Accessing variables created inside a function after the function has executed - function

Question

I'm using a function which creates some variables I'd like to use after the function has processed.
I've tried accessing them directly but I can't. How would I go about doing this?

Answer 1

Variables inside functions don't survive after the function has been run. If you want to access them after the function has processed, prefix them with a scope modifier.
PS> function test-var{ $script:var='foo' }
PS> test-var # excute the function
PS> $var #print var
foo
Type this in your console for more information:
PS> Get-Help about_Scopes

Answer 2

as Shay pointed out you can create what are called global variables inside the function scope that will be available at higher level scopes. However global variables are generally not a good idea and I'd like to suggest some alternatives for you.
This is from the wikipedia global variable page:
They are usually considered bad practice precisely because of their
non-locality: a global variable can potentially be modified from
anywhere (unless they reside in protected memory or are otherwise
rendered read-only), and any part of the program may depend on it.[1]
A global variable therefore has an unlimited potential for creating
mutual dependencies, and adding mutual dependencies increases
complexity.
Some alternatives:
Make the function return data needed by the caller. Powershell functions should generally return the data related to the noun in the Powershell function naming convention of Verb-Noun. If you need to return other data not associated to the noun consider making a second function.
function Get-Directories {
param ([string] $Path)
# Code to get or create objects here.
$dirs = Get-ChildItem -Path $Path | where {$_.PsIsContainer}
# Explicitly return data to the caller.
return $dirs
}
$myDirs = Get-Directories -Path 'C:\'
Use a reference variable. A reference passes a variable's address in memory to a function. When the function changes the variable's data it will be accessible outside of the function but the variable's scope will not of been changed.
function Get-Directories {
param ([string] $Path, [ref] $Directories)
$Directories.Value = Get-ChildItem -Path $Path | where {$_.PsIsContainer}
}
$myDirs = $null
Get-Directories -Path 'C:\' -Directories ([ref] $myDirs)
Hope this helps. Happy coding :-)

Answer 3

If you run your function with . , the function will execute in your scope, and all of the variables defined within the function will be available to the caller.
i.e.
. $func
$myPrivateVariable # Now Set in the parent scope.
If the function is in a module, you can also use this sort of trick to access the module's scope:
$m =Get-Module myModule
. $m { $myPrivateModuleVariable }
Hope this Helps