TableUI PowerShell Module

Description

This is a simple, no frills UI that accepts an array of objects and displays each entry in an interactive list where the user can make selections for an underlying operation.

Note

The original scope of this tool was to provide a simple UI for selecting what upgradable packages to install for winget update but has been expanded on to be more general purpose. There is likely room for improvement.

Installation

Download/install the module from PSGallery:

Install-Module -Name TableUI -Repository PSGallery

Add the module to your $PROFILE:

Import-Module TableUI

Note

This UI uses ANSI escape sequences which may not be supported by all terminals. For Windows installations, the latest version of Windows Terminal is recommended.

Usage

Show-TableUI, it is best suited for working with arrays of PSCustomObject. An array of dictionaries is not suited for this cmdlet.

For example use this form (specifying [PSCustomObject]):

$tableData = @(
  [PSCustomObject]@{Name = 'Test A'; Version = '1.2.3'},
  [PSCustomObject]@{Name = 'Test B'; Version = '1.2.5'}
)

And avoid this form:

$tableData = @(
  @{Name = 'Test A'; Version = '1.2.3'},
  @{Name = 'Test B'; Version = '1.2.5'}
)

This cmdlet works great with ConvertFrom- cmdlets, such as ConvertFrom-Json where the data conveys an array of objects with its fields as NoteProperties.

With a valid array of objects the following call can be made, additional parameters such as -SelectedItemMembersToShow can be added as needed.

$selections = @()
Show-TableUI -Table $tableData -Selections ([ref]$selections)

Here is an example of interfacing WinGet update with TableUI utilizing ConvertFrom-TextTable module (also available in PSGallery). This example specifies multiple members for DefaultMemberToShow. This results in multiple columns being rendered in the UI for the associated UI. The first member is always given priority, if it cannot fit within the UI, the right-most columns will be dropped to make space for it. A visual indicator is used to indicate that the table is not showing all columns in the UI (via the use of vertical double-bars on the right side of the UI).

Install-Module -Name TextTable -Repository PSGallery
Import-Module TextTable

$selections = @()
$tableData = winget update | ConvertFrom-TextTable
$tableData | Show-TableUI -DefaultMemberToShow Name,Available -Selections ([ref]$selections) -Title 'Available Updates'

Note

By default an array of Booleans is assigned to the value specified for -Selections. This behavior can be changed to store Indices or Items via the -SelectionFormat parameter. However, please note, that this is a final transformation of the data. While the UI is processing this request the underlying logic always utilizes an array of Booleans. It is only at the conclusion of the operation that this variable is updated to the desired form.

Selection Details Script Block

A custom handler may be defined for the ENTER key by specifying the -EnterKeyScript parameter.

The assigned script block takes two parameters.

The first parameter is the array indicating the current selections (passed by value).

The second parameter is the currently selected index. Full access to the currently selected object and other selections may be realized with appropriate scoping.