PowerShell Workflow is a feature that was introduced starting with PowerShell version 3.0. Workflow definitions look very similar to PowerShell function definitions, however they execute within the Windows Workflow Foundation environment, instead of directly in the PowerShell engine.
Several unique "out of box" features are included with the Workflow engine, most notably, job persistence.
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Examples
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Just like PowerShell functions, workflows can accept input parameter. Input parameters can optionally be bound to a specific data type, such as a string, integer, etc. Use the standard
paramkeyword to define a block of input parameters, directly after the workflow declaration.workflow DoSomeWork { param ( [string[]] $ComputerName ) Get-Process -ComputerName $ComputerName } DoSomeWork -ComputerName server01, server02, server03 -
workflow DoSomeWork { parallel { Get-Process -ComputerName server01 Get-Process -ComputerName server02 Get-Process -ComputerName server03 } }One of the unique features of PowerShell Workflow is the ability to define a block of activities as parallel. To use this feature, use the
parallelkeyword inside your Workflow.Calling workflow activities in parallel may help to improve performance of your workflow.
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PowerShell Workflows are inherently equipped with the ability to run as a background job. To call a workflow as a PowerShell background job, use the
-AsJobparameter when invoking the workflow.workflow DoSomeWork { Get-Process -ComputerName server01 Get-Process -ComputerName server02 Get-Process -ComputerName server03 } DoSomeWork -AsJob -
workflow DoSomeWork { Get-Process -Name notepad | Stop-Process }This is a basic example of a PowerShell Workflow definition.
Remarks
The PowerShell Workflow feature is exclusively supported on the Microsoft Windows platform, under PowerShell Desktop Edition. PowerShell Core Edition, which is supported on Linux, Mac, and Windows, does not support the PowerShell Workflow feature.
When authoring a PowerShell Workflow, keep in mind that workflows call activities, not cmdlets. You can still call cmdlets from a PowerShell Workflow, but the Workflow Engine will implicitly wrap the cmdlet invocation in an InlineScript activity. You can also explicitly wrap code inside of the InlineScript activity, which executes PowerShell code; by default the InlineScript activity runs in a separate process, and returns the result to the calling Workflow.
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