Tool Design

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

Start with a Command

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

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

• 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.

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

Emitting Objects as Output

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

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

• 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.

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

Comment-Based Help

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

Handling Errors

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

Basic Debugging

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

Going Deeper with Parameters

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