In powershell, how to build String arrays from "remaining" arguments passed from command line?

Question

It is inconvenient to type ("arg0", "arg1", "arg2") on the command line when a function needs a String array. Like in this example:

function Exec-GradleScript(
    [Parameter(Mandatory)]String] $ScriptName
    [Parameter(Mandatory)][String[]] $ArgList
    ){
    & "$ScriptName" $ArgList
}

... all the arguments after -ScriptName need to be in the explicit array syntax. How can I avoid this, so that I can type

Exec-GradleScript foo.gradle arg0 arg1 arg2

And still have an $ArgList value to pass to the executable?

mklement0 · Accepted Answer · 2020-08-01T23:08:25.810

Note:

The solution is provided by this answer, which shows how to use the ValueFromRemainingArguments parameter property to collect all individual unbound positional arguments in a single array parameter.
I presume your function is simplified; as written, implementing the solution in the linked answer essentially makes the function unnecessary - you can simply call
foo.gradle arg0 arg1 arg2 directly (assuming foo.gradle is directly executable, which is what your function suggests).
As an aside: It's sufficient to use $ScriptName rather than "$ScriptName", because - unlike POSIX-like shells - PowerShell allows you to use variables unquoted, even if their value contains spaces or other shell metacharacters (no so-called shell expansions are performed).

As for:

It is inconvenient to type ("arg0", "arg1", "arg2") on the command line when a function needs a String array.

The cumbersome syntax ("arg0", "arg1", "arg2") is only needed in expression parsing mode.

In argument parsing mode - when you pass arguments to a command - arrays can be passed using much looser syntax - without parentheses and without quoting (unless the elements are literals that contain whitespace or PowerShell metacharacters, e.g., 'arg 0'):

# No parentheses around the array, elements unquoted.
Exec-GradleScript foo.gradle  arg0, arg1, arg2

For more information about PowerShell's two fundamental parsing modes, see this answer.

In powershell, how to build String arrays from "remaining" arguments passed from command line?

1 Answers1

Linked