Tag: PowerShell

PowerShell Arrays and that annoying number on the screen

Ian

When you create an array and populate it in PowerShell the number of elements is written out to the screen, very annoying.

e.g.

function Array-Error() 
{ 
    $Array = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList 
    $Return = "ReturnValue" 
 
    $Array.Add("Value1") 
    $Array.Add("Value2") 
    $Array.Add("Value3") 
    $Array.Add("Value4") 
 
    return $return 
}
 
$display = Array-Error 
write-host -ForegroundColor Red $display

Output

0 1 2 3 ReturnValue

So how do we stop the numbers from being displayed to the screen, while Fix 2 is the proper way I like fix 1 as it reminds me of passing things over to “/dev/null” when I was a UNIX chap. 

function Array-Fix1() 
{ 
    $Array = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList 
    $Return = "ReturnValue" 
 
    $Array.Add("Value1") > $null 
    $Array.Add("Value2") > $null 
    $Array.Add("Value3") > $null 
    $Array.Add("Value4") > $null 
 
    return $return 
} 
 
$display = Array-Fix1 
write-host -ForegroundColor Magenta $display

Output

ReturnValue

or

function Array-Fix2() 
{ 
    $Array = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList 
    $Return = "ReturnValue" 
 
    $Array.Add("Value1") | Out-Null 
    $Array.Add("Value2") | Out-Null 
    $Array.Add("Value3") | Out-Null 
    $Array.Add("Value4") | Out-Null 
 
    return $return 
} 
 
$display = Array-Fix2 
write-host -ForegroundColor Magenta $display

Output

ReturnValue

Keeping your PowerShell tidy

Ian

I am quite a fan of Powershell but miss the ability to include other files in a simple and clean way.

I quite like the idea that as you run scripts in the different environments dev, test, UAT, staging and production they should never change, the only thing that should change are the variables in each environment to this end I will end up with at least three files per script.

  1. variables – This file contains the things that should and do change in each environment from service accounts, DNS names, environment names & descriptions.
  2. functions – This file will contain reusable blocks of code.
  3. process – This file will contain the process that should not change from environment to environment.

Now the chances are that the variables will be called variables.ps1, functions will be functions.ps1 & process will be called whatever is needed, and if the truth is told the functions.psq1 will be split into different files reflecting the different areas as needed.

The point of this post is not to bore you to death with the way I do work but to show you how to include the variables & functions files into your process script, and how to stop the script if there is an issue, copy and past the following into your Powershell script change as needed and you will be away.

$thisScript = Split-Path -Path $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition -Parent
 
try
{
    #Load the common variables script. 
    . ($thisScript + '.\variables.ps1')
}
catch
{
    write-host -f red "---------------------------------------------------------------"	
    write-host -f red "|       The variables.ps1 file can not be loaded.             |"
    write-host -f red "|             This script will stop as a result.              |"
    write-host -f red "---------------------------------------------------------------"	
	Break
}
 
try
{
    #Load the common variables script. 
    . ($thisScript + '.\functions.ps1')
}
catch
{
    write-host -f red "---------------------------------------------------------------"	
    write-host -f red "|       The functions.psq file can not be loaded.             |"
    write-host -f red "|             This script will stop as a result.              |"
    write-host -f red "---------------------------------------------------------------"	
	Break
}
 
 

 

PowerShell script to create an AD group in an OU

Ian

Active directory you have got to love it, using it as a base to secure up access to SharePoint is quite an important thing to understand but who wants to create the groups, better pass it over to a script to do.

This script is a starter and will create an AD group in a specified OU priming it ready to be linked to the SharePoint group (I will post up a script to do this in the future – search for it and if I remember I will link to it), as with all thing sI tend to do this script is a building block, it can use used in isolation but it is better to use it  as part of an automated process when provisioning sharePoint sites.

The function CreateADGroup would be best housed in an global functions file that you can include into other PowerShell scripts as you need, giving you reusability, the function is included in this script just so it can be stand alone.

Download file : CreateADGroup as a text file

#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#Script name :- CreateADGroup.ps1
#
#Script author :- Ian Ballard
#Version history.
#Version number | Date | Author | Comments
#1.00 | 07/11/2014 | Ian Ballard | Initial version. 
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
$ver = $host | select version
if ($ver.Version.Major -gt 1) {$Host.Runspace.ThreadOptions = "ReuseThread"}
#Include the PowerShell snap-ins & imports that will be needed. 
Import-Module ActiveDirectory
 
function CreateADGroup( [string] $ADGroup, [string] $ADGroupDisplayName, [string] $ADGroupDescription, [string] $ADOUPath )
{
 try 
 { 
 get-adgroup $ADGroup | out-null 
 if ( $debug -eq $true )
 {
 write-host -f $debugColourStepIgnored "The AD Group $ADGroup is already in Active directory, skipping this step."
 }
 
 }
 catch 
 {
 New-ADGroup -Name $ADGroup -GroupCategory Security -GroupScope Global -DisplayName $ADGroupDisplayName -Description $ADGroupDescription -path $ADOUPath
 if ( $debug -eq $true )
 {
 write-host -f $debugColour "The AD Group $ADGroup has been created in Active directory."
 }
 }
}
 
 
$ConfirmPreference = "None"
 
#
#Debug option. 
#
$debug = $true
$debugColour = "green"
$debugColourStepIgnored = "yellow"
#
#
#
 
#AD Group information for the owners of the site. 
$ADGroup = "New AD group"
$ADDisplayName = "New AD group display name"
$ADDisplayDescription = "This AD group was created via a PowerShell script."
$ADOUPath = "OU=DEV,OU=Development-Managed Applications,OU=Security,OU=Groups,DC=development,DC=local"
 
CreateADGroup ($ADGroup) ($ADDisplayName) ($ADDisplayName) ($ADOUPath)

What site template did that SharePoint site start as?

Ian

Sometimes you need to figure out what template was used when creating a SharePoint site,  you can mess about in the database (not recommended) you can look in the HTML of an output page as long as your master page has not changed some of the default options or you can open up the SharePoint management shell and use the following.

$web = Get-SPWeb -Identity "http://SharePointSiteURL"
$Template = $web.WebTemplate
$Template = $Template + "#"
$SiteTemplate = $Template + $web.WebTemplateID
 
Write-Host $SiteTemplate

Move that SharePoint SubSite into its own site collection.

Ian

So it seemed like a good idea at the time, all of the sites on the root site collection but now you are beginning to regret that the content database is getting a little on the large side and managing the security is getting to be a pain.

So how do you move this subsite into it’s own site collection?

You can go ahead and pick up a migration tool from ShareGate of Metalogix both very good tools but you only want to move the site, feel free to grab this PowerShell script that will do it for you.

All you need to do is change the “script options” to reflect your needs and you should be away.

Remember that you use this script at your own risk and  you should backup ad test everything before you commit to running it.

The script can run the commands or build a script for you to use at a later date, your choice just look at the $debug  & $execute  options.

Download file : ConvertSubSiteToSiteCollection as a text file

 

Finding that SharePoint Correlation ID

Ian

So you have an issue in SharePoint and a screenshot form a user in a production environment.

You have asked the production support team to put SharePoint log viewer onto the server and they have submitted the request to the change group and will get back to you in a couple of days and in the mean time your user is going up the wall.

So you have the Correlation ID and need to find out what is going on, you can use the Get-SPEventLog cmdlet and filter things but remembering the syntax is more that you can do after the day you are having.

Feel free to grab this script that you can put on the server pass the Correlation ID to it along with some other things and you will have the information you are looking for to help you get to the bottom of the problem.

Download file: GetSPError as a text file

Examples of usage:

GetSPError.ps1 -GUIDToFind 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000 -NumberOfMinutes 10
This will only look in the last 10 minutes of the log.

GetSPError.ps1 -GUIDToFind 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000 -NumberOfMinutes 0
This will look at all of the the log.

GetSPError.ps1 -GUIDToFind 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000 -NumberOfMinutes 10 -FileName error.txt
This will only look in the last 10 minutes of the log and send the output to the error.txt file.

GetSPError.ps1 -GUIDToFind 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000 -NumberOfMinutes 0 -FileName error.txt
This will look at all of the the log and send the output to the error.txt file.

Get-Help GetSPError.ps1
This will list the help for this file.

PowerShell script template

Ian

This file is the Powershell template file that I use when creating PowerShell scripts.

The code below is a functioning PowerShell script for you to build on, it has the syntax for the Get-Help cmdlet to function correctly and takes three parameters some mandatory some not, it also outputs to the screen the script execution start & end time along with elapsed time.

Download file : Powershell Template as a text file.

  1. <#
  2.     .SYNOPSIS
  3.         This script will ....
  4.  
  5.     .DESCRIPTION
  6.         A Script description & version history.
  7.  
  8.  
  9.         --------------------------------------------------------
  10.         History
  11.         Version number | Data            | Comment 
  12.         1.00           | <date>          | Initial script. 
  13.         --------------------------------------------------------
  14.  
  15.     .LINK
  16.         http://www.glossover.co.uk/archives/322
  17.  
  18.     .EXAMPLE
  19.         <scriptName> -Param1 value -Param2 value 
  20. 		<scriptName> -Param1 value -Param2 value -Param3 (optional) value
  21.  
  22. #>
  23.  
  24.  
  25. Param (
  26.     [Parameter(Mandatory=$true, HelpMessage="Please enter a string value")]
  27.     [alias("Param1")]
  28.     [ValidateNotNull()]
  29.     #String value. 
  30.     [string]$stringValue, 
  31.  
  32.     [Parameter(Mandatory=$true, HelpMessage="Please enter a numeric value.")]
  33.     [alias("Param2")]
  34.     [ValidateNotNull()]
  35.     #Number value. 
  36.     [int]$intValue,
  37.  
  38.     [Parameter(Mandatory=$false, HelpMessage="Please enter a string value (Optional).")]
  39.     [alias("Param3")]
  40.     [ValidateNotNull()]
  41.     #Optional string value.
  42.     [string]$optionalStringValue
  43.  
  44. )
  45.  
  46. $startTime = Get-Date
  47. Write-Host "Start time : $startTime" 
  48.  
  49.  
  50. #Passed values
  51. Write-Host "Param1 : " $stringValue
  52. Write-Host "Param2 : " $intValue
  53. Write-Host "Param3 (optional) : " $optionalStringValue
  54.  
  55.  
  56. $endTime = Get-Date
  57. Write-Host "Script execution time : $( New-TimeSpan $startTime $endTime)." 
  58. Write-Host "End time : $endTime"