You Get a Package Manager and You Get a Package Manager
Everyone gets a package manager. Within the context of PowerShell and .NET packages you may hear about PsGet, PowerShellGet, PowerShellGallery, OneGet, Package Management, NuGet, MyGet, and Chocolatey. I was very familiar with NuGet, MyGet, and Choclately but I wasn’t so clear on the distinctions between PsGet, PowerShellGet, PowerShellGallery, OneGet, and “Package Management”. I thought This StackOverflow post did a decent job of clarifying the distinctions.
Okay so OneGet is a “Package Manager Manager” and was renamed to “Package Management”. Yo dawg I heard you like package managers so I put a “package manager” around your package managers so you can manage packages while you manage packages. One “package manager” to rule them all and in the darkness, bind them. Okay, that’s enough.
It appeared PSGet was like NuGet for PowerShell scripts before PowerShellGet made it obsolete but some people were referring to PowerShellGet as PSGet which can add to the confusion. Finally PowerShellGallery was a package source/repo like nuget.org but specifically for PowerShell scripts and cmdlets that can be installed and otherwise managed by PowerShellGet.
Introducing PackageManagement in Windows 10 provides a good conceptual overview:
Installing Package Management
Since I was on Windows 10, I was relieved I didn’t have to install or configure anything to start using Package Management. Otherwise it can be obtained from Windows Management Framework 5+ or via OneGet GitHub.Finding a Package
I started by searching for the functionality I was looking for on PowerShellGallery website. In this case I was looking for script code to locate the latest Visual Studio location without hardcoding it or making too many assumptions.
Installing a Package
After trying to install the first package I was surprised by the following error.
C:\source\myproject [develop]> Install-Module -Name VSSetup Install-Module : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'Name'. At line:1 char:16 + Install-Module -Name VSSetup + ~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [Install-Module], ParameterBindingException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NamedParameterNotFound,Install-Module
I later found out this was because I had PSGet installed already (to my surprise) and that defined Install-Module so it conflicted with PowerShellGet and was getting picked up instead of the function with the same name in PowerShellGet. Per that post I would later delete PSGet to resolve the conflict. However I didn’t know this was the problem at first so I kept going.
At first I thought maybe I had a typo with the command or package name or maybe PowerShellGet wasn’t installed. I decided to try Find-Module to verify the package did exist by that name in the online gallery.
C:\source\myproject [develop]> Find-Module VSSetup NuGet provider is required to continue PowerShellGet requires NuGet provider version '2.8.5.201' or newer to interact with NuGet-based repositories. The NuGet provider must be available in 'C:\Program Files\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies' or 'C:\Users\geoffh\AppData\Local\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies'. You can also install the NuGet provider by running 'Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force'. Do you want PowerShellGet to install and import the NuGet provider now? [Y] Yes [N] No [S] Suspend [?] Help (default is "Y"): Y Version Name Repository Description ------- ---- ---------- ----------- 2.0.1.3... VSSetup PSGallery Visual Studio Setup PowerShell Module
Interestingly enough, after running Find-Module, subsequent calls to Install-Module started picking up the version in PowerShellGet, presumably because that module just got loaded. Again I wasn’t aware of the module conflict at the time. I no longer received the error about the Name parameter. However I now realized installing a module is for all users (by default) and that requires running PowerShell as Administrator.
C:\source\myproject [develop]> Install-Module -Name VSSetup Install-Module : Administrator rights are required to install modules in 'C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules'. Log on to the computer with an account that has Administrator rights, and then try again, or install 'C:\Users\geoffh\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules' by adding "-Scope CurrentUser" to your command. You can also try running the Windows PowerShell session with elevated rights (Run as Administrator). At line:1 char:1 + Install-Module -Name VSSetup + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [Install-Module], ArgumentException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InstallModuleNeedsCurrentUserScopeParameterForNonAdminUser,Install-Module
I was too lazy to restart the shell so I added -Scope CurrentUser to the install command.
C:\source\myproject [develop]> Install-Module -Name VSSetup -Scope CurrentUser Untrusted repository You are installing the modules from an untrusted repository. If you trust this repository, change its InstallationPolicy value by running the Set-PSRepository cmdlet. Are you sure you want to install the modules from 'PSGallery'? [Y] Yes [A] Yes to All [N] No [L] No to All [S] Suspend [?] Help (default is "N"): Y
Getting Familiar with PackageMangement (“OneGet”) Commands
First I wanted to see what commands are available within PackageManagement.
C:\source\myproject [develop ≡]> Get-Command -Module PackageManagement
CommandType Name Version Source
----------- ---- ------- ------
Cmdlet Find-Package 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Find-PackageProvider 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Get-Package 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Get-PackageProvider 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Get-PackageSource 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Import-PackageProvider 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Install-Package 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Install-PackageProvider 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Register-PackageSource 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Save-Package 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Set-PackageSource 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Uninstall-Package 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Cmdlet Unregister-PackageSource 1.0.0.1 PackageManagement
Next I discovered the parameters to Get-Package so I can see what packages are installed and get details about them. Running it without any arguments can generate a long list and can be painfully slow (ask me how I know) since it will include package sources like MSI.
C:\source\myproject [develop ≡]> get-help get-package
NAME
Get-Package
SYNTAX
Get-Package [[-Name] <string[]>] [-RequiredVersion <string>] [-MinimumVersion <string>] [-MaximumVersion <string>]
[-AllVersions] [-Force] [-ForceBootstrap] [-ProviderName {Programs | msi | msu | NuGet | PowerShellGet | psl |
chocolatey}] [-IncludeWindowsInstaller] [-IncludeSystemComponent] [<CommonParameters>]
Get-Package [[-Name] <string[]>] [-RequiredVersion <string>] [-MinimumVersion <string>] [-MaximumVersion <string>]
[-AllVersions] [-Force] [-ForceBootstrap] [-ProviderName {Programs | msi | msu | NuGet | PowerShellGet | psl |
chocolatey}] [-AdditionalArguments <string[]>] [<CommonParameters>]
Get-Package [[-Name] <string[]>] [-RequiredVersion <string>] [-MinimumVersion <string>] [-MaximumVersion <string>]
[-AllVersions] [-Force] [-ForceBootstrap] [-ProviderName {Programs | msi | msu | NuGet | PowerShellGet | psl |
chocolatey}] [-Destination <string>] [-ExcludeVersion] [-Scope {CurrentUser | AllUsers}] [-SkipDependencies]
[<CommonParameters>]
Get-Package [[-Name] <string[]>] [-RequiredVersion <string>] [-MinimumVersion <string>] [-MaximumVersion <string>]
[-AllVersions] [-Force] [-ForceBootstrap] [-ProviderName {Programs | msi | msu | NuGet | PowerShellGet | psl |
chocolatey}] [-Scope {CurrentUser | AllUsers}] [-PackageManagementProvider <string>] [-Type {Module | Script |
All}] [-AllowClobber] [-SkipPublisherCheck] [-InstallUpdate] [-NoPathUpdate] [<CommonParameters>]
Finding Installed Packages
First I tried searching by partial name with VS*, which returned more results than I would’ve thought (output below is truncated).
C:\source\myproject [develop ≡]> get-package -name VS* Name Version Source ProviderName ---- ------- ------ ------------ vs_networkemulationmsi_x64 15.0.26208 msi vs_SQLClickOnceBootstrappermsi 15.0.26208 msi vs_communitymsires 15.0.26228 msi vs_filehandler_amd64 15.0.26228 msi VS Update core components 14.0.25431 msi vs_update3notification 14.0.25431 msi VSSetup 2.0.1.32208 https://www.powershellgallery... PowerShellGet vs_cuitcommoncoremsi 15.0.26208 msi ...
Since I was only looking for PowerShellGet packages, it made more sense to search by provider name.
C:\source\myproject [develop ≡]> get-package -providername PowerShellGet Name Version Source ProviderName ---- ------- ------ ------------ VSSetup 2.0.1.32208 https://www.powershellgallery... PowerShellGet
Listing Commands Within PowerShellGet
Next I wanted to explore what’s inside a given PowerShellGet package. Before I could do that, I needed to know the commands PowerShellGet exposed.C:\source\myproject [develop ≡]> get-command -module PowerShellGet
CommandType Name Version Source
----------- ---- ------- ------
Function Find-Command 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Find-DscResource 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Find-Module 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Find-RoleCapability 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Find-Script 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Get-InstalledModule 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Get-InstalledScript 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Get-PSRepository 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Install-Module 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Install-Script 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function New-ScriptFileInfo 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Publish-Module 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Publish-Script 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Register-PSRepository 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Save-Module 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Save-Script 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Set-PSRepository 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Test-ScriptFileInfo 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Uninstall-Module 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Uninstall-Script 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Unregister-PSRepository 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Update-Module 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Update-ModuleManifest 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Update-Script 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Function Update-ScriptFileInfo 1.0.0.1 PowerShellGet
Finding Commands in PowerShell Modules
With the name of a specific package handy, I can then list commands it exposes.
C:\source\myproject [develop ≡]> Find-Command -ModuleName VSSetup
Name Version ModuleName Repository
---- ------- ---------- ----------
Get-VSSetupInstance 2.0.1.3... VSSetup PSGallery
Select-VSSetupInstance 2.0.1.3... VSSetup PSGallery
Viewing Command Details
Help for a command in a PowerShellGet package can be viewed like any other built-in command.C:\source\myproject [develop ≡]> get-help get-vssetupinstance
NAME
Get-VSSetupInstance
SYNOPSIS
Enumerates instances of Visual Studio and related products.
SYNTAX
Get-VSSetupInstance [-All] [-Prerelease] [<CommonParameters>]
Get-VSSetupInstance -LiteralPath <String[]> [<CommonParameters>]
Get-VSSetupInstance [-Path] <String[]> [<CommonParameters>]
DESCRIPTION
Enumerates instances of Visual Studio and related products. By default, instances with fatal errors are not
returned by you can pass `-All` to enumerate them as well.
RELATED LINKS
Online Version: https://github.com/Microsoft/vssetup.powershell/raw/master/docs/VSSetup/Get-VSSetupInstance.md
REMARKS
To see the examples, type: "get-help Get-VSSetupInstance -examples".
For more information, type: "get-help Get-VSSetupInstance -detailed".
For technical information, type: "get-help Get-VSSetupInstance -full".
For online help, type: "get-help Get-VSSetupInstance -online"
Viewing Package Details
Piping get-package to format-list can be handy in cases for nitty-gritty package details: get-package -name vssetup | format-list.
Viewing Module Contents
As with any module, PowerShellGet installed or not, I can peek into the contents.
Discovering Other Packages Online
Initially I was browsing functions in packages just through the search on powershellgallery.com. Key functions and other information can be found right in the search results with more detail available on the package’s detail page – VSSetup for example. Later it was often more convenient to search from the command line with Find-Module.
C:\source\myproject [develop ≡]> find-module *build*
Version Name Repository Description
------- ---- ---------- -----------
0.0.47 BuildHelpers PSGallery Helper functions for PowerShell CI/CD scenarios.
3.6.4 InvokeBuild PSGallery Build and test automation in PowerShell
6.5.1.5... VMware.ImageBuilder PSGallery This Windows PowerShell module contains PowerCLI...
1.15.0 Saritasa.Build PSGallery Contains functions to execute MSBuild targets, r...
2.6.0 Invoke-MsBuild PSGallery Executes the MSBuild.exe tool against the specif...
1.4.0 cMDTBuildLab PSGallery A DSC Module to help automize deployment Windows...
0.8.3.1140 LabBuilder PSGallery Builds Hyper-V Windows Labs out of text based co...
2.16.0 Indented.Build PSGallery Indented.Build centralises the build processes /...
1.0.20 PSModuleBuild PSGallery Easily build PowerShell modules for a set of fun...
1.0.2 PowerBuild PSGallery Integrate MSBuild into PowerShell pipeline.
0.1.5 ModuleBuild PSGallery A scaffolding framework which can be used to kic...
0.2.1 BuildMasterAutomation PSGallery The BuildMasterAutomation module is a PowerShell...
1.0.6 ExchangeBuild PSGallery Module Used to List all Exchange Server Versions...
2.0.14 Buildbox.SemVer PSGallery Buildbox.SemVer is a framework that helps you up...
2.0.14 Buildbox.Utils PSGallery This module contains a collection of cmdlets use...
0.1.81 buildbox.wawsdeploy PSGallery Buildbox.WAWSDeploy provides an easy way to publ...
The Payoff
Commands from modules installed via PowerShellGet can be executed just like any other module command.C:\source\myproject [develop]> Get-VSSetupInstance
InstanceId : a9d67b0c
DisplayName : Visual Studio Enterprise 2017
InstallationVersion : 15.0.26430.14
InstallationPath : C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Enterprise
InstallDate : 3/13/2017 10:07:40 AM
The benefit was I found and installed functions easily through PackageManagement and PowerShellGet. I didn’t have to deal with searching all over, multiple differing websites, varying inconsistencies, downloading and extracting zip files, copying files to a modules folder, or importing them from random locations and so forth.
In future posts I’ll likely make more use of commands installed via PowerShellGet but for now I wanted to focus on the package management itself.
So that’s some basics of Package Management and PowerShellGet, or as I like to refer to it, NuGet for PowerShell. Or maybe for short, NuPow? NuGetShell? NuPowerGet? NuNewPSGet? OneNuPSGet? Naming things is hard.
Chocolately NuGet Power Bar. I’ll take five….
Haha that sounds lovely.