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Mastering Windows PowerShell Scripting
Mastering Windows PowerShell Scripting

Mastering Windows PowerShell Scripting: Master the art of automating and managing your Windows environment using PowerShell

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Mastering Windows PowerShell Scripting

Chapter 2. Data Parsing and Manipulation

One of the most powerful features of PowerShell is its ability to retrieve and manipulate data. Many a times when you retrieve data from a PowerShell session, the format in which it is available is different from what you would want to display in the PowerShell window or in a log file. For this purpose, PowerShell provides powerful cmdlets and methods to perform data manipulation to best suit your needs as a PowerShell scripter.

While reading this chapter, you'll learn the following concepts:

  • String manipulation
  • Number manipulation and parsing
  • Date/time manipulation
  • Forcing data types
  • PowerShell pipeline

String manipulation

String manipulation is something that you'll need to do in almost every script you create. While some of the string methods will be used more often than others, they all serve different purposes for your script. It is ultimately up to your creativity on how you want data to look when it is displayed on the screen.

To change the text to uppercase, execute the following command:

$a = "Error: This is an example error"
$a.toUpper()

The output of this is shown in the following screenshot:

String manipulation

The toUpper() method is used to format the text to uppercase. This is helpful in situations where messages need to be emphasized or should stand out. The result of this command will change the case.

To change the string to lowercase, execute the following command:

$string = "The MAC Address is " 
$mac = "00:A0:AA:BB:CC:DD"
$message = $string + $mac.toLower()
$message

The output of this is shown in the following screenshot:

String manipulation

The inverse of toUpper() is the use...

Number manipulation and parsing

PowerShell is a powerful mathematics calculator. In fact, PowerShell has an entire Windows class dedicated to mathematics calculations that can be called by using the [System.Math] .NET class. When you are working with the [System.Math] classes, it is common to call static fields within a class. Static fields are static properties, methods, and objects that can be called to display data or do actions. To call a static field, you call the [Math] (shortened version of [System.Math]) class, followed by two colons :: and the static field name.

To use the math operation to calculate pi, execute the following command:

[math]::pi

The output of this is shown in the following screenshot:

Number manipulation and parsing

This simple command will provide PI if you ever need it for a calculation by using the pi method of the math class. The result of this command returns 3.14159265358979.

To use the math operation to calculate Euler's number, execute the following command:

[math]::e

The output of this...

Date and time manipulation

When you are scripting, there are times where you may need to get the date and time of a system. PowerShell offers the get-date cmdlet, which provides the date and time in many different formats of your choice.

To obtain the date object, execute the following command:

$time = get-date
$time

The output of this is shown in the following screenshot:

Date and time manipulation

The standard get-date cmdlet, without any triggers, will generate the long date and time format. When you store the date object in a variable, it is important to remember that the data captured from the cmdlet is a snapshot in time. You'll have to call the get-date cmdlet again to get new values for the updated date and time.

The following table displays all of the date time formatting codes:

Format code

Result

Example

MM

Month in numeric format

04

DD

Day in numeric format

15

YYYY

Year in numeric format

2014

HH

Hour in numeric format (24hrs)

14

hh

Hour in numeric format (12hrs)

02

mm

Minutes in numeric...

Forcing data types

While developing scripts, you may run into instances where you may want to force a specific data type. This is helpful in cases where PowerShell automatically interprets the output from a command incorrectly. You can force data types by the use of brackets specifying a data type and a variable.

To force a string data type, execute the following command:

[string]$myString = "Forcing a String Container"
$myString

The output of this is shown in the following screenshot:

Forcing data types

The preceding command forces the string data type to the $myString variable. The result is that the $myString variable will always remain a string. It is important to know that if the object or item that you are trying to force to a data type doesn't have a direct conversion to that data type, it will throw an error or exception. This would be the case if you try to insert a string into an integer data type.

To force a string data type and generate a data exception, execute the following command...

Piping variables

The concept of piping isn't anything new to the scripting world. Piping, by definition, is directing the output of an object to another object. When you use piping in PowerShell, you are taking the output of one command and sending the data for use with another section of code. The manipulation can be either to a more legible format, or can be by selecting a specific object and digging deeper into those attributes. A pipe is designated by the '|' symbol and is used after you enter a command. The construct of a pipe looks like this: command | ResultManipulation | SortingObjects. If you need to access the individual items in the pipeline, you can leverage the pipeline output $_ command. This tells the pipeline to evaluate the results from the pipeline and their attributes.

The pipeline offers a wide variety of uses; you can leverage commands such as sort-object to sort by a specific attribute, format-list to format the objects into a list, and even the select...

String manipulation


String manipulation is something that you'll need to do in almost every script you create. While some of the string methods will be used more often than others, they all serve different purposes for your script. It is ultimately up to your creativity on how you want data to look when it is displayed on the screen.

To change the text to uppercase, execute the following command:

$a = "Error: This is an example error"
$a.toUpper()

The output of this is shown in the following screenshot:

The toUpper() method is used to format the text to uppercase. This is helpful in situations where messages need to be emphasized or should stand out. The result of this command will change the case.

To change the string to lowercase, execute the following command:

$string = "The MAC Address is " 
$mac = "00:A0:AA:BB:CC:DD"
$message = $string + $mac.toLower()
$message

The output of this is shown in the following screenshot:

The inverse of toUpper() is the use of toLower(). This command will convert...

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Description

If you are a system administrator who wants to become an expert in controlling and automating your Windows environment, then this book is for you. Prior knowledge of PowerShell's core elements and applications is required for this book.

What you will learn

  • Utilize variables, hashes, and arrays to store data
  • Parse and manipulate different data types
  • Optimize code through the use of functions, switches, and looping structures
  • Create and implement regular expressions in PowerShell scripts
  • Leverage sessionbased remote management
  • Manage files, folders, and registries through the use of PowerShell
  • Discover the best practices to manage Microsoft systems

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Apr 27, 2015
Length: 282 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781782173557
Vendor :
Microsoft
Languages :
Tools :

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Product Details

Publication date : Apr 27, 2015
Length: 282 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781782173557
Vendor :
Microsoft
Languages :
Tools :

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Table of Contents

15 Chapters
1. Variables, Arrays, and Hashes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Data Parsing and Manipulation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Comparison Operators Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Functions, Switches, and Loops Structures Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Regular Expressions Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Error and Exception Handling and Testing Code Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Session-based Remote Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Managing Files, Folders, and Registry Items Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. File, Folder, and Registry Attributes, ACLs, and Properties Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Windows Management Instrumentation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. XML Manipulation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
12. Managing Microsoft Systems with PowerShell Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
13. Automation of the Environment Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
14. Script Creation Best Practices and Conclusion Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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Me May 23, 2015
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I have numerous books on PowerShell and have been working with PowerShell for only a few months. But this is the first book on PowerShell that I can say truly speaks to me. The light bulb came on as I was reading this book. It is well written and organized in such a manner that I can honestly see myself taking my PowerShell skills to the next level. It is an absolutely great book that I would highly recommend to anyone who also wants to take their PowerShell skills to the next level. Each chapter made me want to continue reading more and had me looking forward to the next chapter. I am also looking forward to introducing this book to all of my co-workers with the hope that they also will build on their knowledge of PowerShell. This book has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf. Thank you for this book…
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Brenton Blawat May 07, 2015
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After a years worth of work, I finally have the Mastering Windows PowerShell Scripting book complete. It is absolutely everything you need to know to become a PowerShell Master in your environment. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it!
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Todd M. Williamsen Jun 15, 2016
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I personally have worked with the author at a mutual client. Brenton is extremely willing to help at any costs, and he exhibits the same motive in this book.
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Jason P Dec 02, 2015
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I am starting out learning PowerShell for my job and this book helped me out a ton. Great book, well written, excellent guide.
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Kenzo Sep 02, 2016
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great foundational fountain of knowledge for powershell
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