SetVariableFromPowerShellDataFile Task

Overview

The SetVariableFromPowerShellDataFile task creates variables from data in a PowerShell data file (e.g. a .psd1 file, a module manifest, etc.). It uses the Import-PowerShellDataFile cmdlet, which was introduced in PowerShell 5. Set the Path property to the path to the PowerShell data file/manifest to read.

Set the Variables property to a key/value mapping of properties from the manifest file you want as variables. The name of each mapping should be the name of the property from the data file. The value of each mapping should be a variable name. A variable with that name will be created with that property's value.

Data files can have nested properties. For example, some module manifests contain metadata used when publishing that module to a remote repository:

@{
    PrivateData = @{
        PSData = @{
            ReleaseNotes = 'ReleaseNotes'
            Tags = @( 'tag1' )
        }
    }
}

To set variables from nested data element in your data file, create a mapping whose value is also a nested mapping. The nesting should match the nesting in the data file. For example, given the data file above, to create variables for the ReleaseNotes and Tags properties, your whiskey.yml file would look like this:

Build:
- SetVariableFromPowerShellDataFile:
    Path: Whiskey\Whiskey.psd1
    Variables:
        PrivateData:
            PSData:
                ReleaseNotes: RELEASE_NOTES
                Tags: TAGS

If the Variables property contains properties that don't exist in the data file, you'll get an error and your build will fail.

This task requires PowerShell 5.

Properties

• Path (mandatory): the path (relative to the whiskey.yml file) of the data file to read.
• Variables (mandatory): A name/value mapping of properties names from the data file. The names are property names. The values are variable names. Values may also be mappings. The task will look for corresponding mappings in the source data file.

Examples

Example 1

Given this data file:

@{
    # Script module or binary module file associated with this manifest.
    RootModule = 'Whiskey.psm1'
    # Version number of this module.
    ModuleVersion = '0.34.0'
}

With this whiskey.yml file:

Build:
- SetVariableFromPowerShellDataFile:
    Path: Whiskey\Whiskey.psd1
    Variables:
        RootModule: ROOT_MODULE
        ModuleVersion: MODULE_VERSION

Whiskey will create a ROOT_MODULE variable whose value is Whiskey.psm1' and a MODULE_VERSIONvariable whose value is0.34.0`.

Example 2

Demonstrates how to create variables from nested values.

Given this data file:

@{
    # Version number of this module.
    ModuleVersion = '0.34.0',
    PrivateData = @{
        PSData = @{
            ReleaseNotes = 'Release notes'
        }
    }
}

With this whiskey.yml file:

Build:
- SetVariableFromPowerShellDataFile:
    Path: Whiskey\Whiskey.psd1
    Variables:
        PrivateData:
            PSData:
                ReleaseNotes: RELEASE_NOTES

Whiskey will create a RELEASE_NOTES variable whose value is `Release notes'.