esxcli via PowerCLI output error

[rfrilling]

This is the first part of a larger script that I am building. I need to work out an output error before moving forward. I'm using PowerCLI to execute esxcli commands on hosts in specific clusters. The script completes but I receive only the following output in the CSV fields linked with the esxcli commands. 

VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.EsxCli.EsxCliMethodElement

Any suggestions on how to properly format the esxcli commands? 

$report = @()
$EsxHosts = Get-VMHost -Location "Host Staging"
foreach($EsxHost in $EsxHosts){
$esxcli = Get-EsxCli -VMHost $EsxHost -V2
$line = "" | Select Host,AL,PL
$line.Host = $EsxHost.Name
$line.AL = $esxcli.system.account.list
$line.PL = $esxcli.system.permission.list
$report += $line
}
$report | Export-Csv -Path "C:\scripts\vmware\PCI.csv" -NoTypeInformation -UseCulture

Thank you!

[LucD]

When you use the V2 switch, you have to use the Invoke() method on each call.

    $line.AL = $esxcli.system.account.list.Invoke()
    $line.PL = $esxcli.system.permission.list.Invoke()

be aware that both calls return multi-lines results.
Not sure if that is what you want in your CSV

[rfrilling]

Thanks for the quick reply! I had used the invoke method and it returns the following in the CSV. 

System.Object[]

Any ideas on why the results don't properly export?

Once I get the proper data to export I'll work on cleaning it up. 

Thanks

[LucD · Accepted solution]

Yes, that is what tried to explain earlier, the commands return an array of lines.
And since Export-Csv can't handle arrays, it tries to explain that by showing the type of the object it sees, i.e. System.Object[]
Where the '[]' indicates it is seeing an array.

There are a couple of options to export the output.
- you can 'join' all the lines together, so the array becomes a single string

- create a row per entry in the array, but since you are trying to export 2 such arrays, that will produce a lot rows with a lot of redundant data

How do you envisage seeing the results in a CSV?
What do you want see in each row?

[rfrilling]

I really just need the data. Creating a single string should be acceptable. 

Thanks, 

[LucD]

You could do something like this

    $line.AL = ($esxcli.system.account.list.Invoke()) -join '|'
    $line.PL = ($esxcli.system.permission.list.Invoke()) -join '|'

[rfrilling]

I think we are getting closer. These lines: 

$line.AL = ($esxcli.system.account.list.Invoke()) -join '|'
$line.PL = ($esxcli.system.permission.list.Invoke()) -join '|'

Instead of the list data the following is returned in the CSV: 

VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Impl.V1.EsxCli.EsxCliObjectImpl|VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Impl.V1.EsxCli.EsxCliObjectImpl|VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Impl.V1.EsxCli.EsxCliObjectImpl|VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Impl.V1.EsxCli.EsxCliObjectImpl

Thanks for your continued help on this. 

[rfrilling]

After a little more research I figured out a method to export the data in a usable format. I used the following. 

$line.AL = ($esxcli.system.account.list.Invoke() | Out-String).Trim()
$line.PL = ($esxcli.system.permission.list.Invoke() | Out-String).Trim()

Thanks!