We have a .cmd file we want to be able to execute automatically using Powershell (from TFS Release).
The issue with using start-process in Powershell is that execution gets stuck waiting for user input (Press any key to continue...).
Is there any way that we can pass variables to this call or call it in a different way where we no longer require user input for this .cmd?
Don't use Start-Process.
"`n" | & 'C:\path\to\your.cmd'
Powershell isn't getting stuck, Start-Process is working correctly - it's running the process (assume cmd.exe) and waiting for that process to terminate before continuing.
cmd.exe is prompting for interactive user input (PAUSE) before continuing, again working as you have instructed it to.
The issue is you're running non-interactively, and aren't providing the input required to continue.
You can update the cmd file and add an optional parameter so you can 'skip' the PAUSE when running unattended:
if "%1"=="unattended" goto skippause
pause
:skippause
then run it using unattended:
CMD /c c:\folder\file.cmd unattended
Related
I have PowerShell that run automatically by window scheduler, most of the time it completed job successfully but sometime it would stuck till window scheduler session timeout. The reason because the PowerShell prompt for input.
I want a solution that can handle this scenario, in case prompt for input then exit the powershell. Can this be done and how?
Note:
Powershell version is >=5
I am trying to run and .exe in C:programfiles(x86)
I can launch it directly from the filepath. If I run in powershell just closes. No feedback.
Running powershell 5.1.17134 Rev 590
Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Program Files (x86)\App\App.exe"
I tried running powershell -NoExit and then start-process but it returns without any feedback.
If I run it on same machine in Powershell 6.1.0 preview - it runs fine. No issue. How can I track down whats causing this to 1) not run 2)close powershell.
Thanks,
This answer makes a general point. It doesn't solve your problem, if using Start-Process truly crashes the calling PowerShell window.
If C:\Program Files (x86)\App\App.exe is a console application that you want to run in the current console window, do not use Start-Process to invoke it.
Instead, invoke it directly.
Given that its path contains spaces and special characters (( and )), you need to:
quote it
invoke it with &, PowerShell's call operator.
PS> & 'C:\Program Files (x86)\App\App.exe'
Note:
The use of & with a command specified in a quoted string and/or via a variable reference is a syntactic necessity, given that PowerShell has two distinct parsing modes - see about_Parsing.
Invoking a console application directly:
ensures its synchronous execution
That is, control isn't returned to the caller until the application has terminated.
connects its standard output streams - stdout and stderr - to the equivalent PowerShell streams.
That is, you can capture or redirect the application's success output and/or error output, as needed.
You have an interactive shell. You spawn this new process - then your shell closes?
Clearly it is terminating its parent process, and clearly pwsh is doing something different.
I don't think this is truly a powershell question, it's a windows internals one. The suite of tools to use is Sysinternals. The first thing I'd try - and I'd do this on cmd, powershell and pwsh to establish a basis for comparison - is run Process Monitor with a filter on your app's path. Something in its last actions may prove illuminating. Process Explorer may also be useful.
Are you in a corporate environment? I have agents on my machine that kill processes based on heuristics. That can do things like this.
There may be a workaround based on how you invoke the app;
try mklement0's suggestion
try invoking through WMI; this does not provide your powershell process as a parent process: Invoke-WmiMethod -Class win32_process -Name create -ArgumentList "PathToApp.exe"
try invoking via cmd.exe if you are constrained by what's on your target machines
I do think this is off-topic, though.
I am writing a batch script to automate some processes.
this process runs a few different tools by stages, those tools creates the input necessary to run the next stage.
In one of the stages basically I open an .exe file and call a powershell file to simulate the "enter key" press, so far so good, it opens the tools and it starts to run run it, however what happens is that command line executes the next stage without waiting for the .exe file to finish, which is a important step thus that process creates the input for the next stage.
the command line I use is:
START /WAIT powershell -command .\bat.ps1
which runs this powershell script
[System.Diagnostics.Process]::Start("C:\folder\file.exe", "C:\temp\TestProject1\TestProject1.pjs /run /exit /SilentMode")
$wshell = New-Object -ComObject wscript.shell;
$wshell.AppActivate('title of the application window')
Sleep 1
$wshell.SendKeys('~')
I would like to know if there is a workaround that makes me wait till the .exe file finish running, and then start the new stage.
thanks for your help
I found a workaround, that partially responds to my question.
I put the START /WAIT command after the powershell command, so while the .exe is running the next stage is on waiting, however I will have to press "y" to continue the process once the .exe file is finished, which is a start.
Thanks once again
Have you tried using the Start-Process cmdlet and including the -Wait parameter in lieu of a direct call to Start()?
From your powershell prompt try help start-process to see if some of the other parameters like -NoNewWindow would also be useful to you.
I've got a powershell script that eventually passes a stack of arguments into a batch file via invoke-expression command.
However, on one server, when the powershell scripts executes that batch file, that batch file opens in a new window, but on the other server, the batch file executes within the powershell window.
What that means, is that I've got a sleep interval that is starting once the batch file begins executing in the new window, and thus screwing up my timings, unlike the other server, where the sleep interval doesn't begin until after the batch file has finished executing.
So my question is... does anybody know why the behaviours are different between the two servers, and how to get the batch file to execute in the powershell window? I'm thinking it's a configuration thing, but can't actually find anything that tells me how to make it do what I want it to do.....
Thanks!
--edit--
I'm currently just piping the line straight through like this:
E:\Software\ibm\WebSphere\AppServer\bin\wsadmin -lang jython -username $($username) -password $($password) -f "F:\Custom\dumpAllThreads.py" $($servers)
Previously, it was
$invokeString = 'E:\Software\ibm\WebSphere\AppServer\bin\wsadmin -lang jython -username $($username) -password $($password) -f "F:\Custom\dumpAllThreads.py" $($servers)'
$output = invoke-expression $invokeString
Both had the same behaviour.
So my question is... does anybody know why the behaviours are different between the two servers
Most often I've seen this sort of thing related to how a scripts is called. If the same user is logged on multiple times on the same server (i.e., console and RDP) then the window might appear in a different session. Similarly, if the script runs as a scheduled task and the user that runs the task isn't the user logged on, the window will never be visible. If the same user is logged on, it might be visible.
how to get the batch file to execute in the powershell window?
You could try Start-Process with -NoNewWindow, as #Paul mentions.
However....
What that means, is that I've got a sleep interval that is starting once the batch file begins executing in the new window, and thus screwing up my timings, unlike the other server, where the sleep interval doesn't begin until after the batch file has finished executing.
It sounds like your actual problem is that your code has a race condition. You should fix the actual problem. Use Start-Process with the -Wait parameter, or use the jobs system in PowerShell.
I am using
Start-Process "<PathToFile>.bat"
For .bat files from a lengthy script in Powershell (v3). However, the commandline window pops up for a moment and is immediately closed and the process that normally runs on the commandline, runs in the background with no indication wether it's finished or if any errors occured.
Is there a way to force the command window to stay open until the user exits the window (after the .bat ran)? I suppose even if there is a way that the command window stays open, the PS script will continue to run in the background?
As said by Alex K CMD /K opens a CMD window and then keeps it open.
If you use CMD /C it will call the file, run the commands/process and then exit.
Sadly, it never worked for me with cmd /c. Since I also needed parameters to be handed over to the programm called from the commandline, I opted to write a temporary proxy bat that held the call to the program and the parameters.
Pseudocode here:
"ProgramName /Parameters" | Out-File DirOfTempBatFile -Encoding ascii
$output = Start-Process DirOfTempBatFile -wait
This calls the program (sqlplus with parameters) with keeping the command window open. Additionally, you can access the output of the sqlplus debug messages via $output.