database-tools

When casting data (converting it to a different data type), PowerShell supports two approaches that can differ considerably. Here is an example:...

Code inside a script block can either be invoked by call operators such as „&“ or „.“, or by calling the Invoke()...

This has been part of PowerShell since version 1.0: cmdlets with verb „get“ can be invoked without the verb. So instead of...

Here is another strategy to make sure a text does not exceed a given length. In contrast to our previous tip, this code will not pad spaces in case...

If you want to make sure a text is of given length, here is an easy approach: $text = 'this is a long text' $MaxLength = 10...

This simple line dumps all paths to all desktops found in any of the local user profiles – just make sure you are running the line with...

Beginning in PowerShell 4, you can use the Where() and Foreach() methods in place of Where-Object and ForEach-Object whenever you do not want to use...

Here is a quick code sample that generates an array of objects using the built-in CSV parser: $csv = @' PC,Date PC82012,2017-02-28...

PowerShell uses a number of so-called type accelerators that help with long .NET type names. Instead of using...

Internal system functions are often helpful, but always make sure you fully understand what they do. A particularly popular system method is called...

In PowerShell, anything is represented by objects, and here is a helpful one-liner that examines any object and copies its members as text into your...

In PowerShell 5, the new support for enums makes dealing with bit values much easier as you’ve seen in previous tips. Even setting or clearing...

Setting or clearing bit flags in a decimal is not particular hard but unintuitive. Here is a quick refresher showing how you can set and clear...

In the previous tip we illustrated how you can use PowerShell 5’s new enums to easily decipher bit flags, and even test for individual flags....

Occasionally, you might have to deal with bit flag values. Each bit in a number represents a certain setting, and your code might need to determine...

Generic types can use placeholders for actual types, and you may be wondering why that can be exciting. There are a number of data types, for...

Here is another use case for the new class feature in PowerShell 5. In the previous example, we illustrated how you can derive new classes from...

PowerShell 5 comes with built-in support for classes. You can use this new feature to enhance existing .NET classes. Here is an example: let’s...

PowerShell can call internal Windows API functions, and in this example, we’d like to show how you can change the show state of an application...

Pester is an open source module shipping with Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, and can be downloaded from the PowerShell Gallery...

When you read environment variables in PowerShell, you probably make use of the “env:” drive. This line retrieves the environment...

When setting environment variables through the PowerShell “env:” drive, you are always just manipulating the process set. It applies to...

In the past, Microsoft shipped two PowerShell hosts: the basic PowerShell console, and the more sophisticated PowerShell ISE. Some users used code...

PowerShell is open source now, and the next big release of PowerShell is being developed in the open. If you’d like to take a peek preview,...