FTP Download Multiple Files using PowerShell

Question

I’m new to PowerShell and am trying to convert a batch file that downloads multiple files based on names and extension from a directory on an ftp site. While I’ve found several examples that download a file, I’m struggling to find one that shows how to download multiple files. In a batch I can quite simply use the ftp.exe and the mget command with wildcards??

Can someone please point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance. John

Answer 1

There are multiple ways to achieve this. One is to use the System.Net.FtpWebRequest as shown in this example: http://www.systemcentercentral.com/BlogDetails/tabid/143/IndexID/81125/Default.aspx

Or there are /n Software NetCmdlets you can use:

http://www.nsoftware.com/powershell/tutorials/FTP.aspx

Answer 2

In a batch I can quite simply use the ftp.exe and the mget command with wildcards??

You can do the same in Powershell if you want to.

For a more Powershell way, you can use the FTPWebRequest. See here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms229711.aspx. You can build on the example to download multiple files in a loop.

But bottomline is, you do not have to convert something you have in batch to Powershell. You can, if you want, but what you have in batch, especially when calling external programs, should work just as well.