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New-Item -ItemType Junction- can't create functioning relative links #12785

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New-Item -ItemType Junction- can't create functioning relative links#12785
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Area-FileSystem-Providerspecific to the FileSystem providerIssue-Questionideally support can be provided via other mechanisms, but sometimes folks do open an issue to get aResolution-No ActivityIssue has had no activity for 6 months or moreUp-for-GrabsUp-for-grabs issues are not high priorities, and may be opportunities for external contributorsWG-Cmdletsgeneral cmdlet issues

Description

@sukkergris
Theodor Heiselberg (sukkergris)
opened on May 25, 2020

Steps to reproduce

Follow example 7 here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/new-item?view=powershell-7powershell!

  1. Create a folder eg. named "power"
  2. In this (power) folder create an empty folder named "Notice"
  3. In this (power) folder create a file named "Notice.txt"
  4. As admin run this script:
    New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link.txt -Target .\Notice.txt
    New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link -Target .\Notice -Force

Expected behavior

Create two functioning links for both a file and a folder

Actual behavior

PS C:\retus\test2Die\power problems> .\test.ps1
New-Item: C:\retus\test2Die\power problems\test.ps1:1
Line |
1 | New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link.txt -Target .\Notice.txt
|
| Could not find item .\Notice.txt.

New-Item: C:\retus\test2Die\power problems\test.ps1:3
Line |
3 | New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link -Target .\Notice -Force
|
| Could not find item .\Notice.
#NOTE

Works with absolute path

Environment data

PS C:\retus\test2Die\power problems> $psversiontable

Name Value

PSVersion 7.1.0-preview.3
PSEdition Core
GitCommitId 7.1.0-preview.3
OS Microsoft Windows 10.0.18362
Platform Win32NT
PSCompatibleVersions {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion 2.3
SerializationVersion 1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion 3.0

Activity

  1. Theodor Heiselberg (sukkergris)
    added
    Issue-Questionideally support can be provided via other mechanisms, but sometimes folks do open an issue to get a
    on May 25, 2020

  2. KalleOlaviNiemitalo commented on May 25, 2020

    @KalleOlaviNiemitalo
    Kalle Olavi Niemitalo (KalleOlaviNiemitalo)
    on May 25, 2020

    AFAIK, Windows supports directory junctions but not file junctions. PowerShell 7.1.0-preview.3 outputs a saner error message than PowerShell 7.0.0, but both lose to Windows PowerShell 5.1.

    PowerShell 7.1.0-preview.3

    PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link.txt -Target .\Notice.txt
New-Item: Could not find item .\Notice.txt.
PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path C:\temp\power\link.txt -Target C:\temp\power\Notice.txt
New-Item: A directory is required for the operation. The item 'C:\temp\power\Notice.txt' is not a directory.
PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path C:\temp\power\link.txt -Target C:\temp\power\doesnotexist.txt
New-Item: Cannot find path 'C:\temp\power\doesnotexist.txt' because it does not exist.
PS C:\temp\power> $PSVersionTable

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      7.1.0-preview.3
PSEdition                      Core
GitCommitId                    7.1.0-preview.3
OS                             Microsoft Windows 10.0.18363
Platform                       Win32NT
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion              3.0

    PowerShell 7.0.0

    PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link.txt -Target .\Notice.txt
New-Item: Could not find item {0}.
PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path C:\temp\power\link.txt -Target C:\temp\power\Notice.txt
New-Item: A directory is required for the operation. The item 'C:\temp\power\Notice.txt' is not a directory.
PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path C:\temp\power\link.txt -Target C:\temp\power\doesnotexist.txt
New-Item: Cannot find path 'C:\temp\power\doesnotexist.txt' because it does not exist.
PS C:\temp\power> $PSVersionTable

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      7.0.0
PSEdition                      Core
GitCommitId                    7.0.0
OS                             Microsoft Windows 10.0.18363
Platform                       Win32NT
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion              3.0

    Windows PowerShell 5.1

    PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link.txt -Target .\Notice.txt
New-Item : A directory is required for the operation. The item 'C:\temp\power\Notice.txt' is not a directory.
At line:1 char:1
+ New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link.txt -Target .\Notice.txt
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (C:\temp\power\Notice.txt:String) [New-Item], InvalidOperationExceptio
   n
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ItemNotDirectory,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewItemCommand

PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path C:\temp\power\link.txt -Target C:\temp\power\Notice.txt
New-Item : A directory is required for the operation. The item 'C:\temp\power\Notice.txt' is not a directory.
At line:1 char:1
+ New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path C:\temp\power\link.txt -Target C:\t ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (C:\temp\power\Notice.txt:String) [New-Item], InvalidOperationExceptio
   n
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ItemNotDirectory,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewItemCommand

PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path C:\temp\power\link.txt -Target C:\temp\power\doesnotexist.txt
New-Item : Cannot find path 'C:\temp\power\doesnotexist.txt' because it does not exist.
At line:1 char:1
+ New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path C:\temp\power\link.txt -Target C:\t ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (C:\temp\power\doesnotexist.txt:String) [New-Item], ItemNotFoundExceptio
   n
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewItemCommand

PS C:\temp\power> $PSVersionTable

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      5.1.18362.752
PSEdition                      Desktop
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...}
BuildVersion                   10.0.18362.752
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.42000
WSManStackVersion              3.0
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1

    Windows PowerShell 2.0

    Does not support New-Item -ItemType Junction.

  3. KalleOlaviNiemitalo commented on May 25, 2020

    @KalleOlaviNiemitalo
    Kalle Olavi Niemitalo (KalleOlaviNiemitalo)
    on May 25, 2020
    PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link.txt -Target .\Notice.txt
New-Item: Could not find item .\Notice.txt.

    Process Monitor and WinDbg show that PowerShell 7.1.0-preview.3 is calling GetFileAttributesExW on Notice.txt in the current directory of the process as shown by [Environment]::CurrentDirectory, not in the directory that I selected with Set-Location.

    Perhaps FileSystemProvider.NewItem is calling GetFileSystemInfo with a relative path and it needs an absolute path. If I bypass the #8783 change by using a wildcard in -Target, then PowerShell 7.1.0-preview.3 gives the correct error message:

    PS C:\temp\power> New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .\link.txt -Target .\Notic*.txt
New-Item: A directory is required for the operation. The item 'C:\temp\power\Notice.txt' is not a directory.

  4. iSazonov commented on May 26, 2020

    @iSazonov
    Ilya (iSazonov)
    on May 26, 2020
    Collaborator

    Dup Related #12784

  5. Ilya (iSazonov)
    added
    WG-Engine-Providersbuilt-in PowerShell providers such as FileSystem, Certificates, Registry, etc.
    Resolution-DuplicateThe issue is a duplicate.
    on May 26, 2020
  6. Ilya (iSazonov)
    closed this as completedon May 26, 2020

  7. sukkergris commented on Jun 3, 2020

    @sukkergris
    Theodor Heiselberg (sukkergris)
    on Jun 3, 2020
    Author

    Ilya (@iSazonov) - Not sure why this is considered a dup of #12784. One i targeted junctions and the other targeted symlinks and each bug has different symptoms :)

  8. iSazonov commented on Jun 3, 2020

    @iSazonov
    Ilya (iSazonov)
    on Jun 3, 2020
    Collaborator

    My thoughts was that it will be fixed in the same place but I am ok to re-open.

  9. Ilya (iSazonov)
    reopened this on Jun 3, 2020
  10. Ilya (iSazonov)
    added
    Up-for-GrabsUp-for-grabs issues are not high priorities, and may be opportunities for external contributors
    and removed
    Resolution-DuplicateThe issue is a duplicate.
    on Jun 3, 2020
  11. Ilya (iSazonov)
    added
    Area-FileSystem-Providerspecific to the FileSystem provider
    WG-Cmdlets-Management
    and removed
    WG-Engine-Providersbuilt-in PowerShell providers such as FileSystem, Certificates, Registry, etc.
    on Dec 1, 2021

  12. microsoft-github-policy-service commented on Nov 16, 2023

    @microsoft-github-policy-service
    microsoft-github-policy-serviceBot
    on Nov 16, 2023 – with Microsoft GitHub Policy Service
    Contributor

    This issue has not had any activity in 6 months, if this is a bug please try to reproduce on the latest version of PowerShell and reopen a new issue and reference this issue if this is still a blocker for you.

  13. microsoft-github-policy-service commented on Nov 16, 2023

    @microsoft-github-policy-service
    microsoft-github-policy-serviceBot
    on Nov 16, 2023 – with Microsoft GitHub Policy Service
    Contributor

    This issue has not had any activity in 6 months, if this is a bug please try to reproduce on the latest version of PowerShell and reopen a new issue and reference this issue if this is still a blocker for you.

  14. microsoft-github-policy-service commented on Nov 16, 2023

    @microsoft-github-policy-service
    microsoft-github-policy-serviceBot
    on Nov 16, 2023 – with Microsoft GitHub Policy Service
    Contributor

    This issue has not had any activity in 6 months, if this is a bug please try to reproduce on the latest version of PowerShell and reopen a new issue and reference this issue if this is still a blocker for you.

  15. microsoft-github-policy-service
    added
    Resolution-No ActivityIssue has had no activity for 6 months or more
    on Nov 16, 2023

  16. microsoft-github-policy-service commented on Nov 23, 2023

    @microsoft-github-policy-service
    microsoft-github-policy-serviceBot
    on Nov 23, 2023 – with Microsoft GitHub Policy Service
    Contributor

    This issue has been marked as "No Activity" as there has been no activity for 6 months. It has been closed for housekeeping purposes.

  17. microsoft-github-policy-service
    closed this as completedon Nov 23, 2023
  18. Ryan Yates (kilasuit)
    added
    WG-Cmdletsgeneral cmdlet issues
    and removed
    WG-Cmdlets-Management
    on Jul 17, 2026
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