The difference between add-content and set-content

The difference between Add-Content and Set-Content

The Add-Content and Set-Content cmdlets in PowerShell are used to add or modify the content of a file.

Both cmdlets take the path and name of the file as input, and the content to be added or modified as an argument.

However, there are some key differences in how these cmdlets operate and the specific tasks they are used for.

Add-Content

The Add-Content cmdlet is used to add new content to the end of a file.

This cmdlet appends the specified content to the end of the file, without modifying or deleting any existing content. This is useful for adding new information to a file without overwriting or disrupting the existing content.

Set-Content

In contrast, the Set-Content cmdlet is used to replace the existing content of a file with new content.

This cmdlet overwrites the entire contents of the file with the specified content, replacing any existing content with the new content.

This is useful for completely replacing the content of a file with new information, or for resetting the content of a file to a known state.

Conclusion

In summary, the main difference between the Add-Content and Set-Content cmdlets is the way they handle existing content in the file.

The Add-Content cmdlet preserves existing content and adds new content to the end of the file, while the Set-Content cmdlet replaces the entire contents of the file with the new content.