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| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +RFC: RFC |
| 3 | +Author: Robert Holt |
| 4 | +Status: Draft-Accepted |
| 5 | +SupercededBy: |
| 6 | +Version: 0.2 |
| 7 | +Area: Hash-requires |
| 8 | +Comments Due: 2018-05-15 |
| 9 | +Plan to implement: Yes |
| 10 | +--- |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +# \#Requires Additions |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +Currently, PowerShell's `#requires` statement (or pragma) supports the following parameters: |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +* `-Version <N>[.<n>]`, where a minimum PowerShell version can be specified |
| 17 | +* `-PSSnapin <PSSnapin-Name> [-Version <N><n>]`, where a required PowerShell Snapin can be specified |
| 18 | +* `-Modules { <Module-name> | <Hashtable> }`, where PowerShell modules that are required can be specified |
| 19 | +* `-ShellId <ShellId>`, where the required Shell ID can be specified |
| 20 | +* `-RunAsAdministrator`, where the script is required to be run as administrator |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +These features are documented in [about_Requires](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_requires?view=powershell-6), along with the statement that: |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +> You can use #Requires statements in any script. You |
| 25 | +> cannot use them in functions, cmdlets, or snap-ins. |
| 26 | +
|
| 27 | +Currently however, this is untrue, as `#requires` |
| 28 | +statements are allowed by the parser/tokenizer anywhere in |
| 29 | +a script and then effectively hoisted to the top of that |
| 30 | +script to be checked before any part of the script is |
| 31 | +executed, no matter where they are placed. |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +This RFC proposes the following changes: |
| 34 | + |
| 35 | +* Emit a warning when parsing scripts where the `#requires` |
| 36 | + is not at the top, because of the hoisting behavior. |
| 37 | +* Add support for the following new parameters (each |
| 38 | + independently up for discussion): |
| 39 | + * `-OS {Windows | Linux | MacOS}`, where an |
| 40 | + operating system (or possibly combination of them) can |
| 41 | + be specified as required. See [this PowerShell issue](https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/issues/3751). |
| 42 | + * `-MaximumPSVersion <V>[.<v>]`, where a maximum PowerShell |
| 43 | + version can be specified as required. See [this PowerShell issue](https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/issues/2846). |
| 44 | + * `-MinimumPSVersion` as an alias of `-MinimumVersion`. |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +## Motivation |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +> As a PowerShell user, I will be warned about |
| 49 | +> `#requires` statements that won't behave the |
| 50 | +> way I might expect based on position. |
| 51 | +
|
| 52 | +> As a PowerShell user, I can specify that my script |
| 53 | +> `#requires` being run on a specific operating system, |
| 54 | +> so that I can effectively, efficiently and declaratively |
| 55 | +> guarantee that it is used only on systems I designed it |
| 56 | +> for. |
| 57 | +
|
| 58 | +> As a PowerShell user, I can specify that my script |
| 59 | +> `#requires` to be run in a version of PowerShell |
| 60 | +> lower than a given version, so that I can declaratively |
| 61 | +> prevent it from being run in an environment where |
| 62 | +> changes to PowerShell would cause unintended behavior. |
| 63 | +
|
| 64 | +## Specification |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +1. `#requires` statements appearing after any |
| 67 | + line that is not blank or a comment (i.e. any semantic statement) |
| 68 | + will generate a warning at parse-time about being hoisted to the top of the script. |
| 69 | + Other comments, such as hashbangs, and blank lines |
| 70 | + preceding a `#requires` will not generate this warning. |
| 71 | +2. `#requires` can take an `-OS` parameter, |
| 72 | + with possible arguments being `Windows`, `Linux` and `MacOS`. |
| 73 | + Multiple operating systems can be specified by providing arguments |
| 74 | + in an array syntax, such as `#requires -OS 'Linux','MacOS'`, |
| 75 | + with the meaning of **any** of the required operating systems. |
| 76 | + The check for a given operating system succeeds |
| 77 | + if-and-only-if the correspoding runtime PowerShell variable |
| 78 | + (`$IsWindows`, `$IsLinux` and `$IsMacOS`) |
| 79 | + executed on that system would be true. |
| 80 | + Requiring a given OS when the corresponding runtime variable is false results in |
| 81 | + a pre-execution error with a specific error message |
| 82 | + stating that the script is required to be run on a |
| 83 | + different operating system. |
| 84 | +3. `#requires` can take a `-MaximumPSVersion` parameter, |
| 85 | + with a major version and optional minor version, |
| 86 | + to define the maximum (inclusive) version of PowerShell it should run on. |
| 87 | + The version given does not need to correspond to any existing version of PowerShell, |
| 88 | + but will be compared in standard PowerShell version comparison logic. |
| 89 | + Executing a script required to be on a version of PowerShell strictly lower |
| 90 | + than the executing version results in a pre-execution error. |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +Finally, scripts with `#requires` in them should still |
| 93 | +be editable in contexts that do not satisfy their |
| 94 | +requirements. For example, a script with `#requires -OS |
| 95 | +MacOS` at the top should still allow a full editing user |
| 96 | +experience on Windows or Linux. For context, see [this |
| 97 | +PowerShell issue](https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/issues/4549). |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +## Alternate Proposals and Considerations |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +* Given the suite of proposed changes to `#requires`, any |
| 102 | + other proposed parameters for `#requires` are worth |
| 103 | + including and discussing in this RFC. Possible |
| 104 | + considerations are: |
| 105 | + * `-LanguageMode`, where a script must be run in a given |
| 106 | + PowerShell language mode. |
| 107 | + * `-Architecture`, where a script must be run on a |
| 108 | + machine with a given processor architecture. |
| 109 | + * `-Platform`, rather than trying to use combining |
| 110 | + logic with `-OS`. |
| 111 | +* Another requires parameter, `-PSEdition`, also seems to have |
| 112 | + been added to the `#requires` functionality. However, it is |
| 113 | + currently [undocumented](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_requires?view=powershell-6) and |
| 114 | + there is an [open issue for it](https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/issues/5908). It may |
| 115 | + be worth discussing in this RFC. |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | +### Withdrawn proposals |
| 118 | + |
| 119 | +* `-Assembly <Assembly-name>`, where a .NET assembly can |
| 120 | + be specified as required. See [this PowerShell #5022](https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/issues/5022). |
| 121 | + **Withdrawn in favor of `using` statements.** |
| 122 | +* Only allow `#requires` at the top level of a script, |
| 123 | + before any lines that are not comments (i.e. with the |
| 124 | + intention that a hashbang can still work, just before |
| 125 | + any executable PowerShell code). Placing `#requires` anywhere |
| 126 | + after will cause a parse-time error. This would be a **breaking |
| 127 | + change**, albeit one that the documentation already claims to be |
| 128 | + in force. |
| 129 | + **Withdrawn on the basis that this could break many existing scripts.** |
| 130 | + Instead, a warning is proposed. |
| 131 | +* Using `#requires` in the interactive console will cause |
| 132 | + a parse-time error. This could be a **minor breaking |
| 133 | + change**, since currently PowerShell throws a [pipeline |
| 134 | + creation error](https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/issues/3803). |
| 135 | + **Withdrawn since this is difficult to implement with little gain and breaks the layering of the parser.** |
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