PART I
FUNDAMENTALS

As the old adage goes, you must learn to crawl before you can walk. When it comes to building tools with PowerShell, it’s no different. In Parts II and III of this book, you’re going to learn how to build some powerful tools. But before you do that, you’ll need to learn the language basics. If you’re already an intermediate or expert PowerShell user, you’re welcome to skip Part I. Although you may find a nugget or two of knowledge you didn’t previously know, it’s probably not worth the time it takes to digest this entire part.

But if you’re new to PowerShell, this part’s for you. We’ll explore the PowerShell language and learn about some of the constructs you’ll use constantly. We’ll cover everything from basic coding concepts, like variables and functions, to writing scripts, running them remotely, and testing them with something called Pester. Because we’ll go through only the basics, we won’t build too many tools just yet—that’s what Part II and Part III are for. Here we’ll use small examples to get our grip on the language. You’re going to get your first glimpse of what PowerShell is capable of. Let’s get started!