Pscx

Pscx - PowerShell Community Extensions

This PowerShell module is aimed at providing a widely useful set of additional cmdlets, providers, aliases, filters, functions and scripts for PowerShell that members of the community have expressed interest in.

Release notes

See ReleaseNotes.txt.

Install Pscx

Pscx is hosted on the PowerShell Gallery. You can install Pscx with the following command:

Install-Module Pscx -Scope CurrentUser

You may be prompted to trust the PSGallery. Respond with a 'y' (for yes) to proceed with the install.

If you already have installed Pscx from the PowerShell Gallery, you can update Pscx with the command:

Update-Module Pscx

Maintainers

• Keith Hill - @r_keith_hill
• Oisin Grehan - @oising

Included cmdlets and functions

Cmdlets and functions below are sorted by noun. As always, you can get full Powershell help including examples using get-help [command]

ADObject

Get-ADObject

Search for objects in the Active Directory/Global Catalog.

AdoCommand

Invoke-AdoCommand

Execute a SQL query against an ADO.NET datasource.

AdoConnection

Get-AdoConnection

Create an ADO connection to any database supported by .NET on the current machine. You can enumerate available ADO.NET Data Providers with the Get-AdoDataProvider Cmdlet.

AdoDataProvider

Get-AdoDataProvider

List all registered ADO.NET Data Providers on the current machine.

AlternateDataStream

Test-AlternateDataStream

Tests for the existence of the specified alternate data stream from an NTFS file.

Apartment

Invoke-Apartment

PSCX Cmdlet:

PscxArchive

Expand-PscxArchive

Expands a compressed archive file, or ArchiveEntry object, to its constituent file(s).

Read-PscxArchive

Enumerates compressed archives such as 7z or rar, emitting ArchiveEntry objects representing records in the archive.

Assembly

Test-Assembly

Tests whether or not the specified file is a .NET assembly.

Base64

ConvertFrom-Base64

Converts base64 encoded string to byte array.

ConvertTo-Base64

Converts byte array or specified file contents to base64 string.

BatchFile

Invoke-BatchFile

Invokes the specified batch file and retains any environment variable changes it makes.

Bitmap

Export-Bitmap

Exports bitmap objects to various formats.

Import-Bitmap

Loads bitmap files.

BitmapSize

Set-BitmapSize

Sets the size of the specified bitmap.

Byte

Format-Byte

Displays numbers in multiples of byte units.

BZip2

Write-BZip2

Create BZIP2 format archive files from pipeline or parameter input.

PscxClipboard

Get-PscxClipboard

Gets data from the clipboard.

Out-PscxClipboard

Formats text via Out-String before placing in clipboard. Can also place string in clipboard as a file.

Set-PscxClipboard

Puts the specified object into the system clipboard.

Write-PscxClipboard

Writes objects to the clipboard using their string representation, bypassing the default PowerShell formatting.

DhcpServer

Get-DhcpServer

Gets a list of authorized DHCP servers.

DirectoryLength

Add-DirectoryLength

Calculates the sizes of the specified directory and adds that size as a "Length" NoteProperty to the input DirectoryInfo object.

DomainController

Get-DomainController

Gets domain controllers.

DriveInfo

Get-DriveInfo

Gets disk usage information on the system's disk drives.

Elevated

Invoke-Elevated

Runs the specified command in an elevated context.

EnvironmentBlock

Get-EnvironmentBlock

Lists the environment blocks stored on the environment block stack.

Pop-EnvironmentBlock

Pops the topmost environment block.

Push-EnvironmentBlock

Pushes the current environment onto the environment block stack.

ErrorRecord

Resolve-ErrorRecord

Resolves the PowerShell error code to a textual description of the error.

ExecutionTime

Get-ExecutionTime

Gets the execution time for the specified Id of a command in the current session history.

File

Edit-File

Edits a file using a regex pattern to find text to be replaced by a specified replacement string.

FileTail

Get-FileTail

Tails the contents of a file - optionally waiting on new content.

FileTime

Set-FileTime

Sets a file or folder's created and last accessed/write times.

FileVersionInfo

Get-FileVersionInfo

Gets a FileVersionInfo object for the specified path.

ForegroundWindow

Get-ForegroundWindow

Returns the hWnd or handle of the window in the foreground on the current desktop. See also Set-ForegroundWindow.

Set-ForegroundWindow

Given an hWnd or window handle, brings that window to the foreground. Useful for restoring a window to uppermost after an application which seizes the foreground is invoked. See also Get-ForegroundWindow

GC

Invoke-GC

Invokes the .NET garbage collector to clean up garbage objects.

GZip

Write-GZip

Create GNU ZIP (GZIP) format files from pipeline or parameter input.

Hardlink

New-Hardlink

Creates filesystem hard links. The hardlink and the target must reside on the same NTFS volume.

Hash

Get-Hash

Gets the hash value for the specified file or byte array via the pipeline.

HashObject

New-HashObject

Create a PSObject from a dictionary such as a hashtable.

PscxHex

Format-PsxHex

System.Object[]

Host

Ping-Host

Sends ICMP echo requests to network hosts.

Resolve-Host

Resolves host names to IP addresses.

HostProfile

Edit-HostProfile

Opens the current user's profile for the current host in a text editor.

HResult

Resolve-HResult

Resolves the hresult error code to a textual description of the error.

HttpResource

Get-HttpResource

Gets an HTTP resource or optionally the headers associated with the resource.

Junction

New-Junction

Creates NTFS directory junctions.

PscxLocation

Set-PscxLocation

CD function that tracks location history allowing easy navigation to previous locations.

LoremIpsum

Get-LoremIpsum

PSCX Cmdlet:

MacOs9LineEnding

ConvertTo-MacOs9LineEnding

Converts the line endings in the specified file to Mac OS9 and earlier style line endings "\r".

Method

Invoke-Method

Function to call a single method on an incoming stream of piped objects.

Metric

ConvertTo-Metric

PSCX Cmdlet:

MountPoint

Get-MountPoint

Returns all mount points defined for a specific root path.

Remove-MountPoint

Removes a mount point, dismounting the current media if any. If used against the root of a fixed drive, removes the drive letter assignment.

MSMQueue

Clear-MSMQueue

Purges all messages from a queue

Get-MSMQueue

Returns a list of all queues matching the filter parameters

New-MSMQueue

Creates a new queue object with the defined properties

Receive-MSMQueue

Receives the first message available in the queue. This call is synchronous, and blocks the current thread of execution until a message is available.

Send-MSMQueue

Wraps an object in a Message, and places it onto the defined queue.

Test-MSMQueue

PSCX Cmdlet:

NullCoalescing

Invoke-NullCoalescing

Similar to the C# ?? operator e.g. name = value ?? String.Empty

Object

Skip-Object

Skips the specified objects in the pipeline.

OpenPowerShellHere

Enable-OpenPowerShellHere

Creates the registry entries required to create Windows Explorer context menu "Open PowerShell Here" for both Directories and Drives

OpticalDriveInfo

Get-OpticalDriveInfo

Get information on optical drive capabilities on the local machine.

Parameter

Get-Parameter

Enumerates the parameters of one or more commands.

PathVariable

Add-PathVariable

Adds the specified paths to the end of the named, path-oriented environment variable.

Get-PathVariable

Gets the specified path-oriented environment variable.

Set-PathVariable

Sets the specified path-oriented environment variable.

PEHeader

Get-PEHeader

Gets the Portable Header information from an executable file.

PowerShell

Start-PowerShell

Starts a new Windows PowerShell process.

Privilege

Get-Privilege

Lists privileges held by the session and their current status.

Set-Privilege

Adjusts privileges associated with a user (identity).

Profile

Edit-Profile

Opens the current user's "all hosts" profile in a text editor.

PSSnapinHelp

Get-PSSnapinHelp

Generates a XML file containing all documentation data.

ReadOnly

Set-ReadOnly

Sets a file's read only status to true making it read only.

RemoteProcess

Stop-RemoteProcess

Stops a process on a remote machine.

ReparsePoint

Get-ReparsePoint

Gets NTFS reparse point data.

Remove-ReparsePoint

Removes NTFS reparse junctions and symbolic links.

RunningObject

Get-RunningObject

PSCX Cmdlet:

ScreenCss

Get-ScreenCss

Generate CSS header for HTML "screen shot" of the host buffer.

ScreenHtml

Get-ScreenHtml

Functions to generate HTML "screen shot" of the host buffer.

Script

Test-Script

Determines whether a PowerShell script has any syntax errors.

Shortcut

New-Shortcut

Creates shell shortcuts.

ShortPath

Add-ShortPath

Adds the file or directory's short path as a "ShortPath" NoteProperty to each input object.

Get-ShortPath

Gets the short, 8.3 name for the given path.

SmtpMail

Send-SmtpMail

Sends email via specified SMTP server to specified recipients.

Speech

Out-Speech

Outputs text as spoken words.

String

Join-PscxString

Joins an array of strings into a single string.

Split-String

Splits a single string into an array of strings.

Symlink

New-Symlink

Creates filesystem symbolic links. Requires Microsoft Windows Vista or later.

Tar

Write-Tar

Create Tape Archive (TAR) format files from pipeline or parameter input.

TerminalSession

Disconnect-TerminalSession

Disconnects a specific remote desktop session on a system running Terminal Services/Remote Desktop

Get-TerminalSession

Gets information on terminal services sessions.

Stop-TerminalSession

Logs off a specific remote desktop session on a system running Terminal Services/Remote Desktop

Ternary

Invoke-Ternary

Similar to the C# ? : operator e.g. name = (value != null) ? String.Empty : value

Tree

Show-Tree

Shows the specified path as a tree.

TypeName

Get-TypeName

Get-TypeName displays the typename of the input object.

UnixLineEnding

ConvertTo-UnixLineEnding

Converts the line endings in the specified file to Unix line endings "\n".

PscxUptime

Get-PscxUptime

Gets the operating system's uptime and last bootup time.

UserGroupMembership

Test-UserGroupMembership

Tests whether or not a user (current user by default) is a member of the specified group name.

VHD

Dismount-VHD

Dismounts a Virtual Hard Drive (VHD) file.

Mount-VHD

Mounts a Virtual Hard Drive (VHD) file.

ViewDefinition

Get-ViewDefinition

Gets the possible alternate views for the specified object.

VisualStudioVars

Import-VisualStudioVars

Imports environment variables for the specified version of Visual Studio.

VolumeLabel

Set-VolumeLabel

Modifies the label shown in Windows Explo