PowerShell Split String by Multiple Delimiters

Using -split Operator with Regular Expression

Use the -split operator with a regular expression to split string by multiple delimiters in PowerShell.

First, a string variable named $string and an array variable called $delimiters is defined. Then, the $string is assigned with "one,two;three four", while $delimiters is set with "[,; ]+".

After that, the -split operator is used on the string variable named $string, with the $delimiters variable passed as an argument. The resulting output is an array containing the individual parts of the string split by the specified delimiters.

In case you want to remove entries, you can use where-object cmdlet.

In the above example, we used the Where-Object cmdlet to select all substrings of the given array excluding empty elements (empty substrings). How to exclude empty elements? For that, we used a condition as {$_ -ne ""} to determine if the current element ($_) is not equal to (-ne) an empty string (""). Finally, the resulting array was stored in the $parts variable.

Using Regex.Split() Method

Use the Regex.Split() method to split string by multiple delimiters in PowerShell.

First, the PowerShell variable $string is assigned a with string, i.e., "one,two;three four" and the delimiters "[,; ]+"/are assigned to the $delimiters variable.

After that, to split the string, the Regex.Split() method is used in this solution. Finally, the $string and the $delimiters variables are given as parameters to the Split() method. The resulting output also being an array containing the individual parts of the string.

Using String.Split() Method

Use the String.Split() method to split string by multiple delimiters in PowerShell.

The code defines a string variable named $string and an array variable called $delimiters. The string contains a sequence of words separated by commas, semicolons, and spaces, i.e., "one,two;three four". The array includes the delimiters that should be used to split the string, i.e.,@(",", ";", " "). Then the Split() method is called on the string variable $string, passing the $delimiters array as the delimiter parameter.

The RemoveEmptyEntries option removes any empty entries resulting from consecutive delimiters or delimiters at the beginning or end of the string. The resulting array is stored in the $parts variable and then displayed.

Further reading:

PowerShell – Split String into Variables

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PowerShell Split and Get Last Value

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Using System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex Class

Use the System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex class to split strings by multiple delimiters in PowerShell.

First, the PowerShell variable $string is assigned a with string, i.e., "one,two;three four". After that the delimiters "[,; ]+"/are assigned to the $delimiters variable. Then, an instance of the Regex class is created. The $delimiters variable is passed as an argument to the new() function of the System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex class.

Then the Regex instance is used with the Split() method to split the string. The resulting output also being an array containing the individual parts of the string. Note that all the methods discussed above generated the same outcome. You may choose any of the methods as per your requirement and preference.

That’s all about powershell split string by multiple delimiters.