I've added an option to copy a proper UNC path to the context menu of all directories via PowerShell.
Edit:
I didn't mention that I'm actually using two different keys: One to copy the UNC of the current directory, and one to copy it from a different directory. I didn't think it would make a difference, but it does.
End Edit
Currently, the key value is as follows:
powershell.exe -WindowStyle Hidden -Command . <path I have to censor>\Save-To-Clipboard.ps1 \"%L%\"
Expected behaviour:
The PowerShell script is run quietly.
Actual behaviour:
A PowerShell Window pops up and closes itself.
The same thing happens with cmd.
I've tried using a VBS wrapper as well, but it needs the current path as an argument, which I can't figure out how to do. Simply putting it after the filename as you would in the command line results in the error:
This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this
action. Please install an app or, if one is already installed, create
an association in the Default Apps settings page.
Key value here:
<path I have to censor>\ClunkyWrapper.vbs \"%L%\"
Admittedly, this is my first time running a command from a registry key, and I can't seem to find any resources about this topic. (I might just not know what exactly to google for.) So I would be thankful for more general information on how to run commands from registry keys as well.
Okay, I found a way.
First of all, apparently whether you need to use %L% or %V% depends on the key. I can't tell you why, unfortunately.
That solves the error message of the VBA script, but it still wouldn't run like this.
So I then used wscript.exe, and it finally worked.
wscript.exe <secret path>\ClunkyWrapper.vbs "%V%"
Related
I am attempting to use a shortcut to a powershell script, which has to be run elevated, and has some arguments which can be somewhat long. And the location of the script itself may be in a rather buried folder since Architects really like to have massive folder structures. The issue is I am running out of room. And Microsoft using 57 characters for C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe is not helping.
I also can't use the Start in: to provide the path to the script. My guess is I am just hosed by Microsoft's limitations in shortcuts, but I wonder if someone knows some secret sauce for doing something like, maybe forcing the shortcut to just use powershell.exe rather than the full path?
Or is my only option to get as terse as I possible can with my arguments?
I am running into a bit of a problem when attempting to use Powershell with NRPE. Now I ran this command,
command[alias_check_commerce_log]=cmd /c echo C:\Program Files\nrpe\plugins\file_checker.ps1; exit($LastExitCode) | powershell.exe -command -
in cmd and it went through without a hitch. Just when I call it via Icinga, for some odd reason, it spits out 'powershell.exeA' is not recognized as an internal or external command. Now I know the A is not supposed to be sitting with powershell.exe, so how would I keep this from happening? Keep in mind that the command is the same in the config as posted here. Checked all text in hopes of it just being a simple Typo. I just can't seem to wrap my head around this one and figure out how to keep this from happening. Any and all help is appreciated, thank you.
Probably file encoding. You likely copy/pasted the command line from a web site or something, and there is a special character after .exe.
Open the file where that command is defined in an editor that supports different encodings and hopefully one that can show whitespace and "special" characters, and inspect the file.
Or Start over and manually type the commands.
I've looked into the forum for one hour now, and tried everything I've found here but still I don't manage to run my .exe using a powershell script.
Please forgive my ignorance, I'm very new with powershell..
Basically, my script is aimed to daily monitor files loaded.
For this, I need to list .txt files in my working directory, which I managed to do.
My issue is that when files arrive in my working folder, they have nonspeaking names that I can't figure out which business it's related to.
There is a RemaneFile1.exe executable that renames files according to some data codes inside my .txt files from something like "Inf320638.txt" to something like "lot_RUHPEG_296_320638" and that is exactly what .exe I would like to run using powershell (I didn't coded it, and I don't know how it works, just that when I manually run it it renames my files just fine).
I've tried those two command lines below, but when I look at my files, they are actually not renamed.
1. &".\INFOCENTRE\LOTS\RenameFile1.exe
=> When I check my file name it's still like "Inf320638.txt".
2. Start-Process ".\INFOCENTRE\LOTS\RenameFile1.exe" => A command prompt shows up for an instant, but when I check my file name it's like "Inf320638.txt".
Any help would be highly appreciated,
Brgs,
Thomas.
Try to run the executable with the following arguments:
Start-Process .\INFOCENTRE\LOTS\RenameFile1.exe -WorkingDirectory .\INFOCENTRE\LOTS -Wait
It might be, that the workingdirectory is what screws it up. The -wait switch lets powershell wait for the programm to finish, you could omit it.
When I call the following code:
Start-Process Firefox
Then the PowerShell opens the browser. I can do that with several other programs and it works. My question is: How does the PowerShell know which program to open if I type Firefox? I mean, Im not using a concrete Path or something ...
I though it has something to do with the environment variables ... But I cannot find any variable there which is called Firefox ... How can he know?
I traced two halves of it, but I can't make them meet in the middle.
Process Monitor shows it checks the PATHs, and eventually checks HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\firefox.exe so that's my answer to how it finds the install location, and then runs it.
That registry key is for Application Registration which says:
When the ShellExecuteEx function is called with the name of an executable file in its lpFile parameter, there are several places where the function looks for the file. We recommend registering your application in the App Paths registry subkey.
The file is sought in the following locations:
The current working directory.
The Windows directory only (no subdirectories are searched).
The Windows\System32 directory.
Directories listed in the PATH environment variable.
Recommended: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths
That implies PowerShell calls the Windows ShellExecuteEx function, which finds FireFox as a registered application, or it tries the same kind of searching itself internally.
Going the other way to try and confirm that, the Start-Process cmdlet has a parameter set called UseShellExecute. The 'Notes' of that help says:
This cmdlet is implemented by using the Start method of the System.Diagnostics.Process class. For more information about this method, see Process.Start Method
Trying to trace through the source code on GitHub:
Here is the PowerShell source code for Start-Process.
Here, at this line it tries to look up the $FilePath parameter with CommandDiscovery.LookupCommandInfo.
Here it checks else if (ParameterSetName.Equals("UseShellExecute"))
Then Here is the .Start() function which either starts it with ShellExecute or Process.Start()
OK, not sure if ShellExecute and ShellExecuteEx behave the same, but it could be PS calling Windows, which is doing the search for "FireFox".
That CommandSearcher.LookupCommandInfo comes in here and follows to TryNormalSearch() which is implemented here and immediately starts a CommandSearcher which has a state machine for the things it will search
SearchState.SearchingAliases
Functions
CmdLets
SearchingBuiltinScripts
StartSearchingForExternalCommands
PowerShellPathResolution
QualifiedFileSystemPath
and there I get lost. I can't follow it any further right now.
Either it shortcuts straight to Windows doing the lookup
Or the PowerShell CommandSearcher does the same search somehow
Or the PowerShell CommandSearcher in some way runs out of searching, and the whole thing falls back to asking Windows search.
The fact that Process Monitor only logs one query in each PATH folder for "firefox.*" and then goes to the registry key suggests it's not doing this one, or I'd expect many more lookups.
The fact that it logs one query for "get-firefox.*" in each PATH folder suggests it is PowerShell's command searcher doing the lookup and not Windows.
Hmm.
Using Process Monitor I was able to trace the PowerShell.
It first searches the $env:path variable, then the $profile variable.
In my case firefox wasn't found and then it searches through a whole lot in the Registry and somehow finds it.
It might have something to do with how firefox is installed on the system.
I am attempting to use the SVN_Load_Dirs.PL script file (https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/subversion/trunk/contrib/client-side/svn_load_dirs/) to attempt to merge a platform drop.
However, I can't get the --glob_ignores flag to behave as I'd expect, and I know so little perl that I can't dig into the script to understand why. The format I am using is:
--glob_ignores=*.jazzignore
Where I want to ignore all .jazzignore files (although I am fine with anything with "jazzignore" in either the extension or name being ignored. I've looked for examples but can't find any actual usage of this flag anywhere. What I am looking for is a way to ignore all .jazzignore files and a few entire directories (like jazz5 for an example)
I assumed the flag would then be --glob_ignores="*.jazzignore *.jazz5" but that doesn't appear to be working.
It turns out that the script was failing silently because I was running it from a windows cmd (and therefore never getting to the flag option). Apparently there are some issues running it this way and it was designed to be run from a linux command line. After switching it works perfectly.