PowerShell / PowerShell/PSScriptAnalyzer

Sugguest native (PowerShell) command alternatives to CMD/Unix commands

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Description

Summary of the new feature

Following a idea and short chat with @SteveL-MSFT on twitter it occured to me that it might be a fit for PSScriptAnalyzer (see https://twitter.com/Steve_MSFT/status/1083749912439808001 )

I was reminded of a old pdf Ashley McGlone did https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/TNBlogsFS/prod.evol.blogs.technet.com/telligent.evolution.components.attachments/01/8458/00/00/03/54/23/12/PowerShell%20Cmd%20Line%20Conversion%20Guide%20AD.pdf (found on https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/ashleymcglone/2013/01/02/free-download-cmd-to-powershell-guide-for-ad/ )

It can be hard to discover native PowerShell commands for commands you have used for years in cmd. Example ipconfig (or ifconfig) (if your new to PowerShell you might not even know.

CMD Switch PowerShell Cmdlet Module Version
IPCONFIG Get-NetIPConfiguration NetTCPIP 2012
IPCONFIG /ALL Get-NetIPConfiguration -Detailed NetTCPIP 2012
IPCONFIG /FLUSHDNS Clear-DnsClientCache DnsClient 2012
IPCONFIG /DISPLAYDNS Get-DnsClientCashe DnsClient 2012
IPCONFIG /REGISTERDNS Register-DnsClient DnsClient 2012

There's a huge difference between getting the non structured text output from ipconfig and the objects you get from the native commands.

Say a user try to find IP of localhost by using ipconfig in his code PowerShell code. The script analyzer could sugguest using one of the commands above (or even Get-NetIPAddress) as an alternative that will return a object instead of "unstructured" text.

I'm not sure how to come up with a list of comparable commands, but I guess that is excatly why it might be nice.

Proposed technical implementation details (optional)

If the script analyzer could make alternatives visible e.g. in VS Code it might help people out.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

The issue proposes analyzer suggestions for native PowerShell alternatives to CMD and Unix commands, with ipconfig mappings as an example. No repository files, tests, or analyzer entry points are identified; first define the supported command mappings and locate the relevant analyzer extension point, then establish how suggestions should appear in VS Code and how completion will be verified.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
powershell
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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