PrtgXml

PrtgXml is a PowerShell library that provides a declarative syntax for creating EXE/Script Advanced sensors in PRTG Network Monitor.

Typically, to generate a response with one channel the following XML is required

<Prtg>
    <Result>
        <Channel>First Channel</Channel>
        <Value>10</Value>
    </Result>
</Prtg>

The equivalent XML can be generated as follows via PrtgXml

Prtg {
    Result {
        Channel "First Channel"
        Value 10
    }
}

All tags supported by EXE/Script Advanced sensors are supported by PrtgXml. For a list of tags that can be used in EXE/Script Advanced sensors, please see the documentation on writing Custom Sensors or read the docs. Every command supported by PrtgXml has full PowerShell documentation (accessible via Get-Help <command>) explaining what the command does and how to use it.

For tags with known values (Unit, SpeedSize, DecimalMode, etc) PrtgXml will provide a list of suggestions you can choose from. Cycle through options simply by hitting the tab key!

C:\> Unit <tab>
C:\> Unit BytesBandwidth

Standard language features including variables, control structures and exception handlers are fully compatible with PrtgXml, allowing for inline programming.

Prtg {
    foreach($elm in $elms)
    {
        Result {
            Channel $elm.Name
            Value $elm.Value
        }
    }
}

While the "magic" of PrtgXml may seem weird if you've never seen this type of programming before, it's ultimately all just normal PowerShell; the Prtg function takes a single ScriptBlock as a parameter, which when executed retrieves all of the text to include inside of the <Prtg></Prtg> tags. The resulting XML is then formatted nicely and emitted from the function as a string. As such, within each ScriptBlock there aren't really any rules you have to follow. Whatever values are returned, PrtgXml will incorporate into the result.

# In PowerShell, any statement that emits a value will implicitly be "returned" from a function
# or ScriptBlock. As such, you can just do whatever and PrtgXml will capture the results.
Prtg {
    Result {
        Channel "Channel1"
        Value 10
    }

    Result {
        Channel "Channel2"
        Value 20
    }

    "<Result><Channel>Channel3</Channel><Value>30</Value></Result>"

    GetChannel4
}

For help using PrtgXml within PowerShell, run Get-Help PrtgXml

Installation

NuGet (PowerShell Gallery)

You can install PrtgXml on any computer running PowerShell 5 by executing

Install-Package PrtgXml

If you are using Windows PowerShell, due to the PowerShell Gallery now requiring TLS 1.2 you may need to manually specify to use TLS 1.2 in order to install or update PrtgXml

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

When using PrtgXml, it's advised to perform a check to see whether or not PrtgXml needs to be installed. For more information, see Tips below.

Note: if you were previously using this package under its previous name (PrtgAPI.CustomSensors) you will need to uninstall the existing package first before you can install the new one

Uninstall-Package PrtgAPI.CustomSensors -AllVersions

Manual

1. Download the latest build
2. Right click PrtgXml.zip -> Properties
3. On the General tab, under Security select Unblock
4. Unzip the file
5. Run Import-Module C:\path\to\PrtgXml

If PrtgXml is installed to your PSModulePath, the module will be automatically imported whenever you invoke one of its functions. You can also manually import the module into your script by running Import-Module PrtgXml.

Tips

The first time you install a package from NuGet, PowerShell will prompt you to install the NuGet Package Provider. In addition, unless you have manually marked the PowerShell Gallery as a trusted package provider, you will be asked to confirm whether you're sure you want to install the package.

To bypass these prompts and make your scripts portable and versatile, you can incorporate the following snippet into your code

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

if(!(Get-Module -ListAvailable PrtgXml))
{
    Install-Package PrtgXml -ForceBootstrap -Force | Out-Null
}

PrtgXml functions can then be invoked in your scripts without issue (without even having to Import-Module). This technique can also be found in the PowerShell about topic via Get-Help PrtgXml.

When performing PowerShell Remoting, PrtgXml will need to be installed on the target server if you wish to output your response from inside your remote session. To install PrtgXml on the remote server, simply include the snippet above in the script block of your Invoke-Command