Windows PowerShell Scripting and Toolmaking - 55039 Course Outline
Overview
This five-day instructor-led is intended for IT professionals who are interested in furthering their skills in Windows PowerShell and administrative automation. The course assumes a basic working knowledge of PowerShell as an interactive command-line shell, and teaches students the correct patterns and practices for building reusable, tightly scoped units of automation.
Audience profile
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
At course completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:
Describe the correct patterns for building modularized tools in Windows PowerShell
Build highly modularized functions that comply with native PowerShell patterns
Build controller scripts that expose user interfaces and automate business processes
Manage data in a variety of formats
Write automated tests for tools
Debug tools
Course details
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
Tools do one thing
Tools are flexible
Tools look native
Lab : Designing a Tool
Design a tool
Module 2: 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
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
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
Module 4: 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
Module 5: 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
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
Examining a script
Critiquing a script
Revising the script
Module 7: 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
Module 8: 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
Module 9: 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
Module 10: 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
Module 11: 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
Module 12: Writing Full Help
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
Module 13: Unit Testing Your Code
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
Module 14: Extending Output Types
This module explains how to extend objects with additional capabilities.
Lessons
Understanding types
The Extensible Type System
Extending an object
Using Update-TypeData
Module 15: Analyzing Your Script
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
Module 16: Publishing Your Tools
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
Module 17: Basic Controllers: Automation Scripts and Menus
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
Module 18: Proxy Functions
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
Module 19: Working with XML Data
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
Module 20: Working with JSON Data
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
Module 21: Working with SQL Server Data
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
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
Lab problem
Break down the problem
Do the design
Test the commands
Code the tool
Lab : Final Exam
Lab one
Lab : Final Exam
Lab two
View outline in Word
A55039
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