Begin/Process/End or Process only. No Process/End, Begin/End, Begin/Process.

[Null-Fault]

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_functions_advanced_methods?view=powershell-7.3

Pretty straight forward. Microsoft states:

Using either a begin or end block requires that you define all three blocks. When using any block, all PowerShell code must be inside one of the blocks.

The examples in the style guide do not fit Microsoft's recommendation.

[indented-automation]

The documentation is incorrect and that should be fixed, not this guide.

The documentation also contradicts itself a bit on this point, which to my mind reinforces the need to correct the documentation. It includes the following assertion:

You can use a `process` block without defining the other blocks.

Raised PR: MicrosoftDocs/PowerShell-Docs#10521

[Null-Fault]

The documentation may be incorrect about what is technically possible, but that does not mean that is not stylistically ideal.

Why would you only have an end block? Would it not be better to just have no begin/process/end blocks in that case?

Why would you only have a begin block? Would it not be better to just have no begin/process/end blocks in that case?

Supposedly you need a process block to iterate pipeline objects (happy to be wrong there) and that is the minimum of what is needed, but you don't have to define begin/end blocks to use a function nor do they add meaningful clarity if used by themselves. There are many things that are technically possible but not stylistically ideal.

[indented-automation]

I don't really understand your point. But I do want to be clear at the outset I'm treating this as a problem of two halves:

1. Any change to the style guide when there's a good basis or argument for making that change.
2. A technical requirement postulated by the about_ docs.

1. Changes to suggested style

I strongly suggest you highlight the part of this guide you think should change, and comment based on that. You cite MS docs, but not really how it applies to the guide, or really what you want changed in this guide.

Is your comment directed at this statement?

https://github.com/PoshCode/PowerShellPracticeAndStyle/blob/master/Style-Guide/Code-Layout-and-Formatting.md#prefer-param--begin-process-end

It is fine to disagree with the style guide and to propose change. Style is inherently opinionated. We (or others) may end up not agreeing, but that's the nature of opinion and that outcome is fine.

Why would you only have an end block? Would it not be better to just have no begin/process/end blocks in that case?

I regard this as fair comment. I would, personally, not have an end block if I had no others. I'd regard it as clutter.

Why would you only have a begin block? Would it not be better to just have no begin/process/end blocks in that case?

I have no use case for this, but they are not technically equivalent. end is not a substitute for begin when operating in a pipeline.

I cannot imagine a use-case for this, but I would not seek to restrict based on my lack of imagination. But I cannot find any part of the guide that asserts use of end in place of begin. I possibly did not look hard enough.

Supposedly you need a process block to iterate pipeline objects (happy to be wrong there)

You can technically do it all in end via $input, bit magic though.

Are you suggesting that when I have process, I should maintain an empty begin and end block? I'm not clear on this point.

2. The about_ document

About documents are technical documents, not style guides. The highlighted assertion, which I have corrected by the (merged) PR linked above, is:

Using either a begin or end block requires that you define all three blocks. When using any block, all PowerShell code must be inside one of the blocks.

This is framed as a technical requirement ("requires that you"), not a style choice.

It tells me that if I want to do this:

functionWrite-Number {
param (
[Parameter(ValueFromPipeline)]
[int]
$Number
)
process {
Write-Host$Number
}
}

That I would in fact have to do this:

functionWrite-Number {
param (
[Parameter(ValueFromPipeline)]
[int]
$Number
)
begin {}
process {
Write-Host$Number
}
end {}
}

Implying my first block would not work because I had omitted the two blocks I wasn't using.

Since this asserted technical requirement is incorrect I raised a (now merged) fix for that.

[Null-Fault]

Let's refer back to the document a few times then I'll go with some examples.

If you do not use any blocks then everything is automatically put into an end block. This is stated in the document:

You aren't required to use any of these blocks in your functions. If you don't use a named block, then PowerShell puts the code in the end block of the function.

So we know we do not need to use an end block if we do not need to use other blocks.

You can use a process block without defining the other blocks.

The process block is required for processing objects via the pipeline. It does not require begin/end blocks.

What does this mean? This means that this is redundant for a regular function:

functionWrite-Number {
param (
[int]$Number
)
end {
Write-Host$Number
}
}

And this is more straightforward for a regular function:

functionWrite-Number {
param (
[int]$Number
)
Write-Host$Number
}

You would also never do this:

functionWrite-Number {
param (
[int]$Number
)
begin {
Write-Host$Number
}
}

For processing items via the pipeline, your first example is ideal for the minimum needed for a function for pipeline input:

functionWrite-Number {
param (
[Parameter(ValueFromPipeline)]
[int]$Number
)
process {
Write-Host$Number
}
}

However if you're going to use begin/end blocks then you would likely be setting something up to either return or tear down later like:

functionWrite-Number {
param (
[Parameter(ValueFromPipeline)]
[int]$Number
)
begin {
$Numbers=@()
process {
$Numbers+=$Number
}
end {
return$Numbers
}
}

The order of preference for the blocks should be:
No blocks
Only process block
All blocks

The last one is the one most easily debatable. I hope I have shown why you usually would not want to use begin/end blocks and if you do then they should be used with process, but process can be used all by itself. It usually should be.

[indented-automation]

You need to associate the comments above with the parts of the guide that you'd like to see changed.

As I said above, it's fine to suggest change where you have a good case for that. However, someone needs to write that change into the guide. Having an idea of what specifically should change is critical. You can, of course, raise a pull request of your own to suggest change.

I personally would disagree with the order of preference as written (the final "All blocks"). For example, I might contrive a function whose only job is to add a value to the end of a pipeline:

functionWrite-Number {
param (
[Parameter(ValueFromPipeline)]
[int]$Number
)
process {
$Number
}
end {
9999
}
}

I don't wish to pretend this is a good function, but I don't need begin in this scenario, I therefore don't want to include it under an "All blocks" directive.

Similarly, I might want to include begin and process, but have no use for end. I have a few of these where begin does a bit of advanced parameter validation or stages something process might use.

My own guidance would therefore be:

1. Prefer implicit use of the default block when no other named block is required.
   • end for function.
   • process for filter.
2. Use named blocks to support a pipeline as appropriate for the command.
3. Do not include empty named blocks.

I have custom script analyzer rules that check for use of process when an input pipeline is not in use (for example) to enforce some of these patterns.

That's my own though, it is how I write my code now. My own preference does not necessarily need to line up with the style guide and does necessarily affect suggestions you might make.

[Jaykul]

I'm not sure what the debate is now. The original quote was simply, factually, wrong:

Using either a begin or end block requires that you define all three blocks.

For what it's worth, I agree that there is probably no reason to write just a begin block instead of just an end block -- but if you don't handle pipeline input, it basically makes no difference.

I also agree with @indented-automation that I prefer using the implicit blocks -- although my sense is that the PowerShell community tends to prefer explicit blocks "for clarity," and for the sake of people unfamiliar with the filter block. Oh, and also ... definitely agree that you shouldn't add empty blocks. 😃

[JohnLBevan]

I agree with @indented-automation and @Jaykul.

It sounds like the only reason to require a begin block if you have an end block is because the most of the scenarios (that we can imagine) need it...

• If that were the case, why would we need a style guide rule to enforce what the scenario/functional requirement would dictate anyway?
• If that's not the case, then it's not a valid argument

So it's a moot point.

If it helps though, an example scenario where we may want a begin or end block without the other would be logging. E.g.

FunctionInvoke-Example {
[CmdletBinding()]
param (
[Parameter(Mandatory)]
[string]$TextTemplate,
[Parameter(ValueFromPipeline)]
[int[]]$Number
)
Begin {
Write-Verbose"Invoke-Example called with TextTemplate: [$TextTemplate]"
}
Process {
foreach ($aNumberin$Number) {
$TextTemplate-f$aNumber
}
}
}

There is already a rule stating that we should always have a process block. That seems reasonable as if we're taking pipeline input, we'll generally want to process it. There are cases where we may have a function taht only cares about the last item in the pipeline; but those are rare enough that it's not worth debating existing guideline.

If we want to put any additional style guide rules here, maybe a good rule is "Always use a named block rather than relying on the default block behaviour".

• This would help automation flag likely mistakes (e.g. where someone's changed a parameter to be a pipeline variable but hasn't remembered to update their code to include a Process block.
• This would avoid confusion between the differing default behaviours of Functions vs Filters / make the code easier to read for those unfamiliar with this difference.

However, whilst we have the rule that we should always have an explicit process block, that's covered.

[Jaykul]

Always have at least a process {} code block if any parameters takes values from the pipeline.

Not always, only if parameters take values from the pipeline. 😉
Technically there are ways to do pipeline input and use $input in the end block, but people find it confusing.

[akselbork]

I personally Always use all 3 blocks
Why?
When creating functions with more then 1 parameter set to allow either importing data from a CSV or json etc files, but also to allow use of pipeline or objects to be passed into parameter.

BEGIN {}
I use to validate the parameters in the file and extract the data as objects (array) which match the same variable name as the one used for pipeline input.
Nested functions, static variables or calling variables with "null" values to meet the criteria for "language mode"
PROCESS {}
As this runs foreach object from pipeline input, I add a "foreach" block to allow the looping through the array if it comes from the begin block (an object is also an array with only one object)
END {}
Cleanup or final output.
If the function has a "no output" parameter (I use this when testing, or validation before running the function in production, or with "verbose" to show the progress through it

Adding all 3 blocks aren't that big a deal. It makes it more readable, and as the documentation says,it is used for "advanced function" and is not needed if it is just a "function"