PowerGUI brings PowerShell scripting support to Visual Studio

Posted by David Cooksey on Nov 28, 2011

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Scripting ,

Visual Studio ,

.NET ,

Microsoft ,

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IDE ,

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Quest Software’s PowerGUI Visual Studio Extension (VSX) provides syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and debugging for Power Shell scripts inside Visual Studio. In addition to these core GUI features, PowerGUI settings, imported modules, snippets, and a console window are provided. A PowerShell project type is also included. PowerShell scripts can be opened in the full PowerGUI Script Editor with a single click from Visual Studio.

The PowerGUI VSX is not a standalone extension; it relies on a PowerGUI installation to provide its features. When downloading the PowerGUI VSX, make sure that you are downloading the correct version for your PowerGUI installation.

PowerGUI is a free IDE for PowerShell scripts created by Quest Software that provides features such as syntax highlighting and IntelliSense. The basic unit of functionality inside PowerGUI is the PowerPack. A PowerPack is a group of PowerShell scripts used to extend functionality inside PowerGUI. Basic power packs include Local System, Active Directory, and Network.

The Local System PowerPack provides an interface for local administrative tasks such as management of Windows Services, local users and groups, and processes. The Network PowerPack allows this same set of management tools to be run against any machine on the network. The Active Directory PowerPack allows many common tasks such as user and group management to be executed from PowerGui.

PowerGUI automatically records all scripts executed through the menu, so you can run a complex query through the menu and view the precise commands that were executed. It also provides debugging and reporting capabilities. A wide variety of additional functionality is available through the PowerPack library. This library currently holds more than 100 additional PowerPacks.

PowerGUI Pro is the commercial version of power GUI. This version includes MobileShell, which allows PowerShell-based systems management to be executed from a mobile device or web browser. Integrated Microsoft team foundation server and SourceSafe source control are also included. The Easy PowerShell Remoting feature simplifies creating remoting scripts and executing remote commands through predefined configurations. Power GUI Pro also allows you to compile your scripts. Go to function definition allows for easier code navigation. This version includes technical support.

Windows PowerShell is a free Net-based command-line shell and scripting language designed for system administrators by Microsoft. It allows administrators to handle many common tasks including active directory actions and WMI operations. PowerShell is based on Cmdlets, lightweight commands that typically return a.Net object. Users can use the pre-existing Cmdlets or create their own.