Announcing Microsoft.PowerShell.PlatyPS 1.0.0: PowerShell Help Authoring Simplified

Authored by Jason Helmick and Sean Wheeler, this post introduces Microsoft.PowerShell.PlatyPS 1.0.0, detailing the new capabilities and improvements for PowerShell help file authoring.

Announcing Microsoft.PowerShell.PlatyPS 1.0.0

Authors: Jason Helmick, Sean Wheeler

We’re pleased to announce the general availability (GA) release of Microsoft.PowerShell.PlatyPS v1.0.0.

What is PlatyPS?

PlatyPS is a tool that Microsoft utilizes to generate PowerShell content available from Get-Help and to build documentation published on Microsoft Learn. Traditionally, PowerShell help files are stored using Microsoft Assistance Markup Language (MAML), an XML-based format. PlatyPS streamlines the authoring process by enabling users to write help files in Markdown, a format widely adopted across the software industry with support in numerous editors, including Visual Studio Code. Markdown files can be easily converted to MAML for help file consumption.

Key Improvements in 1.0.0

Major Re-write in C#: Leverages markdig for Markdown parsing (the same library used by Microsoft Learn).
More Accurate Cmdlet Descriptions: Provides richer details of PowerShell cmdlets and their parameters, including previously unavailable information.
Object Model for Help Files: Enables manipulation and cmdlet chaining for complex documentation operations.
Improved Performance: Processes thousands of Markdown files in seconds.
Cross-Platform Support: Runs on Windows PowerShell 5.1+ and PowerShell 7+ across Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Transition from Previous Versions

With this release, Microsoft.PowerShell.PlatyPS is the officially supported tool. Older versions, such as platyPS v0.14.2, are no longer supported. Users are strongly encouraged to upgrade. Note: Any scripts using the old version must be updated for compatibility with the new cmdlets.

Getting Started

To install Microsoft.PowerShell.PlatyPS 1.0.0, use the following command from PSGallery:

Install-PSResource -Name Microsoft.PowerShell.PlatyPS

Documentation and References

Microsoft.PowerShell.PlatyPS Cmdlet Reference
Example usage: New-MarkdownCommandHelp Example #1

Community Contribution

Microsoft welcomes community feedback and contributions:

Report issues or submit ideas at the PlatyPS GitHub repository.
Interested in contributing? Follow the guidelines in the GitHub Readme.

Sr. Product Manager, PowerShell

Jason Helmick

This post appeared first on “Microsoft PowerShell Blog”. Read the entire article here