PowerShell add Task to run PowerShell script with parameters

Question

I am trying add a Task to the Task Scheduler from a PowerShell script that will run a PowerShell script with parameters.

The spaces in the file path are conflicting with the necessary quotes surrounding the whole command, and SCHTASKS converts ' to " so I can't encapsulate properly.

$command = "PowerShell \`"& 'C:\ProgramFiles (x86)\MyDir\MyScript.ps1' $myStringParam $myBooleanParam\'"" 
Write-Host $command # This outputs: PowerShell \"& 'C:\Program Files (x86)\MyDir\MyScript.ps1' Cat 0\"  
SCHTASKS /Create /TN "MyTask" /TR "$command" /SC DAILY /ST 01:30:00 /RL Highest /EC ScriptEvents /RU SYSTEM

but Task Scheduler shows Actions as:

PowerShell "& "C:\Program Files (x86)\MyDir\MyScript.ps1" Cat 0"

The " and " cancel each other out because ' is always switched to " here, thus task fails.

Solution 1

Solved it by using \" as the inner quotes. Had to swap ' with \\\`" in PowerShell script

$command = "PowerShell \`"& \\\`"C:\ProgramFiles (x86)\MyDir\MyScript.ps1\\\`" $myStringParam $myBooleanParam\'"" 

So Task Scheduler shows

PowerShell "& \"C:\Program Files (x86)\MyDir\MyScript.ps1\" Cat 0"

Solution 2

Try using the -File parameter of powershell.exe to specify the script to run and just add the parameters of the script at the end

powershell.exe -File "C:\Program Files (x86)\MyDir\MyScript.ps1" Cat 0

UPDATE

Boolean and Switch parameters seem to be a problem with -File. This will work:

powershell.exe "C:\Program Files (x86)\MyDir\MyScript.ps1" Cat 0

Comments

[Brent]

Tried that many times, doesn't work because then PowerShell can't translate the 0 (or $false) to boolean from the string.

[Nick]

@Brent: Seems to be a known problem. Updated my answer with a fix