Most of this post is also based on the Microsoft’s Windows PowerShell Quick Reference however despite the sharing scripting runtimes the nature of the both shells differ considerably as described in the previous post: PowerShell for EPiServer – cheat sheet – Part 1. In all cases where it made sense I’ve converted the samples to establish them in EPiServer scenarios.

How to Write Conditional Statements

To write an If statement use code similar to this:

$page = Get-CurrentPage;
$changedBy = $page.ChangedBy;
$me = [EPiServer.Security.PrincipalInfo]::Current;
$myName = $me.Name;

if ($changedBy -eq "")
  { "Unspecified author - a system page?" }
elseif ($changedBy -eq $myName)
  { "The page has been last edited by me!" }
else
  { "The page has been last edited by "+ $changedBy }

Instead of writing a series of If statements you can use a Switch statement, which is equivalent to VBScript’s Select Case statement:

$page = Get-CurrentPage;
switch ($page.PageChildOrderRule) {
    0 {"Undefined sort order. "}
    1 {"Most recently created page will be first in list"}
    2 {"Oldest created page will be first in list"}
    3 {"Sorted alphabetical on name"}
    4 {"Sorted on page index"}
    5 {"Most recently changed page will be first in list"}
    6 {"Sort on ranking, only supported by special controls"}
    7 {"Oldest published page will be first in list"}
    8 {"Most recently published page will be first in list"}
    default {"No idea what that means!"}
  }

How to Write For and For Each Loops

To write a For statement use code similar to this:

for ($a = 1; $a -le 10; $a++) {$a}

By comparison, a For Each statement might look like this:

foreach ($i in Get-ChildItem .)
{ $i.PageTypeName }

How to Write Do Loops

To write a Do loop use code like the following, replacing the code between the curly braces with the code to be executed on each iteration of the loop. Oh: and replacing the code inside the parentheses with the loop condition:

$a = 1
do {$a; $a++}
while ($a -lt 10)

$a = 1
do {$a; $a++}
until ($a –gt 10)

How to Use .NET Objects and Classes

To use a .NET Framework class static method enclose the class name in square brackets, then separate the class name and the method using a pair of colons:

$parent = Get-CurrentPage;
$myPage = [EPiServer.DataFactory]::Instance.GetDefaultPageData(
              $parent.PageLink, "[AlloyTech] Standard page");
$myPage.PageName = "My New Page";
$myPage.URLSegment = [EPiServer.Web.UrlSegment]::CreateUrlSegment($myPage);
Save-Page($myPage);

To create an object reference to a .NET Framework object use the New-Object cmdlet:

$page = Get-CurrentPage;
$urlBuilder = New-Object '
                   -type EPiServer.UrlBuilder
                   -argumentlist $page.LinkURL;
[EPiServer.Global]::UrlRewriteProvider.ConvertToExternal(
    $urlBuilder, $page.PageLink, [System.Text.UTF8Encoding]::UTF8);
$currentPath = $urlBuilder.Path

Note. This is a cursory overview of working with .NET. The two techniques shown here will not necessarily work with all .NET classes.

How to Select Properties

To work with or display specified properties of a collection, pipe the returned results to the Select-Object cmdlet:

Get-CurrentPage | Select-Object PageName, PageTypeName

How to Sort Data

To sort data returned by Windows PowerShell simply pipe that data to the Sort-Object cmdlet, specifying the property you want to sort by:

Get-ChildItem -recurse |
    Sort-Object PageName |
    Select-Object PageName, PageTypeName

You can also add the –descending or -ascending parameters to specify a sort order:

Get-ChildItem -recurse |
    Sort-Object PageSaved -descending |
    Select-Object PageName, PageSaved, ChangedBy

You can even sort by multiple properties:

Get-ChildItem -recurse |
    Sort-Object PageTypeName, ChangedBy |
    Select-Object PageTypeName, ChangedBy, PageName

How to Work with WMI

To get computer information using WMI call the Get-WMIObject cmdlet followed by the class name:

Get-WMIObject Win32_BIOS

If the class you are interested in does not reside in the cimv2 namespace simply include the –namespace parameter:

Get-WMIObject SystemRestore `
    -namespace rootdefault

To access data on another computer use the –computername parameter:

Get-WMIObject Win32_BIOS `
    –computername atl-ws-01

To limit returned data, use a WQL query and the –query parameter:

Get-WMIObject -query `
    "Select * From Win32_Service `
        Where State = 'Stopped'"

How to “Interrogate” an Object

To get information about the properties and methods of an object retrieve an instance of that object and then “pipe” the object to the Get-Member cmdlet. For example, this command returns the properties and methods available when working with processes:

Get-Item . | Get-Member

More tips coming soon… In the mean time please download the fresh version of the plugin with the latest improvements:

[Download & Enjoy]

Get it while it’s hot – still includes 3 bonus script collections!

How to install?

Extract the DLL form the ZIP file into the BIN folder of your web application to install the plugin. Remove the DLL to uninstall it.

All feedback appreciated!

In lieu of the regular disclaimer:

Science isn’t about why, it’s about why not!?

You ask: why is so much of our science dangerous?

I say: why not marry safe science if you love it so much. In fact, why not invent a special safety door that won’t hit you in the butt on the way out, because YOU ARE FIRED!

Yes you, box your stuff, out the front door, parking lot, car, goodbye.

– Cave Johnson

That said, I considered that enough of the Reference document is irrelevant in the EPiServer scenario that it’s beneficial for the users of the console to have a bespoke cheat sheet created especially for the purpose of this plugin.

The content & samples of the original cheat sheet has been adjusted to more closely reflect scenarios usable for an EPiServer admin or developer.

So here go the EPiServer specific tips

How to get Current Page

To get the page for the location you’re in you can use either one:

Get-Item .

Get-CurrentPage

How to get Current Page’s children

To get the children of the page you’re currently in:

Get-ChildItem

To get the children of the page you’re currently in and all of its children children (whole branch):

Get-ChildItem –recurse

How to Modify a page

the modification depends on whether you’re modifying the Page Template defined properties or the PageData (POCO – C#) properties. In case of the former the modification is scripted into the attached property (which I script within the environment to create the writable clone behind the scenes)

Get-CurrentPage |
ForEach-Object { $_.MainBody = “<p>Hello World</p>” }

but in case of the POCO properties you need to do part of the work yourself:

Get-CurrentPage |
ForEach-Object {
$writable = $_.CreateWritableClone();
$writable.PageName = “Hello World”;
Save-Page($writable);
}

How to restart the application

To restart the application use the following command:

Restart-Application

How to get system properties and environment variables

Some more important variables are mapped onto the PowerShell variables by the plugin. Notable variables (value depending on your server configuration):

Additionally you can list all environment variables by using:

[System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariables()

and get the value of a specific variable with e.g.:

[System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("ComputerName")

PowerShell Language and environment specific tips

How to Insert Comments

To insert a comment, use the pound sign (#):

# This is a comment, not a line to be run.

How to Insert Line Breaks

To insert a line break into a Windows PowerShell script use the backtick (`) :

$b = `
"This is a continuation of the line."

You can also break a line at the pipe separator (|) character (assuming your line uses the pipeline):

Get-ChildItem C:Scripts |
Sort-Object Length –Descending

How to Create Multi-Command Lines

To put multiple commands on a single line, separate those commands using a semicolon:

$a = 1,2,3,4,5; $b = $a[2]; $b

Hint. This script writes-out the value of $b which is 3

How to Make Comparisons

Windows PowerShell cmdlets (like Where-Object) use a special set of comparison operators, including those shown in the following table.

Each of these operators can be made case sensitive by adding a c immediately after the hyphen. For example, -ceq represents the case-sensitive equals operator; -clt is the case-sensitive less than operator.

How to Read a Text File

To read the contents of a text file into a variable, call the Get-Content cmdlet followed by the path to the text file:

$a = Get-Content C:ScriptsTest.txt

Each line in the file ends up as an item in the array $a. If you want to access a single line in the file you can simply specify the index number corresponding to that line:

$a[0]

This command echoes back the last line in $a:

$a[-1]

Bonus. To determine the number of lines, words, and characters in a text file use this command:

Get-Content c:scriptstest.txt |
measure-object -line -word -character

How to Write to a Text File

To save data to a text file use the Out-File cmdlet:

Get-CurrentPage | Out-File C:ScriptsTest.txt

To append data to an existing file, add the –append parameter:

Get-CurrentPage | Out-File C:ScriptsTest.txt –append

Attention. Unlike in the regular Windows PowerShell console you cannot use the MS-DOS redirection characters (> for write, >> for append) when using EPiServer hosted PowerShell.

Another option is to use the Export-CSV cmdlet to save data as a comma-separated-values file:

Get-Process | Export-CSV C:ScriptsTest.txt

More tips coming soon… In the mean time please download the fresh version of the plugin with the latest improvements:

[Download & Enjoy]
Get it while it’s hot – still includes 3 bonus script collections!

How to install?

Extract the DLL form the ZIP file into the BIN folder of your web application to install the plugin. Remove the DLL to uninstall it.

All feedback appreciated!

Disclaimer – Responsibility: With great powers comes great responsibility – this tool can do a lot of harm to a lot of content in a very short time – backup your system before using the plugin! I will not be held responsible for any use of it. Test your scripts on your development server first! Test on an exact copy of production before running scripts on production content.

Disclaimer – Security: While the tool requires a membership in either the “WebAdmin” or “Administrators” group, to execute, protect it with a <location> entry in web.config, to add another layer of security especially if your administration UI is exposed to the public. Manage your group memberships & rights responsibly!

How to write an Admin mode script collections?

<ContextScriptCollection>
  <Title>Statistics Scripts</Title>
  <Description>This script collection ... </Description>
  <Area>Administration</Area>

  <Scripts>
    <ContextScript>
      <Title>Restart Application</Title>
      <Description>The script restarts this instance of EPiServer...</Warning>
      <Script>Restart-Application</Script>

      <Icon>/App_Themes/Default/Images/Tools/Refresh.gif</Icon>
      <Groups>
      </Groups>
    </ContextScript>
  </Scripts>

</ContextScriptCollection>

Where can I access that?

Additional changes in this version

Scripts now have access to 3 starting predefined variables:

and 1 more PowerShell Function have been defined: Reset-Application.

[Download & Enjoy]

Includes 3 bonus script collections!

How to install?

Extract the DLL form the ZIP file into the BIN folder of your web application to install the plugin. Remove the DLL to uninstall it.

All feedback appreciated!

Disclaimer – Responsibility: With great powers comes great responsibility – this tool can do a lot of harm to a lot of content in a very short time – backup your system before using the plugin! I will not be held responsible for any use of it. Test your scripts on your development server first! Test on an exact copy of production before running scripts on production content.

Disclaimer – Security: While the tool requires a membership in either the “WebAdmin” or “Administrators” group, to execute, protect it with a <location> entry in web.config, to add another layer of security especially if your administration UI is exposed to the public. Manage your group memberships & rights responsibly!

The goal for this week: Context Scripts

Context scripts are the first step to break the scripting out of the admin realm and into the editor’s space. Those scripts will still be written by admins and developers but the goal is for them to be usable by the authors. The goal for those scripts can be as trivial as e.g. syndicating all the great functionality little plugins like this Unpublish button by Ted in one place and then mix and match them to your liking.

Some of the important bits:

• Context scripts are something that is visible to users on “Scripts” page.
• Scripts can be exposed to everyone or just the groups of your liking… you define it in the script.
• Scripts are grouped in collections that are defined in *.psepi files that you drop into your application folder

How do I define a script collection?

Each script collection is defined within a single .psepi file. A sample script can look as follows:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ContextScriptCollection>
  <Title>Statistics Scripts</Title>

  <Description>This is a sample script collection allows for calculating some interesting stats for the branch you're in.</Description>
  <Scripts>
    <ContextScript>
      <Title>Author Statistics</Title>
      <Description>Click to Learn more about how many pages under this one were created by which authors.</Description>

      <Script>get-childitem -recurse | Group-Object  ChangedBy | Sort count -descending | format-table -property count, name</Script>
        <Icon>/App_Themes/Default/Images/Tools/AddUser.gif</Icon>
        <Warning>This script only calculates statistics so it does not really need a warning but let’s show it anyway. Do you want to calculate them?</Warning>
      <Groups>

        <string>WebAdmins</string>
        <string>Administrators</string>
      </Groups>
    </ContextScript>
  </Scripts>

</ContextScriptCollection>

What does each of the tags mean?

• Title & Description on ContextScriptCollection are going to appear at the top of the list for the collection – pretty self explanatory.
• Scripts is a container for ContentScript tags, it can contain any number of them.
• Each ContentScript tag represent a single script, where Title is what will appear on the button that the user will click to execute the script.
• Script tag contains the script body – this is where you put the code that will get executed
• Icon is a URL to an image that will appear on the button left of the button title.
• Warning tag contains a question that will get presented to the user before the script will be executed. This tag can be omitted in which case no warning will be shown. A rule of thumb would be that you should show a warning before a long running scripts and scripts that modify content so a user can back away from a mistakenly pressed button.
• Groups tag contains the list of groups that will have the right to see the script. if that tag is empty, all users will see the script. If you define at least one group, you need to define all groups that you want to see the button.

What does “Context” in Context scripts mean?

Basically since we cannot show the editor a console and let them navigate to the page (for various reasons, like complexity and potential destructive powers ) The scripting environment will put your script “in the current page” before releasing control to your script, which in essence is equivalent to typing before your script.

cd MyCMSDrive:
cd /path/to/my/page/

That means that your script can get access to the page the user is currently on simply by using the “get-item .” command or enumerate its children by use of “get-childitem” etc. in the case of the script above it calculates author statistics for the branch it is executed in. Pretty cool, huh?

Additionally I’ve realized in the process of duplicating/extending the functionality of Ted’s plugin that modifying standard EPiServer properties is not necessarily very intuitive, hence I’ve created a few macros to help me with the scripting exercises. While I still need to call “CreateWritableClone” I’ve simplified the saving of a page by defining the “Save-Page” function and created a Get-CurrentPage as an alias to “get-item .”. So a following script unpublishes the current page:

Get-CurrentPage | foreach-object {
$writable = $_.CreateWritableClone();
$writable.StopPublish = [DateTime]::Now;
Save-Page($writable);
}

While this one unpublishes all of its children

get-childitem -recurse | foreach-object {
$writable = $_.CreateWritableClone();
$writable.StopPublish = [DateTime]::Now;
Save-Page($writable);
}

Notice the subtle difference in the script and the major difference in the effect? Pure PowerShell magic!

To be honest I was amused to find out that during the whole process I’ve still not broken the CMS 5 compatibility, but I don’t expect it to stay this way in the future.

Also at this moment you can add and remove the *.psepi files at any moment as the files are parsed on every request, if that proves to be a problem in the future, caching will get introduced. At this moment I don’t find it a problem as it only happens in edit mode.

[Download & Enjoy]

Includes 2 bonus script collections!

How to install?

Extract the DLL form the ZIP file into the BIN folder of your web application to install the plugin. Remove the DLL to uninstall it.

All constructive feedback appreciated!

Disclaimer – Responsibility: With great powers comes great responsibility – this tool can do a lot of harm to a lot of content in a very short time – backup your system before using the plugin! I will not be held responsible for any use of it. Test your scripts on your development server first! Test on an exact copy of production before running scripts on production content.

Disclaimer – Security: While the tool requires a membership in either the “WebAdmin” or “Administrators” group, to execute, protect it with a <location> entry in web.config, to add another layer of security especially if your administration UI is exposed to the public. Manage your group memberships & rights responsibly!

pre.ps1
{
padding: 4px;
margin: 4px 0 4px 0;
overflow: auto;
background-color: #012456;
border: thin solid #aaa;
color:#fff;
font-weight:900;
width: 95%;
border: solid #000 1px;
}