Windows PowerShell in Action

By Jesse Hamrick • August 23rd, 2007

Powershell book review:

Windows PowerShell in Action by Bruce Payette. This was the first PowerShell book I purchased, it might have been my last… It is really that good! The amount of information Bruce shares, categorizes this book as a "permanent reference" in any systems administrator or developers tool bag. Windows PowerShell in Action has set the standard in which all PowerShell books will be judged.

For those who don't know, Bruce Payette is one of the lead designers of the PowerShell language. Which was the deciding factor for the reason I purchased this PowerShell book. While reading his book, you really get a sense of his passion for the design and usability of PowerShell. Bruce covers a lot of information in detail, but as he quotes the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy- "Don't Panic." This information has been well constructed, well thought-out, and presented into two segments: Part 1. Learning PowerShell and Part 2. Using PowerShell. I almost forgot… of course there are admin examples in the appendix section. Here is a list of topics Bruce covers:

Part 1. Learning PowerShell

Welcome to PowerShell - the what, where, and why PowerShell was created.
The basic - concepts, terminology, how PowerShell works, commands, and formatting.
Working with types - type management, basic types, literals, and conversion.
Operator and expressions - arithmetic, assignment, comparison, pattern matching, logical, and bitwise operators.
Advanced operators and variables - unary, grouping, subexpressions, arrays, properties, methods, redirection, and variables.
Flow control in scripts - loops, switches, and flow control using cmdlets.
Functions and Scripts - basics, parameters, returning values, functions in a pipeline, and managing functions.
Scriptblocks and objects - building objects, type-system plumbing, type extension, and building code at runtime.
Errors, exceptions, and script debugging - error handling, troubleshooting errors, debugging, tracing, and the PowerShell event log.

Part 2. Using PowerShell

Processing text, files, and XML - using System.String, regular expressions, PSDrives, and XML objects.
Getting fancy- .NET and WinForms.
Windows objects: COM and WMI.
Security, Security, Security - security modeling, securing the environment, signing scripts, and writing secure scripts.

So, who was this PowerShell book written for? According to Bruce "for anyone who wants to learn PowerShell and use it well." I have to agree with him, I believe that this is a "must have" for those learning and using PowerShell. If you are just starting out, be aware that the learning process takes time and can get frustrating. You should have seen my frustration level when learning about regular expressions. Windows PowerShell in Action is not a recipe book, it's not PowerShell for dummies, you will be exposed to concepts that may go over your head and that's o.k. I consider myself an expert in VBScript and I'm on my second reading of this PowerShell book. In fact, it never leaves my side as I am constantly pulling if off the shelf for reference and troubleshooting my scripts.

My conclusion: "Windows PowerShell in Action" should be within arms reach at all times. As quoted on the back of the book, Bruce is a "walking encyclopedia" who has graciously shared his knowledge with the rest of us. My recommendation is that everyone should have a copy of this PowerShell book. Those who have been working with scripting languages and programming will have no trouble coming up to speed. For those without scripting or programming backgrounds, there is a lot to sink you teeth into… just take your time. PowerShell wasn't built in a day.

If you who have a copy of "Windows PowerShell in Action," what is your opinion of Bruce's PowerShell book? I'm sure we would all enjoy reading your comments…

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