I have the following code.
function createZip
{
Param ([String]$source, [String]$zipfile)
Process { echo "zip: $source`n --> $zipfile" }
}
try {
Start-Job -ScriptBlock { createZip "abd" "acd" }
}
catch {
$_ | fl * -force
}
Get-Job | Wait-Job
Get-Job | receive-job
Get-Job | Remove-Job
However, the script returns the following error.
Id Name State HasMoreData Location Command
-- ---- ----- ----------- -------- -------
309 Job309 Running True localhost createZip "a...
309 Job309 Failed False localhost createZip "a...
Receive-Job : The term 'createZip' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
At line:17 char:22
+ Get-Job | receive-job <<<<
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (function:createZip:String) [Receive-Job], CommandNotFoundException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException
It seems the function name cannot be recognized inside the script block of start-job. I tried function:createZip too.
Start-Job actually spins up another instance of PowerShell.exe which doesn't have your createZip function. You need to include it all in a script block:
$createZip = {
param ([String]$source, [String]$zipfile)
Process { echo "zip: $source`n --> $zipfile" }
}
Start-Job -ScriptBlock $createZip -ArgumentList "abd", "acd"
An example returning an error message from the background job:
$createZip = {
param ([String] $source, [String] $zipfile)
$output = & zip.exe $source $zipfile 2>&1
if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
throw $output
}
}
$job = Start-Job -ScriptBlock $createZip -ArgumentList "abd", "acd"
$job | Wait-Job | Receive-Job
Also note that by using a throw the job object State will be "Failed" so you can get only the jobs which failed: Get-Job -State Failed.
If you are still new to using start-job and receive-job, and want to debug your function more easily, try this form:
$createZip = {
function createzipFunc {
param ([String]$source, [String]$zipfile)
Process { echo "zip: $source`n --> $zipfile" }
}
#other funcs and constants here if wanted...
}
# some secret sauce, this defines the function(s) for us as locals
invoke-expression $createzip
#now test it out without any job plumbing to confuse you
createzipFunc "abd" "acd"
# once debugged, unfortunately this makes calling the function from the job
# slightly harder, but here goes...
Start-Job -initializationScript $createZip -scriptblock {param($a,$b) `
createzipFunc $a $b } -ArgumentList "abc","def"
All not made simpler by the fact I did not define my function as a simple filter as you have, but which I did because I wanted to pass a number of functions into my Job in the end.
Sorry for digging this thread out, but it solved my problem too and so elegantly at that. And so I just had to add this little bit of sauce which I had written while debugging my powershell job.
