Course 7: Xamarin C# & PowerShell to Automate Network tool

Learn to build a first console application in Visual Studio 2019 using C# and PowerShell, integrate PowerShell commands, create reusable libraries, and deploy secure, updateable tools for an enterprise network.

Add and install .NET desktop development in Visual Studio 2019, select required components, and prepare the environment to integrate PowerShell with C# in a console project.

Fix the reference library to call PowerShell from a C sharp console app by manually adding system.management.automation in Visual Studio 2019 targeting the .NET framework.

Learn to embed and drive PowerShell from a C# program, create and invoke scripts, manage output, and remotely automate processes using a for each process loop.

Learn to write your first PowerShell program using get-command to list commands, add-command to extend, create a new session, and display results with foreach and write-line.

Contrast add-script and add-command in PowerShell, explaining when to call a script file versus a single command, and how you might combine both in a script line.

Explore the user interface with Windows Presentation Foundation in Visual Studio, learn the benefits of WPF, and implement UI code using the UI builder in upcoming videos.

Design a user interface with the .NET framework's WPF, using the designer to generate code, add controls like buttons and combo boxes, and prepare for deployment in a PowerShell script.

Discover how to embed a user interface in a PowerShell script using the WPF framework, define a XAML block, and display a window while addressing common runtime errors.

Build a visual studio PowerShell app to manage user and computer accounts with a friendly UI. Retrieve user and device information, display IP address and uptime, and list installed apps.

Create a network tool user interface concept from a quick hand sketch, outline search and information retrieval (ip address, current user, uptime), then align design with the engine for implementation.

Design and deploy an engine that coordinates the UI, script sections, and core functions—user, computer, and menu—with subfunctions like search user, lock, password info, and AD group checks.

Link the user interface to the code engine by mapping UI elements to variables and triggering the search to fetch backend user data, fill fields, and prepare for deployment.

Convert paper designs into a Visual Studio designer workflow, generate code, and add it to the script file to build a nice looking user interface.

Design your app's user interface by planning layout, color, and controls in Visual Studio, balancing margins, alignment, and fixed sizing to support underlying code and usability.

Design a user interface with two text boxes and two labels for user name and computer name, adjust sizes and colors, and add two search buttons with click events.

Create and arrange a two-tab top control for user account control and computer management by dragging, dropping, and configuring labels, text boxes, and buttons, ensuring proper tab content and styling.

Design a docked menu with a sub menu under external tools, add Active Directory search user and command prompt, and style the menu with a dark background and white text.

Name design buttons by assigning an X name to each control to enable event wiring and script deployment, moving from old user interface code to the new design.

Identify and map each button to a function with script blocks. Define 17 functions for user and computer controls, including default searches and Active Directory external tools, via PowerShell.

Deploy the final project by integrating XML UI code into a PowerShell script, using Visual Studio’s partial extension or Notepad, and display the window in a Windows console.

Map data flow and organize code into blocks; use functions to connect events and buttons to executable code. Test, deploy, and validate seamless front-end and back-end integration.

Explain the final code structure and data flow for the network tool, detailing three blocks (user search, computer search, external tool) and the ui data retrieval and error handling.

Learn to connect your front-end design with the back-end by deploying code, creating design element variables, and wiring click events to PowerShell commands.

Understand how XPath expressions select UI nodes and extract name attributes, using contains and translate, to save values as script variables for triggering events and updating the UI.

Explore creating menu triggers in PowerShell to launch tools like the snipping tool and perform Active Directory searches for users and computers, using start-process and function calls.

Master PowerShell scripting to search for a user via a search button, display the entered name in a message box, and conditionally show user details or a not found alert.

Searches for a user with a query. If found, restores data fields; if not, shows a 'user accounts not found' message with title, icon, and OK.

Learn to retrieve a user's information with Get Active Directory user in PowerShell, select properties, and display it in a user interface, including name, email, job title, and lockout status.

Build and test four PowerShell scripts linked to a four-button interface to display user group memberships, password info, and account status via triggers and Active Directory data.

Build a PowerShell computer interface with a GUI using windows management instrumentation. Implement twelve triggers and functions to query info, ping status, display ip, uptime, and manage services and restarts.

Perform a final test of remote administration on Victoria, accessing device details, pinging, managing services, and using PowerShell scripts to administer Users and Computers.

Explore next steps across three courses: advanced PowerShell automation for Windows Server 2019, then security-focused modules to secure and audit networks, plus hands-on hacking skills.