55039: Windows PowerShell Scripting And Toolmaking Training

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

Lessons

Tools do one thing

Tools are flexible

Tools look native

Lab: Designing a Tool

Design a tool

After completing this module, students will be able to:

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

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

Lessons

Why start with a command?

Discovery and experimentation

Lab: Designing a Tool

Start with a command

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the benefits of discovery and experimentation in the console

Discover and experiment with existing commands in the console

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

Lessons

Start with a basic function

Create a script module

Check prerequisites

Run the new command

Lab: Designing a Tool

Build a basic function and module

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Build a basic function

Create a script module

Run a command from a script module

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

Lessons

About CmdletBinding and common parameters

Accepting pipeline input

Mandatory-ness

Parameter validation

Parmeter aliases

Lab: Designing a Tool

Adding CmdletBinding and Parameterizing

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the purpose of CmdletBinding and list common parameters

Parameterize a script’s input

Define parameters as mandatory

Define parameters as accepting pipeline input

Define parameter validation

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

Lessons

Assembling information

Constructing and emitting output

Quick tests

Lab: Designing a Tool

Emitting objects as output

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the purpose of object-based output

Create and output custom objects from a function

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

Lessons

Examining a script

Critiquing a script

Revising the script

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the native patterns that a good tool design should exhibit

Redesign a script to meet business requirements and conform to native patterns

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

Lessons

Knowing the six channels

Adding verbose and warning output

Doing more with verbose output

Informational output

Lab: Designing a Tool

Using Verbose, Warning, and Informational Output

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the six output channels in the shell

Write commands that use verbose, warning, and informational output

Run commands with extra output enabled

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

Lessons

Where to put your help

Getting started

Going further with comment-based help

Broken help

Lab: Designing a Tool

Comment-based help

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the purpose and construction of comment-based help

Add comment-based help to a function

Identify causes of broken comment-based help

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

Lessons

Understanding errors and exceptions

Bad handling

Two reasons for exception handling

Handling exceptions in our tool

Capturing the actual exception

Handling exceptions for non-commands

Going further with exception handling

Deprecated exception handling

Lab: Designing a Tool

Handling errors

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the native patterns for handling errors in a command

Add error handling to a command

Run a command and observe error handling behaviors

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

Lessons

Two kinds of bugs

The ultimate goal of debugging

Developing assumptions

Write-Debug

Set-PSBreakpoint

The PowerShell ISE

Lab: Designing a Tool

Basic debugging

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the tools used for debugging in PowerShell

Debug a broken script

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

Lessons

Parameter positions

Validation

Multiple parameter sets

Value from remaining arguments

Help messages

Aliases

More CmdletBinding

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the use of positional parameters

Describe additional parameter validation methods

Describe how to define multiple parameter sets

Describe other parameter definition options

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

Lessons

External help

Using PlatyPs

Supporting online help

“About” topics

Making your help updatable

Lab: Designing a Tool

Writing full help

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the advantages of external help

Create external help using PlatyPS and Markdown

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

Lessons

Sketching out the test

Making something to test

Expanding the test

Going further with Pester

Lab: Designing a Tool

Unit testing your code

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the purpose of unit testing

Write basic unit tests for PowerShell functions

This module explains how to extend objects with additional capabilities.

Lessons

Understanding types

The Extensible Type System

Extending an object

Using Update-TypeData

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the purpose of the ETS

Extend an existing object type

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

Lessons

Performing a basic analysis

Analyzing the analysis

Lab: Designing a Tool

Analyzing your script

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the use of Script Analyzer

Perform a basic script analysis

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

Lessons

Begin with a manifest

Publishing to PowerShell Gallery

Publishing to private repositories

Lab: Designing a Tool

Publishing your tools

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the tool publishing process and requirements

Publish a tool to a repository

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

Lessons

Building a menu

Using UIChoice

Writing a process controller

Lab: Designing a Tool

Basic controllers

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the purpose of basic controller scripts

Write a simple controller script

This module explains how to create and use proxy functions.

Lessons

A proxy example

Creating the proxy base

Modifying the proxy

Adding or removing parameters

Lab: Designing a Tool

Proxy functions

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the purpose of proxy functions

Create a simple proxy function

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

Lessons

Simple: CliXML

Importing native XML

ConvertTo-XML

Creating native XML from scratch

Lab: Designing a Tool

Working with XML

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the use of XML within PowerShell

Use XML data within a PowerShell function

This module explains how to using JSON data in PowerShell.

Lessons

Converting to JSON

Converting from JSON

Lab: Designing a Tool

Working with JSON data

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the use of JSON data within PowerShell

Use JSON data within a PowerShell function

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

Lessons

SQL Server terminology and facts

Connecting to the server and database

Writing a query

Running a query

Invoke-SqlCmd

Thinking about tool design patterns

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the use of SQL Server from within PowerShell

Write and run SQL Server queries

Design tools that use SQL Server for data storage

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

Lessons

Lab problem

Break down the problem

Do the design

Test the commands

Code the tool

Lab: Final Exam

Lab: Final Exam

After completing this module, students will be able to:

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