Powershell Script Send-zip not working when running in cmd

Question

I found there is powershell send-zip script available in technet.  I tested it and found that it works when the script is running under powershell env, but when it is calling in cmd env, I can see the zip file, but there is nothing in it.  If
I add the "-noexit" switch it runs normally.  Anyone have ideas what might be happening?
The orig codes is as following:
function global:SEND-ZIP ($zipfilename, $filename) { 
# The $zipHeader variable contains all the data that needs to sit on the top of the 
# Binary file for a standard .ZIP file
$zipHeader=[char]80 + [char]75 + [char]5 + [char]6 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0 + [char]0
# Check to see if the Zip file exists, if not create a blank one
If ( (TEST-PATH $zipfilename) -eq $FALSE ) { Add-Content $zipfilename -value $zipHeader }
# Create an instance to Windows Explorer's Shell comObject
$ExplorerShell=NEW-OBJECT -comobject 'Shell.Application'
# Send whatever file / Folder is specified in $filename to the Zipped folder $zipfilename
$SendToZip=$ExplorerShell.Namespace($zipfilename.tostring()).CopyHere($filename.ToString())
SEND-ZIP C:\abc\a.ZIP C:\a\a.bak

Answer 1

I've had the same problem with similar code found on another web site.
The reason the zip file ends up being empty is that the temporary $ExplorerShell object you created is deleted when the send-zip function returns,
and any incomplete copy operation that may still be ongoing at that time is aborted. (The copy operation is asynchronous, and continues after the CopyHere() function returns.)
To work around this, you need to add a delay loop before you return, waiting for the copied object to appear in the zip.
(Note that adding a fixed delay, like I've seen on other web sites, does not work: Small files appear almost immediately, whereas large file or worse still large subdirectory trees can take a long time to appear.)
Try changing the end of your routine to something like...
# Create an instance to Windows Explorer's Shell comObject 
$ExplorerShell=NEW-OBJECT -comobject 'Shell.Application' 
# Open the zip file object
$zipFile = $ExplorerShell.Namespace($zipfilename.tostring())
# Count how many objects were in the zip file initially
$count = $zipFile.Items().Count
# Send whatever file / Folder is specified in $filename to the Zipped folder $zipfilename 
$SendToZip=$zipFile.CopyHere($filename.ToString())
# Wait until the file / folder appears in the zip file
$count += 1 # We expect one more object to be there eventually
while ($zipFile.Items().Count -lt $count) {
    Write-Debug "$filename not in the zip file yet. Sleeping 100ms"
    Start-Sleep -milliseconds 100
# Return deletes the $zipFile object, and aborts incomplete copy operations.