Fr

Second Edition

The book begins with the Windows PowerShell

basics, explores the significant features of Windows
Management Framework 5.0, covers the basic concepts
of Desired State Configuration, and looks at the
importance of idempotent deployments.
By the end of the book, you will have a good understanding
of Windows PowerShell's features and will be able to
automate your tasks and manage configurations effectively.

Who this book is written for

Understand the concepts of building

PowerShell scripts and the basics
of programming
Manage the LYNC, Exchange, and
SharePoint platforms
Create a Pull server using SMB file sharing
and HTTP or HTTPS
Use .NET classes in Windows PowerShell
and C# to manage Exchange Online
Use PowerShell in C# to manage
Exchange Online and work with
.NET classes in PowerShell
Automate LYNC clients, and consume
Client Side Object Models to administer
SharePoint Online
$ 49.99 US
31.99 UK

professional expertise distilled

P U B L I S H I N G

Prices do not include

local sales tax or VAT
where applicable

Visit www.PacktPub.com for books, eBooks,

code, downloads, and PacktLib.

Chendrayan Venkatesan
Sherif Talaat

If you are an IT professional or developer who has

worked on the .NET platform and want to learn about
automation using Windows PowerShell, then this book
is for you. This guide takes you from the basics and
gradually progresses to an intermediate level to show
you how to perform professional scripting.

What you will learn from this book

Windows PowerShell for .NET Developers

Second Edition

Windows PowerShell for

.NET Developers
Windows PowerShell for .NET Developers, Second Edition
is your guide to perform automation using Windows
PowerShell. This book will help you to understand
PowerShell syntax and will also teach you techniques
for removing the rough edges of manual deployments.
Packed with PowerShell scripts and sample C# codes to
automate tasks, it also includes real-world scenarios such
as administrating office servers and client side automation
to help you save time and perform deployments or
troubleshooting swiftly and efficiently.

ee

Sa

pl
e

P r o f e s s i o n a l

E x p e r t i s e

D i s t i l l e d

Windows PowerShell for

.NET Developers
Second Edition
Efficiently administer and maintain your development environment
with Windows PowerShell
Foreword by Sherif Talaat, PowerShell MVP

Chendrayan Venkatesan
Sherif Talaat

professional expertise distilled

P U B L I S H I N G

In this package, you will find:

The author biography

A preview chapter from the book, Chapter 1 'Getting Started with
Windows PowerShell'
A synopsis of the books content
More information on Windows PowerShell for .NET Developers
Second Edition

About the Authors

Chendrayan Venkatesan (Chen V) is a SharePoint IT Professional who

has worked for the Information, Computer and Technology industry since 2005.
Chen V started his career as Windows XP technical support engineer and became
a SharePoint IT Pro in the year 2007. He mainly focuses on automating Microsoft
Technologies such as SharePoint, LYNC, and Exchange. He was awarded the
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in 2014. He speaks on Windows
PowerShell, SharePoint Servers, Content Management, and IT Process Automations.
He blogs in http://chen.about-powershell.com and is mentoring three IT
professionals in PowerShell. He is a TechNet Wiki addict and has introduced
Windows PowerShell as a category in the TechNet Wiki Guru award competition.
To connect with Chen V you can visit his web site http://about-powershell.com
or choose your favourite social media twitter @ChendrayanV or LinkedIn
nl.linkedin.com/in/chendrayanv.

Sherif Talaat is a young computer science addict. He holds many technology

certificates. Sherif has been working in the ICT industry since 2005. He has worked
on the Microsoft's core infrastructure platforms and solutions with more focus
on the cloud and data center management, IT Process Automation (ITPA), and
scripting techniques.
Sherif is one of the early adopters of Windows PowerShell in Middle East and
Africa. He speaks about Windows PowerShell at technical events and user groups'
gatherings; he is also the founder of Egypt PowerShell User Group and the author of
the first and only Arabic PowerShell blog. He has been awarded the Egyptian MCIT
Shield and has won the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for
PowerShell seven times in a row since 2009. He is also the author of three different
Windows PowerShell titles for IT professionals and developers. Last but not least, he
is also a TED conference speaker.
You can learn more about him at http://sheriftalaat.com and follow him on
Twitter @SherifTalaat.

Preface
Windows PowerShell is no longer a secret in the world of IT. Starting in 2006,
it's been growing and has now turned out to be a massive automation platform
especially for Microsoft products and technologies.
Windows PowerShell 5.0 for .NET Developers is your self-start guide to performing
automation using Windows PowerShell. This book will help you to understand the
PowerShell syntax and grammar and will also teach you techniques to remove the
rough edges of manual deployments. Packed with PowerShell scripts and sample C#
codes to automate tasks, it also includes real-world scenarios, such as administrating
office servers to help you save time and perform deployments swiftly and efficiently.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Getting Started with Windows PowerShell, covers the basics of Windows
PowerShell, the importance of object-based shells, and how ISE helps us in
building scripts.
Chapter 2, Unleashing Development Skills Using Windows PowerShell 5.0, explores XML
and COM automation and NET objects for Admin and Development tasks. You will
also get acquainted with the PowerShell modules and how script debugging works.
Chapter 3, Exploring Desired State Configuration, gets you started with Desired State
Configuration (DSC) concepts such as installing WMF 5.0 April 2015 Preview,
Imperative versus declarative programming and their significant features. It also
explores Windows Remote Management and CIM, and teaches you to create
configurations scripts.
Chapter 4, PowerShell and Web Technologies, starts with the installation and
configuration of Web Access, and explores Web requests, services, and REST API.

Preface

Chapter 5, Exploring Application Programming Interface, covers the key benefits of the
API and using it in Windows PowerShell, Exchange Web Services, LYNC Client-side
API, and SharePoint Client Side Object Model; you'll walk through a demo to create
a PowerShell module in C# for office servers.

Getting Started with

Windows PowerShell
In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

What is Windows PowerShell?

Installing Windows Management Framework 5.0 on Windows Server 2012

The Windows PowerShell console

Setting up the console using GUI and PowerShell

Benefits of the Windows PowerShell ISE

Creating snippets in the PowerShell ISE

Scripting the cmdlet style

This is a self-paced guide for you to learn Windows PowerShell in order to perform
IT automation. The management goals of IT are to simplify the creation and
operation of computing environments. IT professionals and developers need to
complete their daily tasks swiftly in order to avoid chaos.
Windows PowerShell is an object-based and distributed automation platform
that enables IT professionals and developers to speed up their development tasks
and deployments. The Windows PowerShell scripting language makes daily tasks
more productive.
The goal of this book is to share the features of Windows PowerShell 5.0 and how
developers can utilize its benefits. Let's dive into Windows PowerShell 5.0 so that
we can design our infrastructure, automate our daily tasks, manage drifts in our
environment, quicken the deployment tasks, and so on.
[1]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The IT industry is growing rapidly; to adapt and minimize the impact, we need to
plan and design our infrastructure so as to meet the growing needs with minimum
chaos. It's challenging and really difficult to automate the tasks without PowerShell.
Windows PowerShell plays a major role by not only enabling task automation,
but also allowing us to design our infrastructure with the help of IT professionals
and developers.
Developers from the .NET background can quickly understand PowerShell.
Developers can easily create their own cmdlets (cmdlets, pronounced as command
lets, are nothing but the lightweight commands used in Windows PowerShell) and
leverage it in the infrastructure as needed. Thus, the deployment tasks become easier
and the productivity increases by automation.
Come, let's dive into Windows PowerShell 5.0 and its features.
Before we begin, let's note that Windows PowerShell 5.0 is not a stable
release. So, if you identify any bugs in the command, you can file a case
at http://connect.microsoft.com.

This self-paced guide will discuss the following:

Working with PowerShell cmdlets

PowerShell scripting

Exploring PowerShell modules

Exploring the XML, COM, and .NET objects

Exploring JSON, REST API, and Web Services

Features of Windows PowerShell 5.0

Exploring DSC to configure servers

Exploring web technologies using PowerShell

Consuming API in C# and PowerShell

Using PowerShell codes in C#

If you are interested in knowing the origin of Windows PowerShell 5.0,
you should read Monad Manifesto at:
http://blogs.msdn.com/cfs-file.
ashx/__key/communityserver-componentspostattachments/00-01-91-05-67/Monad-Manifesto_2D00_-Public.doc

[2]

Chapter 1

Introducing Windows PowerShell

Windows PowerShell is an object-based command-line interface with a very
powerful scripting language built on .NET. Windows PowerShell is designed
with access to several cmdlets, functions, filters, scripts, aliases, and executables.
From Windows Management Framework 4.0 onward, a new configuration
management platform has been introduced in PowerShell 4.0, which is Windows
PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC).
Windows PowerShell is very enhanced in the version 5.0 April 2015 Preview release.
This is not a stable release, but we will explore the new features introduced in
Windows PowerShell 5.0. The current stable version is Windows PowerShell 4.0.
IT professionals and developers use their own statements or definitions based on the
way they use PowerShell. Mostly, they define PowerShell as a scripting language.
Yeah! This is true but not completely because Windows PowerShell does much
more. However, the official page of Windows PowerShell defines PowerShell as an
automation platform and scripting language for Windows and Windows Server that
allows you to simplify the management of your systems. Unlike the other text-based
shells, PowerShell harnesses the power of the .NET Framework, providing us with
rich objects and a massive set of built-in functionality to help you take control of
your Windows environments. Refer to the following URL:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell

You may wonder, why Windows PowerShell? Why not VBScript? This is a very
common question that most administrators think. It's good to know both, but
VBScript is fading, and compared to PowerShell, it is very limited. Windows
PowerShell can access all .NET libraries, which helps us explore DLLs easily; on the
other hand, VBScript has limitations. If you are a beginner Windows PowerShell
will be a better choice because it is easier to understand and very powerful. The
Windows PowerShell cmdlets are rich and very easy to understand. Using Windows
PowerShell, we can avoid repeated steps, automate administration tasks, avoid GUI
clicks, and do much more. This is not limited to IT Professionals; developers can also
do much more by exploring Windows PowerShell, such as performing development
tasks faster than before.
From Windows PowerShell 5.0 onward, we can develop classes, parse structured
objects using the new cmdlets, and do the package management easily using the
PackageManagement module. This module is introduced in version 5.0 but was
formerly known as the OneGet module; many such modules are enhanced in
the new version.

[3]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

But wait, this is not all; you can refer to the following link to get a list of
the new features in Windows PowerShell 5.0:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh857339.
aspx#BKMK_new50

Installing Windows Management

Framework 5.0
Before we explore the PowerShell console host and the PowerShell ISE, let's install
Windows Management Framework 5.0 April 2015 Preview (Latest Build). Windows
Management Framework 5.0 is now supported on Windows 7 and Windows Server
2008 R2 SP1this will be covered in Chapter 3, Exploring Desired State Configuration in
detail. Windows Management Framework is shipped out of the box in the Windows
10 operating system and Windows Server Technical Preview. So, there is no need for
manual installation.
To start the demo, we need to perform the following functions in our machine
environment:

Set up Windows 2012 R2 Data Center

Download .NET Framework 4.5 (Included in Windows Server 2012)

Download Windows Management Framework 4.0

Download Windows Management Framework 5.0

Windows 2008 R2 has PowerShell 2.0 by default. To install
Windows Management Framework 5.0, we need to upgrade
from Windows Management Framework 4.0.

To open Windows PowerShell, perform the following functions:

1. Click on the start icon.
2. Type Windows PowerShell in Search programs and files.
3. It lists Windows PowerShell ISE and Windows PowerShell.
Here, ISE is short for Integrated Scripting Environment.
Ignore x86it's a 32-bit Windows PowerShell application
(we will not use it in any of our examples in this book).

[4]

Chapter 1

It's best practice to know your PowerShell version before you start doing an exercise
or start using scripts from the Internet.
To check the current version of PowerShell, you can simply run the following code:
$PSVersionTable

The following screenshot illustrates the output:

[5]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Windows Server 2012 R2 has WMF Version 4.0 by default. Let's upgrade it to WMF
5.0. If you are performing this task on Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2 with SP1,
install WMF 4.0 prior to WMF 5.0.
Following are the links where you can download the .NET framework and
WMF from:

.NET Framework 4.5http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/

details.aspx?id=30653

WMF 5.0http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.
aspx?id=46889
Do read the system requirements before proceeding
into the production environment. The installation of
WMF 5.0 requires a reboot.

Once the .NET framework 4.0 is in place, update it to the .NET framework 4.5.
As per the Microsoft Document, the .NET framework 4.5 is included in Windows 8
and Windows Server 2012. We can skip the .NET framework 4.5 installation.
We need to identify and install the correct package of WMF 5.0. For Windows
Server 2012, we need to download the 64-bit version of it, which is WindowsBlueKB3055381-x64.msu.
Open the MSU package and you will see the prompt, as shown in the following
screenshot:

[6]

Chapter 1

1. Click on Yes.
2. Read and accept the license agreement, as shown in the following screenshot:

3. After this, the installation begins, as shown in the following screenshot:

[7]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

4. Click on Restart Now when you see the following window on your screen:

We have successfully installed WMF 5.0. As an outcome of this upgrade, now we

also have the updated versions of Windows PowerShell, Windows PowerShell
Desired State Configuration (DSC), and the Windows PowerShell ISE. Package
manager and network switches cmdlets are included with this version.
The following image illustrates the Windows PowerShell 5.0 ISE:

[8]

Chapter 1

The Windows PowerShell consoles

Windows PowerShell has two different consoles: the console host and the Windows
PowerShell ISE host, which is GUI. To verify this, click on the start icon and search
for PowerShell on Windows Server 2012.
The following image illustrates the results of PowerShell:

Ignore x86 in the Windows PowerShell ISE (x86) for now. This is a 32-bit
ISE, and throughout this book, we will focus only on the 64bit ISE.
The location of the Windows PowerShell console host and ISE is:
C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0
The file name powershell.exe is the console host and powershell_
ise.exe is the Integrated Scripting Environment.

[9]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The Windows PowerShell console host

This is where we begin with the PowerShell cmdlets. It's easy for on-the-fly cmdlet
executions. The following image illustrates the PowerShell 5.0 console host:

By default, the background color is blue, and in the foreground, the color of the text
is white.
There is no need to type out the complete command; the PowerShell console allows
Tab Completion. For example, Get-Se + Tab completes the Get-Service command.
Tab completion is not only for the commands and parameters; we can also select the
properties using tab key.
To execute the following PowerShell code:
Get-Service -Name BITS | Select -Property Name , Status

[ 10 ]

Chapter 1

Windows PowerShell allows tab completion like this:

Get-Ser + Tab -N + Tab BITS | sel + Tab -Pro + Tab N + Tab, S + Tab

There are multiple ways to start a PowerShell console: we could either use the Run
dialog box, or type PowerShell in an open command-line window. These techniques
allow you to pass arguments to Windows PowerShell, including the switches that
control how Windows PowerShell works and the parameters that execute additional
commands. For example, you can start Windows PowerShell in the no-logo mode
(which means that the logo banner is turned off) using the startup command,
PowerShell -nologo. By default, when you start Windows PowerShell via the
command shell, Windows PowerShell runs and then exits. If you want Windows
PowerShell to execute a command and not terminate, type PowerShell /noexit,
followed by the command text.
We can use this to schedule our script in task schedulers. To see all the switches, run
the following command:
PowerShell.exe /?

Downloading the example code

You can download the example code files from your account at
http://www.packtpub.com for all the Packt Publishing books
you have purchased. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can
visit http://www.packtpub.com/support and register to have
the files e-mailed directly to you.

Setting up the console host using GUI

We can change the look and feel of the console host using GUI. To do this, we need
to perform the following steps:
Click on the Windows PowerShell icon, which appears in the upper-left corner
and select Properties. This has four tabsOptions, Font, Layout, and Colors.
Let's explore each tab.

Options: Using the Options tab, we can see Cursor Size, Command History,
and Edit Options, and adjust them as we require.
While setting the cursor size, we have three options: Small, Medium, and
Large. Here, small is 25 pixels, medium is 50 pixels, and large is 100 pixels.

[ 11 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The following image illustrates the Options tab:

By default, the command history retains the last 50 commands in a buffer.

We can customize this by increasing or decreasing the Buffer Size value.
$MaximumHistoryCount is a built-in variable that
returns the actual value of the command's history.
This takes precedence over GUI.

[ 12 ]

Chapter 1

Font: Using the Font tab, we can change the size, style, and type. Before
applying changes, we can preview the console host using the preview window.
The following image illustrates the Font tab:

[ 13 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Layout: Using the Layout tab, we can set the screen buffer size, window size,
and window position. Similarly to the Font tab, this also has preview window.
The following image illustrates the Layout tab:

[ 14 ]

Chapter 1

Colors: Using the Colors tab, we can set the screen text, screen background,
pop up text, and popup background values. The current RGB values are
shown in the Selected Color Values section. The modifications can be
previewed before applying.
The following image illustrates the Colors tab:

[ 15 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Press F7 to see the history; this pops up a tiny window as shown in the
following image:

Setting up the console host using PowerShell

The steps we explored under Graphical User Interface (GUI) are limited; we can
actually do more using PowerShell. Here comes the importance of objects. In this
exercise, we will adjust our console settings. To do all this, we need to know is
Get-Host command-let.
The Get-Host cmdlet is used to do more of the Windows PowerShell console setup.
In this exercise let's change the title of the PowerShell console host.

[ 16 ]

Chapter 1

The default console host title is shown in the following image:

Administrator: Windows PowerShell is the default title. Now let's change this to
Windows PowerShell 5.0 April 2015 Preview. Run the following commands:
(Get-Host).UI.RawUI
(Get-Host).UI.RawUI | GM

The preceding code returns the current settings and its members.

[ 17 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The output is illustrated in the following image:

WindowTitle is a property for which we can get and set a value and whose datatype
is String. We will discuss this in detail in the Understanding Objects section. Now,

let's execute the following code to change the title of the console host:

(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.WindowTitle = "Windows PowerShell 5.0 April 2015

Preview"

[ 18 ]

Chapter 1

The change appears as illustrated in the following image:

Using GUI, we can set the cursor size to small, medium, or large, which allows only
25, 50, or 100 respectively. But, PowerShell allows us to customize more by executing
the following command:
(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.CursorSize

The previous command returns the current cursor size. Run the following command:
(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.CursorSize.GetType()

[ 19 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

This command returns the type as shown in the following image:

Now, let's change the cursor size to 72 by executing the following command:
(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.CursorSize = 72

[ 20 ]

Chapter 1

The output is illustrated in the following image:

Exploring the Windows PowerShell ISE host using GUI

The Windows PowerShell ISE host is enhanced and exciting in version 5.0. This
version has lots of new features and is user friendly. The ISE helps us to write
scripts faster than a console. We will explore the features of ISEs in Chapter 3,
Exploring Desired State Configuration.
Opening the PowerShell ISE is similar to opening the console host. Click on the start
icon, search for PowerShell, and open PowerShell ISE. The executable file for the
PowerShell ISE resides in the same location as console host:
%windir%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\PowerShell_ISE.exe

[ 21 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The following image illustrates the PowerShell ISE:

The PowerShell ISE host is divided into the following sections:

1: Script pane

2: Command pane

3: Commands add-on

The script pane's visibility can be adjusted using the keyboard shortcuts, Ctrl + 1,
Ctrl + 2, Ctrl + 3, which sets the script pane to top, right, and maximized, respectively.
This makes it easy for us to view the command and result that we need.
The command pane will be hidden if we maximize the script pane.

[ 22 ]

Chapter 1

Let us learn more about commands add-on pane:

1. By default, all the available modules will be shown. Click on the drop-down
list to view the modules.
2. Click on Refresh if any new modules are loaded.
3. Type the command name, and it will show the output as illustrated in the
following image:

4. Enter the command.

[ 23 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

5. Select the command.

6. Click on the help icon, and this opens up the help in GUI.
7. Enter the parameters as required. The * sign denotes mandatory.
8. The common parameters are not always required, but we will use them in
the next chapters.
9. We can run the code, copy it, or click on Insert, which appears in the
command pane. Ensure that you haven't maximized the Script Pane.
An ISE allows us to cut, copy, paste, start IntelliSense, and start the snippets.
Similarly to other windows operations, Ctrl + X, Ctrl + C, and Ctrl + Y will cut,
copy, and paste, respectively.
IntelliSense gives us a better discoverability of cmdlets. A bunch of related
commands will be shown in the drop-down menu, so we can easily choose the
cmdlet we need. The Syntax tooltip lists the parameters to be used with the
command, as shown in the following image:

1. As soon as we start typing, IntelliSense shows us the list of commands

that begin with the text that is typed. We can scroll down and choose the
command we need to execute.
2. The syntax tooltip shows the syntax of the command that we choose.
To get help about the command, simply type the command, select it, and press F1.

[ 24 ]

Chapter 1

The output is illustrated in the following image:

The points marked in the figure are explained in the following list:

1: Select the command.

2: Press F1, which brings up the help window.

3: Click on Settings.

4: Select the sections you need to know. For example, unselect Examples to
hide the example section in the help window.

Benefits of an ISE
In comparison with the PowerShell console host, an ISE has a lot of benefits, and I
will list a few of them here:

It's easy to use

It's very user friendly

There are shortcut keys to manage the script

Writing the DSC configuration code is easy

The snippets make our job much easier

There is a script browser

We have the Command add-on

It shows a squiggly line in case of errors

[ 25 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The PowerShell ISE script browser

PowerShell ISE has a script browser feature that allows us to search for the script in
TechNet's script gallery. This is optional but worth using! This is because using Script
Browser, we can download and use the scripts available in TechNet's script gallery.
The following image illustrates Script Browser:

Following are a few options in Script Browser:

You can search for the script you need. Type the script's name in the textbox
provided, right-click on the script, and select either Add to favorites or the
Download option.

Your favorite scripts appears in the Favorites tab.

[ 26 ]

Chapter 1

The scripts that you download will appear in the Downloads tab.

You can set the language, download locations and network settings by
clicking on the settings icon in the upper-right corner.

The following image shows the Settings window of Script Browser:

Some benefits of Script Browser are as follows:

Script Browser allows us to filter the search based on technologies

Script Browser allows us to sort the script by popularity, ratings, and so on

The link to download Script Browser is http://www.microsoft.com/
en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42525.

[ 27 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Using an interactive shell

Windows PowerShell can be used either interactively or as a script automation. Before
we take a look at script automations, let's explore the use of an interactive shell.
We can do arithmetic operations in Windows PowerShell as follows:
2 + 2

This will return 4. Consider the following operation:

2 + 2 * 3

This will return 8.

Windows PowerShell does left-to-right arithmetic operations according to the
precedence rules. In the preceding expressions, PowerShell performed the operation
as 2 * 3 + 2. We need to use parenthesis, as with (2 + 2) * 3, which return the
result as 12. Here, (2 + 2) is known as grouping.
Using Windows PowerShell, we can do much more, such as system unit calculations,
hexadecimal conversions, and so on, and few examples are as follows:
4GB / 1MB

This returns 4096.

(0xc85).ToChar($_)

This returns the following character:

' '

In Windows PowerShell, we can use .NET classes. Here's an example:

[System.Math]::PI

This returns the value of pi, which is 3.14159265358979.

Windows PowerShell allows us to use class directly, without using the namespace,
shown as follows:
[Math]::PI

[ 28 ]

Chapter 1

Refer to the following MSDN link for the System.Math class:

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.
math%28v=vs.110%29.aspx

The command shown before was just an example. With reference to this, we can
build code as per our needs using .NET classes.

Windows PowerShell cmdlets

In this topic, we will cover the following:

Exploring Windows PowerShell commands

Exploring Windows PowerShell modules

Getting help

Understanding aliases, expressions, objects, pipelines, filtering,

and formatting

Scripting with Windows PowerShell

Windows PowerShell is designed to execute four kinds of named commands:

Cmdlets: These are .NET programs designed to interact with PowerShell

Scripts: These are files with the FileName.PS1 extension

Functions: These are a block of code that are very helpful for script organization

Native window commands: These are internal commands such as MKDIR,

CHDIR, and so on

The internal commands of Windows PowerShell are called cmdlets. Cmdlets are
always named in the verb-and-noun combination. This appears as Verb-Noun, for
example Get-Service and Stop-Service, where Get and Stop are verbs, and
Service is a noun.
(Verb)Action
(Noun)Something to be acted on
For example, Get-Service
Let's execute the following command:
Get-Command

[ 29 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The output of this command is illustrated in the following image:

The previous command will list all the installed commands from the computer and
retrieve only the cmdlets, functions, and aliases.
To retrieve only cmdlets, we can use the CommandType parameter, as shown in the
following command:
Get-Command -CommandType Cmdlet

Windows PowerShell supports tab completion. For example, let's run

the following command:
Get-Comm + Tab + -Co + Tab + C + Tab
When we type out this command, it will result as follows:
Get-Command -CommandType Cmdlet

[ 30 ]

Chapter 1

Now, let's explore the commands. In the following example, we will take a look
at the cmdlet Get-Service. Since we know the cmdlet up front, let's collect more
information such as the cmdlet version and source, as follows:
Get-Command Get-Service

The output of the preceding command is illustrated in the following image:

The points marked in the figure are explained in the following list:

1: This is the type of the command

2: This is the name of the command

3: This indicates the version (From Windows PowerShell 5.0 onward)

4: This indicates the module's name

To retrieve the commands for a specific module, we need to use the Module
parameter, which accepts the module name (Source) as we saw in bullet 4.
The following is an example of the command:
Get-Command -Module Microsoft.PowerShell.Management

This outputs all the commands available in the Microsoft.PowerShell.Management

module.
The Get-Service command will retrieve all the services running on your local
computer.
Refer to the following link to get more information on the
ServiceController class:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.
serviceprocess.servicecontroller%28v=vs.110%29.aspx

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Let's see the alternate of the Get-Service cmdlet using the .NET class. To do
this, let's find the TypeName of the Get-Service cmdlet by executing GetService | Get-Member and this gives the TypeName as System.ServiceProcess.
ServiceController. Windows PowerShell allows us to use this directly as follows:
[System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController]::GetServices()

Now, let's take a look at how the command that we just discussed works.
Here, we will consume the .NET ServiceController class in PowerShell and
invoke the GetServices() method.
The GetServices method has an overload with a machineName parameter. To find
this, we will execute the following command:
[System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController]::GetServices

The difference is that here, we did not use parentheses. The output of
OverloadDefinitions is as follows:
OverloadDefinitions
------------------static System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController[] GetServices()

static System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController[] GetServices(string

machineName)

We can query the service information of a remote computer by passing the host
name of the remote computer as the machineName parameter, as follows:
[System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController]::GetServices('RemoteServer')

Getting help
This is the most important and interesting topic. No matter what technology we
consume, all we need to know is the way to get help for it. Most IT professionals
and developers say that they use Google to find this.

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Chapter 1

For PowerShell, help is much more focused. It's very difficult to remember all the
commands. So, we can search for a command and find help for the same. Let's take
a look at how to seek help for Windows PowerShell cmdlets.
Get-Help Get-Service

The output is illustrated in the following image:

The sections in the image are explained as follows:

NAME: This is the name of the command (Get-Service)

SYNOPSIS: This is the abstract of the command

SYNTAX: This gives us the syntax of the commands, which includes all its
parameters and its type

DESCRIPTION: This is the description of the command whose help we are

looking for

RELATED LINKS: This contains the URL of online versions of the command,
and other commands related to the one we are looking for help regarding

REMARKS: This will guide us to explore examples, detailed information,

full help, and online help

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

If more information than that fitting the page view is to be displayed, the console is
paginated. For example, if we execute the Get-Help Get-Service -Detailed |
more command, the details will output as shown in the following image:

If we press Enter, we can view one line after another, whereas pressing the space key
will give a page view.
Keep your files updated using the Update-Help cmdlet as shown in the
following command. Ensure that your machine has internet connectivity
and execute the following command:
Update-Help Verbose

This cmdlet is designed to download and install help files on our computer.
The output is illustrated in the following image:

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Chapter 1

Ensure that you have an Internet connection while updating your help. The reason
for updating help is to keep the help document up-to-date. Let us learn more about
the Get-Help cmdlet:

The Help cmdlet is an alias for Get-Help (Aliases will be covered in the
next section).

The Get-Help cmdlet allows us to view the online help using the Online
parameter. The following command will open the online URL in the default
web browser:
Get-Help Get-Service Online

The Get-Help cmdlet allows us to view the help content in a separate user
interface. The following is the command that needs to be executed:
Get-Help Get-Service ShowWindow

The output of the preceding code is illustrated in the following image:

To view only syntax, we can execute the following code:

(Get-Help Get-Service).Syntax

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Understanding aliases
Using aliases in Windows PowerShell is not advised by many. The reason for this is
readability and understandability. Developers are comfortable using an alias because
it's easier, but the difficulty is in remembering the alias for each cmdlet.
The bottom line is that aliases are shortcuts for Windows PowerShell cmdlets.
Windows PowerShell has two types of aliases:

The built-in alias: This is an alias that represents PowerShell's native cmdlets

The user-defined alias: This is an alias created by us for specific needs.

The following command retrieves all the commands available in the Microsoft.
PowerShell.Management module:
Get-Command -Module Microsoft.PowerShell.Management

The following image shows the output of the previous command:

Using the following alias, we can achieve the same output as with like:
gcm -Module Microsoft.PowerShell.Management

Here, gcm is an alias or shortcut for the Get-Command cmdlet.

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Chapter 1

Let's explore all the commands related to an alias. The module name for aliases'
commands is Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility:
Get-Command -Name '*Alias*'

The output of this command is illustrated in the following image:

For now, ignore the PoshBoard module; we will discuss modules in Chapter 2,
Unleashing Development Skills Using Windows PowerShell 5.0.
To find an alias of any given command, we can simply execute the following code:
Get-Alias -Definition Get-Alias

The output of this command is as follows:

PS C:\> Get-Alias -Definition Get-Alias

CommandType
Version

Name
Source

-----------------

---------

Alias

gal -> Get-Alias

Here, gal is an alias of the Get-Alias cmdlet. The Get-Alias cmdlet will retrieve all
the available aliases in your local computer.
PowerShell allows us to create aliases for any given valid cmdlet. To create a new
alias, we execute the following command:
New-Alias -Name W -Value Get-WmiObject -Description "Learning
PowerShell" -Verbose

The output of the command we just discussed is as follows:

VERBOSE: Performing the operation "New Alias" on target "Name: W Value:
Get-WmiObject"

Now, let's take a look at how the command we just discussed works.
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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The New-Alias command is used to create an alias.

The W part is a friendly name. You can choose any name you need, but you can't
create a new alias with the existing, used names.
The Value command is used here. We also used the Get-WmiObject command, and
that's our definition.
The Description parameter is for our reference.
The Verbose parameter just shows the action performed by the message.
The output of the preceding command is illustrated in the following image:

The sections in the image are explained as follows:

Name: This is the name of the alias.

Definition: Here, this is the Get-WmiObject command. It may be

any command.

Description: This is the description of the alias.

CommandType: Here, this is Alias.

Visibility: Here, this is Public.

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Chapter 1

Using the Set-Alias command, we can do the same, but it allows us to change
the association later. In the preceding example, we created an alias named W for
the Get-WmiObject command. If we try to create an alias with the same name
for another command, the following error appears:

In this scenario, we can use the Set-Alias command to change the alias' association.
Run the following code:
PS C:\> Set-Alias -Name W -Value Get-Service -Description 'Change
Association' -Verbose
VERBOSE: Performing the operation "Set Alias" on target "Name: W Value:
Get-Service"

Best practice to use an alias is when you are controlling the

environment entirely.
Ensure that you have made a note about alias in your script. This
helps others to understand and troubleshoot in case of any failures.

If you create more aliases in your machine, you can move them to other machines
using the following two cmdlets:

The Export-Alias cmdlet

The Import-Alias cmdlet

In this exercise, we will create an alias for the Test-Connection cmdlet and use it in
other machines. The Test part will be the alias of Test-Connection. Following is the
command to set the alias' name:
New-Alias -Name Test -Value Test-Connection -Description "Testing"
-Verbose

Let's test the functionality using the following command:

test localhost

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

This command returns the following output:

Let's use the Export-Alias cmdlet and export only this alias using the
following command:
Export-Alias -Name test C:\Temp\CustomAlias.txt Verbose

We will get the following output:

# Alias File
# Exported by : ChenV
# Date/Time : Tuesday, August 25, 2015 1:57:28 PM
# Computer : CHENV
"Test","Test-Connection","Testing","None"

Move this text file to another computer and use the Import-Alias cmdlet to do this.
Look at the following image:

The steps marked in the image we just discussed are explained as follows:

1: Here, I used the Import-Alias cmdlet and have given the path where I
copied the text file

2: Here, I used the Get-Alias cmdlet to verify the existence of the alias

3: This indicates the resulttest -> Test-Connection

4: This verifies the functionality of the alias

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Chapter 1

There is no direct cmdlet to remove an alias, such as Remove-Alias. So,

how do we do this?
Alias is one of the items in the PowerShell drive. Yes! We can use
the Remove-Item cmdlet to remove the alias. Execute the following
command:
Get-Item Alias:\test

The command that we just discussed returns the following output:

So, you can simply use Remove-Item to delete the alias. Execute the
command as shown in the following image:

Understanding expressions
Windows PowerShell supports regular expressions. We know that PowerShell is
built using the .NET framework. So, it strongly supports the regular expressions
in .NET.
Developers prefer to use regular expressions to solve complex tasks such as
formatting display names, manipulating files, and so on.
Regex can either be used by comparing operators or implementing the .NET class.
The MSDN reference link for the regex class is https://
msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.text.
regularexpressions.regex%28v=vs.110%29.aspx.

In this topic, we will cover the following:

Operators and comparison operators

Implementing regex using the .NET class

Where do we use regular expressions?

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Before we proceed with regular expressions, let's explore a few things about operators.
To know about operators, we can run the following code:
help about_Operators -ShowWindow

The output is illustrated in the following image:

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Chapter 1

To retrieve help for all the operators in Windows PowerShell, you can run each of
the following lines of code and explore their usage:
help about_Arithmetic_Operators
help about_Assignment_Operators
help about_Comparison_Operators
help about_Logical_Operators
help about_Type_Operators
help about_Split
help about_Join
help about_Redirection

Windows PowerShell has operators such as arithmetic operators, assignment

operators, comparison operators, logical operators, redirection operators, split and
join operators, type operators, format operators, static member operators, and so on.
As we are exploring regular expressions, we will focus only on the comparison
operators.
Comparison operators are used to compare values and to find the matching pattern.
By default, comparison operators are not case sensitive.
We can also perform case-sensitive pattern matching using C before the operators.
Let's consider both these in the following example:
#Case In-Sensitive
"PowerShell" -match "PowerShell"

This command returns the output as true.

#Case Sensitive
"PowerShell" -cmatch "powershell"

This command returns the output as false.

Now, it's time for us to use the .NET regular expressions in Windows PowerShell
with the comparison operators
The MSDN link for a quick reference guide to regular expressions
is https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/
az24scfc%28v=vs.110%29.aspx

Here is a command that uses a regular expression to check whether the first three
characters are digits in a given string.
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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

For example, the given string is 123-456-ABC. Then, the command would be
as follows:
"123-245-ABC" -match '^\d{3}'

This command returns the output as true.

"EFG-245-ABC" -match '^\d{3}'

This command returns the output as false.

Now, let's take a look at how the command that we just discussed works, in the
following list:

^: This is the beginning of the string.

\d: This is to check the digits.

{3}: This matches the previous elements n times. In our case, it's three times.

Use the following regular expression to remove the white space characters from any
given string:
"Power Shell" -replace '\s' , ''

This returns PowerShell.

In case of replacing a string with null with the help of the
replace operator, we can execute the following command:
"Power Shell" -replace '\s'

There is no need to explicitly mention replacing a string with a

non-white space character.

The given input string is Power Shell. The expression removes the white space
between Power and Shell in the string and outputs the Powershell word. The
white space is removed as explained in the following steps:

In the preceding code, we used the comparison operator, replace

The \s character is the white space character in regex

This is replaced with a non-white space character

We can swap strings using regular expressions.

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Chapter 1

Consider the given string as FirstName LastName:

#Given Name: FirstName LastName
#Required Output: LastName, FirstName
"FirstName LastName" -replace "([a-z]+)\s([a-z]+)" ,'$2, $1'

The commands that we just discussed return the output as LastName, FirstName.
Consider the given string as FirstName12345 LastName:
#Given Name: FirstName12345 LastName
#Required Output: LastName, FirstName
'FirstName12345 LastName' -replace "\d+" -replace "([a-z]+)\s([a-z]+)"
,'$2, $1'

The commands that we just discussed return the output as LastName, FirstName.
The output of the previous two expressions is illustrated in the following image:

Similarly, PowerShell allows us to use the regex class to perform the same tasks.
Execute the following code:
[Regex]::IsMatch('PowerShell' , 'PowerShell')

The MSDN TechNet article for the regex class is at the following link:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.
text.regularexpressions.regex%28VS.80%29.aspx

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The IsMatch method is a member of the regex class. This method is overloaded,
which indicates whether the regular expression finds a match in the input string.
This is a simple example to check whether a string contains another string.
The MSDN TechNet article for the regex class members is at the
following link:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/system.text.
regularexpressions.regex_members%28v=vs.80%29.aspx

Developers can easily understand and implement regex. However, IT professionals

or system administrators may have difficulties in understanding the arguments
to be passed.
What arguments should we pass for members? It's not always necessary to refer to
the MSDN article. Instead, we can use PowerShell to find the overloaded definitions.
In the following example, we will use the Replace method (the public method of the
regex class):
[Regex]::Replace

The output of the code that we just discussed is illustrated in the following image:

To remove the numbers from the given string using regex, we execute the
following command:
[Regex]::Replace('12String' , '\d{2}' , '')

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Chapter 1

The command that we just considered returns the output as String. We get this
output as explained in the following steps:

Using the Regex class, we invoked the public method, Replace.

As per the overloaded definitions, we have an option to pass three

argumentsstring, pattern, and replacement string.

The '\d' shorthand character represents the digits and {n} checks n times.
In our case, it's two times.

This was replaced with empty values.

Understanding objects
In general, a term object is something that we can touch and feel, and the same
is applicable for PowerShell as well. An object in PowerShell is a combination
of methods and properties:
Objects = Properties + Methods
A property is something that we can get or set. In short, properties store information
about the object.
A method is an action to be invoked on a particular object.
Objects are constructed using their types, properties, and methods.
In this section, we will cover the following topics:

Getting help about objects, properties, and methods

Exploring objects, properties, methods, and types

Before we explore objects, let's have a look at the help documentation using the
following commands:
help about_Objects
help about_Properties
help about_Methods

The objects that we see in PowerShell are a part of the .NET framework, and
PowerShell will allow us to create custom objects as well.
From Windows PowerShell 5.0 onward, we can create objects
using a class. This will be covered in the Chapter 2, Unleashing
Development Skills Using Windows PowerShell 5.0.

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Now, let's explore objects in detail. In the following example, we will use the Get-

Date command:

$Date = Get-Date

Here, $Date is a variable in Windows PowerShell and Get-Date is a cmdlet to get

the current date and time.
Once we run the preceding code, $date will be a DateTime object. Let's take a look at
the type of the $Date variable:
$Date.GetType()

The output of this command is as follows:

The Get-Member cmdlet is our friend, and helps us to explore the members and
properties. To take a look at the available properties and methods, we can run the
following code:
Get-Date | Get-Member -MemberType All -Force

The preceding command retrieves all the properties and methods.

The list will be huge; so, to view the properties and methods, we can change the
MemberType value to either Property or Method. Let's execute the following code:
Get-Date | Get-Member -MemberType Property -Force

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Chapter 1

The output of this code is illustrated as follows:

The definitions of the property is shown as {get;}. Let's explore the property now,
as follows:
(Get-Date).DateTime

The command that we just considered displays the current date and time of the
local machine.
Now, let's take a look at how the command that we just discussed works, in the
following list:

Get-Date: This is the Windows PowerShell cmdlet.

.: This is the property deference operator.

The DateTime property shows the current system's date and time.

Alternatively, we can use the DateTime object, as follows:

[DateTime]::Now

We will get current date and time as output. For example, Tuesday, June 02, 2015

12:15:51 PM.

The operator used here is the static member operator, ::.

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

To invoke the methods of an object, we will follow the same procedure. But,
if the method needs arguments, we need to pass it accordingly, as shown in
the following command:
Get-Date | Get-Member -MemberType Method Force

We used the Force parameter to retrieve all the methods,

including the hidden ones.

Execute the following code:

(Get-Date).AddDays(1)

Here, we added one day to the current day and the output is as follows:
Wednesday, June 03, 2015 12:55:35 PM

Alternatively, we can write ([DateTime]::Now).AddDays(1).

The $psISE object is the root object of the Integrated Scripting Environment. Using
this we can toggle settings of the ISE, as follows:
$psISE | GM -Force

The output of the command we just discussed retrieves all the members of $PSISE.
One of the property options that hold all the options of the ISE is as follows:
$psISE.Options

To modify the zoom, use the following code:

$psISE.Options.Zoom = 150

To modify the Intellisense timeout seconds, we execute the following code:

$psISE.Options.IntellisenseTimeoutInSeconds = 5

To change the script pane's background color, we execute the following code:
$psISE.Options.ScriptPaneBackgroundColor = 'Green'

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Chapter 1

Understanding pipelines
A Windows PowerShell pipeline is used to join two or more statements with a
pipeline operator. The Pipeline operator is '|'.
We have used pipelines in previous examples; let's know about pipeline use
case scenario.
In this section, we will cover the following:

Using a pipeline operator

Where to use a pipeline operator

Windows PowerShell is designed to use pipeline. Here's an example of pipelines:

Command1 | Command2 | Command3

Here, Command1 sends the object to Command2; the processed object will then be sent
to Command3, which will output the results. Take a look at the following command:
help about_Pipelines -ShowWindow

A pipeline works in the following way:

The parameter must accept input from a pipeline (however, not all do so)

The parameter must accept the type of object being sent or a type that the
object that can be converted to

The parameter must not already be used in the command

Now, let's take a look at the following example:

PS C:\> Get-Service -Name BITS
Status

Name

DisplayName

------

----

-----------

Running

BITS

Background Intelligent Transfer Ser...

The Get-Service cmdlet gets the object representing the BITS service.
Using the Stop-Service cmdlet, we can stop the service. The -Verbose parameter is
to show the operation handled, as shown in the following code:
Get-Service -Name BITS | Stop-Service -Verbose

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The output of the command we just discussed is illustrated in the following image:

Using pipeline, we can do many more tasks, such as sorting, grouping, looping, and
so on.
How do we find the parameter that accepts pipeline? Using help and pipeline, we
can do this as shown in the following code:
help Get-Service -Parameter * | Select name , PipelineInput

The output of the command we just discussed is illustrated in the following image:

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Chapter 1

To retrieve the Windows services of the remote machine, SharePoint001, we can

write the command as follows:
'SharePoint001' | %{Get-Service -ComputerName $_}

In short, the pipeline passes the output to another command so that the next
command has something to work with or simply connects the output to other
commands. This helps IT professionals automate tasks such as inventorying,
reporting, and so on.

Exporting a running process to a CSV file

Let's take a look at the following command:
Get-Process | Export-csv C:\Temp\Process.csv `
-NoTypeInformation -Encoding UTF8

Refer to the following image:

The points marked in the image are explained as follows:

1: The Get-Process cmdlet is used to retrieve a running process in your local

machine. Alternatively, the gps alias can be used

2: This is the pipeline operator used to pass the output to the next command

3: The Export-csv cmdlet is used to save the output in the CSV format

4: This is the complete path of the output file

5: This is the PowerShell line continuation character

6: The NotypeInformation switch parameter is used to avoid

#TypeInformation in the CSV header

7: The Export-CSV cmdlet has an encoding parameter, which can be ASCII,

UTF7, UTF8, BigEndianUnicode, OEM, or so on

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The CSV output is shown in following image:

I prefer to export data in the XML format using the Export-Clixml cmdlet because it
holds a lot more information. Take a look at the following command:
Get-Process | Export-Clixml C:\Temp\Process.xml

The output is shown in the following image:

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Chapter 1

Using Import-Clixml and Import-Csv, we can view the output we exported:

Import-Clixml C:\Temp\Process.xml

The output of the command we just discussed is shown in the following image:

Using pipelines, we can connect multiple commands and get effective solutions, as
explained in the following list:

We can start, stop, or set a service

We can export the output to report, for inventories, and so on.

They connect commands and display the output as required

They help in sorting, filtering, and formatting objects

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Understanding filtering and formatting

In Windows PowerShell, filtering and formatting are used in most places to get the
output in the desired format. Select-Object is very useful cmdlet to filter.
In this section, we will cover the following topics:

Basics of filtering

Basics of formatting

Consider the following command:

Get-Command -Noun Object

The output is as shown in the following image:

Use the following Help commands:

Help Select-Object -Examples
Help Where-Object -Examples

Using the Select-Object cmdlet, we can select the first and last n items from the
collection of objects. The Select-Object cmdlet can be used to retrieve only unique
values (ignoring duplicates).

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Chapter 1

Now, let's explore Select-Object for filtering. Let's consider that we have a set of
objects from 65 to 90; to select the first 10, we need to pipe and use Select-Object,
as shown in the following command:
65..90 | Select -First 10

We will get the output as 65 to 74.

Consider the following command:
1,2,2,3 | Select -Unique

Here, we will get the output as 1, 2, and 3.

Take a look at the following command:
1,2,2,3 | Select -Last 1

Here, we will get the output as 3.

Consider the following command:
1,2,2,3 | Select -SkipLast 1

We will get the output as 1, 2, and 2.

Take a look at the following command:
1,2,2,3 | Select -Skip 2

Here, we will get the output as 2 and 3.

To get help for all the parameters in Select-Object, use the following code:
help Select-Object -Parameter *

The Where-Object cmdlet is used to filter data returned by the other cmdlet. This
cmdlet accepts comparison operators.
Let's explore the syntax of the Where-Object cmdlet, as follows:
(help Where-Object).Syntax

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The output of the command we just considered is illustrated in the following image:

Consider an array from 1 to 5. To select values greater than 3, we use the WhereObject alias, ?, next to the pipeline operator, as shown in the following command:
1..5 | ? {$_ -gt 3}

From Windows PowerShell 4.0 onward, we can avoid pipelines for the ForEach and
Where objects, as follows:
(65..90).ForEach({[char][int]$_})

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Chapter 1

The output of the code we just discussed is shown in the following image:

Now, let's take a look at how this works in the following list:

The (65..90) range uses the range operator, ..; these are the ASCII values
of A-Z

We used the dereference operator, ., to invoke the Foreach method

The Foreach method accepts expressions and arguments, as shown in the

code we just considered.

Now, let's take a look at the following code:

(1..10).Where({$_ -ge 5})

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The output of this code is shown in the following image:

Now, let's take a look at how this works in the following list:

The (1..10) range uses the range operator, ..; this is the 1 to 10 array
of the object

We used the dereference operator, ., to invoke the Where method

The Where method accepts the expression, mode, and number to return

We can use the Where statement with different modes. In the following example, we
will select the first three values, where the number is greater than or equal to 5. Now,
let's consider the following code:
(1..10).Where({$_ -ge 5}, 'First' , 3)

The output of this code is illustrated in the following image:

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Chapter 1

Now, let's take a look at how this works in the following list:

The (1..10) uses the range operator, .., and this is the 1 to 10 array
of the objects

We used the dereference operator to invoke the Where method

In this expression, {$_ -ge 5} is an object greater than 5, First is the mode,
and 3 is the value for the number to be returned.

Similarly, we can use the Split mode as well. Using this, we can split the given
collection of objects, as shown in the following code:
$section1 , $section2 = (1..100).Where({$_ -le 50} , 'Split' , 0)
$section1
$section2

The $section1 variable contains values from 1 to 50, and the $section2 variable
contains values from 51 to 100.
Avoid pipelines as much as you can. Use appropriately, because in
larger script we may end up having a performance issue.
Use Measure-Command and analyze the performance of commands
using pipelines.

Here is a table comparing commands using pipeline with those that don't use
a pipeline:
With pipeline

Result in
milliseconds

Without pipeline

Result in
milliseconds

65..90 |
%{[char]
[int]$_}
1..10 | ?
{$_ -ge 5} |
Select -First
3

(65..90).ForEach({[char]
[int]$_})

42

(1..10).Where({$_ -ge 5},

'First' , 3)

PowerShell formatting
Windows PowerShell has a set of cmdlets that allows us to format the output. To find
the cmdlets to format, use Verb Format to search, as shown in the following code:
Get-Command -Verb Format

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Let's take a look at the default formatting of Windows PowerShell by executing the
following the cmdlet:
Get-Process | Select First 5

The output of this code is as follows:

The headers are not exactly property names. This formatting is done using the file
name, DOTNETTYPES.FORMAT.PS1XML.
The location of the file is $PSHome. Take a look at the following image:

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Chapter 1

The following list explains the points marked in the preceding image:

1: The type name of Get-Process is System.Diagnostics.Process

2: For NPM(K), refer to the image preceding the previous image

3: For PM(K), refer to the image preceding the previous image

The first thing we see in the XML file is the following warning:
Do not edit or change the contents of this file directly. Please see
the Windows PowerShell documentation or type.

Use the following command to obtain more information:

Get-Help Update-TypeData

So, let's not make any kind of modifications. Instead, let's take a look at the cmdlets
to make minor modifications as desired, as shown in the following image:

In the following example, we will use the Where method to select n items required to
keep the output precise and short.
The help command to format the table is as follows:
help Format-Table -ShowWindow

Let's select the first five running services and format them as follows:
(Get-Service).Where({$_.Status -eq 'Running'},'First',5) | Format-Table

This code outputs the default formatting.

Using the Format-Table cmdlet, we can hide the headers, auto size the table, use the
expression, and much more. Let's consider the following command:
(Get-Service).Where({$_.Status -eq 'Running'},'First',5) | Format-Table
-HideTableHeaders

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The output of the command we just discussed is shown in the following image:

The default formatting of Windows PowerShell is not great, but it allows us to

customize the format as required. The report we deliver to IT Management should
be precise and readable. Using Windows PowerShell, we can achieve this.
Reports can be in the HTML, XML, CSV, or other desired formats.
Using an expression is allowed in Format-Table inside the {} script block token.
Run the following command:
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogicalDisk -Filter "DriveType=3" |
Format-Table Name,@{n="Freespace(byte)";e={"{0:N0}" -f
$_.FreeSpace};a="center"}

The following image shows all three alignments: left, right, and center:

Here is another example of a command to format the date in the day/month/year

format using a format operator:
"Custom Date Format: {0},{1},{2}" -F (Get-Date).Day , (Get-Date).Month ,
(Get-Date).Year
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Chapter 1

To view the LastWriteTime.DayOfWeek file, run the following command:

Get-ChildItem C:\Temp | Ft name , @{n="Day of Week" ; E =
{$_.LastWriteTime.DayOfWeek}}

The following is the command to custom format using the Format-Custom cmdlet:
Get-Service | Format-Custom

The default output of the command we just discussed is as follows:

Use the Get-FormatData cmdlet to view the formatting data from the Format.
ps1xml formatting files. In this demo, we will try to customize the default format in
the current session, as follows:

help Get-FormatData -ShowWindow

help Export-FormatData -ShowWindow
help Update-FormatData -ShowWindow

Perform the following steps:

In this demo, we will change the column header to test. This will
break the output ONLY in the current session.

1. Identify the type name of the command. For example, here, we will use the
Get-Process | GM command.

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

2. The TypeName parameter is System.Diagnostics.Process, as shown in the

following command:
Get-FormatData -TypeName System.Diagnostics.Process |
Export-FormatData -Path C:\Temp\TestView.Format.PS1XML

3. Now, append the text of the column header in the PS1XML file in the Temp
folder, as shown in the following command:
Update-FormatData -PrependPath C:\Temp\TestView.Format.PS1XMl

4. The Get-Process command returns the output as shown in the

following image:

Exploring snippets in the PowerShell ISE

There is a cool way in the PowerShell ISE to reduce typing; however, before
discussing PowerShell scripting, let's take a look at snippets.
Snippets are nothing but commonly used code. In PowerShell, we very often use
functions, advanced functions, comment blocks, and so on.
Using an ISE, we don't type out the structure of the function. Instead, we can rightclick on Script Pane and select Start Snippets or press Ctrl + J. This shows a menu of
the available snippets.

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Chapter 1

The following image illustrates the snippets in the PowerShell ISE:

We need not be limited to only the available snippets; we can create our own
snippets. In this demo, we will try to create a snippet. This is a simple snippet
to add a mandatory parameter, which we can reuse in any of our functions.
This helps developers and IT professionals do the scripting faster.
There is no need for more typing; we just need to add a snippet wherever we need
reusable codes, as shown in the following code:
$m = @'
Param(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
[String]
$String
)
'@
New-IseSnippet -Text $m -Title Mandatory -Description 'Adds a Mandatory
function parameter' -Author "Chen V" -Force
[ 67 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Let's take a look at how this works:

The $m variable holds the skeleton code

The New-IseSnippet command is the one available in the module's ISE

We used a few parameters with Text , which is the skeleton code; Title,
which can be any friendly name; Description, which describes the snippet
in short; and Author, which is the author's name

After the code is executed, it creates a PS1XML file in the location, $home\
Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Snippets\

The file name will be your titlein this case it's Mandatory.Snippets.PS1XML
We can copy and place it any machinepressing Ctrl + J will
show Mandatory in the snippets.

The following image illustrates the output of the newly created snippet:

The following are the steps that explain the points marked in the preceding image:

1: The name Mandatory is the title of our new snippet

2: The Description field is shown in the pop-up box

3: The Path field is the path of the PS1XML file

4: This is the snippet code or skeleton code

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Chapter 1

Getting started with PowerShell scripting

Let's take a look at scripting in the cmdlet style.
We've arrived at a place from where we can explore PowerShell scripting with the
knowledge of the previous topics. Wait! We haven't covered all that we need for
scripting in PowerShell. Before we begin discussing scripting, we should know more
about the scripting principles, using variables, commenting, writing help, and so on.
Here are a few principles of scripting:
If you want to deliver scripts to your organization or community, it's good to create
the variables and follow the standard naming conventions. Do not use plain text
passwords in the scripts, and avoid technical jargon in the comment blocks. Ensure
that the script is readable for others.
Using Windows PowerShell scripting, we can perform complex tasks with the help
of imperative commands. The scripting language supports branching, variables,
and functions.
From now on, we will use the PowerShell ISE for its ease of use and benefits.
In this section, we will cover the following topics:

Using variables

The basics of Windows PowerShell scripting

Writing the functions and advanced functions

Let's now discuss using variables.

A variable is used to store information, and it is the result of a running script.
Here's an example:
$value = Read-Host "Enter Value 1"

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Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

This script prompts for user input; once the value is entered, it stores it in the $value
variable, as shown in the following image:

Following are a few points to note about variables:

They can be string or integer, and they allow special characters

They should be used preciselydon't use special characters in
their name
You need to use the standard naming conventions that are
easily understandable
You can use the automatic, preference, and environment
variables
You should modify the preference variables only if required

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Chapter 1

Using the New-Variable cmdlet, a variable can be created along with a scope
definition. In the following example, let's create a variable name, ws, which
holds the value of the Windows service, and sets the scope to Global:
New-Variable -Name 'ws' -Value (Get-Service) -Scope Global

Using Remove-Variable, it can be removed, as shown in the following code:

Remove-Variable -Name ws -Verbose

Windows PowerShell scripting is used to automate your daily tasks. It may be

anything such as reporting, server health checkup, performing tasks such as
restarting services, stopping services, deploying solutions, installing Windows
features, and much more.
The following points need to be considered while creating PowerShell scripting:

Keep the PowerShell code simple and neat.

Follow the same indentation throughout the code.

Make a clear, comments-based help.

Comment on your parameters with descriptions. This allows others to get

help about the parameters.

Let's write a simple script that prints hello world on the screen:
#Windows PowerShell Script to Retrieve Windows Services
Write-Host "Hello, World!" -ForegroundColor Green

To run the PowerShell script, you need to call the script using a dot (.) operator
followed by backward (\) slash.
The extension of the PowerShell script file should be .PS1.

[ 71 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

The output of the preceding code is illustrated in the following image:

Let's create a script that does a basic system inventory.

This PowerShell script will create a CSS file for styles, query the basic system
information, convert to an HTML file, and open up after the script is completely
executed, as shown in the following code:
$UserName = (Get-Item

env:\username).Value

$ComputerName = (Get-Item env:\Computername).Value

$filepath = (Get-ChildItem env:\userprofile).value
Add-Content

"$Filepath\style.CSS"

-Value " body {

font-family:Calibri;
font-size:10pt;
}
th {

[ 72 ]

Chapter 1
background-color:black;
color:white;
}
td {
background-color:#19fff0;
color:black;
}"
Write-Host "CSS File Created Successfully... Executing Inventory
Report!!! Please Wait !!!" -ForegroundColor Yellow
#ReportDate
$ReportDate = Get-Date | Select -Property DateTime |ConvertTo-Html
-Fragment
#General Information
$ComputerSystem = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_ComputerSystem |
Select -Property Model , Manufacturer , Description , PrimaryOwnerName ,
SystemType |ConvertTo-Html -Fragment
#Boot Configuration
$BootConfiguration = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_BootConfiguration |
Select -Property Name , ConfigurationPath | ConvertTo-Html -Fragment
#BIOS Information
$BIOS = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_BIOS | Select -Property
PSComputerName , Manufacturer , Version | ConvertTo-Html -Fragment
#Operating System Information
$OS = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_OperatingSystem | Select -Property
Caption , CSDVersion , OSArchitecture , OSLanguage | ConvertTo-Html
-Fragment
#Time Zone Information
$TimeZone = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_TimeZone | Select Caption ,
StandardName |
ConvertTo-Html -Fragment
#Logical Disk Information
$Disk = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogicalDisk -Filter DriveType=3 |
Select SystemName , DeviceID , @{Name="size(GB)";Expression={"{0:N1}"
-f($_.size/1gb)}}, @{Name="freespace(GB)";Expression={"{0:N1}"
-f($_.freespace/1gb)}} |

[ 73 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

ConvertTo-Html -Fragment
#CPU Information
$SystemProcessor = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Processor

Select SystemName , Name , MaxClockSpeed , Manufacturer , status

|ConvertTo-Html -Fragment
#Memory Information
$PhysicalMemory = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_PhysicalMemory |
Select -Property Tag , SerialNumber , PartNumber , Manufacturer ,
DeviceLocator , @{Name="Capacity(GB)";Expression={"{0:N1}" -f
($_.Capacity/1GB)}} | ConvertTo-Html -Fragment
#Software Inventory
$Software = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product |
Select Name , Vendor , Version , Caption | ConvertTo-Html -Fragment
ConvertTo-Html -Body "<font color = blue><H4><B>Report Executed
On</B></H4></font>$ReportDate
<font color = blue><H4><B>General
Information</B></H4></font>$ComputerSystem
<font color = blue><H4><B>Boot
Configuration</B></H4></font>$BootConfiguration
<font color = blue><H4><B>BIOS Information</B></H4></font>$BIOS
<font color = blue><H4><B>Operating System
Information</B></H4></font>$OS
<font color = blue><H4><B>Time Zone Information</B></H4></font>$TimeZone
<font color = blue><H4><B>Disk Information</B></H4></font>$Disk
<font color = blue><H4><B>Processor
Information</B></H4></font>$SystemProcessor
<font color = blue><H4><B>Memory
Information</B></H4></font>$PhysicalMemory
<font color = blue><H4><B>Software Inventory</B></H4></font>$Software"
-CssUri "$filepath\style.CSS" -Title "Server Inventory" | Out-File
"$FilePath\$ComputerName.html"
Write-Host "Script Execution Completed" -ForegroundColor Yellow
Invoke-Item -Path "$FilePath\$ComputerName.html"

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Chapter 1

The output of this code is illustrated in the following image:

[ 75 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Let's take a look at how to write PowerShell functions with comments:

<#
.Synopsis
To add two integer values
.DESCRIPTION
Windows PowerShell Script Demo to add two values
This accepts pipeline values
.EXAMPLE
Add-Values -Param1 20 -Param2 30
.EXAMPLE
12,23 | Add-Values
#>
function Add-Values
{
[CmdletBinding()]
[Alias()]
[OutputType([int])]
Param
(
# Param1 help description
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true,
ValueFromPipeline = $true,
ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true,
Position=0)]
#Accepts Only Integer
[int]$Param1,
#Accepts only integer
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true,
ValueFromPipeline = $true,
ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true,
Position=0)]
[int]$Param2
)
Begin
{
[ 76 ]

Chapter 1
"Script Begins"
}
Process
{
$result = $Param1 + $Param2
}
End
{
$result
}
}

This is not a good script, but I will use this to demonstrate a PowerShell function
with comments in order to help explore the use of help.
The following is an explanation of how this code works:
1. The most important part is the comment block. Let's take a look at the
following code snippet:
<#
.Synopsis
To add two integer values
.DESCRIPTION
Windows PowerShell Script Demo to add two values
This accepts pipeline values
.EXAMPLE
Add-Values -Param1 20 -Param2 30
.EXAMPLE
12,23 | Add-Values
#>

2. We need to provide a short description and synopsis of the script, as we

did in this example. This will help others explore and know the usage
of the script.
3. Then, we used the Function keyword and followed the standard Verb-Noun
naming convention. In this example, we used Add-Values.
4. We parameterized our script using the Param block.

[ 77 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

5. We named the parameter as applicable and added a comment/help

description on top of the parameter.
6. We used the Begin, Process, and End blocks. I inserted the addition code in
the Process block.
To simplify all of these steps, open the ISE, press Ctrl + J,
and select CMDLET (advanced function).

To execute this script, we need to use the .\Filename.PS1 command. Take a look at
the following image:

[ 78 ]

Chapter 1

The following is an explanation of the steps marked in the image we just considered:

1: We executed the Code3 script

2: We used the Get-Help cmdlet to read about the custom function

3: This is the name of the command

4: This is the customized synopsis

5: The SYNTAX field is autogenerated

6: This is the customized description

7: The RELATED LINKS field is empty because we haven't included it in our

comment block

8: The REMARKS field is default

To view only the examples, we will use the following command:

Get-Help Add-Values -Examples

The output of this code is illustrated in the following image:

The following is an explanation of the points marked in the preceding image:

1: The Get-Help cmdlet is used to get help of the custom function or script

2: This is the name of the cmdlet/function

3: This shows EXAMPLE 1

4: This shows EXAMPLE 2

[ 79 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

Similarly, we can view only parameters. The help description given above each
parameter appears using the following code:
Get-Help Add-Values -Parameter *

Take a look at the following image:

The following are a few commands that use the help command:
help about_Functions
help about_Functions_Advanced_Methods
help about_Functions_Advanced_Parameters
help about_Functions_CmdletBindingAttribute
help about_Functions_OutputTypeAttribute

Let's take a look at how to write advanced functions.

Advanced functions are similar to compiled cmdlets but not exactly the same.
Here is a table comparing advanced functions and compiled cmdlets:
Advanced functions

Compiled cmdlets

These are designed using the PowerShell

script.

These are designed using a .NET

framework, such as C#, and compiled as
DLL.

The actual work will be done in the process

blocks.

The actual work will be done in the

process records.

[ 80 ]

Chapter 1

Advanced functions

Compiled cmdlets

An advanced function can be created easily

using the PowerShell ISE.

A compiled cmdlet can be created easily

using the Visual Studio class library.

The performance of advanced functions is

slower compared to a compiled cmdlet.

Compiled cmdlets are faster.

In this section, we will discuss both writing an advanced function code using the
PowerShell ISE and a compiled cmdlet using the Visual Studio C# class library.
Let's take a look at how to create a compiled cmdlet using the Visual Studio C# class
library. Execute the following code:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Management;
using System.Management.Automation;
using System.IO;
namespace Windows_Management
{
[Cmdlet(VerbsCommon.Clear, "TemporaryInternetFiles")]
public class WindowsManagement : PSCmdlet
{
protected override void ProcessRecord()
{
//Delete Internet Cache Files and Folders
string path = Environment.GetFolderPath(
Environment.SpecialFolder.InternetCache);
Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.DarkYellow;
Console.WriteLine("Clearing Temporary Internet Cache Files
and Directories....." + path);
System.IO.DirectoryInfo folder = new DirectoryInfo(path);
foreach (FileInfo files in folder.GetFiles())
{
try
{
files.Delete();

[ 81 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

}
catch (Exception ex)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(ex);
}
}
foreach (DirectoryInfo Directory in folder.GetDirectories())
{
try
{
Directory.Delete();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(ex);
}
}
Console.WriteLine("Done Processing!!!");
Console.ResetColor();
}
}
}
namespace clearInternetexplorerHistory
{
[Cmdlet(VerbsCommon.Clear, "IEHistory")]
public class clearInternetexplorerHistory : PSCmdlet
{
protected override void ProcessRecord()
{
// base.ProcessRecord();
string path = Environment.GetFolderPath(
Environment.SpecialFolder.History);
Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.DarkYellow;
Console.WriteLine("Clearing Internet Explorer History....."
+ path);
System.IO.DirectoryInfo folder = new DirectoryInfo(path);
[ 82 ]

Chapter 1
foreach (FileInfo files in folder.GetFiles())
{
try
{
files.Delete();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(ex);
}
}
foreach (DirectoryInfo Directory in folder.GetDirectories())
{
try
{
Directory.Delete();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(ex);
}
}
Console.WriteLine("Done Processing!!!");
Console.ResetColor();
}
}
}
namespace UserTemporaryFiles
{
[Cmdlet(VerbsCommon.Clear, "UserTemporaryFiles")]
public class UserTemporaryFiles : PSCmdlet
{
protected override void ProcessRecord()
{
//base.ProcessRecord();

[ 83 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

string temppath = System.IO.Path.GetTempPath();
System.IO.DirectoryInfo usertemp = new
DirectoryInfo(temppath);
Console.WriteLine("Clearing Your Profile Temporary Files..."
+ temppath);
foreach (FileInfo tempfiles in usertemp.GetFiles())
{
try
{
tempfiles.Delete();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(ex);
}
}
Console.WriteLine("Done Processing!!!");
foreach (DirectoryInfo tempdirectory in
usertemp.GetDirectories())
{
try
{
tempdirectory.Delete();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(ex);
}
}
}
}
}

Once the DLL is compiled, we can import it as a module in Windows PowerShell.

[ 84 ]

Chapter 1

The output of the command we just discussed is illustrated in the following image:

Now, let's consider the advanced functions in Windows PowerShell.

Advanced functions are more robust, can handle errors, support verbose and
dynamic parameters, and so on.
Let's take a look at the small advanced functions used to retrieve system information,
as follows:
function Get-SystemInformation
{
[CmdletBinding()]
[Alias()]
[OutputType([int])]
Param
(
# Param1 help description
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true,
ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true,
ValueFromPipeline = $true,
HelpMessage = "Enter Valid Host Names",
Position=0)]
[Alias('Host')]
[ValidateCount(0,15)]
[String[]]$ComputerName,
# Param2 help description
[int]
[ 85 ]

Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

$Param2
)
Begin
{
}
Process
{
foreach($cn in $ComputerName)
{
$cs = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_ComputerSystem
-ComputerName $cn
$baseboard = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_BaseBoard
-ComputerName $cn
$properties = New-Object psobject -Property @{
ComputerName = $cs.Caption
Model = $cs.Model
ComputerOwner = $cs.PrimaryOwnerName
Bootupsate = $cs.BootupState
BaseBoardSerialNumber = $baseboard.SerialNumber
BaseBoardManufacturer = $baseboard.Manufacturer
}
$properties
}
}
End
{
}
}
'localhost' , 'localhost' | %{Get-SystemInformation -ComputerName $_}

[ 86 ]

Chapter 1

The output of the code we just discussed is illustrated in the following image:

As we have already covered the topic of adding help for PowerShell functions,
I ignored it in the advanced functions section. Remember, we do have snippets
in the ISE to create advanced functions. It's simple; just right-click on the script pane,
select Start snippet, and then choose the Advanced function complete option.
Start documenting the synopsis, description, and help for parameters and build
your code in the process block. This is very easy and handy to build advanced
scripts using PowerShell.
Before building scripts, use the Measure-Command cmdlet and think about
optimization. This will help in performance.

Summary
So far, we covered the very basics of Windows PowerShell. We now know the
importance of an object-based shell and how an ISE helps us in building scripts. We
explored the Windows PowerShell consoles and ISE snippets. After completing this
chapter, you know the power of an interactive shell, how to use cmdlets effectively,
how to use help, and the fundamentals of PowerShell along with building standard
functions and creating cmdlets using the Visual Studio class library.
In the next chapter, we will cover Common Information Model (CIM), Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI), Extensible Markup Language, COM, .NET
objects, modules, and a more exciting section, Exploring Windows PowerShell 5.0.

[ 87 ]

Get more information Windows PowerShell for .NET Developers

Second Edition

Where to buy this book

You can buy Windows PowerShell for .NET Developers Second Edition from the
Packt Publishing website.
Alternatively, you can buy the book from Amazon, BN.com, Computer Manuals and most internet
book retailers.
Click here for ordering and shipping details.

www.PacktPub.com

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