Exec doesn't work well with forward slash arguments

[CoenraadS]

Hello, first of all, really nice project :)

I am trying to run InnoSetup, which uses forward slash arguments, e.g.

    exec { $installerPath /verysilent /allusers /dir=$innoSetupDir } -Echo

This doesn't work very well, as powershell complains You must provide a value expression following the '/' operator.

So then I try to workaround by using &

    exec { & $installerPath /verysilent /allusers /dir=$innoSetupDir } -Echo

But now it returns immediately, and doesn't behave correctly on errors.

I understand this is limitation of using [scriptblock] to pass the arguments.

I was wondering if perhaps it's an idea to make something like exec-process ($Command, $ArgumentList), which would just call Start-Process under the hood to handle these situations.

Then I could use e.g. exec-process $installerPath "/verysilent /allusers /dir=$innoSetupDir"

[nightroman]

@CoenraadS I am not yet sure it's about exec or Invoke-Build. Can you run your command in plain PowerShell console?

& $installerPath /verysilent /allusers /dir=$innoSetupDir

The first command is not correct, indeed. The second looks correct. What is in your $installerPath exactly? What errors do you get? What version of PowerShell and Invoke-Build do you use?

[CoenraadS]

The full command is:

C:\Users\asdf\innosetup-6.2.2.exe /verysilent /allusers /dir=C:\Users\asdf\Example

If I run it directly in powershell, it also returns immediately, unless I add | Wait-Process to the end.

=> Works ok:
C:\Users\asdf\innosetup-6.2.2.exe /verysilent /allusers /dir=C:\Users\asdf\Example | Wait-Process

But if I try to that to the exec block, I get Dangling scriptblock at... errors.

e.g. exec { & $installerPath /verysilent /allusers /dir=$innoSetupDir | Wait-Process }

The innosetup installer does trigger a UAC prompt, not sure if related.

[nightroman]

I do not think you use Wait-Process how it is supposed to be used, see Wait-Process

[CoenraadS]

Hmm I got it from this answer and it works for me: https://stackoverflow.com/a/24439202/4503491
Apparently in newer versions of Powershell it may not work anymore.

Powershell version: 5.1.19041.2364

Invoke Build version: 5.10.2

It's not really a big problem, for now I am just using my own helper function as workaround:

function Run{
    param(
        [String]$FilePath,
        [String]$Arguments,
        [Bool]$ContinueOnError = $False,
        [Bool]$Echo = $True
    )

    if ($Echo)
    {
        "$FilePath $Arguments"
    }

    $elapsed = Measure-Command { $process = Start-Process -FilePath $FilePath -ArgumentList $Arguments -Wait -PassThru -NoNewWindow }

    "Finished in $(Round $elapsed.TotalSeconds 2) seconds"

    if ($ContinueOnError)
    {
        "Exited with status code $($process.ExitCode)"
        return
    }

    if ($process.ExitCode -ne 0)
    {
        throw "Exited with status code $($process.ExitCode)"
    }
}

[nightroman]

Like I said, it is not about exec or Invoke-Build. It is about how innosetup works and you handle it in PowerShell. If it starts and returns immediately then you should not use exec at all. Start it by Start-Process and use -PassThru in order to get the process instance. Then use this instance as input for Wait-Process in order to wait for its exit and then get and check its exit code.

Disclaimer. I do not use innosetup, the above thoughts are just common sense.

[CoenraadS]

Yes, but I use this nice framework so I could avoid having to write my own helper scripts. Would be nice to support this out of the box, since I don't think it's so unusual, that was all. Indeed I see now it has nothing to do with the forward arguments as I first though.

[nightroman]

Start-Process -Wait -PassThru is your friend for not standard cases like innosetup.
In your case something like

$process = Start-Process $installerPath "/verysilent /allusers /dir=$innoSetupDir" -Wait -PassThru
# check $process exit code here

I do not think any support from Invoke-Build is needed for such cases.
(1) PowerShell out of the box tools do the job well.
(2) Commands like innosetup are not typical.