Easily Splatting PowerShell with VS Code

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So I always like to show splatting PowerShell commands when I am presenting sessions or workshops and realised that I had not really blogged about it. (This blog is for @dbafromthecold who asked me to 🙂 )

What is Splatting?

Well you will know that when you call a PowerShell function you can use intellisense to get the parameters and sometimes the parameter values as well. This can leave you with a command that looks like this on the screen

Start-DbaMigration -Source $Source -Destination $Destination -BackupRestore -NetworkShare $Share -WithReplace -ReuseSourceFolderStructure -IncludeSupportDbs -NoAgentServer -NoAudits -NoResourceGovernor -NoSaRename -NoBackupDevices
It goes on and on and on and while it is easy to type once, it is not so easy to see which values have been chosen. It is also not so easy to change the values.
By Splatting the parameters it makes it much easier to read and also to alter. So instead of the above you can have
$startDbaMigrationSplat = @{
Source = $Source
NetworkShare = $Share
NoAgentServer = $true
NoResourceGovernor = $true
WithReplace = $true
ReuseSourceFolderStructure = $true
Destination = $Destination
NoAudits = $true
BackupRestore = $true
NoSaRename = $true
IncludeSupportDbs = $true
NoBackupDevices = $true
}
Start-DbaMigration @startDbaMigrationSplat
This is much easier on the eye, but if you dont know what the parameters are (and are too lazy to use Get-Help – Hint You should always use Get-Help ) or like the convenience and efficiency of using the intellisense, this might feel like a backward step that slows your productivity in the cause of easy on the eye code.
Enter EditorServicesCommandSuite by SeeminglyScience for VS Code. Amongst the things it makes available to you is easy splatting and people are always impressed when I show it
You can install it from the PowerShell Gallery like all good modules using
Install-Module EditorServicesCommandSuite -Scope CurrentUser
and then add it to your VSCode PowerShell profile usually found at C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.VSCode_profile.ps1
# Place this in your VSCode profile
Import-Module EditorServicesCommandSuite
Import-EditorCommand -Module EditorServicesCommandSuite
and now creating a splat is as easy as this.
Write the command, leave the cursor on a parameter, hit F1 – Choose PowerShell : Show Additional Commands (or use a keyboard shortcut) type splat press enter. Done 🙂
So very easy 🙂
Happy Splatting 🙂

10 thoughts on “Easily Splatting PowerShell with VS Code”

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  4. Hi, this looks great – but after editing the profile and restarting vcode i get the following error – any idea?

    Import-EditorCommand : The term ‘Import-EditorCommand’ is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct
    and try again.
    At C:\Users\Tflatley\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1:13 char:1
    + Import-EditorCommand -Module EditorServicesCommandSuite
    + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (Import-EditorCommand:String) [], CommandNotFoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

    PS C:\Users\Tflatley> $PSVERSIONTABLE

    Name Value
    —- —–
    PSVersion 5.1.17134.407
    PSEdition Desktop
    PSCompatibleVersions {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
    BuildVersion 10.0.17134.407
    CLRVersion 4.0.30319.42000
    WSManStackVersion 3.0
    PSRemotingProtocolVersion 2.3
    SerializationVersion 1.1.0.1

    PS C:\Users\Tflatley> get-module EditorServicesCommandSuite

    ModuleType Version Name ExportedCommands
    ———- ——- —- —————-
    Script 0.4.0 EditorServicesCommandSuite {Add-CommandToManifest, Add-ModuleQualification, Add-PinvokeMethod, ConvertTo-FunctionDefinition…}

    thanks

    Reply

    • Hi, you need to add it to add it to your VSCode PowerShell profile usually found at C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.VSCode_profile.ps1

      I have updated the post also

      Reply

      • thanks for the update – i had only added it to powershell_profile initially and all of the modules get imported (including EditorServices)in vscode – i created the VS profile with the exact same parameters and still get the error – i also get the error in standard powershell – so, must be some config on my end – thanks for the help and sorry to bother you will this. much appreciated.

        Reply

    • Do you have the module installed and the code in your profile?
      Have you reloaded your VS Code afterwards? F1 – Reload Window

      Have you placed your cursor on the function name?
      Those should fix it. I definitely have it working in all VS Codes

      Reply

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