I'd like to write a PowerShell script to set certain Windows customizations when
setting up a new workstation.

Take for example a mouse setting that enables the Pointer Option named "Snap To"
(usually setup via a Control Panel accessed Mouse Properties via a checkbox).
How would I write a PowerShell command to turn that setting on? Or even better,
how would I do research to learn what how to do that (other than just asking here) ?

I thought I'd start out with that particular need, and see if I could see a
pattern to do some other customizations.

- Larry

You will certainly need to invoke some non-PowerShell magic... It could be
that you'll find plain-old command line options or you may have to make
Win32 or P/Invoke calls.

In other customizations, you may find registry settings you can do in
PowerShell though.

Worst case, you can always automate mouse-clicks. .NET has some key stroke
automation, but I understand using www.autoitscript.com and it's COM
interface is more flexible.

Marco

"Larry__Weiss" <lfw@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:#OimuYpVKHA.2340@newsgroup

> I'd like to write a PowerShell script to set certain Windows
> customizations when setting up a new workstation.
>
> Take for example a mouse setting that enables the Pointer Option named
> "Snap To" (usually setup via a Control Panel accessed Mouse Properties via
> a checkbox).
> How would I write a PowerShell command to turn that setting on? Or even
> better, how would I do research to learn what how to do that (other than
> just asking here) ?
>
> I thought I'd start out with that particular need, and see if I could see
> a pattern to do some other customizations.
>
> - Larry

Hello Larry__Weiss,

> I'd like to write a PowerShell script to set certain Windows
> customizations when setting up a new workstation.
>
> Take for example a mouse setting that enables the Pointer Option named
> "Snap To"
> (usually setup via a Control Panel accessed Mouse Properties via a
> checkbox).
> How would I write a PowerShell command to turn that setting on? Or
> even better,
> how would I do research to learn what how to do that (other than just
> asking here) ?
> I thought I'd start out with that particular need, and see if I could
> see a pattern to do some other customizations.
>
> - Larry
>

You might be able to do this using WMI.

Look to the Win32_PointingDevice class

I do not know that you will find twhat you are looking for, but it's a start.

Karl

Karl Mitschke wrote:

> Hello Larry__Weiss,

>> I'd like to write a PowerShell script to set certain Windows
>> customizations when setting up a new workstation.
>> Take for example a mouse setting that enables the Pointer Option named
>> "Snap To"
>> (usually setup via a Control Panel accessed Mouse Properties via a
>> checkbox).
>> How would I write a PowerShell command to turn that setting on? Or
>> even better,
>> how would I do research to learn what how to do that (other than just
>> asking here) ?
>> I thought I'd start out with that particular need, and see if I could
>> see a pattern to do some other customizations.
>>

>
> You might be able to do this using WMI.
> Look to the Win32_PointingDevice class
> I do not know that you will find twhat you are looking for, but it's a
> start.
>

I'm tempted to start browsing one of those "1001 Registry Hacks" books.

One side-effect of learning PowerShell is to get experience with all
these API's available on a Windows workstation.

- Larry

Is there a PS provider that manages the functionality that Control Panel provides?

- Larry


Larry__Weiss wrote:

> I'd like to write a PowerShell script to set certain Windows
> customizations when setting up a new workstation.
>
> Take for example a mouse setting that enables the Pointer Option named
> "Snap To" (usually setup via a Control Panel accessed Mouse Properties
> via a checkbox).
> How would I write a PowerShell command to turn that setting on? Or even
> better, how would I do research to learn what how to do that (other than
> just asking here) ?
>
> I thought I'd start out with that particular need, and see if I could
> see a pattern to do some other customizations.
>

"Larry__Weiss" <lfw@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:ehD4MTBWKHA.4416@newsgroup

> Is there a PS provider that manages the functionality that Control Panel
> provides?
>
> - Larry

No.

So you use the name "provider"... You're thinking about some kind of
directory-like-structure that PowerShell could change into so you could work
on all the settings you see in the UI?

Marco

Marco Shaw [MVP] wrote:

> "Larry__Weiss" <lfw@newsgroup> wrote in message
> news:ehD4MTBWKHA.4416@newsgroup

>> Is there a PS provider that manages the functionality that Control
>> Panel provides?
>>

> No.
> So you use the name "provider"... You're thinking about some kind of
> directory-like-structure that PowerShell could change into so you could
> work on all the settings you see in the UI?
>

Yes, exactly. The directory-like-structure could be based on the hierarchy of
dialogs that Control Panel uses to access the GUI controls, only standardized
for consistent access all Windows platforms.

I'm afraid that the registry settings may not be consistent across Windows
systems, but that an abstraction of the settings could be exposed via a PS
Provider with a set of fixed read/write items similar to what the Registry
provider exposes on a configured Windows system.

I can imagine PS Providers based on the configuration dialogs for many
applications, like Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer.

- Larry