PowerShell for end users in IT

PowerShell Help
1

by cookie.monster at 2012-12-20 07:50:12

Hi all,

For those of you writing PowerShell in support of end users in IT, I have a question for you! Do you wrap everything up in a pretty GUI? Do you provide functions and scripts with the appropriate documentation? Do you do something else?

For now, I’ve given up worrying about the GUI. My assumptions:
(1) the extra cost of crafting a GUI is not worth the time, given that:
(2) providing functions/scripts with documentation allows more direct and thus quick deployment of new tools, and
(3) anyone working in IT supporting a Windows environment should already know or start learning PowerShell for their own and their employer’s benefit
(4) existing permissions are appropriate to job roles (i.e. your help desk can’t load up PowerCLI and take down your vSphere datacenter)

Any counter-arguments or considerations I might be missing? I’m wrapping up a OneNote documenting basic setup, basic info, resources, and examples from the custom module we push out to IT, want to make sure I didn’t overlook any major caveats : )

Your insight would be greatly appreciated!
by DonJ at 2012-12-20 07:56:53
For end users, as in non-IT workers? Yes, I’d wrap everything in a pretty GUI.

For someone in the IT team? No, I wouldn’t. I agree with your assessment entirely. I’d rather go through a learning curve and end with a smarter team.
by nohandle at 2012-12-20 08:36:04
I agree with you and Don.

For non IT users you can also go with text menus if applicable. Like:

User self help app
********************
[1]reset network connection
[2]clean up temp folders
[3]clean internet explorer history and cookies

You can write small framework and just provide the configuration in XML if you produce these apps regularly and dont want to bother with real GUI. But in time of WPF forms I’d take the extra ten minutes and designed GUI for the tool. If you properly seperate the app logic and GUI it shouldnt really matter which one you choose. :slight_smile:
by cookie.monster at 2012-12-21 05:53:00
Thanks for the input!

Yeah, this is for IT. We do have a license for PrimalForms 2011, but I’ve found it just adds another layer of design and testing when rolling things out. Would certainly use it if we were targeting non-IT folk : )