PowerShell Weekly for July 19, 2024

Blogs, Articles, and Posts

• Upgrading the Teams and Groups Activity Report to 6.0
  The Teams and Groups activity report is a popular script that helps administrators identify inactive teams and groups within a Microsoft 365 tenant. The script code has been developed over the years. The last version converted to Graph API requests to improve performance. This time, the upgrade is to use the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK to make the code easier to maintain.
• Getting Started with PowerShell and the ServiceNow API
  Unlock the power of ServiceNow's API! Learn how to set up your developer account, create an OAuth app, and make your first API call using PowerShell.
• Install AWS CloudShell in a VPC
  Recently, AWS announced the general availability of CloudShell VPC support. This feature enables the creation of a CloudShell environment within a dedicated VPC, establishing secure connections to other resources in the same subnet. The CloudShell inherits the VPC network configuration without any additional modification. In this article, I will introduce CloudShell, explain the new VPC support, and outline how to install AWS CloudShell in a VPC.
• Restoring the NVIDIA Control Panel and Tools after the Appx Package Change
  With the move from the Standard driver model to the DCH (Declarative Componentized Hardware) driver model implemented from GRID 15.0 (Windows driver version 527.41) and above, the NVIDIA Control Panel app is now distributed through the Microsoft Store as an Appx Package.
• PowerShell PSDrive
  This is sometimes forgotten, the easy way of accessing or checking network drives, certificates, registry, variables, etc. In this blog post, I will show you what a PSDrive does and some examples of its use.
• Practical Graph: Using GitHub Copilot for Microsoft 365 PowerShell Development
  GitHub Copilot costs $10/month. At that price level, anyone working with PowerShell should try out the AI assistance to see if it helps. But will GitHub Copilot work well with Microsoft 365 PowerShell modules like Exchange Online and the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK. That's what we tested and report on here.

Projects, Scripts, and Modules

• UniGetUI (formerly WingetUI): GUI for winget, Chocolatey, and PowerShell Gallery
  UniGetUI, previously known as WingetUI, is a free GUI tool that lets you easily install and update software packages from various sources, such as Winget, Chocolatey, and PowerShell Gallery. Let me show you UniGetUI's features and how it can help you quickly set up a new computer with all the essential software.
• A PowerShell Form Generator
  This article is an evolution of the previous, it regards not only the implementation of the package, but in particular a new paradigm with which the form objects are specified; the article is not intended to be an exhaustive explanation of the product, for this please refer to the attached documentation.

Books, Media, and Learning Resources

• PowerShell 101
  Reluctant to learn PowerShell? This condensed version book targets the specific topics you need to know to be successful in a real-world production environment.
• PSDates with Matthew Dowst
  Matthew Dowst talks about PSDates, a great module for working with [DateTime] in PowerShell

Community

• Emrys MacInally Explores PowerShell Error Handling and Module Versioning Strategies
  In this episode, we welcome back Emrys MacInally, following another successful year speaking at PSConf.EU. Emrys shares his experiences and highlights from the conference, shedding light on key discussions and takeaways. We dive deep into the importance of mental health within the PowerShell community, exploring how the community can support each other. Emrys provides insights into best practices for versioning PowerShell modules and delves into the nuances of error handling, explaining why developers should avoid using the 'throw' statement in scripts. Additionally, Emrys introduces his ErrorRecord module, which simplifies the process of creating error records, offering a practical solution for more efficient error management. Tune in for an enlightening conversation packed with valuable tips and expert advice for PowerShell enthusiasts.
• Navigating Corporate Giants - Jeffrey Snover and the Making of PowerShell
  What if you had to fight against your company's culture to bring a revolutionary tool to life? Meet Jeffrey Snover, the Microsoft architect behind PowerShell, a command tool that transformed Windows system administration. Initially met with skepticism, Snover's idea faced resistance from a company that favored graphical interfaces. Snover's journey began with a simple mission: to make Windows as command-line

Events

• Experts Live Europe 2024
  September 23-25, 2024 - Budapest Congress Center, Hungary

Check out psweekly.dowst.dev for all past editions as well as a searchable archive.