I'm creating a .ps1 script which invokes Write-Verbose. I would like to be able to enable/disable these.
I was hoping that I could pass the -Verbose flag when invoking the script and everything would just work. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the case.
The verbose messages are not written out to the host. I looked around a bit and found Supporting -Whatif, -Confirm, -Verbose – In SCRIPTS!
But this is from 2007 and the PS team member stated that they were looking for built in support in PS v2.
Anybody have any updates on this or do we have to use the same technique described in that blog post?
Here is an example of the current behavior.
I created a simple script,ex01.ps1, with the following.
Write-Host "line 1"
Write-Verbose "line 2"
Write-Host "line 3"
I first executed the script with .\ex01.ps1, and only 1 & 2 were printed as expected. Then I executed it with .\ex01.ps1 -verbose, and got the same result. I was expecting all 3 lines to be printed the second time.
In order to have the Verbose switch you need to specify the CmdletBinding attribute in your script. To add support for the Confirm and WhatIf switches, add the SupportsShouldProcess attribute and call the ShouldProcess method in the script:
## content of .\ex01.ps1 ##
[CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess=$true)]
Param()
Write-Host "line 1"
Write-Verbose "line 2"
Write-Host "line 3"
if($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($env:COMPUTERNAME,'Remove X'))
{
"do something"
}
###########################
PS > .\ex01.ps1
line 1
line 3
PS > .\ex01.ps1 -Verbose
line 1
VERBOSE: line 2
line 3
PS > .\ex01.ps1 -WhatIf
line 1
line 3
What if: Performing operation "Remove X" on Target "PC1".
i'm a powershell beginner but this just tripped me up:
if your script doesn't have any parameters the verbose switch won't be passed through. just put this at the top of your script:
[CmdletBinding()]
Param()
so your script would be:
[CmdletBinding()]
Param()
Write-Host "line 1"
Write-Verbose "line 2"
Write-Host "line 3"
You shoul have a look to Advanced Functions : With Advanced functions you can take advantage of the common -verbose parameter. Simply output your verbose output this way:
Write-Verbose "Text of debug"
And when the shell's $VerbosePreference variable isn't set to "SilentlyContinue" ("Continue" will enable the output), you'll see your verbose output.
This Windows IP Pro Article Part1 and spcialy Part2 discribes what else you can do with advanced functions. You can also find a step by step guide in A guide to PowerShell’s Advanced Functions
Related
In a powershell script file.ps1, I have
Write-Host "here is a host message"
Write-Verbose "here is a verbose message"
When file.ps1 is run in Windows Terminal using Powershell 7, not all messages are written to the console.
PS> .\file.ps1
here is a host message
I would like to be able to pass -Verbose so Write-Verbose is seen:
PS> .\file.ps1 -Verbose
here is a host message
here is a verbose message
What does script file.ps1 need to enable verbose messages?
You would need to add [cmdletbinding()] to your script to enable CommonParameters:
script.ps1
[cmdletbinding()]
param()
Write-Host "here is a host message"
Write-Verbose "here is a verbose message"
From host:
PS /> ./script.ps1 -Verbose
here is a host message
VERBOSE: here is a verbose message
If you can't edit the script, you can also user set the VerbosePrefrence to Continue in the shell that calls the script.
$VerbosePreference = "Continue"
This will enable Verbose output on all function you are goint to execute.
Check out Microsofts Help about Prefences.
There are many usefull more.
If you ike to enable Verbose Output for only a specific CmdLet, you can use $PSDefaultParameterValues to assign a default Parameter to this function:
$PSDefaultParameterValues.Add("MyCmdLet:Verbose",$true)
this would enable Verbose Output for "MyCmdLet".
However, be carefull when using $PSDefaultParameterValues, since you can really mess things up, especially if you call other script, since the default parameter values will there be affected aswell.
I am using Visual Studio Code 1.17.2 with the PowerShell extension (1.4.3). I have Write-Verbose statements in my code. When I run the PowerShell script, the Verbose output doesn't seem to go anywhere. How do I request that output be shown?
The simplest approach is to execute:
$VerbosePreference = 'Continue'
in the integrated PowerShell console before invoking your script (and executing $VerbosePreference = 'SilentlyContinue' later to turn verbose output back off, if needed).
From that point on:
running a script (starting it with (F5) or without (Ctrl+F5) the debugger)
highlighting a section of code and running the selection (F8)
will make Write-Verbose calls produce output.
If you want to preset $VerbosePreference = 'Continue' every time the integrated console starts, put that statement in the $PROFILE file:
If your VS Code-specific $PROFILE file already exists, simply run psedit $PROFILE from the integrated console.
If not, create the file first from the integrated console: New-Item -Type File $PROFILE
Verbose output by default it not shown, you need to declare [CmdletBinding()] in your function or script to enable the -Verbose parameter to be passed through in order have the option to display Verbose output.
You can 'cheat' though and pass -Verbose to Write-Verbose "Hello Verbose" -Verbose itself and that stream will appear in the console.
(Tested with your two matching versions for VSCode and Extension on Mac (PS6 Beta 8) and can see the verbose output).
function Test-Verbose {
# This enables the function to have '-Verbose'.
[CmdletBinding()]
param()
Write-Output "Hello output!"
# Will only be displayed if 'Test-Verbose' is passed '-Verbose'.
Write-Verbose "Hello verbose"
}
Test-Verbose -Verbose
I have a script that accepts lots of parameters and is fairly big. I've been asked to build a GUI for executing the script, so users can easily execute the script without making mistakes. So the idea was that the GUI script collects all the parameters, and then executes the script.
The "main" script uses write-output and start-transcript for logging to the shell and to a file. This also works.
But when I execute the script from the GUI script I'm not getting every output to the shell or to the log. I figured that this is because of write-output because Write-Host does work, but everywhere I go I hear people say that you shouldn't use write-host (for instance: https://youtu.be/SSJot1ycM70?t=24m1s).
So how do I get this to work?
Currently I use this to execute the script from the gui:
& $PSscriptroot\guitest2.ps1 -switchparam1:$localvar1 -switchparam2:$localvar2 -stringparam $localvar3
I have tried to run a new instance of powershell via cmd, but I don't seem to get this to work. I have also no idea how to "send" the parameters to the script this way.
Invoke-Expression 'cmd /c powershell.exe -file C:\...\script.ps1 -paramters.
or
Invoke-Expression 'cmd /c powershell.exe -command {C:\..\script.ps1 -paramters..}
The two scripts below do exactly what I want. But when I execute the script in a wpf event (ie after the start button has been pressed) the second script only shows the write-warning, write-error and write-host output, so not the write-output.
script1:
#gui script
$boolean = $true
$string = "test"
& $PSscriptroot\script2.ps1 -switch:$boolean -string $string
script2:
param(
[switch]$switch,
[string]$string
)
Start-Transcript
write-output "output"
write-host "host"
$a = "Variable"
$a
write-error "error"
Write-Warning "warning"
Write-Debug "debug"
Stop-Transcript
EDIT:
did some more testing. Apparently write-output completely doesn't work when called in a wpf event. For example:
$wpf.startButton.Add_Click({
write-output "This message is not shown"
})
Not sure if this is a bug or not
Write-Output passes an object through the pipeline to another command. Essentially the statement
Write-Output <expression>
is in many cases exactly identical to
<expression>
Other Write-* cmdlets behave a bit differently. In your case you have an event handler, which has no return value anyway. Your example is the same as
"This message is not shown"
or even
return "This message is not shown"
As the string is part of the return value of that script block, which no one ever looks at.
If you want output in the host application, use Write-Host. That's what it's for. Write-Output is something you rarely, if ever, need in a script.
Trying to pass a single command line argument to a powershell script on Windows 7, but the script does not seem to recognize any arguments. It blasts through the first lines below
foreach($arg in $args)
{
Write-Host "Arg: $arg";
}
without outputting anything that I use on the command line and fails due to $args[0] being empty. However the rest of my script works if I instead hardcode the value of the variable I am trying to assign from the command line (it simply opens that file and does something).
I was inspired by this answer Passing a variable to a powershell script via command line specifically by the link in the accepted answer, and tried using param block but that did not print out anything as well
param(
[string]$fileName
)
Write-Host "Filename: [ $fileName ]";
when invoked like script.ps1 -filename SampleFile.txt
When I simply copy/paste the first script from the link into a new script:
Write-Host "Num Args:" $args.Length;
foreach ($arg in $args)
{
Write-Host "Arg: $arg";
}
and call it as 1.ps1 1 2 3 its output is only Num Args: 0.
What am I doing wrong?
PS: If it matters, here is version information
PS Z:\> $PSVersionTable.PSVersion
Major Minor Build Revision
----- ----- ----- --------
2 0 -1 -1
I don't think it has anything to do with file linking, or registry hacking! :)
When running the example code, I also get no return when using your code. But when you make the parameter MANDATORY, it starts to display the arguments. Just need to format the PARAM Correctly, as in:
Param( [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
[string]$argument_one
)
Write-Host "Hello World $argument_one"
There you have it. Now you can call it from CMD as in:
powershell.exe -command "& 'thePSFile.ps1' -$argument_one 'it works now'"
I hope this Helps. I know, resurrected from the dead, but I thought some other people searching could see how they were almost there.
//ark
I have this problem as well. It took a while to recover what I have done previously.
First approach: make sure assoc, ftype and %PATHEXT% are set for powershell:
C:\>assoc .ps1
.ps1=Microsoft.PowerShellScript.1
C:\>ftype Microsoft.PowerShellScript.1
Microsoft.PowerShellScript.1="C:\WINDOWS\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\powershell.exe" -noexit -file %1 %~2
C:\>echo %PATHEXT%
.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC;.py;.pyw;.ps1
But this likely will not work in windows 7 or higher.
Then edit the registry (all cautions apply here)
Edit the registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Microsoft.PowerShellScript.1\Shell\0\Command
Set it from
"C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" "-file" "%1"
To
"C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" "-file" "%1" %~2
Good luck!
I have a powershell script that completes some tasks in Active Directory and MS Exchange. I need to pass in the Active Directory username from our call logging system. Having the Call log system pass the argument is simple.
The problem i am facing is having powershell read the argument into a variable.
I will provide a proof of concept example.
Here is a sample command passing the argument into powershell.
C:\Users\UserName\Desktop\Test.ps1 -ADusername "Hello World"
Here is the sample script:
Param([string]$adusername)
$adusername
pause
I am Expecting the following output:
Hello World
Press Enter to continue...:
This is the actual output:
Press Enter to continue...:
Just wrapping my head around this core concept will help me immensely. I was unable to find any examples or tutorials that worked when applied to my scenario. I apologize if this is a duplicate post, couldnt find anything on this site as well.
EDIT: per request, this is my full script: http://pastebin.com/ktjpLQek
I think you will have much better luck if you avoid trying to use params and call the script exactly that way.
It is possible, but paramaters work better if you either inline the scriptfile like:
. .\scriptFile.ps1
function "Hello World"
Staying closer to what you are doing however, you should be using $args and calling PowerShell (the exe directly)
If you call your scriptfile like: (I used the runbox)
powershell c:\Path\Folder\Script.ps1 "Hello World!"
and then replace your Param([string]$adusername) with:
$adUserName = $args[0]
write-host $adUserName
Additionally, this should work for you (to dissect):
Param([string]$ad)
Write-Host $args[0]
Write-Host $ad
Read-Host
pause
Call the script with the path,
powershell c:\Path\Folder\Script.ps1 "Hello World!" $ad = "JSmith"
If this does not work, you should ensure that your execution policy is set correctly. Get-ExecutionPolicy will tell you the current level. For testing you can set it very low with Set-ExecutionPolicy unrestricted
Add the following to the top of your script.
Param(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
[string]$Euser
)
Write-Host "Deactivating $EUser"
Calling example after cd to the script directory
.\ScriptName.ps1 -Euser "FOO" # Tab auto completion works
The following in a new script works for me.
Param([string]$servers)
"You chose $servers"
PS C:\scripts> .\Untitled1.ps1 "this test"
You chose this test
PS C:\scripts>