Editing Powershell Environment Configuration

[[Category:Powershell]] [[Category:Windows]]
== Overview ==

Any issues and solutions that have been encountered configuring the Powershell environment to run scripts.

== Creating and modifying environment variables ==

* [http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff730964.aspx Creating and Modifying Environment Variables] (Microsoft TechNet)

=== Display all environment variables ===

<syntaxhighlight lang="powershell">
> Get-ChildItem Env:
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Display information about a particular environment variable ===

<syntaxhighlight lang="powershell">
> $Env:path
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Create a variable for the current session only ===

<syntaxhighlight lang="powershell">
> $env:TestVariable = "This is a test environment variable."
</syntaxhighlight>

=== User- and machine-level environment variables ===

To create a persistent user-level environment variable:

<syntaxhighlight lang="powershell">
> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("TestVariable", "Test value.", "User")
</syntaxhighlight>

* '''"TestVariable"''' is the name of the variable.
* '''"Test Value."''' is the value assigned to the variable.
* '''"User"''' is the level of the variable. `"User"` makes this a user-level variable. Alternate values are `"Machine"` and `"Process"`.

Variables set with `SetEnvironmentVariable()` don't appear using the `Get-ChildItem env:` command until the current shell is closed and a new one is opened, although the value of the variable can be retrieved with 

<syntaxhighlight lang="powershell">
> [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("TestVariable","User")
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Deleting environment varables ===

<syntaxhighlight lang="powershell">
> Remove-Item Env:\TestVariable
</syntaxhighlight>

Or

<syntaxhighlight lang="powershell">
> [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("TestVariable", $null, "User")
</syntaxhighlight>

== Script permissions ==

=== Script permissions on the local filesystem ===

By default powershell scripts (.ps1) won't run. Permission for this doesn't allow for the local machine to execute powershell scripts. 

<pre>
[SCRIPT_NAME] : File [FULL_SCRIPT_PATH] cannot be loaded. The file [FULL_SCRIPT_PATH] is not digitally signed.
</pre> 

''TODO: Document how to update the environment to allow this. I don't remember the details of how it was done right now. ''

=== Allowing scripts to run from UNC paths ===

[[File:Intranet-security.png|thumb|Internet Properties dialog]][[File:Intranet-permissions.png|thumb|Intranet Permissions dialog]] By default powershell scripts can't be run from UNC paths (e.g. `\\mylocalserver\path\to\script.ps1`):


<syntaxhighlight lang="text" enclose="div">
[SCRIPT_NAME] : File [FULL_SCRIPT_PATH] cannot be loaded. The file [FULL_SCRIPT_PATH] is not digitally signed.
</syntaxhighlight> 


* '''Control Panel''' > '''Network and Internet''' > '''Internet Options''' > '''Security''' tab 
* Select a zone to view or change security settings: '''Local Intranet'''
* '''Sites''' button
** Uncheck "Automatically detect intranet network"
** Check "Include all local (intranet) sites not listed in other zones"
** Check "Include all network paths (UNC)"

== Aliases ==

There is a file that controls the current user's powershell environment. Scripts and script aliases are stored in this file. 

''TODO: I don't remember offhand where this file is located. Document its location.''