Creating your own ExitCode in PowerShell and use it in SSIS package

As I started to build executable solutions in PowerShell for my SSIS packages, now I need to take advantage of providing an Exit Code value within the application.  Creating your own exit code can be very useful for providing a Success or Failure of a task.  This is way you can take the correct action on how your flow is going to behave.

I found a great blog article from one of my MVP college – MOW that got me started:
# http://thepowershellguy.com/blogs/posh/archive/2008/05/20/hey-powershell-guy-how-can-i-run-a-powershell-script-from-cmd-exe-and-return-an-errorlevel.aspx
Also, here’s an MSDN blog article: # http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.environment.exit(v=VS.80).aspx.  These article lead me to find multiple ways to introduce an Exit Code in PowerShell.
In its basic form:

1. Exit N – as shown on MOW’s blog (link above), only work in PowerShell
2. Exit (“N”) – I just try it but only work with PowerShell.
3. [Environment]::Exit(“N”) – Following the MSDN article (link above), it work in both PowerShell and DOS.

Here’s where “N” equals the Exit Number you want to provide.  Also, you need to understand that this only work when executing your script with the PowerShell.exe at any command prompt: DOS or PowerShell.

Now, as you notice and probably wondering, I found out that “Exit N” and Exit(“N”) behave differently when is executed in both as a script, and compiled under PrimalForms 2011.  I will show this in my examples.

In PowerShell V2, I found some different behaviour when using the above methods.  My goal in these exercise is to provide an Exit Code that can be use in either PowerShell (as a Script and as Executable) and DOS (as executable).  The reason is that you want to eventually convert your script as an executable in the future.

Here’s the basic structure on how this is done taking an example of a Division process where we’ll be trapping the “Divided by 0″ exception using “Try-Catch“.  Then, after testing our script we can create the executable that can be included in an SSIS solution.

To validate the Exit Code has a value, we need to create en executable using PrimalForms 2011, then use the $LastExitCode in PowerShell and the %ErrorLevel% in DOS to confirm we have the values we want.  Both Exit Code values need to match in PowerShell and DOS.  These samples scripts will run under PowerShell console, and the compiled *.exe version will run under DOS.

Sample Script 3 – DivideNow3.ps1 – using “Exit N”.

Results for DivideNow3.ps1

Sample Script 2 – DivideNow2.ps1 – using “Exit(“N”).
[sourcecode language=”powershell”]
#========================================================================
# Created with: SAPIEN Technologies, Inc., PrimalForms 2011 v2.0.12
# Created on: 8/31/2011 6:33 PM
# Created by: Max Trinidad
# Organization: PutItTogether
# Filename: DivideNow2.ps1
# http://thepowershellguy.com/blogs/posh/archive/2008/05/20/hey-powershell-guy-how-can-i-run-a-powershell-script-from-cmd-exe-and-return-an-errorlevel.aspx
# http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.environment.aspx
#========================================================================
Param([Int] $arg1, [Int] $arg2)
Try
{
[Double] $result = $arg1 / $arg2;
}
Catch
{
#Write-Host "Error in function";
$err1 = 1;
}
Finally
{
if($err1 -eq 1)
{
## – Custom Exit Code:
Exit("99");
}
Else
{
Write-Output $result;
Exit("0");
}
}

[/sourcecode]

[sourcecode language=”powershell”]
#========================================================================
# Created with: SAPIEN Technologies, Inc., PrimalForms 2011 v2.0.12
# Created on: 9/2/2011 9:21 AM
# Created by: Max Trinidad
# Organization: PutItTogether
# Filename: DivideNow_test.ps1
#========================================================================

# .\DivideNow.ps1 40 5 – This will execute and close PowerShell immediately
# .\DivideNow.ps1 40 0 – This will execute and close PowerShell immediately

# But if I execute with PowerShell.exe
PowerShell -noexit -command { `
cd ‘C:\Users\Max\Documents\SAPIEN\PrimalForms 2011\Files’; `
& ./DivideNow.ps1 40 5}

$LastExitCode

PowerShell -noexit -command { `
cd ‘C:\Users\Max\Documents\SAPIEN\PrimalForms 2011\Files’; `
& ./DivideNow.ps1 40 0}

$LastExitCode
[/sourcecode]