Credentials are objects that contain a user name and an encrypted password. If your PowerShell functions should be able to accept credentials, assign the PSCredential type:
function Connect-Server { param ( [Parameter(Mandatory)] [pscredential] $Credential ) "You entered a credential for {0}." -f $Credential.UserName # now you could do something with $Credential, i.e. submit it to # other cmdlets that support the -Credential parameter # i.e. # Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_BIOS -ComputerName SomeComputer -Credential $Credential }
When you run the code above, then call your function, a dialog opens and prompts for username and password. The same happens when you specify a user name: again, a dialog opens and prompts for the password, then converts your input into a proper PSCredential object:
PS> Connect-Server -Credential tobias
This auto conversion is only available for PowerShell 5.1 and better. In previous PowerShell versions, you would have to submit a credential object in the first place. To enable the conversion in older PowerShell versions, too, you can add an additional conversion attribute:
function Connect-Server { param ( [Parameter(Mandatory)] [pscredential] [System.Management.Automation.Credential()] $Credential ) "You entered a credential for {0}." -f $Credential.UserName # now you could do something with $Credential, i.e. submit it to # other cmdlets that support the -Credential parameter # i.e. # Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_BIOS -ComputerName SomeComputer -Credential $Credential }
