Transcript Fall 2008 Connections Conference Template

Automating Common SharePoint
Tasks with PowerShell
Neil Iversen
Inetium
http://justaddcode.com
What is PowerShell?
• Different things to different people
• It’s a
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Shell
Cool .bat file
VBScript replacement
Admin’s Best Friend
Developer’s Best Friend
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An ugly but powerful shell
Very Scientific Language Usefulness
Continuum (Patent Pending)
SysAdmin
Printer Drivers
C++
.NET (C#/VB.NET)
Scripting Languages (Ruby, Python)
BASH, SH
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PowerShell
How can it help with Development?
• Traditional SharePoint Development
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Time wasted during Testing
Code
Compile
Deploy
Test
Code
Compile
Deploy
• PowerShell / .NET Hybrid Development
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‘Risky’ development done in PoSH
Code converted to .NET (C#/VB)
Shorter Deploy/Test Cycle
Prototype
(PoSH)
Code
Compile
Deploy
Test
How can it help with Administration?
Object
Model
stsadm
PowerShell
RPC/Web
Services
So why isn’t everyone using it?
• Perception of PowerShell as a Shell
• No first party Snapins
• Slow SharePoint community adoption
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Most admins aren’t comfortable with .NET
Most devs aren’t comfortable in the shell
Core Components
• Alias
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cd = set-location
Dir = get-childitem
• Cmdlet
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Workhorse of PowerShell
• Function/Filter
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Block of script
• Provider
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Adds alternate ‘directory structure’
Think ‘/proc’ only niftier
Get-PSdrive
• Snapin
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Group of PowerShell functionality
Getting Around
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dir
cd
del
Mkdir
help
 ls
 cd
 rm
 mkdir
 man
Conditions and Flow Control
• Variables
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$foo = “bar”
$ary = 4,2,5,2
#implicitly typed as string
#typed as object[]
• Some Operators
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-eq
-lt / -gt
-le / -ge
-like / -notlike
-match / -imatch
• Control
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If
switch
• help about_comparison_operators
The Pipeline
• First some background:
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In DOS/Unix
• Dir | more
– Run a directory and ‘pipe’ the output to the More
command
– Actually passes the resulting text to the next command
– Unix has advanced text manipulation functions to parse
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In PowerShell
• Dir | more
– Passes the .NET Objects between commands
– System.IO.FileInfo in this case
The Pipeline – A Visual
Traditional Shell
Green Car
Red Car
Blue Car
PowerShell
Color: Green
Doors: 2
MPG: 45
Color: Red
Doors: 2
MPG: 36
Color: Blue
Doors: 2
MPG: 27
The Pipeline
• The most unique feature of PowerShell
• Since everything in PowerShell is a .NET type, it can be
passed as an argument
• Enables a LINQ-esque experience
• C#:
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foo = Class.Method();
Bar = OtherClass.Method(foo);
Baz = OtherOtherClass.Method(bar)
• PowerShell:
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Class.Method() | OtherClass.Method() |
OtherOtherClass.Method()
Common Pipeline Commands
 Foreach-object
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dir | foreach-object { $_.Name }
Alias: dir | % { $_.Name }
 Where-object
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dir | where-object {$_.Length –gt 10}
Alias: dir | ? {$_.Length –gt 10}
 Select-object
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dir | select-object –first 5
Alias: none
 Honorable Mentions: Sort-Object, Group-Object
Dealing with Output
Formatting
Output
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Format-Custom
Format-List
Format-Table
Format-Wide
Out-Default
Out-Null
Out-Host
Out-Printer
Out-String
DEMO: Getting Around
Scripting in PowerShell
• Loosely typed variables
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$foo = “bar” (implicit System.String)
$ary = 1,2,3,4 (object array)
• Strongly typed variables
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[string]$foo = “bar”
• Enhanced Types
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[xml]$d = “<a><b><c>c stuff 1</c><c>c stuff
2</c></b></a>”
$d.a.b.c (array of strings)
DEMO: Building Solutions
Getting started with SharePoint
• [System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithP
artialName(“Microsoft.SharePoint”)
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Use .NET to load it into our shell
Assumes its in the GAC and there is only one
version
Next Up, lets get a (SP)Site
• $site = new-object
Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSite(“http://thesite
/site”)
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$site is a variable to store the SPSite into
new-object creates a new instance of an
Object
The Constructor for SPSite has an overload
with one argument (the url)
And how about a (SP)Web?
• $web = $site.OpenUrl()
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$web stores the SPWeb
DEMO: Working with SharePoint
Is there an easier way?
• That requires some API knowledge that I’d
rather not have
• More Developer focused than
Administrative
PowerShell Packaging
• Scripts
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PowerShell code in a PS1 (similar to .bat
files)
• Snapins
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Like Solutions in SharePoint, they hold a lot
Compiled into dlls
• CmdLets
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Like Features in SharePoint, performs a task
Can be compiled or in script (v2 only)
Making yourself at ~ (home)
 Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1
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.bashrc
.tcshrc
.whatEverKSHuses
 Be lazy, $profile tells you where to go
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PS> notepad $profile
 Common Uses
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Custom prompt()
Load custom variables and scripts
For Us? Store all those great SharePoint
Commands
DEMO: Packaging get-SPWeb
Working with SPLists
• Display all the Lists
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$web.Lists
• Getting a specific List
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$list = $web.Lists[“Tasks”]
• Getting all the Items
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$list.Items
• Display Properties Sorted by Name
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$item.Properties | sort –prop Name
• Set an item’s properties
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$item.Properties[“SomeKey”] = “value”
$item.Properties.Update()
DEMO: Working with a Task List
Exploring the Object Model
• Many objects to choose from
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Search
Profiles
• Unfamiliar objects require the SDK as
reference
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Or a kind person to wrap them
DEMO: Exploring the Object Model
Extending the Object Model
• Updating Types
• Similar to Extension Types
• Add-Member
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Add new Methods/Properties to an instance
• Use ps1xml file to make changes semi-permanent and
always applied for a specific .NET type
DEMO: Using Type Extensions
Implementing Disposal
• Some SharePoint Objects are Messy
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SPWeb, SPSite, …
• Object that implement IDisposable
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Need to get Dispose()’d
Free memory and connections
Very Difficult in PowerShell
Introducting the cleaner
• Add-DisposableItem
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PowerShell Filter
Adds any IDisposable object to a list
Can be used Inline (ex $site.AllWebs)
• Dispose-DisposableItems
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Calls Dispose() on all objects in the List
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Still in Testing, Your Mileage My Vary
• Consult Owners Manual
DEMO: IDisposable
Working with SharePoint Remotely
• Use the Web Services and RPC
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Both are hard to use without some help
Web Services are easy with newwebserviceproxy.ps1
DEMO: Remoting SharePoint
PowerShell v2 Enhancements
• V2 Timeline
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CTP 3 in December
RTM in Late 09 Early 2010
• Remote Command Execution
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SharePoint might not be remoteable, but
PowerShell is
• Easier to Share Code
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Code based CmdLets and Modules
• Advanced Language Features
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Native ability to run multiple processes in the
background
Tools to make your life easier
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PowerTab
PowerShell Community Extensions
PowerShell Analyzer
PoshConsole
PowerShell Plus
Your Feedback is Important
Please fill out a session evaluation form and
either put them in the basket near the exit
or drop them off at the conference
registration desk.
Thank you!
References
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PowerShell Building Blocks for SharePoint
PowerShell Community Extensions
PoshCode.org
New-webserviceproxy.ps1
Questions?
Thanks!
Neil Iversen
Inetium
http://justaddcode.com