Subscribe via RSSFor several years, I have been using a PowerShell module I wrote called MyTickle to help me manage my reminders and events. I spend my days at a PowerShell prompt, and I wanted an easy way to keep track of upcoming events. The module relied on a SQL Server or SQL Server Express instance to…
PowerShell Scripting and Toolmaking
Several years ago Don Jones and I wrote what we hoped would be the definitive book on PowerShell scripting and toolmaking. The book takes all off our years of experience, not only from writing PowerShell code, to teaching and conference presentations where we hear first hand what people struggle with. We published the book on…
Pick Up The PowerShell Practice Primer
A number of years ago, I published book on Leanpub, designed to help you teach yourself PowerShell. After you get through the first Month of Lunches book, what do you do next? The best way to learn PowerShell is to do it. But it might be challending trying to figure out what to do. I…
GitHub Scripting Challenge Solution
Earlier this year I appeared on the PowerShell Podcast. I ended the interview with a scripting challenge. The Core Challenge Using whatever tools and techniques you want, write a PowerShell function that will query the Issues section of a GitHub repository and create output showing the number of open issues by label and the percentage…
My Conference Future
I have been an IT professional for over 30 years. I have been speaking publicly and presenting at conferences for probably 25 years. I have presented to all types of groups, from small user groups to large conferences, literally around the world. As I enter the last part of my IT career, I am re-assessing…
PowerShell Refresh
The other day on X, I was asked about what things I would setup or configure on a new PowerShell installation. This is something I actually have thought about and face all the time when I setup a new demo virtual machine. I had been meaning to build new tooling to meet this challenge, and…
Module Linking
I know it has been a while since I’ve given the blog any attention. I am hoping to correct that in 2024, although I’m already behind schedule. But let’s get to it. I have a short tip today that you may find useful, especially if you write modules for your private use. I have a…
Friday Fun with PSQuizzes
Time to get back to the to blog. I’ve been working through my backlog of projects. These are things that I started writing or updating but then got pushed to the back of the line. One of these projects is a PowerShell module I wrote as a teaching tool. The idea was to create short…
Discover Enums with Get-TypeMember
Earlier this Spring, I released a new function called Get-TypeMember. The function is in the PSScriptTools module. I wrote about that release here. This command is an alternative to Get-Member that includes more details. The other day I pushed a new version that makes it easier to identify properties that are enumerations. The function has…
Exposing the Mystery of PowerShell Objects
A few weeks ago, I was working on content for a new PowerShell course for Pluralsight. The subject was objects. We all know the importance of working with objects in PowerShell. Hopefully, you also know that the output you get on your screen from running a PowerShell command is not the whole story. Formatted presentation…
Automation Decisions
This post is an updated reprint from an article published to my premium PowerShell newsletter Behind the PowerShell Pipeline available on Substack. Subscribers receive 6-8 articles like this a month delivered to their inbox or available on the Substack app. I hope you’ll consider subscribing. Trial subscriptions are available. I’ve been scripting and automating things…
Best Practices Make Perfect
This post is a reprint from an article published to my premium PowerShell newsletter Behind the PowerShell Pipeline available on Substack. Subscribers receive 6-8 articles like this a month delivered to their inbox or available on the Substack app. I hope you’ll consider subscribing. Trial subscriptions are available. Over the course of the last several…
Friday Fun: PowerShell Scripting with ChatGPT
I have been trying out the latest AI, ChatGPT. I’ve asked it silly questions. As well as the really important questions. But what I find most fascinating is using ChatGPT to write PowerShell code. I gave the AI this instruction: “Write a PowerShell function that will display “Hello, World” in the center of the screen…
Social is Hard
Social media has been a great asset to my career. It has helped me build new relationships, keep on top of trends in IT, and generally be that co-worker sitting across from me. I have worked from home for at least as long as I worked from an office. I often miss the social aspect…
A WPF Countdown Timer
Last year I released a PowerShell module called PSClock. The module contains a command to create a transparent WPF form displaying a clock. Shortly after, someone posted a request for a countdown timer. Not an unreasonable request and one I finally got around to implementing. However, I already had a module with a number of…