I want the following command executed. which should be 6 spaces with a red background with no newline
write-host " "*6 -backgroundcolor red -nonewline
I am trying to accomplish this with variables, but am missing something
$newline = " -nonewline" $color = " -backgroundcolor red" $count = " "*6 write-host $count $color $newline
I need to be able to use variables to control the color and -nonewline switch. My example of how I am trying to do it is faulty. How could I accomplish this?
I think I found a good solution: invoke-expression
invoke-expression "write-host $count $color $newline"
You were almost there. Have a look at splatting. You can create a hash table with the names of the parameters and the values you wish to supply to those parameters then pass the hash table variable to the cmdlet prefixed with an @ symbol. Eg.
$hash=@{object="test";foregroundcolor="red"}
Write-host @hash
other acceptable variant
$nonewline = $true
$color = ‘red’
$count = " "*6
write-host $count -backgroundcolor $color -nonewline:$nonewline
invoke-expression is a BAD variant. It’s contr-intuitive and vulnerable to exploits and nasty bugs that difficult to detect
$foo=13
write-host $(" "*$foo) -BackgroundColor red -NoNewline
I finished my introduction to my first program, a tic tac toe game. What do you think.
Optimized code style (with comments, why that way is better )
#this function converts a value to pixels to create billy
function write-billy{
#these are the pixels(spaces) that make up the ascii image
$billy = ('sb8','nl9','sb6','sl4','sw5','nl4','sb5','sl3','sw9',
'nl3', 'sb4','sl3','sw11','nl3','sb3','sl3','sw3','sr3','sw1',
'sr3','sw3','nl3','sb3','sl3','sw2','sl1','sr1','sl1','sr1','sw1',
'sr1','sl1','sr1','sl1','sw2','nl4','sb2','sl3','sw4','sr3','sw1',
'sr3','sw4','nl3','sb2','sl3','sw1','sr1','sw1','sr1','sw7','sr1',
'sw1','sr1','sw1','nl3','sb1','sl5','sw1','sr1','sw9','sr1','sw1',
'nl5','sb1','sl7','sw1','sr7','sw1','nl7','sb2','sl6','sw2','sl1',
'sw3','sl1','sw2','nl6','sb3','sl4','sr2','sw1','sl1','sw3','sl1',
'sw1','sr2','nl4','sb7','sl1','sr9','nl1','sb5','sl2','sr2','sl2',
'sw3','sl2','sr2','nl2','sb3','sl9','nl9','sb2','nl21','sb1','nl23')
foreach ($i in $billy){
#this part determines how many spaces to print
# if you need string from some character to end
# you can use another substring() overload
$manychars = $i.substring(2)
#this next part determines the color to print
# switch statement in this case more intuitive and readable
# you can user [] indexer if you need string characters one by one
switch ($i[1]) {
'r' { $color = 'red' }
'l' { $color = 'black' }
'w' { $color = 'white' }
default { $color = $host.UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor } # default console color
}
#this part determines if it needs a -nonewline added
$newline = ($i[0] -eq 's') # already boolean(true/false) type
# right variable usage in this case ( Invoke-Expression > $null )
Write-Host (' '*$manychars) -BackgroundColor $color -NoNewLine:$newline
}
}
function write-slow ($text, $delay){
# Do not need string splitting, you can use string as char array
foreach ($i in $text.ToCharArray()){
# do not need any intermediate variables
Write-Host -NoNewline $i
Start-Sleep -Milliseconds $delay
}
Write-Host
}
write-billy
Write-Host
write-slow 'Would you like to play a game?' 125
Write-Host
write-slow 'press enter to fulfill your destiny' 125
Read-Host
Thanks Max. Those were some great suggestions 
forget to say, i change write slow style to one-by-one character output, and youth - word by word
your variant without extra variables:
function write-slow ($text, $delay){
foreach ($i in $text.split(" ")){
Write-Host -NoNewline ($i + " ")
Start-Sleep -Milliseconds $delay
}
write-host
}
another variant with -byword output, but it out space symbol as word (and implement delay on it, thus you need two times shorter delay to the same speed). this time use powershell native split operator with regular expression
function write-slow ($text, $delay){
foreach ($i in ($text -split ‘(\s)’)){
Write-Host -NoNewline $i
Start-Sleep -Milliseconds $delay
}
write-host
}
third variant
function write-slow ($text, $delay){
# Do not need string splitting, you can use string as char array
foreach ($i in $text.ToCharArray()){
# do not need any intermediate variables
Write-Host -NoNewline $i
if ($i -eq ’ ') {
Start-Sleep -Milliseconds $delay
}
}
Write-Host
}
I like the code, but when I am trying it, I am not able to use the envirmental variable for background color
PS C:\Users\shane> Write-Host gggggggggg -BackgroundColor $host.UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor
Write-Host : Cannot process the color because -1 is not a valid color.
Parameter name: value
Actual value was -1.
At line:1 char:1
+ Write-Host gggggggggg -BackgroundColor $host.UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [Write-Host], ArgumentOutOfRangeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : SetInvalidBackgroundColor,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.WriteHostCommand
This is because you use ISE,
in pure Powershell: PS D:> $host.UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor
DarkMagenta
in ISE: PS D:> $host.UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor
-1
You can use this workaround
somewhere in the beginning of your script:
$defaultColor = $host.UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor
if ($defaultColor -eq -1) { $defaultColor = ‘DarkMagenta’ } #or some another color you need
and in switch()
default { $color = $defaultColor }
Thanks