Category Archives: PowerShell

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, PowerShell, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

CNF Conundrum Gets Some Love

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OK, then. I’ve been trying to figure out why, on some of my test PCs, I get an error message when PowerShell loads my profile and tries to import the PowerToys WingetCommandNotFound (CNF) module. You can see that error message in the lead-in graphic above (from my ThinkPad P16 Mobile workstation). Thanks to some fiddling around, this CNF conundrum gets some love — finally!

I haven’t figured out how to fix the problem properly just yet. But for the nonce, if I go into PowerToys, visit CNF, uninstall and then resinstall same, it returns to work. This happens every time I open a fresh PowerShell session, so it’s at least mildly bothersome. But I’m starting to make progress on figuring things out.

How CNF Conundrum Gets Some Love

The error message keeps changing on me as I add things to the folder where the profile resides — namely %user%\documents\PowerShell. First, it complains about not being able  to find the module itself. I copy it into that folder. Then it complains about a .DLL. I copy that, too. Finally, it complains about an error handler not being able to field a thrown exception.

It’s not fixed yet, but I now know that this issue comes from my PowerShell modules path set-up. Something is wonky between those search paths (there’s one for the system, and one for my login account) and PowerToys. This happens for one of my Microsoft Accounts (MSAs)  every time I use it to log into Windows, because this information is shared across those instances through OneDrive.

What’s Next?

I’ve got to research how I should be setting things up in the OneDrive environment to get PowerShell and PowerToys to get along with each other properly. I’ll be contacting the WinGet crew (Demitrius Nelon’s team at MS) to request additional info and guidance. That’s because my online searches have only clued me into what’s going on, but not how to fix it properly.

Stay tuned: I’ll keep this one up-to-date. And I’ll probably post again, when a resolution is formulated. This just in: OneDrive is reporting multiple copies of the PS profile in its file store. Could this be related? I have to think so. Again: stay tuned…

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PS Update Orphans PowerToys CNF

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Here’s an interesting one. I’ve noticed recently that when PowerShell gets an update, the next time it launches PowerToys “Command Not Found” (CNF) drops an error message. Hence this post’s title: PS Update Orphans PowerToys CNF.

You can see how this story starts in the lead-in graphic. It shows the error message that CNF.psd1 did not load “because no valid file was found in any module directory.” Seems like an impasse, don’t it?

NOTE Added February 15: It’s the profile not the PowerShell!!! The following observations are correct — the profile and the reference to CNF are indeed mismatched — but it’s NOT PowerShell’s fault. It’s because I’m backing up my profile stuff in OneDrive and the location in the profile is incorrect. Uinstall/reinstall fixes that issue until the next time OneDrive replaces the (correct) local profile copy with the (incorrect) cloud-based one. Sigh. I’ll write about this on Monday, Feb 19, after I’ve had time to figure all the angles!

PS Update Orphans PowerToys CNF Easily Fixed

I superimposed the CNF panel from PowerToys Settings for a reason, though. Even though its status messages and detections all show green, it turns out the real problem is that PowerShell itself can’t find the CNF module.

Here’s the easy fix. Uninstall CNF (click the Uninstall button at center right). Then it changes to an Install button. Now, click that and CNF gets reinstalled. Now, the next time you open PowerShell everything is copacetic, with CNF back at work, as shown in response to my now-standard “vim” test string:

PS Update Orphans PowerToys CNF.retry

After uninstall/reinstall CNF in PowerToys, close and then re-open PowerShell. [Click image for full-size view.]

Sometimes, when certain little things get you, other little things can set them back to rights. In this particular case, that’s how I’d generally describe the path to an error-free PowerShell startup after update, with a working PowerToys CNF as well. Cheers!

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New WT 1.19.10292 Solves Self-Update

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Life is always interesting for programmers when they have to update the code that’s running the update. This gets even more interesting for updates to Windows Terminal (WT) and PowerShell, running inside — you guessed it — WT and PowerShell (PS). Right now, a new WT 1.19.10292 solves self-update issues that remain present for PS. You can see the proud evidence in the lead-in graphic, which concludes a WT upgrade with “Successfully installed. Restart the application to complete the upgrade.” PS, on the other hand, still says “Cancelled” at the end of a self-upgrade, even though a restart reveals the newly-upgraded version at work.

How New WT 1.19.10292 Solves Self-Update

Windows users are actually much more familiar with this self-mod situation than they may think. Indeed, the reason why Windows must reboot after CUs and during OS install and upgrade, is so an updater or installer can work on files totherwise in active use RIGHT NOW if they weren’t suspended (if only temporarily).

In essence, this is what restarting WT/PS does. It terminates running processes for the code to be updated. Then they can be altered or replaced before the next set of new processes starts back up. I’m glad to see the WT team take such a steady and time-worn approach to updating Windows Terminal itself. It’s what makes most sense!

When I was learning to program back in the late 70s and early 80s one of my first and hardest-learned lessons was “Don’t step on your own toes” (write code that changesitself in unwanted or unplanned ways). That way lies madness. Glad to see those old lessons still apply, even for WT and PS.

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Do-Over Fixes Persistent CNF Error

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Holy Moly! I’ve been enjoying the workout involved in getting PowerToys “Command Not Found” (CNF) facility installed on my PCs and VMs.  My latest adventure has been dealing with what happens when the Command Not Found module is itself not found. It might not be recursive, but it is amusing. After numerous  futile tries to fix the PowerShell Profile or change its associated path, I simply uninstalled CNF, then re-installed it afresh. That’s how I learned a do-over fixes persistent CNF error.

Why a Do-Over Fixes Persistent CNF Error

Examine the intro graphic above. It asserts that the CNF module “was not loaded because no valid module file was found in any module directory.” A search did turn up a module with the matching name (using Voidtools Everything) but something apparently went wrong with the file transfer, because this error message popped up anyway. I can only conclude that means it was invalid (inoperative). That said, all the PS path info on this machine matched that on my other PCs, so I’m confident it was never the problem.

I’m pretty sure that’s why a do-over fixed things. When I uninstalled the munged version, all that stuff got deleted. When I installed afresh, the new copy of the module worked and the PS profile change did, too. As you can see in the next screencap it shows that the profile was loaded (top lines). Then I type “vim” to show that CNF intercepts this missing item and tells me where to go to find it. Problem solved!

The old “remove-replace” operation fixes baffling Windows errors. Here, you see profiles loading and CNF working after same.
[Click image to see full-sized view.]

There’s No School Like the Old School

In my three-plus decades of working with Windows I’ve seen my share of odd and interesting errors. Sometimes, things don’t work on the first try. But the uninstall-reinstall sequence — which I like to call the old remove-replace operation, hearkening back to my shade-tree mechanic days — will often fix otherwise mysterious and unexplainable errors or failures.

At least, it worked for me this time with the odd invalid module error for Command Not Found in PowerToys. A small triumph for common sense, here today in Windows World.

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Interesting CNF Side-Effect

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Last Thursday, January 11, I blogged about the new PowerToys Command Not Found (CNF) facility. This weekend I stumbled upon what I call an “interesting CNF side-effect.” I rattled off the “cls” (clear screen) command, but missed the last character and typed “cld” instead. The lead-in graphic shows what happened. Cool!

What IS the Interesting CNF Side-Effect?

When the CNF sees a string that doesn’t match uninstalled or already-known commands, it suggests “the most similar commands” as shown in the intro graphic. That’s a sure-fire indication that something went wrong on the data entry front. I’m amused that the “cls” command string — a closer match than the change directory, or cd, command — doesn’t come up in the suggested alternatives.

But hey! To me this behavior is a bonus above and beyond the entirely helpful impetus to let users enter commands they know they want to use, and bring them aboard through the CNF facility. In this case, it’s a nugatory command that doesn’t exist because it’s a typo.

I quickly learned to see this effusion of text as a clear sign that I goofed somehow. That’s what makes it useful to me. Hopefully, you will find it equally useful.

The Joys of PowerShell and WT Increase

Everywhere I look, I see plenty of evidence that the Windows Terminal and PowerShell teams are working hard to make these tools more friendly, powerful and useful. The integration of Copilot is something I’m just starting to dig into and appreciate in the same vein (but on steroids).

All I can say is “Keep up the good work, folks!” Their efforts are making my life more fun and more interesting. They’re also encouraging me to make more and better use of a terrific toolbox when working with Windows. I’m jazzed!

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Bringing Up PowerToys Command Not Found

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PowerToys v0.77.0 made its debut earlier this week. A cool new facility also showed up — namely, Command Not Found. This nifty PowerShell module “detects an error thrown by a command and suggests a relevant winget package to install, if available.” You can see that capsule summary in the screencap shown above. What I have learned is that Command Not Found requires installation, but also carries some dependencies as well. Thus, Bringing up PowerToys “Command Not Found” tool involves a little more work than other new items added in the past. It’s all good, though…

Steps in Bringing Up PowerToys Command Not Found

As you can see in the intro graphic above, Command Not Found (CNF) must be manually installed before it does anything inside PowerShell. This is simply a matter of clicking the install button shown at mid-right in that image.

And there are a couple of buts (pre-requisites, really):
1. Right now, CNF works only with PowerShell v7.4.0 or higher. If it’s not installed and running, that must be fixed.
2. CNF also relies on a PowerShell Gallery module named WinGet Client Module (ID: Microsoft.Winget.Client). Interestingly winget does not install PS Gallery items, but there’s a button in the PowerToys console shown above that will handle this for you. After it’s installed, you can check the CNF install logs or use the Get-InstalledModule cmdlet (another PS Gallery item).

Bringing Up PowerToys Command Not Found.winget-client

The Get-InstalledModule cmdlet displays all PS Gallery items in your profile.

If you’ve not yet defined a PS profile, this installer will report its absence. But don’t worry: running the CNF installer creates one for you. Thus, once you get past the pre-requisities (dependencies) and install CNF, it’s almost ready to use. You’ll need to refresh the current PS profile so it brings CNF into the runtime environment for Windows Terminal/PowerShell. The easiest way to do that is to close Windows Terminal, then open it again. When you type an unknown command into the prompt, PS will offer to install it for you as long as it can find a valid source. That’s what you see in the next graphic:Bringing Up PowerToys Command Not Found.vimcheck

The vim utility is uninstalled on this PC, so CNF shows potential install strings. [Click image for full-sized view.]

Note: Demitrius Denelon used vim as his example in touting this new capability for PS users, so I had to find out what it was. As its name led me to suspect, it’s a modified version of the ancient “vi” text editor that you can run inside PS. Use winget show vim.vim to see more info.

Cool New Tool

This is a great new addition to PowerShell. This heightens my willingness to experiment with and learn about new cmdlets. Now I know if I bang on an uninstalled PS Gallery item, this facility will tell me how to install it so I can use it right away. Mmmm good!

 

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Winget Show URLs Are Live

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Wow! I got a great, unsolicited tip from Demitrius Nelon yesterday (he’s the winget team lead at MS, and a great communicator). It explains a way to grab the download for any package that winget can find. It came up in the context of updating the package named Microsoft.PowerShell, but it will work for any package by name. He informed me that if you run winget show, it will include an installer URL. I knew that. What I didn’t know and am jazzed to learn, is that you can CTRL-click the link and it will fire up your default browser and download it. That’s what “Winget Show URLs are live” means.

Because Winget Show URLs Are Live, Use Them!

This comes up in the context of PowerShell reasonably often for me, because I run PowerShell as my default shell inside Windows Terminal. Alas, when some new PowerShell updates pop up, winget can’t install them because their “install technology” changes. That’s because winget is inherently conservative when updating, and won’t make big changes on its own. Thus, for example, when an install technology change hits PowerShell, one must then download the new version from GitHub and run the installer to make the update.

Look near the bottom of the lead-in screengrab, which shows the output for “Winget show MIcrosoft.PowerShell.” It’s the section that starts with “Installer:” at left. 2 lines down the label reads “Installer Url” with the actual github download link to its right. If you hold the CTRL key down and click on that URL, download will commence.

This is about as handy as updates get when winget won’t do them for you automatically. Shoot! It makes a pretty good alternative to winget install <package-name>, too. Thanks, Demetrius: this tip makes a snazzy stocking stuffer. Happy holidays!

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Recurring PowerShell Update Issue Easily Fixed

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Deja vu! With the introduction of version 7.4.0, MS once again changed the PowerShell (PS) installer. That means Winget won’t update PS directly; one must visit the GitHub PS page and grab a new installer from there. Afterward, as shown in the lead-in graphic, old(er) version(s) of PS still show up when WinGet upgrade is run. Fortunately this recurring PowerShell update issue is easily fixed. Let me explain…

Fixing This Recurring PowerShell Update Issue

Take a look at the lead-in graphic. It shows a single upgrade to PowerShell, from version 7.3.10 to 7.4.0 is available. But when I try to use winget to do the job, it reports a change in installer methods and won’t handle this task. This requires a trip to GitHub (the whole process is described in my November 17 post) to grab and install PS using its Microsoft Installer (.MSI) file instead.

But there’s a catch: as you can see in the Apps portion of the lead-in graphic, the PS installer does NOT clean up older versions. Thus, not just one, but two older versions of PS show up therein — namely 7.3.10 and a 10/25/2023 Preview version. Winget will report that the 7.3.10 version needs an update because 7.4.0 is available. Thus, you need to uninstall that version to stop this warning.

So that’s just what I did. And because I’m not using the PS Preview any more, either, I uninstalled it too. Problem solved. But here’s a request to the PowerShell team: please add a check for older stable versions (e.g. 7.3.10 in this case) and offer to uninstall it during the new stable version install process. It would make life ever so much easier, thanks!

Fingers crossed that they agree. I’ll be sure to copy this to the winget and PowerShell teams leads when I tweet this item out later this morning, too. That said, the new PS window notification does instruct users to “uninstall the package and install the newer version” so maybe they’re not interested in tackling this job. We’ll see…

Recurring PowerShell Update Issue.notification

I can’t say MS doesn’t warn users. I can say I didn’t see it right away, though…

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PowerShell Out-GridView Grants Output Insights

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OK, then. I’m taking Matt Hester’s fabulous Learning PowerShell course over at LinkedIn. Right now, I’m into the third of three modules. I have to say: it’s been great! Yesterday, among lots of other incredibly useful nuggets, I learned about the Out-GridView cmdlet. To say that PowerShell Out-Gridview grants output insights for most cmdlets is like saying “The Grand Canyon is Big.” But that makes it no less true or interesting — to me, at least. Let me explain…

What PowerShell Out-Gridview Grants Output Insights Means

PowerShell cmdlets manipulate data objects. These have named properties. When you output them, you can see the values associated with all properties for an object instance (rows). You can also see the values associated with individual properties for all instances (columns).

Simply put, what Out-Gridview does is to grab the values associated with each instance’s properties and throw them up in a window like the one you see in the lead-in graphic. As you can see in the top line of that window this shows the results of the get-service cmdlet, from which the resulting objects’ Name, Status and RequiredServices property values are all shown. This is cool and helpful all by itself, but there’s more: a LOT more.

Working the GridView Window

Let’s call the windowed output from Out-Gridview a “GridView Window.” It’s actually an output from the Interactive Script Editor (ISE) that’s part of the overall PowerShell runtime environment.

In this GridView Window, you can click on any column head therein to sort the data by the values in that column. By default it comes sorted on whatever shows up in column 1 (aka “alphabetical order, by Name”). But you can also sort on Status, or RequiredServices as well.

Wait! There’s still more:

  • You can add all kinds of filters to the output shown in the Window
  • Types of filters include
    • contains (string or value partial matching anywhere)
    • does not contain (string or value absent)
    • starts with (initial string character matching)
    • equals (string or value exact match)
    • does not equal (string or value not matched or equal)
    • ends with (ending string character matching)
    • is empty (property has no value defined or is null)
    • is not empty (property has a value defined or is not null)
  • You can add as many filters as you like, change them as you go, and the GridView Window’s contents change dynamically to keep up
  • Data shows up as you type

Overall, this is a great way to examine data from cmdlet outputs in PowerShell. It means you don’t have to scroll up and down in the command window, nor do you have to save the data to a file and open it using your favorite editor. The gridview data is, however, evanescent (when you close the window, the data is gone). It doesn’t do away with piping output into files: it’s just a (temporary) alternative, but a darned good one!

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Learning to Hurdle Terminal Chat Gotchas

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When I was a kid we lived in Kendall Park, NJ in 1962 and 1963. The barbershop where my Mom took me for haircuts was interesting. It was long and narrow and lined with mirrors on both sides. That created what I have forever since called “the hall of mirrors” effect. There a poor man’s infinity is born as those parallel mirrors reflect each other forever and ever. I remembered that hall as I read the MS November 17 Windows Command Line blog Terminal Chat in Windows Terminal Canary. Since it came out, I’ve been figuring out how to hurdle Terminal Chat gotchas in similar wise. Let me explain…

Pre-reqs Precede Hurdle Terminal Chat Gotchas

If you look at the lead-in graphic (it comes from the afore-linked Command Line blog, a personal fave) it shows a “Welcome to Terminal Chat” message inside a PowerShell/Windows Terminal session. I’ve been trying to get to the point where I can bring that message up myself on a test or production PC, but I’ve yet to surmount the hurdles in my way. Let me enumerate them:

1. In Windows Terminal team lead Chris Nguyen’s words “Terminal Chat only supports Azure OpenAI Service for now.” That means one needs an Azure OpenAI Service endpoint and key.

2. To obtain said endpoint and key, one must create and deploy an Azure OpenAI service resource.

3. To create and deploy an Azure OpenAI service resource, one needs an Azure OPen AI Service enabled Azure account. This requires setting up monthly billling for consumption of Azure resources with an OpenAI rider added. (For pricing info, start with Plan to manage costs for Azure OpenAI Service for the OpenAI piece, then check out Understand Cost Management Data for the underlying Azure piece). It’s daunting!

Only when you have all the pieces in place, and then create and deploy a valid Azure OpenAI service resource, can you install and use Terminal Chat. I’m not there yet. In fact, I’m thinking hard whether or not minimum monthly charges of at least US$50-150 are commensurate with the joy of using Terminal Chat.

Enough … or Too Much?

This subtitle comes courtesy of William Blake’s Proverbs of Heaven and Hell. I’m inclined to bow more to the infernal side of that dichotomy when it comes to putting all the pieces in place. All I wanted to do, really, was to see what kind of advice Terminal Chat could dispense at the command line. I’ve already got Copilot ready to advise me on PowerShell and Command Prompt input with some basic ability to plop it onto a command line.

Why so many hoops and hurdles? I’m sure there’s an answer. I’m reaching out to the author of the blog post to see what I can learn. Should be interesting… Stay tuned!

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