Fix Get-Error serialization of array values

[jborean93]

PR Summary

Ensure Get-Error does not hang when attempting to serialize an exception that contains a property whose type is an array of System.Type instances. Also ensures that primitive types like System.Int32, System.Boolean as well as System.String is formatted as a string rather than an object with properties.

This will no longer hang

class ExceptionWithArrayType : Exception {
    [Type[]]$Types

    ExceptionWithArrayType ([string]$Message) : base($Message) {
        $this.Types = @([string], [int])
    }
}

try { throw  [ExceptionWithArrayType]::new("") } catch {}
Get-Error 

It also ensures that exception with a property containing an array of primitive types (+ [string]) is formatted as that primitive type. For example this exception

class ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive : Exception {
    [object[]]$Values

    ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive ([string]$Message) : base($Message) {
        $this.Values = @(1, "value")
    }
}

try { throw  [ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive]::new("") } catch {}
Get-Error 

Currently this looks like

Exception        :
    Type    : ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive
    Values  :


        Length : 5
    HResult : -2146233088
CategoryInfo     : OperationStopped: (:) [], ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive
InvocationInfo   :
    ScriptLineNumber : 1
    OffsetInLine     : 7
    HistoryId        : 2
    Line             : try { throw  [ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive]::new("") } catch {}
    Statement        : throw  [ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive]::new("")
    PositionMessage  : At line:1 char:7
                       + try { throw  [ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive]::new("") } catch {}
                       +       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    CommandOrigin    : Internal
ScriptStackTrace : at <ScriptBlock>, <No file>: line 1

With these changes it now looks like (note Values : in the Exception).

Exception        :
    Type    : ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive
    Values  :
        1
        value
    HResult : -2146233088
CategoryInfo     : OperationStopped: (:) [], ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive
InvocationInfo   :
    ScriptLineNumber : 1
    OffsetInLine     : 7
    HistoryId        : 2
    Line             : try { throw  [ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive]::new("") } catch {}
    Statement        : throw  [ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive]::new("")
    PositionMessage  : At line:1 char:7
                       + try { throw  [ExceptionWithArrayPrimitive]::new("") } catch {}
                       +       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    CommandOrigin    : Internal
ScriptStackTrace : at <ScriptBlock>, <No file>: line 1

PR Context

Fixes: #21083

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  • Documentation needed
    • Issue filed:
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  • [] N/A or can only be tested interactively
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[SteveL-MSFT]

@jborean93 I created a PR to your branch with some suggested changes jborean93#1. Note that I didn't update your tests

[jborean93]

I really don't care as long as the changes you want still work or this is fixed in any other way. Feel free to push your commits onto mine without going through a PR (as long as you also fix the tests).

[jborean93]

I forgot to mention I didn’t use [$typeValue] as IIRC that’s not how it is done when it’s a non-array value in a property.

[SteveL-MSFT]

@jborean93 I didn't want to just push commits since it's your PR. I've updated my PR to your branch to have consistency with non-array types to be in square brackets and added that to the test.

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Total files changed: 2

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.cs : +13 -3
.ps1 : +84 -0

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[jborean93]

Any chance for a backport to 7.4?

[Moazzem-Hossain-pixel]

Thanks for your efforts..