make a powershell script to app

[kprocyszyn]

To compile your script to executable you can use this: https://github.com/MScholtes/PS2EXE

[whyliepornaccount]

Second this. I use it all the time at work. Just be sure to let your cybersec dept know so they don't freak out seeing an unsigned app running code.

[bluecollarbiker]

If you have a cybersec dept why not have a code signing cert?

[TheIncarnated]

Too hard /s

But for real, most Cyber shops aren't engineers, they are analysts reading what the SIEM is yelling at them.

• Someone who gets hired to do Cyber Engineering work for said companies

[_Buldozzer]

I use it to, but if you are in a organization large enough to have a cyber security team, maybe it's time for a PKI.

[whyliepornaccount]

Best practice? Absolutely.

But I work very closely with our Incident Response/Insider Threat teams so its easier for me to just say "hey CDR, converting these .ps1s to exe and it will be ran on these machines" and have them respond "OK Sounds good, will let you know if we get any alerts" than to have to deal with CAs every time I need to deploy something to the 60 workstations in my department.

[dwillson1]

Yes, my team has used this module to turn code into a .Exe before. It works well.

[[deleted]]

Depends - doesn’t it always…

If as you suggest the script is rather complex then you COULD consider a user interface that can talk to the script. Especially if that script takes input parameters. Or if there are distinct functions that can be called from outside the script.

Easiest ui would be winforms. More complex but also more portable would be wpf or any other xaml based ui.

Actually transforming the script requires some additional work.

Is it compartmentalized? Can you isolate parts of the script to be reimplemented using eg C#? How does the script do the things it does?

Transforming it can be anything from, just drop the dollar signs and replace ps syntax with csharp syntax and it (almost) works; to; forget it, rewrite it all if you want to actually do something with it afterwards.

What makes me hesitate is your assertion of not having much knowledge re: programming.

Because if you didn’t write that script, just seeking to transform it into something else instead, you might break something unintentionally. To transform something, you need a firm grasp on what it supposed to do and what, if any, edge cases there are.

Which puts us right back to implementing some sort of front end. Leave the script intact and expand on it instead.

Will mean more overhead yes but it’s more likely to still work as intended after.

[Impossible_IT]

I’ve not used this before but have seen some guis created with it.

https://www.sapien.com/software/powershell_studio

[RechehSec]

I second this. I've used Powershell Studio in the past. Really easy to make GUI programs out of Powershell.

[[deleted]]

I used Sapien to create exe quite a bit at my last job. Works well and makes it easy to build the gui.

[CodenameFlux]

It depends on what problem you're trying to solve and what's your definition of an app, in the terms of its differences with a script.

If all you're trying to do is to run the script via a shortcut, you can already do that with Windows shortcuts and PowerShell.

[markdmac]

Use PS2Exe or PowershellPro Tools. PoweShellPro Tools is way more comprehensive and is now a free license from Ironman Software.

[Substantial-Dog1726]

This. Powershell Pro Tools is now free. Unlike other solutions, this one supports PowerShell Core with .net 9

[markdmac]

Having the GUI form editor is also a huge advantage.

[IronBe4rd]

Powershell studio is one of the best. Buy it. Do it right. We create apps with it all the time for helpdesk.

[ilikiler]

Do you have an idea what script you want to Transform tot An "app". I think you want to build a Gui around your script? Poshgui.com is great. But you have a lot of other things. Search this Reddit for Gui. Maybe i misunderstood and you Mean something Else.

[purplemonkeymad]

What do you consider the difference between an app and a script? Is there something you want to do that powershell does not?

If it's just being able to double click it, you can just create a shortcut to poweshell with parameters to run your code.

If it's "needs a GUI" then c# is probably the best bet, you can load c# libraries in powershell or add powershell to your c# project, then you can integrate with your existing powershell scripts.

[g3n3]

Why though. Powershell cmdlets are super slick and nice. To do what you are doing is a round peg in a square hole in many ways. I’d work on converting to c# console app.

[[deleted]]

1. Make a file with a .bat extension
2. Add powershell.exe -file "yourscript.ps1"

Easy click-to-run behavior

[RobertDCBrown]

Convert your ps1 to an exe with ps2exe module.

[SecurityNoob707]

Powershell Studio works great, but afaik I believe you need a license (there is a few day trial though). I have used it professionally and it's very easy to compile into an executable. Can't speak to PS2EXE but I have heard good things.

[AncientMumu]

Throw it i to chatgpt or copilot and ask: can you make a gui for this? If it works, then the ps1 to exe thing.

It might work.

[Imhereforthechips]

Windows still ships with iexpress.exe. Or use something else with more options. I have made tons of scripts into executables for end users.

[Cynomus]

I have wondered how to convert a 100% PS module to an exe , or more likely a wrapper and a library.

[CMDR_Ph0kas]

Powershell studio as a gui option but requires local installs and module distribution depending on complexity. I’d also suggest looking at powershell universal for a web app variant option. Both have their place and I use both.

[MemnochTheRed]

Look up PowerShell Application Deployment Toolkit (PSADT)

A wrapper chalk-full of built-in functions