Collection of Useful PowerShell Scripts

This repository contains 50+ useful cross-platform PowerShell scripts - to be used by command-line (CLI), for remote control (RC), by context menu, by voice control, by automation software (e.g. Jenkins), or simply for learning.

List of Scripts

The following PowerShell scripts can be found in the Scripts/ subfolder:

• clone-repos.ps1 - clones well-known Git repositories
• configure-git.ps1 - sets up the Git configuration
• download.ps1 - downloads the file/directory from the given URL
• earthquakes.ps1 - prints the stronger earthquakes for the last 30 days
• empty-dir.ps1 - empties the given directory
• enable-crash-dumps.ps1 - enables the writing of crash dumps
• inspect-exe.ps1 - prints basic information of the given executable file
• list-empty-dirs.ps1 - lists empty subfolders in a directory tree
• list-unused-files.ps1 - lists unused files in a directory tree
• list-cmdlets.ps1 - lists the PowerShell cmdlets
• list-modules.ps1 - lists the PowerShell modules
• list-passwords.ps1 - generates and prints a list of new passwords
• list-processes.ps1 - lists the local computer processes
• locate-city.ps1 - prints the lat/long coordinates of the given city
• locate-ipaddress.ps1 - locates the geographic position of the given IP address
• MD5.ps1 - prints the MD5 checksum of the given file
• make-install.ps1 - installs built executables and libs to the installation directory
• matrix-effect.ps1 - shows the Matrix effect
• moon.ps1 - prints the current moon phase
• open-browser.ps1 - starts the default Web browser
• open-email-client.ps1 - starts the default email client
• poweroff.ps1 - halts the local computer (needs administrator rights)
• new-email.ps1 - starts the default email client to write a new email
• news.ps1 - prints the latest news
• reboot.ps1 - reboots the local computer (needs administrator rights)
• 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
• SHA1.ps1 - prints the SHA1 checksum of the given file
• SHA256.ps1 - prints the SHA256 checksum of the given file
• simulate-presence.ps1 - simulates the human presence against burglars
• simulate-typewriter.ps1 - prints a message with the typewriter effect
• speak-file.ps1 - speaks the content of the given text file by text-to-speech (TTS)
• speak-text.ps1 - speaks the given text 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
• test.ps1 - simple test script
• 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
• txt2wav.ps1 - converts text into a audio .WAV file
• validate-xml.ps1 - validates the given XML file
• 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 world-wide
• wakeup.ps1 - sends a magic packet to the given computer, waking him up
• zip-dir.ps1 - creates a zip archive of the given folder

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 /snap/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 Context_Menus/
• to disable this execute Remove_ps1_from_New_context_menu.reg in subfolder Context_Menus/

Script Conventions

Each PowerShell script should follow the 7 golden rules:

• Rule #1: the filename should be named <verb>-<object>.ps1
• Rule #2: the first line reads: #!/snap/bin/powershell (to support PowerShell on Linux)
• Rule #3: the script has execute file permissions (chmod a+rx ) to support PowerShell on Linux
• Rule #4: provide a metadata header with syntax, description, author, source, and license
• Rule #5: prefer command-line options, else ask the user
• Rule #6: the encoding of the script is in UTF-8 with BOM to support Unicode characters
• Rule #7: exits 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.