55039: Windows PowerShell Scripting and Toolmaking

Key Learning Areas

• 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

Course Outline

Tool Design

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

• 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

Start with a Command

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

• 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

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.

• 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

Adding CmdletBinding and Parameterizing

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

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

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

Emitting Objects as Output

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

• 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

An Interlude: Changing Your Approach

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

• 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

Using Verbose, Warning, and Informational Output

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

• 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

Comment-Based Help

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

• 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

Handling Errors

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

• 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

Basic Debugging

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

• 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

Going Deeper with Parameters

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

• 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

Writing Full Help

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

• 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

Unit Testing Your Code

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

• 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

Extending Output Types

This module explains how to extend objects with additional capabilities.

• 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

Analyzing Your Script

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

• 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

Publishing Your Tools

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

• 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

Basic Controllers: Automation Scripts and Menus

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

• 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

Proxy Functions

This module explains how to create and use proxy functions.

• 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

Working with XML Data

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

• 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

Working with JSON Data

This module explains how to using JSON data in PowerShell.

• 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

Working with SQL Server Data

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

• 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

Final Exam

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

• 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.

Who Benefits

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.

Prerequisites

• 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