Unexpected results when the Path to LSUPackages contains a space

[wasserja]

Version

1.8.0

Computer Model

20S00032US

Problem

I set the $Path to a folder that contained spaces (i.e. c:\my folder\LSUPackages). Some packages failed to install using Install-LSUpdate, furthermore when update installers were run a c:\Program folder was created on the C: drive. I'm guessing somewhere in the execution that spaces aren't properly being handled in the folder paths.

Additional context

No response

[jantari]

Hi, can you please capture the Install-LSUpdate -Verbose -Debug output when this happens? It will help pinpoint which updates had issues and how it's related to the packages' path.

[wasserja]

PowerShell_transcript.PF5KPXBB.K2n4ohy2.20260130140238.txt

I have uploaded the PowerShell transcript while running the command as you specified. I can see that a C:\My folder was created and several packages failed to install. Thanks for your help with this.

[jantari]

Thanks, I can see the issue but I am thinking through if there's a good way to reliably fix it

[jantari]

The problem is that the path you choose has to be templated into commands that I don't control, they come from Lenovo. E.g. a typical example could be:

%PACKAGEPATH%\setup.exe /verysilent /DIR=%PACKAGEPATH%\TMP

so I cannot just add quotes around a path with spaces because:

setup.exe /verysilent /DIR="c:\my folder\LSUPackages"\TMP

would be invalid. And it would be error-prone to parse Lenovos argument string and attempt to place the quotes in there myself, e.g. even if I were to correct:

/verysilent /DIR=%PACKAGEPATH%\TMP

to

/verysilent /DIR="c:\my folder\LSUPackages\TMP"

by placing the closing " before the next space or end of the line, I would break more elaborate parameter such as a hypothetical:

/verysilent /args:"size=500mb:dir=%PACKAGEPATH%\TMP:scope=machine"

which would become:

/verysilent /args:"size=500mb:dir="c:\my folder\LSUPackages\TMP:scope=machine""

which is just giga-borked. While there are technically some other things to explore such as escaping the space(s) rather than quoting or utilizing 8.3 filenames I think that would just exchange one problem for another, so I may just have to disallow paths with spaces by throwing an error.

[jantari]

Spaces in the Path (PACKAGEPATH) are now disallowed on the develop branch. So this change will make it into the next release of LSUClient. If anyone truly has to use a path that contains spaces, I recommend setting up a symlink / hardlink to it in a path that does not contain spaces (e.g. redirect C:\link\ to C:\Your Example Path\With Spaces\) and use that for the -Path parameter.