Scripting Games 2012: Quick Tips

Some things have really been standing out for me during the Scripting Games that I can’t contain anymore. So with that, here are a small list of things that you really really need to watch out for:

• Know when to use Where-Object and when not to use Where-Object. Knowing this will help you avoid not only losing points on a script, but also can avoid impacting performance on your script. This also applies very well to Real-World scenarios.
• Know how to deal with boolean values.
• Know when to format your output and when not to format your output.
• If the event says to do something, then do it. Failure to do so can and will cost you points.
• Use of Get-Help and Get-Command will help you find that special cmdlet that will make your job a lot easier and then learn how to use it more efficiently.
• Consider what you are planning on posting as your code and that you have ‘scrubbed’ it prior to submission.
• If you are going to have “parameters” in your script/function, then read up on how to make them “parameters”. Think Param()…
• Understand about line continuations. You can use |, { and ` to break the line and continue writing more code on the following line, but DO NOT combine these such as this:

Get-Process | `
Select Name,ID

This will work better:

Get-Process |
Select, Name, ID

Ok, most of these are somewhat vague (and they are meant to be) and I will expand more on these after the games have completed. But consider these general guidelines to follow and think about when writing your code.