The commands in this module have been developed to make it easier to automate the PowerShell scripting and module development. These tools were first described in a series of blog posts.
- Exporting PowerShell Functions to Files
- Converting PowerShell Scripts to Functions
- Discovering Aliases with the PowerShell AST
- Fun with PowerShell Module Layout
- Building a PowerShell Module Inception-Style
This module has been written for PowerShell 7.1 and later. It is most likely that the the commands will work in Windows PowerShell, but you will need to fork this module and revise as necessary. Otherwise, install this module from the PowerShell Gallery.
Install-Module PSFunctionToolsTo see a summary of these commands at any time, run Get-PSFunctionTools
PS C:\> Get-PSFunctionTools
Module: PSFunctionTools [v1.2.0]
Name Alias Synopsis
---- ----- --------
Convert-ScriptToFunction csf Convert a script file to a PowerShell funct…
Export-FunctionFromFile eff Export a PowerShell function from a script …
Export-FunctionToFile etf Export a PowerShell function to a file.
Export-ModuleLayout eml Export a model module layout.
Format-FunctionName ffn Format a function name to proper case.
Get-FunctionAlias {ga, gfal} Get a defined function alias.
Get-FunctionAttribute gfa Get function attributes like cmdletbinding.
Get-FunctionName gfn Identify the names of PowerShell functions …
Get-FunctionProfile gfp Get a technical summary of a PowerShell fun…
Get-ModuleLayout Get information about a module layout file.
Get-ParameterBlock gpb Get a function's parameter block.
Get-PSFunctionTools Get a summary of PSFunctionTools commands.
Get-PSRequirements List PowerShell command requirements.
Import-ModuleLayout iml Create a module structure from a layout fil…
New-CommentHelp nch Create comment based help.
New-ModuleFromFiles Create a PowerShell module from a set of fi…
New-ModuleFromLayout Create a new module based on a layout.
Test-FunctionName tfn Test the validity of a PowerShell function …
This command takes the body of a script file and wraps it in a function declaration. The command will insert missing elements like cmdletbinding() and comment-based help. You will most likely need to edit and clean up the result in your scripting editor. If you run this command in the PowerShell ISE or the VS Code PowerShell integrated terminal, you can use the dynamic parameter ToEditor to open a new file with with the output. You can edit and save the file manually.
Convert-ScriptToFunction c:\scripts\systemreport.ps1 -name New-SystemReport | Out-File c:\scripts\New-SystemReport.ps1It is assumed that your script file is complete and without syntax errors.
You should use Export-FunctionFromFile when you want to export PowerShell functions defined in in a single script file, placing each function in its own file. You might want to do this to build or restructure a PowerShell module.
You can export all functions from a file or specific functions. The default behavior is to only export functions that follow a standard verb-noun naming convention. The source must be a .ps1 or .psm1 script file.
Export-FunctionFromFile C:\scripts\MyInternetTools.psm1 -Name get-zipinfo -OutputPath c:\scripts\psinternettools\functionsIf you run this command in the PowerShell ISE or the VS Code integrated PowerShell Terminal, you can use the dynamic parameter Remove to delete the function from the source file.
You +can use this command to export a function which is loaded into your PowerShell session. You might need to do this when you create an ad-hoc function and want to save it to a file. This command will take the content of the function and export it to a ps1 file. The function name will be used for the file name. Although, characters like the colon will be stripped to create a filesystem-compatibale filename.
You can also include #Requires statements.
Export-FunctionToFile -Name New-FileLink -Path c:\scripts -Requires "#requires -version 5.1","#requires -RunAsAdministrator"Use Export-ModuleLayout to export a model module directory structure to a json file. You can use Import-ModuleLayout to recreate the layout from the json file. The export process will include not only directories, but also text files like a readme or license file.
PS C:\> Export-ModuleLayout c:\work\sample -FilePath c:\work\layout.json -Verbose
VERBOSE: Starting Export-ModuleLayout
VERBOSE: Exporting directory structure from c:\work\sample
VERBOSE: Processing .github
VERBOSE: Processing .vscode
VERBOSE: Processing docs
VERBOSE: Processing en-us
VERBOSE: Processing formats
VERBOSE: Processing functions
VERBOSE: Processing icons
VERBOSE: Processing images
VERBOSE: Processing samples
VERBOSE: Processing tests
VERBOSE: Processing types
VERBOSE: Processing changelog.md
VERBOSE: Processing License.txt
VERBOSE: Processing README.md
VERBOSE: Processing scratch-changelog.md
VERBOSE: Processing .vscode\tasks.json
VERBOSE: Processing formats\readme.txt
VERBOSE: Processing functions\private
VERBOSE: Processing functions\public
VERBOSE: Processing functions\private\readme.txt
VERBOSE: Processing functions\public\readme.txt
VERBOSE: Processing tests\readme.txt
VERBOSE: Processing types\readme.txt
VERBOSE: Exporting module layout to c:\work\layout.json.
Format-FunctionName is intended to be used as a helper function in your scripting automation. This is a simple function that will format a verb-noun function name into proper case. It will take an input such as test-data and format it as Test-Data. It will not format as PascalCase. The command also will not verify that the verb component is acceptable. Use Test-FunctionName for that process.
PS C:\> Format-FunctionName test-data
Test-Data
Get-FunctionAlias is a tool you can use in your scripting automation. It will extract function names and aliases from a PowerShell script file. The source must be a .ps1 or .psm1 file. The command will only identify aliases defined as part of the function using code like [alias('foo')].
PS C:\> Get-FunctionAlias -Path C:\scripts\SQLBackup.psm1
Name Alias
---- -----
Backup-SQLDatabase Backup-SQL
Restore-SQLdatabase rsql
This command can be used to get function attributes such as cmdletbinding or alias settings.
Get-Functionattribute -path c:\scripts\PSFunctionTools\functions\public\Get-ParameterBlock.ps1 -Name get-parameterblock
Type : cmdletbinding
NamedArguments : {}
PositionalArguments : {}
String : [cmdletbinding()]
Function : Get-Parameterblock
Path : C:\scripts\PSFunctionTools\functions\public\Get-ParameterB
lock.ps1
Type : alias
NamedArguments : {}
PositionalArguments : {"gpb"}
String : [alias("gpb")]
Function : Get-Parameterblock
Path : C:\scripts\PSFunctionTools\functions\public\Get-ParameterB
lock.ps1
Type : OutputType
NamedArguments : {}
PositionalArguments : {"ParamBlockAst", "String"}
String : [OutputType("ParamBlockAst","String")]
Function : Get-Parameterblock
Path : C:\scripts\PSFunctionTools\functions\public\Get-ParameterB
lock.ps1
When exporting functions from files, you may only want to export specific functions. Which you can do if you know the name. Use Get-FunctionName to identify the names of functions. The default behavior is to get names of functions that follow the verb-noun naming convention.
PS C:\> Get-FunctionName C:\scripts\MyInternetTools.psm1
Get-MyWhoIs
Get-GeoIP
Get-MyPublicIP
Get-MyWeather
Get-WeatherByProxy
Get-WeatherLocation
Get-QOTD
Get-ZipInfo
Get-RSSFeed
Open-URL
This command will provide information about a module layout folder which was created using Export-ModuleLayout. The default output is custom object. You can elect to view the layout as a tree. This parameter requires the tree commandline utility which should be available on Windows systems by default. On non-Windows platforms, you may need to install the utility.
PS C:\> Get-ModuleLayout C:\scripts\simplelayout.json -AsTree
C:\<PathTo>\<MYMODULE>
| changelog.md
| README.md
|
+---.vscode
+---docs
+---en-us
+---formats
| readme.txt
|
+---functions
|
+---tests
| readme.txt
|
\---types
readme.txt
This command is designed to use the PowerShell AST and retrieve a function's parameter block. You might use this to build comment-based help.
PS C:\> Get-ParameterBlock -path c:\scripts\SimpleFunction.ps1 -name Get-FolderData
Attributes Parameters Extent
---------- ---------- ------
{} {$Path, $Cutoff, $Filter} Param (…
PS C:\> Get-ParameterBlock -path c:\scripts\SimpleFunction.ps1 -name Get-FolderData -ToString
[parameter(HelpMessage = "Specify the folder to analyze")]
[string]$Path="."
[datetime]$Cutoff
[string]$Filter="*.*"
As part of your scripting automation, you may want to capture requirements defined in a script file such as # requires -version 5.1. The command Get-PSRequirements will process a PowerShell script file for these type of requirements.
PS C:\> Get-PSRequirements -Path C:\scripts\SQLBackup.psm1
Path : C:\scripts\SQLBackup.psm1
RequiredApplicationId :
RequiredPSVersion : 5.1
RequiredPSEditions : {}
RequiredModules : {}
RequiresPSSnapIns : {}
RequiredAssemblies : {}
IsElevationRequired : True
Use Import-ModuleLayout to recreate a module structure from a json file created with Export-ModuleLayout. Importing the json file will recreate the folders and files.
PS C:\> Import-ModuleLayout -Name PSDemo -ParentPath D:\scripts -Layout C:\work\layout.json
Directory: C:\scripts\PSDemo
Mode LastWriteTime Length Name
---- ------------- ------ ----
d---- 12/16/2021 9:45 AM types
d---- 12/16/2021 9:45 AM .github
d---- 12/16/2021 9:45 AM .vscode
d---- 12/16/2021 9:45 AM docs
...
Directory: D:\scripts\PSDemo\functions
Mode LastWriteTime Length Name
---- ------------- ------ ----
d---- 12/16/2021 9:45 AM public
d---- 12/16/2021 9:45 AM private
Directory: D:\scripts\PSDemo\functions\public
Mode LastWriteTime Length Name
---- ------------- ------ ----
-a--- 12/16/2021 9:49 AM 276 readme.txt
...
You can use this command in your scripting automation to generate a comment-based help block for a function. The function will use the parameter block which you can get with Get-ParameterBlock to define help parameters. If your parameter has a HelpMessage defined, the value will be used in the parameter description. You can also specify a synopsis and/or description. Otherwise, you can edit the placeholders later.
PS C:\> Get-Parameterblock -path c:\scripts\SimpleFunction.ps1 -name Get-FolderData | New-CommentHelp -Synopsis "Get folder details"
<
.Synopsis
Get folder details
.Description
<long description>
.Parameter Path
Specify the folder to analyze
.Parameter Cutoff
<enter a parameter description>
.Parameter Filter
<enter a parameter description>
.Example
<output and explanation>
.Inputs
<Inputs to this function (if any)>
.Outputs
<Output from this function (if any)>
.Notes
<General notes>
.Link
<enter a link reference>
New-ModuleFromFiles is an experimental command. It is not guaranteed to run without error and may change significantly between module versions. The command is designed to process a collection of PowerShell script files which contain PowerShell functions. Each function will be exported to an individual file to a location you specify.
The function relies on a module layout file to scaffold the module directory.
$splat = @{
Description = "Demo exported module"
Files = "c:\scripts\pstools.psm1","c:\scripts\servertools.ps1"
Layout = "c:\scripts\ModuleLayout.json"
NewModuleName = "PSTools"
ParentPath = "c:\scripts"
CreateHelp = $True
FunctionPath = "functions\public"
InitializeGit = $true
}
New-ModuleFromFiles @splatIf you have the Platyps module installed, you can also choose to create help documentation. If you have git installed, you can initialize the module as a git repository. This process will also checkout a new branch.
This command is very similar to New-ModuleFromFiles. That function builds a module structure from existing files. This function creates a new module but without defining any commands. New-ModuleFromLayout will still create a module structure based on a layout and it will still create module files. Specifically,the module manifest and root module files.
New-ModuleFromLayout -NewModuleName PSDataResource -ParentPath c:\scripts -Description "A class-based DSC resource to do something." -Layout c:\scripts\DSCModuleLayout.json -initializegitIf git.exe is detected, you can use the InitializeGit dynamic parameter to initialize the module as a git repository.
PowerShell function names should follow naming convention of Verb-Noun. The verb should be a standard verb that you see with Get-Verb. Use this command in your scripting automation to validate a PowerShell function name.
PS C:\> Test-FunctionName Test-Widget
Test-Widget
If the name passes validation it will be written to the pipeline. Or you can use the -Quiet parameter to return a traditional boolean result.
PS C:\> Test-FunctionName kill-system -Quiet
False
Get-FunctionProfile is designed to give you a technical summary of a PowerShell function. You might use this to preview what commands a function might execute or if it supports -Whatif. The function might be something someone else wrote, or perhaps you want to double-check your code.
Note that the analysis may not be 100% accurate. For example, it is difficult to distinguish between the alias foreach and the foreach enumerator.
PS C:\...\samples> Get-FunctionProfile -path .\SampleScript5.ps1 -name Get-Result
Name : Get-Result
FunctionAlias : grx
SupportsShouldProcess : False
ParameterSets :
DynamicParameters : False
RequiredVersion : 5.1
RequiredModules : {}
RequiresElevation : True
Commands : {Get-CimInstance, Get-Random, Join-Path, New-Timespan…}
ExternalCommands : {c:\scripts\cleanup.bat, notepad.exe}
DotNet : {[system.datetime]::now,
[system.environment]::getenvironmentvariable("temp")}
Aliases : {gcim, tee}
Unresolved : {w}
Path : C:\Scripts\PSFunctionTools\samples\SampleScript5.ps1
Here is a sample analysis. Commands should be PowerShell cmdlets, including resolved aliases. Detected command aliases will also be retrieved. Unresolved commands might be undefined aliases or some other command that PowerShell could not resolve.
This module includes a Samples folder. Here, you can find sample PowerShell scripts and functions that you can use with the commands in this module.
PS C:\...\PSFunctionTools\samples> Get-FunctionName .\Tools.psm1
Get-WindowsVersion
Get-WindowsVersionString
Get-OSInfo
PS C:\...\PSFunctionTools\samples>Get-ModuleLayout .\ModuleLayout.json -AsTree
C:\<PathTo>\<MYMODULE>
| changelog.md
| README.md
|
+---.vscode
+---docs
+---en-us
+---formats
| readme.txt
|
+---functions
| +---private
| | readme.txt
| |
| \---public
| readme.txt
|
+---tests
| readme.txt
|
\---types
readme.txt
PS C:\Scripts\PSFunctionTools\samples> dir .\SampleScript* | Get-PSRequirements | Format-Table
Path: C:\Scripts\PSFunctionTools\samples\SampleScript.ps1
ApplicationId PSVersion PSEditions PSSnapIns Assemblies IsElevationRequired
------------- --------- ---------- --------- ---------- -------------------
4.0 {} {} {} False
Path: C:\Scripts\PSFunctionTools\samples\SampleScript2.ps1
ApplicationId PSVersion PSEditions PSSnapIns Assemblies IsElevationRequired
------------- --------- ---------- --------- ---------- -------------------
3.0 {} {} {} False
Path: C:\Scripts\PSFunctionTools\samples\SampleScript3.ps1
ApplicationId PSVersion PSEditions PSSnapIns Assemblies IsElevationRequired
------------- --------- ---------- --------- ---------- -------------------
5.0 {} {} {} True
Path: C:\Scripts\PSFunctionTools\samples\SampleScript4.ps1
...
You are welcome to copy, paste, and edit these samples as much as you would like.
Please use the repository's Issues section for reporting bugs and requesting new features. Remember, the commands in this module are designed for PowerShell 7.1 and later.
You might also be interested in the PSScriptTools module. This module has several commands that you might use in your toolmaking.
Use the commands in the PSTypeExtensionTools to extend standard types as well as custom types and classes in your work.