You can use the Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE) to create, run, and debug commands and scripts. The Windows PowerShell ISE consists of the menu bar, Windows PowerShell tabs, the toolbar, script tabs, a Script Pane, an Output Pane, a Command Pane, a status bar, a text-size slider and context-sensitive Help.
Menu Bar
The menu bar contains the File, Edit, View, Debug, and Help menus. Buttons on the menus allow you to perform tasks related to writing and running scripts and running commands in the Windows PowerShell ISE. Additionally, an Add-ons menu may be placed on the menu bar by running certain scripts that use the Windows PowerShell ISE Scripting Object Model.
Windows PowerShell Tabs
A Windows PowerShell tab is the environment in which Windows PowerShell runs. You can open new Windows PowerShell tabs in the Windows PowerShell ISE to create separate environments on your local computer or on remote computers. You may have a maximum of eight PowerShell tabs simultaneously open.
Toolbar
The following buttons are located on the toolbar.
| Button | Function |
|---|---|
|
New |
Opens a new script. |
Open |
Opens an existing script or file. |
|
Save |
Saves a script or file. |
Cut |
Cuts the selected text and copies it to the clipboard. |
Copy |
Copies the selected text to the clipboard. |
Paste |
Pastes the contents of the clipboard at the cursor location. |
Clear Output Pane | Clears all content in the Output Pane. |
Undo | Reverses the action that was just performed. |
|
Redo |
Performs the action that was just undone. |
|
Run Script |
Runs a script. |
Run Selction | Runs a selected portion of a script. |
|
Stop Execution |
Stops a script that is running. |
New Remote PowerShell Tab | Creates a new PowerShell Tab that establishes a session on a remote computer. A dialog box appears and prompts you to enter details required to establish the remote connection. |
Start PowerShell.exe | Opens a PowerShell Console. |
Show Script Pane Top | Moves the Script Pane to the top in the display. |
Show Script Pane Right | Moves the Script Pane to the right in the display. |
Show Script Pane Maximized | Maximizes the Script Pane. |
Script Tab
Displays the name of the script you are editing. You can click a script tab to select the script you want to edit.
When you point to the script tab, the fully qualified path to the script file appears in a tooltip.
Script Pane
Allows you to create and run scripts. You can open, edit and run existing scripts in the Script Pane.
Output Pane
Displays the results of the commands and scripts you have run. You can also copy and clear the contents in the Output Pane.
Command Pane
Allows you to write commands. You can run a one line command or a multiline command in the Command Pane. Press SHIFT+ENTER to enter each line of a multiline command, and press ENTER after the last line to execute the multiline command. The prompt displayed on top of the Command Pane shows the path to the current working directory.
Status Bar
Allows you to see whether the commands and scripts that you run are complete. The status bar is at the very bottom of the display. Selected portions of error messages are displayed on the status bar.
Text-Size Slider
Increases or decreases the size of the text on the screen.
Context-Sensitive Help
Offers documentation for Windows PowerShell ISE as a compiled HTML Help file (.chm) with search functionality. You can open the Help by clicking Windows PowerShell Help on the Help menu. Depending on where the cursor is in any one of the panes when you click Help, if there is a cmdlet topic that matches the text around the cursor, Help opens the specific topic. If there is no match with the context, Help opens on the default page.
To exit Windows PowerShell ISE, click Close on the toolbar, or on the File menu, click Exit.
See Also