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Task Reference

PowerShellBuild provides two categories of tasks: primary tasks that you invoke directly, and secondary tasks that are called as dependencies but can also be invoked directly.

Task Dependency Graph​

Primary Tasks​

These are the tasks you will typically invoke directly.

Init​

Initializes the build environment by calling Initialize-PSBuild, which sets up $PSBPreference defaults and resolves paths relative to the project root.

Default dependencies: none Dependency variable: $PSBCleanDependency controls what Clean depends on (defaults to 'Init')

Invoke-psake -taskList Init

Clean​

Removes the module output directory ($PSBPreference.Build.ModuleOutDir) to ensure a fresh build.

Default dependencies: Init Dependency variable: $PSBStageFilesDependency

Invoke-psake -taskList Clean

Build​

Meta-task that represents a fully built module. Runs StageFiles and BuildHelp. This is the task you reference with -FromModule PowerShellBuild in your psakeFile.ps1.

Default dependencies: StageFiles, BuildHelp Dependency variable: $PSBBuildDependency

# In your psakeFile.ps1
task Build -FromModule PowerShellBuild -Version '0.7.1'

Analyze​

Runs PSScriptAnalyzer against the staged module files. Fails the build if any rule violations exceed the configured severity threshold (default: 'Error').

Default dependencies: Build Dependency variable: $PSBAnalyzeDependency Precondition: Only runs if $PSBPreference.Test.ScriptAnalysis.Enabled is $true and PSScriptAnalyzer is installed.

Invoke-psake -taskList Analyze

Pester​

Runs Pester tests found under $PSBPreference.Test.RootDir. Optionally generates a code coverage report.

Default dependencies: Build Dependency variable: $PSBPesterDependency Precondition: Only runs if $PSBPreference.Test.Enabled is $true.

Invoke-psake -taskList Pester

Test​

Meta-task that runs both Pester and Analyze. Use this as your standard "did everything pass?" task.

Default dependencies: Pester, Analyze Dependency variable: $PSBTestDependency

Invoke-psake -taskList Test

Publish​

Publishes the staged module to the configured PowerShell repository (default: PSGallery). Requires $PSBPreference.Publish.PSRepositoryApiKey or $PSBPreference.Publish.PSRepositoryCredential.

Default dependencies: Test Dependency variable: $PSBPublishDependency

Invoke-psake -taskList Publish

Sign​

Meta-task that signs the module files and catalog. Runs the full signing chain: SignModule → BuildCatalog → SignCatalog.

Default dependencies: SignCatalog Dependency variable: $PSBSignDependency

Invoke-psake -taskList Sign

Secondary Tasks​

These tasks are called as dependencies by the primary tasks. You can also invoke them directly for targeted operations.

StageFiles​

Copies or compiles module source files into the output directory. If $PSBPreference.Build.CompileModule is $true, it concatenates all .ps1 files from CompileDirectories into a single .psm1. Otherwise it copies them as-is.

Default dependencies: Clean

BuildHelp​

Meta-task that coordinates help generation. Depends on GenerateMarkdown and GenerateMAML.

Default dependencies: GenerateMarkdown, GenerateMAML Dependency variable: $PSBBuildHelpDependency

GenerateMarkdown​

Uses PlatyPS to generate markdown help files from the module's comment-based help. Output goes to $PSBPreference.Docs.RootDir.

Default dependencies: StageFiles Dependency variable: $PSBGenerateMarkdownDependency

GenerateMAML​

Converts PlatyPS markdown files into MAML-format XML help (the format that Get-Help reads). Output is placed in the staged module directory.

Default dependencies: GenerateMarkdown Dependency variable: $PSBGenerateMAMLDependency

GenerateUpdatableHelp​

Creates a .cab file for Updatable Help using Build-PSBuildUpdatableHelp.

Default dependencies: BuildHelp Dependency variable: $PSBGenerateUpdatableHelpDependency

Invoke-psake -taskList GenerateUpdatableHelp

SignModule​

Signs all module files (.psd1, .psm1, .ps1) in the output directory with an Authenticode signature. Controlled by $PSBPreference.Sign.* settings.

Default dependencies: Build Dependency variable: $PSBSignModuleDependency

BuildCatalog​

Creates a Windows catalog (.cat) file for the built module using New-FileCatalog.

Default dependencies: SignModule Dependency variable: $PSBBuildCatalogDependency

SignCatalog​

Signs the module catalog (.cat) file with an Authenticode signature.

Default dependencies: BuildCatalog Dependency variable: $PSBSignCatalogDependency

?

Lists all available tasks (psake's built-in help task).

Invoke-psake -taskList ?

Customizing Task Dependencies​

To change which tasks a given task depends on, set the corresponding dependency variable outside the properties block in your psakeFile.ps1, before any PowerShellBuild task references:

psakeFile.ps1
# Override before referencing PowerShellBuild tasks
$PSBTestDependency    = 'Pester'        # Skip Analyze
$PSBPublishDependency = 'Build'         # Publish without running tests

properties {
    $PSBPreference.Test.ScriptAnalysis.Enabled = $false
}

task default -depends Build

task Build   -FromModule PowerShellBuild -Version '0.7.1'
task Test    -FromModule PowerShellBuild -Version '0.7.1'
task Publish -FromModule PowerShellBuild -Version '0.7.1'
warning

Removing Test from the Publish dependency chain means you can publish without passing tests. Only do this in controlled scenarios such as a pre-release pipeline where tests are already enforced upstream.

See Also​