I have a script that runs fine from within Powershell, but it will not work correctly when triggered from Task Scheduler or a Powershell Scheduled Job.
Here is the script (this is a boiled-down version of the script found here):
$folder = 'D:\<folder_to_monitor>'
$filter = '*.*'
$fsw = New-Object IO.FileSystemWatcher $folder, $filter -Property @{IncludeSubdirectories = $false;NotifyFilter = [IO.NotifyFilters]'FileName, LastWrite'}
Register-ObjectEvent $fsw Created -SourceIdentifier FileCreated -Action {
$name = $Event.SourceEventArgs.Name
$changeType = $Event.SourceEventArgs.ChangeType
$timeStamp = $Event.TimeGenerated
Swithmail /s /x "c:\swithmail\msg_send.xml"}
I can run this script in Powershell, then execute a Get-EventSubscriber command and I'll see the result:
SubscriptionId : 2
SourceObject : System.IO.FileSystemWatcher
EventName : Created
SourceIdentifier : FileCreated
Action : System.Management.Automation.PSEventJob
HandlerDelegate :
SupportEvent : False
ForwardEvent : False
I can then drop new files into the folder being monitored and I'll receive an email, as designed. Wonderful! Works like a champ.
Now I want to run this script on startup so that I don't have to remember to run it every time the server is rebooted. I set up the task in Task Scheduler, following these directions. I then manually start the task (don't want to reboot the server during production), but after doing so, when I run the Get-EventSubscriber command I get nothing. Dropping files into the monitored folder does not send the email.
I also tried setting up a scheduled job by following these directions (I set up the job to trigger at a set time for testing, not with the -AtStartup variable), but still the event doesn't seem to be registering like it does when I run the script outright.
EDIT 1: Per suggestions from @BiNZGi and @Nick, I checked Event Viewer and there were no entries there related to this the Task Scheduler task or the script. So, also as suggested, I added lines to the script to start and stop the PS transcription feature:
$ErrorActionPreference="SilentlyContinue"
Stop-Transcript | out-null
$ErrorActionPreference = "Continue"
Start-Transcript -path C:\batch\scriptlog.txt -append
$folder = 'D:\<folder_to_monitor>'
$filter = '*.*'
$fsw = New-Object IO.FileSystemWatcher $folder, $filter -Property @{IncludeSubdirectories = $false;NotifyFilter = [IO.NotifyFilters]'FileName, LastWrite'}
Register-ObjectEvent $fsw Created -SourceIdentifier FileCreated -Action {
$name = $Event.SourceEventArgs.Name
$changeType = $Event.SourceEventArgs.ChangeType
$timeStamp = $Event.TimeGenerated
Swithmail /s /x "c:\swithmail\msg_send.xml"}
Stop-Transcript
Results: the scriptlog.txt file is being created, and it appears that the "FileCreated" event is being registered:
**********************
Windows PowerShell transcript start
Start time: 20191119112406
Username: <mydomain>\administrator
RunAs User: <mydomain>\administrator
Machine: <myserver> (Microsoft Windows NT 6.3.9600.0)
Host Application: C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -File c:\batch\<myscript>.ps1
Process ID: 8984
**********************
Transcript started, output file is C:\batch\scriptlog.txt
Id Name PSJobTypeName State HasMoreData Location
-- ---- ------------- ----- ----------- --------
1 FileCreated NotStarted False
**********************
Windows PowerShell transcript end
End time: 20191119112407
**********************
However, creating a new file in the monitored folder doesn't generate the email, making me think the registered event still isn't working. Yet, when I run the script from within Powershell ISE it works fine. I get the same output when I type the Get-EventSubscriber command in Powershell ISE as I see in the scriptlog.txt file.
I wonder if the event registration doesn't like to be called from within a Task Scheduler task? From what I can read in the Help page, it's session-based. Perhaps Powershell doesn't recognize the Task Scheduler task as a session....?
Stumpage continues. :-/
