Patching_PowerShell_Modules

Patching PowerShell Modules

PowerShell modules are a fantastic way to organize and share reusable code. However, there are times when you might need to make a small change to a module without directly modifying its original source. This is especially useful when dealing with third-party modules. This article guides you through patching a PowerShell module, using ModuleBuilder as an example.

Caution

This patching technique is intended as a temporary solution, primarily for development or pipeline environments, until the module's next official release. Always verify the contents of every patch file, even from trusted sources before applying it to a module. Applying a patch to a signed module will invalidate the signature.

What is Module Patching?

Module patching involves applying targeted changes to a module's files without altering the original files directly. This is useful for:

• Fixing minor bugs in third-party modules.
• Adding small features or tweaks.
• Applying temporary workarounds.

Important

Backup: Always back up the original module file before applying any patches. Verify every patch file before using them to patch a file.

Prerequisites

• PowerShell 5.1 or later

• Viscalyx.Common module installed (containing the Install-ModulePatch command).

  Install-Module -Name Viscalyx.Common -Force

• ModuleBuilder module installed. We'll use this as our example module.

  Install-Module -Name ModuleBuilder -RequiredVersion 3.1.7 -Force

Step 1: Identifying the Changes

Let's say we want to modify ModuleBuilder to fix a parse error that occurs in Window PowerShell when ModuleBuilder handles SemVer versions. Specifically, we need to adjust how the module parses the version string.

First, locate the ModuleBuilder.psm1 file. You can find the path using:

$moduleBase = (Get-Module -Name 'ModuleBuilder' -ListAvailable).ModuleBase
$moduleBase

This will output the directory where the ModuleBuilder.psm1 file is located.

Step 2: Finding the Text Offset

We need to pinpoint the exact location of the code we want to change. The Get-TextOffset command from Viscalyx.Common helps us with this.

$filePath = Join-Path -Path $moduleBase -ChildPath 'ModuleBuilder.psm1'
$textToFind = '@{
            Version       = if (($V = $BuildInfo.SemVer.Split("+")[0].Split("-", 2)[0])) {
                                [version]$V
                            }
            Prerelease    = $BuildInfo.SemVer.Split("+")[0].Split("-", 2)[1]
            BuildMetadata = $BuildInfo.SemVer.Split("+", 2)[1]
        }'

$codeOffset = Get-TextOffset -FilePath $filePath -TextToFind $textToFind
$codeOffset | Format-List

Note

You have to copy the code section to find exactly as it is in the script file. Regular expressions are not yet supported. Also make sure to correctly escape any quotes in the string.

This command will output the StartOffset and EndOffset of the specified text within the ModuleBuilder.psm1 file.

Example Output:

ScriptFile  : C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\ModuleBuilder\3.1.7\ModuleBuilder.psm1
StartOffset : 21167
EndOffset   : 21484

Step 3: Finding the script file SHA256

To ensure we only patch the correct unpatched version, we need to find the script file's SHA256 hash. The hash acts as a unique fingerprint for the file. If the file is modified in any way, the SHA256 hash will change.

The Get-FileHash helps use retrieve the correct hash:

$hash256 = Get-FileHash -Path $filePath -Algorithm 'SHA256' | Select-Object -ExpandProperty 'Hash'
$hash256

Note

The Get-ModuleFileSha command from Viscalyx.Commoncan be used to output SHA256 hash for all the PowerShell script files in the specified module.

Step 4: Creating the Patch File

Now, we'll create a JSON file that describes the patch. This file will contain the module name, module version, the SHA256 hash of the original script file, the SHA256 hash of the patched script file, and an array of module patches. Each patch contains the script file name, the start and end offsets of the original content, and the replacement content.

This will output the needed JSON for the json file:

# The code we use to replace the original content between start offset and end offset.
$patchCode = '@{
            Prerelease    = $BuildInfo.SemVer.Split("+")[0].Split("-", 2)[1]
            BuildMetadata = $BuildInfo.SemVer.Split("+", 2)[1]
            Version       = if (($V = $BuildInfo.SemVer.Split("+")[0].Split("-", 2)[0])) {
                [version]$V
            }
        }'

# Use an ordered hashtable so that the JSON output has the same order.
$patchObject = [ordered] @{
    ModuleName      = 'ModuleBuilder'
    ModuleVersion   = "3.1.7"
    ModuleFiles     = @(
        @{
            ScriptFileName = 'ModuleBuilder.psm1'
            OriginalHashSHA = $hash256
            ValidationHashSHA  = 'NEW_HASH_HERE' # Replace with the actual hash of the patched file
            FilePatches   = @(
                @{
                    StartOffset    = $codeOffset.StartOffset
                    EndOffset      = $codeOffset.EndOffset
                    PatchContent   = $patchCode
                }
            )
        }
    )
}

# Ensuring it's treated as an array. This works in both PowerShell 5.1 and 7.x.
ConvertTo-Json -InputObject @($patchObject) -Depth 10 |
    Out-File -FilePath './patches/ModuleBuilder_3.1.7_patch.json' -Encoding 'utf8' -NoClobber

Here's an example ModuleBuilder_3.1.7_patch.json file:

{
  "ModuleName": "ModuleBuilder",
  "ModuleVersion": "3.1.7",
  "ModuleFiles": [
    {
      "ScriptFileName": "ModuleBuilder.psm1",
      "OriginalHashSHA": "4723258D788733FACED8BF20F60DFCBAD03E7AEB659D1B9C891DD9F86FEA2E73",
      "ValidationHashSHA": "4444D5073A54B838128FC53D61B87A40142E5181A38C593CC4BA728D6F1AD16B",
      "FilePatches": [
        {
          "StartOffset": 21167,
          "EndOffset": 21484,
          "PatchContent": "@{\n            Prerelease    = $BuildInfo.SemVer.Split(\"+\")[0].Split(\"-\", 2)[1]\n            BuildMetadata = $BuildInfo.SemVer.Split(\"+\", 2)[1]\n            Version       = if (($V = $BuildInfo.SemVer.Split(\"+\")[0].Split(\"-\", 2)[0])) {\n                [version]$V\n            }\n        }"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

• ModuleName: The name of the module (e.g. ModuleBuilder).
• ModuleVersion: The version of the module (e.g. 3.1.7).
• ModuleFiles: An array of all the files that have patches
  • ScriptFileName: The name of the script file to patch, this can use the relative path from module base (e.g. ModuleBuilder.psm1, or en-US/localized.strings.psd1).
  • OriginalHashSHA: The SHA256 hash of the original content of the entire script file (e.g. ModuleBuilder.psm1, or en-US/localized.strings.psd1).
  • ValidationHashSHA: The SHA256 hash of the patched content of the entire script file (e.g. ModuleBuilder.psm1, or en-US/localized.strings.psd1).
  • FilePatches: An array of patches to apply to the script file.
    • StartOffset: The starting character position of the text to replace (e.g. 21167).
    • EndOffset: The ending character position of the text to replace (e.g. 21484).
    • PatchContent: The new (patch) content that will be replace the original content.

Important

The JSON file can contain multiple entries for the same script file or multiple script files within the same module and version. If you need to patch multiple modules or different module versions, create a separate JSON file for each unique module and version.

Step 5: Applying the Patch

Now that we have our patch file, we can apply the patch using the Install-ModulePatch command:

Install-ModulePatch -Path './patches/ModuleBuilder_3.1.7_patch.json'

Replace the path with the actual path to your patch file. The -Force parameter can be used to bypasses the confirmation prompt.

Note

It also possible to use the parameter -Uri to get patches hosted on web pages or web services.

Step 6: Verify the Patch

To verify the patch, you can check the content of the ModuleBuilder.psm1 file at the specified start offset.

Conclusion

Patching PowerShell modules can be a useful technique for making targeted changes without directly modifying the original module files. By following these steps, you can effectively apply patches to enhance or fix installed modules.