What’s in your PowerShell `profile.ps1` file?

Question

What essential things (functions, aliases, start up scripts) do you have in your profile?

score 28 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 03 '10 at 17:10

I often find myself needing needing some basic agregates to count/sum some things., I've defined these functions and use them often, they work really nicely at the end of a pipeline :

#
# useful agregate
#
function count
{
    BEGIN { $x = 0 }
    PROCESS { $x += 1 }
    END { $x }
}

function product
{
    BEGIN { $x = 1 }
    PROCESS { $x *= $_ }
    END { $x }
}

function sum
{
    BEGIN { $x = 0 }
    PROCESS { $x += $_ }
    END { $x }
}

function average
{
    BEGIN { $max = 0; $curr = 0 }
    PROCESS { $max += $_; $curr += 1 }
    END { $max / $curr }
}

To be able to get time and path with colors in my prompt :

function Get-Time { return $(get-date | foreach { $_.ToLongTimeString() } ) }
function prompt
{
    # Write the time 
    write-host "[" -noNewLine
    write-host $(Get-Time) -foreground yellow -noNewLine
    write-host "] " -noNewLine
    # Write the path
    write-host $($(Get-Location).Path.replace($home,"~").replace("\","/")) -foreground green -noNewLine
    write-host $(if ($nestedpromptlevel -ge 1) { '>>' }) -noNewLine
    return "> "
}

The following functions are stolen from a blog and modified to fit my taste, but ls with colors is very nice :

# LS.MSH 
# Colorized LS function replacement 
# /\/\o\/\/ 2006 
# http://mow001.blogspot.com 
function LL
{
    param ($dir = ".", $all = $false) 

    $origFg = $host.ui.rawui.foregroundColor 
    if ( $all ) { $toList = ls -force $dir }
    else { $toList = ls $dir }

    foreach ($Item in $toList)  
    { 
        Switch ($Item.Extension)  
        { 
            ".Exe" {$host.ui.rawui.foregroundColor = "Yellow"} 
            ".cmd" {$host.ui.rawui.foregroundColor = "Red"} 
            ".msh" {$host.ui.rawui.foregroundColor = "Red"} 
            ".vbs" {$host.ui.rawui.foregroundColor = "Red"} 
            Default {$host.ui.rawui.foregroundColor = $origFg} 
        } 
        if ($item.Mode.StartsWith("d")) {$host.ui.rawui.foregroundColor = "Green"}
        $item 
    }  
    $host.ui.rawui.foregroundColor = $origFg 
}

function lla
{
    param ( $dir=".")
    ll $dir $true
}

function la { ls -force }

And some shortcuts to avoid really repetitive filtering tasks :

# behave like a grep command
# but work on objects, used
# to be still be allowed to use grep
filter match( $reg )
{
    if ($_.tostring() -match $reg)
        { $_ }
}

# behave like a grep -v command
# but work on objects
filter exclude( $reg )
{
    if (-not ($_.tostring() -match $reg))
        { $_ }
}

# behave like match but use only -like
filter like( $glob )
{
    if ($_.toString() -like $glob)
        { $_ }
}

filter unlike( $glob )
{
    if (-not ($_.tostring() -like $glob))
        { $_ }
}

This comment adds no value, but I just want to say your username is awesome. — chrisfrancis27, Oct 21 '13 at 12:04
Isn't there a scoping issue? Aren't all functions (or aliases) defined within a script, including a PowerShell script, are scoped to the script execution, and evaporate on the calling shell? This is the case on my machine. What should I do? — Uri London, Jan 06 '19 at 20:17

score 12 · Answer 2 · edited May 12 '10 at 00:20

This iterates through a scripts PSDrive and dot-sources everything that begins with "lib-".

### ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
### Load function / filter definition library
### ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Get-ChildItem scripts:\lib-*.ps1 | % { 
      . $_
      write-host "Loading library file:`t$($_.name)"
    }

score 11 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 26 '08 at 14:50

To setup my Visual Studio build environment from PowerShell I took the VsVars32 from here. and use it all the time.

###############################################################################
# Exposes the environment vars in a batch and sets them in this PS session
###############################################################################
function Get-Batchfile($file) 
{
    $theCmd = "`"$file`" & set" 
    cmd /c $theCmd | Foreach-Object {
        $thePath, $theValue = $_.split('=')
        Set-Item -path env:$thePath -value $theValue
    }
}


###############################################################################
# Sets the VS variables for this PS session to use
###############################################################################
function VsVars32($version = "9.0")
{
    $theKey = "HKLM:SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\" + $version
    $theVsKey = get-ItemProperty $theKey
    $theVsInstallPath = [System.IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName($theVsKey.InstallDir)
    $theVsToolsDir = [System.IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName($theVsInstallPath)
    $theVsToolsDir = [System.IO.Path]::Combine($theVsToolsDir, "Tools")
    $theBatchFile = [System.IO.Path]::Combine($theVsToolsDir, "vsvars32.bat")
    Get-Batchfile $theBatchFile
    [System.Console]::Title = "Visual Studio " + $version + " Windows Powershell"
}

I use http://www.leeholmes.com/blog/NothingSolvesEverythingPowerShellAndOtherTechnologies.aspx to invoke vcvars. — Jay Bazuzi, Dec 26 '08 at 19:38
The script above does not work on 64-bit Windows (due to the WOW64 registry redirection). — Govert, Jan 15 '12 at 14:36
In that case, just run it in the 32-bit WOW64 cmd.exe shell. Was that not possible? — djangofan, Sep 10 '12 at 18:09

score 10 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 22 '08 at 20:18

10

start-transcript. This will write out your entire session to a text file. Great for training new hires on how to use Powershell in the environment.

answered Oct 22 '08 at 20:18

jwmiller5

2,584
1
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2

+1 Thanks for the tip... That just fixed my problem with logging a Continuous Integration build both to the console and a log file. I'm disappointed it wasn't documented well in either "Windows Powershell pocket reference" or "Windows PowerShell in Action". I guess that's something you learn from practice. – Peter Walke Dec 23 '09 at 23:39
As a heads-up, the Start-Transcript command isn't available in all PowerShell hosts, so putting it in host-independent profile (profile.ps1) can generate errors in some contexts. It might be useful in host-specific profiles like (Microsoft.PowerShellISE_profile.ps1). – Burt_Harris Jul 21 '14 at 17:33

score 10 · Answer 5 · answered Dec 26 '08 at 19:48

My prompt contains:

$width = ($Host.UI.RawUI.WindowSize.Width - 2 - $(Get-Location).ToString().Length)
$hr = New-Object System.String @('-',$width)
Write-Host -ForegroundColor Red $(Get-Location) $hr

Which gives me a divider between commands that's easy to see when scrolling back. It also shows me the current directory without using horizontal space on the line that I'm typing on.

For example:

C:\Users\Jay ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] PS>

score 8 · Answer 6 · edited Dec 26 '08 at 19:45

8

# ----------------------------------------------------------
# msdn search for win32 APIs.
# ----------------------------------------------------------

function Search-MSDNWin32
{

    $url = 'http://search.msdn.microsoft.com/?query=';

    $url += $args[0];

    for ($i = 1; $i -lt $args.count; $i++) {
        $url += '+';
        $url += $args[$i];
    }

    $url += '&locale=en-us&refinement=86&ac=3';

    Open-IE($url);
}

# ----------------------------------------------------------
# Open Internet Explorer given the url.
# ----------------------------------------------------------

function Open-IE ($url)
{    
    $ie = new-object -comobject internetexplorer.application;

    $ie.Navigate($url);

    $ie.Visible = $true;
}

edited Dec 26 '08 at 19:45

Jay Bazuzi

45,157
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answered Sep 28 '08 at 14:02

user15071

3,391
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31

2

Instead of `Open-IE` I use the built-in `ii` alias for `Invoke-Item`. – Jay Bazuzi Jun 25 '10 at 02:56
1

ii "http://www.google.com" doesn't work. How are you using it Jay? – Kevin Berridge Jan 24 '11 at 16:45
Try `start http://google.com` – orad Aug 10 '15 at 16:26

score 8 · Answer 7 · edited Nov 24 '18 at 16:04

I rock a few functions, and since I'm a module author I typically load a console and desperately need to know what's where.

write-host "Your modules are..." -ForegroundColor Red
Get-module -li

Die hard nerding:

function prompt
{
    $host.UI.RawUI.WindowTitle = "ShellPower"
    # Need to still show the working directory.
    #Write-Host "You landed in $PWD"

    # Nerd up, yo.
    $Str = "Root@The Matrix"
    "$str> "
}

The mandatory anything I can PowerShell I will functions go here...

# Explorer command
function Explore
{
    param
        (
            [Parameter(
                Position = 0,
                ValueFromPipeline = $true,
                Mandatory = $true,
                HelpMessage = "This is the path to explore..."
            )]
            [ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()]
            [string]
            # First parameter is the path you're going to explore.
            $Target
        )
    $exploration = New-Object -ComObject shell.application
    $exploration.Explore($Target)
}

I am STILL an administrator so I do need...

Function RDP
{
    param
        (
            [Parameter(
                    Position = 0,
                    ValueFromPipeline = $true,
                    Mandatory = $true,
                    HelpMessage = "Server Friendly name"
            )]
            [ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()]
            [string]
            $server
        )

    cmdkey /generic:TERMSRV/$server /user:$UserName /pass:($Password.GetNetworkCredential().Password)
    mstsc /v:$Server /f /admin
    Wait-Event -Timeout 5
    cmdkey /Delete:TERMSRV/$server
}

Sometimes I want to start explorer as someone other than the logged in user...

# Restarts explorer as the user in $UserName
function New-Explorer
{
    # CLI prompt for password

    taskkill /f /IM Explorer.exe
    runas /noprofile /netonly /user:$UserName explorer
}

This is just because it's funny.

Function Lock-RemoteWorkstation
{
    param(
        $Computername,
        $Credential
    )

    if(!(get-module taskscheduler))
    {
        Import-Module TaskScheduler
    }
    New-task -ComputerName $Computername -credential:$Credential |
        Add-TaskTrigger -In (New-TimeSpan -Seconds 30) |
        Add-TaskAction -Script `
        {
            $signature = @"
            [DllImport("user32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
            public static extern bool LockWorkStation();
            "@
                $LockWorkStation = Add-Type -memberDefinition $signature -name "Win32LockWorkStation" -namespace Win32Functions -passthru
                $LockWorkStation::LockWorkStation() | Out-Null
        } | Register-ScheduledTask TestTask -ComputerName $Computername -credential:$Credential
}

I also have one for me, since Win + L is too far away...

Function llm # Lock Local machine
{
    $signature = @"
    [DllImport("user32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
    public static extern bool LockWorkStation();
    "@
        $LockWorkStation = Add-Type -memberDefinition $signature -name "Win32LockWorkStation" -namespace Win32Functions -passthru

        $LockWorkStation::LockWorkStation() | Out-Null
}

A few filters? I think so...

 filter FileSizeBelow($size){if($_.length -le $size){ $_ }}
 filter FileSizeAbove($size){if($_.Length -ge $size){$_}}

I also have a few I can't post yet, because they're not done but they're basically a way to persist credentials between sessions without writing them out as an encrypted file.

Nice stuff here, I would be interested in your solution to persisting credentials between sessions without writing them to a file. — jkdba, Jul 13 '16 at 18:11
@jkdba turns out I wrote them out to a file, the catch is only my session can decrypt the file and only on my computer. Give that a shot and let me know if it works for you. — Christopher Douglas, Jul 21 '16 at 00:04
Hmm Interesting, I have played with basically the same Idea, but what I have done instead is to use a keepass database and then have my profile configured to open a connection to the database and retrieve my credentials as a secure string and create a credential object. I have been working on a posh keepass code wrapper for their sdk you can find it on git with my username, repo called PSKeePass (check out the dev branch as of now.) It could be easily expanded to use a network login and keyfile for extra but easy security to achieve a similar effect to what you are doing. — jkdba, Jul 21 '16 at 18:27
@jkdba thats AWESOME! I'm going to definitely check out your code and contribute if I can. I'm a big fan of keepass, but never had the opportunity to use their SDK with PS. Thanks! — Christopher Douglas, Jul 23 '16 at 13:08

score 7 · Answer 8 · answered Oct 01 '08 at 17:35

Here's my not so subtle profile


    #==============================================================================
# Jared Parsons PowerShell Profile (jaredp@rantpack.org) 
#==============================================================================

#==============================================================================
# Common Variables Start
#==============================================================================
$global:Jsh = new-object psobject 
$Jsh | add-member NoteProperty "ScriptPath" $(split-path -parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition) 
$Jsh | add-member NoteProperty "ConfigPath" $(split-path -parent $Jsh.ScriptPath)
$Jsh | add-member NoteProperty "UtilsRawPath" $(join-path $Jsh.ConfigPath "Utils")
$Jsh | add-member NoteProperty "UtilsPath" $(join-path $Jsh.UtilsRawPath $env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE)
$Jsh | add-member NoteProperty "GoMap" @{}
$Jsh | add-member NoteProperty "ScriptMap" @{}

#==============================================================================

#==============================================================================
# Functions 
#==============================================================================

# Load snapin's if they are available
function Jsh.Load-Snapin([string]$name) {
    $list = @( get-pssnapin | ? { $_.Name -eq $name })
    if ( $list.Length -gt 0 ) {
        return; 
    }

    $snapin = get-pssnapin -registered | ? { $_.Name -eq $name }
    if ( $snapin -ne $null ) {
        add-pssnapin $name
    }
}

# Update the configuration from the source code server
function Jsh.Update-WinConfig([bool]$force=$false) {

    # First see if we've updated in the last day 
    $target = join-path $env:temp "Jsh.Update.txt"
    $update = $false
    if ( test-path $target ) {
        $last = [datetime] (gc $target)
        if ( ([DateTime]::Now - $last).Days -gt 1) {
            $update = $true
        }
    } else {
        $update = $true;
    }

    if ( $update -or $force ) {
        write-host "Checking for winconfig updates"
        pushd $Jsh.ConfigPath
        $output = @(& svn update)
        if ( $output.Length -gt 1 ) {
            write-host "WinConfig updated.  Re-running configuration"
            cd $Jsh.ScriptPath
            & .\ConfigureAll.ps1
            . .\Profile.ps1
        }

        sc $target $([DateTime]::Now)
        popd
    }
}

function Jsh.Push-Path([string] $location) { 
    go $location $true 
}
function Jsh.Go-Path([string] $location, [bool]$push = $false) {
    if ( $location -eq "" ) {
        write-output $Jsh.GoMap
    } elseif ( $Jsh.GoMap.ContainsKey($location) ) {
        if ( $push ) {
            push-location $Jsh.GoMap[$location]
        } else {
            set-location $Jsh.GoMap[$location]
        }
    } elseif ( test-path $location ) {
        if ( $push ) {
            push-location $location
        } else {
            set-location $location
        }
    } else {
        write-output "$loctaion is not a valid go location"
        write-output "Current defined locations"
        write-output $Jsh.GoMap
    }
}

function Jsh.Run-Script([string] $name) {
    if ( $Jsh.ScriptMap.ContainsKey($name) ) {
        . $Jsh.ScriptMap[$name]
    } else {
        write-output "$name is not a valid script location"
        write-output $Jsh.ScriptMap
    }
}


# Set the prompt
function prompt() {
    if ( Test-Admin ) { 
        write-host -NoNewLine -f red "Admin "
    }
    write-host -NoNewLine -ForegroundColor Green $(get-location)
    foreach ( $entry in (get-location -stack)) {
        write-host -NoNewLine -ForegroundColor Red '+';
    }
    write-host -NoNewLine -ForegroundColor Green '>'
    ' '
}

#==============================================================================

#==============================================================================
# Alias 
#==============================================================================
set-alias gcid      Get-ChildItemDirectory
set-alias wget      Get-WebItem
set-alias ss        select-string
set-alias ssr       Select-StringRecurse 
set-alias go        Jsh.Go-Path
set-alias gop       Jsh.Push-Path
set-alias script    Jsh.Run-Script
set-alias ia        Invoke-Admin
set-alias ica       Invoke-CommandAdmin
set-alias isa       Invoke-ScriptAdmin
#==============================================================================

pushd $Jsh.ScriptPath

# Setup the go locations
$Jsh.GoMap["ps"]        = $Jsh.ScriptPath
$Jsh.GoMap["config"]    = $Jsh.ConfigPath
$Jsh.GoMap["~"]         = "~"

# Setup load locations
$Jsh.ScriptMap["profile"]       = join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "Profile.ps1"
$Jsh.ScriptMap["common"]        = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "LibraryCommon.ps1")
$Jsh.ScriptMap["svn"]           = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "LibrarySubversion.ps1")
$Jsh.ScriptMap["subversion"]    = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "LibrarySubversion.ps1")
$Jsh.ScriptMap["favorites"]     = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "LibraryFavorites.ps1")
$Jsh.ScriptMap["registry"]      = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "LibraryRegistry.ps1")
$Jsh.ScriptMap["reg"]           = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "LibraryRegistry.ps1")
$Jsh.ScriptMap["token"]         = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "LibraryTokenize.ps1")
$Jsh.ScriptMap["unit"]          = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "LibraryUnitTest.ps1")
$Jsh.ScriptMap["tfs"]           = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "LibraryTfs.ps1")
$Jsh.ScriptMap["tab"]           = $(join-path $Jsh.ScriptPath "TabExpansion.ps1")

# Load the common functions
. script common
. script tab
$global:libCommonCertPath = (join-path $Jsh.ConfigPath "Data\Certs\jaredp_code.pfx")

# Load the snapin's we want
Jsh.Load-Snapin "pscx"
Jsh.Load-Snapin "JshCmdlet" 

# Setup the Console look and feel
$host.UI.RawUI.ForegroundColor = "Yellow"
if ( Test-Admin ) {
    $title = "Administrator Shell - {0}" -f $host.UI.RawUI.WindowTitle
    $host.UI.RawUI.WindowTitle = $title;
}

# Call the computer specific profile
$compProfile = join-path "Computers" ($env:ComputerName + "_Profile.ps1")
if ( -not (test-path $compProfile)) { ni $compProfile -type File | out-null }
write-host "Computer profile: $compProfile"
. ".\$compProfile"
$Jsh.ScriptMap["cprofile"] = resolve-path ($compProfile)

# If the computer name is the same as the domain then we are not 
# joined to active directory
if ($env:UserDomain -ne $env:ComputerName ) {
    # Call the domain specific profile data
    write-host "Domain $env:UserDomain"
    $domainProfile = join-path $env:UserDomain "Profile.ps1"
    if ( -not (test-path $domainProfile))  { ni $domainProfile -type File | out-null }
    . ".\$domainProfile"
}

# Run the get-fortune command if JshCmdlet was loaded
if ( get-command "get-fortune" -ea SilentlyContinue ) {
    get-fortune -timeout 1000
}

# Finished with the profile, go back to the original directory
popd

# Look for updates
Jsh.Update-WinConfig

# Because this profile is run in the same context, we need to remove any 
# variables manually that we don't want exposed outside this script

Where I copy the profile.ps1 ? Is it required reboot machine o restart winrm service? — Kiquenet, Feb 20 '13 at 11:52

Ed Guiness · Answer 9 · 2012-10-27T09:03:32.787

apropos.

Although I think this has been superseded by a recent or upcoming release.

############################################################################## 
## Search the PowerShell help documentation for a given keyword or regular 
## expression.
## 
## Example:
##    Get-HelpMatch hashtable
##    Get-HelpMatch "(datetime|ticks)"
############################################################################## 
function apropos {

    param($searchWord = $(throw "Please specify content to search for"))

    $helpNames = $(get-help *)

    foreach($helpTopic in $helpNames)
    {
       $content = get-help -Full $helpTopic.Name | out-string
       if($content -match $searchWord)
       { 
          $helpTopic | select Name,Synopsis
       }
    }
}

Yes, Get-Help will now search topic content. – Keith Hill Dec 16 '09 at 15:10 — Keith Hill, Dec 16 '09 at 15:10

score 5 · Answer 10 · edited Aug 10 '15 at 17:21

5

I keep a little bit of everything. Mostly, my profile sets up all the environment (including calling scripts to set up my .NET/VS and Java development environment).

I also redefine the prompt() function with my own style (see it in action), set up several aliases to other scripts and commands. and change what $HOME points to.

Here's my complete profile script.

edited Aug 10 '15 at 17:21

orad

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answered Sep 28 '08 at 13:55

tomasr

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3
38
30

score 5 · Answer 11 · answered Dec 22 '08 at 07:22

i add this function so that i can see disk usage easily:

function df {
    $colItems = Get-wmiObject -class "Win32_LogicalDisk" -namespace "root\CIMV2" `
    -computername localhost

    foreach ($objItem in $colItems) {
        write $objItem.DeviceID $objItem.Description $objItem.FileSystem `
            ($objItem.Size / 1GB).ToString("f3") ($objItem.FreeSpace / 1GB).ToString("f3")

    }
}

score 4 · Answer 12 · answered Dec 16 '09 at 08:40

4

Set-PSDebug -Strict

You will benefit i you ever searched for a stupid Typo eg. outputting $varsometext instead $var sometext

answered Dec 16 '09 at 08:40

icnivad

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8
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I make a type-o errors on the regular. Its very humbling to realize that the code you just change around 12 times works each way, but you still cant even spell the property name right. – Christopher Douglas Mar 29 '13 at 19:19

score 3 · Answer 13 · answered Sep 26 '08 at 08:02

############################################################################## 
# Get an XPath Navigator object based on the input string containing xml
function get-xpn ($text) { 
    $rdr = [System.IO.StringReader] $text
    $trdr = [system.io.textreader]$rdr
    $xpdoc = [System.XML.XPath.XPathDocument] $trdr
    $xpdoc.CreateNavigator()
}

Useful for working with xml, such as output from svn commands with --xml.

score 3 · Answer 14 · answered Sep 28 '08 at 22:53

This creates a scripts: drive and adds it to your path. Note, you must create the folder yourself. Next time you need to get back to it, just type "scripts:" and hit enter, just like any drive letter in Windows.

$env:path += ";$profiledir\scripts"
New-PSDrive -Name Scripts -PSProvider FileSystem -Root $profiledir\scripts

score 3 · Answer 15 · answered Sep 28 '08 at 22:57

This will add snapins you have installed into your powershell session. The reason you may want to do something like this is that it's easy to maintain, and works well if you sync your profile across multiple systems. If a snapin isn't installed, you won't see an error message.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Add third-party snapins

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

$snapins = @(
    "Quest.ActiveRoles.ADManagement",
    "PowerGadgets",
    "VMware.VimAutomation.Core",
    "NetCmdlets"
)
$snapins | ForEach-Object { 
  if ( Get-PSSnapin -Registered $_ -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue ) {
    Add-PSSnapin $_
  }
}

score 3 · Answer 16 · answered Oct 06 '08 at 15:12

3

I put all my functions and aliases in separate script files and then dot source them in my profile:

. c:\scripts\posh\jdh-functions.ps1

answered Oct 06 '08 at 15:12

Jeffery Hicks

301
1
5

score 2 · Answer 17 · answered Apr 26 '12 at 16:05

amongst many other things:

function w {
    explorer .
}

opens an explorer window in the current directory

function startover {
    iisreset /restart
    iisreset /stop

    rm "C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\Temporary ASP.NET Files\*.*" -recurse -force -Verbose

    iisreset /start
}

gets rid of everything in my temporary asp.net files (useful for working on managed code that has dependencies on buggy unmanaged code)

function edit($x) {
    . 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\notepad++.exe' $x
}

edits $x in notepad++

score 2 · Answer 18 · answered Feb 03 '10 at 11:23

You can see my PowerShell profile at http://github.com/jamesottaway/windowspowershell

If you use Git to clone my repo into your Documents folder (or whatever folder is above 'WindowsPowerShell' in your $PROFILE variable), you'll get all of my goodness.

The main profile.ps1 sets the subfolder with the name Addons as a PSDrive, and then finds all .ps1 files underneath that folder to load.

I quite like the go command, which stores a dictionary of shorthand locations to visit easily. For example, go vsp will take me to C:\Visual Studio 2008\Projects.

I also like overriding the Set-Location cmdlet to run both Set-Location and Get-ChildItem.

My other favourite is being able to do a mkdir which does Set-Location xyz after running New-Item xyz -Type Directory.

noam · Answer 19 · 2023-03-21T18:43:37.563

Jeffrey Snover's Start-NewScope because re-launching the shell can be a drag.

I never got comfortable with the diruse options, so:

function Get-FolderSizes { # poor man's du
  [cmdletBinding()]
  param(
    [parameter(mandatory=$true)]$Path,
    [parameter(mandatory=$false)]$SizeMB,
    [parameter(mandatory=$false)]$ExcludeFolders,
    [parameter(mandatory=$false)][switch]$AsObject
  ) #close param
  # http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2013/01/05/weekend-scripter-sorting-folders-by-size.aspx
  # uses Christoph Schneegans' Find-Files https://schneegans.de/windows/find-files/ because "gci -rec" follows junctions in "special" folders
  $pathCheck = test-path $path
  if (!$pathcheck) { Write-Error "Invalid path. Wants gci's -path parameter."; return }
  if (!(Get-Command Find-Files)) { Write-Error "Required function Find-Files not found"; return }
  $fso = New-Object -ComObject scripting.filesystemobject
  $parents = Get-ChildItem $path -Force | where { $_.PSisContainer -and $ExcludeFolders -notContains $_.name -and !$_.LinkType }
  $folders = Foreach ($folder in $parents)
  {
    $getFolder = $fso.getFolder( $folder.fullname.tostring() )
    if (!$getFolder.Size)
    { 
      #for "special folders" like appdata
      # maybe "-Attributes !ReparsePoint" works in v6? https://stackoverflow.com/a/59952913/
      # what about https://superuser.com/a/650476/ ?
      # abandoned because it follows junctions, distorting results # $length = gci $folder.FullName -Recurse -Force -EA SilentlyContinue | Measure -Property Length -Sum
      $length = Find-Files $folder.FullName -EA SilentlyContinue | Measure -Property Length -Sum -EA SilentlyContinue
      $sizeMBs = "{0:N0}" -f ($length.Sum /1mb)
    } #close if size property is null
    else { $sizeMBs = "{0:N0}" -f ($getFolder.size /1mb) }
    New-Object -TypeName psobject -Property @{
      Name = $getFolder.Path
      SizeMB = $sizeMBs
    } #close new obj property
  } #close foreach folder
  #here's the output
  $foldersObj = $folders | Sort @{E={[decimal]$_.SizeMB}} -Descending | ? {[Decimal]$_.SizeMB -gt $SizeMB}
  if (!$AsObject) { $foldersObj | Format-Table -AutoSize } else { $foldersObj }
  #calculate the total including contents
  $sum = $folders | Select -Expand SizeMB | Measure -Sum | Select -Expand Sum
  $sum += ( gci $path | where {!$_.psIsContainer} | Measure -Property Length -Sum | Select -Expand Sum ) / 1mb
  $sumString = "{0:n2}" -f ($sum /1kb)
  $sumString + " GB total" 
} #end function
Set-Alias gfs Get-FolderSizes

function Find-Files
{
    <# by Christoph Schneegans https://schneegans.de/windows/find-files/ - used in Get-FolderSizes aka gfs
    .SYNOPSIS
        Lists the contents of a directory. Unlike Get-ChildItem, this function does not recurse into symbolic links or junctions in order to avoid infinite loops.
    #>

    param (
        [Parameter( Mandatory=$false )]
        [string]
        # Specifies the path to the directory whose contents are to be listed. By default, the current working directory is used.
        $LiteralPath = (Get-Location),

        [Parameter( Mandatory=$false )]
        # Specifies a filter that is applied to each file or directory. Wildcards ? and * are supported.
        $Filter,

        [Parameter( Mandatory=$false )]
        [boolean]
        # Specifies if file objects should be returned. By default, all file system objects are returned.
        $File = $true,

        [Parameter( Mandatory=$false )]
        [boolean]
        # Specifies if directory objects should be returned. By default, all file system objects are returned.
        $Directory = $true,

        [Parameter( Mandatory=$false )]
        [boolean]
        # Specifies if reparse point objects should be returned. By default, all file system objects are returned.
        $ReparsePoint = $true,

        [Parameter( Mandatory=$false )]
        [boolean]
        # Specifies if the top directory should be returned. By default, all file system objects are returned.
        $Self = $true
    )

    function Enumerate( [System.IO.FileSystemInfo] $Item ) {
        $Item;
        if ( $Item.GetType() -eq [System.IO.DirectoryInfo] -and ! $Item.Attributes.HasFlag( [System.IO.FileAttributes]::ReparsePoint ) ) {
            foreach ($ChildItem in $Item.EnumerateFileSystemInfos() ) {
                Enumerate $ChildItem;
            }
        }
    }

    function FilterByName {
        process {
            if ( ( $Filter -eq $null ) -or ( $_.Name -ilike $Filter ) ) {
                $_;
            }
        }
    }

    function FilterByType {
        process {
            if ( $_.GetType() -eq [System.IO.FileInfo] ) {
                if ( $File ) { $_; }
            } elseif ( $_.Attributes.HasFlag( [System.IO.FileAttributes]::ReparsePoint ) ) {
                if ( $ReparsePoint ) { $_; }
            } else {
                if ( $Directory ) { $_; }
            }
        }
    }
    
    $Skip = if ($Self) { 0 } else { 1 };
    Enumerate ( Get-Item -LiteralPath $LiteralPath -Force ) | Select-Object -Skip $Skip | FilterByName | FilterByType;
} # end function find-files

The most valuable bit above is Christoph Schneegans' Find-Files https://schneegans.de/windows/find-files

Get-Shortcut & Set-Shortcut from https://stackoverflow.com/a/21967566

Poor-man's grep, for searching large txt files. edit: prefer Select-String -Raw on v7+:

function Search-TextFile {
  param( 
    [parameter(mandatory=$true)]$File,
    [parameter(mandatory=$true)]$SearchText
  ) #close param
  if ( !(Test-path $File) )
  { 
    Write-Error "File not found: $file" 
    return
  }
  $fullPath = Resolve-Path $file | select -Expand ProviderPath
  $lines = [System.IO.File]::ReadLines($fullPath)
  foreach ($line in $lines) { if ($line -match $SearchText) {$line} }
} #end function Search-TextFile
Set-Alias stf Search-TextFile

Lists programs installed on a remote computer.

function Get-InstalledProgram { [cmdletBinding()] #http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2011/11/13/use-powershell-to-quickly-find-installed-software.aspx
      param( [parameter(mandatory=$true)]$Comp,[parameter(mandatory=$false)]$Name )
      $keys = 'SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall','SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall'
      TRY { $RegBase = [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey]::OpenRemoteBaseKey([Microsoft.Win32.RegistryHive]::LocalMachine,$Comp) }
      CATCH {
        $rrSvc = gwmi win32_service -comp $comp -Filter {name='RemoteRegistry'}
        if (!$rrSvc) {"Unable to connect. Make sure that this computer is on the network, has remote administration enabled, `nand that both computers are running the remote registry service."; break}
        #Enable and start RemoteRegistry service
        if ($rrSvc.State -ne 'Running') {
          if ($rrSvc.StartMode -eq 'Disabled') { $null = $rrSvc.ChangeStartMode('Manual'); $undoMe2 = $true }
          $null = $rrSvc.StartService() ; $undoMe = $true       
        } #close if rrsvc not running
          else {"Unable to connect. Make sure that this computer is on the network, has remote administration enabled, `nand that both computers are running the remote registry service."; break}
        $RegBase = [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey]::OpenRemoteBaseKey([Microsoft.Win32.RegistryHive]::LocalMachine,$Comp)  
      } #close if failed to connect regbase
      $out = @()
      foreach ($key in $keys) {
         if ( $RegBase.OpenSubKey($Key) ) { #avoids errors on 32bit OS
          foreach ( $entry in $RegBase.OpenSubKey($Key).GetSubkeyNames() ) {
            $sub = $RegBase.OpenSubKey( ($key + '\' + $entry) )
            if ($sub) { $row = $null
              $row = [pscustomobject]@{
                Name = $RegBase.OpenSubKey( ($key + '\' + $entry) ).GetValue('DisplayName')
                InstallDate = $RegBase.OpenSubKey( ($key + '\' + $entry) ).GetValue('InstallDate')
                Version = $RegBase.OpenSubKey( ($key + '\' + $entry) ).GetValue('DisplayVersion')
              } #close row
              $out += $row
            } #close if sub
          } #close foreach entry
        } #close if key exists
      } #close foreach key
      $out | where {$_.name -and $_.name -match $Name}
      if ($undoMe) { $null = $rrSvc.StopService() }
      if ($undoMe2) { $null = $rrSvc.ChangeStartMode('Disabled') }
    } #end function

Going meta, spreading the gospel, whatnot

function Copy-ProfilePS1 ($Comp,$User) {
  if (!$User) {$User = $env:USERNAME}
  $targ = "\\$comp\c$\users\$User\Documents\WindowsPowershell\"
  if (Test-Path $targ)
  {
    $cmd = "copy /-Y $profile $targ"
    cmd /c $cmd
  } else {"Path not found! $targ"}
} #end function CopyProfilePS1

score 2 · Answer 20 · answered Nov 01 '08 at 16:00

2

The function to view the entire history of typed command (Get-History, and his alias h show default only 32 last commands):

function ha {
    Get-History -count $MaximumHistoryCount
}

answered Nov 01 '08 at 16:00

Alex

633
1
5
10

score 2 · Answer 21 · edited Aug 15 '12 at 04:50

2

I actually keep mine on github.

edited Aug 15 '12 at 04:50

slfan

8,950
115
65
78

answered Jul 31 '11 at 06:46

Scott Muc

2,873
27
38

score 2 · Answer 22 · edited Sep 05 '21 at 21:41

Function funcOpenPowerShellProfile
{
    Notepad $PROFILE
}

Set-Alias fop funcOpenPowerShellProfile

Only a sagaciously-lazy individual would tell you that fop is so much easier to type than Notepad $PROFILE at the prompt, unless, of course, you associate "fop" with a 17th century English ninny.

If you wanted, you could take it a step further and make it somewhat useful:

Function funcOpenPowerShellProfile
{
    $fileProfileBackup = $PROFILE + '.bak'
    cp $PROFILE $fileProfileBackup
    PowerShell_ISE $PROFILE # Replace with Desired IDE/ISE for Syntax Highlighting
}

Set-Alias fop funcOpenPowerShellProfile

For satisfying survivalist-paranoia:

Function funcOpenPowerShellProfile
{
    $fileProfilePathParts = @($PROFILE.Split('\'))
    $fileProfileName = $fileProfilePathParts[-1]
    $fileProfilePathPartNum = 0
    $fileProfileHostPath = $fileProfilePathParts[$fileProfilePathPartNum] + '\'
    $fileProfileHostPathPartsCount = $fileProfilePathParts.Count - 2
        # Arrays start at 0, but the Count starts at 1; if both started at 0 or 1, 
        # then a -1 would be fine, but the realized discrepancy is 2
    Do
    {
        $fileProfilePathPartNum++
        $fileProfileHostPath = $fileProfileHostPath + `
            $fileProfilePathParts[$fileProfilePathPartNum] + '\'
    }
    While
    (
        $fileProfilePathPartNum -LT $fileProfileHostPathPartsCount
    )
    $fileProfileBackupTime = [string](date -format u) -replace ":", ""
    $fileProfileBackup = $fileProfileHostPath + `
        $fileProfileBackupTime + ' - ' + $fileProfileName + '.bak'
    cp $PROFILE $fileProfileBackup

    cd $fileProfileHostPath
    $fileProfileBackupNamePattern = $fileProfileName + '.bak'
    $fileProfileBackups = @(ls | Where {$_.Name -Match $fileProfileBackupNamePattern} | `
        Sort Name)
    $fileProfileBackupsCount = $fileProfileBackups.Count
    $fileProfileBackupThreshold = 5 # Change as Desired
    If
    (
        $fileProfileBackupsCount -GT $fileProfileBackupThreshold
    )
    {
        $fileProfileBackupsDeleteNum = $fileProfileBackupsCount - `
            $fileProfileBackupThreshold
        $fileProfileBackupsIndexNum = 0
        Do
        {

            rm $fileProfileBackups[$fileProfileBackupsIndexNum]
            $fileProfileBackupsIndexNum++;
            $fileProfileBackupsDeleteNum--
        }
        While
        (
            $fileProfileBackupsDeleteNum -NE 0
        )
    }

    PowerShell_ISE $PROFILE
        # Replace 'PowerShell_ISE' with Desired IDE (IDE's path may be needed in 
        # '$Env:PATH' for this to work; if you can start it from the "Run" window, 
        # you should be fine)
}

Set-Alias fop funcOpenPowerShellProfile

slipsec · Answer 23 · 2008-09-26T12:39:10.297

$MaximumHistoryCount=1024 
function hist {get-history -count 256 | %{$_.commandline}}

New-Alias which get-command

function guidConverter([byte[]] $gross){ $GUID = "{" + $gross[3].ToString("X2") + `
$gross[2].ToString("X2") + $gross[1].ToString("X2") + $gross[0].ToString("X2") + "-" + `
$gross[5].ToString("X2") + $gross[4].ToString("X2") + "-" + $gross[7].ToString("X2") + `
$gross[6].ToString("X2") + "-" + $gross[8].ToString("X2") + $gross[9].ToString("X2") + "-" +` 
$gross[10].ToString("X2") + $gross[11].ToString("X2") + $gross[12].ToString("X2") + `
$gross[13].ToString("X2") + $gross[14].ToString("X2") + $gross[15].ToString("X2") + "}" $GUID }

score 1 · Answer 24 · answered Sep 16 '09 at 21:15

I keep my profile empty. Instead, I have folders of scripts I can navigate to load functionality and aliases into the session. A folder will be modular, with libraries of functions and assemblies. For ad hoc work, I'll have a script to loads aliases and functions. If I want to munge event logs, I'd navigate to a folder scripts\eventlogs and execute

PS > . .\DotSourceThisToLoadSomeHandyEventLogMonitoringFunctions.ps1

I do this because I need to share scripts with others or move them from machine to machine. I like to be able to copy a folder of scripts and assemblies and have it just work on any machine for any user.

But you want a fun collection of tricks. Here's a script that many of my "profiles" depend on. It allows calls to web services that use self signed SSL for ad hoc exploration of web services in development. Yes, I freely mix C# in my powershell scripts.

# Using a target web service that requires SSL, but server is self-signed.  
# Without this, we'll fail unable to establish trust relationship. 
function Set-CertificateValidationCallback
{
    try
    {
       Add-Type @'
    using System;

    public static class CertificateAcceptor{

        public static void SetAccept()
        {
            System.Net.ServicePointManager.ServerCertificateValidationCallback = AcceptCertificate;
        }

        private static bool AcceptCertificate(Object sender,
                        System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509Certificate certificate,
                        System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509Chain chain,
                        System.Net.Security.SslPolicyErrors policyErrors)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Accepting certificate and ignoring any SSL errors.");
                return true;
            }
    }
'@
    }
    catch {} # Already exists? Find a better way to check.

     [CertificateAcceptor]::SetAccept()
}

score 0 · Answer 25 · answered Jul 21 '14 at 17:46

Great question. Because I deal with several different PowerShell hosts, I do a little logging in each of several profiles, just to make the context of any other messages clearer. In profile.ps1, I currently only have that, but I sometimes change it based on context:

if ($PSVersionTable.PsVersion.Major -ge 3) {
    Write-Host "Executing $PSCommandPath"
}

My favorite host is the ISE, in Microsoft.PowerShellIse_profile.ps1, I have:

if ($PSVersionTable.PsVersion.Major -ge 3) {
    Write-Host "Executing $PSCommandPath"
}

if ( New-PSDrive -ErrorAction Ignore One FileSystem `
        (Get-ItemProperty hkcu:\Software\Microsoft\SkyDrive UserFolder).UserFolder) { 
    Write-Host -ForegroundColor Green "PSDrive One: mapped to local OneDrive/SkyDrive folder"
    }

Import-Module PSCX

$PSCX:TextEditor = (get-command Powershell_ISE).Path

$PSDefaultParameterValues = @{
    "Get-Help:ShowWindow" = $true
    "Help:ShowWindow" = $true
    "Out-Default:OutVariable" = "0"
}


#Script Browser Begin
#Version: 1.2.1
Add-Type -Path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Corporation\Microsoft Script Browser\System.Windows.Interactivity.dll'
Add-Type -Path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Corporation\Microsoft Script Browser\ScriptBrowser.dll'
Add-Type -Path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Corporation\Microsoft Script Browser\BestPractices.dll'
$scriptBrowser = $psISE.CurrentPowerShellTab.VerticalAddOnTools.Add('Script Browser', [ScriptExplorer.Views.MainView], $true)
$scriptAnalyzer = $psISE.CurrentPowerShellTab.VerticalAddOnTools.Add('Script Analyzer', [BestPractices.Views.BestPracticesView], $true)
$psISE.CurrentPowerShellTab.VisibleVerticalAddOnTools.SelectedAddOnTool = $scriptBrowser
#Script Browser End

score 0 · Answer 26 · answered Jul 14 '16 at 22:11

0

Of everything not already listed, Start-Steroids has to be my favorite, except for maybe Start-Transcript.

(http://www.powertheshell.com/isesteroids2-2/)

answered Jul 14 '16 at 22:11

gparis

23
8

What’s in your PowerShell `profile.ps1` file?

26 Answers26

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