PowerShell Test-Path not working in scriptblock

Question

I have the following PowerShell code that tests if a file exists within a script block:

$scriptblock =
{ 
    Param($filename)

    return "Scriptblock filename $filename Exists? -> $(Test-Path $filename)"
}

$myFilename = "MyFile.xml"
Write-Host "Main filename $myFilename Exists? -> $(Test-Path $myFilename)"

$job = Start-Job -Name "myJob" -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock -ArgumentList $myFilename
$result = Receive-Job -Name "myJob"
Write-Host $result

When I run it I get the following output indicating the file exists in the main execution but not in the script block.

Main filename MyFile.xml Exists? -> True
Scriptblock filename MyFile.xml Exists? -> False

Can someone please indicate what is needed to test for file existence in a script block?

Thanks!

This works fine for me with PowerShell 5. But you need to include path with filename. — Gordon Bell, Jun 21 '17 at 17:10
If you check $pwd in your script and also script block, you'll notice they return different paths. — Gordon Bell, Jun 21 '17 at 17:12
thanks for pointing out the working directory is different in the script block! — Dili, Jun 21 '17 at 19:50

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 21 '17 at 17:23

As a best practice, you should probably be including the full path to the file you want tested, rather than relying on the current directory (which can vary if you run the script under a different user context).

$scriptblock = { 
    param($filename)

    "Scriptblock filename $filename Exists? -> $(Test-Path $filename)"
}

$myFilename = "C:\Temp\MyFile.xml"
"Main filename $myFilename Exists? -> $(Test-Path $myFilename)"

Start-Job -Name "myJob" -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock -ArgumentList $myFilename
Receive-Job -Name "myJob"

PowerShell Test-Path not working in scriptblock

1 Answers1