The document outlines a presentation by Gavin Barron on automating tasks using PowerShell, emphasizing its benefits like repeatability and reliability. It introduces five essential commands for scripting and discusses best practices for writing scripts, including error handling and function reusability. The presentation concludes with resources for further learning and an invitation for audience questions.

1. Gavin Barron, Solution Architect
March 22, 2014
ComCamp Auckland
PowerShell:
Automation for
Everyone

2. The only five commands you need
Rules for writing scripts
Demos
Intro
Wrap up
Our agenda

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 SharePoint Server MVP
 Developer
 Skier
 http://gavinb.net
 @gavinbarron
 gavin.barron@intergen.co.nz
Gavin Barron
Solution Architect
Your presenter

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Why Automate?
 Repeatability
 Reliability
 Save time?
 Eliminate boring manual tasks

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Why PowerShell?
 Product specific cmdlets
 Able to run .NET code
 Hooks into WMI/COM
 Object pipeline
 Readable scripts

6. The only five
commands you need

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Get-Command

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Get-Help

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Get-Member

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Where-Object

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ForEach-Object

12. Demos

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Find the command
you need

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Simple Pipeline Use

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File renaming in .bat
@echo off
for /f "delims=" %%a in ('dir /b *.txt') do call :dot "%%a"
pause
goto :EOF
:dot
set "var=%~n1"
set "var=%var:.=_%"
echo ren %1 "%var%%~x1"

16. Rules for writing
scripts

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Consider error cases
 What should you do when it goes pear shaped?
 Default behaviour is Ignore and Continue
 $ErrorActionPreference
 -ErrorAction
 try{} catch{}

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Consider your outputs
 Write-Host
 Write-Output
 Write-Progress
 Add-Content
 Out-File

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Have style!
 Use a coding convention
 Naming
 Casing
 Bracing
 Avoid aliases
 Be Consistent!

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Leverage functions for re-use
 Small tasks
 Compose a script from functions
 Functions are highly reusable
 Cmdlet Binding Attribute
 Parameters Attribute
 Default Values

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Use configuration files
$file =[xml] (Get-ChildItem $constantsFilePath)
$root = "setup-config"
$ConstantsNodeList = $file.$root.Constants
foreach($property in $ConstantsNodeList.Property) {
$key= $property.Key
$value=$property.Value
$webApp.Properties.Add($key,$value)
}
$webApp.Update()

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Script Examples

23. Wrap up

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Start scripting, it’s easy!

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Handy resources
 http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy
 http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter
 http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/scriptcenter/en-
US/home?forum=ITCG
 http://ss64.com/ps/
 http://ss64.com/ps/syntax.html

26. Any questions?

27. Email: gavin.barron@intergen.co.nz
Blog: http://gavinb.net
Twitter: @gavinbarron
Thank you