PSModuleUpdater 🚀

This PowerShell script checks your installed modules (those installed via Install-Module) against the official PowerShell Gallery (PSGallery) to identify available updates. It then provides an option to update the outdated modules automatically, including a retry mechanism for publisher check failures.

✨ Features

• Comprehensive Check: Retrieves all modules installed using PowerShellGet.
• Version Comparison: Compares the installed version of each module against the latest stable version available in the PSGallery. Uses proper [version] casting for accurate comparison (e.g., understands 1.10.0 is newer than 1.9.0).
• Clear Summary: Displays a table showing each module's name, installed version, latest available version, and update status (Up-to-date, Update Available, Installed Newer/Different, Not Found in Gallery, Error Checking).
• Targeted Updates: Identifies modules specifically marked as "Update Available".
• User Confirmation (Initial): If updates are available, it lists the specific modules and prompts the user (Y/N) before proceeding with the initial update attempt.
• Automated Update (Optional): If confirmed, it attempts to update only the necessary modules using Update-Module -Force.
• Publisher Check Failure Handling:
  • Identifies updates that fail specifically due to a publisher check during the initial attempt.
  • Tracks these specific modules.
  • User Confirmation (Retry): Prompts the user again (Y/N) after the initial attempt to retry only the modules that failed the publisher check.
  • Retry with Skip: If confirmed for retry, attempts to update the failed modules again using the -SkipPublisherCheck flag.
• Progress Indicator: Shows a progress bar [████ ] while checking modules against the gallery.
• Error Handling: Includes basic error handling for gallery lookups and individual module update attempts (both initial and retry).

⚙️ Requirements

1. PowerShell: Version 5.1 or later (required for PowerShellGet).
2. PowerShellGet Module: This module provides the necessary Get-InstalledModule, Find-Module, and Update-Module cmdlets. It's typically included in modern Windows versions (Windows 10/11) and PowerShell 6+.
   • You can ensure you have the latest version by running (as Administrator): Install-Module PowerShellGet -Force
3. Internet Connection: 🌐 Required to query the PowerShell Gallery.
4. Administrator Privileges: 🛡️ Highly recommended to run the script as Administrator. This ensures the script can:
   • See modules installed for AllUsers.
   • Have the necessary permissions to update modules, especially those installed system-wide.

▶️ How to Use

1. Save the Script: Save the PowerShell script code to a file, for example, PSModuleUpdater.ps1. 💾
2. Open PowerShell as Administrator:
   • Right-click the PowerShell icon.
   • Select "Run as administrator".
3. Navigate to the Script Directory: Use the cd command to change to the directory where you saved the script file.

   cd C:\path\to\your\scripts

4. Run the Script: Execute the script.

   .\PSModuleUpdater.ps1

5. Review Output: The script will first display a table comparing all your installed modules to the gallery versions. 📊
6. Confirm Initial Updates (if applicable): If modules with available updates are found, they will be listed separately, and you will be prompted (Y/N) to proceed with updating them.
   • Enter Y to attempt the initial updates. ✅
   • Enter N (or anything else) to skip all updates. ❌
7. Review Initial Update Results: The script will attempt to update the confirmed modules. Note any failures, especially those related to publisher checks.
8. Confirm Retry Updates (if applicable): If any modules failed the initial update specifically due to a publisher check, they will be listed, and you will be prompted (Y/N) again to retry only those modules by skipping the publisher check.
   • Enter Y to attempt the retry update using -SkipPublisherCheck. ✅
   • Enter N (or anything else) to skip the retry. ❌

📋 Output Explanation

The main output table includes these columns:

• ModuleName: The name of the installed module.
• InstalledVersion: The version currently installed on your system.
• LatestVersion: The latest stable version found in the PSGallery.
• Status:
  • Update Available: ⬆️ A newer stable version exists in the gallery.
  • Up-to-date: ✔️ The installed version matches the latest stable gallery version.
  • Installed Newer/Different: 🤔 The installed version is newer than the latest stable version in the gallery (could be a pre-release or from a different source).
  • Not Found in Gallery: ❓ The module (by that name) couldn't be found in the PSGallery.
  • Error Checking: ❗ An error occurred trying to query the gallery for this module (e.g., network issue).
• InstalledPath: The directory where the module is installed.

If updates are performed (initial or retry), the script will indicate success or failure for each module update attempt.

⚠️ Notes & Caveats

• Performance: Checking each module against the online gallery can take time ⏳, especially if you have many modules installed.
• Scope: The script checks and updates modules installed via Install-Module and queries the official PSGallery. It doesn't manage modules installed manually or via other methods.
• -SkipPublisherCheck: Using this flag bypasses a security check that verifies if the module publisher is trusted. Only use the retry option if you understand the risks or trust the source of the module despite the check failure.
• Pre-release Versions: The script specifically looks for the latest stable version in the gallery (Find-Module default behavior). It won't prompt you to update to a pre-release version unless your installed version is older than the latest stable version.
• Update Failures: Individual module updates might fail due to various reasons (permissions, network issues, conflicts, etc.). The script attempts to report these errors but will continue trying to update other modules in the list.