Why is the converted batch not running my powershell script? [closed] - powershell

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I have a sample script for my diploma and it uses keypress mechanism, like so:
echo "A text prompting you to pres Enter"
$key = [System.Windows.Input.Key]::Enter
do
{
$isCtrl = [System.Windows.Input.Keyboard]::IsKeyDown($key)
if ($isCtrl)
{
$query = Get-Childitem 'D:\' -Recurse | Where-Object {$_.Name -match "controller.st$"}
foreach-object { $name = $query.FullName}
(Get-Content $name).Replace('A := AND55_OUT OR AND56_OUT OR AND61_OUT;', 'A := AND55_OUT') | Set-Content $name
#this actually does the replacing in a file
echo "sample text"
Start-Sleep -Seconds 30
echo "sample text"
break
}
} while ($true)
and the rest of the script continues.
I use the converting script
function Convert-PowerShellToBatch
{
param
(
[Parameter(Mandatory,ValueFromPipeline,ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]
[string]
[Alias("FullName")]
$Path
)
process
{
$encoded = [Convert]::ToBase64String([System.Text.Encoding]::Unicode.GetBytes((Get-Content -Path $Path -Raw -Encoding UTF8)))
$newPath = [Io.Path]::ChangeExtension($Path, ".bat")
"#echo off`npowershell.exe -NoExit -encodedCommand $encoded" | Set-Content -Path $newPath -Encoding Ascii
}
}
Get-ChildItem -Path C:\path\to\powershell\scripts -Filter *.ps1 |
Convert-PowerShellToBatch
and I modify this to my case but when I run the batch file, I get the following error:
Unable to find type [System.Windows.Input.Keyboard].
At line:7 char:11
+ $isCtrl = [System.Windows.Input.Keyboard]::IsKeyDown($key)
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (System.Windows.Input.Keyboard:TypeName) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : TypeNotFound
What can I do to overcome this?

Answer 1

tl;dr
As Jeroen Mostert notes in a comment, you need to load the assembly containing types System.Windows.Input.Key and System.Windows.Input.Keyboard into your script before you can use them, using Add-Type:
Add-Type -AssemblyName PresentationCore
echo "A text prompting you to press Enter"
$key = [System.Windows.Input.Key]::Enter
# ... the rest of your script.
The conversion script is nifty, but it cannot detect such problems.
Before converting, you should always run your script in a new session started with -NoProfile, so as to ensure that the script doesn't accidentally rely on side effects from the current session, such as the required assembly having been loaded by different code beforehand:
# Run the script in a pristine session to ensure that it is self-contained.
powershell -noprofile -file somescript.ps1
In particular, use of the ISE may have hidden the problem in your case, as these types are available in ISE sessions by default (because the ISE is built on WPF, which these types belong to) - unlike in regular console windows.
This is just one of the behavioral difference between the ISE and regular console windows], which makes the ISE - as convenient as it is - problematic.
Additionally, the ISE is no longer actively developed and cannot run PowerShell (Core) v6+ - see the bottom section of this answer for details.
Consider Visual Studio Code, combined with its PowerShell extension, as the actively maintained alternative.