Feature Requests: Interactive PS, Searchable Cmds, Single App ID.

[rokinron1]

I’m a long time Batchpatch user and advocate for the product! I have lots of ideas, but here are just a few that jumped out at me during my near daily use of the product.

I’ve got a 4 feature requests that I think would be helpful for any user of Batchpatch that will reduce time and management (and thus improve the benefits of Batchpatch).

1. (Dynamic List – Search Command) My list of custom commands has grown. I’ve managed it well by hiding ones I don’t use and I name them strategically, but I think it would be neat if there was A dynamic search bar at the top of the commands list. The list of command options would be reduced as you type. It could search based off of displayname of the custom command or even part of the cmd itself. So if I typed “Manage-BDE” which is part of the command, only the commands that contain “Manage-BDE” either in the displayname or the cmd itself show up. So then I can click and run the full command “Manage-BDE -Status”. It reminds me a bit like using Ctrl+R to search your history of commands while using Powershell, but in a graphical format in Batchpatch.

2. (Start Interactive Powershell Session) A single click (or menu option) for starting an interactive powershell to a computer in the list.
I am able to do it now using the ‘Execute Local Process’ and creating this custom user defined command. It works, but it’d be neat to be a native function in batchpatch because I find it super useful to be able to remote powershell interactively quickly (especially while a user is logged in and I can’t truly do a remote session). I mean, I could just manually run Enter-PSSession via powershell, but why not have an easy button in Batchpatch?

Local Command Syntax
cmd.exe /c start powershell.exe -NoExit -Command “Enter-PSSession -ComputerName $computer”

3. (Get-Installedpplication) We have a Get Information -> “get list of installed programs” but I would find it helpful if there was an option to check if a specific software is installed. Get Information -> “Get Specific Application” or “Check if Specific Application is installed” I envision a prompt to the user for the application name, and then it would check for that application and it would return the application name, displayversion, and install date.
I presently solve this with a powershell script I called “Get-InstalledApplication” in batchpatch that displays in a column with logged output, but it requires me to manually change the variable in the script each time I want to change the application name that I’m looking for. It isn’t as dynamic as I’d hoped it could be.

Here is the powershell script I use:

#Get-InstalledApplication
$FilterText = ‘Google Chrome’

$Apps = @()
$Apps += Get-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*” | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like “*$FilterText*” } # 32 Bit
$Apps += Get-ItemProperty “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*” | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like “*$FilterText*” }

if ($Apps.Count -gt 0) {
# Display DisplayName, DisplayVersion, and InstallDate
$Apps | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallDate

Write-Host “Apps Found: $($Apps.Count) that contains DisplayName: ‘$FilterText'”
Write-Host ” ”
Write-Host “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*”
Write-Host “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*”
Write-Host ” ”
} else {
Write-Host “No software found that contains DisplayName: ‘$FilterText’.”
}

4. (Single Click Remote into Machine Option) – It’d be nice to have built-in option to quickly remote into computers interactively. I’ve achieved this by creating a “‘Local Process’ User-Defined command” called “Remote Control Viewer into Machine”. I then created a custom toolbar button that will run that command on the highlighted cell. I can click several machines at once and remote into all of them very quickly. It has been handy for Windows Updates.

This uses Remote Control Viewer (which is what SCCM uses) to remote into the machine.
cmd.exe /c “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin\i386\CmRcViewer.exe” $computer

It would be nice if there were other options\integrations for other remote software solutions. For instance, Splashtop integration or Connect-Wise or whatever is popular. Basically a single click remote into option or at least the bones of something that would allow one to custom create their own solution.

[doug]

These are great ideas! Thank you for sharing all of the details. This is very helpful. We’ll consider this all for a future version. In the meantime, with regard to item number 4, the latest version of BP has “Tools > Settings > Double-clicking mouse on a row launches RDP instead of ‘Expand Row'”. This might work for you.

[rokinron1]

Awesome, I did not know the double clicking on the row setting was available in the newest version I’ll dig into that!

[doug]

Regarding item 2:

Are you aware that you can take your existing syntax:

cmd.exe /c start powershell.exe -NoExit -Command "Enter-PSSession -ComputerName $computer"

and save that so that it appears in both the BatchPatch Actions menu and also as a button on the main ToolStrip? This gives you exactly what you are asking for. Go to Actions > Execute local process/command > Create/modify local commands. Create and save your command there. After that it will be available under Actions > Execute local process/command > Execute saved local commands, and it will be available under Tools > Customize visible toolstrip buttons so that you can add it as a button on the main ToolStrip.

[rokinron1]

Ah yes, regarding item 2. Yes I will absolutely do that. For that one in particular though, I thought it would make sense as a native command in the sub-tree of right click options, so new users of Batchpatch have the option available to them day 1 instead of having to program it themselves. Thanks!

[doug]

Thanks. We’ll consider it. Just wanted to make sure you knew how to do it for yourself right now.

[Author]

Posts