Collection of PowerShell Scripts

This repository contains 120+ useful and cross-platform PowerShell scripts in the Scripts/ subfolder - to be used by command-line interface (CLI), for remote control (RC), by context menu, by voice control, by automation software like Jenkins, automatically as daily tasks, or simply to learn PowerShell.

add-firewall-rules.ps1 - adds firewall rules for the given executables (requires admin rights)
check-ipv4-address.ps1 - checks the given IPv4 address for validity
check-mac-address.ps1 - checks the given MAC address for validity
check-symlinks.ps1 - checks every symlink in the given directory tree
check-xml-file.ps1 - checks the given XML file for validity
clone-repos.ps1 - clones well-known Git repositories
close-calculator.ps1 - closes the calculator program gracefully
close-chrome.ps1 - closes Google Chrome gracefully
close-edge.ps1 - closes Microsoft Edge gracefully
close-file-explorer.ps1 - closes Microsoft File Explorer gracefully
close-program.ps1 - closes the given program gracefully
close-thunderbird.ps1 - closes Mozilla Thunderbird gracefully
close-windows-terminal.ps1 - closes Windows Terminal gracefully
configure-git.ps1 - sets up the Git user configuration
csv-to-text.ps1 - converts the given CSV file into a text list
daily-tasks.sh - execute PowerShell scripts automatically as daily tasks (Linux only)
decrypt-file.ps1 - encrypts the given file
display-time.ps1 - displays the current time for 10 seconds by default
download.ps1 - downloads the file/directory from the given URL
empty-dir.ps1 - empties the given directory
enable-crash-dumps.ps1 - enables the writing of crash dumps
encrypt-file.ps1 - encrypts the given file
generate-qrcode.ps1 - generates a QR code
hibernate.ps1 - enables hibernate mode for the local computer (requires admin rights)
inspect-exe.ps1 - prints basic information of the given executable file
list-anagrams.ps1 - lists all anagrams of the given word
list-automatic-variables.ps1 - lists the automatic variables of PowerShell
list-clipboard.ps1 - lists the contents of the clipboard
list-current-timezone.ps1 - lists the current time zone details
list-environment-variables.ps1 - lists all environment variables
list-empty-dirs.ps1 - lists empty subfolders within the given directory tree
list-installed-software.ps1 - lists the installed software
list-files.ps1 - lists all files in the given folder and also in every subfolder
list-formatted.ps1 - lists the current working directory formatted in columns
list-fritzbox-calls.ps1 - lists the FRITZ!Box calls
list-fritzbox-devices.ps1 - lists FRITZ!Box's known devices
list-logbook.ps1 - lists the content of the logbook
list-unused-files.ps1 - lists unused files in a directory tree
list-cmdlets.ps1 - lists the PowerShell cmdlets
list-earthquakes.ps1 - lists earthquakes with magnitude >= 6.0 for the last 30 days
list-modules.ps1 - lists the PowerShell modules
list-news.ps1 - lists the latest news
list-os-releases.ps1 - lists OS releases and download URL
list-printers.ps1 - lists all printer known to the computer
list-processes.ps1 - lists the local computer processes
list-random-passwords.ps1 - prints a list of random passwords
list-random-pins.ps1 - prints a list of random PIN's
list-scripts.ps1 - lists the PowerShell scripts in this repository
list-timezones.ps1 - lists all time zones available
list-user-groups.ps1 - lists the user groups on the local computer
locate-city.ps1 - prints the geographic location of the given city
locate-ipaddress.ps1 - prints the geographic location of the given IP address
locate-zip-code.ps1 - prints the geographic location of the given zip-code
MD5.ps1 - prints the MD5 checksum of the given file
make-install.ps1 - installs built executables and libs to the installation directory
moon.ps1 - prints the current moon phase
mute-audio.ps1 - mutes audio
open-browser.ps1 - starts the default Web browser
open-calculator.ps1 - starts the calculator program
open-email-client.ps1 - starts the default email client
play-beep.ps1 - plays a beep sound
poweroff.ps1 - halts the local computer (requires admin rights)
query-smart-data.ps1 - queries the S.M.A.R.T. data of your HDD/SSD's
new-email.ps1 - starts the default email client to write a new email
next-joke.ps1 - gets the next random Juck Norris joke
reboot.ps1 - reboots the local computer (requires admin rights)
reboot-fritzbox.ps1 - reboots the FRITZ!box device
remove-empty-dirs.ps1 - removes empty subfolders within the given directory tree
search-files.ps1 - searches the given pattern in the given files
scan-ports.ps1 - scans the network for open/closed ports
send-email.ps1 - sends an email message
send-tcp.ps1 - sends a TCP message to the given IP address and port
send-udp.ps1 - sends a UDP datagram message to the given IP address and port
set-timer.ps1 - sets a timer for a countdown
set-wallpaper.ps1 - sets the given image as wallpaper
SHA1.ps1 - prints the SHA1 checksum of the given file
SHA256.ps1 - prints the SHA256 checksum of the given file
simulate-matrix.ps1 - simulates the Matrix (fun)
simulate-presence.ps1 - simulates the human presence against burglars
speak-date.ps1 - speaks the current date by text-to-speech (TTS)
speak-english.ps1 - speaks the given text with an English text-to-speech (TTS) voice
speak-epub.ps1 - speaks the content of the given Epub file by text-to-speech (TTS)
speak-file.ps1 - speaks the content of the given text file by text-to-speech (TTS)
speak-german.ps1 - speaks the given text with a German text-to-speech (TTS) voice
speak-joke.ps1 - speaks the next joke by text-to-speech (TTS)
speak-test.ps1 - performs a speak test by text-to-speech (TTS)
speak-text.ps1 - speaks the given text by text-to-speech (TTS)
speak-time.ps1 - speaks the current time by text-to-speech (TTS)
switch-shelly1.ps1 - switches a Shelly1 device in the local network
take-screenshot.ps1 - takes a single screenshot
take-screenshots.ps1 - takes multiple screenshots
train-dns-cache.ps1 - trains the DNS cache with frequently used domain names
translate-file.ps1 - translates the given file from source to target language
translate-text.ps1 - translates the given text into other languages
turn-volume-up.ps1 - turns the audio volume up (+10% by default)
turn-volume-down.ps1 - turns the audio volume down (-10% by default)
txt2wav.ps1 - converts text into a audio .WAV file
unmute-audio.ps1 - unmutes audio
update-repos.ps1 - updates all Git repositories under the current directory
visualize-dir-tree.ps1 - visualizes the given/current directory tree
voice-control.ps1 - executes the PowerShell scripts by voice
weather.ps1 - prints the current weather forecast
weather-alert.ps1 - checks the current weather for critical values
weather-report.ps1 - prints the local weather report
weather-worldwide.ps1 - prints the current weather of cities worldwide
wakeup.ps1 - sends a magic packet to the given computer, waking him up
write-animated.ps1 - writes animated text
write-big.ps1 - writes the given text in big letters
write-blue.ps1 - writes the given text in a blue foreground color
write-braille.ps1 - writes the given text in Braille
write-green.ps1 - writes the given text in a green foreground color
write-logbook.ps1 - writes the given text to the logbook
write-marquee.ps1 - writes the given text as marquee
write-morse-code.ps1 - writes the given text in Morse code
write-motd.ps1 - writes the message of the day (MOTD)
write-red.ps1 - writes the given text in a red foreground color
write-rot13.ps1 - encodes or decodes the given text with ROT13
write-typewriter.ps1 - writes the given text with the typewriter effect
write-uppercase.ps1 - writes the given text in uppercase letters
write-vertical.ps1 - writes the given text in vertical direction
zip-dir.ps1 - creates a zip archive of the given directory

What is PowerShell?

PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language.

it's powerful: fully control your computer
it's cross-platform: available for Linux, Mac OS and Windows
it's open-source: see the Github repository at https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell
it's easy to learn: see the tutorial at https://www.guru99.com/powershell-tutorial.html
it's fully documented: see the official docs at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/

How to get PowerShell?

Windows 7 and newer do provide PowerShell by default. It's recommended to install Windows Terminal (see the Microsoft Store at https://www.aka.ms/terminal) for a comfortable command-line usage. Per default, Windows does not allow script execution (execution policy "restricted"). To enable this, enter as administrator:
```
$ Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
```
On CentOS, Debian, Docker, Fedora, macOS, openSUSE, Red Hat, Ubuntu visit https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell for installation.

Afterward, install this collection by clicking on the green "Code" button or execute:

$ git clone https://github.com/fleschutz/PowerShell

Configure PowerShell as Default Shell

Linux: make sure PowerShell is installed, then execute: chsh -s /bin/powershell <username>
Windows: no need to, PowerShell is the default shell

Adding the Scripts to the Search Path

Want to use the PowerShell scripts everywhere on the command-line? Then you need to add the Scripts/ subfolder to the search path:

Bash or sh: edit .profile in your home directory and add the line: PATH="$PATH:/path/to/PowerShell/Scripts"
Windows: open the environment variables dialogue and add the full path to Scripts/ to the system environment variable "Path"

Using PowerShell in Context Menus

to enable "right-click > New > Windows PowerShell Script" execute Add_ps1_to_New_context_menu.reg in subfolder Misc/
to disable this execute Remove_ps1_from_New_context_menu.reg in subfolder Misc/

Script Conventions

Each PowerShell script should follow the 9 golden rules:

the filename should be named <verb>-<object>.ps1
the first line reads #!/bin/powershell to support PowerShell on Linux
the script has execute file permissions (chmod a+rx ) to support PowerShell on Linux
provide a comment-based help with syntax, description, link, author, and license
check the requirements (e.g. #Requires -RunAsAdministrator, or #Requires -Version 3)
prefer command-line options, else ask the user
use Set-StrictMode -Version Latest to enable additional error checking
for readibility use UpperCamelCase for variables and functions, lowerCamelCase for everything else
exit 0 for success, else print an error message and exit with the error code (mostly 1)

Feedback

Send your email feedback to: markus [at] fleschutz [dot] de

License & Copyright

This open source release is licensed under the CC0 license. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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