Run script manually in Powershell vs Orchestrator

Question

I created a script-action that should edit a word document (2016, 32-bit). The code of this script works as expected if run it in powershell (PS 5.1.14393.3866) manually same for starting script with Runbook-Tester. For sure I started powershell 32-bit in Orchestrator Runbook Service account context. But if Orchestrator (2016) starts the script it will not finish. I reduced the code example to a minimum. Orchestrator starts word as background task but never quit the application and the process is keep running till I close word via task manager.

$Word = New-Object -ComObject Word.Application
$Word.Visible = $true
Start-Sleep -s 10
$Word.Quit()

Are there different permissions between running script in Runbook-Tester or Powershell (service account context) and orchestrator?

EDIT: I guess the problem is that orchestrator run a powershell like a remote shell because the error pattern is the same as decribed here 7 years ago.

Answer 1

Hi,

What's your Orchestrator version?
In my lab Orchestrator 2019, the following script could run success, the Word windows close after show 10 seconds.

$Word = New-Object -ComObject Word.Application
 $Word.Visible = $true
Start-Sleep -s 10
 $Word.Quit()

Answer 2

When we execute a runbook in the Runbook Tester it runs under your account. When Orchestrator runs it executes as the Orchestrator Runbook Service account.

try
{
powershell.exe {$ENV:Username >>d:\context.txt }
}
catch [Exception]
{
$ErrorMessage = $_.Exception.Message
}

Getting detailed PowerShell Error information in Run .Net Activity

Answer 3

It's really weird, I shut down the process with the following command:

$Word = New-Object -ComObject Word.Application
$Word.Visible = $true
Start-Sleep -s 10
Stop-process -Name WINWORD
#$Word.Quit()
$ENV:Username >>d:\context.txt

This article may help us understand this behavior.

Word application quit not working