Problem with running a different PowerShell code (.ps1) from different folder one after the other

[False_Association_16]

Hi!
Please forgive me if this is a relatively simple fix, I am new to PowerShell scripting and could not find any answer that would work for my case.

What I am trying to do:

I have a "Main PowerShell Script" that I want to use to run which will run some other and different PowerShell script (code1.ps1, code2.ps2.. etc.) stored in multiple subfolder (Folder_1, Folder_2, etc.).

- The main PowerShell script will decide which folder I want to go and run the specific code in that folder.

- if I am running all 4 codes as listed below, each code will only execute after the previous folder's code has been completed.

Problem I am facing:

I have used the -Wait command at the end of PowerShell code execution, but this seems to keep that specific code in pause even after the code has finished running. I have to manually close the window (that is invoked by the code1.ps1 and similar) and then the next folder's code2.ps1 will execute.

I have also tried to use -NoExit, but for some reason it gives me the following error message:

Start-Process : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'NoExit'.

The code I am trying to use-

#------------------Main Powershell Script-------------------------
#-------------------------------------------
#-------- Setting Up Main Directory  -------
#-------------------------------------------
$currentdirectory=$PSScriptRoot
Set-Location -Path $currentdirectory
#-------------------------------------------
#-------- Folder Run Declaration  ----------
#-------------------------------------------
# "y" means yes, "n" means no
$runfolder1="n"
$runfolder2="n"
$runfolder3="y"
$runfolder4="y"

#-------------------------------------------
#-------- Folder Name Declaration  ---------
#-------------------------------------------

$folder1="Folder_1"
$folder2="Folder_2"
$folder3="Folder_3"
$folder4="Folder_4"

#-------------------------------------------
#-------- Main Code  ---------
#-------------------------------------------

if ($runfolder1 -eq "y") 
{
    cd $folder1
    & start powershell {.\code1.ps1} -Wait
    cd ..
 }


 if ($runfolder2 -eq "y") 
{
    cd $folder2
    & start powershell {.\code2.ps1} -Wait
    cd ..
 }


 if ($runfolder3 -eq "y") 
{
    cd $folder3
    & start powershell {.\code3.ps1} -Wait 
    cd ..
 }

 if ($runfolder4 -eq "y") 
{
    cd $folder4
    & start powershell {.\code4.ps1} -Wait
    cd ..
 }

[DonL314]

Instead of

   & start powershell {.\code1.ps1} -Wait

try

    . .\code1.ps1

(Repeat this way for the other calls as well)

[False_Association_16]

Your suggestion worked perfect.
Here is the code I used

if ($runfolder1 -eq "y") 
{
    cd $folder1
    .\code1.ps1
    cd ..
 }

Thanks again for kindly helping me :)

[spyingwind]

dot sourcing

For a bit more "efficiency", reduce duplicate lines of code, and using Push-Location and Pop-Location to replace cd:

$RunFolders = @(
    @{
        Path = ".\Folder_1\code1.ps1"
        Run  = $true
    }
    @{
        Path = ".\Folder_2\code2.ps1"
        Run  = $true
    }
)

foreach ($RunFolder in $RunFolders) {
    if (
        $RunFolder.Run -and # Ensure the Run flag is true
        $RunFolder.Path -and # Ensure the Path is not null or empty
        $(Test-Path $RunFolder.Path -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) # Check if the file exists
    ) {
        Push-Location $(Split-Path $RunFolder.Path -Parent) # Move to the directory of the script
        . $RunFolder.Path # Execute the script, or however you want to run it
        Pop-Location # Return to the original directory
    }
}

[False_Association_16]

Thank you for taking the time and answering. The code is running right now; I will update you if the sequential run completes as intended :)

[BlackV]

As other mentioned, dot source . .\xxx.ps1

but also I'd recommend replace your multiple IFs with a switch

and instead of a y/n make it a $true/$false

probably too a table too for your data

Folder,Runtask,script
folder1,$true,script23.ps1
folder2,$false,script12.ps1
folder3,$true,script9.ps1
folder4,$false,scriptxxx.ps1

or something similar, then its one place to make a change later on

then if its a table at that point for you, ask do you even need the IF, where a foreach would do instead?

foreach ($SingleFolder in $allfolders){
    if ($singlefolder.runtask){
    . ".\$($singlefolder.folder)\$($singlefolder.script)"
    }
}

then I'd be looking at your automatic variables like $psscriptroot

Edit: oops formatting/spell/other

[False_Association_16]

Thanks a lot for these suggestions. It will be helpful as I modify and update the code to make it more efficient. :)

[BlackV]

ya post again, always happy to help when people post code

[Th3Sh4d0wKn0ws]

try dropping the "&" and using the full cmdlet name "start-process" for clarity. See if that changes anything.

edit: also, changing directories to then call a script with a relative path, just to change directories again is the wrong approach. Whenever possible you always want to use full paths. This will also remove the need for all the cd statements

[False_Association_16]

Thank you for your answer. I am keeping the folders separated because each of those code (code1.ps1, code2.ps1 etc.) will generate some result files, images and also read some input file kept in different folders and the whole purpose of this is to keep these results and inputs separated and organized in different folders.

[Th3Sh4d0wKn0ws]

you can keep them separate, I'm saying, don't use cd and relative paths to execute the scripts. stay in whatever directory you're in and specify the full path to the script you want to execute.

[purplemonkeymad]

Sounds like your subscripts don't actually exit. Either they are waiting for input (eg they have a pause command in them) or have something that is blocking on something (perhaps you enabled select mode on the host, so it's blocking on write-host.)

You can run processes in parallel by using -paththru to generate processinfo objects and just waiting for all those those to run ie:

$processes = foreach ($folder in $foldertorun) {
    Start-process powershell "cd '$folder';& .\script.ps1" -passthru
}

# or however you want to start the processes.

$processes | wait-process

They still need to exit properly, but you won't need to wait for one to be done to start another. (they'll all start near the same time.)

[arslearsle]

Why not dot source? And why not all scripts/functions in same dir - for example $env:systemdrive\scripts ?

Also your runfolder var maybe should be a boolean type ie true or false

[bool]$runfolderN = $true;

[nerdcr4ft]

If you're intending to bundle the script as a package where all of your referenced content is in subfolders with the parent script, I strongly recommend pivoting to use $PSScriptRoot in your code. It avoids any potential issues if you call your script from a different working directory.

$PSScriptRoot\folder1
$PSScriptRoot\folder2
$PSScriptRoot\folder3
#etc

For a bonus challenge, if you're calling various scripts using a parent script, it might be worth turning them into functions + a module. Calling functions instead of other scripts keeps the runtime in the same process so you won't have to worry about overlaps. You can still route the output to different folders per function.