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Split-Path switches (-Leaf, -Parent, ...) do not work with -LiteralPath #20705
Description
Prerequisites
- Write a descriptive title.
- Make sure you are able to repro it on the latest released version
- Search the existing issues.
- Refer to the FAQ.
- Refer to Differences between Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell.
Steps to reproduce
Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
Expected behavior
PS> Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
C:\Actual behavior
PS> Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
Split-Path: Parameter set cannot be resolved using the specified named parameters. One or more parameters issued cannot be used together or an insufficient number of parameters were provided.Error details
Exception :
Type : System.Management.Automation.ParameterBindingException
Message : Parameter set cannot be resolved using the specified named parameters. One or more parameters issued
cannot be used together or an insufficient number of parameters were provided.
ErrorId : AmbiguousParameterSet
Line : 1
Offset : 1
CommandInvocation :
MyCommand : Split-Path
BoundParameters :
Comparer : System.OrdinalIgnoreCaseComparer
Count : 2
Keys :
Length : 6
Length : 11
Values :
IsPresent : True
Length : 1
LongLength : 1
Rank : 1
SyncRoot :
Length : 10
IsFixedSize : True
Count : 1
SyncRoot :
Comparer : System.OrdinalIgnoreCaseComparer
Count : 2
Keys :
Length : 6
Length : 11
Values :
IsPresent : True
Length : 1
LongLength : 1
Rank : 1
SyncRoot :
Length : 10
IsFixedSize : True
Count : 1
SyncRoot :
Comparer : System.OrdinalIgnoreCaseComparer
Count : 2
Keys :
Length : 6
Length : 11
Values :
IsPresent : True
Length : 1
LongLength : 1
Rank : 1
SyncRoot :
Length : 10
IsFixedSize : True
Count : 1
SyncRoot :
Comparer : System.OrdinalIgnoreCaseComparer
Count : 2
Keys :
Length : 6
Length : 11
Values :
IsPresent : True
Length : 1
LongLength : 1
Rank : 1
SyncRoot :
Length : 10
IsFixedSize : True
Count : 1
SyncRoot :
Comparer : System.OrdinalIgnoreCaseComparer
Count : 2
Keys :
Length : 6
Length : 11
Values :
IsPresent : True
Length : 1
LongLength : 1
Rank : 1
SyncRoot :
Length : 10
IsFixedSize : True
Count : 1
SyncRoot :
Comparer : System.OrdinalIgnoreCaseComparer
Count : 2
Keys :
Length : 6
Length : 11
Values :
IsPresent : True
Length : 1
LongLength : 1
Rank : 1
SyncRoot : …
IsFixedSize : True
Count : 1
SyncRoot :
Comparer : System.OrdinalIgnoreCaseComparer
Count : 2
Keys : …
Values : …
SyncRoot : …
ScriptLineNumber : 1
OffsetInLine : 1
HistoryId : 8
Line : Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
Statement : Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
PositionMessage : At line:1 char:1
+ Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
InvocationName : Split-Path
PipelineLength : 1
PipelinePosition : 1
ErrorRecord :
Exception :
Type : System.Management.Automation.ParentContainsErrorRecordException
Message : Parameter set cannot be resolved using the specified named parameters. One or more parameters issued
cannot be used together or an insufficient number of parameters were provided.
HResult : -2146233087
CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [Split-Path], ParentContainsErrorRecordException
FullyQualifiedErrorId : AmbiguousParameterSet,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.SplitPathCommand
InvocationInfo :
MyCommand : Split-Path
ScriptLineNumber : 1
OffsetInLine : 1
HistoryId : 8
Line : Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
Statement : Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
PositionMessage : At line:1 char:1
+ Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CommandOrigin : Internal
ScriptStackTrace : at <ScriptBlock>, <No file>: line 1
TargetSite :
Name : ThrowAmbiguousParameterSetException
DeclaringType : System.Management.Automation.CmdletParameterBinderController, System.Management.Automation,
Version=7.4.0.101, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35
MemberType : Method
Module : System.Management.Automation.dll
Data : System.Collections.ListDictionaryInternal
Source : System.Management.Automation
HResult : -2146233087
StackTrace :
at System.Management.Automation.CmdletParameterBinderController.ThrowAmbiguousParameterSetException(UInt32 parameterSetFlags,
MergedCommandParameterMetadata bindableParameters)
at System.Management.Automation.CmdletParameterBinderController.ValidateParameterSets(Boolean prePipelineInput, Boolean
setDefault)
at System.Management.Automation.CmdletParameterBinderController.BindCommandLineParametersNoValidation(Collection`1 arguments)
at System.Management.Automation.CmdletParameterBinderController.BindCommandLineParameters(Collection`1 arguments)
at System.Management.Automation.CommandProcessor.BindCommandLineParameters()
at System.Management.Automation.CommandProcessor.Prepare(IDictionary psDefaultParameterValues)
at System.Management.Automation.CommandProcessorBase.DoPrepare(IDictionary psDefaultParameterValues)
at System.Management.Automation.Internal.PipelineProcessor.Start(Boolean incomingStream)
at System.Management.Automation.Internal.PipelineProcessor.SynchronousExecuteEnumerate(Object input)
--- End of stack trace from previous location ---
at System.Management.Automation.Internal.PipelineProcessor.SynchronousExecuteEnumerate(Object input)
at System.Management.Automation.PipelineOps.InvokePipeline(Object input, Boolean ignoreInput, CommandParameterInternal[][]
pipeElements, CommandBaseAst[] pipeElementAsts, CommandRedirection[][] commandRedirections, FunctionContext funcContext)
at System.Management.Automation.Interpreter.ActionCallInstruction`6.Run(InterpretedFrame frame)
at System.Management.Automation.Interpreter.EnterTryCatchFinallyInstruction.Run(InterpretedFrame frame)
CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [Split-Path], ParameterBindingException
FullyQualifiedErrorId : AmbiguousParameterSet,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.SplitPathCommand
InvocationInfo :
MyCommand : Split-Path
ScriptLineNumber : 1
OffsetInLine : 1
HistoryId : 8
Line : Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
Statement : Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
PositionMessage : At line:1 char:1
+ Split-Path -Parent -LiteralPath $env:SystemRoot
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CommandOrigin : Internal
ScriptStackTrace : at <ScriptBlock>, <No file>: line 1Environment data
Name Value
---- -----
PSVersion 7.4.0-rc.1
PSEdition Core
GitCommitId 7.4.0-rc.1
OS Microsoft Windows 10.0.25992
Platform Win32NT
PSCompatibleVersions {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion 2.3
SerializationVersion 1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion 3.0Visuals
Reacted by Michael Klement
Activity
jantari commentedon Nov 16, 2023
Originally reported by Michael Klement (@mklement0) in #8751
Yes I hereby confirm this is still a blocker for me.
237dmitry commentedon Nov 16, 2023
This is because the parameters must be in the parameter set in which they are specified. As you can see,
Parentis not in the list of available options:mklement0 commentedon Nov 16, 2023
Good to know the technical reason for the bug, 237dmitry, but the point is that it is a bug: there is no conceivable reason not to allow the combination of
-LiteralPathwith either-Parentor-Leaf.(As noted in the original issue (#8751), using
-Pathis a workaround, becauseSplit-Pathtreats-Pathand-LiteralPatharguments the same; also, for-Parentonly, simply omitting it with-LiteralPathis an option, given that the-Parentfunctionality is the default one, e.g.Split-Path -LiteralPath $HOME)237dmitry commentedon Nov 16, 2023
They are incompatible with each other due to the design of the cmdlet. Can this be considered a bug? Probably only from the point of view of what the authors meant by such sets of parameters. In my opinion this is rather a feature request.
jantari commentedon Nov 16, 2023
Any bug can be considered "design" because it's always technically coded to behave that way. But if it makes no sense, goes against expectations, there's no good reason for the behavior and it likely wasn't intended by the authors - then it becomes a bug.
237dmitry commentedon Nov 16, 2023
No, because with proper syntax you won't get error.
mklement0 commentedon Nov 16, 2023
237dmitry, what you're arguing about is a fruitless distraction (yes, you can avoid the bug and choose to call it "proper syntax", using the circular argument that the current implementation is ipso facto by design).
If you oppose the behavior this issue calls for - whatever you choose to label that call as - argue that.
If, by contrast, your concern is that the - legitimate - concern raised by this issue will not be heard unless properly classified - argue that.
237dmitry commentedon Nov 17, 2023
Ask the developers why they decided that
-LiteralPathdoes not need to have the same functionality as-Path? Let them argue.mklement0 commentedon Nov 17, 2023
237dmitry commentedon Nov 17, 2023
What is your circular reasoning, is this a bug or bad design? I think this is the second.
And, what is for
-LiteralPathin this cmdlet at all? This works correctly:TobiasPSP commentedon Nov 17, 2023
Cmdlets should be intuitive to use. When there is no technical reason why a given parameter should not work in a specific parameterset, then adding it to the parameterset seems an easy fix. I‘ll take this issue to the cmdlet working group for discussion.
mklement0 commentedon Nov 17, 2023
Thank you, Dr. Tobias Weltner (@TobiasPSP).
The fix should indeed be simple; to spell it out: add all switches such as
-Parentto theLiteralPathSetparameter set.(I got myself confused earlier regarding the
-Resolveswitch: it resolves paths to full paths, but (sensibly) supports wildcard resolution only with-Path, not also with-LiteralPath(which sensibly only resolves literally matching paths to full paths), so making-LiteralPathan alias of-Pathisn't an option, even though without-Resolveit effectively is)237dmitry commentedon Nov 17, 2023
I absolutely agree with you, thank you.
4 remaining items
SteveL-MSFT commentedon Dec 6, 2023
@PowerShell/wg-powershell-cmdlets reviewed this. -LiteralPath in all cases should work with the same set of parameters that -Path would accept (excluding some potential edge cases) as its intent is to allow an easier way to specify characters that shouldn't be interpreted. The only concern is the complexity of untangling the parametersets to ensure no regression. However, we agreed that the other switches should work with -LiteralPath
jantari commentedon Jun 4, 2024
bump....
jantari commentedon Dec 2, 2024
activity
Yes this is obviously still an issue.
jantari commentedon Jun 1, 2025
activity