Scripts are a convenient way to automate various processes, and in the Microsoft Windows environment, Windows PowerShell is commonly used for this purpose. However, there are situations where it becomes necessary to pause a PowerShell script, especially if the script involves multiple steps or requires a delay or user interaction.
To achieve this, you can implement pauses in the PowerShell script to introduce a specific waiting period or prompt the user to press a button. This allows for greater control and flexibility during script execution, ensuring that each step is executed at the desired time or upon user input.
Pause a PowerShell script for a specific time.
First, I would like to explore the possibility of pausing a PowerShell script for a freely definable duration. There are two commands for this: sleep and timeout.
- SLEEP: Specifying this command followed by a number will pause and then resume a PowerShell script for that number of seconds. The pause cannot be shortened by pressing a button.Example: sleep 5 stops processing the script for exactly 5 seconds.
- TIME-OUT: Entering timeout followed by a number initially does the same thing. However, the user can cancel the pause by pressing any key and continue processing the script immediately.Example: timeout 5 stops processing the script for maximum 5 seconds.
Interrupt PowerShell script
If you need to temporarily halt the execution of a PowerShell script and wait for user input, you can achieve this by using the PAUSE command. This command allows you to pause the script at a specific point and resume it only when the user presses a key, typically the Enter key.
It’s important to note that the PAUSE command is unsuitable for automated PowerShell scripts that run in the background or as part of task management, as they do not allow user input. However, for manual execution of scripts, this command can be quite useful when you want to introduce a break and ensure that further processing occurs only after user confirmation.
Also, works in the command prompt (cmd.exe)?
The timeout and pause commands also work in this form in the Windows command prompt. “Sleep,” on the other hand, does not work there. This means that the former can also be used in batch scripts.
