How to create PowerShell modules with a Plaster template

Create a Plaster template

First, install the Plaster module. In the PowerShell Gallery, enter:

PS C:\> Install-Module Plaster

A Plaster manifest is an XML file that shows what's in a template. A manifest has three sections: template metadata, parameters that outline what users need to know to create a module and template contents, such as files and folders.

To create a template from scratch, use the cmdlet New-PlasterManifest. Below, you see a PowerShell hash table that includes the essential parameters to create the template, such as path, title and name.

Open the manifest we just created -- PlasterManifest.xml -- to see the options we chose.

Note that there are no parameters or content in our manifest; this happens by default when you create a Plaster template from scratch. To demonstrate the use of parameters and content, I will use a Plaster template created by Kieran Jacobsen, Microsoft MVP and head of IT at consulting firm Telstra Purple. I cloned the template on GitHub.

Jacobsen's manifest includes prompts for information, such as author name, module name, module version and folders.

It's possible to give multiple options for a prompt. For example, the "ModuleFolders" prompt lets the user choose multiple folders to include in a new module.

In the content for this manifest, we see some tests stored in the "tests" directory.

With Plaster, admins can create Pester tests automatically for every new module. As shown in the manifest below, it's also possible to create issue templates for bug reports, feature requests and pull requests in GitHub.

Be sure to put data into the module manifest for new modules. The module version, author and description are included below.

Create a module from a template

Now that we have a template from which to create future PowerShell modules, we can test it. To follow along, use Git to clone Jacobsen's repository to your local machine.

Next, view the Plaster template, and notice all the options from which you can build modules.

Next, create a new PowerShell module based on this template. To get started, use splatting -- a way to pass a group of parameter values to a command as a single unit -- in PowerShell.

Finally, use the Invoke-Plaster cmdlet to create a module named, for example, "Best PowerShell Tool Ever."

Now, files for the new module are ready. Open the "TESTMOD" folder in Visual Studio Code to see all the files we just created.