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

[sukkergris]

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

[KalleOlaviNiemitalo]

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.

[KalleOlaviNiemitalo]

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.

[iSazonov]

Dup Related #12784

[sukkergris]

@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 :)

[iSazonov]

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