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Windows PowerShell 3.0 Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE)

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Applies To: Windows PowerShell 3.0

This topic provides an overview of Windows PowerShell® Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE) in Windows PowerShell® 3.0.

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Feature description

Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE) is a host application that enables you to write, run, and test scripts and modules in a graphical and intuitive environment. Key features in Windows PowerShell ISE include syntax-coloring, tab completion, Intellisense, visual debugging, Unicode compliance, and context-sensitive Help, and provide a rich scripting experience.

Practical applications

To help you manage and automate your environment, Windows PowerShell ISE includes the following features:

  • The ability to run interactive commands in a console pane, just as you would in the Windows PowerShell console. Simply type a command, and then press ENTER.

  • The ability to create, edit, debug, and run functions, workflows, scripts, and modules in a script pane.

  • Multiple Windows PowerShell tabs, each with a console and script pane, to enable you to simultaneously work on several independent tasks.

  • The ability to edit text in complex scripts and right-to-left languages.

New and changed functionality

The following table summarizes the new features and changes that have been added to Windows PowerShell ISE for Windows Server 2012.

Feature/functionality Windows PowerShell 2.0 Windows PowerShell 3.0

Intellisense: Displays clickable menus of matching cmdlets, parameters, parameter values, files, or folders as you type.

X

Add-on tools: Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) controls that are added by using the object model.

X

Restart Manager and Auto-save: Allows your scripts to be automatically saved in the event of a restart.

X

Editor and Help Window enhancements

X

For more information about these and the many other new and changed features in Windows PowerShell ISE for Windows PowerShell 3.0, see What’s New in Windows PowerShell ISE

Requirements for running the Windows PowerShell ISE

Windows PowerShell ISE runs on the following operating systems.

Operating System Installation Method

Windows® 8

Installed by default

Windows Server 2012

Optional feature, which is installed by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard or Server Manager cmdlets for Windows PowerShell.

Windows 7

The Windows 7 version of Windows PowerShell ISE is installed by default, but you can install an upgrade package to upgrade it to the Windows 8 version. For more information, see Windows Management Framework 3.0 in the Microsoft Download Center.

Windows Server 2008 R2

The Windows Server 2008 R2 version of Windows PowerShell ISE is installed by using the Add Features Wizard or Server Manager cmdlets for Windows PowerShell, but you can install an upgrade package to upgrade it to the Windows 8 version. For more information, see Windows Management Framework 3.0 in the Microsoft Download Center.

Note

Because Windows PowerShell ISE requires a user interface, it is not available on the Server Core installation option of Windows Server. You can add Windows PowerShell ISE to the full installation option of Windows Server 2012 by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard that is accessible from the Server Manager console, or by using Server Manager cmdlets for Windows PowerShell.

Windows PowerShell ISE is developed using the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). If graphical elements of Windows PowerShell do not render correctly on your system, you might resolve the problem by adding or adjusting your graphics rendering settings. This might be required if the computer has an older video driver, or if you are using virtualization software. For more information, see Graphics Rendering Registry Settings in the MSDN Library.

See also

For more information about using Windows PowerShell ISE in Windows PowerShell, see the resources in the following table.

Content type References

Operations

Using the Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment

Community resources