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Using psake To Load FunctionsToExport

Cody Konior has a good post on using psake to populate the FunctionsToExport section of a module definition:

The “best practice” and proper way of handling this then is to add an entry to the array in this file every time you create a new function. Manually. What a pain in the ass right? But there’s a better way!

If you haven’t seen psake before you can take a look later. Start up PowerShell as Administrator and install psake from the PowerShell Gallery using Install-Module psake and then you’re ready to go.

How does psake work? It’s the PowerShell equivalent of a Makefile. Basically:

  • You add a file in the root of your module called psakefile.ps1

  • When you run Invoke-psake from that location, it will load and execute the file

For a one-off module with one or two functions, it’s probably not worth it, but once you get to several functions (or if you’re building modules regularly), this looks like a time-saver.