NewLine is added to output when told to explicitly drop NewLine

[johnjelinek]

A newline is getting added to the output when running echo even if I tell it not to (with -n flag). It also looks like Write-Out doesn't support -NoNewLine.

Steps to reproduce

echo 'hello' | base64

Expected behavior

> echo 'hello' | base64
aGVsbG8K
> echo -n 'hello' | base64
aGVsbG8=

Actual behavior

> echo 'hello' | base64
aGVsbG8K
> echo -n 'hello' | base64
aGVsbG8K

Environment data

> $PSVersionTable

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      7.1.3
PSEdition                      Core
GitCommitId                    7.1.3
OS                             Darwin 19.6.0 Darwin Kernel Version 19.6.0: Tue Jan 12 22:13:05 PST 2021; root:xnu-6153.141.16~1/RELEASE_X86_64
Platform                       Unix
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion              3.0

[vexx32]

echo is an alias for Write-Output. Your -n is treated as -NoEnumerate, not -NoNewLine (as you said, Write-Output doesn't have a -NoNewLine).

Pretty sure this is a bit of a wider issue, given that simply "hello" | base64 exhibits the same issue.

[mklement0]

Yes, unfortunately the trailing newline can currently not be prevented - please see #5974

[jborean93]

As a workaround you can use the .NET method instead of relying on platform specific binaries being place.

[Convert]::ToBase64String([Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes('hello'))

It's more verbose but the benefit is that it it's portable, unlike calling base64 which won't work on hosts without that binary. You also have fine control over the encoding used on the string.

But if base64 is just an example to show your problem and the issue is around piping data has the newline then mkelement0's issue #5974 covers that.

[johnjelinek]

@jborean93: so, I'm the only one on the team using pwsh for mac right now. The rest are on zsh/fish -- I wanted to write docs that are portable to the rest of my team. The .NET way won't work for my use-case. 'Tis a shame, I will have to switch shells to be pragmatic for now.

[mklement0]

@johnjelinek, calling the platform-native shell is always an option:

PS> sh -c "printf %s 'hello' | base64"
aGVsbG8K=

[mklement0]

To generalize the approach (see caveat below):

PS> sh -c 'printf %s "$1" | base64' - 'hello'
aGVsbG8K=

[mklement0]

P.S., @johnjelinek: passing a string such as 'printf %s "$1" | base64' to external programs (such as sh) currently results in the embedded " characters effectively getting stripped, which is a longstanding problem - see #1995 (comment). PR #14692 is aiming to fix it on an opt-in basis, initially as an experimental feature. #15143 additionally proposes important accommodations for command-line programs on Windows.

[johnjelinek]

Ok, thanks for the help! Do we want to leave this open or close the issue?

[mklement0]

@johnjelinek:

• Your original (legitimate) complaint is covered by Piping Text To An External Program Appends A Trailing Newline #5974, so, yes, I suggest closing this issue.

• Independently, if something is unclear about the comments above - as your use of the 😕 emoji suggests - feel free to ask for clarification.

  • By contrast, if your use of 😕 is meant to express disapproval of the status quo, I suggest expressing that verbally, to avoid confusion.

[mklement0]

PowerShell Core 7.2.0-preview.5 has just been released, which includes the PSNativeCommandArgumentPassing experimental feature that fixes the embedded-double-quotes problem fully on Unix, and partially on Windows. (Preview releases have experimental features turned on by default, but not release candidates and regular releases).

Thus, in PowerShell Core 7.2.0-preview.5 the following now works correctly on Unix-like platforms (assuming the experimental feature is on and the $PSNativeCommandArgumentPassing preference variable is at its default, 'Standard'):

# Malfunctions in PowerShell Core 7.2.0-preview.4 and below, because `"$1"` turns into `$1`, which
# makes `sh` perform word-splitting, resulting in *two* arguments.
PS> sh -c 'printf %s "$1" | base64' - 'hello more'
aGVsbG8gbW9yZQ==

[microsoft-github-policy-service]

This issue has not had any activity in 6 months, if this is a bug please try to reproduce on the latest version of PowerShell and reopen a new issue and reference this issue if this is still a blocker for you.

[microsoft-github-policy-service]

This issue has not had any activity in 6 months, if this is a bug please try to reproduce on the latest version of PowerShell and reopen a new issue and reference this issue if this is still a blocker for you.

[microsoft-github-policy-service]

This issue has not had any activity in 6 months, if this is a bug please try to reproduce on the latest version of PowerShell and reopen a new issue and reference this issue if this is still a blocker for you.

[microsoft-github-policy-service]

This issue has been marked as "No Activity" as there has been no activity for 6 months. It has been closed for housekeeping purposes.