PowerShell Scripting & Automation: The Complete Hands-On

Discover Windows PowerShell orientation and how to access PowerShell through console and integrated scripting environment, including editions like PowerShell x86, and the importance of running as administrator.

Examine differences among Windows PowerShell versions 2 through 5.1, note that 5.1 is the latest, and understand how Windows Management Framework upgrades and OS details shape available features.

Compare Windows PowerShell 5.1 to PowerShell 7, noting Windows-only usage for 5.1, the cross-platform PowerShell Core 6 on dotnet core, and the renaming to simply PowerShell in version 7.

Explore PowerShell 7 as a cross-platform, open-source automation tool for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. Download the latest stable PowerShell 7 package from GitHub and compare with Windows PowerShell 5.1.

Install and verify Windows PowerShell 7.0.1, compare core versus desktop editions with Windows PowerShell 5.1, and understand version and platform differences for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Install PowerShell 7 on Linux and macOS by following the platform-specific instructions, register the Microsoft repository, update the package list, install, start, and verify with pwsh.

Start PowerShell as administrator and set bold Consolas font at size 14, then adjust window and buffer sizes so the buffer equals the window for clear, accurate command output.

Discover how the Windows PowerShell integrated scripting environment simplifies building and running scripts with modules. Learn to create reusable commands and automate tasks from a single interface.

Learn to find and use PowerShell commands by understanding cmdlets and the verb-noun structure, where each command starts with a verb and a noun, such as Get-Date or Start-VM.

Compare snap-ins and modules in PowerShell, noting snap-ins are dotnet programs using dlls and act as provider commands, while modules regroup related commands across Windows environments.

Discover how PowerShell handles profiles and memory persistence, and explore ps snapin commands and providers, including alias, environment, file system, function, registry, and variable, to think like PowerShell.

Discover how to identify and explore PowerShell modules, compare modules recognized by PowerShell with those listed in system32, and learn methods to list available modules and prepare import for use.

Discover how to import a module into your PowerShell session using Import-Module, confirm it is loaded, and discover its commands with Get-Command, using the troubleshooting pack as a working example.

Explore how to locate the right PowerShell command by importing modules, listing available commands, and filtering with wildcards to match verb-noun patterns like schedule job.

Discover how PowerShell loads modules from user documents and program files, how version differences affect availability, and how newer versions auto-import modules like App Locker.

Discover how PowerShell uses aliases to run the same commands across Windows, Linux, and Unix, mapping ls, dir, and clear to cross-platform equivalents.

Learn how to find and discover any command in PowerShell by using verb-noun search, the wildcard star, and combining terms to reveal the commands you need.

Explore how PowerShell help adapts across versions and operating systems, and learn to access built-in help offline. Discover using PowerShell itself to get command details and module imports.

Learn how to use get-help to read command syntax and examples for start-job, explore script blocks, and update-help for online or offline PowerShell help, ensuring ready references for every command.

Master Windows automation with PowerShell: learn to read command help, understand syntax and script blocks, and sequence tasks using Start-Job and New-JobTrigger.

Explore cmdlet syntax and symbols in PowerShell, learning to read script blocks, segment markers, and variables to form single or multi-value commands.

Explore real PowerShell syntax with start-job examples, including script block usage, parameters like -argumentlist and -show windows, and how to read help to distinguish obligatory and optional inputs.

Explore how to read command help, distinguish required versus optional parameters, and correctly order positional arguments using the git event log example.

Learn to run PowerShell commands by using help to read syntax, then save help to local folders with save-help, using multiple destinations and culture and module parameters.

Learn to use the PowerShell integrated scripting environment to locate a command within a module, view help, and run commands with required parameters.

Discover how to run PowerShell commands, interpret command help, and practice creating commands in the Microsoft PowerShell integrated script.

Discover how to list Windows processes in PowerShell using the git process command, filter by name with -name, and consult help to learn syntax and module details.

Learn to filter Windows processes with the git process command in PowerShell by name or id, understand string versus number parameters, and avoid ambiguous shortcuts.

Customize PowerShell error messages by changing background and foreground colors with $Host.PrivateData, test changes, then save settings in your profile.

Learn to use multi value parameters in PowerShell by passing comma separated process names, such as Chrome and vc host. Explore quoting variations and alias with Get-Location and pwd.

Learn how PowerShell aliases map commands to the same results, master using help to discover alias details, and create new aliases like m for git location to speed tasks.

Explore running external commands in PowerShell, test ping and ipconfig to verify connectivity, and see how PowerShell brings Unix and ms-dos style commands together for streamlined IT administration.

Explore providers and drivers in Windows PowerShell and how PowerShell snapping is based on providers. Open PowerShell as administrator and view available providers to understand what a provider is.

Learn how PowerShell providers act as drivers that manage command parameters across file system, registry, and environment, enabling you to navigate drives and access keys like hkey current user.

Explore using Get-ItemProperty to view and inspect file properties, navigate providers, and learn to edit item properties with Set-ItemProperty in PowerShell.

Learn to use set-itemproperty in PowerShell to change a file's read-only property by specifying the item name, property name, and value. Explore get-itemproperty to verify the correct property before editing.

Learn to edit registry settings with PowerShell's file system and registry providers, showing and hiding file extensions by adjusting the hide file extension property via get-itemproperty.

Review the previous section to reinforce the PowerShell mindset of discovering commands and syntax. Explore variables, strings, a hashtable, and core operations in PowerShell.

Explore variables and constants in Windows PowerShell, using the dollar sign to store values. Perform arithmetic like a calculator and adjust variables such as A and B, with string variables.

Explore the different kinds of variables in PowerShell, including integers, strings, booleans, and floats, and learn how to cast, concatenate, and manage spaces to build messages like Welcome to Morocco.

Explore how to write and manipulate arrays in PowerShell, access elements by index, use comma separation to create multi-value variables, and create multiline strings using quotes.

Create a PowerShell hash table variable with @{} to map languages (n English, fr French, rl Arabic) and access values by key, while using help to explore commands.

Explore regular expression basics in PowerShell Unleashed to gain a clear introductory understanding for beginners and those with programming experience, with an upcoming example to reinforce the concepts.

Master the basics of regular expressions through the IP address example in PowerShell, linking binary to decimal conversion with pattern matching to locate IPs in long scripts.

Explore how PowerShell uses regular expressions, learn from help, practice with -match and -cmatch, and see how $matches reveals \d and \w matches.

Explore how to build and test PowerShell regular expression patterns to match IP addresses, including digit parts, escaping dots, and using double backslashes for shared folders.

Demonstrate crafting and testing a regular expression pattern in PowerShell to extract an IPv4 address from ipconfig output, showing how a match confirms true.

Connect pattern expressions to variables in PowerShell to keep them confidential, then use regular expressions to search and replace data while keeping scripts personal and portable.

Explore PowerShell transactions, learn how edits move from RAM to disk via the registry, and see how providers, filters, and credentials frame transactional workflows.

Identify cmdlets that accept the use transaction parameter and how to enable a transaction in a PowerShell session. Start and complete transactions, and observe effects on commands such as get-content.

Start a transaction, create a new item property with a name and value, and use suppression until to stage changes in memory before committing to the register.

Learn to manage Windows PowerShell transactions by starting, using, and inspecting the active transaction, checking the subscribe counter, and handling rollback and errors without saving changes.

Learn how to use rollback preference in PowerShell transactions to keep work when errors occur. Explore Start-Transaction with rollback, default error behavior, never, and timeout controls.

Explore starting, nesting, and completing transactions, including creating items inside transactions and finalizing the parent to apply all changes.

Master independent transactions in Windows automation by starting, querying, and closing transactions. Learn how independent mode makes a new transaction independent of the previous ones and handles subscriber counters.

Master PowerShell from zero to advanced by exploring variables and dotnet transactions, with upcoming sections deepening variable concepts and interactive discussion for deeper learning.

Explore the environment provider in Windows PowerShell, manage system and PowerShell variables, create, rename, and delete environment vars with new-item and remove-item, and learn aliases and help for commands.

Explore reading and setting environment variables in PowerShell by navigating environment providers, creating and copying variables like X1 and X2, listing with ls, and using cp for copy and filters.

Explore setting and using variables across PSDrives with the dollar syntax. Inspect provider environment and aliases, and create, update, and delete variables using namespace techniques.

Learn to use the dotnet command to get, set, and delete environment variables, explore all system variables, and call Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable for practical Windows automation.

Learn the Windows PowerShell variable provider, manage PowerShell variables within the shell, and use commands like ls, del, and wildcards to create, rename, or delete variables.

Master Windows PowerShell variable management with cmdlets like new-variable, get-variable, remove-variable, clear-variable, and set-variable, including inspecting values, aliases, and read-only or constant variables.

Discover how to use the dollar sign for PowerShell variables, assign and clear values (including null), and remove variables, while using Get-Variable and subexpressions to capture command output.

Master PowerShell variable handling by using the dollar sign, creating literal strings, casting values, and editing content, including XML data and dates.

Explore parameter validation in PowerShell, using validate pattern to enforce inputs like starting with 'h', and learn to apply validate count and validate long with range constraints.

Learn to validate input in PowerShell using validate long, validate pattern, validate range, validate set, and validate script, with not null and not null or empty checks.

Master PowerShell variables by assigning and expanding them, using double quotes for interpolation and single quotes for literals. Explore sugar syntax, backtick escaping, and how quotes affect content.

Learn to write PowerShell scripts by defining and using variables, such as the spooler service, and using parentheses to evaluate variable content before running commands, and later discuss scope.

Explore PowerShell variable scope by examining how child and parent scopes access variables, and how global, local, and private modifiers affect value visibility and scope traversal.

Explore PowerShell variable scope and retrieval with Get-Variable, learning how to access values across global, local, and private scopes, and how constant and read-only settings affect visibility.