My “getting started” series ran out of steam a bit partly because I didn’t get much feedback on them — maybe you’re not interested, or maybe it wasn’t easy enough, or was just too confusing. In any case, I want to put up at least this one last post to suggest that you get the PowerShell Code Repository set up, and to show you the final version of my profile script and how it loads the various pieces it needs, and then I’ll send you on your way.

Once you’ve got your PowerShell all installed and have set up your first profile to auto-load … you’re going to want some scripts (well, maybe you’ll want to learn more about how to use PowerShell, but go with me on this)!

One of the best places to look for scripts is the PowerShell Code Repository, and although you can browse and search on the website, you can also do it using the PoshCode module (or the version 1 compatible script). These scripts include a Get-PoshCode cmdlet which you can use with search terms to get a list of scripts and cmdlets back, or with numeric IDs to download scripts (you’ll see what I mean later on, for now, go ahead and grab the appropriate version of that script).

I’m going to assume you put it into your AutoModules folder. If you grabbed the module, it should be saved to WindowsPowerShell\AutoModules\PoshCode\PoshCode.psm1 otherwise, to WindowsPowerShell\AutoModules\PoshCode.ps1 … but you may have run into a minor problem if you load the .ps1 version ). Both the module and the script are signed, but they are signed by my self-issued code signing certificate which your computer almost certainly doesn’t trust… You can use the signature to verify that the file hasn’t been modified since I signed it, but that’s about all (and even that’s a bit of a trick). To actually use the script (module), you’ll need to sign the script yourself (see the steps and how to get a certificate in part 2).

If you’re on CTP2, this would be a good time to get my Authenticode script module to help with signing, and to learn a little about those PoshCode cmdlets … (more…)