Adding SharePoint PowerShell scripting support to the Windows PowerShell ISE

If you have been using the new versions of Windows PowerShell (v. 3.0 or v. 4.0), you will know that Microsoft has made significant numerous enhancements to PowerShell for overall usability.

One of the very major improvements to Windows PowerShell has been the enhancements made to the Windows PowerShell ISE.

Below is a screenshot for the latest version of the Windows PowerShell ISE (available by default on Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2):

So, if you want to begin using this new IDE for writing all of your PowerShell scripts rather than using the SharePoint Management Shell, what do you have to do?

Well, the answer is quite simple.

Just as you do for managing SharePoint cmdlets in a standard PowerShell window, you can add the PowerShell SnapIn for SharePoint using the following syntax:

Add-PSSnapIn Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell

Once you have done this, you will be able to manage your SharePoint scripts and cmdlets directly within the brand new Windows PowerShell ISE!