InvalidMultiDotValue.md

description	Invalid unquoted multi-dot value construction
ms.date	07/24/2026
ms.topic	reference
title	InvalidMultiDotValue

InvalidMultiDotValue

Severity Level: Warning

Default state: Disabled

Description

PowerShell doesn't support unquoted literal values with multiple dots (.). Any value with two or more dots results in $null, which can lead to unexpected behavior or errors in the code. This rule identifies instances where such values are used.

To create values with multiple dots you must enclose the value in quotes and use type-casting or use type constructor methods to create the appropriate object.

Example

Noncompliant

$version = 1.2.3

or even:

$IP = [System.Net.IPAddress]127.0.0.1

Where both examples result in $null instead of the expected value.

Compliant

# Use type-casting with quoted value
$IP = [System.Net.IPAddress]'127.0.0.1'
$version = [Version]'1.2.3'

# Use type constructor method
$version = [Version]::new(1, 2, 3)

Configure rule

Rules = @{
    PSInvalidMultiDotValue  = @{
        Enable = $true
    }
}

Parameters

• Enable: bool (Default value is $false)

  Enable or disable the rule during ScriptAnalyzer invocation.