Psake ignores properties and parameters

Question

Using psake 4.5.0 I've tried to run my default.ps1 file many different ways, passing both -properties and -parameters, but those values are just ignored in the root-scope of the .ps1-script.

Execute relative (with psake in a subfolder):

.\psake-4.5.0\psake.ps1 .\default.ps1 BuildSolution -properties @{"a"="a";"b"="b";"c"="c";"d"="d"} -parameters @{"w"="w";"x"="x";"y"="y";"z"="z"}

Execute with imported module:

Import-Module .\psake-4.5.0\psake.psm1

Invoke-Psake .\default.ps1 BuildSolution -properties @{"a"="a";"b"="b";"c"="c";"d"="d"} -parameters @{"w"="w";"x"="x";"y"="y";"z"="z"}

Execute through installed Chocolatey-package:

psake .\default.ps1 BuildSolution -properties "@{'a'='a';'b'='b';'c'='c';'d'='d'}" -parameters "@{'w'='w';'x'='x';'y'='y';'z'='z'}"

Execute through cmd.exe:

psake-4.5.0\psake.cmd default.ps1 BuildSolution -properties "@{'a'='a';'b'='b';'c'='c';'d'='d'}" -parameters "@{'w'='w';'x'='x';'y'='y';'z'='z'}"

Right now, the default.ps1 is simply just debugging all these values:

// Since "properties" doesn't get populated, I also try "Param"
Param(
    $w = $w, // Trying to populate from passed param
    $x = $null, // Trying to default to null-value
    $y // Trying another syntax, hoping for population
    // "$z" left out, hoping for population
)

properties {
    $a = $a
    $b = $null
    $c
}

Write-Host "a: $a"
Write-Host "b: $b"
Write-Host "c: $c"
Write-Host "d: $d"
Write-Host "w: $w"
Write-Host "x: $x"
Write-Host "y: $y"
Write-Host "z: $z"

Task BuildSolution -Depends Clean {
    Write-Host "Running BuildSolution"
}

Task Clean {
    Write-Host "Running Clean"
}

The output is in all cases:

a: 
b: 
c: 
d: 
w: 
x: 
y: 
z:

What is the proper syntax to pass properties and/or parameters to psake?

Spool

does this help at all? github.com/psake/psake/tree/master/examples/… – Granados

@Granados Not really, it's a very theoretical example, while mine is very concrete. – Spool

Answer 1

I did not look into this too long but it seems as long as you declare the $variable in properties { ... here ... } or in Param (... here ... ) so psake can populate them, they come though okay. You missed $z. Unless im missing something fundamental about why your using parameters and properties together?

default.ps1

properties {
        $a = $null,
        $b = $null,
        $c = $null,
        $w = $null,
        $x = $null,
        $y = $null,
        $z = $null
    }

Task default -Depends BuildSolution 

Task BuildSolution -Depends Clean {
    Write-Host "Running BuildSolution"
    echo "x -> $x"
    echo "y -> $y"
    echo "z -> $z"
}

Task Clean {
    Write-Host "Running Clean"
    echo "a -> $a"
    echo "b -> $b"
    echo "c -> $c"
}

invoke code sample (psake installed via chocolatey to c:)

Import-Module C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\lib\psake\tools\psake.psm1

Invoke-Psake .\default.ps1  BuildSolution -properties @{'a'="a";"b"="b";"c"="c";'x'="x";'y'="y";'z'="z"} 

EDIT:

This is the Properties function Line 256 in psake.psm1, notice it takes a scriptblock args and adds it to properties array on the context stack found on $psake, still script blocks here

function Properties {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(Position=0,Mandatory=1)][scriptblock]$properties
    )
    $psake.context.Peek().properties += $properties
}

Line 372 of Invoke-psake function in psake.psm1 Loads your default.ps1 build script to scope ( at this point you see your write-host calls but no variables loaded )

. $psake.build_script_file.FullName

Line 394 and Line 397 Loads the script blocks from parameters and properties to the scope.

 foreach ($key in $parameters.keys) {
            if (test-path "variable:\$key") {
                set-item -path "variable:\$key" -value $parameters.$key -WhatIf:$false -Confirm:$false | out-null
            } else {
                new-item -path "variable:\$key" -value $parameters.$key -WhatIf:$false -Confirm:$false | out-null
            }
        }

...

foreach ($key in $properties.keys) {
            if (test-path "variable:\$key") {
                set-item -path "variable:\$key" -value $properties.$key -WhatIf:$false -Confirm:$false | out-null
            }
        }

Line 420 and 423 calls invoke-Task (Line 198) which in turn uses the variables defined above, also there is an assert that the variables are not null in this function.

I don't think the expected use case involved loading these variables into root scope, when the script is first . sourced into scope it spits out the write-host calls then, design probably intended you to declare Task method first so the scope can pass the variables into it and it should be noted.

Granados

I've clarified the question a bit from your follow-up questions. All your examples has the properties inside Tasks. My problem is that nothing is populated in the root-scope for debugging. – Spool

I'll take a look tonight about root scope issue but try add $z first to confirm still broken. Also in meantime just a suggestion but why not make a task for your global scope to run before clean? – Granados

Tried it and it doesn't work for the root-scope. I can make it work through Task-scope, but this question is about highlighting why it doesn't work in the root-scope and why there is nothing in the documentation about it. – Spool