How to call powershell script from VB.net 2017 passing variables?

Question

Trying to add printers to a computer by reading values for Printer information into VB.net and setting the variables. Once the variables are all set I trying to call the following

     Shell("powershell.exe c:\makeports\test.ps1 -name " & pPortName & " -hostaddress " & pPortName & " -portNumber " & pPortNum & " -IPAddress  " & pIP & " -ComputerName " & pCompName & " -Printername " & pPrintName & " -Driver " & pDriver)

after variables are set the line looks like this

    c:\makeports\test.ps1 -name 192.168.10.231 -hostaddress 192.168.10.231 -portNumber 6101 -IPAddress  192.168.10.231 -ComputerName PRO-TM2-PRO -Printername PR111 -Driver Zdesigner TLP 2844  -DeviceID ""

I realize I probably need double or single quotes around the values.

Getting page full of error message

Here is the shell script.

    Function CreatePrinterPort {
    Param ($PrinterIP, $PrinterPort, $PrinterPortName, $ComputerName)
    $wmi = [wmiclass]"\\$ComputerName\root\cimv2:win32_tcpipPrinterPort"
    $wmi.psbase.scope.options.enablePrivileges = $true
    $Port = $wmi.createInstance()
    $Port.name = $PrinterPortName
    $Port.hostAddress = $PrinterIP
    $Port.portNumber = $PrinterPort
    $Port.SNMPEnabled = $false
    $Port.Protocol = 1
    $Port.put()
    }

   Function CreatePrinter 
   {
   param ($PrinterCaption, $PrinterPortName, $DriverName, $ComputerName)
   $wmi = ([WMIClass]"\\$ComputerName\Root\cimv2:Win32_Printer")
   $Printer = $wmi.CreateInstance()
   $Printer.Caption = $PrinterCaption
   $Printer.DriverName = $DriverName
   $Printer.PortName = $PrinterPortName
   $Printer.DeviceID = $PrinterCaption
   $Printer.Put()
   }


   CreatePrinterPort  $printer.Portname  $printer.port $printer.IPAddress               $printer.Computer
   CreatePrinter $printer.Printername $printer.Portname  $printer.Driver  $printer.Computer

-ExecutionPolicy : The term '-ExecutionPolicy' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is
correct and try again.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:27 char:1
+ -ExecutionPolicy ByPass
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (-ExecutionPolicy:String) [], CommandNotFoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

Cannot convert value "\\\root\cimv2:win32_tcpipPrinterPort" to type "System.Management.ManagementClass". Error: "Invalid parameter "
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:3 char:1
+ $wmi = [wmiclass]"\\$ComputerName\root\cimv2:win32_tcpipPrinterPort"
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvalidCastToWMIClass

The property 'enablePrivileges' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:4 char:1
+ $wmi.psbase.scope.options.enablePrivileges = $true
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:5 char:1
+ $Port = $wmi.createInstance()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

The property 'name' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:6 char:1
+ $Port.name = $PrinterPortName
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

The property 'hostAddress' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:7 char:1
+ $Port.hostAddress = $PrinterIP
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

The property 'portNumber' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:8 char:1
+ $Port.portNumber = $PrinterPort
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

The property 'SNMPEnabled' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:9 char:1
+ $Port.SNMPEnabled = $false
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

The property 'Protocol' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:10 char:1
+ $Port.Protocol = 1
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:11 char:1
+ $Port.put()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

Cannot convert value "\\\Root\cimv2:Win32_Printer" to type "System.Management.ManagementClass". Error: "Invalid parameter "
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:17 char:1
+ $wmi = ([WMIClass]"\\$ComputerName\Root\cimv2:Win32_Printer")
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvalidCastToWMIClass

You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:18 char:1
+ $Printer = $wmi.CreateInstance()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

The property 'Caption' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:19 char:1
+ $Printer.Caption = $PrinterCaption
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

The property 'DriverName' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:20 char:1
+ $Printer.DriverName = $DriverName
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

The property 'PortName' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:21 char:1
+ $Printer.PortName = $PrinterPortName
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

The property 'DeviceID' cannot be found on this object. Verify that the property exists and can be set.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:22 char:1
+ $Printer.DeviceID = $PrinterCaption
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PropertyNotFound

You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At C:\makeports\test.ps1:23 char:1
+ $Printer.Put()
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

Anybody see what is COMPLETELY wrong

Looks like the code you posted isn't actually the exact contents of the file on disk - according to the first error, line 27 is just "-ExecutionPolicy ByPass" — Mathias R. Jessen
– Mathias R. Jessen, Commented Sep 4, 2020 at 15:29
Yes I removed that. The results though are without that line — Tom
– Tom, Commented Sep 4, 2020 at 15:31
Well, you never declare any parameters in the script, so I'm not sure where you're expecting $printer to come from? As a result $computerName (and all other parameters inside your functions) are $null, which is why the [wmiclass] string comes out as \\\root\cimv2:win32_tcpipPrinterPort — Mathias R. Jessen
– Mathias R. Jessen, Commented Sep 4, 2020 at 15:34
I am not used to using powershell. I assumed the line CreatePrinter $Printer.Printername was the declaring of the variable — Tom
– Tom, Commented Sep 4, 2020 at 15:56
That's not have it works, $Printer.Printername can't have a value before $Printer has been assigned any value. — Mathias R. Jessen
– Mathias R. Jessen, Commented Sep 4, 2020 at 15:59

Mathias R. Jessen · Accepted Answer · 2020-09-04 16:13:24Z

1

If you want the script to accept named parameter argument binding (ie. script.ps1 -Param "value" resulting in $Param -eq "value" inside the script), you need to declare your parameters with a param() block:

param(
  [string]$Name,
  [string]$HostAddress, 
  [uint32]$PortNumber,
  [string]$IPAddress,
  [string]$ComputerName,
  [string]$Printername,
  [string]$Driver,
  [string]$DeviceID
)

function CreatePrinterPort { ... }
function CreatePrinter { ... }

# Don't forget to construct port name
$PortName = "${Printername}_tcpip_${PortNumber}"

# Now we just pass the appropriate parameter values that the script received to our functions 
CreatePrinterPort -PrinterIP $IPAddress -PrinterPort $PortNumber -PrinterPortName $PortName -ComputerName $ComputerName
CreatePrinter -PrinterCaption $PrinterName -PrinterPortName $PortName -DriverName $Driver -ComputerName $ComputerName

... and you'll need an extra set of quotes around the driver name (because of the spaces) when invoking the script, ie. -Driver "Zdesigner TLP 2844"

Please see the about_Functions_Advanced and related help files for more details on parameters in advanced functions and scripts

answered Sep 4, 2020 at 16:13

Mathias R. Jessen

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1 Comment

Tom Over a year ago

Thanks. I will try and implement that. Appreciate the pointers.

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