CODEWITHSUNDEEP
powershell
cskwrd
cskwrd

Reputation: 2895

Powershell module structure

I am trying to figure out the best way to organize a Powershell module on disk.

I think it is wise to put each cmdlet in its own file, but if I do that it seems that I am still required to dot source them in the psm1 file, even if I have listed the file in the module manifest. Is there any way around having to include these scripts in the psm1 file? If not, what is the point of the module manifest? I feel like all that information could just be contained in the psm1 file.

Upvotes: 4

Views: 2178

Answers (1)

Mark Wragg
Mark Wragg

Reputation: 23415

Typical practice is to organise your functions in to individual files under private and public folders. Public are ones your users will call, private are internal to the script. Then you can use a loop to load them all, as well as use the module manifest to expose the public ones:

$Public = @( Get-ChildItem -Path "$PSScriptRoot\Public\*.ps1" ) $Private = @( Get-ChildItem -Path "$PSScriptRoot\Private\*.ps1" )

@($Public + $Private) | ForEach-Object {
    Try {
        . $_.FullName
    } Catch {
        Write-Error -Message "Failed to import function $($_.FullName): $_"
    } }

Export-ModuleMember -Function $Public.BaseName Export-ModuleMember
-Variable 'LogPath'

Example:

https://github.com/markwragg/Powershell-SlackBot/tree/master/SlackBot

The module manifest is still worthwhile, it delivers other benefits like allowing cmdlets to be discoverable even if the module isn't loaded and declaring dependencies (such as format xml files, or other modules that this module depends on). It's also a requirement of publishing the module in to the Powershell Gallery.

Upvotes: 4

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