Export (0) Print
Expand All
This topic has not yet been rated - Rate this topic


Updated: October 17, 2013

Applies To: Windows PowerShell 3.0, Windows PowerShell 4.0


    Describes the InlineScript activity, which runs Windows
    PowerShell commands in a workflow.

    The InlineScript activity runs commands in a shared 
    Windows PowerShell session in a workflow. This activity 
    is valid only in workflows.

    InlineScript {<script block>} <ActivityCommonParameters>

    The InlineScript activity runs commands in a shared 
    Windows PowerShell session. You can include it in a 
    workflow to run commands that share data and commands 
    that are not otherwise valid in a workflow.

    The InlineScript script block can include all valid 
    Windows PowerShell commands and expressions. Because the 
    commands and expressions in an InlineScript script block 
    run in the same session, they share all state and data, 
    including imported modules and the values of variables.

    You can place an InlineScript activity anywhere in a workflow
    or nested workflow, including inside a loop or control 
    statement or a Parallel or Sequence script block. 

    The InlineScript activity has the activity common parameters, 
    including PSPersist. However, the commands and expressions in 
    an InlineScript script block do not have the workflow features
    such as checkpointing ("persistence) and workflow or activity
    common parameters.

    By default, the variables that are defined in a workflow are 
    not visible to the commands in the InlineScript script block. 
    To make workflow variables visible to the InlineScript, use the 
    $Using scope modifier. The $Using scope modifier is required 
    only once for each variable in the InlineScript.

    The following example shows that the $Using scope modifier
    makes the value of the $a top-level workflow variable available
    to the commands in the InlineScript script block.

        workflow Test-Workflow
            $a = 3

            # Without $Using, the $a workflow variable is not visible
            # in inline script.
            InlineScript {"Inline A0 = $a"}
            # $Using imports the variable and its current value.
            InlineScript {"Inline A1 = $Using:a"}

        PS C:\> Test-Workflow
        Inline A0 = 
        Inline A1 = 3 

    InlineScript commands can change the value of the variable 
    that was imported from workflow scope, but the changes are 
    not visible in workflow scope. To make them visible, return 
    the changed value to the workflow scope, as shown in the 
    following example.

         workflow Test-Workflow
             $a = 3

             # Changes to the InlineScript variable value do not 
             # change the workflow variable.
             InlineScript {$a = $using:a+1; "Inline A = $a"}
             "Workflow A = $a"

             # To change the variable in workflow scope, return the 
             # new value.
              $a = InlineScript {$b = $Using:a+1; $b}
              "Workflow New A = $a"

        PS C:\> test-workflow
        Inline A = 4
        Workflow A = 3
        Workflow New A = 4

    Troubleshooting Note:  A statement with the $Using scope modifier 
    should appear before any use of the variable in the InlineScript 
    script block. 

    To improve reliability, the commands in the InlineScript script 
    block run in their own process, outside of the  process in which 
    the workflow runs, and then return their output to the workflow 

    To direct Windows PowerShell to run the InlineScript activity in 
    the workflow process, remove the InlineScript value from the 
    OutOfProcessActivity property of the session configuration, 
    such as by using the New-PSWorkflowExecutionOption cmdlet.

    For more information, see "How to Run Windows PowerShell Commands
    in a Workflow" ( http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=261983).


    The InlineScript in the following workflow includes commands 
    that are not valid in workflows, including the use of the 
    New-Object cmdlet with the ComObject parameter.

        workflow Test-Workflow
            $ie = InlineScript 
                $ie = New-Object -ComObject InternetExplorer.Application 
                -property @{navigate2="www.microsoft.com"}

Did you find this helpful?
(1500 characters remaining)
Thank you for your feedback

Community Additions

© 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.