Detailed ErrorView Is Adding A Extra Pairs Of Escape Sequences: Per Line, Per Line.

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Introduction

When working with PowerShell, it's essential to understand how the ErrorView setting affects the output of error messages. In this article, we'll delve into a specific issue where the Detailed error view is adding extra pairs of escape sequences to each line of output, causing problems with rendering in Azure DevOps.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

  • You have a basic understanding of PowerShell and its error handling mechanisms.
  • You have the latest released version of PowerShell installed.
  • You have searched the existing issues on the PowerShell GitHub repository.
  • You have referred to the PowerShell FAQ and the differences between Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell.

Steps to Reproduce

To reproduce this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Set the $ErrorView variable to "Detailed" in your Azure pipeline.
  2. Run the New-AzResourceGroupDeployment command, which generates a lengthy error message.
  3. Observe how the escape-sequence prefix on each line of output is getting longer, causing the scripts in Azure DevOps to crash Edge.

Example

Here's an example with a shorter error message to illustrate the issue:

Line 0: No extra sequence
Line 1: `e[32;1m`e[0m added to the front
Line 2: `e[32;1m`e[0m`e[32;1m`e[0m added to the front
Line 3: `e[32;1m`e[0m`e[32;1m`e[0m`e[32;1m`e[0m added to the front
...

As you can see, each line gets one more pair of escape sequences than the previous line.

Expected Behavior

The expected behavior is that there should be no extra escape sequences on the front of each line.

Actual Behavior

The actual behavior is that each line gets one more pair of escape sequences than the previous line.

Environment Data

Here's the environment data for the PowerShell session:

PSVersion                      7.5.1
PSEdition                      Core
GitCommitId                    7.5.1
OS                             Microsoft Windows 10.0.22635
Platform                       Win32NT
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion              3.0

Visuals

Here's an image illustrating the issue:

Image

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Detailed error view is adding extra pairs of escape sequences to each line of output, causing problems with rendering in Azure DevOps. This issue is likely due to the way PowerShell handles escape sequences in the Detailed error view. To resolve this issue, you can try the $ErrorView variable to a different value or modifying the scripts in Azure DevOps to handle the escape sequences correctly.

Workarounds

Here are some workarounds to help you resolve this issue:

  • Set the $ErrorView variable to "CategoryOnly" or "Normal" to avoid the extra escape sequences.
  • Modify the scripts in Azure DevOps to remove the extra escape sequences before rendering the output.
  • Use a different tool or service to render the output, such as a custom script or a third-party tool.

Future Development

To improve the Detailed error view, consider the following suggestions:

  • Enhance the error handling mechanism to avoid adding extra escape sequences.
  • Provide an option to disable the extra escape sequences in the Detailed error view.
  • Improve the rendering of escape sequences in Azure DevOps to handle the extra sequences correctly.

Introduction

In our previous article, we discussed the issue of the Detailed error view adding extra pairs of escape sequences to each line of output, causing problems with rendering in Azure DevOps. In this article, we'll provide a Q&A section to help you better understand the issue and its solutions.

Q: What is the Detailed error view?

A: The Detailed error view is a setting in PowerShell that displays detailed information about errors, including the error message, error code, and other relevant details.

Q: Why is the Detailed error view adding extra pairs of escape sequences?

A: The Detailed error view is adding extra pairs of escape sequences because of the way PowerShell handles escape sequences in the Detailed error view. This is likely due to a bug or a design flaw in the Detailed error view.

Q: How can I reproduce this issue?

A: To reproduce this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Set the $ErrorView variable to "Detailed" in your Azure pipeline.
  2. Run the New-AzResourceGroupDeployment command, which generates a lengthy error message.
  3. Observe how the escape-sequence prefix on each line of output is getting longer, causing the scripts in Azure DevOps to crash Edge.

Q: What are the expected and actual behaviors?

A: The expected behavior is that there should be no extra escape sequences on the front of each line. The actual behavior is that each line gets one more pair of escape sequences than the previous line.

Q: What are the environment data and visuals?

A: The environment data for the PowerShell session is:

PSVersion                      7.5.1
PSEdition                      Core
GitCommitId                    7.5.1
OS                             Microsoft Windows 10.0.22635
Platform                       Win32NT
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion              3.0

The visuals are an image illustrating the issue:

Image

Q: What are the workarounds?

A: Here are some workarounds to help you resolve this issue:

  • Set the $ErrorView variable to "CategoryOnly" or "Normal" to avoid the extra escape sequences.
  • Modify the scripts in Azure DevOps to remove the extra escape sequences before rendering the output.
  • Use a different tool or service to render the output, such as a custom script or a third-party tool.

Q: What are the future development suggestions?

A: To improve the Detailed error view, consider the following suggestions:

  • Enhance the error handling mechanism to avoid adding extra escape sequences.
  • Provide an option to the extra escape sequences in the Detailed error view.
  • Improve the rendering of escape sequences in Azure DevOps to handle the extra sequences correctly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Detailed error view is adding extra pairs of escape sequences to each line of output, causing problems with rendering in Azure DevOps. By following the workarounds and suggestions provided in this article, you can help resolve this issue and improve the overall experience of working with PowerShell.