PowerShell Tools for Visual Studio

This page contains the changelog for both PowerShell Tools for Visual Studio and PowerShell Pro Tools for Visual Studio.
2022.5.0 - 5/10/2022
Fixed an issue where syntax errors would be shown as warnings
Added support for packaging PS 7.2.3
Fixed an issue where non-ASCII characters wouldn't be stored correctly after packaging
2022.4.0 - 4/12/2022
Removed code conversion features
Fixed an issue where Read-Host would not work in VS2022
Fixed an issue where PowerShell 7.2 executables would not work as a service
Fixed an issue where PowerShell 7.x executables would not have an icon
Fixed an issue where PowerShell 7.x executables would not elevate properly
2022.3.0 - 3/8/2022
Fixed an issue where a script compiled as a service would fail to run
Fixed an issue where running the code formatter would remove breakpoints
2022.2.1 - 2/10/2022
Fixed an issue where obfuscated builds wouldn't work twice
Fixed an issue where obfuscated Windows PowerShell builds wouldn't execute correctly
2022.2.0 - 2/8/2022
Fixed an issue where File Description would not be set properly for PS7 executables
Changed some of the language within the options page to be more descriptive.
Fixed an issue where the WPF designer would not load in VS2022 on certain environments.
Fixed an issue where Script Analyzer Quick Fixes would not work in VS2022
Added support for format document (Ctrl+K, Ctrl+D)
Fixed an issue where the form designer would save files as ANSI rather than UTF8
Fixed an issue where cls or Clear-Host would cause the terminal prompt to disappear in the PowerShell Interactive Window.
Added support for compiling Linux executables in Visual Studio
Fixed an issue where WPF event handlers could be generated incorrectly for generic parameter types
Fixed an issue where the PowerShell Interactive window buffer width would not adjust when the window size changed
Added support for icons in PS7 executables
Added support for obfuscating PS7 executables
2022.1.0 - 1/11/2022
Fixed an issue where the settings page would crash if PSScriptAnalyzer was not installed
Fixed an issue where ProductVersion was set incorrectly in MSBuild
Fixed an issue where PowerShell 7 executables would not have file properties
Fixed an issue where you could not browse for application icons
Added support for the WPF Designer in Visual Studio 2022
Fixed an issue where the WPF designer IntelliSense would not work in VS 2019
2021.12.2 - 12/27/2021
Fixed an issue when switching between PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell could cause VS to hang
Fixed an issue where pressing escape to cancel IntelliSense would clear the line in the PowerShell Interactive Window
Fixed an issue where the PowerShell Interactive Window did not support ANSI escape characters in PowerShell 7.2
Fixed an issue where the the PowerShell 7 profile would not be loaded properly.
Fixed an issue where packaging a PowerShell 7.2 or later executable could result in a failure to build
2021.12.1 - 12/17/2021
Fixed an issue where packaging an executable into an output directory with an apostrophe does not work.
Fixed an issue where PS7.1 and PS7.2 output directories would contain all unpackaged files
2021.12.0 - 12/14/2021
Fixed an issue where adding multiple form items would attempt to add multiple Resource.resx files
Implemented a new settings dialog for Script Analyzer
Added a new setting to change the behavior of script analyzer to only run on save
Fixed an issue where Go To Definition would not work consistently
Fixed an issue where post-build events would not run
Added support for packaging PowerShell 7.2 and .NET 6.0 executables
Added support for renaming the output executable
2021.11.1 - 11/15/2021
Fixed an issue where the form designer would not add the required references in Visual Studio 2022.
2021.11.0 - 11/9/2021
Support for Visual Studio 2022 GA
Fixed an issue where parameter splatting refactor would not work in all scenarios
PowerShell 7.1 packaging support
2021.10.0 - 10/12/2021
Added refactoring tools​
Fixed an issue where the $DTE variable was missing
Added support for Pester 5 in the test adapter
Fixed an issue where the package as executable command was missing in the solution explorer
2021.9.2 - 9/23/2021
Fixed an issue where build events would not run
2021.9.1 - 9/15/2021
Fixed an issue where colors would be incorrect in dark themes
Fixed an issue where the packager would show a failure to load NewtonSoft.Json
Fixed an issue where WPF event handlers would be generated incorrectly
2021.9.0 - 9/14/2021
Visual Studio 2022 Support
Fixed an issue where debugging a script could say that a pre-req was missing
Fixed pre-req installation
Fixed an issue where the Convert To PowerShell and Convert To C# commands were missing in the context menu
Fixed an error that would be shown when attempting to package a script in Visual Studio
Fixed an MSBuild warning that was shown when compiling on Windows
Added support for bundling additional XAML files in executables
Fixed an issue where using the .NET 5 SDK would cause executables to fail to build on Windows
Added settings dialog under View \ PowerShell \ Settings
5.10.2 - 7-22-2021
Fixed an issue where the packager would fail when the script name had a space in it
5.10.1 - 7-21-2021
Fixed an issue where an exception could be thrown during packaging.
5.10.0 - 7-20-2021
Added support for bundling resources into executables
5.9.9 - 6-16-2021
Fixed an issue where Read-Host would not work
5.9.8 - 6-2-2021
Fixed a packaging issue with concatenated strings and Join-Path
5.9.6 - 5-26-2021
Fixed an issue where the extension would not activate in VS 2017
5.9.5 - 5-25-2021
Fixed an issue where the variables window would not work if opened after the main extension package activated
5.9.4 - 5-24-2021
Fixed an issue where the variables window would not work due to a missing license file in the build process.
5.9.3 - 5-21-2021
Fixed an issue where bundling form resources would not work correctly
5.9.2 - 5-19-2021
Fixed an issue with Out-GridView
5.9.1 - 5-14-2021
Added Modules window
Improved performance of the variables window
5.9.0 - 5-13-2021
Added Variables window
Consolidated PowerShell tools windows into a PowerShell sub menu
5.8.12 - 5-11-2021
Fixed an issue where the bundler could throw an error and fail when bundling certain modules.
5.8.11 - 5-10-2021
Fixed an issue where the packager would throw an error about NewtonSoft.Json when bundling modules.
5.8.10 - 5-5-2021
Added Execute Selection button to PowerShell Toolbar
5.8.9 - 5-4-2021
Removed a dependency on NewtonSoft.Json that was causing a problem when compiling scripts to executables
5.8.8 - 5-3-2021
Fixed an issue with packaging PS7 scripts containing a ternary operator
5.8.7 - 4-30-2021
Fixed an issue where resource files would not be generated when paths contained periods
5.8.6 - 4-26-2021
Fixed an issue with packaging XAML files.
5.8.5 - 4-23-2021
Fixed an issue with activation caching
Fixed an issue with ImageList controls in the form designer
Fixed an issue with packaging PowerCLI
5.8.4 - 4-21-2021
Fixed an issue where packaging modules could cause an Access Denied error
Added subscription activation caching to prevent excessive web requests
5.8.2 - 4-14-2021
Fixed an issue where packaging would use the wrong PowerShell version when looking up modules causing certain modules to fail to load
5.8.1 - 4-7-2021
Fixed an issue where the extension would fail to install due to a expired certificate
5.8.0 - 3-1-2021
Added support for building .NET Core based Windows Services with PowerShell 7
5.7.22 - 2-11-2021
Fixed an issue where packaging would not work with modules that contained a C# .cs file (like MSAL.PS)
5.7.21 - 1-25-2021
Fixed an issue with subscription licenses not displaying correctly.
5.7.20 - 1-20-2021
Fixes an issue where stepping through a Switch would fail to step properly.
5.7.19 - 1-4-2021
Fixed an issue where stepping through a ForEach loop would fail to step properly
Fixed an issue where non-subscription licenses would show they were only licensed for 1 week when this wasn't actually the case.
5.7.18 - 12-30-2020
Fixed an issue where constrained language mode would fail silently.
5.7.17 - 12-12-2020
Fixed an issue with the locals and watch window when using PowerShell 7.1
5.7.16 - 12-11-2020
Fixed an issue where copy and paste would not work as expected when debugging with the REPL window open
5.7.14 - 12-4-2020
Fix an issue with subscription registration.
5.7.13 - 12-3-2020
Fixed an issue where script analysis could fail after a script was saved with syntax errors
Fixed an issue with the WPF event binding service where it would fail silently when an event handler was added to a control without a name.
Fixed an issue with the WPF event binding service where it would generate functions with unapproved verbs
Added support for PowerShell Pro Tools subscriptions
5.7.12 - 11-30-2020
Fixed an issue where variable expansion would not work correctly for objects that were IEnumerable but did not generic
5.7.11 - 11-27-2020
Fixed an issue where expanding a collection in the variable window with a single value wouldn't work.
5.7.10 - 11-23-2020
Fixed an issue where the PowerShell version drop down wouldn't show the current version
5.7.9 - 11-21-2020
Fixed an issue where debugging wouldn't stop on breakpoints in PowerShell 7.1
Removed the Reset PowerShell Session option because it caused many problems when enabled.
5.7.8 - 11-16-2020
Fixed an issue where the analysis service could fail to start
Fixed an issue where the packager could fail when packaging certain Windows PowerShell modules.
5.7.7 - 11-4-2020
Fixed an issue with packaging the NTFSSecurity module
5.7.6 - 10-26-2020
Fixed an issue where script analysis would fail to start due to a threading issue
Fixed an issue where the packager would state that there was unreachable code detected
5.7.5 - 10-26-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where packaging would fail with a duplicate assembly error
5.7.4 - 10-19-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where building with certain project types could result in a Visual Studio crash.
5.7.3 - 10-15-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue with bundling modules that contained System.Management.Automation.dll
Fixed an issue with bundling modules that contained RootModules nested in a folder
5.7.2 - 10-13-2020
Changed
Improve extension startup performance
5.7.1 - 10-08-2020
Changed
Fixed a null reference exception when activating the extension
5.7.0 - 10-07-2020
Added
​Go to definition support for commands and functions
5.6.4 - 9-28-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where the error list line number would be off by one
Fixed an issue with bundling the ActiveDirectory module in PowerShell 7 standalone executables
5.6.3 - 9-24-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where compiling a PowerShell 7 executable that included WinForms wouldn't work if Hide Console Window was unchecked.
5.6.2 - 9-22-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where parse errors would not be highlighed
Fixed an issue where clicking a parse or analysis error in the error list would throw an exception
Fixed an issue with the NumericDropDown Windows Form component would not be generated correctly.
5.6.1 - 9-17-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue with packaging Windows Forms applications with PS7
5.6.0 - 9-16-2020
Added
Added support for packaging the 7.0.2 and 7.0.3 PowerShell SDK
5.5.7 - 9-13-2020
Changed
Default install of PowerShell Pro Tools trial license
5.5.6 – 9-01-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where script analyzer support could cause a hang when changing languages or starting Visual Studio
5.5.5 – 8-05-2020
Changed
Reverting changes in version 5.5.4 that resulted in commands not executing correctly
Fixed an issue with PSScriptAnaylzer support
5.5.4 – 7-31-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where parser errors would be shown for PS7’s new features
5.5.3 – 7-14-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where the locals window wouldn’t display variables
5.5.2 – 7-12-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where ListView, TreeView and ContextMenu child items would not work in PSScriptPad
Fixed an issue where packaging would fail if a script ended in a comment
Fixed an issue where packaging would fail if a script was too large
Fixed an issue where the opacity setting wouldn’t work on form controls on certain systems.
Fixed an issue where script analysis would highlight too much of the script when there was an issue
Fixed an issue where script analysis quickfix items would replace too much of the script
5.5.1 – 6-2-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where packaging would fail for projects created with 5.4.9 or older
5.5.0 – 5-26-2020
Added
Added support for packaging PowerShell 7 executables
Added experimental support for packaging Linux and OSX executables
Changed
Fixed an issue that could cause a crash if PSScriptAnalyzer was enabled
Fixed an issue where QuickFix items could cause a crash when being executed
5.4.9 – 5-18-2020
Changed
Fixed a crash that could happen when PSScriptAnalyzer was enabled
Fixed an issue that would cause breakpoints to not be hit when lines were indented
5.4.8 – 5-6-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue where removing a breakpoint would not clear the breakpoint in PowerShell
Fixed an issue where output could be written out of order
5.4.7 – 5-6-2020
Changed
Fixed an issue that was causing hangs when running WinForm scripts.
5.4.6 – 2020-4-30
Changed
Fixed an issue where stopping the debugger could prevent it from starting again
Fixed an issue where using statements in a script would prevent it from packaging correctly
Add logging to the packaging system to better diagnose issues.
5.4.5 – 2020-4-27
Changed
Fixed an issue with variables not expanding properly in the Locals and Watch windows.
Fixed an issue with an exception being shown during startup due to the Analysis Service not being ready
Fixed an issue with the output pane no longer showing script output
Fixed an issue where terminating errors would not be shown
5.4.4 – 2020-4-19
Changed
Removed the experimental console for now as it was causing unexpected issues for some users.
5.4.2 – 2020-4-16
Changed
Fixed an issue where the extension would allocate a console window on startup
Known Issues
The console window may be allocated outside of Visual Studio and the PowerShell Console (Experimental) window will cause VS to become unresponsive.
5.4.1 – 2020-4-13
Changed
Fixed an issue with installation into Visual Studio 2017
5.4.0 – 2020-4-12
Added
Added a new PowerShell Console window. Click View->Other Windows->PowerShell Console to open it.
Changed
Removed dependency on gRPC to reduce hangs when using PoshTools
Improved performance of the Attach to Process dialog when PoshTools is installed
Fixed icons for PowerShell-based nodes in the solution explorer
5.3.6 – 2020-3-27
Added
– Added a $Service object to OnStart\OnStop for packaged services to access the ServiceBase for the service
– Added $ProcessArgs and $ServiceArgs variables to the runspace for packaged services
Changed
– Fixed an issue where Execute Selection would not show up in folder view
– Fixed an issue where $PSScriptRoot would not work for packaged services
– Updated signing certificate
5.3.5 – 2020-2-28
Changed– Fixed an issue where the solution directory would not be set when opening a solution or switching PowerShell versions– Fixed issue where the $dte variable may not be present– Fixed an issue where the service process would not log
5.3.4 – 2020-2-10
Added
– Added a Script property to the debug settings to allow for running a specific script rather than the currently open script
Changed
– Fixed an issue where a failed packaging build would not show the error message in the output
5.3.3 – 2020-2-4
Added
Added a PowerShell Windows Forms Project template
Changed
Fixed an issue when setting the platform for a packaged script
Fixed an issue when setting the “PackagePowerShell” setting for a packaged script
Fixed a syntax error with the Windows Forms item template
5.3.2 – 2020-1-28
Changed
Fixed issue with resource generation in Visual Studio Windows Forms Designer
Fixed issue where packaged applications wouldn’t work with arguments with spaces
5.3.1 – 2020-1-22
No longer requires a trial key​
5.2.5 – 2020-1-21
Fixed an issue with PowerShell Pro Tools initializing
Depending on how the PowerShell Pro Tools extension was loaded an error would be shown and it would fail to loaded.
5.2.4 – 2020-1-18
Fixed an issue with bundling resources
Resources, such as images and icons, would not be bundled correctly when bundling a WinForm control.
5.2.3 – 2020-1-16
Fixed an issue with license checking for the WinForm designer
If you opened the WinForm designer before installing your license, then installed a license and then opened the WinForm designer, you would need to restart Visual Studio for the license to take effect.
5.2.2 – 2020-1-15
Republished 5.2.1 as 5.2.2
An issue with the marketplace was causing a failure when upgrading to 5.2.1. Republished as 5.2.2 and it seems to have resolved it.
5.2.1 – 2020-1-15
Fixed an issue with license activation
License activation could run more than once causing the product to think that it was unlicensed.
5.2.0 – 2020-1-14
Added Platform Settings to Packaging
You can now specify the platform (x64\x86) when packaging executables.
5.1.4 – 2019-11-21
Fixed Crash During Start up or Solution Load
There was a race condition between the PowerShell host starting and the gRPC client being available to set the location of the REPL window. This would cause a crash when VS was starting and loading a PS solution at the same time.
Fixed Crash when selecting PS Script Analyzer Rules
When selecting PS Script Analyzer rules, there could be a condition where a directory needed to store the settings would not exist. This directory is now created before attempting to save the settings.
Added STA Support for Windows PowerShell
In the General options page, you can now select STA mode for Windows PowerShell. This primarily affects Windows Forms controls, like the web browser control, that rely on COM.
5.1.3 – 2019-11-19
Hang when running command-line tools
Command-line tools that used the error stream (like git.exe) would cause a hang in the PowerShell debugger.
5.1.2 – 2019-11-18
Visual Studio: Fixed Aggressive Extension Loading
The PoshTools extension was loading aggressively. It would load even when no PowerShell solution or interactive window was open.
Visual Studio: Fixed exception in script analyzer
When Visual Studio was loading, the script analyzer would attempt to analyze “null” file resulting in an error.
Visual Studio: Added Convert to PowerShell command
The Paste As command was replaced with Convert to PowerShell.
5.1.1 – 2019-11-15
Visual Studio: Visual Studio would hang when using PowerShell v3\v4
When the PowerShell extension would initialize and PowerShell v3 or v4 was being used, the extension would cause the IDE to hang.
Visual Studio: Debugging would not work in Visual Studio 2017
The error “Attaching the PowerShell Debug Engine debugger to Process unknown process” would be shown when attempting to debug.
Visual Studio: Breakpoint would not be set in Visual Studio 2017
The debugger would not break on a breakpoint set in Visual Studio 2017.
5.1.0 – 2019-11-11
Visual Studio: Solution Wide Analysis
​PowerShell Pro Tools now uses PSScriptAnalyzer to analyze all the scripts within your solution in the background. You will still see tags on the active file, but the error list will also report any issues with any PSM1 or PS1 files in your solution.
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Visual Studio: PSScriptAnalyzer Settings
You can now modify PSScriptAnalyzer settings directly in the PowerShell Tools Options. Go to the Analysis page to turn on Analysis, Solution Wide Analysis, enable specific levels or even turn off specific rules.
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Visual Studio Code: Fixed PowerShell Host Initialization
The PowerShell Pro Tools host could fail to initialize so startup operations would not be performed putting the extension in an unknown state. The extension has been fixed to load the host consistenlty.
Visual Studio Code: Fixed PowerShell Host Crash Reinitialization
If the Visual Code PowerShell Host would crash, PowerShell Pro Tools would not reconnect to the PowerShell process. This would prevent it from working.