PowerShell / PowerShell/PSScriptAnalyzer
Variables, defined with "-Option AllScope", in Nested Function reports "assigned but never used".
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Description
Issue Description
I'm learning PowerShell, and also new to Visual Studio Code, and ran into a situation where it would be useful to create nested functions that access the parent function's variables. To my pleasant surprise PowerShell can do this and I created the below code to try it out. But Visual Studio Code continues to complain "The variable 'Data' is assigned but never used." and "The variable 'Return' is assigned but never used." But PowerShell itself seems to be quite happy with the code and produces the results I expected.
It appears that Visual Studio code is not recognizing the work that "Set-Variable", with the "AllScope" option, does in making these variables accessible throughout the GetMatchingIndex method (I wouldn't be surprised if "AllScope" makes it accessible outside the class - coming from a C# background, PowerShell does some really weird things).
If VSCode is working correctly, and there really are 2 bugs in my code, then I guess I need someone to explain how to fix the code.
class FERMI { # ForEachReturnMatchingIndex
[string[]]$CharSets
FERMI() {
$this.CharSets = 'ab', 'cd', 'ef', 'gh'
}
[int] GetMatchingIndex([string]$StringToFind) {
Write-Host
Set-Variable -Name ItemIndex, UpperOuterBounds, Data, Return -Option AllScope
[int]$Return = [int]$ItemIndex = -1
$UpperOuterBounds = $this.CharSets.Length
function AbleToGetAnotherItem {
[OutputType([bool])]
param ()
if ($atgaiReturn = ++$ItemIndex -lt $UpperOuterBounds) { $Data = $this.CharSets[$ItemIndex]}
return $atgaiReturn
}
function ProcessData {
Write-Host "Data: $Data, Index: $ItemIndex"
if($Data -eq $StringToFind){
$Return = $ItemIndex
}
}
While (AbleToGetAnotherItem) {
ProcessData
}
return $Return
}
}
[FERMI] $MyFERMI = [FERMI]::New()
Write-Host "ef: $($MyFERMI.GetMatchingIndex('ef'))"
Write-Host "cd: $($MyFERMI.GetMatchingIndex('cd'))"
Write-Host "ij: $($MyFERMI.GetMatchingIndex('ij'))"
Write-Host "gh: $($MyFERMI.GetMatchingIndex('gh'))"
Write-Host "ab: $($MyFERMI.GetMatchingIndex('ab'))"
Environment Information
Visual Studio Code
| Name | Version |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows_NT x64 10.0.19042 |
| VSCode | 1.55.2 |
| PowerShell Extension Version | 2021.2.2 |
PowerShell Information
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| PSVersion | 7.1.3 |
| PSEdition | Core |
| GitCommitId | 7.1.3 |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 10.0.19042 |
| Platform | Win32NT |
| PSCompatibleVersions | 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 5.1.10032.0 6.0.0 6.1.0 6.2.0 7.0.0 7.1.3 |
| PSRemotingProtocolVersion | 2.3 |
| SerializationVersion | 1.1.0.1 |
| WSManStackVersion | 3.0 |
Visual Studio Code Extensions
Visual Studio Code Extensions(Click to Expand)
| Extension | Author | Version |
|---|---|---|
| powershell | ms-vscode | 2021.2.2 |
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by running the supplied FERMI PowerShell reproduction with the reported PowerShell and VS Code extension versions, then inspect how the analyzer tracks variables created with Set-Variable -Option AllScope inside nested functions. Done means the diagnostics correctly account for the variables' uses, or the issue clearly documents why the warnings are valid.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- powershell, vscode
- Domain
- tooling
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100