Azure with PowerShell: empty string for Identity - azure

Question

I have a PowerShell script that logs into Azure and assign a group call membership to a user based on the input email address the user gave:
Function SetUser
{
$script:user = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter the user's email address"
Write-Host "You set the email address as '$user'." -ForegroundColor yellow
}
Function Assigndelegate($user)
{
$job = Start-Job -ScriptBlock {
param($user)
New-CsUserCallingDelegate -Identity $identity -Delegate $user -MakeCalls $true -ReceiveCalls $true -ManageSettings $false
} -ArgumentList $user
while ($job.State -eq 'Running') {
Write-Host "Connecting to Azure..."
Wait-Job -Job $job
}
$result = Receive-Job $job
(Get-CsUserCallingSettings -Identity $user).Delegators | ft -Property Id, MakeCalls, ReceiveCalls, ManageSettings
}
Connect-MicrosoftTeams
$script:identity = "user#contoso.com"
SetUser
Assigndelegate $user
This gives me the following error:
Cannot bind argument to parameter 'Identity' because it is an empty string.
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [New-CsUserCallingDelegate], ParameterBindingValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationErrorEmptyStringNotAllowed,New-CsUserCallingDelegate
+ PSComputerName : localhost
What I understand is that it cannot read the variable $identity, but I don't see the reason why: I tried also with the "$global:" prefix to see it works, even though that would not be ideal as this changes later, got the same error. If I directly add the value of this variable, it works.
If I define Identity in the same name in the 'param' and 'ArgumentList' the error changes to:
Cannot bind argument to parameter 'Identity' because it is an empty string.
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [New-CsUserCallingDelegate], ParameterBindingValidationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationErrorEmptyStringNotAllowed,New-CsUserCallingDelegate
+ PSComputerName : localhost
Get-CsUserCallingSettings : Cannot process argument transformation on parameter 'Identity'. Cannot convert value to type System.String.
At line:36 char:42
+ (Get-CsUserCallingSettings -Identity $user).Delegators | ft -Prop ...
+ ~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Get-CsUserCallingSettings], ParameterBindingArgumentTransformationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentTransformationError,Get-CsUserCallingSettings
UPDATE:
After Updating the argument list, I still get the error:
#Set the user
Function SetUser
{
$script:user = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter the user's email address"
Write-Host "You set the email address as '$user'." -ForegroundColor yellow
}
Function Assigndelegate($user, $identity)
{
$job = Start-Job -ScriptBlock {
param($user, $identity)
New-CsUserCallingDelegate -Identity $identity -Delegate $user -MakeCalls $true -ReceiveCalls $true -ManageSettings $false
} -ArgumentList #($user, $identity)
while ($job.State -eq 'Running') {
Write-Host "Connecting to Azure..."
Wait-Job -Job $job
}
$result = Receive-Job $job
#(Get-CsUserCallingSettings -Identity $user).Delegators | ft -Property Id, MakeCalls, ReceiveCalls, ManageSettings
}
Connect-MicrosoftTeams
$script:identity = "user#contoso.com"
SetUser
Assigndelegate $user, $identity
UPDATE II
Based on the idea recommended I simplified the script:
Function SetUser
{
$script:user = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter the user's email address"
Write-Host "You set the email address as '$user'." -ForegroundColor yellow
}
Function Assigndelegate($user, $identity)
{
Write-Output $identity
}
$script:identity = "user#contoso.com"
SetUser
Assigndelegate $user, $identity
It gives no results apart from:
"You set the email address as '$user'." -ForegroundColor yellow

Answer 1

The Start-Job cmdlet starts a process in a separate session, so none of the scopes (local, script or global) are visible to the script block it executes. The only way around this is to add identity as a parameter in your script block and pass it explicitly, i.e:
Function SetUser
{
$script:user = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter the user's email address"
Write-Host "You set the email address as '$user'." -ForegroundColor yellow
}
Function Assigndelegate($user, $identity)
{
$job = Start-Job -ScriptBlock {
param($user, $identity)
New-CsUserCallingDelegate -Identity $identity -Delegate $user -MakeCalls $true -ReceiveCalls $true -ManageSettings $false
} -ArgumentList #($user, $identity)
while ($job.State -eq 'Running') {
Write-Host "Connecting to Azure..."
Wait-Job -Job $job
}
$result = Receive-Job $job
(Get-CsUserCallingSettings -Identity $user).Delegators | ft -Property Id, MakeCalls, ReceiveCalls, ManageSettings
}
Connect-MicrosoftTeams
$script:identity = "user#contoso.com"
SetUser
Assigndelegate -user $user -identity $identity