I'm trying to manage the same PowerShell profile for both PowerShell Core and Desktop editions, but I have a function that includes a `Clean` block, which is a feature specific to PowerShell Core. I'm wondering if there's a way to prevent PowerShell from raising a syntax error when loading the profile in the Desktop edition, since it seems to parse the entire profile. While I could separate the functions into different files and load them as needed, I'd prefer to avoid that if possible. Any suggestions?
2 Answers
You could consider using a here-string to assemble your code into a script block when you need it. This way, you avoid any parsing issues at profile load time. You can later invoke it with `.Invoke()` or dot-source it. Essentially, you would create the script block only when it's needed, based on the PowerShell version you're using. Here's a quick example:
```powershell
# Define your code block here
$scriptBlock = [scriptblock]::Create('')
# Then invoke it as needed.
$scriptBlock.Invoke()
```
In situations like this, it's usually a good idea to stick to backward compatibility. Instead of using `Clean` blocks, you might be able to replicate what you want to do in an `End` block, potentially with additional error handling in your `Process` block. If you must use a `Clean` block, one option is to define two string versions of your function, representing both environments, and then decide which one to evaluate at runtime. Here's a simplified concept:
```powershell
$PoshFunc = @{ "Win" = @' ... '@; "Core" = @' ... '@ }
if ($PSVersionTable.PSVersion -lt [System.Version] "7.3") {
Invoke-Expression -Command $PoshFunc["Win"]
} else {
Invoke-Expression -Command $PoshFunc["Core"]
}
```
For simplicity, if your `Clean` block isn't too complex, consider replacing it with a string variable. You could conditionally insert the clean functionality into your main function to maintain clarity.