What Is Pwsh.exe
Kazuko Rizza
If the value of File is -, the command text is read from standard input.Running pwsh -File - without redirected standard input starts a regularsession. This is the same as not specifying the File parameter at all.
This is the default parameter if no parameters are present but values arepresent in the command line. The specified script runs in the local scope("dot-sourced") of the new session, so that the functions and variables thatthe script creates are available in at new session. Enter the script filepathand any parameters. File must be the last parameter in the command, because allcharacters typed after the File parameter name are interpreted as the scriptfilepath followed by the script parameters.
In rare cases, you might need to provide a Boolean value for a switchparameter. To provide a Boolean value for a switch parameter in the valueof the File parameter, Use the parameter normally followed immediately by acolon and the boolean value, such as the following:-File .\Get-Script.ps1 -All:$False.
Parameters passed to the script are passed as literal strings, afterinterpretation by the current shell. For example, if you are in cmd.exe andwant to pass an environment variable value, you would use the cmd.exe syntax:pwsh -File .\test.ps1 -TestParam %windir%
In contrast, running pwsh -File .\test.ps1 -TestParam $env:windir incmd.exe results in the script receiving the literal string $env:windirbecause it has no special meaning to the current cmd.exe shell. The$env:windir style of environment variable reference can be used inside aCommand parameter, since there it's interpreted as PowerShell code.
The File parameter can't support scripts using a parameter that expectsan array of argument values. This, unfortunately, is a limitation of how anative command gets argument values. When you call a native executable (suchas powershell or pwsh), it doesn't know what to do with an array, soit's passed as a string.
As of PowerShell 7.2, the File parameter only accepts .ps1 files onWindows. If another file type is provided an error is thrown. This behavioris Windows specific. On other platforms, PowerShell attempts to run otherfile types.
The Command parameter only accepts a script block for execution when it canrecognize the value passed to Command as a ScriptBlock type. This isonly possible when running pwsh from another PowerShell host. TheScriptBlock type may be contained in an existing variable, returned from anexpression, or parsed by the PowerShell host as a literal script block enclosedin curly braces (), before being passed to pwsh.
In cmd.exe, there is no such thing as a script block (or ScriptBlocktype), so the value passed to Command is always a string. You can write ascript block inside the string, but instead of being executed it behavesexactly as though you typed it at a typical PowerShell prompt, printing thecontents of the script block back out to you.
A string passed to Command is still executed as PowerShell code, so thescript block curly braces are often not required in the first place whenrunning from cmd.exe. To execute an inline script block defined inside astring, the call operator & can be used:
When called from within an existing PowerShell session, the results arereturned to the parent shell as deserialized XML objects, not live objects. Forother shells, the results are returned as strings.
If the value of Command is -, the command text is read from standardinput. You must redirect standard input when using the Command parameterwith standard input. For example:
The process exit code is determined by status of the last (executed) commandwithin the script block. The exit code is 0 when $? is $true or 1 when$? is $false. If the last command is an external program or a PowerShellscript that explicitly sets an exit code other than 0 or 1, that exit codeis converted to 1 for process exit code. To preserve the specific exit code,add exit $LASTEXITCODE to your command string or script block.
Specifies a configuration endpoint in which PowerShell is run. This can be anyendpoint registered on the local machine including the default PowerShellremoting endpoints or a custom endpoint having specific user role capabilities.
Specifies the name to use for an additional IPC server (named pipe) used fordebugging and other cross-process communication. This offers a predictablemechanism for connecting to other PowerShell instances. Typically used with theCustomPipeName parameter on Enter-PSHostProcess.
Accepts a Base64-encoded string version of a command. Use this parameter tosubmit commands to PowerShell that require complex, nested quoting. The Base64representation must be a UTF-16LE encoded string.
Sets the default execution policy for the current session and saves it in the$env:PSExecutionPolicyPreference environment variable. This parameter doesnot change the persistently configured execution policies.
This switch is used to create sessions that shouldn't require user input. Thisis useful for scripts that run in scheduled tasks or CI/CD pipelines. Anyattempts to use interactive features, like Read-Host or confirmation prompts,result in statement terminating errors rather than hanging.
Sets the window style for the session. Valid values are Normal, Minimized,Maximized and Hidden. This parameter only applies to Windows. Using thisparameter on non-Windows platforms results in an error.
Microsoft changed its PowerShell task automation framework to an open source project in August 2016 and ported it to run on Linux and Mac platforms. However, lost in the translation with the first official release of PowerShell Core 6.0 in January 2018 was full compatibility with all the cmdlets administrators had with Windows PowerShell. There were other breaking changes in PowerShell Core 6.0 that affected how IT workers managed their infrastructure, such as the removal of the workflow feature.
Early on, the PowerShell team knew administrators with a heavy investment in PowerShell automation might need to work with both the Windows-only version and the open source PowerShell until the latter reaches feature parity. The team maintained this backward-compatibility by giving PowerShell Core a different executable name.
Administrators who want to try PowerShell Core can still use the powershell.exe executable for Windows PowerShell while Core uses an executable named pwsh.exe. This arrangement allows users to run both versions side by side. Environments that depend on scripts that use features not yet implemented -- or might never appear -- in PowerShell Core can stay with Windows PowerShell, of which the latest version is 5.1, released in 2016.
That's not the only change. The project team also uses a different folder for PowerShell Core on Windows. For example, the path for the 64-bit, Windows-only powershell.exe is C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\, while for PowerShell Core 6.1 the path is C:\Program Files\PowerShell\6\ for the pwsh.exe executable.
Jeffrey Snover, Microsoft technical fellow and inventor of PowerShell, said while development for Windows PowerShell is over, Microsoft will continue to stand behind the deprecated version of its automation tool during a July PowerShell meetup in Boston.
Snover, who is also the architect of Azure Stack and the chief architect for the Azure Storage and Cloud Edge group at Microsoft, told attendees that he would have no qualms if administrators stayed with Windows PowerShell due to its deep functionality and continued support from Microsoft.
However, Snover pointed out PowerShell Core runs the Azure Cloud Shell on Microsoft's cloud platform, meaning administrators who want to use PowerShell to manage Azure workloads will need to familiarize themselves with how it differs from the Windows version, such as case sensitivity with files and the removal of certain aliases that conflict with Linux commands.
The PowerShell team shrank the parity gap with the September release of PowerShell Core 6.1. The team says that version works with the more than 1,900 cmdlets that ship in the latest versions of Windows -- provided users install the Windows Compatibility Pack for .NET Core on their machines. But there are still some important modules, such as the Active Directory module, that are not compatible with the 6.1 release.
I found two issues. Pwsh did not exist in the target directory but did exist earlier in the path. I copied the pwsh.exe to the target directory and the installation proceeded further before reaching the could not copy issue. On investigation the relevant directory already contained the file that the .tmp file was trying to be renames to. It seems I have an earlier installtion of ocaml but have no recollection of trying to do so. I deleted the relevant ocaml directories and .\setup-diskuv-ocaml-windows_x86_64-1.2.0.exe ran to completion without errors.
Hi,
Our security have forced our laptops to use PowerShell 7 and uninstalled earlier versions of Powershell. Unfortunately PS7 executable is not powershell.exe but pwsh.exe. So when I try to run Vagrant I get this:
However during my search about how to deinstall the old PowerShell 5.1 I found out it is a bad idea because a lot of tools that are required by windows are implemented as powershell scripts and not all powershell modules are compatible with the new 7 version. So deinstallation will make your system unstable.
They only idea I have so far is creating a hardlink to pwsh.exe and name it powershell.exe. If the powershell functionality that vagrant needs is also available in PowerShell Core (pwsh.exe) it might fixes your specific problem.
So I made a powershell script to accomplish this workflow. It takes two parameters:
desktopname and remove
desktopname is the name of the virtual desktop, to which I pass $Name%
remove is boolean, $true or $false
So you take the powershell script, and make two command tasks, one to open the virtual desktop and switch to it, the other to close it
You set the tasks on the connection or the folder, wait it to complete before connecting. When you open a connection, powershell creates a virtual desktop with the connection name, switches to it, the returns to RoyalTS, which opens full screen.
When you disconnect, powershell removes the virtual desktop with the connection name.
It's not perfect, but it works well enough for me - and could probably be improved.
In the task, the command is the path to pwsh.exe on your machine. The working folder is the path to where you put the powershell script.