Windows Management Framework 5.0 May 2014

Again, this version is only available for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

On PowerShell  v5.0 Preview just released on May 14th.  This version has no problem with the Azure PowerShell cmdlets installation.  Check out what’s hot in version 5.0 Prewview:  DSC (Desired State Configuration), OneGet and PowerShellGet modules.

Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/powershell/archive/2014/05/14/windows-management-framework-5-0-preview-may-2014-is-now-available.aspx

Download at: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42936

Also, Check out the new PowerShell “Script Browser & Script Analyzer 1.2” for ISE and Windows:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42525

This new ISE Add–On will create two shortcuts: one to open the Script Browser in ISE and the other as an individual Windows application.

Go and get them!

Nothing like discovering and exploring what’s already at your fingertip. All you need to get started with PowerShell is already loaded in your system. There are plenty help documentation to keep you busy for awhile.

It’s time to get serious with PowerShell.

Checkout this year TechEd PowerShell session with Don Jones and Jeffrey Snover:

• Windows PowerShell Unplugged with Jeffrey Snover: http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2014/DCIM-B318#fbid=
• Windows PowerShell Best Practices and Patterns: Time to Get Serious: http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2014/DCIM-B418#fbid=

Now, using two known commands: Out-Gridview and Get-help we can search for help information in a flash.  Here I’m providing two custom PowerShell functions that might help you in exploring and learning about PowerShell:

1. Show-HelpPowerShellCommand – Select the module and then which command(s) to display thedocumentation.
2. Show-HelpAboutPowerShellTopic – Select the topic(s) to display the documentation.

Just copy/paste the code into a script file then load them in either PowerShell console or ISE.  To execute the command just type the function name: Show-HelpAboutPowerShellTopic or Show-HelpPowerShellCommand.

[sourcecode language=”powershell”]
function Show-HelpAboutPowerShellTopic
{
<# .SYNOPSIS Function to list all PowerShell About_* topic from the selected list. .DESCRIPTION This function will display in the ‘Out-Gridview’ a list of all PowerShell About_* topics installed in the system. Then, you can select one or multiples topic(s) available. Press the Crtl-Key and select the command(s) you want to get the help documentation. .PARAMETER No Parameter(s) required. .EXAMPLE Show-HelpAboutPowerShellTopics #>

[CmdletBinding()]
Param ()

[Array] $Global:selAbout = $null;
While ($Global:selAbout -eq $null)
{
[Array] $Global:selAbout = $null;
$Global:selAbout = ((Get-Help About_* | Select-Object Name) `
| Out-GridView -PassThru -Title "Listing all PowerShell About_* topics");

if ($Global:selAbout -eq $null) { break };
foreach ($item in $Global:selAbout) { Get-Help $item.Name -ShowWindow };
$Global:selAbout = $null;
};
};
[/sourcecode]

Check the image samples of Show-HelpAboutPowerShellTopic:

[sourcecode language=”powershell”]
function Show-HelpPowerShellCommand
{
<# .SYNOPSIS Function to list all cmdlets from the selected module(s). .DESCRIPTION This function will display in the ‘Out-Gridview’ a list of all PowerShell modules installed in the system. Then, you can select one of the modules to list all commands available in another ‘Out-Gridview’ window. Press the Crtl-Key and select the command(s) you want to get the help documentation. .PARAMETER No Parameter(s) required. .EXAMPLE Show-HelpPowerShellCommand #>

[CmdletBinding()]
Param ()

[Array] $selItem = $null; [Array] $selCmdlet = $null;
While ($selItem -eq $null)
{
$selItem = get-module -ListAvailable | Select-Object -Unique name, version, path `
| Sort-Object Name | Out-GridView -PassThru;
If ($selItem -eq $null) { break };
[Array] $selCmdlet = $null;
$selCmdlet = (Get-Command -Module $selItem.Name) | Sort-Object Name `
| Out-GridView -PassThru -Title "Module: $($selItem.Name) Total cmdlets: $(((Get-Command -Module $selItem.Name) | Sort-Object Name).count)";
$selItem = $null;
ForEach ($cmd in $selCmdlet) { Get-Help $cmd.Name -ShowWindow; };
If ($selCmdlet -eq $null) { break };
}
};
[/sourcecode]

Please notice that these functions will stay active until you click on ‘Cancel’ in either of the select Topics or Module list.

I’m hoping this will make it fun to use.

Thanks to all JAX IT Pro Camp organizers for having present at their event.  Here’s the PowerShell presentation and demo scripts all consolidated into zipped file.

Feel free to contact me via email if you have any questions.

Thanks to all for attending my presentation.

PowerShell comes loaded with help documentation, and in PowerShell V3 this documentation is updated via the internet.  Now, lets have some fun with the Get-help and the updated Out-Gridview command.

The Out-Gridview cmdlet have a ‘-passthru‘ parameter that gives you the ability to select items from the popup window and the pass these values to the next command.  This is neat!!

Copy/paste the code below into your PS console to load the “Get-HelpTopics“:

[sourcecode language=”powershell”]
Function Get-HelpTopics{
## – Have fun using PassThru switch to select item(s): (PowerShell V3 feature)
$HelpNames = (GET-HELP About_*) | select name;
foreach($i in ($HelpNames | Select name | Out-GridView -PassThru))
{
$i | Select @{Label = ‘Topic Selected’; Expression = {$_.Name}};
Get-Help $i.Name -ShowWindow;
}
};
[/sourcecode]

Then, to execute type “Get-HelpTopics” and the list of topics will be displayed in a popup window.

Hold the ‘Ctrl’ key to select/mark the topics you want to read, then click the ‘OK’ button when done.

As you can see you will get a series of popup windows documentation you can move around and read about PowerShell. At the same time you are seeing how helpful is the use of the ‘-passthru‘ parameter in the ‘Out-Gridview’, and the ‘-ShowWindow‘ parameter in the ‘Get-help’.

This is a fun way to start learning PowerShell.
** This is a Windows PowerShell V3 script **