Many organizations use MySQL as the back end database to their web sites and other infrastructure operations. While MySQL offers its own set of GUI too for database management, using a generic database tool like PrimalSQL has several advantages, especially when operating in a mixed database environment. It is fairly simple to connect PrimalSQL to […]
Category: Howto
Closing the Form: What you might expect and what really happens
Recently I was contacted by one of our PrimalForms users. He commented that the behavior of a script deviated from what he was expecting. He provided me with the following script block for the Button Click Event so that I could help clear up the confusion: $handler_button3_Click={ # Check that a logfile was specified. If […]
PrimalForms 2009: Integrated Help
PrimalForms 2009 features integrated help to assist users with their form scripting. This blog covers some of its features. Help Documentation: (Fig 1: Click on the Help button or press F1 key to access the help documentation.) PrimalForms allows users to access help on any panel or window simply by pressing the F1 key. Depending […]
Synchronize folders with PrimalMerge
Ever run into a situation where you have 2 folders with identical file names in them but possibly different content in the files? You really don’t want to have to open each and every file to compare them and then copy the files from one folder to another, right? PrimalMerge to the rescue! PrimalMerge has […]
Writing VBScript that really runs in PowerShell
It’s quite possible to run traditional WSH script from the PowerShell console, and people have even directly hosted VBScript in PowerShell since 2004 using the Microsoft Script Control. However, you can go farther than just loading VBScript into an object in a PowerShell session and calling its methods. You can use VBScript – or any other Active Scripting language, for that matter – as a scripting language for PowerShell.
PowerShell hosting and $MyInvocation
Many PowerShell users utilize code as shown below to determine where the running script resides: function get-scriptdirectory{ $invocation=(get-variable MyInvocation -Scope 1).Value Split-Path $invocation.myinvocation.path} Unfortunately, if the script runs inside a custom host, such as PrimalScript’s internal host, for a good number of debuggers and the SAPIEN PowerShell host from the PrimalForms packager, the MyInvocation variable […]
Registry access from 32 to 64 bit and back
Just recently, I received an email asking how you can access the 64 bit registry from a 32 bit script, or vice versa. The task the individual was facing was to come up with a way to verify installed applications via checking the corresponding Windows Installer registry entries. For a C++ programmer with access to […]
Inventory Report to XML
Lately I seem to be answering a number of PowerShell XML related questions. When that happens I figure its time for an example. I have a script that I think originally was posted in a forum. I apologize that I didn’t note where it came from. But I’ve enhanced it (as I am likely to do). The script reads a bare bones XML file of computernames and builds a new XML file with inventory information such as operating system, computer system, logical disks and more retrieved from WMI. My script will hopefully serve as examples for working with XML files. I also use Write-Progress so that you can track what the script is doing.
PrimalForms Community Quick Guide
SAPIEN is begun offering free product and technology Quick Guides. These are short (2-5 pages) guides on how to do a specific task. This month I just published a quick guide on getting started with PrimalForms Community Edition. The guide walks you through using this free tool to create a graphical front end to your […]
Announcing SAPIEN QuickGuides!
As the core technologies we use to do our jobs evolve, becoming more sophisticated and more capable, so then do the tasks that we are expected to accomplish. As an example, with the evolution of PowerShell into V.2 you have a lot more power to do things you were not able to do with V.1. […]
