Adding empty line in powershell script creates errors - powershell

Question

I have just encountered a very weird error: whenever I just add an empty line in a ps1 file which is otherwise working really fine, my script generates errors.
Here is the setup:
Because I had dependencies issues, I now have an Includes.ps1 file with that content:
$ScriptDirectory = Split-Path -Path $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition -Parent
. ("$ScriptDirectory\HelperFunctions.ps1")
. ("$ScriptDirectory\BuildParameters.ps1")
. ("$ScriptDirectory\Platform.ps1")
. ("$ScriptDirectory\Configuration.ps1")
. ("$ScriptDirectory\Action.ps1")
. ("$ScriptDirectory\Backup.ps1")
I have a Package.ps1 file which includes that file, and does the stuff of instanciating the needed classes and make them work together:
$ScriptDirectory = Split-Path -Path $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition -Parent
. ("$ScriptDirectory\Includes.ps1")
Clear-Host
$Parameters = New-Object -TypeName "BuildParameters"
$user_variables_path = "./UserVariables.ps1"
if ( Test-Path $user_variables_path )
{
. $user_variables_path
}
$Parameters.ValidateParameters()
$PlatformClass = $PlatformFactory.MakePlatform( $Parameters.Platform )
$PlatformClass.ValidateParameters( $Parameters )
$ConfigurationClass = $ConfigurationFactory.MakeConfiguration( $Parameters.Configuration )
$ConfigurationClass.ValidateParameters( $Parameters )
$ActionClass = $ActionsFactory.MakeAction( $Parameters.Action, $PlatformClass, $ConfigurationClass, $Parameters )
$ActionClass.ValidateParameters()
$Backup = [ Backup ]::new( $Parameters, $PlatformClass )
$Backup.ValidateParameters();
$ActionClass.Execute()
if ( $Parameters.BackupVersion )
{
$Backup.BackupVersion()
}
Here is the Platforms.ps1 file which gives me errors when I edit it:
class Platform
{
[Boolean] $CanBePatched
[Boolean] $CanCompressData
Platform()
{
$this.CanBePatched = $false
$this.CanCompressData = $true
}
[void] ValidateParameters( [BuildParameters] $Parameters )
{
}
}
class PlatformWin64 : Platform
{
PlatformWin64()
{
}
}
class PlatformXboxOne : Platform
{
PlatformXboxOne()
{
}
}
class PlatformSwitch : Platform
{
PlatformSwitch()
{
$this.CanBePatched = $true
}
[void] ValidateParameters( [BuildParameters] $Parameters )
{
if ( [string]::IsNullOrEmpty( $Parameters.Region ) )
{
WriteErrorAndExit( "You need to specify a region for the PS4" )
}
}
}
class PlatformPS4 : Platform
{
PlatformPS4()
{
$this.CanBePatched = $true
$this.CanCompressData = $false
}
[void] ValidateParameters( [BuildParameters] $Parameters )
{
if ( [string]::IsNullOrEmpty( $Parameters.Region ) )
{
WriteErrorAndExit( "You need to specify a region for the PS4" )
}
}
}
class PlatformFactory
{
[Platform] MakePlatform( [String] $name )
{
return (New-Object -TypeName "Platform$name")
}
}
$PlatformFactory = [PlatformFactory]::new()
When I change the contents of that file, even by adding empty lines, running the script gives me those errors:
Cannot convert argument "Platform", with value: "PlatformWin64", for
"MakeAction" to type "Platform": "Cannot convert the "PlatformWin64" value
of type "PlatformWin64" to type "Platform"."
At F:\Projects\RWC\BuildScripts\Utils\Package.ps1:55 char:1
+ $ActionClass = $ActionsFactory.MakeAction( $Parameters.Action, $Platf ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : MethodArgumentConversionInvalidCastArgument
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At F:\Projects\RWC\BuildScripts\Utils\Package.ps1:56 char:1
+ $ActionClass.ValidateParameters()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull
Cannot convert argument "Platform", with value: "PlatformWin64", for
".ctor" to type "Platform": "Cannot convert the "PlatformWin64" value of
type "PlatformWin64" to type "Platform"."
At F:\Projects\RWC\BuildScripts\Utils\Package.ps1:58 char:1
+ $Backup = [ Backup ]::new( $Parameters, $PlatformClass )
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : MethodArgumentConversionInvalidCastArgument
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At F:\Projects\RWC\BuildScripts\Utils\Package.ps1:59 char:1
+ $Backup.ValidateParameters();
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At F:\Projects\RWC\BuildScripts\Utils\Package.ps1:61 char:1
+ $ActionClass.Execute()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At F:\Projects\RWC\BuildScripts\Utils\Package.ps1:65 char:5
+ $Backup.BackupVersion()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

Answer 1

Well it turns out I had to close the powershell command line and run it again to have my modifications not generate any errors.
That post helped me find the cause...