How to add items to an array in a function as a script variable on Powershell? - powershell

Question

I am trying to add items to an array variable that I am declaring outside of a function.
Here is the idea of my code in a very simplified way:
function Test($NAME, $SPEED){
$fName = "testName"
$fSpeed = 100
if($status = ($fName -eq $NAME) -and ($fSpeed -eq $SPEED))
{}
else{
if($fName -ne $NAME)
{$errorMessages += "The name is not" + $NAME}
if($fSpeed -ne $SPEED)
{$errorMessages += "The speed is not" + $SPEED}
}
return $status
}
$script:errorMessages=#()
$result=#()
$result += Test -NAME "alice" -SPEED "100"
$result += Test -NAME "bob" -SPEED "90"
#result is an array of booleans that I need later on
$errorMessages
When I display $errorMessages, this is the expected output that I'd like:
The name is not alice
The name is not bob
The speed is not 90
However, when I try to display the variable outside of the function, and even outside of the "else" block, I get nothing printed out. How can I correctly add the error messages to the array?

Answer 1

You want to call errorMessages via the script scope. Therefore you've to use $script:errorMessage (instead of $errorMessage) inside your function.
function Test($NAME, $SPEED) {
$fName = "testName"
$fSpeed = 100
$status = ($fName -eq $NAME) -and ($fSpeed -eq $SPEED)
if (!$status) {
if ($fName -ne $NAME) {
$script:errorMessages += "The name is not" + $NAME
}
if ($fSpeed -ne $SPEED) {
$script:errorMessages += "The speed is not" + $SPEED
}
}
$status
}
$errorMessages = #()
$result = #()
$result += Test -NAME "alice" -SPEED "100"
$result += Test -NAME "bob" -SPEED "90"
#result is an array of booleans that I need later on
$errorMessages
Now you get the expected output:
The name is notalice
The name is notbob
The speed is not90
Also be aware about the return statement in PowerShell -> stackoverflow answer
Hope that helps