Powershell excel to csv script works in ISE but not in powershell console - excel

Question

I have a short script that takes certain worksheets out of an excel file and saves them individually as a CSV file.
Function ExcelToCsv ($File) {
$myDir = Split-Path -Parent $($global:MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition)
$path = "$myDir\csv_files"
If(!(test-path -PathType container $path))
{
Write-Host "Folder csv_files not found, creating..."
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $path
}
$excelFile = "$myDir\" + $File + ".xlsx"
$Excel = New-Object -ComObject Excel.Application
$wb = $Excel.Workbooks.Open($excelFile)
$excel.DisplayAlerts = $false;
foreach ($ws in $wb.Worksheets) {
if($ws.name -like '*sheet*') {
$ws.SaveAs("$myDir\csv_files\" + $ws.name + ".csv", 6, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, $true)
Write-Host "Saved file: $myDir\csv_files\"$ws.name".csv"
} else {
Write-Host "Worksheet "$ws.name" not an correct sheet. Not saved"
}
}
$Excel.Quit()
}
$FileName = "myexcel"
ExcelToCsv -File $FileName
Write-Host "`nCSV files successfully created"
read-host "Press ENTER to exit...."
This is the entire code, not much to it and this is the correct output when run from ISE:
PS U:\excel_to_csv> U:\excel_to_csv\create_csv_files.ps1
Saved file: U:\excel_to_csv\csv_files\ 1sheet .csv
Saved file: U:\excel_to_csv\csv_files\ 2sheet .csv
Saved file: U:\excel_to_csv\csv_files\ 3sheet .csv
CSV files successfully created
Press ENTER to exit....:
But when I use a Powershell console:
Folder csv_files not found, creating...
New-Item : Cannot find drive. A drive with the name 'if((Get-ExecutionPolicy ) -ne 'AllSigned') { Set-ExecutionPolicy -
Scope Process Bypass }; & 'U' does not exist.
At U:\excel_to_csv\create_csv_files.ps1:7 char:9
+ New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $path
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (if((Get-Executi... Bypass }; & 'U:String) [New-Item], DriveNotFoundExce
ption
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DriveNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewItemCommand
Ľutujeme, if((Get-ExecutionPolicy ) -ne 'AllSigned') { Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process Bypass }; & 'U:\excel_to_csv\
myexcel.xlsx sa nepodarilo nájsť. Je možné, že bol premiestnený, premenovaný alebo odstránený.
At U:\excel_to_csv\create_csv_files.ps1:11 char:5
+ $wb = $Excel.Workbooks.Open($excelFile)
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : OperationStopped: (:) [], COMException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException
CSV files successfully created
Press ENTER to exit....:
Some of it is written in Slovakian, it roughly translates to:
Sorry, if((Get-ExecutionPolicy ) -ne 'AllSigned') { Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process Bypass }; & 'U:\excel_to_csv\
myexcel.xlsx could not be found. It is possible it was moved, renamed or deleted.
I have tried searching for a solution but nothing worked yet.
I tried making a bash script like this:
powershell.exe -noexit -file U:\create_csv_files.ps1
But that didn't work, not sure if I screwed it up.
As I am on a company computer I am unable to use administrator privileges, but if you believe the lack of them is the problem, I might be able to do something about it.
Thank you for any and all help!

Answer 1

Replace
$myDir = Split-Path -Parent $($global:MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition)
with
$myDir = $PSScriptRoot
The automatic $PSScriptRoot variable reliably reports the full path of the directory in which the currently executing script is located, irrespective of how the script was invoked. The related $PSCommandPath variable contains the script file's own full path.
Your symptom implies that you invoked your script from outside a PowerShell session, via powershell.exe -Command (with the -Command CLI parameter potentially being positionally implied), in which case $global:MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition contains the entire command text passed to -Command.