DSC Environment Resource

Applies To: Windows PowerShell 4.0, Windows PowerShell 5.x

The Environment resource in Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) provides a mechanism to manage system environment variables.

Note

This documentation of this DSC resource covers the version that's included with PowerShell prior to version 7.2. The PSDscResources module contains new and updated DSC Resources that are officially supported by Microsoft. The PSDscResources module is available from the PowerShell Gallery.

For more information and updated documentation, see the PSDscResources reference documentation.

Syntax

Environment [string] #ResourceName
{
    Name = [string]
    [ Path = [bool] ]
    [ Value = [string] ]
    [ DependsOn = [string[]] ]
    [ Ensure = [string] { Absent | Present }  ]
    [ PsDscRunAsCredential = [PSCredential] ]
}

Properties

Property	Description
Name	Indicates the name of the environment variable for which you want to ensure a specific state.
Path	Defines the environment variable that is being configured. Set this property to $true if the variable is the Path variable; otherwise, set it to $false. The default is $false. If the variable being configured is the Path variable, the value provided through the Value property will be appended to the existing value.
Value	The value to assign to the environment variable.

Common properties

Property	Description
DependsOn	Indicates that the configuration of another resource must run before this resource is configured. For example, if the ID of the resource configuration script block that you want to run first is ResourceName and its type is ResourceType, the syntax for using this property is DependsOn = "[ResourceType]ResourceName".
Ensure	Indicates if a variable exists. Set this property to Present to create the environment variable if it does not exist or to ensure that its value matches what is provided through the Value property if the variable already exists. Set it to Absent to delete the variable if it exists.
PsDscRunAsCredential	Sets the credential for running the entire resource as.

Note

The PsDscRunAsCredential common property was added in WMF 5.0 to allow running any DSC resource in the context of other credentials. For more information, see Use Credentials with DSC Resources.

Example

The following example ensures that TestEnvironmentVariable is present and it has the value TestValue. If it is not present, it creates it.

Environment EnvironmentExample
{
    Ensure = "Present"  # You can also set Ensure to "Absent"
    Name = "TestEnvironmentVariable"
    Value = "TestValue"
}