1. Introduction to PowerShell
Michael Blumenthal, MVP

2. Who is Michael Blumenthal?
Tenant Admin at a leading broadcast media company Office 365 MVP Dev/ITPro Mix In IT Consulting since 1995 PowerShelling since 2007
Contact
LinkedIn: TechCommunity.Microsoft.com

3. What is PowerShell?

4. Why is PowerShell AWESOME?
Write-Host “SO easy to use!”
No Compiling!
Servers, Desktop OS’s, any .NET API, web services, you name it!
No Compliling!

5. PowerShell puts .NET at your fingertips!
It’s Easy to Get Started! 1
Learn the PowerShell Syntax 2
Working with O365 3
Best Practices 4
Who would like another tool in their toolbox? How about the swiss army knife of tools?
It will make you a more productive developer!

6. It’s Easy to get Started!
Chapter 1
It’s Easy to get Started!

7. Getting Started with PowerShell
2003
2008,R2
2012, R2
2016
7, 8, 8.1, 10
Who here already has installed and PowerShell? Who’s using Server 2003? 2008?
Win 2008 – It’s an OS Feature – “servermanagercmd –install PowerShell”

8. The Command Line Window

9. Windows Feature
Win 8-10
Win 8.x

10. The Integrated Script EditorV2

11. PowerShell V3-5 ISE

12. Intellisense!
Intellisense!

13. Learn the PowerShell Syntax!
Chapter 2
Learn the PowerShell Syntax!

14. Symbols, Keywords, and Syntax! Oh My!
Variables 1
Commands 2
Piping 3
Comparisons 4
Flow Control 5
Filtering 6

15. Reading Symbols in Code
(tal Guidance
Moe, Larry, and }
The universe started with the Big !
!Important
A # of Bacon and # Browns

16. 1 $something Case Insensitive, Dynamic typing
Variables
Case Insensitive, Dynamic typing
$something
$true, $false, $null, $profile
$myMessage= “Hello, World”
begin with a $
Name that Language…
Similar in SQL, apparently also Ruby, PHP.
Arrays start at 0

17. Remove $opposite; add write-host; get-item

18. Commands are called cmdlets.2
Commands are called cmdlets.
Verb-Noun
Built-in, Extensible
Get-Help
Get-Member
Get-Command
Mention Aliases

19. Help!

20. Discoverability
Get-Member examples

21. Get-Command
Find Cmdlets
Get details of cmdlets and applications

22. Aliases Alias cmdlet Dir Get-ChildItem Sort Sort-object Select
Foreach, also %
Get-ChildItem
Sort-object
Select-object
Foreach-object

23. 3
The Power of Piping!
Output Of Command 1
Input of Command 2 |

24. Example
Can you imagine trying to do this if this was just text?

26. Dial zero for an… -eq -le -ne -like -gt -notlike -ge -match -lt4
Dial zero for an…
Operator
-eq
-le
-ne
-like
-gt
-notlike
-ge
-match
-lt
-notmatch

27. Example

28. Taking Control of the Flow5
If (Test) {Commands} else {Commands}
if ($web.Title –ne “”) {Write-Host $web.Title} If
For (Init;Test;Repeat) {Commands}
for($i=1; $i -le 10; $i++) {Write-Host $i}
For
Foreach (Item in Collection) {Commands}
Foreach ($gumball in $CandyBag) {$gumball.color}
Collection | Foreach {Commands}
ForEach
While (Condition){Commands}
while($val -ne 3){$val++; Write-Host $val}
While
Get-Help about_flow_control
Mention that collections start at 0

29. Example

30. Where {<Test>} Where-Object Syntax Example 6
V1&2: Dir | Where {$_.Name –like “B*”}
V3+: Dir | where Name –like B*
Example

31. Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
Executing Scripts
.\filename.ps1
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

32. Chapter 3
Connecting To O365

33. Get the Cmdlets! AAD EXO PNP SK4B SPO Verb-MSOL* Remote Session
Verb-PNP*
PNP
new-CSOnlineSession; Remote
SK4B
Verb-SPO*
SPO

34. Demo

35. Chapter 4
Best Practices

36. Use Functions Function global:Do-Something(){ }
Function global:Do-Something($someParameter){
Function global:Do-Something{
param ([type]$someParameter=$(“Default Expression”))
Single purpose vs multitool

37. Follow the Naming Convention!
Verb-Noun
98 Verbs

38. Comment your functions
<#
.SYNOPSIS –a brief explanation of what the script or function does.
.DESCRIPTION – a more detailed explanation of what the script or function does.
.PARAMETER name – an explanation of a specific parameter. Replace name with the parameter name. You can have one of these sections for each parameter the script or function uses.
.EXAMPLE – an example of how to use the script or function. You can have multiple .EXAMPLE sections if you want to provide more than one example.
.NOTES – any miscellaneous notes on using the script or function.
.LINK – a cross-reference to another help topic; you can have more than one of these. If you include a URL beginning with or the shell will open that URL when the Help command’s –online parameter is used.
#>

39. Search for Commands
Refresh the command list
Actions you can take

40. Self Announcing Functions…

41. Source Code Control

42. Always read scripts before running them
More Good Ideas
Always read scripts before running them
Be a tool maker

43. Make yours safe when others don’t
More Good Ideas
Always read scripts before running them.
Make yours safe when others don’t

44. More Good Ideas Always read scripts before running them
Make yours safe when others don’t
Check for valid parameter values
get-help about_Functions_Advanced_Parameters

45. More Good Ideas Always read scripts before running them
Make yours safe when others don’t
Check for valid parameter values
get-help about_Functions_Advanced_Parameters
Do error handling
get-help about_Try_Catch_Finally
get-help about_CommonParameters
-ErrorAction and -ErrorVariable

46. Resources

47. Script something today!
It’s Easy to Get Started!
PowerShell Syntax
Office 365
You owe it to yourself to try out PowerShell.
It will make you a better developer!