# how to log the powershellactivity **URL:** \ **Category:** PowerShell Help\ **Created:** [April 6, 2019, 6:48am UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353 "2019-04-06T06:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f8ce5/32.png) [@gval](https://forums.powershell.org/u/gval)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 6:48am UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353/1 "2019-04-06T06:48:36Z")
I am running a PS script to stop and restart Services using **Restart-Service**. For troubleshooting issues I’d like to write the output of every activity to a log file so we can make sure the services stopped and restart. please find the code: ``` $mailprops= @{ From = 'operating.system@abc.com' To = 'asdf@abc.com' Subject = 'test' Attachment = $logfileSmtpServer = '127.0.0.1' } 'Stopping services' | Out-File $logfile Stop-Service '3456','2354' 'Services stopped' | Out-File $logfile -append Restart-computer QY34-Force 'Remote computer sent restart command' | Out-File $logfile -append Send-MailMessage @mailprops ``` can any one suggest me how to fix this? ---
**Author:** ![Olaf](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.powershell.org/olaf/32/992_2.png) [@Olaf](https://forums.powershell.org/u/Olaf)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 6:59am UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353/2 "2019-04-06T06:59:31Z")
Could you please format your code as code using the code tag button “pre” on the edit bar of the post editor? Thanks You could use the output of Get-Service to show the change in the status … ``` $mailprops = @{ From = ‘operating.system@abc.com’ To = ‘asdf@abc.com’ Subject = ‘test’ Attachment = $logfile SmtpServer = ‘127.0.0.1’ } ‘Stopping services - status before’ | Out-File -FilePath $logfile Get-Service -Name ‘3456’, ‘2354’ | Out-File -FilePath $logfile -Append Stop-Service ‘3456’, ‘2354’ ‘Stopping services - status after’ | Out-File -FilePath $logfile -Append Get-Service -Name ‘3456’, ‘2354’ | Out-File -FilePath $logfile -Append Restart-Computer -ComputerName QY34 –Force ‘Remote computer sent restart command’ | Out-File -FilePath $logfile -Append Send–MailMessage @mailprops ``` ---
**Author:** ![sam-boutros](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.powershell.org/sam-boutros/32/5_2.png) [@sam-boutros](https://forums.powershell.org/u/sam-boutros)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 7:01am UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353/3 "2019-04-06T07:01:12Z")
[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.host/start-transcript?view=powershell-6](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.host/start-transcript?view=powershell-6) ---
**Author:** ![pwshliquori](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.powershell.org/pwshliquori/32/222_2.png) [@pwshliquori](https://forums.powershell.org/u/pwshliquori)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 7:15am UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353/4 "2019-04-06T07:15:30Z")
I agree with Sam. Start-Transcript is a good way to log the PowerShell session when a script is running. ``` Start-Transcript -Path C:\temp\script.log # Code goes here Stop-Transcript ``` pwshliquori ---
**Author:** ![bkindle](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.powershell.org/bkindle/32/95_2.png) [@bkindle](https://forums.powershell.org/u/bkindle)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 7:30am UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353/5 "2019-04-06T07:30:19Z")
[quote quote=149936][https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.host/start-transcript?view=powershell-6](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.host/start-transcript?view=powershell-6) [/quote] Transcripts are useful but you end up getting much more info than what might be necessary.   As for the script, you may want to also look at building in some form of error handling as well. This script as it stands right now may produce errors that are not logged. I would suggest reading up on how to use ‘Try / Catch / Finally’ and make this a function that you can feed parameters to, such as service or computer name, and even the path to the log file you want to keep. ---
**Author:** ![sam-boutros](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.powershell.org/sam-boutros/32/5_2.png) [@sam-boutros](https://forums.powershell.org/u/sam-boutros)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 1:21pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353/6 "2019-04-06T13:21:46Z")
Well, if you don’t want to use start-transcript, you can use Write-Log This is a function that I wrote years back and is now part of the AZSBTools PS module ([install-module AZSBTools](https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/AZSBTools/)) It writes output to the console/and optionally to a log file - it also writes to the console in color lol Example: ``` Install-Module AZSBTools -Force -AllowClobber $logfile = "$env:TEMP\Restarting services report - $(Get-Date -Format 'ddMMMMyyyy_hh-mm-ss_tt').txt" $ComputerName = 'QY34' $mailprops = @{ From = 'operating.system@abc.com' To = 'asdf@abc.com' Subject = 'test' Attachment = $logfile SmtpServer = '127.0.0.1' } Write-Log 'Stopping services - status before:' Green $logfile Write-Log (Get-Service -Name '3456', '2354' | Out-String).Trim() Cyan $logfile Stop-Service '3456', '2354' Write-Log 'Stopping services - status after:' Green $logfile Write-Log (Get-Service -Name '3456', '2354' | Out-String).Trim() Cyan $logfile Restart-Computer -ComputerName $ComputerName –Force Write-Log 'Remote computer',$ComputerName,'sent restart command' Green,Cyan,Green $logfile Send–MailMessage @mailprops ``` ---
**Author:** ![Olaf](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.powershell.org/olaf/32/992_2.png) [@Olaf](https://forums.powershell.org/u/Olaf)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2019, 9:16pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353/7 "2019-04-06T21:16:19Z")
It seems like gval19 does not like the answers he’s got here … 😉😃 [how to log the powershellactivity](https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/171e070b-b1bb-44d1-a755-21aa5578b55d/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity?forum=ITCG). ---
**Author:** ![js2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@js2010](https://forums.powershell.org/u/js2010)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2019, 9:04am UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353/8 "2019-04-07T09:04:51Z")
The -passthru option returns an ServiceController object for those commands. You don’t need to run stop-service first. ``` PS C:\Users\admin> stop-service apple* -passthru Status Name DisplayName ------ ---- ----------- Stopped Apple Mobile De... Apple Mobile Device Service PS C:\Users\admin> restart-service apple* -passthru Status Name DisplayName ------ ---- ----------- Running Apple Mobile De... Apple Mobile Device Service ``` ---
**Author:** ![dotnVo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@dotnVo](https://forums.powershell.org/u/dotnVo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 8:33pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/how-to-log-the-powershellactivity/12353/9 "2024-05-16T20:33:02Z")