Learn how to utilize .Net Objects in PowerShell
I’ve received a number of requests to do a PowerShell tutorial on .NET, which I will. Most of us who have been scripting in Window’s Shell and VBScript have not yet been exposed to working with .NET Objects. We’ve read that PowerShell is founded on the .NET Framework and cmdlets use .NET Objects, yet there really is not a simple resource available for understanding .NET, until now!!!
Introducing the PowerShell book you have been waiting for: Windows PowerShell Professional. I bought this book for one reason and one reason only! Chapter 14 - Working with .NET. The chapter was everything I though it would be. The .NET Framework is so vast, even the author agrees, that it is better to teach a man to fish… That is exactly what Andrew Watt does. For example, tools like WMI CIM Studio allows us to find and utilize WMI Classes, Properties, and Methods. He explains how we can utilize .NET Framework SDK and Visual Studio to locate and work with the .NET classes. He provides simple examples and explanations working with properties and methods of a .NET class.
I’ve only gone through chapter 14 as of the post. I was just so excited about what I had read that I wanted to share the information with all of you, ASAP!!! If you are familiar with the Wrox series of books, usually you will see two version types; Beginning or Professional. Most of the Professional series books assume that you have either prior experience or have read the Beginning series as a prerequisite. Even though this is a Professional series book on PowerShell, don’t let the name fool you. In the introduction the author even points this out and states, “I don’t assume that you have any previous experience using PowerShell…” The books starts out with the basics and moves on to more advanced topics.
Windows PowerShell Professional has a great introduction on how to use .NET objects. It is also well written easy to understand reference for learning PowerShell.
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Comments
Totally agree, I’ve browse through a dozen of PowerShell books over the past few days and found none of them can provide the readers a better understanding on how to master .NET objects before going on. I would say 99% of these books assume the readers are familiar with .NET and start adding switches and classes onto the PS command line without any explanation on how could we who has no idea on what .NET Framework is all about figure out where those “namespace” and “method” come from.
My experience has been that because the .NET library is so extensive, there is too much info to cover. I have found two books that discuss PowerShell and .NET. The book in this article and, Don Jones and Jeffery Hick’s book “Windows PowerShell v1.0 TFM 2nd Edition.” Both introduce how .NET is utilized with PowerShell and they give you enough info to start down that road. Download the .NET SDK from Microsoft as well…
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