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Wikiversity has learning resources about PowerShell
- PowerShell on GitHub
- Windows PowerShell Survival Guide on TechNet Wiki
| Extension | Description |
|---|---|
| .ps1 | Script file[111] |
| .psd1 | Module’s manifest file; usually comes with a script module or binary module[112] |
| .psm1 | Script module file[113] |
| .dll | DLL-compliant[a] binary module file[114] |
| .ps1xml | Format and type definitions file[49][115] |
| .xml | XML-compliant[b] serialized data file[116] |
| .psc1 | Console file[117] |
| .pssc | Session configuration file[118] |
| .psrc | Role Capability file[119] |
- cmdlets (.NET Framework programs designed to interact with PowerShell)
- PowerShell scripts (files suffixed by
.ps1) - PowerShell functions
- Standalone executable programs
Extended Type System
The number of cmdlets included in the base PowerShell install has generally increased with each version:
| Version | Cmdlets | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PowerShell 1.0 | [38] | |
| Windows PowerShell 2.0 | [39] | |
| Windows PowerShell 3.0 | [40] | |
| Windows PowerShell 4.0 | ? | |
| Windows PowerShell 5.0 | [41] | |
| Windows PowerShell 5.1 | [] | |
| PowerShell Core 6.0 | ? | |
| PowerShell Core 6.1 | ? | |
| PowerShell Core 6.2 | ? | |
| PowerShell 7.0 | [] | |
| PowerShell 7.1 | ? | |
| PowerShell 7.2 | ? | |
| PowerShell 7.4 |
# Definition of static parameters # Definition of dynamic parameters # Set of instruction to run at the start of the pipeline # Main instruction sets, ran for each item in the pipeline # Set of instruction to run at the end of the pipeline
Screenshot of a PowerShell 7 session in Windows Terminal | |
| Paradigm | Imperative, pipeline, object-oriented, functional and reflective |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Jeffrey Snover, Bruce Payette, James Truher (et al.) |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| First appeared | November 14, 2006; 17 years ago |
| Stable release | |
| Typing discipline | Strong, safe, implicit and dynamic |
| Implementation language | C# |
| Platform | PowerShell: .NET Windows PowerShell: .NET Framework |
| OS | |
| License | MIT License[2] (but the Windows component remains proprietary) |
| Filename extensions |
|
| Website | |
| Influenced by | |
| Python, Ksh, Perl, C#, CL, DCL, SQL, Tcl, Tk,[3] Chef, Puppet | |
PowerShell includes its own extensive, console-based help (similar to man pages in Unix shells) accessible via the Get-Help cmdlet. Updated local help contents can be retrieved from the Internet via the Update-Help cmdlet. Alternatively, help from the web can be acquired on a case-by-case basis via the -online switch to Get-Help.
Introduction
Welcome to the PowerShell comments tutorial! If you’ve ever worked with PowerShell scripts, you know they can get pretty complex. Comments are the unsung heroes in these scripts. They’re like those sticky notes you put in your textbook – not part of the main text, but super helpful for understanding what’s going on. In this guide, we’ll explore how comments can make your PowerShell scripting life easier and why you should care about using them effectively.
Importance in Scripting
Let’s face it, nobody writes perfect code on the first try. And when you come back to your script six months later, you’ll thank your past self for leaving comments. They’re not just for others; they’re like breadcrumbs you leave for yourself to make sense of the logic behind your code. In PowerShell, where scripts can range from straightforward to ‘what was I thinking?’, comments are your best pals in making sense of it all.
Before we get started, if you want to take your PowerShell scripting skills to the next level then consider taking our PowerShell course which includes video lessons and IT labs at the link below:
Course: Administration and Automation with Windows PowerShell
| Application | Version | Cmdlets | Provider | Management GUI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange Server | 2007 | 402 | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Server | 2008 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Microsoft SQL Server | 2008 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Microsoft SharePoint | 2010 | Yes | Yes | No |
| System Center Configuration Manager | 2012 R2 | 400+ | Yes | No |
| System Center Operations Manager | 2007 | 74 | Yes | No |
| System Center Virtual Machine Manager | 2007 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| System Center Data Protection Manager | 2007 | Yes | No | No |
| Windows Compute Cluster Server | 2007 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Microsoft Transporter Suite for Lotus Domino[120] | 08.02.0012 | 47 | No | No |
| Microsoft PowerTools for Open XML[121] | 1.0 | 33 | No | No |
| IBM WebSphere MQ[122] | 6.0.2.2 | 44 | No | No |
| IoT Core Add-ons[123] | 74 | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Quest Management Shell for Active Directory[124] | 1.7 | 95 | No | No |
| Special Operations Software Specops Command[125] | 1.0 | Yes | No | Yes |
| VMware vSphere PowerCLI[126] | 6.5 R1 | 500+ | Yes | Yes |
| Internet Information Services[127] | 7.0 | 54 | Yes | No |
| Windows 7 Troubleshooting Center[128] | 6.1 | Yes | No | Yes |
| Microsoft Deployment Toolkit[129] | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NetApp PowerShell Toolkit[130][131] | 4.2 | 2000+ | Yes | Yes |
| JAMS Scheduler – Job Access & Management System[132] | 5.0 | 52 | Yes | Yes |
| UIAutomation[133] | 0.8 | 432 | No | No |
| Dell Equallogic[134] | 3.5 | 55 | No | No |
| LOGINventory[135] | 5.8 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SePSX[136] | 0.4.1 | 39 | No | No |
Initially using the code name “Monad”, PowerShell was first shown publicly at the Professional Developers Conference in October 2003 in Los Angeles. All major releases are still supported, and each major release has featured backwards compatibility with preceding versions.
Windows PowerShell 1.0

Windows PowerShell 2.0

Windows PowerShell 3.0
- Scheduled jobs: Jobs can be scheduled to run on a preset time and date using the Windows Task Scheduler infrastructure.
- Session connectivity: Sessions can be disconnected and reconnected. Remote sessions have become more tolerant of temporary network failures.
- Improved code writing: Code completion (IntelliSense) and snippets are added. PowerShell ISE allows users to use dialog boxes to fill in parameters for PowerShell cmdlets.
- Delegation support: Administrative tasks can be delegated to users who do not have permissions for that type of task, without granting them perpetual additional permissions.
- Help update: Help documentations can be updated via Update-Help command.
- Automatic module detection: Modules are loaded implicitly whenever a command from that module is invoked. Code completion works for unloaded modules as well.
- New commands: Dozens of new modules were added, including functionality to manage disks
get-WmiObject win32_logicaldisk, volumes, firewalls, network connections, and printers, which had previously been performed via WMI.[further explanation needed]
Windows PowerShell 4.0
New features in PowerShell 4.0 include:
- Desired State Configuration:[83][84][85] Declarative language extensions and tools that enable the deployment and management of configuration data for systems using the DMTF management standards and WS-Management Protocol
- New default execution policy: On Windows Servers, the default execution policy is now
RemoteSigned. - Save-Help: Help can now be saved for modules that are installed on remote computers.
- Enhanced debugging: The debugger now supports debugging workflows, remote script execution and preserving debugging sessions across PowerShell session reconnections.
- -PipelineVariable switch: A new ubiquitous parameter to expose the current pipeline object as a variable for programming purposes
- Network diagnostics to manage physical and Hyper-V‘s virtualized network switches
- Where and ForEach method syntax provides an alternate method of filtering and iterating over objects.
Windows PowerShell 5.0

Key features included:
- The new
classkeyword that creates classes for object-oriented programming - The new
enumkeyword that creates enums OneGetcmdlets to support the Chocolatey package manager[87]- Extending support for switch management to layer 2 network switches.[88]
- Debugging for PowerShell background jobs and instances of PowerShell hosted in other processes (each of which is called a “runspace”)
- Desired State Configuration (DSC) Local Configuration Manager (LCM) version 2.0
- DSC partial configurations
- DSC Local Configuration Manager meta-configurations
- Authoring of DSC resources using PowerShell classes
Windows PowerShell 5.1
PowerShell Core 6
- The
-Parallelswitch for theForEach-Objectcmdlet to help handle parallel processing - Near parity with Windows PowerShell in terms of compatibility with built-in Windows modules
- A new error view
- The
Get-Errorcmdlet - Pipeline chaining operators (
&&and||) that allow conditional execution of the next cmdlet in the pipeline - The ?: operator for ternary operation
- The
??operator for null coalescing - The
??=operator for null coalescing assignment - Cross-platform
Invoke-DscResource(experimental) - Return of the
Out-GridViewcmdlet - Return of the
-ShowWindowswitch for theGet-Help
Изменить свойства компьютера с помощью консоли Active Directory (ADUC)
Администратор может изменить атрибуты компьютер в Active Directory с помощью графической консоли ADUC.

Вы можете отредактировать значения остальных атрибутов компьютера на вкладке Attribute Editor. Будьте внимательными при редактировании обязательных атрибутов компьютера. Редактор атрибутов объекта в AD не проверяет корректность введенных данных (проверяется только тип данных и длина значения), поэтому при некорректных значения атрибутов компьютера, он может потерять доверительные отношения с доменом.

Comment-Based Help and Syntax
Structure and Syntax
<#
.SYNOPSIS
This script does some really cool stuff.
.DESCRIPTION
Here's a more detailed explanation of what this script can do.
.EXAMPLE
PS C:\> .\CoolScript.ps1
Runs the script and does the cool stuff.
#>Examples and Best Practices
Writing Effective Comments
# Check if the file exists before attempting to delete
if (Test-Path "C:\temp\file.txt") { Remove-Item "C:\temp\file.txt"
}Balancing Detail with Brevity
A good rule of thumb is to comment on why you’re doing something if it’s not immediately obvious. If your code is straightforward, like Get-Content "log.txt", you probably don’t need a comment. But if you’re doing something unusual or tricky, that’s a good place for a comment.
Self-Documenting Code
Principles and Advantages
Self-documenting code means writing your script so that it’s as clear as possible on its own. Good naming conventions for variables and functions, consistent formatting, and a logical structure all help make your script self-explanatory, reducing the need for extensive comments.
Implementing in PowerShell
Comparison of cmdlets with similar commands
-
lsandmanaliases are absent in the Linux version of PowerShell Core. - Clear-Host is implemented as a predefined PowerShell function.
- Available in Windows NT 4, Windows 98 Resource Kit, Windows 2000 Support Tools
- Introduced in Windows XP Professional Edition
- Also used in UNIX to send a process any signal, the “Terminate” signal is merely the default
-
curlandwgetaliases are absent from PowerShell Core, so as to not interfere with invoking similarly named native commands.
Desired State Configuration
Upon running a configuration, DSC will ensure that the system gets the state described in the configuration. DSC configurations are idempotent. The Local Configuration Manager (LCM) periodically polls the system using the control flow described by resources (imperative pieces of DSC) to make sure that the state of a configuration is maintained.
Embedding Basic Comments
Single Line Comments
Starting with the basics, single line comments in PowerShell are like whispering a secret to the code. You start with a hash symbol (#), and PowerShell promises to ignore everything after it on that line. It’s great for quick notes or temporarily turning off a line of code.
# This line is just for us, PowerShell won’t mind. Get-Process -Name svchostMulti-line Comments
When you have more to say, multi-line comments come to the rescue. Wrapped between <# and #>, they’re perfect for longer explanations or giving a time-out to big chunks of code.
<#
Here's where we explain things in detail.
Like a mini diary entry in the middle of your script.
Or for making multiple lines take a break.
#>
Get-ServiceИзменить значение атрибута компьютера в AD с помощью PowerShell
Командлет Set-ADComputer (из модуля Active Directory для PowerShell) позволяет изменить атрибуты учетной записи компьютера в Active Directory.
Например, вы хотите добавить в свойства компьютера в AD его, название компании и департамента, которому он принадлежит.
Чтобы изменить значение основных атрибутов компьютера, можно использовать встроенные параметры, таки как
-Description
,
-DisplayName
,
-DNSHostName
,
-HomePage
,
-Location
и т.д., Например указать местоположение компьютера:
Set-ADComputer –Identity SRV-MAN01 –Location "Spb/Russia"
Также можно изменить значение любого атрибута с помощью параметров
Add
,
Replace
,
Clear
и
Remove
.
Задать новое описание учетной записи компьютера:
Если нужно задать несколько параметров компьютера, воспользуйтесь такой конструкцией PowerShell:
$Server = Get-ADComputer -Identity SRV-MAN01
$Server.company = "contoso"
$Server.department = "IT"
Set-ADComputer -Instance $Server
С помощью Get-ADComputer можно получить текущие значения атрибутов:

С помощью Set-ADComputer вы также можете отключить или включить учетную запись компьютера в AD:
Set-ADComputer srv-man01 -Enabled $false
Avoiding Overuse of Comments
Identifying Necessary vs. Unnecessary Comments
It’s easy to go overboard with comments. If you find yourself writing a comment for every line of code, you’re probably doing too much. Comments should enhance your code, not drown it. If your code is readable and self-explanatory, let it speak for itself.
Striking the Right Balance
The goal is to find that sweet spot where your comments add value without being overwhelming. A well-commented script should feel like a guided tour, not a lecture.
Comments in Functions and Scripts
Documenting Functions
When you write a function in PowerShell, think of it as creating a mini-application. Comments play a crucial role here, explaining what the function does, its parameters, and what it returns. A well-documented function is a joy to use and much easier to maintain.
function Get-LatestLogFile { <# .SYNOPSIS Retrieves the most recent log file from a specified directory. .PARAMETER Path The directory to search for log files. .EXAMPLE Get-LatestLogFile -Path "C:\Logs" #> # Function logic goes here
}Script-Level Comments
<#
.SYNOPSIS
This script automates the backup process for server data.
.DESCRIPTION
Executes a series of backup operations, including logging and error checks.
.NOTES
Requires administrative privileges to run.
#>
# Script logic follows...Keeping Comments Relevant and Updated
One of the key challenges with comments is keeping them up to date. As your script evolves, make sure your comments reflect those changes. Outdated comments can be more misleading than no comments at all. It’s a good practice to review and update comments as part of your script maintenance routine.
# Updated 2023-12-26: Added error handling
$files = Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Data"Tools and Techniques
Utilize version control systems like Git to track changes in your scripts and their comments. This not only helps in maintaining the history of changes but also in collaborating with others, ensuring everyone understands the evolution of the script.
Как добавить имя пользователя и IP адрес в свойства компьютера в AD?
IP адрес компьютера мы будем хранить в атрибуте description, а имя пользователя, который работает за компьютером – в атрибуте ManagedBy.

Данный PowerShell скрипт будет запускаться при входе пользователя, определять имя и IP адрес компьютера, CN пользователя и сохранит их в свойства компьютера в AD. Для работы скрипта на компьютерах должен быть установлен модуль AD PowerShell.
В консоли ADUC теперь отображаются IP адреса компьютеров, а в свойствах компьютера на вкладке Managed By теперь есть активная ссылка на учетную запись пользователя, который последним входил на компьютер.

Теперь вы можете быстро найти компьютеры в домене по IP адресу:

Аналогичным образом вы можете записать в свойства аккаунтов компьютеров в AD любую информацию о рабочей станции или пользователе, и использовать ее для поиска (выборки) компьютеров в AD. В статье по ссылке описано как записать в описание компьютера в AD информацию о модели, серийном номере оборудования.
Conclusion
And that wraps up our tour of PowerShell comments! Remember, good commenting can turn a decent script into a great one. It’s about clarity, maintenance, and being kind to future readers of your code. So next time you’re scripting in PowerShell, take a moment to leave some thoughtful comments – your future self will thank you.




