PowerShell For SharePoint Developers

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PowerShell For SharePoint Developers

• Neil Iversen
• Inetium
• http//justaddcode.com

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The Plan

• PowerShell
• Introduction
• Basic Syntax
• Not-So-Basic Syntax
• SharePoint
• Using the SharePoint Object Model
• Debugging Code using PowerShell
• Showing Off
• SharePoint Specific? (Providers,)
• Questions

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Why PowerShell for Developers?

• Better visibility into the Object Model
• Find all the instances of a content type in a
  Site
• Automated or repetitive tasks
• Add a web part to a page on 500 sites
• Faster Development Cycle

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Developing Faster

• Traditional SharePoint Development
• Time wasted during Testing
• PowerShell / .NET Hybrid Development
• Risky development done in PoSH
• Code converted to .NET (C/VB)
• Shorter Deploy/Test Cycle

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What is PowerShell?

• Different things to different people
• Its a
• Shell
• Cool .bat file
• VBScript replacement
• Admins Best Friend
• Developers Best Friend

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cmd.exe
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unix cmdline
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.net
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An ugly by powerfull shell
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Getting Around

• ls
• cd
• rm
• mkdir
• man

• dir
• cd
• del
• Mkdir
• help

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Core Components

• Alias
• cd set-location
• Dir get-childitem
• Cmdlet
• Workhorse of PowerShell
• Function
• Block of script
• Provider
• Adds alternate directory structure
• Think /proc only niftier
• Get-PSdrive
• Snapin
• Group of PowerShell functionality

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DEMO Getting Around
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Conditions and Flow Control

• Variables
• foo bar implicitly typed as
  System.String
• ary 4,2,5,2 typed as object
• xmlxdoc ltagtltbgtb1lt/bgtltbgtb2lt/bgtlt/agt
• Some Operators
• -eq
• -lt / -gt
• -le / -ge
• -like / -notlike
• -match / -imatch
• Control
• If
• switch
• help about_comparison_operators

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The Pipeline

• Everything is a System.Object
• Unless its something more useful
• dir where-object _.Length gt 5
  select-object last 2 sort-object -prop
  Extension desc
• anArray sort

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Most Useful Commands

• Foreach-object
• dir foreach-object _.Name
• Alias dir _.Name
• Where-object
• dir where-object _.Length gt 10
• Alias dir ? _.Length gt 10
• Select-object
• dir select-object first 5
• Alias none
• Honorable Mentions Sort-Object, Group-Object

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DEMO Exploring the Pipeline
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LINQish PowerShell Syntax
LINQ
PowerShell
int numbers 5, 4, 1, 3, 9, 8, 6, 7, 2, 0
var lowNums from n in numbers
where n lt 5 select n
Console.WriteLine("Numbers lt 5") foreach
(var x in lowNums) Console.WriteLine(x)

numbers 5, 4, 1, 3, 9, 8, 6, 7, 2,
0 Write-host Numbers lt 5 numbers ?_ -lt 5
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Isnt this for SharePoint Developers?

• SharePoint has a rich .NET Object Model
• PowerShell interacts natively with .NET
• SharePoints internal values are hidden
• Lots of functionality not accessible via the UI
• Validation of custom code
• Debugging is Difficult
• Especially on a remote machine
• Code/Compile/Deploy/Test/Repeat Cycle

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Loading the Object Model

• System.Reflection.AssemblyLoadWithPartialName(
  Microsoft.SharePoint)
• site new-object Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSite(htt
  p//thesite/site)
• web site.OpenWeb()
• web.Title

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Some Useful Commands

• Display all the Lists
• web.Lists
• Display Properties Sorted by Name
• item.Properties sort prop Name
• Set an items properties
• item.PropertiesSomeKey value
• item.Properties.Update()

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DEMO Working with Item Properties
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Exploring SharePoint Development

• Not Everything is Intuitive
• Object Model Gives Hints
• Compile-gtDeploy-gtTest Loop is Long
• Makes failed attempts expensive
• Using PowerShell Lowers (some) Pain
• No Compile/Deploy Loop
• Get Immediate Feedback

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DEMO SPListItems and Folders
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Extending Types

• Command Line version of Mashups
• Add Properties and Methods to ANY type
• Simplifies potentially tedious commands
• On The Fly Magic
• Add-Member
• The (SemiPermanent) Magic
• Ps1xml
• Update-type pre/postpend my.ps1xml

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DEMO Extending Types
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Taking it Further

• PowerShell Community Extensions (PSX)
• http//www.codeplex.com/PowerShellCX
• SharePoint Provider (v2 only)
• http//www.codeplex.com/PSSharePoint
• PowerTab
• http//thepowershellguy.com/blogs/posh/pages/power
  tab.aspx

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Your Feedback is Important

• Please fill out a session evaluation form and
  either put them in the basket near the exit or
  drop them off at the conference registration
  desk.
• Thank you!

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Questions?
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Thanks!

• Neil Iversen
• Inetium
• http//justaddcode.com