Powershell script gets stuck, doesn't exit when called from batch file

Question

I have a PowerShell script that connects to a web site, and parses its returned data (It's about importing a previously uploaded SQL file into the web site's data base). The PowerShell script uses wget, something I may replace by a native function later.

The import process is embedded in a script that is executed by a 3rd party program called scriptFTP.

The script runs fine when I call it from a single .bat file like so:

powershell  "& "C:\data\etc\run_import_script.ps1" exit %ERRORLEVEL% 

However, when I call this .bat file from within the greater ScriptFTP context, the following happens:

• The PowerShell script is executed. I confirmed this my sending myself an E-Mail each time the remote import script got called.
• PowerShell doesn't seem to exit, and script execution gets stuck. I can still cancel the whole thing using Ctrl+C but the following commands never get executed.

When I change the batch file to the following:

start powershell  "& "C:\data\etc\run_import_script.ps1" exit %ERRORLEVEL% 

it works, running the PowerShell script in a new console, but I can't grab the error level that PowerShell returns.

I have tried calling PowerShell from ScriptFTP directly, bypassing the batch file, but with the same result: It just gets stuck.

Any output I have the PowerShell script do using Write-Output or Write-Host is not displayed.

All programs run under the same user, me.

Does anybody have any ideas what to do?

Answer 1

This variant might work for you.

powershell -NoProfile -Command "C:\data\etc\run_import_script.ps1; exit $LASTEXITCODE" < NUL 

Taken from http://thepowershellguy.com/blogs/posh/archive/2008/05/20/hey-powershell-guy-how-can-i-run-a-powershell-script-from-cmd-exe-and-return-an-errorlevel.aspx