# Using variables with invoke-command

**URL:** <https://forums.powershell.org/t/using-variables-with-invoke-command/2181>\
**Category:** PowerShell Help\
**Created:** [January 6, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/using-variables-with-invoke-command/2181 "2014-01-06T19:21:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![matt-allford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@matt-allford](https://forums.powershell.org/u/matt-allford)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/using-variables-with-invoke-command/2181/1 "2014-01-06T19:21:28Z")

</div>

Hi all,

Firstly, what a great resource. Thanks to everyone who dedicates their time to helping the powershell community. I am new to powershell and only which that I got on the powershell train 5 years ago when I entered IT.

I am wondering if someone can assist and explain how to use a variable when using invoke-command. Here is a part of a script I am working on:

```auto
$data = Import-Csv C:\Scripts\ExchangeServerData.csv
foreach($d in $data){
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $d.MailboxServer -ScriptBlock { 
    Get-Disk | Where-Object {$_.PartitionStyle -eq "Raw"} | Initialize-Disk -PartitionStyle MBR -PassThru | New-Partition -UseMaximumSize | Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel "$($d.ActiveDatabase)-Active" -Confirm:$false
    }
}

```

The issue I am having is towards the end of that main ‘one-liner’, where I have tried to use **-NewFileSystemLabel “$($d.ActiveDatabase)-Active”**. The value from my CSV file under ‘ActiveDatabase’ did not get passed through and instead I ended up with a volume that has a label of ‘-Active’.

Can someone shed some light on how to make this work and more importantly (for me), take a few mins to explain it as well. I understand that the variable does not work, because the remote machine does not know about the local variable.

Also, is there a way to use powershell to assign this newly created volume a mount point instead of a drive letter?

Cheers!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/powershell/original/1X/385e4f9fe133561ad30a814262fe0e0ae6bc3ef0.png) [@system](https://forums.powershell.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/using-variables-with-invoke-command/2181/2 "2014-01-07T00:56:25Z")

</div>

The script block that you pass to Invoke-Command runs in a new PowerShell session on the remote computer; it doesn’t automatically inherit the variables in your local scope (such as $d). When that script block runs, $d on the remote server hasn’t been set, so it evaluates to $null.

You can pass variables to a remote script block in two ways: You can use the -ArgumentList parameter to Invoke-Command, or, if both the local and remote computers are running PowerShell 3.0, you can use the “using” variable scope modifier. Personally, I prefer ArgumentList, even when all computers are running the latest version:

```
$scriptBlock = {
    param ($activeDatabase)
    
    Get-Disk |
    Where-Object {$_.PartitionStyle -eq "Raw"} |
    Initialize-Disk -PartitionStyle MBR -PassThru |
    New-Partition -UseMaximumSize |
    Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel "${activeDatabase}-Active" -Confirm:$false
}

$data = Import-Csv C:\Scripts\ExchangeServerData.csv
foreach($d in $data){
    Invoke-Command -ComputerName $d.MailboxServer -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock -ArgumentList $d.ActiveDatabase
}
```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![matt-allford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@matt-allford](https://forums.powershell.org/u/matt-allford)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/using-variables-with-invoke-command/2181/3 "2014-01-08T09:05:47Z")

</div>

Awesome thanks so much Dave. I’ll have to do some more reading into arguments with invoke-command.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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, 8:52pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/using-variables-with-invoke-command/2181/4 "2024-05-16T20:52:29Z")

</div>