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Debugging Guide

This comprehensive guide covers debugging techniques for psake build scripts, from basic output inspection to advanced PowerShell debugging.

Quick Debugging Checklist​

When your build fails or behaves unexpectedly:

  1. Enable verbose output: Invoke-psake -Verbose
  2. Check task execution order: Invoke-psake -docs -detaileddocs
  3. Verify properties: Add Write-Host statements in your Properties block
  4. Test individual tasks: Run tasks one at a time
  5. Check external command output: Use exec with verbose flag
  6. Use the PowerShell debugger: Set breakpoints for complex issues

Verbose Output​

Basic Verbose Mode​

The simplest debugging approach is enabling verbose output:

# Enable verbose output
Invoke-psake -buildFile .\psakefile.ps1 -Verbose

# Combine with specific task
Invoke-psake -taskList Build -Verbose

# Also enable debug output
Invoke-psake -Verbose -Debug

This shows:

  • Task execution order
  • Dependency resolution
  • Property values
  • Detailed execution flow

Adding Custom Verbose Messages​

Properties {
    $Configuration = 'Release'
    $BuildDir = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'build'

    Write-Verbose "Properties initialized:"
    Write-Verbose "  Configuration: $Configuration"
    Write-Verbose "  BuildDir: $BuildDir"
}

Task Build {
    Write-Verbose "Starting build process"
    Write-Verbose "Current directory: $PWD"

    exec { dotnet build } -Verbose

    Write-Verbose "Build completed successfully"
}

Controlling Output Levels​

Properties {
    $VerbosePreference = 'Continue'  # Always show verbose
    # Or: 'SilentlyContinue' to hide verbose
}

Task Build {
    # This will show even without -Verbose flag
    Write-Verbose "This is verbose output"

    # Different output levels
    Write-Debug "Debug level information"
    Write-Information "Informational message"
    Write-Warning "Warning message"
    Write-Host "Always visible output"
}

Using PowerShell Debugger​

Setting Breakpoints​

Method 1: Line breakpoints

# Before running psake
Set-PSBreakpoint -Script .\psakefile.ps1 -Line 25

# Run psake (will pause at line 25)
Invoke-psake

# At the breakpoint:
# - Inspect variables: $Configuration, $BuildDir, etc.
# - Step through: s (step into), v (step over), o (step out)
# - Continue: c
# - Quit debugging: q

Method 2: Function/Task breakpoints

# Break when a specific task runs
Set-PSBreakpoint -Script .\psakefile.ps1 -Command Build

# Run psake
Invoke-psake -taskList Build

Method 3: Variable breakpoints

# Break when a variable is read or written
Set-PSBreakpoint -Variable Configuration -Mode ReadWrite -Script .\psakefile.ps1

Invoke-psake

Method 4: Inline breakpoint

Add directly in your psakefile.ps1:

Task Build {
    # Execution will pause here
    Wait-Debugger

    # Or use the older method
    Set-PSBreakpoint -Script $PSCommandPath -Line $MyInvocation.ScriptLineNumber

    exec { dotnet build }
}

Debugger Commands​

When paused at a breakpoint:

# Inspect variables
$Configuration
$BuildDir
Get-Variable

# Evaluate expressions
Test-Path $BuildDir
$PSScriptRoot

# List local variables
Get-Variable -Scope Local

# View call stack
Get-PSCallStack

# Step commands
s          # Step into
v          # Step over (or 'o' in older versions)
o          # Step out
c          # Continue execution
q          # Quit debugger

# List breakpoints
Get-PSBreakpoint

# Remove breakpoints
Get-PSBreakpoint | Remove-PSBreakpoint

Debugging in VS Code​

If using Visual Studio Code with PowerShell extension:

  1. Open your psakefile.ps1 in VS Code
  2. Click in the gutter to set breakpoints (red dots)
  3. Press F5 or use "Run and Debug"
  4. Add launch configuration in .vscode/launch.json:
{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "Debug psake Build",
            "type": "PowerShell",
            "request": "launch",
            "script": "${workspaceFolder}/psakefile.ps1",
            "args": [],
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
        }
    ]
}

Or debug the Invoke-psake call:

{
    "name": "Debug psake",
    "type": "PowerShell",
    "request": "launch",
    "script": "Invoke-psake",
    "args": [
        "-buildFile", "${workspaceFolder}/psakefile.ps1",
        "-taskList", "Build"
    ]
}

Inspecting Task Execution​

View Task Documentation​

# List all tasks with descriptions
Invoke-psake -docs

# Detailed documentation with dependencies
Invoke-psake -detaileddocs

Example output:

Name            Depends On
----            ----------
Build           Clean, Restore
Test            Build
Package         Test
Deploy          Package

Understanding Task Execution Order​

# Add task execution logging
FormatTaskName {
    param($taskName)

    Write-Host "======================================" -ForegroundColor Cyan
    Write-Host "Executing Task: $taskName" -ForegroundColor Cyan
    Write-Host "======================================" -ForegroundColor Cyan
}

Task Build -depends Clean, Restore {
    Write-Host "Build task running"
}

Tracing Task Dependencies​

# Create a helper to trace execution
Properties {
    $script:ExecutionTrace = @()
}

FormatTaskName {
    param($taskName)

    $script:ExecutionTrace += @{
        Task = $taskName
        Timestamp = Get-Date
    }

    Write-Host "[$(Get-Date -Format 'HH:mm:ss')] Starting: $taskName" -ForegroundColor Green
}

Task Build -depends Test {
    # Build logic
}

Task Cleanup {
    # Show execution trace at the end
    Write-Host "`nExecution Trace:" -ForegroundColor Yellow
    $script:ExecutionTrace | ForEach-Object {
        Write-Host "  $($_.Timestamp.ToString('HH:mm:ss.fff')) - $($_.Task)"
    }
}

Testing Task Dependencies Individually​

# Test each task independently
Invoke-psake -taskList Clean
Invoke-psake -taskList Restore
Invoke-psake -taskList Build

# This helps identify which task is failing

Logging Strategies​

Basic File Logging​

Properties {
    $LogFile = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'build.log'

    # Initialize log file
    "Build started at $(Get-Date)" | Set-Content $LogFile
}

function Write-BuildLog {
    param([string]$Message)

    $timestamp = Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss'
    $logMessage = "[$timestamp] $Message"

    # Write to console and file
    Write-Host $logMessage
    $logMessage | Add-Content $script:LogFile
}

Task Build {
    Write-BuildLog "Starting build for configuration: $Configuration"

    try {
        exec { dotnet build }
        Write-BuildLog "Build succeeded"
    } catch {
        Write-BuildLog "Build failed: $_"
        throw
    }
}

Structured Logging​

Properties {
    $LogFile = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'build.json'
    $script:BuildLog = @{
        StartTime = Get-Date
        Tasks = @()
        Properties = @{
            Configuration = $Configuration
            BuildNumber = $BuildNumber
        }
    }
}

function Add-TaskLog {
    param(
        [string]$TaskName,
        [string]$Status,
        [string]$Message = '',
        [timespan]$Duration
    )

    $script:BuildLog.Tasks += @{
        Task = $TaskName
        Status = $Status
        Message = $Message
        Duration = $Duration.TotalSeconds
        Timestamp = Get-Date
    }
}

FormatTaskName {
    param($taskName)

    $script:CurrentTaskStart = Get-Date
    $script:CurrentTaskName = $taskName
}

Task Build {
    $taskStart = Get-Date

    try {
        exec { dotnet build }
        $duration = (Get-Date) - $taskStart
        Add-TaskLog -TaskName 'Build' -Status 'Success' -Duration $duration
    } catch {
        $duration = (Get-Date) - $taskStart
        Add-TaskLog -TaskName 'Build' -Status 'Failed' -Message $_.Exception.Message -Duration $duration
        throw
    }
}

Task Cleanup {
    # Save log to file
    $script:BuildLog.EndTime = Get-Date
    $script:BuildLog.Duration = ($script:BuildLog.EndTime - $script:BuildLog.StartTime).TotalSeconds

    $script:BuildLog | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 | Set-Content $LogFile
    Write-Host "Build log saved to: $LogFile"
}

Logging External Command Output​

Task Build {
    $logFile = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'build-output.log'

    # Capture and log command output
    $output = exec { dotnet build } -PassThru
    $output | Set-Content $logFile

    # Or redirect output
    exec { dotnet build 2>&1 | Tee-Object -FilePath $logFile }
}

Integration with Logging Frameworks​

# Using PSFramework (install: Install-Module PSFramework)
Import-Module PSFramework

Properties {
    # Configure logging
    Set-PSFLoggingProvider -Name logfile -FilePath './logs/build.log' -Enabled $true
}

Task Build {
    Write-PSFMessage -Level Important "Starting build"

    try {
        exec { dotnet build }
        Write-PSFMessage -Level Significant "Build completed successfully"
    } catch {
        Write-PSFMessage -Level Error "Build failed" -ErrorRecord $_
        throw
    }
}

Debugging External Commands​

Using exec with Verbose Output​

Task Build {
    # Show command being executed
    exec { dotnet build } -Verbose

    # Or manually log it
    $cmd = 'dotnet build'
    Write-Host "Executing: $cmd" -ForegroundColor Yellow
    exec { & $cmd }
}

Capturing Exit Codes​

Task Build {
    # exec will throw on non-zero exit code
    try {
        exec { dotnet build }
    } catch {
        Write-Host "Command failed with exit code: $LASTEXITCODE"
        Write-Host "Error: $_"
        throw
    }
}

Debugging Command Failures​

Task Build {
    # Run command with error handling
    $ErrorActionPreference = 'Continue'

    $output = dotnet build 2>&1

    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
        Write-Host "Build failed with exit code: $LASTEXITCODE" -ForegroundColor Red
        Write-Host "Output:" -ForegroundColor Red
        $output | ForEach-Object { Write-Host $_ -ForegroundColor Red }

        # Optionally save to file for analysis
        $output | Set-Content './build-error.log'

        throw "Build failed. See build-error.log for details."
    }
}

Testing Commands Interactively​

Task Build {
    # Use -WhatIf pattern for dry runs
    if ($WhatIfPreference) {
        Write-Host "Would execute: dotnet build -c $Configuration"
        return
    }

    exec { dotnet build -c $Configuration }
}

# Invoke with:
# Invoke-psake -WhatIf

Common Debugging Scenarios​

Scenario 1: Task Not Running as Expected​

Problem: A task doesn't execute or executes in wrong order.

Debug steps:

# 1. Check if task exists
Invoke-psake -docs

# 2. View task dependencies
Invoke-psake -detaileddocs

# 3. Add execution tracing
FormatTaskName {
    param($taskName)
    Write-Host ">>> Executing: $taskName at $(Get-Date -Format 'HH:mm:ss.fff')"
}

# 4. Check preconditions
Task Build -precondition { $Configuration -eq 'Release' } {
    Write-Host "Precondition passed: Configuration = $Configuration"
    # Task logic
}

Scenario 2: Properties Have Unexpected Values​

Problem: Properties don't have the values you expect.

Debug steps:

Properties {
    $Configuration = 'Debug'
    $BuildNumber = $env:BUILD_NUMBER ?? '0'

    # Debug output
    Write-Host "=== Property Values ===" -ForegroundColor Cyan
    Get-Variable -Scope Script | Where-Object {
        $_.Name -in @('Configuration', 'BuildNumber')
    } | ForEach-Object {
        Write-Host "$($_.Name) = $($_.Value)"
    }
}

# Or create a debug task
Task ShowProperties {
    Write-Host "Configuration: $Configuration"
    Write-Host "BuildNumber: $BuildNumber"
    Write-Host "PSScriptRoot: $PSScriptRoot"

    # Show all properties
    Get-Variable -Scope Script | Format-Table Name, Value
}

# Run: Invoke-psake -taskList ShowProperties

Scenario 3: Path Issues​

Problem: Files or directories not found.

Debug steps:

Task Build {
    # Debug paths
    Write-Host "Current directory: $PWD"
    Write-Host "Script root: $PSScriptRoot"
    Write-Host "Build directory: $BuildDir"

    # Verify paths exist
    @($BuildDir, $SrcDir, $TestDir) | ForEach-Object {
        if (Test-Path $_) {
            Write-Host "✓ Found: $_" -ForegroundColor Green
        } else {
            Write-Host "✗ Missing: $_" -ForegroundColor Red
        }
    }

    # List contents
    Write-Host "`nContents of $SrcDir:"
    Get-ChildItem $SrcDir | ForEach-Object {
        Write-Host "  $($_.Name)"
    }
}

Scenario 4: Dependency Cycle​

Problem: Circular dependency error.

Debug steps:

# Use detailed docs to visualize dependencies
Invoke-psake -detaileddocs

# Create a dependency graph
Task ShowDependencies {
    $tasks = @{
        Build = @('Clean', 'Restore')
        Test = @('Build')
        Package = @('Test')
        Deploy = @('Package')
    }

    Write-Host "Task Dependency Graph:"
    $tasks.GetEnumerator() | ForEach-Object {
        Write-Host "$($_.Key) -> $($_.Value -join ', ')"
    }
}

Performance Debugging​

Measuring Task Execution Time​

Properties {
    $script:TaskTimings = @{}
}

FormatTaskName {
    param($taskName)

    $script:CurrentTask = $taskName
    $script:TaskTimings[$taskName] = @{
        Start = Get-Date
    }

    Write-Host "[$([Math]::Round(((Get-Date) - $script:BuildStart).TotalSeconds, 2))s] Starting: $taskName"
}

# Override TaskTearDown to capture end time
TaskTearDown {
    $end = Get-Date
    $start = $script:TaskTimings[$script:CurrentTask].Start
    $duration = ($end - $start).TotalSeconds

    $script:TaskTimings[$script:CurrentTask].Duration = $duration

    Write-Host "[$([Math]::Round(((Get-Date) - $script:BuildStart).TotalSeconds, 2))s] Completed: $script:CurrentTask (took $([Math]::Round($duration, 2))s)"
}

Properties {
    $script:BuildStart = Get-Date
}

Task Summary {
    Write-Host "`n=== Task Performance ===" -ForegroundColor Yellow
    $script:TaskTimings.GetEnumerator() | Sort-Object { $_.Value.Duration } -Descending | ForEach-Object {
        $duration = [Math]::Round($_.Value.Duration, 2)
        Write-Host "$($_.Key): ${duration}s"
    }

    $total = [Math]::Round(((Get-Date) - $script:BuildStart).TotalSeconds, 2)
    Write-Host "`nTotal build time: ${total}s" -ForegroundColor Green
}

Identifying Slow Operations​

function Measure-BuildStep {
    param(
        [string]$Name,
        [scriptblock]$ScriptBlock
    )

    Write-Host "Starting: $Name..." -NoNewline
    $start = Get-Date

    try {
        & $ScriptBlock
        $duration = ((Get-Date) - $start).TotalSeconds
        Write-Host " completed in $([Math]::Round($duration, 2))s" -ForegroundColor Green
    } catch {
        $duration = ((Get-Date) - $start).TotalSeconds
        Write-Host " failed after $([Math]::Round($duration, 2))s" -ForegroundColor Red
        throw
    }
}

Task Build {
    Measure-BuildStep "Restore packages" {
        exec { dotnet restore }
    }

    Measure-BuildStep "Compile code" {
        exec { dotnet build --no-restore }
    }

    Measure-BuildStep "Run tests" {
        exec { dotnet test --no-build }
    }
}

Advanced Debugging Techniques​

Remote Debugging​

# On remote machine, enable PowerShell remoting
Enable-PSRemoting -Force

# From local machine
$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName remote-server

# Run psake remotely with debugging
Invoke-Command -Session $session -ScriptBlock {
    Import-Module psake
    Set-PSBreakpoint -Script C:\builds\psakefile.ps1 -Line 50
    Invoke-psake -buildFile C:\builds\psakefile.ps1
}

# Enter interactive session for debugging
Enter-PSSession $session

Debugging in CI/CD​

# Add CI-specific debugging
Properties {
    $IsCI = $env:CI -eq 'true'
}

Task Build {
    if ($IsCI) {
        # More verbose output in CI
        $VerbosePreference = 'Continue'
        $DebugPreference = 'Continue'

        # Dump environment
        Write-Host "=== Environment Variables ==="
        Get-ChildItem env: | Sort-Object Name | ForEach-Object {
            Write-Host "$($_.Name) = $($_.Value)"
        }
    }

    exec { dotnet build } -Verbose:$IsCI
}

Creating Debug Snapshots​

Task CreateDebugSnapshot {
    $snapshotDir = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'debug-snapshot'
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $snapshotDir -Force | Out-Null

    # Capture environment state
    @{
        PowerShellVersion = $PSVersionTable
        EnvironmentVariables = Get-ChildItem env: | ForEach-Object { @{$_.Name = $_.Value} }
        InstalledModules = Get-Module -ListAvailable | Select-Object Name, Version
        WorkingDirectory = $PWD
        Properties = @{
            Configuration = $Configuration
            BuildDir = $BuildDir
        }
        Timestamp = Get-Date
    } | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 | Set-Content "$snapshotDir/snapshot.json"

    # Copy relevant files
    Copy-Item .\psakefile.ps1 $snapshotDir
    Copy-Item .\*.log $snapshotDir -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    Write-Host "Debug snapshot saved to: $snapshotDir"
}

See Also​