PowerShell TouchCmd

A PowerShell implementation of the Unix touch command for Windows. This module provides the familiar touch functionality to PowerShell users who want to create new files or update file timestamps.

Features

• Create files: Quickly create new empty files
• Update timestamps: Update the last write time of existing files to the current date and time
• Pipeline support: Accept file paths from the pipeline
• Cross-platform: Works with PowerShell on Windows, and compatible with PowerShell Core

Installation

From PowerShell Gallery

Install-Module -Name TouchCmd -Scope CurrentUser

Manual Installation

1. Clone or download this repository

2. Copy the module folder to your PowerShell modules directory:

   • Windows: $PROFILE\..\Modules\TouchCmd\
   • Or place in any directory in your $PSModulePath

3. Import the module:

   Import-Module TouchCmd

Usage

Create a new file

touch "C:\path\to\newfile.txt"

Update a file's timestamp

touch "C:\path\to\existingfile.txt"

Using with the pipeline

"file1.txt", "file2.txt", "file3.txt" | touch

Create multiple files at once

foreach ($file in @("test1.txt", "test2.txt", "test3.txt")) {
    touch $file
}

Parameters

Path (Required)

Specifies the path of the file to create or touch. Accepts values from the pipeline.

touch -Path "C:\path\to\file.txt"

Requirements

• PowerShell 3.0 or later
• Windows PowerShell or PowerShell Core

Examples

# Create a new file in the current directory
touch "myfile.txt"

# Update the timestamp of an existing file
touch "C:\Users\YourName\Documents\report.docx"

# Create files using pipeline
@("file1.txt", "file2.txt") | touch

# Create a file with a relative path
touch ".\output\results.txt"

How It Works

The touch function:

1. Checks if the file exists using Test-Path
2. If the file exists, updates its LastWriteTime property to the current date and time
3. If the file doesn't exist, creates a new empty file using New-Item

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit issues or pull requests to improve this module.

License

This module is based on the Unix touch command concept. Original PowerShell implementation adapted from Cassidy Williams' blog post.

Author

• Eduardo DONATO

Support

For issues, questions, or suggestions, please open an issue on the project repository.