SAPIEN Technologies finally released PrimalForms 2009. If you have any sort of requirement to create a graphical interface to your PowerShell script, this is the tool to get. SAPIEN will continue to offer the free community version of Primal Forms from their community tools page.
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PrimalForms 2009 includes these features:
- Visually build sophisticated Windows forms in Powershell without having to write any code.
- Integrated Powershell Script Editor with syntax coloring, PrimalSense, bookmarks and code folding.
- Import .NET assemblies for expanded PrimalSense.
- Integrated Powershell Help and Snapin support.
- Integrated .NET Object Browser.
- Export your scripts to a file or clipboard.
- Package your scripts into an executable supporting 32 and 64 bit platforms.
- Run your script directly from within PrimalForms 2009.
- Ability to preview your Forms without executing your script code.
- Round trip code generation preserves your code between editing sessions.
Whenever I teach about PowerShell and Windows Forms based scripts, this is the tool I use because it is so easy and lets you focus on PowerShell scripting instead of figuring out PowerShell code to configure the graphical elements.
PrimalForms 2009 is available as a stand alone product which you can download and try for 45 days or buy a license from ScriptingOutpost.com. SAPIEN is even offering the app at 40% off as a way of introducing it into the community. If you have a PrimalScript 2009 Studio license, you will get PrimalForms for free.
When you download and try out PrimalForms, be sure to look through the Getting Started section of the help guide. You’ll also get a number of sample forms and scripts to help get you going on the right track.
I love this tool and have plans for a number of graphical PowerShell scripts over the next several months.
Jeff,
I have PrimalForms but the problem I’ve seen comes when you need to modify a form. What I’ve had to do in the past is modify the form, export it to PrimalScript and then re-add the code to the form.
Am I doing something wrong or is that just the way it is?
The community edition has no editor and is only for creating the graphical elements so yes, if you need to modify the form it can get a little tedious. The “full” version has an integrated editor. Download the new PrimalForms 2009 product and try it out. Given your past experience with the community edition I think you’ll love this.
Here’s the link to the official announcment on the SAPIEN blog.
I just downloaded it and checked it out. Completely awesome. I smell a promotion coming 🙂
I hope you can publicly share any scripts you develop and include the PrimalForm pff file.