Tool Launcher Menu in PowerShell

akosijesyang 101 Reputation points
2021-10-16T00:37:53.127+00:00

Hello - I'm currently working on a PS script which launches different kind of tools similar to sconfig in Windows Server Core systems. Since the tool has main menu for tools selection, there's also sub-menu on it and I want to stay on that sub-menu even after selecting the tool I want to launch, and only go back when I selected the option to go back to the main menu.

Main menu - then selected #3:
141031-image.png

Then went to the Sub-menu:
140995-image.png

Selected Sub-Tool #1:
140996-image.png

Then pressed any key - went back to main menu - this is the part I want to stay in the sub-menu and only go back to main menu when I select "Return to main options...":
141033-image.png

Here's the code I'm currently working on - got the menu codes somewhere in the internet years ago, btw: 

[BOOLEAN]$global:xExitSession = $false  
Function LoadMenuSystem() {  
    [INT]$xMenu1 = 0  
    [INT]$xMenu2 = 0  
    [Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.SuppressMessageAttribute('PSUserDeclaredVarsMoreThanAssignments', '', Scope = 'Function')]  
    [BOOLEAN]$xValidSelection = $false  
    while ( $xMenu1 -lt 1 -or $xMenu1 -gt 3) {  
        Clear-Host  
        Write-Host "`n"  
        Write-Host "PLEASE SELECT TOOL TO LAUNCH:`n" -ForegroundColor Yellow  
        Write-Host "`[1] Tool #1"  
        Write-Host "`[2] Tool #2"  
        Write-Host "`[3] Tool #3 and sub-options [...]" # Sub-menu  
        [int]$xMenu1 = Read-host "`n`Please enter option 1 to 3..."  
        if ( $xMenu1 -lt 1 -or $xMenu1 -gt 3) {  
            Write-Host "`nPlease select one of the options available.`n" -ForegroundColor Red  
            Start-Sleep -Seconds 1  
        }  
    }  
    Switch ($xMenu1) {  
        1 {  
            Write-Host "Tool #1 launched..." -ForegroundColor Yellow  
        }  
        2 {   
            Write-Host "Tool #2 launched..." -ForegroundColor Yellow  
        }  
        3 {  
            while ( $xMenu2 -lt 1 -or $xMenu2 -gt 3 ) {  
                Clear-Host  
                Write-Host "Tool-Sub-Menu:`n" -ForegroundColor Yellow  
                Write-Host "`[1] Sub-Tool #1"  
                Write-Host "`[2] Sub-Tool #2"  
                Write-Host "`[3] Return to main options [...]"  
                [int]$xMenu2 = Read-host "`n`Please enter option 1 to 3..."  
                if ( $xMenu2 -lt 1 -or $xMenu2 -gt 3 ) {  
                    Write-Host "`nPlease select one of the options available.`n" -ForegroundColor Red  
                    Start-Sleep -Seconds 1  
                }  
            }  
            Switch ($xMenu2) {  
                1 {   
                    Write-Host "Tool #3 Sub-option #1..." -ForegroundColor Yellow  
                }  
                2 {  
                    Write-Host "Tool #3 Sub-option #2..." -ForegroundColor Yellow  
                }  
                3 { LoadMenuSystem }  
            }  
        }  
          
        default {  
            [Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.SuppressMessageAttribute('PSUserDeclaredVarsMoreThanAssignments', '', Scope = 'Function')]  
            $global:xExitSession = $true; break   
        }  
    }  
}  
LoadMenuSystem  
while ($xExitSession -ne 1) {  
    write-host "`n`n################################## COMPLETED ##################################`n" -ForegroundColor Yellow  
    Read-Host "Press any key to go back to option..."  
    LoadMenuSystem  
}
Windows Server PowerShell
Windows Server PowerShell
Windows Server: A family of Microsoft server operating systems that support enterprise-level management, data storage, applications, and communications.PowerShell: A family of Microsoft task automation and configuration management frameworks consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language.
5,381 questions
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Accepted answer
  1. MotoX80 32,061 Reputation points
    2021-10-16T14:54:54.207+00:00

    Put the switch tests inside of the while loop and use it to validate the user input. Also put the submenu in it's own function.

     [BOOLEAN]$global:xExitSession = $false
 Function LoadMenuSystem() {
     [INT]$xMenu1 = 0
     [INT]$xMenu2 = 0
     [Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.SuppressMessageAttribute('PSUserDeclaredVarsMoreThanAssignments', '', Scope = 'Function')]
     [BOOLEAN]$xValidSelection = $false
     $Loop = $true
     while ( $Loop) {
         Clear-Host
         Write-Host "`n"
         Write-Host "PLEASE SELECT TOOL TO LAUNCH:`n" -ForegroundColor Yellow
         Write-Host "`[1] Tool #1"
         Write-Host "`[2] Tool #2"
         Write-Host "`[3] Tool #3 and sub-options [...]" # Sub-menu
         Write-Host "`[9] Exit"
         try {[int]$xMenu1 = Read-host "`n`Please enter option 1 to 3..."} catch {}
         $ShowMsg = $true                                # Default to show the completed message
         Switch ($xMenu1) {
             1 {
                  Write-Host "Tool #1 launched..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
               }
             2 { 
                  Write-Host "Tool #2 launched..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
               }
             3 {
                  Tool3Menu                            # Show the sub-menu 
                  $ShowMsg = $false                    # Don't display the complete message 
               }
             9 {
                  $Loop = $false
               }

             default {
                 Write-Host "`nPlease select one of the options available.`n" -ForegroundColor Red
                 Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
                 $ShowMsg = $false                 # Don't display completed message
             }
         }
         if ($Loop -and $ShowMsg) {
            write-host "`n`n################################## COMPLETED ##################################`n" -ForegroundColor Yellow
            Read-Host "Press any key to go back to option..."
         }
     }
 }

 Function Tool3Menu {
     $Loop3 = $True
     while ( $Loop3 ) {
            Clear-Host
            Write-Host "Tool-Sub-Menu:`n" -ForegroundColor Yellow
            Write-Host "`[1] Sub-Tool #1"
            Write-Host "`[2] Sub-Tool #2"
            Write-Host "`[3] Return to main options [...]"
            try {[int]$xMenu2 = Read-host "`n`Please enter option 1 to 3..."} catch {}
            $ShowMsg3 = $True                                  # Default to show the completed message
            Switch ($xMenu2) {
                1 { 
                     Write-Host "Tool #3 Sub-option #1..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
                  }
                2 {
                     Write-Host "Tool #3 Sub-option #2..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
                  }
                3 { 
                     $Loop3 = $False 
                  }
                default {
                     Write-Host "`nPlease select one of the sub-options available.`n" -ForegroundColor Red
                     Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
                     $ShowMsg3 = $False                 # Don't display completed message 
                }
            }
            if ($Loop3 -and $ShowMsg3 ) {                       # did user ask to go back
                write-host "`n`n################################## SUB ITEM COMPLETED ##################################`n" -ForegroundColor Yellow
                Read-Host "Press any key to return to submenu..."
            }
      }
 }

 # Launch main menu
 LoadMenuSystem

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