***Update 1/29/2023 – https://www.nkasco.com/blog/2023/1/29/it-admin-toolkit-v110-alpha-release ***
A while back I posted a free-to-use IT Admin Toolkit (a customizable and expandable destination for centralizing day-to-day job functions) that was very well received by the community. The reaction showed that there is clearly an opportunity to make script-based automation easier to use for less-technical users, centrally controlled, or just outright convenient and enjoyable to use.
The initial project’s UI was based on MaterialDesignInXAML integration with Windows PowerShell. The intent was to keep the source code structured within a language that SysAdmins and DevOps engineers are comfortable with. With that said, I quickly realized that keeping the project closed source had a number of drawbacks such as lack of source visibility making it harder to trust 3rd party code in an enterprise, and also overengineering to handle the Material Design objects within PowerShell.
I had originally intended to continue the development of the project but then life began to get in the way and hindered my ability to dedicate the necessary time. Then I learned about a new UI Library called WinUI 3 around the same time as Windows 11 was released. After experiencing it first hand it immediately stood out as something that will be prevalent for several years to come. That’s why today I’m proud to announce the start of the next evolution of the IT Admin Toolkit which will be open-source on GitHub, free for community contribution, and built with C# and WinUI 3.
Features/Goals:
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Open source, free, forever – Allow community contributions and provide credit to authors.
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Launcher – Provide a script launcher that can be easily customized (initially with XML) to centralize and launch script files across various languages.
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Accessibility – The core application seamlessly works with both Light and Dark modes and is Per-Monitor v2 DPI-aware.
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Task Scheduler – Create scheduled tasks, local or remote, quickly and easily from your script library.
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Reporting – Built-in logging and reporting statistics based on usage.
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Remote Machine Info Panel – Quickly gain at a glance key information for inputted machines as needed.
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Built-In PowerShell Console – Choose whether you want your scripts to run in an integrated console or as a standalone process.
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Automatic update support – Choose whether you want to control update cycles or take them automatically.
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PowerShell Gallery integration – Make it easy to add PS gallery scripts to your library from within the tool.
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Eventually, explore cross-platform support for macOS and Linux.
While I have kicked things off here today, I can’t do this alone. I need help from the community to ideate and build this tool over time, specifically seeking programmers who have experience with C# and WinUI (or other similarities, i.e. WPF/UWP). The ultimate goal is to build a tool out of necessity that you will enjoy regularly using yourself. I plan to post update checkpoints here over time but the repo itself can be found over on my GitHub.
Repository link: https://github.com/nkasco/IT-Admin-Toolkit-WinUI
While you can of course submit issue or pull requests on the repo itself, please don’t hesitate to connect with me via any of the methods below:
Looking forward to the first preview release!