UPDATED 2.1.2019 to handle the new Az Azure Powershell module!
Recently I’ve been creating some scripts using Azure PowerShell (like this one for DevTest Labs documented here), Azure PowerShell support moves forward quickly with near constant changes – some of those are breaking changes between major versions.
The most current example of a breaking change that broke some of my scripts was the removal of “Find-AzureRmResource”. The functionality for this commandlet was combined with “Get-AzureRmResource” in Azure PowerShell 6. You can see the list of changes listed here.
The Problem
The challenge comes in when I want to test the latest changes for each version of PowerShell. I was having difficulty in switching back and and forth between Azure Powershell major versions 5 and 6 – that means it’s time to build some some helper functions!
The Solution
I wrote some short PowerShell functions to help me install and switch versions of Azure Powershell (specifically the AzureRm commandlets). The easiest way to incorporate these into your environment is via the PowerShell profiles. A PowerShell profile is a block of code or script that is run whenever you create a new PowerShell environment.
Step 1: Edit your PowerShell profile to add in the new functions
Launch a PowerShell window and type, “notepad $PROFILE.CurrentUserAllHosts”. This is the script that’s run for the current user whenever a new PowerShell window is opened (any PowerShell host).
Step 2: Save the code below to the PowerShell profile
Below there are a set of new PowerShell functions to enable switching between major versions of Azure Powershell quickly. Copy in the code below to the profile.ps1 file in Notepad, save & close the file. The script is run each time you create a new PowerShell environment, so the functions will be always available!
<#
.SYNOPSIS
This function just lists out available Azure Powershell Module versions available local to your machine
.DESCRIPTION
This is a wrapper function for "Get-Module" to see what versions of AzureRm/AZ modules you have available locally on your machine
.EXAMPLE
Install-AzureModuleVersion -MajorVersion 1
.LINK
https://github.com/petehauge/personal/Scripts/Misc/profile.ps1
#>
Function Get-AzureModuleVersions {
Get-Module -ListAvailable | Where-Object {$_.Name -eq "AzureRm" -or $_.Name -eq "Az.Accounts"}
}
<#
.SYNOPSIS
This function selects a particular AzureRM module version and unloads all others
.DESCRIPTION
When developing Azure Powershell scripts, I often find the need to test with various
versions of Azure Powershell to confirm that breaking changes wouldn't break the script or
to adapt the script to work with various versions. It's tough to 'flip' between Azure versions,
this function aims to make switching between AzureRm versions easier
.EXAMPLE
Select-AzureRmVersion -MajorVersion 6
.LINK
https://github.com/petehauge/personal/Scripts/Misc/profile.ps1
#>
function Select-AzureModuleVersion {
param
(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true, Position=0, HelpMessage="The major version for Azure Powershell Modules to select. Version 1 is for the new Az module")]
[ValidateSet(1, 4, 5, 6)]
[int] $MajorVersion
)
$modules = Get-Module | Where-Object {$_.Name.ToLower().StartsWith("azurerm") -or $_.Name.ToLower().StartsWith("az")}
if ($modules) {
$modules | Remove-Module
Write-Output "Azure Modules just removed from the session. Please restart powershell and then call 'Select-AzureModuleVersion' again"
}
else {
if ($MajorVersion -eq 1) {
Import-Module -Name Az -MinimumVersion "$MajorVersion.0.0" -MaximumVersion "$MajorVersion.9.9" -Force -AllowClobber
$module = Get-Module -Name Az
if ($module) {
Write-Output "Azure Module loaded (Az), version $($module.Version.ToString())"
}
}
else {
Import-Module -Name AzureRm -MinimumVersion "$MajorVersion.0.0" -MaximumVersion "$MajorVersion.9.9" -Force -AllowClobber
$module = Get-Module -Name AzureRm
if ($module) {
Write-Output "Azure Modules loaded (AzureRm), version $($module.Version.ToString())"
}
}
}
}
<#
.SYNOPSIS
This function installs a particular AzureRM module major version, must be run as admin
.DESCRIPTION
This is a wrapper function for "Install-Module" and must be run as administrator. The
goal is to reduce the amount of 'stuff' you need to know to flip between azure powershell versions.
In this case, all you need is a major version number for AzureRm/Az modules. As of this writing,
the latest major version of Azure Powershell is an Az module version 1 .
.EXAMPLE
Install-AzureModuleVersion -MajorVersion 6
.LINK
https://github.com/petehauge/personal/Scripts/Misc/profile.ps1
#>
function Install-AzureModuleVersion {
param
(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true, Position=0, HelpMessage="The major version for Azure Powershell to install. Version 1 is for the new Az module. This function needs to be run as admin")]
[ValidateSet(1, 4, 5, 6)]
[int] $MajorVersion
)
if ($MajorVersion -eq 1) {
Install-Module -Name Az -MinimumVersion "$MajorVersion.0.0" -MaximumVersion "$MajorVersion.9.9" -Force -AllowClobber
}
else {
Install-Module -Name AzureRm -MinimumVersion "$MajorVersion.0.0" -MaximumVersion "$MajorVersion.9.9" -Force -AllowClobber
}
Write-Output "The available version of Azure Powershell are:"
Get-AzureModuleVersions
}
# Function to walk all the dependencies and completely uninstall a version of Azure Powershell Modules, copied and tweaked
# from this location: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/azure/uninstall-azurerm-ps?view=azurermps-6.4.0
function Uninstall-AzureModules {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
[string]$Version,
[switch]$Force
)
$AllModules = @()
if ($Version.StartsWith('1')) {
$moduleName = "Az"
}
else {
$moduleName = "AzureRm"
}
'Creating list of dependencies...'
$target = Find-Module $moduleName -RequiredVersion $version
$target.Dependencies | ForEach-Object {
$AllModules += New-Object -TypeName psobject -Property @{name=$_.name; version=$_.requiredversion}
}
$AllModules += New-Object -TypeName psobject -Property @{name=$moduleName; version=$Version}
foreach ($module in $AllModules) {
if (-not $module.Version) {
#if the module version is blank, let's assume that it's the main version above... this is a workaround
$module.Version = $Version
}
Write-Host ('Uninstalling {0} version {1}' -f $module.name,$module.version)
try {
Uninstall-Module -Name $module.name -RequiredVersion $module.version -Force:$Force -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
Write-Host ("`t" + $_.Exception.Message)
}
}
}
Step 3: Use the functions to save time!
You’ll be able to use the functions in any new PowerShell window after saving the profile. If you have any suggestions on how to improve them, please let me know!
- Get-AzureModuleVersions: Returns the available versions of Azure Powershell already present on your computer
- Install-AzureModuleVersion: Installs the latest for a given major version of Azure Powershell. For example, Install-AzureModuleVersion 5 will install Azure Powershell version 5.7.0 locally on your computer since this is the latest available version where the major version number is 5.
- Select-AzureModuleVersion: Pick a specific version of the AzureRm commandlets to use based on major version number. If you already have Azure Powershell modules loaded in your environment, those will be removed and you will be prompted to restart your session and rerun the commandlet to properly select the version of Azure Powershell.
- Uninstall-AzureModules: If you want to clear the decks and uninstall ALL the Azure Rm Modules you have, run the Uninstall-AllAzureRmModules commandlet. This commandlet (copied from here) walks all the dependencies and forcefully removes everything.
