a simple comparison operator fails: $ProcessList =@('proccess1','process2','process3','proccess4') $proccessarray =@() $proccessarray += @(,$ProcessList[0..1]) $proccessarray += @(,$ProcessList[2..3]) $proccessarray[0] $proccessa...

varonis.com › blog › powershell-array

PowerShell Array Guide: How to Use and Create

June 9, 2022 - You can use it to check if an array contains a particular string, and it will output a Boolean value. For instance: PS> $data = @('red','green','blue') PS> $data -contains 'green' True · There are two operators for checking for equality in PowerShell: -eq and -ne.

superuser.com › questions › 414650 › why-does-powershell-silently-convert-a-string-array-with-one-item-to-a-string

pipe - Why does Powershell silently convert a string array with one item to a string - Super User

Evidently, PowerShell implicitly 'unboxes' a single-item array to a single object,

And zero item results to $null.

How can I prevent this from happening?

You can't.

How do you deal with this?

Use the array constructor (@(...)) to force a collection (possibly with zero or one elements) return:

$res = @(ls | %{$_.Name} | ?{$_.Contains("Prog")})

Note the difference between these two results:

PS C:\> ConvertTo-Json -InputObject @(1)
[
    1
]
PS C:\> @(1)|ConvertTo-Json
1
PS C:\>

The point is that the 'unboxing' is being done by the pipe operation. ConvertTo-Json still sees the object as an array if we use InputObject rather than piping.

Sysadmin Central

sysadmin-central.com › 2021 › 11 › 04 › powershell-how-to-check-if-string-contains-any-value-in-array

PowerShell – How to Check if String Contains Any Value in Array

October 4, 2022 - # Set the variables $description = "Red fox jumping over fences" $searchArray = @("fox", "red", "blue") # Simple function to check if a string contains any one of a set of terms to search for # Returns True if found or False otherwise function containsArrayValue { param ( [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)] [string]$description, [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)] [array]$searchTerms ) foreach($searchTerm in $searchTerms) { if($description -like "*$($searchTerm)*") { return $true; } } return $false; } # Call the function containsArrayValue $description $searchArray ... Try Cartel Empire today. A completely

Hosting Ultra So

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Determine Whether an Array Contains an Item | Windows PowerShell, Windows Server | HostingUltraso.com

Solution To determine whether a list contains a specific item, use the –contains operator: PS >"Hello","World" contains "Hello" True PS >"Hello","World" contains "There" False Discussion The –contains operator is a useful way to quickly determine whether a list contains a specific element.

Computer Performance

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PowerShell Basics -Contains, -CContains & -NotContains | Code Examples

January 21, 2019 - # PowerShell -Contains Operator Clear-Host $ArraySimple =@("House","Flats","Bungalow") $ArraySimple -Contains "Flat" # Result PS> False