how to retrieve string value in this array??

PowerShell Help
1

I’ve got
$services = Get-WMIObject Win32_Service -Filter “StartName=‘$account’”
Which returns:
\SQL6\root\cimv2:Win32_Service.Name=“MSSQLSERVER”
\SQL6\root\cimv2:Win32_Service.Name=“ReportServer”
\SQL6\root\cimv2:Win32_Service.Name=“SQLBrowser”
\SQL6\root\cimv2:Win32_Service.Name=“SQLSERVERAGENT”

The foreach is like this:

ForEach ($service in $services) {

if ($service.Name() CONTAINS “ReportServer”) {

continue (do not do anything, go on to the next item in the array)

}

write-host $service

}

What is the correct way to test the service string to continue/leave the foreach loop??
I also need to test whether the service is set to manual or not…I know ‘state’ is stopped or running.
Would status be the right thing to test?? for manual or not??

Thank you, Tom

2

Hi Tom,

You can do what you are after like this:

foreach ($service in $services) {
    if (-not ($service.Name -eq 'ReportServer')) {
        Write-Host $service
    }
}

Alternatively you can do like this:

foreach ($service in $services) {
    if ($service.Name -eq 'ReportServer') {
        continue
    }
    Write-Host $service
}

And if you wanted to mach on multiple service names, you could do it like this:

$skipServices = 'ReportServer', 'SQLBrowser'

foreach ($service in $services) {
    if (-not ($skipServices -contains $service.Name)) {
        Write-Host $service
    }
}

You can use the ‘StartMode’ property of the service object to check if the service start mode is set to manual.

3

Well, all you want to know to start with is in the built-in help files

    # Get parameters, examples, full and Online help for a cmdlet or function

    (Get-Command -Name Get-Content).Parameters
    Get-help -Name Get-Content -Examples
    Get-help -Name Get-Content -Full
    Get-help -Name Get-Content -Online

    Get-Help about_*
    Get-Help about_For
    Get-Help about_ForEach*
    Get-Help about_Operators


    # All Help topics locations
    explorer "$pshome\$($Host.CurrentCulture.Name)"

Tyr to avoid the use of contains on simple strings (though you can do it), as a rule, as its use case is to look at a collection or stuff. Use -match or Select-String instead. See the above help on operators.

So, based on what you are after. How about this approach.

    ($account = 'LocalSystem')
    Get-WmiObject Win32_service `
    | Where {$_.StartName -eq $account -and $_.Name -notmatch '.*SQL.*|ReportServer'} `
    | Select Name,State,StartMode,StartName `
    | Format-Table -AutoSize


    Name                                     State   StartMode StartName  
    ----                                     -----   --------- ---------  
    AdobeARMservice                          Running Auto      LocalSystem
    AESMService                              Running Auto      LocalSystem
    Appinfo                                  Running Manual    LocalSystem
    AppMgmt                                  Stopped Manual    LocalSystem
    ...


    ($account = 'LocalSystem')
    Get-WmiObject Win32_service `
    | Where {$_.StartName -eq $account -and $_.Name -match '.*SQL.*|ReportServer'} `
    | Select Name,State,StartMode,StartName `
    | Format-Table -AutoSize


    Name      State   StartMode StartName  
    ----      -----   --------- ---------  
    SQLWriter Running Auto      LocalSystem

Lastly, depending on you PoSH version; never use Write-Host, except for outputting colorized text to the screen or other custom formatting needs. Output to the screen is the default.

So, this…

write-host $service

and this…
$service

and this…

“$service”

and this…
($service)

…will do exactly the same thing, output to the screen.
The Write-Host specifically clears the buffer so, anything in that varible is gone. So, no pipeline when you use it.

See

Write-Host Considered Harmful - by PowerShell founder Jeffrey Snover
‘Write-Host Considered Harmful | Jeffrey Snover's blog’

However, now, in PoSHv5 Jeffrey Snover now says…
With PowerShell v5 Write-Host no longer “kills puppies”. data is captured into info stream
‘Write-Information (Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility) - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn’

4

Thank you, everyone…
I never knew that about Write-Host.
I use it for ‘debug’ printing things to the screen.
I then remove it when I’m done with the script.
Thank you, Tom