Windows PowerShell Scripting and Toolmaking

This course is intended for administrators in a Microsoft-centric environment who want to build reusable units of automation, automate business processes, and enable less-technical colleagues to accomplish administrative tasks.

After completing this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the correct patterns for building modularized tools in Windows PowerShell
• Build highly modularized functions that comply with native PowerShell patterns
• Build controller scripts that expose user interfaces and automate business processes
• Manage data in a variety of formats
• Write automated tests for tools
• Debug tools

Module 1: Tool Design

This module explains how to design tools and units of automation that comply with native PowerShell usage patterns.Lessons

• Tools do one thing
• Tools are flexible
• Tools look native

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Design a tool

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the native shell patterns that a good tool design should exhibit

Module 2: Start with a Command

This module explains how to start the scripting process by beginning in the interactive shell console.Lessons

• Why start with a command?
• Discovery and experimentation

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Start with a command

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the benefits of discovery and experimentation in the console
• Discover and experiment with existing commands in the console

Module 3: Build a Basic Function and Module

This module explains how to build a basic function and module, using commands already experimented with in the shell.Lessons

• Start with a basic function
• Create a script module
• Check prerequisites
• Run the new command

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Build a basic function and module

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Build a basic function
• Create a script module
• Run a command from a script module

Module 4: Adding CmdletBinding and Parameterizing

This module explains how to extend the functionality of a tool, parameterize input values, and use CmdletBinding.Lessons

• About CmdletBinding and common parameters
• Accepting pipeline input
• Mandatory-ness
• Parameter validation
• Parmeter aliases

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Adding CmdletBinding and Parameterizing

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of CmdletBinding and list common parameters
• Parameterize a script’s input
• Define parameters as mandatory
• Define parameters as accepting pipeline input
• Define parameter validation
  

Module 5: Emitting Objects as Output

This module explains how to create tools that produce custom objects as output.Lessons

• Assembling information
• Constructing and emitting output
• Quick tests

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Emitting objects as output

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of object-based output
• Create and output custom objects from a function

Module 6: An Interlude: Changing Your Approach

This module explains how to re-think tool design, using concrete examples of how it’s often done wrong.Lessons

• Examining a script
• Critiquing a script
• Revising the script

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the native patterns that a good tool design should exhibit
• Redesign a script to meet business requirements and conform to native patterns

Module 7: Using Verbose, Warning, and Informational Output

This module explains how to use additional output pipelines for better script behaviors.Lessons

• Knowing the six channels
• Adding verbose and warning output
• Doing more with verbose output
• Informational output

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Using Verbose, Warning, and Informational Output

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the six output channels in the shell
• Write commands that use verbose, warning, and informational output
• Run commands with extra output enabled
  

Module 8: Comment-Based Help

This module explains how to add comment-based help to tools.Lessons

• Where to put your help
• Getting started
• Going further with comment-based help
• Broken help

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Comment-based help

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the purpose and construction of comment-based help
• Add comment-based help to a function
• Identify causes of broken comment-based help

Module 9: Handling Errors

This module explains how to create tools that deal with anticipated errors.Lessons

• Understanding errors and exceptions
• Bad handling
• Two reasons for exception handling
• Handling exceptions in our tool
• Capturing the actual exception
• Handling exceptions for non-commands
• Going further with exception handling
• Deprecated exception handling

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Handling errors

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the native patterns for handling errors in a command
• Add error handling to a command
• Run a command and observe error handling behaviors
  

Module 10: Basic Debugging

This module explains how to use native PowerShell script debugging tools.Lessons

• Two kinds of bugs
• The ultimate goal of debugging
• Developing assumptions
• Write-Debug
• Set-PSBreakpoint
• The PowerShell ISE

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Basic debugging

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the tools used for debugging in PowerShell
• Debug a broken script

Module 11: Going Deeper with Parameters

This module explains how to further define parameter attributes in a PowerShell command.Lessons

• Parameter positions
• Validation
• Multiple parameter sets
• Value from remaining arguments
• Help messages
• Aliases
• More CmdletBinding

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the use of positional parameters
• Describe additional parameter validation methods
• Describe how to define multiple parameter sets
• Describe other parameter definition options

Module 12: Writing Full Help

This module explains how to create external help for a command.Lessons

• External help
• Using PlatyPs
• Supporting online help
• “About” topics
• Making your help updatable

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Writing full help

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the advantages of external help
• Create external help using PlatyPS and Markdown

Module 13: Unit Testing Your Code

This module explains how to use Pester to perform basic unit testing.Lessons

• Sketching out the test
• Making something to test
• Expanding the test
• Going further with Pester

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Unit testing your code

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of unit testing
• Write basic unit tests for PowerShell functions
  

Module 14: Extending Output Types

This module explains how to extend objects with additional capabilities.Lessons

• Understanding types
• The Extensible Type System
• Extending an object
• Using Update-TypeData

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of the ETS
• Extend an existing object type

Module 15: Analyzing Your Script

This module explains how to use Script Analyzer to support best practices and prevent common problems.Lessons

• Performing a basic analysis
• Analyzing the analysis

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Analyzing your script

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the use of Script Analyzer
• Perform a basic script analysis

Module 16: Publishing Your Tools

This module explains how to publish tools to public and private repositories.Lessons

• Begin with a manifest
• Publishing to PowerShell Gallery
• Publishing to private repositories

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Publishing your tools

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the tool publishing process and requirements
• Publish a tool to a repository

Module 17: Basic Controllers: Automation Scripts and Menus

This module explains how to create controller scripts that put tools to use.Lessons

• Building a menu
• Using UIChoice
• Writing a process controller

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Basic controllers

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of basic controller scripts
• Write a simple controller script

Module 18: Proxy Functions

This module explains how to create and use proxy functions.Lessons

• A proxy example
• Creating the proxy base
• Modifying the proxy
• Adding or removing parameters

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Proxy functions

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of proxy functions
• Create a simple proxy function

Module 19: Working with XML Data

This module explains how to work with XML data in PowerShell.Lessons

• Simple: CliXML
• Importing native XML
• ConvertTo-XML
• Creating native XML from scratch

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Working with XML

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the use of XML within PowerShell
• Use XML data within a PowerShell function

Module 20: Working with JSON Data

This module explains how to using JSON data in PowerShell.Lessons

• Converting to JSON
• Converting from JSON

Lab : Designing a Tool

• Working with JSON data

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the use of JSON data within PowerShell
• Use JSON data within a PowerShell function

Module 21: Working with SQL Server Data

This module explains how to use SQL Server from within a PowerShell script.Lessons

• SQL Server terminology and facts
• Connecting to the server and database
• Writing a query
• Running a query
• Invoke-SqlCmd
• Thinking about tool design patterns

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the use of SQL Server from within PowerShell
• Write and run SQL Server queries
• Design tools that use SQL Server for data storage

Module 22: Final Exam

This module provides a chance for students to use everything they have learned in this course within a practical example.Lessons

• Lab problem
• Break down the problem
• Do the design
• Test the commands
• Code the tool

Lab : Final Exam

• Lab one

Lab : Final Exam

• Lab two

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Create PowerShell tools, using native design patterns, from business requirements.

Before attending this course, students must have:

• Experience at basic Windows administration
• Experience using Windows PowerShell to query and modify system information
• Experience using Windows PowerShell to discover commands and their usage
• Experience using WMI and/or CIM to query system information