About This Guide
The PowerShell Reference Guide is a practical, beginner-friendly resource built for IT professionals learning PowerShell for real-world use. Frustrated with clunky official documentation, I built this with Claude as a better-organized alternative — clear examples, consistent formatting, and topics ordered the way you actually learn them.
Current Status
Coverage Overview
Section Breakdown
| Section | Topics | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Getting Started | 4/4 | ✅ Complete |
| Core Syntax & Fundamentals | 13/15 | 🚧 In Progress |
| Working with Data | 8/8 | ✅ Complete |
| Practical Guides | 4/4 | ✅ Complete |
| Reference | 2/2 | ✅ Complete |
| File & System Operations | 0/8 | 📋 Planned |
| Advanced Topics | 0/8 | 📋 Planned |
Quality Metrics
- Code Examples: 390+ practical examples
- Quality Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.5/10
- Last Updated: June 30, 2026
- Recently Added: Function Parameters — validation attributes, parameter attributes, and parameter sets
What's Next
Coming soon to Core Syntax & Fundamentals:
- Modules & Packaging — Creating and distributing PowerShell modules
- Debugging — Debugging techniques and tools
- Performance Optimization — Making scripts faster and more efficient
Update History
June 30, 2026 — Function Parameters
New Content:
- ✨ Function Parameters — New page covering the full parameter system: validation attributes (ValidateSet, ValidatePattern, ValidateScript, ValidateRange, ValidateLength, ValidateCount, ValidateNotNull, ValidateNotNullOrEmpty), parameter attributes (Mandatory, Position, HelpMessage, pipeline binding), aliases, switch parameters, and parameter sets
- 🔗 Linked from Functions — added callout boxes pointing to the new page
Progress: 31 of 46 topics (67%) complete
February 27, 2026 — Creating Custom Objects
New Content:
- ✨ Creating Custom Objects — New page covering PSCustomObject, Add-Member, New-Object, and practical patterns for building structured data
Progress: 30 of 46 topics (65%) complete
February 24, 2026 — Git with PowerShell: Bare Repos
Updated Content:
- ✨ Git with PowerShell — Added Bare Repos (Local Remote) section: create Git remotes on local paths and network shares without GitHub or GitLab
Progress: 29 of 46 topics (63%) complete
February 3, 2026 — Git with PowerShell & Three New Pages
New & Updated Content:
- ✨ Git with PowerShell — Complete Git workflow guide: branching, merging, stashes, resets, cherry-pick, and real-world examples
- ✨ Script Configuration Files — Externalize script settings with PSD1, JSON, XML, and INI formats
- ✨ API Interactions — Complete guide to REST APIs with Invoke-RestMethod, authentication, and practical examples
- ✨ Working with JSON — Comprehensive JSON reference with structured sections, Common Use Cases, and Important Parameters table
Progress: 29 of 46 topics (63%) complete
January 15, 2026 — Structure & Link Fixes
New & Updated Content:
- ✨ Script Configuration Files — Externalize script settings with PSD1, JSON, XML, and INI formats
- ✨ API Interactions — Complete guide to REST APIs with Invoke-RestMethod, authentication, and practical examples
- ✨ Working with JSON — Comprehensive JSON reference with structured sections, Common Use Cases, and Important Parameters table
- 🔄 String Manipulation — Restructured with JSON moved to its own dedicated page
- 🔄 One-Liners — Updated with API interactions and expanded JSON examples
- 🔗 Fixed all WikiLinks in Related Topics sections
- 📊 Improved page structure across all Working with Data topics
Progress: 28 of 46 topics (61%) complete
January 13, 2026 — API & JSON Pages
New & Updated Content:
- ✨ API Interactions — Complete guide to REST APIs with Invoke-RestMethod, authentication, and practical examples
- ✨ Working with JSON — Comprehensive JSON reference with structured sections, Common Use Cases, and Important Parameters table
- 🔄 String Manipulation — Restructured with JSON moved to its own dedicated page
- 🔄 One-Liners — Updated with API interactions and expanded JSON examples
- 🔗 Fixed all WikiLinks in Related Topics sections
- 📊 Improved page structure across all Working with Data topics
Progress: 27 of 46 topics (59%) complete
December 29, 2025 — Major Update: 7 New Pages
New Content:
- ✨ Your First Script — Step-by-step guide to creating your first PowerShell script
- ✨ Understanding Objects & The Pipeline — Deep dive into PowerShell's object model
- ✨ Searching Files — Master file search techniques with Get-ChildItem
- ✨ Common PowerShell Patterns — Reusable code patterns for common tasks
- ✨ One-Liners — Quick PowerShell commands for everyday tasks
- ✨ Troubleshooting Common Errors — Solutions to common PowerShell errors
- ✨ Glossary — PowerShell terminology reference
- 🔗 Fixed all WikiLinks in existing pages
Progress: 25 of 46 topics (54%) complete
December 17, 2025 — Logging & Script Structure
New & Updated Content:
- ✨ Logging — Complete guide to PowerShell logging
- 🔄 Script Structure — Enhanced with dot sourcing and best practices
- 🔗 Fixed all internal links in Related Topics sections
Progress: 18 of 40 topics (45%) complete
Contact
Found an error or have a suggestion? Reach out directly — feedback is always welcome.