General PowerShell Advice for Newbie

Hi All,
In the last 6-8 months I've begun on the uphill journey of developing
Windows applications for a hobby.
Been experimenting with VBExpress and VBScript and, buying into the
whole VBScript thing, bought
NSBasic which simplifies the whole business for one of limited ability
such as myself.

I've now invested a lot of time and money going down the VBScript and
NSBasic route and was beginning
to get some reasonable results - but all the time finding it pretty hard
going.

Then along comes PowerShell ..... WOW! This thing rocks! Suddenly I'm
able to do things in 10 minutes of
scrabbling around looking for the right command/syntax that would have
had me floored for hours! And I'm
only on chapter three of "PowerShell in Action". What an awesome book!

Q1: Is it worth, do you think me pursuing VBScript any further? Should I
abandon further VBScript
learning in favour of PowerShell?

Q2: I am aware of Sapiens superb PrimalScript - but can't afford it. Can
anyone recommend a good (cheap!) IDE for
PowerShell?

Q3: Is there an easy way to get user input in PowerShell using windows
forms as the entry media?

Just a push in the right direction is all I'm looking for.

Thanks,
Stuart

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

My personal answer to your questions:

Q1. If you are likely to be in a position of using VBScript at work then
learn it otherwise concentrate on PowerShell

Q2. I use notepad!! To be honest I haven't found an IDE for PowerShell
that I could either recommend or for which I could justify the cost

Q3. No. You would need to write the Windows forms in PowerShell (can be
done but tedious) or write a .NET app and host PowerShell in it. Both of
which tasks are a bug jump for someone new to pOwerShell. have you looked at
read-host for getting input


--
Richard Siddaway
Please note that all scripts are supplied "as is" and with no warranty
Blog: http://richardsiddaway.spaces.live.com/
PowerShell User Group: http://www.get-psuguk.org.uk


"Krayten" wrote:

Q1: Is it worth, do you think me pursuing VBScript any further? Should I
abandon further VBScript learning in favour of PowerShell?
I would focus on one or the other (I lean towards powershell), but
understand there are still some places and task powershell is not good for
(i.e. logon scripts)

Q2: I am aware of Sapiens superb PrimalScript - but can't afford it. Can
anyone recommend a good (cheap!) IDE for PowerShell?
I use and would recommend Powershell Analyzer. It is pretty inexpensive and
its very nice.

Q3: Is there an easy way to get user input in PowerShell using windows forms
as the entry media?
Yes. You can use Windows Forms, but they can be a little complicated to work
with. If it is just for input, I think it would be ok, but just be careful.

--
Brandon Shell [MVP]
---------------
Blog: http://www.bsonposh.com/
PSH Scripts Project: www.codeplex.com/psobject
--------------------------------------

"Krayten" <Kryten@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:470692c1$0$26378$88260bb3@xxxxxx

A1: If you need your script to be able to run on operating systems older
than WinXP then you're stuck with WSH. However, if you're only scripting for
XP, 2K3, Vista, and/or Longhorn then I highly recommend using POSH as it has
many features that are not accessible from WSH.
A2: Currently there are no free IDEs for Powershell, but that shouldn't be a
problem since POSH is so easy. I've just been using PSPad with the "UNIX
shell script" highlighter.
A3: No. At the moment you have to take on the complex task of using the
System.Windows.Forms.dll assembly without an IDE. However, I am currently
debugging a script that will make it easy to use the Presentation Framework.
It'll make it much easier to make much better looking GUIs.
"Krayten" <Kryten@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:470692c1$0$26378$88260bb3@xxxxxx

Hi Krayten,

Good questions. Here's my take on the answers:

Q1. I'd go with PowerShell unless you need to use VBScript for something
that PowerShell cannot do or unless you have a business need to use
VBScript. PowerShell is definitely the way of the future in Windows
scripting.

Q2. I don't know if you need a full IDE for PowerShell. PowerShell has some
cool debugging built right into it. And I'm with you that the current IDEs
are much too expensive and don't add enough value for that expense. I think
what you probably want the most as a newcomer to PowerShell is syntax
highlighting and Intellisense. For this I strongly recommend the PowerGUI
Script Editor. This is a feature new to PowerGUI 1.0.11 that will be
released on Monday. It's 100% free! I've been beta testing this release
for the past 2 weeks, and the PowerGUI Script Editor is just fantastic!
Since my PowerShell Analyzer trial period expired I have been looking for a
replacement and this is it for me. You should be able to get it on Monday
from http://www.powergui.org. Just look at the top-right of the screen and
you'll see the current version that is available for download.

Q3. Sapien has released some cmdlets as part of a free snapin that should
help you out here. The snapin is called pshx-sapien and you can read about
it here:
http://sapiendon.squarespace.com/cur...s-updated.html.
In that snapin, there are two cmdlets titled read-inputbox and read-msgbox
that were designed to replace the useful input box and message box
functionality that was built-in to VBScript with a PowerShell equivalent
that uses Windows forms. From what you mention in your question, I believe
the input box functionality is what you're looking for.

If you want to contact me directly, just leave me a comment on my blog
(address below).

Kirk Munro
Poshoholic
http://poshoholic.com

"Krayten" <Kryten@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:470692c1$0$26378$88260bb3@xxxxxx

A new PowerGUI - - - cool
--
Richard Siddaway
Please note that all scripts are supplied "as is" and with no warranty
Blog: http://richardsiddaway.spaces.live.com/
PowerShell User Group: http://www.get-psuguk.org.uk


"Kirk Munro" wrote:

I should clarify something I posted. According to Dmitry's blog
(http://dmitrysotnikov.wordpress.com), the next version of PowerGUI is on
track to being released this week. It doesn't mean it will be posted on
Monday, but that's when you could start looking for it if you were really
keen on getting it.

-
Kirk Munro
Poshoholic
http://poshoholic.com

"Kirk Munro" <sorry@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:O2FehJ8BIHA.2268@xxxxxx

On 6 loka, 01:48, "Steven Hystad" <steven.hys...@xxxxxx> wrote: PSPad is good free editor and there is PowerShell syntax available. Go
to "PSPad extensions" (http://www.pspad.com/en/pspad-extensions.php),
select syntax definition and you will find two syntax files for
Windows PowerShell. Download that one uploaded by 'naputtelija' (it's
me), it includes compelete syntax definition and also clip definitions
which has alias expansioning. You may need PSPad beta version.

Thanks for all the replies and the very useful advice therein.

I've decided to leave VBScript alone now and embrace PowerShell as
thing of
beauty that it really is.

I've installed the Quest PowerGUI with the standalone script editot
and absolutely lovin it!
What a fantastic piece of free software!

Concerning the windows forms input thing..I can live without it for a
while and I reckon
it'll only be a matter of time before some whizz develops a PowerShell
Windows Form Editor - when
they do I'll be at the front of the Queue.

Finally, just this afternoon at work I needed to compose a .txt file
made up of several hundres lines
of spaced numbers for input by another application (procomm plus and
aspect scripting). Previously
this would have been an onerous task maybe taking me half a day or
more due to the complex
sequencing of the numbering sheme I need to use. Using PowerShell and
my shiny new
script editor I cobbled together a 20 line script to do it for me in
about 10 minutes!!!!!
Another 10 minutes of development and I now have a 20 line INTERACTIVE
script that
I can use again next time.

POWERSHELL ABSOLUTELY KICKS ASS!!!!! THANK YOU MICROSOFT!!!!!!!

-Krayten

Congratulations Krayten, wise decision. Backle up, you're gonna have a hell
of a ride!

Shay
http://scriptolog.blogspot.com