Running powershell from C# Issue

Question

_{Saturday, November 13, 2010 11:14 PM}

Hi,

I'd like to run a powershell script file from C# code (e.g. C:\myscript.ps1 which has three arguments)

Here is what I have:

ProcessStartInfo psi = new ProcessStartInfo();
psi.FileName = "powershell.exe";
psi.Arguments = "& {& \"C:\\myscript.ps1\" arg0 arg1 arg2}";
Process process = new Process();
process.StartInfo = psi;
process.Start();

The powershell script with its arguments can be run in powershell.exe

Does anyone know how to resolve it?

Any suggestion is greatly appreciated.

All replies (6)

_{Saturday, November 13, 2010 11:35 PM ✅Answered | 1 vote}

So what is the exact problem that you are having?

Windows PowerShell SDK

Rudy   =8^D

Mark the best replies as answers. "Fooling computers since 1971."

http://rudedog2.spaces.live.com/default.aspx

_{Sunday, November 14, 2010 1:00 AM ✅Answered}

hi Rudedog2,

Your link indeed is helpful. A great reference for C# and powershell.

It seems my program is working now after a while of 'divide and conquer'.

The cause is very strange. The code in my original post was not correctly posted (as I didn't know the cause).

The original code is like this:

ProcessStartInfo psi = new ProcessStartInfo();
psi.FileName = "powershell.exe";
psi.Arguments = "& \"C:\\my powershell script\\myscript.ps1\" \"C:\\my powershell script\\txt1.txt\" \"C:\\my powershell script\\txt2.txt\" \"C:\\my powershell script\\txt3.txt\"";
Process process = new Process();
process.StartInfo = psi;
process.Start();

The cause was that in Arguments, it doesn't recognise double quotes while in powershell.exe, it does.

The following code works:

ProcessStartInfo psi = new ProcessStartInfo();
psi.FileName = "powershell.exe";
psi.Arguments = "&'C:\\my powershell script\\myscript.ps1' 'C:\\my powershell script\\txt1.txt' 'C:\\my powershell script\\txt2.txt' 'C:\\my powershell script\\txt3.txt'";
Process process = new Process();
process.StartInfo = psi;
process.Start();

I think, the program was somehow confused about passing \ ...

Anyway, hope this is helpful. Lucky me, I could spend another couple of hours if I didn't try that...

_{Saturday, November 13, 2010 11:37 PM}

Hi, thanks.

The problem is that the script does not do its job.

The script should delete some files but I can see the files still exist after the process finishes.

_{Saturday, November 13, 2010 11:51 PM}

I assumed as much.  Did you go to the link that I posted?  It describes the tools you need and how you use the PowerShell programmatically.

Rudy   =8^D

Mark the best replies as answers. "Fooling computers since 1971."

http://rudedog2.spaces.live.com/default.aspx

_{Tuesday, November 29, 2011 8:24 AM}

Hi , i am running above code in console application .please tell me how to stop powershell screen in c# console application .actually i got error while running above code in psi.argument.

 code i am using is :--

ProcessStartInfo psi = new ProcessStartInfo();
            psi.FileName = "powershell.exe";
            psi.Arguments = "&'C:\ajax.ps1'";
            Process process = new Process();
            process.StartInfo = psi;
            process.Start();

_{Tuesday, January 8, 2013 6:57 PM}

Warning - 

If you run PowerShell from a cmd.exe window created by Powershell, the 2nd instance no longer waits for jobs to complete.

cmd>  PowerShell
PS> Start-Process cmd.exe -Wait 

Now from the new cmd window, run PowerShell again and within it start a 2nd cmd window:
cmd2>   PowerShell
PS> Start-Process cmd.exe -Wait
PS>   

The 2nd instance of PowerShell  no longer honors the -Wait request and ALL background process/jobs return 'Completed' status.

I discovered this when my C# Explorer program is used to open a cmd.exe window and PS is run from that window, it also ignores the -Wait request.
It appears that any PowerShell which is a 'jwin32 ob' of cmd.exe fails to honor the wait request.

none