Ashraf's Blog

Powershell: Remote Execution

2010-04-14T20:51:00Z

I am working on web application deployment using powershell, petty funny job. Mostly I need to execute powershell scripts from remote computer because server administrator do not allow me to install powershell in server and the server do no have direct access to the code repository. So normally what script do is it downloads code from version controller in local temporary folder, build it using tools and deploy it in the server from the local computer remotely.

At the time of deployment for almost every project I need to run batch/exe/msi file from remote computer and I faced various issues to do that and so sharing some of these in that blog post.

I used Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) for the remote execution.

It is very easy to run a batch/exe/msi in a remote computer using those codes

        1: $command = "notepad.exe" 

       2: $process = [WMICLASS]"\\$serverName\ROOT\CIMV2:win32_process"

       3: $result = $process.Create($command)

Codes to execute remote barch/exe/msi file with credential

       1: $cred = get-credential 

       2: $process = get-wmiobject -query "SELECT * FROM Meta_Class WHERE __Class = 'Win32_Process'" -namespace "root\cimv2" -computername $serverName -credential $cred 

       3: $results = $process.Create( "notepad.exe" )

But you need to give username and password in a prompt popup to continue the remote execution. Here are the codes to execute remote batch/exe/msi with username and password without popup credential window

       1: $pass = ConvertTo-SecureString -string "EnterYourPassword" -AsPlainText –Force 

       2: $cred = New-Object -typename System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -argumentlist "domain\UserName", $pass $process = get-wmiobject -query "SELECT * FROM Meta_Class WHERE __Class = 'Win32_Process'" -namespace "root\cimv2" -computername $serverName -credential $cred 

       3: $results = $process.Create( "notepad.exe" )

Hope that post will help you to execute any remote process using powershell. By the way before executing WMI remoting be confirm that WMI is installed and running in your computer, RPC is available and firewall ports are not blocking you to execute remote process remotely.

Here is a nice example to setup WMI http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa389286(VS.85).aspx

JavaScript for GridView Row Level

2009-02-25T19:00:00Z

Introduction:

I was working in a project where I need to calculate price according to the number of food selected from a drop down list and this will be client site operation. In that article in am writing code on how to access every row and cell from JavaScript, and also write some small operation using these row and cell.

Source Code Click here to download Source Code

Background:

Writing JavaScript is important in grid view where many operation is coming on dropdownlist clicking so needed to use JavaScript to make is faster and user friendly.

Code Step by Step:

Create a grid view first which will load data from database. here is the code of GridView

     
<asp:GridView ID="myGrid" runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns="False" ShowFooter="true">

    <Columns>

        <asp:TemplateField>

            <ItemTemplate>

                <asp:CheckBox runat="server" ID="chkIT" onClick="changeColor(this)"/>

            </ItemTemplate>

        </asp:TemplateField>

        <asp:TemplateField>

            <ItemTemplate>

                <asp:DropDownList ID="DropDownList1" runat="server" onchange="showData(this)">

                    <asp:ListItem Selected="True" Text="1" Value="1"></asp:ListItem>

                    <asp:ListItem Text="2" Value="2"></asp:ListItem>

                    <asp:ListItem Text="3" Value="3"></asp:ListItem>

                    <asp:ListItem Text="4" Value="4"></asp:ListItem>

                    <asp:ListItem Text="5" Value="5"></asp:ListItem>

                </asp:DropDownList>

            </ItemTemplate>

        </asp:TemplateField>

        <asp:TemplateField HeaderText="Id"> 

            <ItemTemplate>

                <asp:Label ID="lblData" runat="server" Text='<%# Bind("Id") %>'></asp:Label>

            </ItemTemplate>

        </asp:TemplateField>

        <asp:TemplateField HeaderText="Name">

            <ItemTemplate>

                <asp:Label ID="lblData" runat="server" Text='<%# Bind("Name") %>'></asp:Label>

            </ItemTemplate>

        </asp:TemplateField>

        <asp:TemplateField HeaderText="Price/Unit">

            <ItemTemplate>

                <asp:Label ID="lblData" runat="server" Text='<%# Bind("Price") %>'></asp:Label>

            </ItemTemplate>

            <FooterTemplate>

                <asp:Label ID="lblTotalPrice" runat="server" Text="Total"></asp:Label>

            </FooterTemplate>

        </asp:TemplateField>

        <asp:TemplateField HeaderText="Price">

            <ItemTemplate>

                <asp:Label ID="lblPrice" runat="server" Text='<%# Bind("Price") %>'></asp:Label>

            </ItemTemplate>

            <FooterTemplate>

                <asp:Label ID="lblTotalPrice" runat="server" Text=""></asp:Label>

            </FooterTemplate>

        </asp:TemplateField>

    </Columns>

</asp:GridView>

here from the grid view I have called 2 JavaScript method to

1. showData(this) is called from onchange metod of drop down list which is in the Item Template of GridView. This method is showing change value using javascript

2. changeColor(this) is called from onClick method of Check box this is just to show how to set style form JavaScript in a row of GridView.

here is the JavaScript Code is working for GridView

    
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">

function showData(dropdown) 

{

    //get dropdownlist

    var myindex  = dropdown.selectedIndex;

    var SelValue = dropdown.options[myindex].value;

    //get the row of the drop down list

    var row = getParentRow(dropdown);

    var newRate;

    //set value in the cell of grid view

    if (isFireFox()) 

    {  

        newRate = row.cells[4].textContent * SelValue;

    }

    else 

    {

        newRate = row.cells[4].innerText * SelValue;

    }

    row.cells[5].innerHTML = newRate;

    //get gridview

    var gridViewCtlId = '<%=myGrid. ClientID%>';

    var grid = document.getElementById(gridViewCtlId);

    var gridLength = grid.rows.length;

    var sum = 0;

    //calculate sum of the prices looping through the gridview and operation in every cell

    for (var i = 1; i < gridLength-1; i++) 

    {

        if (isFireFox()) {

            sum = sum + parseInt(grid.rows[i].cells[5].textContent);

        }else {

            sum = sum + parseInt(grid.rows[i].cells[5].innerText);

        }

    }

    grid.rows[gridLength-1].cells[5].innerHTML = sum;

}

function getParentRow(obj)

{

    while(obj.tagName != "TR")

    {

        if(isFireFox())

        {

            obj = obj.parentNode;

        }

        else

        {

            obj = obj.parentElement;

        }

    }

    return obj;

}

function isFireFox()

{

    return navigator.appName == "Netscape";

}

function changeColor(obj) 

{

    var rowObject = getParentRow(obj);

    if (obj.checked) {

        rowObject.style.backgroundColor = 'Yellow';

    }else {

        rowObject.style.backgroundColor = '';

    }

}

</script>

Multi language supported web site in ASP.NET

2008-10-20T16:59:27Z

It is easy to develop multi language supported web site using ASP.NET . Just follow that step by step.

Take a new web site
Add “App_GlobalResources” from ASP.NET folders
Take a *.resx file (Strings.resx)
Enter Name and values
Make different *.resx file for different languages and name like that Strings.en-US.resx (for US english), Strings.fr-FR.resx (for French). Make as many language file you needed.
Now time for calling and using language from web page.

You web site Solution Explorer will look like that

Default.aspx file will look like that

        1: <asp:Label ID="lblName" runat="server" Text="Label"></asp:Label>

       2: <asp:Label ID="lblDesc" runat="server" Text="Label"></asp:Label>

       3: <asp:Label ID="lblComments" runat="server" Text="Label"></asp:Label>

       4: <asp:LinkButton ID="lnkEnglish" runat="server" OnClick="lnkEnglish_Click">English</asp:LinkButton>

       5: <asp:LinkButton ID="lnkFrench" runat="server" OnClick="lnkFrench_Click">French</asp:LinkButton>

Codes of Default.aspx.cs

         1: private ResourceManager rm;

         2: protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)

         3: {

         4:     CultureInfo ci;

         5:     if (!IsPostBack)

         6:     {

         7:         Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = new CultureInfo("en-US");

         8:         rm = new ResourceManager("Resources.Strings", Assembly.Load("App_GlobalResources"));

         9:         ci = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture;LoadData(ci);

        10:     }

        11:     else

        12:     {

        13:         rm = new ResourceManager("Resources.Strings",Assembly.Load("App_GlobalResources"));

        14:         ci = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture;LoadData(ci);

        15:     }

        16: }

        17: protected void lnkEnglish_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

        18: {

        19:     Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = new CultureInfo("en-US");

        20:     LoadData(Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture);

        21: }

        22: protected void lnkFrench_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

        23: {

        24:     Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = new CultureInfo("fr-FR");

        25:     LoadData(Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture);

        26: }

        27: public void LoadData(CultureInfo ci)

        28: {

        29:     lblName.Text = rm.GetString("EventName", ci);

        30:     lblDesc.Text = rm.GetString("EventDescription", ci);

        31:     lblComments.Text = rm.GetString("EventComments",ci);

        32: }