Since PrimalScript 2009 is a 32 bit application the host used is also of the 32 bit variety, residing in the System32 folder of your Windows directory.

If you are working on a 64 bit operating system and you have to use 64 bit COM objects you need to be able to run your scripts in 64 bit mode.

In order to do that you can simply change what specific version of CScript.exe is used by specifying the full path:

Go to Tools – Options – Environment – Languages and select VBScript. The default entry for the script engine just states “CScript.exe”. If you change that to C:\Windows\Sysnative\cscript.exe you get PrimalScipt to execute the 64 bit version. The “sysnative” substitute for system32 works on Vista, Windows 7 and Server 2008 operating system flavors.

If you don’t want to change the default behavior and just occasionally execute scripts in 64 bit mode, you can just leave the above mentioned setting alone and add the 64 bit engine to your Tools browser:

Right click anywhere in the tools browser and select “Customize…” and add a new tool in a group of your choice and add the settings as shown above. In order to run the current script in 64 bit mode you only have to click on the icon.

All these things work just as well for JScript if that is your language of choice, but don’t try this for PowerShell. PowerShell does not like to get its input and output streams redirected and will just hang if you try to do that. We will talk about 64 bit PowerShell in the next installment.

Technorati Tags: 64bit, JScript, powershell, PrimalScript, Server 2008, Sysnative, VBScript, Vista, windows 7

We were very happy to talk to with our users during the show. One of the questions we were asked was:

Why should I use PowerShell to create Windows Forms Applications?

There are a few reasons you might want to use PowerShell to create Windows Forms Applications:

1. Levy the power of PowerShell with the ease of a GUI interface.

2. It doesn’t require a developer to create a cool customized GUI application.

3. Limit the access of your users by providing predefined functionality. For example, you can create an application that only allows your user read access to a list of products in a Database, thus preventing the user from accidently “altering” any data. What you provide is what they have access to.

4. End users need not learn PowerShell nor will they be forced to use an intimidating command prompt.

5. There are no extra dependencies other then what is required to your run existing PowerShell scripts. You can create complete GUIs using nothing but PowerShell.

6. *Packaged Windows Form Applications support elevation and alternate credentials. Lets face it, you don’t want to give all your users administrative rights.

7. *Packaging your scripts will protect it by preventing access to the source code (script).

* Requires PrimalForms 2009 or PrimalScript 2009 to package scripts.

Technorati Tags: applications, gui, powershell, PrimalForms, PrimalScript, TechEd, Windows, Winforms

Please click here to participate: 2010 Backup Survey

Enter your email in the survey to win cool prizes.

Your responses will help determine what features get added and what gets cut from PrimalScript 2011 and Visual PowerShell 2011, so don’t hesitate.

Technorati Tags: Backup, PrimalScript, Survey, Version Control, Visual PowerShell

Our eBooks are currently distributed in a protected pdf format. What this means is that the eBook is imprinted with your email address at the bottom of each page when you download it. Here is a simple description of the process.

1. Purchase the eBook on www.ScriptingOutpost.com
2. You will receive a license key for the eBook
3. Register that license key at my.sapien.com
4. As soon as you register the eBook, a listing for that eBook will appear on the registration page. Below that listing is a link to download the eBook. Click on that link and the eBook will be imprinted and begin downloading to your computer.

It’s that simple!

We hope to start offering our eBooks in ePub format so that you can enjoy our books on devices like the Nook, Sony Reader and iPad. Those versions of the eBooks would be available on the specific device’s store.

Technorati Tags: Books, SAPIEN Press, SAPIENPress

1. Free tools – A copy of all of our free scripting tools (except for iPowerShell) is on the CD. A link to iPowerShell on the iTunes store is also included. A list of all of those free tools can be found here. You can also download the Scripting Toolkit ISO file at that link.
2. 45 day trial versions of all of our paid software. Besides PrimalScript, SAPIEN produces PrimalForms, PrimalXML, PrimalSQL, ChangeVue, PrimalMerge and PrimalScope. Check out the details here.
3. Sample chapters from all of our eBooks. SAPIEN Press publishes several fantastic technical books in our TFM series. Check out our titles here.
4. Free eBooks – Three complete free eBooks (Introduction to PowerShell, The Administrator Shortcut Guide to VBScripting for Windows, and PowerShell 1.0: TFM) all written by scripting guru Don Jones.
5. Dozens of useful scripts for your administrative tasks
6. Sample chapters from our VBScript and PowerShell training videos. Details of these videos can be found here.
7. Useful links to SAPIEN resources

If you did not receive your free Scripting Toolkit at Tech-Ed, download it here!

Technorati Tags: SAPIEN, scripting

1. Self Paced Training – Our PowerShell Class-on-Disk series was developed by Don Jones and is a four DVD set consisting of Fundamentals, Intermediate and Advanced topics as well as a What’s New in PowerShell V2 DVD. The Fundamentals disk has a three hour runtime, while the Intermediate, advanced and What’s New disks run about 1.5 hours each. These can be purchased at www.scriptingoutpost.com.
2. Classroom Training – An incredibly intense technology training course with an emphasis on small class size, extremely personal attention, and amazingly real-world experiences designed to make you a better, faster, and more valuable Windows administrator in just five information-packed days, led by Don Jones. Current available courses can be found here.
3. Private on-site training – Similar to our Classroom Training above, this class is conducted in the comfort of your own facility. Eliminate travel expenses for your team and bring SAPIEN’s trainer’s to your site. You supply the classroom space and computers, and we will supply the trainer. Choose from 2, 3, or 5 day PowerShell V2 classes. Contact sales@sapien.com to arrange private training.

Technorati Tags: powershell, SAPIEN, training, VBScript, Windows PowerShell

This month our survey focuses on backup and version control. Your answers will decide what features will be removed, kept or re-developed or even re-architected in the 2011 versions of our software products. So please click on the link below and take our

2010 Backup Survey

As usual with our surveys, if you provide an email address you will be entered into the drawing for various prizes. Winners will be notified and published here on the blog (if we get your permission)

Winners are randomly drawn from submitted emails, void where prohibited, must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the U.S. No cash equivalent prizes will be provided in lieu of designated prizes. Any and all taxes and similar fees are the responsibility of the winner.

(Everyone outside of the U.S. please understand that we very much care about your opinion. It’s just that the legal rules about raffles and lotteries and their tax implications vary from country to country. So my apologies to you that you can’t win, but we still really like to hear your opinion.)

Technorati Tags: Backup, ChangeVue, PrimalScript, Survey, Version, Visual PowerShell

Technorati Tags: iPowerShell, powershell, SAPIEN, scripting, Windows PowerShell

The point is, everything that is new, unfamiliar and sufficiently complex requires some effort to learn. PowerShell contains quite some powerful constructs and commands, paired with a style of language that looks alien to the uninitiated. I understand that the sheer amount of $ signs, squiggly braces, underscores and nested parenthesis can make you dizzy at first glance. I felt the same way back when I started writing scripts for BASH on a UNIX machine using VI. It is quite similar actually.

Nonetheless, just dive in and start doing things. However, just like with learning a real life foreign language, don’t try to translate. Translation forces you to use one language’s grammar and constructs in a way that they were never intended to be used.
So don’t try to translate your VBScript files one-to-one to PowerShell, you just end up with strange looking VBScript programs.

Learn to THINK in the language you are using, you will find that you learn any language faster and in more detail. Start the same way you learned to write in your native language: Read.
There are thousands of sample scripts on the Internet in a huge variation of topics, sizes and detail. Study them. Once you can read the more complex samples you will find yourself eager to use this new language and write some cool scripts.

It’s not hard, it’s just new.

P.S. If you want to learn faster, we here at SAPIEN do sell books, videos and training for PowerShell, just thought I mention that too.

Technorati Tags: Learning, powershell, TechEd, VBScript

If you are dealing with mostly 64 bit server software you may want to make the embedded shell use the 64 bit version of PowerShell. The default installation of PowerShell under Windows 7 is at C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0

And yes, that is still true for PowerShell V2.

The system32 folder is mapped to SysWOW64, which is the actual 32 bit version of the that folder. I know, the numbering scheme is a bit confusing.

Fortunately with Vista 64bit, Server 2008 64 bit and Windows 7 64 bit there is a path specification that explicitly points to the 64 bit folder.

Open PrimalScript 2009 and select Tools – Options – Environment – Command Window.

Select “Other Process” and enter the following path:
C:\Windows\Sysnative\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\PowerShell.exe

Press OK and use View – Other Windows – Command Window to bring up the embedded shell if you don’t have it active yet.

You can now actually right click and toggle between the 32 and the 64 bit shell using either “Windows PowerShell” or PowerShell.exe

Drag and drop you scripts, partial code or snippets onto the embedded shell to run things.

How can you tell the difference? While there is no obvious variable that screams 64 or 32 bit, I found the following a good indicator:

Type ls env:programfiles

If it has a value of “C:\Program Files” you are in a 64 bit shell, if it says “C:\Program Files (x86)” you have a 32 bit PowerShell instance running.

Technorati Tags: 32 bit, 64 bit, console, powershell, PrimalScript, SAPIEN, Server 2008, Vista, windows 7