How to create a Function using Powershell

Question

I need help with the code below. I want the script to perform the following: prompt the user for an AD group name, if the group name is found, export the group members to a CSV file. one of the requirements is that I must include a function statement. Thank you in advance.

The code works if I use a variable like the following example: $groupsusers = Get-ADGroup -Identity $nameofgroup, instead of the function statement. However, I don't want to use a variable, I want to implement a function statement.

$prompt = "Enter A Group Name"
do
{
$nameofgroup = Read-Host $prompt
}
until(!$(dsquery Group-Object $nameofgroup; $prompt = "Group 
'$nameofgroup' was not found, try again"))

$nameofgroup = Read-Host $prompt

function GetGroupInfoToCsv (#what parameters go here?){

ForEach-Object{

$settings = @{ Group = $_.DistinguishedName; Member = $null }
$_| Get-ADGroupMember |
ForEach-Object{
    $settings.Member = $_.DistinguishedName
    New-Object PsObject -Property $settings
}

}

}

GetGroupInfoToCsv | Export-Csv .\GroupMembers.csv -NoTypeInformation

your code does not make any sense ... and at least one part will not run at all. what do you want the function to do? have you working code to put in the function? — Lee_Dailey, Oct 12 '19 at 04:18

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 12 '19 at 12:22

You could combine the asking for user input and returning the info into the same function. Something like this:

function Get-GroupMembers {
    $prompt = "Enter A Group Name. Press Q to quit"
    # create an endless loop
    while ($true) {
        Clear-Host
        $answer = Read-Host $prompt
        # if the user has had enough, exit the function
        if ($answer -eq 'Q') { return }

        # try and find one or more AD groups using the answer as (part of) the name
        $group = Get-ADGroup -Filter "Name -like '*$answer*'"
        # if we have found something, exit the while loop and start enumerating the members
        if ($group) { break }

        $prompt = "Group '$answer' was not found, try again. Press Q to quit"
    }

    # you only get here if Get-ADGroup found one or more groups
    $group | ForEach-Object {
        # output a PSObject with the properties you are after
        $members = $_ | Get-ADGroupMember
        foreach ($member in $members) {
            [PsCustomObject]@{
                'Group'  = $_.DistinguishedName
                'Member' = $member.DistinguishedName
            }
        }
    }
}

# call the function
$groupinfo = Get-GroupMembers
# test if the function returned anything. 
# the user could have cancelled of the group had no members to output
if ($groupinfo) {
    Write-Host "Adding $($groupinfo.Count) items to the CSV file"
    # without -Append, you would overwrite your CSV file..
    $groupinfo | Export-Csv .\GroupMembers.csv -NoTypeInformation -Append
}
else {
    Write-Host 'Nothing found..'
}

As you can see, I have changed the function name so it complies with the Verb-Noun convention in PowerShell.

Theo, thanks for providing your knowledge/solution to my initial question. Your code executes perfectly. Question for you, how can I implement this line or something similar: Get-ADgroup -filter * | sort name | select name before the script asks to enter a group name? Thanks in advance. — ovictech20, Oct 13 '19 at 06:01
@ovictech20 You could put this line in at the very top of the function: `$allgroups = Get-ADGroup -Filter *` and next in the While loop change `$group = Get-ADGroup -Filter "Name -like '*$answer*'"` into: `$group = $allgroups | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*$answer*" }` — Theo, Oct 13 '19 at 09:56

How to create a Function using Powershell

1 Answers1