Windows PowerShell Scripting and Tool making 

5 Days - Online Instructor Lead

Course Outline: 

Module 1: Tool Design 

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

Lessons 

1. Tools do one thing

2. Tools are flexible

3. Tools look native 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Design a tool 

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After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 2: Start with a Command 

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

Lessons 

1. Why start with a command?

2. Discovery and experimentation 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Start with a command 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 3: Build a Basic Function and Module 

This module explains how to build a basic function and module, using commands already experimented 

with in the shell. 

Lessons 

1. Start with a basic function 

2. Create a script module 

3. Check prerequisites 

4. Run the new command 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Build a basic function and module 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 4: Adding CmdletBinding and Parameterizing 

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

Lessons 

1. About CmdletBinding and common parameters

2. Accepting pipeline input

3. Mandatory-ness 

4. Parameter validation

5. Parmeter aliases 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Adding CmdletBinding and Parameterizing 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 5: Emitting Objects as Output 

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

 

Lessons 

1. Assembling information 

2. Constructing and emitting output 

3. Quick tests 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Emitting objects as output 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 6: An Interlude: Changing Your Approach 

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

Lessons 

1. Examining a script

2. Critiquing a script

3. Revising the script 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 7: Using Verbose, Warning, and Informational Output 

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

 

Lessons 

1. Knowing the six channels

2. Adding verbose and warning output 

3. Doing more with verbose output 

4. Informational output

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Using Verbose, Warning, and Informational Output 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

Describe the six output channels in the shell. Write commands that use verbose, warning, and informational output 

Run commands with extra output enabled 

 

Module 8: Comment-Based Help 

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

 

Lessons 

1. Where to put your help 

2. Getting started 

3. Going further with comment-based help 

4. Broken help 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Comment-based help 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 9: Handling Errors 

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

 

Lessons 

1. Understanding errors and exceptions

2. Bad handling 

3. Two reasons for exception handling

4. Handling exceptions in our tool 

5. Capturing the actual exception 

6. Handling exceptions for non-commands 

7. Going further with exception handling 

8. Deprecated exception handling 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Handling errors 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 10: Basic Debugging 

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

 

Lessons 

1. Two kinds of bugs

2. The ultimate goal of debugging 

3. Developing assumptions 

4. Write-Debug 

5. Set-PSBreakpoint

6. The PowerShell ISE 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Basic debugging 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 11: Going Deeper with Parameters 

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

 

Lessons 

1. Parameter positions

2. Validation 

3. Multiple parameter sets

4. Value from remaining arguments 

5. Help messages 

6. Aliases

7. More CmdletBinding 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 12: Writing Full Help 

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

 

Lessons 

1. External help

2. Using PlatyPs 

3. Supporting online help

4. “About” topics

5. Making your help updatable 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Writing full help 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 13: Unit Testing Your Code 

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

 

Lessons 

1. Sketching out the test 

2. Making something to test

3. Expanding the test

4. Going further with Pester 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Unit testing your code 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 14: Extending Output Types 

This module explains how to extend objects with additional capabilities. 

Lessons 

1. Understanding types 

2. The Extensible Type System

3. Extending an object

4. Using Update-TypeData 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 15: Analyzing Your Script 

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

problems. 

 

Lessons 

1. Performing a basic analysis 

2. Analyzing the analysis 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Analyzing your script 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 16: Publishing Your Tools 

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

Lessons 

1. Begin with a manifest 

2. Publishing to PowerShell Gallery 

3. Publishing to private repositories 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Publishing your tools 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 17: Basic Controllers: Automation Scripts and Menus 

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

 

Lessons 

1. Building a menu

2. Using UIChoice 

3. Writing a process controller 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Basic controllers 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 18: Proxy Functions 

This module explains how to create and use proxy functions. 

Lessons 

1. A proxy example 

2. Creating the proxy base

3. Modifying the proxy

4. Adding or removing parameters 

 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Proxy functions 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 19: Working with XML Data 

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

Lessons 

1. Simple: CliXML

2. Importing native XML 

3. ConvertTo-XML

4. Creating native XML from scratch 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Working with XML 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 20: Working with JSON Data 

This module explains how to using JSON data in PowerShell. 

 

Lessons 

1. Converting to JSON

2. Converting from JSON 

Lab : Designing a Tool 

*Working with JSON data 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 21: Working with SQL Server Data 

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

 

Lessons 

1. SQL Server terminology and facts

2. Connecting to the server and database

3. Writing a query 

4. Running a query

5. Invoke-SqlCmd 

6. Thinking about tool design patterns 

 

After completing this module, students will be able to: 

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

 

Module 22: Final Exam 

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

practical example. 

 

Lessons 

1. Lab problem

2. Break down the problem

3. Do the design 

4. Test the commands 

5. 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. 

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Who should attend:  

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:  

Before attending this course, students must have: 

Experience at basic Windows administration 

Experience using Windows PowerShell to query and modify system information 

Experience using Windows PowerShell to discover commands and their usage 

Experience using WMI and/or CIM to query system information