WPF PowerShell Applications
In the last article, I demonstrated how to use common WPF controls in your script. There is a lot of code to write to create a WPF-based PowerShell script, and there is a lot of trial and error to get everything positioned where you want it. I will show you an alternative way to handle the visuals in a future article. But today, I want to show a few more WPF features you might want to incorporate. I also need to discuss some of the challenges you face when running a WPF-based PowerShell script.
WPF is a developer tool for creating graphical applications complete with menus, toolbars, and buttons. As PowerShell scripters we rarely need to create a full-blown WPF application. If you do, you would be better off creating a native .NET application. Our scripting needs tend to be a bit more modest. A WPF-based script is a great way to create an interface for a user to input data for your PowerShell function or script. Although, the WPF script can also be a complete application that you happen to create with PowerShell.
One additional element you might want to include is a status bar. This is a common GUI feature that can provide feedback to the user. Let me show you how to create one.