55039: Windows PowerShell Scripting and Toolmaking Courseware

This three- to 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. At Course Completion 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 Duration: 5 Days 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 1: 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 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 1: 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 Start with a basic function Create a script module Check prerequisites Run the new command   Lab 1: 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 About CmdletBinding and common parameters Accepting pipeline input Mandatory-ness Parameter validation Parmeter aliases   Lab 1: 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 Assembling information Constructing and emitting output Quick tests   Lab 1: 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 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 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 1: 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 Where to put your help Getting started Going further with comment-based help Broken help   Lab 1: 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 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 1: 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 Two kinds of bugs The ultimate goal of debugging Developing assumptions Write-Debug Set-PSBreakpoint The PowerShell ISE   Lab 1: 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 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 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 1: 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 Sketching out the test Making something to test Expanding the test Going further with Pester   Lab 1: 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 Understanding types The Extensible Type System Extending an object 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 Performing a basic analysis Analyzing the analysis   Lab 1: 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 Begin with a manifest Publishing to PowerShell Gallery Publishing to private repositories   Lab 1: 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 Building a menu Using UIChoice Writing a process controller   Lab 1: 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 A proxy example Creating the proxy base Modifying the proxy Adding or removing parameters   Lab 1: 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 Simple: CliXML Importing native XML ConvertTo-XML Creating native XML from scratch   Lab 1: 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 Converting to JSON Converting from JSON   Lab 1: 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 SQL Server terminology and facts Connecting to the server and database Writing a query Running a query Invoke-SqlCmd 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 Lab problem Break down the problem Do the design Test the commands Code the tool   Lab 1: Final Exam   Lab 2: Final Exam After completing this module, students will be able to: Create PowerShell tools, using native design patterns, from business requirements. Prerequisites 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