How can I pass an argument to a PowerShell script?

There's a PowerShell script named `itunesForward.ps1` that makes iTunes fast forward 30 seconds:

$iTunes = New-Object -ComObject iTunes.Application

if ($iTunes.playerstate -eq 1)
{
$iTunes.PlayerPosition = $iTunes.PlayerPosition + 30
}

It is executed with a prompt line command:

powershell.exe itunesForward.ps1

Is it possible to pass an argument from the command line and have it applied in the script instead of the hardcoded 30 seconds value?

You can also define a variable directly in the PowerShell command line and then execute the script. The variable will be defined there, too. This helped me in a case where I couldn't modify a signed script.

Example:
```
PS C:\temp> $stepsize = 30
PS C:\temp> .\itunesForward.ps1
```

with iTunesForward.ps1 being

```
$iTunes = New-Object -ComObject iTunes.Application

if ($iTunes.playerstate -eq 1)
{
$iTunes.PlayerPosition = $iTunes.PlayerPosition + $stepsize
}
```

You can use also the `$args` variable (that's like position parameters):

$step = $args[0]

$iTunes = New-Object -ComObject iTunes.Application

if ($iTunes.playerstate -eq 1)
{
$iTunes.PlayerPosition = $iTunes.PlayerPosition + $step
}

Then it can be called like:

powershell.exe -file itunersforward.ps1 15

Let PowerShell analyze and decide the data type. It internally uses a 'Variant' for this.

And generally it does a good job...

param($x)
$iTunes = New-Object -ComObject iTunes.Application
if ($iTunes.playerstate -eq 1)
{
$iTunes.PlayerPosition = $iTunes.PlayerPosition + $x
}

Or if you need to pass multiple parameters:

param($x1, $x2)
$iTunes = New-Object -ComObject iTunes.Application
if ($iTunes.playerstate -eq 1)
{
$iTunes.PlayerPosition = $iTunes.PlayerPosition + $x1
$iTunes.<AnyProperty> = $x2
}

Create a PowerShell script with the following code in the file.

param([string]$path)
Get-ChildItem $path | Where-Object {$_.LinkType -eq 'SymbolicLink'} | select name, target

This creates a script with a path parameter. It will list all symbolic links within the path provided as well as the specified target of the symbolic link.

# ENTRY POINT MAIN()
Param(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
[String] $site,
[Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
[String] $application,
[Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
[String] $dir,
[Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
[String] $applicationPool
)

# Create Web IIS Application
function ValidateWebSite ([String] $webSiteName)
{
$iisWebSite = Get-Website -Name $webSiteName
if($Null -eq $iisWebSite)
{
Write-Error -Message "Error: Web Site Name: $($webSiteName) not exists." -Category ObjectNotFound
}
else
{
return 1
}
}

# Get full path from IIS WebSite
function GetWebSiteDir ([String] $webSiteName)
{
$iisWebSite = Get-Website -Name $webSiteName
if($Null -eq $iisWebSite)
{
Write-Error -Message "Error: Web Site Name: $($webSiteName) not exists." -Category ObjectNotFound
}
else
{
return $iisWebSite.PhysicalPath
}
}

# Create Directory
function CreateDirectory([string]$fullPath)
{
$existEvaluation = Test-Path $fullPath -PathType Any
if($existEvaluation -eq $false)
{
new-item $fullPath -itemtype directory
}
return 1
}

function CreateApplicationWeb
{
Param(
[String] $WebSite,
[String] $WebSitePath,
[String] $application,
[String] $applicationPath,
[String] $applicationPool
)
$fullDir = "$($WebSitePath)\$($applicationPath)"
CreateDirectory($fullDir)
New-WebApplication -Site $WebSite -Name $application -PhysicalPath $fullDir -ApplicationPool $applicationPool -Force
}

$fullWebSiteDir = GetWebSiteDir($Site)f($null -ne $fullWebSiteDir)
{
CreateApplicationWeb -WebSite $Site -WebSitePath $fullWebSiteDir -application $application -applicationPath $dir -applicationPool $applicationPool
}

**Call the script from a batch file (*.bat) or CMD**

***[PowerShell Core][1]***

pwsh.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "./Script.ps1 -Param1 Hello -Param2 World"

pwsh.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "path-to-script/Script.ps1 -Param1 Hello -Param2 World"

pwsh.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "./Script.ps1 Hello -Param2 World"

pwsh.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "./Script.ps1 Hello World"

pwsh.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "./Script.ps1 -Param2 World Hello"

***PowerShell***

powershell.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "./Script.ps1 -Param1 Hello -Param2 World"

powershell.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "path-to-script/Script.ps1 -Param1 Hello -Param2 World"

powershell.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "./Script.ps1 Hello -Param2 World"

powershell.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "./Script.ps1 Hello World"

powershell.exe -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "./Script.ps1 -Param2 World Hello"

<hr/>

**Call from PowerShell**

***PowerShell Core or Windows PowerShell***

& path-to-script/Script.ps1 -Param1 Hello -Param2 World
& ./Script.ps1 -Param1 Hello -Param2 World

<hr/>

**Script.ps1 - Script Code**

param(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$True, Position=0, ValueFromPipeline=$false)]
[System.String]
$Param1,

[Parameter(Mandatory=$True, Position=1, ValueFromPipeline=$false)]
[System.String]
$Param2
)

Write-Host $Param1
Write-Host $Param2

[1]:

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Tested as working:

#Must be the first statement in your script (not counting comments)
param([Int32]$step=30)

$iTunes = New-Object -ComObject iTunes.Application

if ($iTunes.playerstate -eq 1)
{
$iTunes.PlayerPosition = $iTunes.PlayerPosition + $step
}


Call it with

powershell.exe -file itunesForward.ps1 -step 15

Multiple parameters syntax (comments are optional, but allowed):
```
<#
Script description.

Some notes.
#>
param (
# height of largest column without top bar
[int]$h = 4000,

# name of the output image
[string]$image = 'out.png'
)
```

And some example for [advanced parameters](

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), e.g. _Mandatory_:

<#
Script description.

Some notes.
#>
param (
# height of largest column without top bar
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
[int]$h,

# name of the output image
[string]$image = 'out.png'
)

Write-Host "$image $h"

A default value will not work with a mandatory parameter. You can omit the `=$true` for advanced parameters of type boolean `[Parameter(Mandatory)]`.

In my particular use-case, I wanted to access the arguments from the profile which ignored the `params`, and simply checked for the *existence* of an argument (essentially a switch).

I have a batch script which runs a ps1 file but with a profile. That `profile.ps1` outputs text when it loads. In some scripts, I want to disable the output of that text if I don't need it. For that, I created some simple switches such as the example below.

This is a very basic version, but you could extend it if you wished. Using the 'silent-running' mode an example then...

**Inside my batch script:**

<!-- language: lang-batch -->
C:\path\to\pwsh.exe -Command "%~dpn0.ps1" -QuietProfile

**PowerShell script (inside `profile.ps1`):**

<!-- language: lang-powershell -->
[Boolean]$global:QuietProfile = [Boolean]([Environment]::GetCommandLineArgs() -match "-QuietProfile")

if (-not $global:QuietProfile) {
Write-Host "I am some text which should not appear when -QuietProfile is passed"
}

By default (if you just opened pwsh.exe) then the `$global:QuietProfile` value will be false and you will see the output as normal.