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Organizing your PowerShell Workspace

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If you are like me, you have multiple monitors stretched across your desk. Hey, I will admit it, I am a PowerUser.  As both a Microsoft Certified Trainer, Network Administrator, and PowerShell evangelist, I need real estate.  I often develop my PowerShell code with the ISE and multiple Shell windows.  That way I can code in one, test in another, lookup help files, and test small chunks of code.  The problem comes around to which window is used for what?

Years ago, while visiting a software development company that was acquired by the company that I was working for, I observed one of their techniques for keeping track of which script was running what task.  Each script was monitoring a specific project or log on a server.  Each one of these tasks were assigned a foreground and a background color.  With this in mind, you can set specific foreground and background colors schemes for your development. Tack a look at this code.


Function Switch-HostColor
{
<# ========================================================
    Cmdlet: Switch-HostColor
    Author: Jason A Yoder
    Company: MCTExpert, Inc.
    Version: 1.0
    Date: June 10, 2013
   ======================================================== #>
[CmdletBinding()]
Param ([Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
       [ValidateSet("RedOnBlack", "BlueOnBlack", "GreenOnBlack",
                    "YellowOnBlack","CyanOnBlack","MagentaOnBlack",
                    "BlackOnBlue")]
       $ColorScheme)
 
    Switch ($ColorScheme)
    {
         "BlueOnBlack"
        {
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.ForegroundColor = "Blue"
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor = "Black"
        }
        "RedOnBlack"
        {
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.ForegroundColor = "Red"
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor = "Black"
        }
        "GreenOnBlack"
        {
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.ForegroundColor = "Green"
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor = "Black"
        }
        "YellowOnBlack"
        {
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.ForegroundColor = "Yellow"
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor = "Black"
        }
        "CyanOnBlack"
        {
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.ForegroundColor = "Cyan"
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor = "Black"
        }
        "MagentaOnBlack"
        {
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.ForegroundColor = "Magenta"
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor = "Black"
        }
        "BlackOnBlue"
        {
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.ForegroundColor = "Black"
            $(Get-Host).UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor = "Blue"
        }
    } # End: Switch ($ColorScheme)
   
    # Clear the host to enable
    Clear-Host
<#
.SYNOPSIS
Change the host color scheme.
 
.DESCRIPTION
Changes the host color scheme to help keep tasks performed in
different shells organized.
 
.PARAMETER ColorScheme
Specify a preset color scheme to change the host foreground and
background colors to.
 
.EXAMPLE
Switch-HostColor -ColorScheme BlueOnBlack
 
Clears the screen and displays all text in blue foreground and
black background.
#>
} # End: Function Switch-HostColor



This code has several defined color formats for you to use as examples.  Notice the use of the ValidateSet parameter attribute.  This provides for tab completion of the possible values for the parameter ColorScheme.  You can provide any color scheme that you wish.  One word of caution, make sure to use two sets of colors that will have a high contrast and not hurt your eyes.  One of the color schemes that I observed in use was magenta text on a bright yellow background.  Not a good idea.

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