Call powershell function in file without dot sourcing

Question

Is this possible if I only have one function in the file named the same as the file? I seem to remember reading about it before. Something like this:

hello.ps1

Answer 1

By default, the function hello will only be accessible at script scope unless you dot-source the script. That means, once the script exits, it is no longer visible. If you want it available outside of hello.ps1 without dot-sourcing, you can declare the function at global scope:

function global:hello {
    Write-Host 'Hello, world' 
}

Then you can just execute the script and then call the function:

PS C:\temp> .\hello.ps1
PS C:\temp> hello
Hello, world

For more info on powershell scopes, check out the help.

If you want to just have the code in the function execute, just don't surround it by a function declaration. In hello.ps1:

    Write-Host 'Hello, world' 

Then just call it:

PS C:\temp> .\hello.ps1
Hello, world