C# and PowerShell: How do I add comma delimited parameters?

Question

I'm trying to run a command and it's not working, here is the command which works just fine at the PowerShell command prompt:

mcli-add DiskLocator -r diskLocatorName=XAShared-2015-10-13, siteName=mysite, storeName=pvs_prod

Here is the code I'm trying to use to make that command work. I've tried a number of methods (see commented lines), from having it all in one line to having it in separate parameters to not putting the commas and putting the commas. The parameter name is -p, the parts after that are the arguments.

Here's the code as I have it now, attempting to capture the output which seems successful but it's not actually doing anything, I'm getting Executing: Add DiskLocator in the event log but I am not seeing the second result which should be Add Succeeded. followed by a result ID:

using (Runspace runspace = RunspaceFactory.CreateRunspace())
            {
                runspace.Open();
                PowerShell ps = PowerShell.Create();
                ps.Runspace = runspace;
                PSSnapInException psex;
                runspace.RunspaceConfiguration.AddPSSnapIn("McliPSSnapIn", out psex);

                Pipeline pipeline = runspace.CreatePipeline();

                Command mcliAdd = new Command("mcli-add");
                mcliAdd.Parameters.Add(null, "DiskLocator");
                mcliAdd.Parameters.Add("-r", "diskLocatorName=" + diskLocatorName + ", " + "siteName=" + siteName + ", " + "storeName=" + storeName);
                //mcliAdd.Parameters.Add("siteName=" + siteName + ", ");
                //mcliAdd.Parameters.Add("storeName=" + storeName);
                pipeline.Commands.Add(mcliAdd);
                Collection<PSObject> output = pipeline.Invoke();
                foreach (PSObject x in output)
                {
                    log.WriteEntry(x.ToString(), EventLogEntryType.Information);
                }
            }

Errors I have gotten with the commented lines uncommented are like this:

A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'siteName=mysite'

UPDATE:

Even weirder is this, I can put this line here any way I want it after the comma and it won't throw an error:

mcliAdd.Parameters.Add("r", "who cares what I put here nothing happens");

This leads me to believe that the DiskLocator argument isn't being used right. I can't use it as a parameter because it says that's not a parameter name.

However this can't be true because if I remove it or the -r it either says DiskLocator is missing or that -r is missing. If I pass only -r without the other details it throws an error complaining that there's no string[] array values. So I'm at a loss here. It SHOULD throw an error if I don't provide the entire array, but it's not even throwing an error when I pass just the disklocatorname part.

Instead of embedding powershell, it may actually be easier to program directly against the SOAP API. docs.citrix.com/content/dam/docs/en-us/provisioning-services/… — Eris
– Eris, Commented Oct 14, 2015 at 22:29
Yeah I don't know much about soap and those client side proxy svcutil thing is a little foreign to me but thanks I'll check it out. — Nathan McKaskle
– Nathan McKaskle, Commented Oct 14, 2015 at 22:40

Eris · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-14 22:05:30Z

1

The argument to -r appears to be an array. You will need to give it an array of strings. Also, when passing parameters, you must omit the - since that is merely a parameter delimiter on the command line. The parameter itself is called "r".

mcliAdd.Parameters.Add("r", new string[]{"diskLocatorName=" + diskLocatorName, "siteName=" + siteName, "storeName=" + storeName});

Or something similar.

Failing this, an alternative to try which assumes a terribly written powershell module, would be:

 mcliAdd.Parameters.Add(null, "-r diskLocatorName=" + diskLocatorName + ", " + "siteName=" + siteName + ", " + "storeName=" + storeName);

Another thought for a possibility:

Command mcliAdd = new Command("mcli-add");
pipeline.Commands.Add(mcliAdd);
ps.AddArgument("DiskLocator");
ps.AddParameter("r", new string[]{"diskLocatorName=" + diskLocatorName, "siteName=" + siteName, "storeName=" + storeName});
// Alternatively add both using AddArgument

edited Oct 14, 2015 at 22:05

answered Oct 14, 2015 at 19:30

Eris

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12 Comments

Nathan McKaskle Over a year ago

That really seemed like a good solution but alas it didn't work in any form so far. I tried it as is, I tried fixing the commas to form the array, adding more commas to fit after each command, etc.

Eris Over a year ago

(I updated my answer to fix the commas in the array) What error do you get when passing an array?

Nathan McKaskle Over a year ago

No error, I even tried removing the required parameters siteName and storeName from the array and it didn't give an error (it should if I do that at the command prompt) which means it's not accepting all the additional arguments with -p in fact I think it's ignoring the whole thing and pausing to prompt for more and never executing, assuming I entered only mcli-add DiskLocator and nothing else.

Eris Over a year ago

Try using mcliAdd.AddArgument("DiskLocator") instead of the Parameters array.

Eris Over a year ago

You already created ps, it's your toplevel Powershell object.

|

duct_tape_coder · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-14 21:19:05Z

0

Powershell doesn't always treat commas as delimiters as you might expect. Try using spaces or parenthesis (or all three: "(Value), (value2), (value3)").

@Eris already suggested an array;

$item = @()
$item += "-r"
$item += ("diskLocatorName=" + diskLocatorName + ", " + "siteName=" + siteName + ", " + "storeName=" + storeName)
function($item)

You could also try an intermediate variable:

$item = ("diskLocatorName=" + diskLocatorName + ", " + "siteName=" + siteName + ", " + "storeName=" + storeName)
function(("-r"), ($item))

It should be noted that string concatenation for an array needs a parenthesis. $test = "a"+"b" fails but $test = ("a"+"b") succeeds. Omitting the parenthesis results in multiple array elements.

answered Oct 14, 2015 at 21:19

duct_tape_coder

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2 Comments

Nathan McKaskle Over a year ago

I'll have to try to translate that to c#. It's just not accepting anything I give it. It just won't follow through on the command and I can't tell what's really happening since it's not throwing an error.

Nathan McKaskle Over a year ago

Updated my post just now.

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