PowerShell: Setting an environment variable for a single command only

PowerShell: Setting an Environment Variable for a Single Command Only 💥

Have you ever wondered if you can set an environment variable for a single command only in PowerShell, just like you can on Linux? Well, wonder no more! In this blog post, we'll explore a solution to this problem and make your PowerShell experience even better. 💪🔥

The Challenge: Setting Environment Variables for a Single Command

In Linux, you can easily set an environment variable for a single command by using the following syntax:

$ FOO=BAR ./myscript

This sets the environment variable FOO to BAR and executes the myscript command with this temporary variable. But what about PowerShell? 🤔

The Solution: Using the ampersand while setting an environment variable

Fortunately, PowerShell provides a simple solution to this problem. To set an environment variable for a single command, you can use the ampersand (&) along with the env: drive to temporarily create a new environment variable.

Here's how you can do it:

$env:FOO = "BAR"; & ./myscript

By using this syntax, you set the FOO environment variable to BAR just for the duration of the myscript command. Afterward, the variable FOO goes back to its original value or is unset if it didn't exist previously. 🚀

A Practical Example

To understand this solution better, let's consider a practical example. Suppose you have a third-party script that behaves differently based on the value of a specific environment variable, OPTION. Normally, you would have to set the variable, run the script, and then unset it to revert to the default behavior.

But with the PowerShell solution we provided, you can now easily switch between different behaviors without any hassle. Here's how:

1. Set OPTION to 1 and run the script:

   $env:OPTION = "1"; & ./myscript

2. Run the script with the default behavior (no OPTION set):

   & ./myscript

With this approach, you can conveniently test different scenarios or quickly switch between behaviors without having to modify scripts or unset environment variables manually. 🎉

Your Turn: Engage and Share Your Experience!

Now that you have this handy solution for setting environment variables for a single command only in PowerShell, it's time to try it out and share your experiences with us!

Have you encountered any other challenges with PowerShell or found other creative solutions? Share your thoughts, tips, and tricks in the comments below. Let's learn from each other and make PowerShell even more powerful! 💪🚀

So, go ahead, give it a try, and let us know how it worked for you! 🤩

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