Returning multiple items

Question

I am working on a script that does extensive logging, both to the console and to a log file. For a number of reasons I have adopted a logging mechanism of adding to a logging array and then periodically pushing the array to the logging function for processing.
Now I have a function that when successful will return a string. But there are a number of places where an error could happen, and I want to evaluate all of them and return all failures, rather than have users need to fix one thing, run the script, find
a new thing and fix it, run the script... So, when there is an error I need to return an array, which I can then append to the array in the calling function. And when successful I return the string.
My question is, am I better off returning both the string and the array, which I think I read can be done. Or returning one or the other, and the calling function has to test the returned value for type to determine if the call was successful or not? Or
is there maybe an even better approach? My other thought, which I had as I typed, is to return an object, with a string member and an array member. Curious if I am on the right track with that late night thought.
Thanks!

Answer 1

I agree with Al, that you have a lot of questions and we really aren't able to give you advice on how to structure your script.
That being said, this is something I've done for long script logging.  I'm sure there are better ways to do it, and some or none of this may help you or be useful/meaningful/appropriate for your project, but it will give you a an object with error and
success that you can sort and evaluate as you see fit.  
In some ways this is probably reinventing the wheel, YMMV.  It's been useful to me.
$FileName = $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Name
$LogFile = ".\$($FileName -replace '\.ps1')_Log.csv"
If (Test-Path $LogFile){
$i=0
While (Test-Path "$($LogFile -replace '\.csv')_v$i.log") {$i++}
Rename-Item $LogFile "$($LogFile -replace '\.csv')_v$i.csv"
$LogObject = @{}
$Error.clear()
Function Log-Info ($LogType, $LogData) {
$LogElement = New-Object PSObject -property @{Type=$LogType;Data=$LogData;Time=((Get-Date).ToString())}
$LogElement | Export-CSV $LogFile -Append
$LogObject += $LogElement
<#
Do Something {
Check if something happened
If (successful) { Log-Info "Success" "Do Something Succeded" }
Else (failed/Error) { Log-Info "Error" "Do Something didn't" }
#>
<#
Try {
Do something else
Log-Info "Success" "Something else succeded"
} Catch {
Log-Info "Error" "Something else failed"
#>
# catch anything I didn't plan for
if ($Error.count -ne 0) {
for ($i=$Error.Count-1; $i -ge 0;$i--) {
Log-Info "Error" @($Error[$i].Exception.Message)
I hope this post has helped!