Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches

Summary

Packed with hands-on labs to reinforce what you're learning, Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches is the best way to learn PowerShell scripting and toolmaking. Just set aside one hour a day—lunchtime would be perfect—for each self-contained lesson. You'll move quickly through core scripting concepts and start working on four real-world, practical tools. Each chapter adds more functionality, including custom formatting, error handling, parameterized input, input validation, help files and documentation, and more.

About this Book

You don't have to be a software developer to build PowerShell tools. With this book, a PowerShell user is a step away from becoming a proficient toolmaker. Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches is the best way to learn PowerShell scripting and toolmaking in just one hour a day. It's packed with hands-on labs to reinforce what you're learning. It's an easy-to-follow guide that covers core scripting concepts using four practical examples. Each chapter builds on the previous one as you add custom formatting, error handling, input validation, help files, and more.

Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

What's Inside

• Build your own administrative tools
• Learn by doing with hands-on labs
• Make scripts that feel like native PowerShell cmdlets

This book does not assume you are a programmer. Experience using PowerShell as a command-line interface is helpful but not required.

About the Authors

Don Jones is a PowerShell MVP, speaker, and trainer. Jeffery Hicks is a PowerShell MVP and an independent consultant, trainer, and author. Don and Jeff coauthored Learn Windows PowerShell 3 in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition (Manning 2012) and PowerShell in Depth (Manning 2013).

Table of Contents

PART 1 INTRODUCTION TO TOOLMAKING

1. Before you begin
2. PowerShell scripting overview
3. PowerShell's scripting language
4. Simple scripts and functions
5. Scope

PART 2 BUILDING AN INVENTORY TOOL

6. Tool design guidelines
7. Advanced functions, part 1
8. Advanced functions, part 2
9. Writing help
10. Error handling
11. Debugging techniques
12. Creating custom format views
13. Script and manifest modules
14. Adding database access
15. Interlude: creating a new tool 157

PART 3 ADVANCED TOOLMAKING TECHNIQUES

16. Making tools that make changes


17. Creating a custom type extension


18. Creating PowerShell workflows


19. Troubleshooting pipeline input


20. Using object hierarchies for complex output
21. Globalizing a function
22. Crossing the line: utilizing the .NET Framework

PART 4 CREATING TOOLS FOR DELEGATED ADMINISTRATION

23. Creating a GUI tool, part 1: the GUI
24. Creating a GUI tool, part 2: the code
25. Creating a GUI tool, part 3: the output
26. Creating proxy functions
27. Setting up constrained removing endpoints
28. Never the end

Don Jones is a PowerShell MVP, speaker, and trainer. He developed the Microsoft PowerShell courseware and has taught PowerShell to more than 20,000 IT pros. Don writes the PowerShell column for TechNet Magazine and blogs about PowerShell at PowerShell.com. Ask Don your PowerShell questions at http://bit.ly/AskDon.

Jeffery Hicks is a PowerShell MVP with 20 years of IT experience. Jeff works as an independent consultant, trainer, and author and he has taught PowerShell to IT Professionals all over the world. He writes the popular Prof.PowerShell column for MCPMag.com and is a weekly contributor to the Petri IT Knowledgebase. Jeff blogs frequently on PowerShell related topics at http://jdhitsolutions.com/blog.