Export-PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph

SYNOPSIS

Exports the dependency graph to a visual diagram format.

SYNTAX

Export-PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph [-DependencyGraph] <PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph> [[-Format] <String>]
 [[-OutputPath] <String>] [-IncludeEdgeTypes] [-Force]
 [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION

The Export-PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph cmdlet converts a PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph to a human-readable diagram for documentation and visualization purposes.

Supported output formats:

• Mermaid (default): flowchart syntax embeddable in Markdown files
• Dot: Graphviz DOT language, compatible with graphviz tools and online viewers

When -OutputPath is specified, the diagram is written to that file. Otherwise, the diagram string is returned to the pipeline.

The cmdlet accepts ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName, enabling direct piping from Get-PSScriptBuilderDependencyAnalysis, which returns an object with a DependencyGraph property.

EXAMPLES

EXAMPLE 1

$analysis = Get-PSScriptBuilderDependencyAnalysis -ContentCollector $cc
$analysis | Export-PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph

Exports the dependency graph as a Mermaid diagram to the pipeline.

EXAMPLE 2

Get-PSScriptBuilderDependencyAnalysis -ContentCollector $cc |
    Export-PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph -Format Dot -IncludeEdgeTypes -OutputPath ".\graph.dot"

Exports the dependency graph as a Graphviz DOT diagram with edge type labels to a file.

EXAMPLE 3

$analysis = New-PSScriptBuilderContentCollector |
    Add-PSScriptBuilderCollector -Type Class -IncludePath ".\src\Classes" |
    Get-PSScriptBuilderDependencyAnalysis

$analysis | Export-PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph -OutputPath ".\docs\dependency-graph.md"

Fluent pipeline: builds collector, analyzes dependencies, and exports Mermaid diagram.

EXAMPLE 4

$cc | Get-PSScriptBuilderDependencyAnalysis |
    Export-PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph -Format Dot -IncludeEdgeTypes -OutputPath '.\graph.dot'
# Render with: dot -Tsvg graph.dot -o graph.svg

Exports to Graphviz DOT format for large projects where Mermaid becomes hard to read. Requires Graphviz (https://graphviz.org) or an online viewer such as https://viz-js.com.

EXAMPLE 5

# In a CI/CD build script:
$cc | Get-PSScriptBuilderDependencyAnalysis |
    Export-PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph -OutputPath '.\docs\dependency-graph.md' -Force

Automatically updates the architecture diagram on every build. Use -Force to overwrite the existing file on each run. The Mermaid diagram is immediately renderable on GitHub, GitLab, and MkDocs.

PARAMETERS

-DependencyGraph

The dependency graph to export. Accepts pipeline input by property name, enabling direct piping from Get-PSScriptBuilderDependencyAnalysis.

Type: PSScriptBuilderDependencyGraph
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: True
Position: 1
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: True (ByPropertyName)
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Format

The output format for the diagram. Valid values are 'Mermaid' (default) and 'Dot'.

Type: String
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: 2
Default value: Mermaid
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-OutputPath

The file path to write the diagram to. If omitted, the diagram string is returned to the pipeline instead.

Type: String
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: 3
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-IncludeEdgeTypes

When specified, each edge in the diagram is annotated with its dependency type (Inheritance, TypeReference, FunctionCall, StaticInitializer).

Type: SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: False
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Force

When specified, overwrites an existing output file without prompting. When omitted and the target file already exists, the cmdlet throws an IOException.

Type: SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: False
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

CommonParameters

This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, -InformationAction, -InformationVariable, -OutVariable, -OutBuffer, -PipelineVariable, -Verbose, -WarningAction, and -WarningVariable. For more information, see about_CommonParameters.

INPUTS

OUTPUTS

System.String

NOTES

The Mermaid format can be embedded in Markdown files and rendered by GitHub, GitLab, MkDocs, and many other documentation tools.

When writing Mermaid output to a file with a .md or .markdown extension, the diagram is automatically wrapped in a fenced code block (```mermaid ... ```) so the file is immediately renderable. This wrapping is handled by the renderer. Pipeline output (no -OutputPath) always returns the raw diagram string without the fenced block.

The Dot format requires Graphviz to render. It can also be visualized online at https://viz-js.com or https://dreampuf.github.io/GraphvizOnline.

Components with no dependencies are rendered as isolated nodes.

When -OutputPath is specified and the target file already exists, the cmdlet throws an IOException unless -Force is present. Use -Force in CI/CD scripts where the file is intentionally overwritten on every run.

RELATED LINKS