Coming from PwshSpectreConsole

ConsoleMonster lets the same rendering script run on Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7, with object-oriented input and ordinary pipeline results. PwshSpectreConsole's installation guide requires PowerShell 7+ and recommends a Nerd Font for its full visual feature set. ConsoleMonster does not require a Nerd Font: it adapts its built-in symbols to the terminal's glyph tier. Neither statement means arbitrary emoji will work in every font.

Command map

Shared sample data

Install with Install-Module ConsoleMonster -Scope CurrentUser and run Import-Module ConsoleMonster. For the left-hand examples import PwshSpectreConsole in PowerShell 7. Use these same rows for each example; none changes a real server.

$servers = @(
    [pscustomobject] @{ Name = 'FS01'; Site = 'Warsaw'; Pending = 4; Status = 'Pass' }
    [pscustomobject] @{ Name = 'SQL01'; Site = 'Dublin'; Pending = 12; Status = 'Warn' }
    [pscustomobject] @{ Name = 'WEB01'; Site = 'Berlin'; Pending = 0; Status = 'Pass' }
)

1. Show an inventory table

$servers | Format-SpectreTable

$servers | Show-ConsoleTable -Property Name, Site, Pending, Status -Title 'Patch inventory'
$text = $servers | Show-ConsoleTable -Property Name, Pending -AsString

Show-ConsoleTable displays directly, rather than producing native Format-Table records. Keep the rows if later commands need objects. -AsString is plain text; use Export-ConsoleFrame -Format Markdown when you want a document.

Install-Module ConsoleMonster -Scope CurrentUser

$servers = @(
    [pscustomobject] @{ Name = 'FS01'; Site = 'Warsaw'; Pending = 4; Status = 'Pass' }
    [pscustomobject] @{ Name = 'SQL01'; Site = 'Dublin'; Pending = 12; Status = 'Warn' }
    [pscustomobject] @{ Name = 'WEB01'; Site = 'Berlin'; Pending = 0; Status = 'Pass' }
)
$servers | Show-ConsoleTable -Property Name, Site, Pending, Status -Title 'Patch inventory'

Import-Module ConsoleMonster

$servers = @(
    [pscustomobject] @{ Name = 'FS01'; Site = 'Warsaw'; Pending = 4; Status = 'Pass' }
    [pscustomobject] @{ Name = 'SQL01'; Site = 'Dublin'; Pending = 12; Status = 'Warn' }
    [pscustomobject] @{ Name = 'WEB01'; Site = 'Berlin'; Pending = 0; Status = 'Pass' }
)
$servers | Show-ConsoleTable -Property Name, Site, Pending, Status -Title 'Patch inventory'

dotnet new console -n InventoryReport
cd InventoryReport
dotnet add package ConsoleMonster

var servers = new[] {
    new { Name = "FS01", Site = "Warsaw", Pending = 4, Status = "Pass" },
    new { Name = "SQL01", Site = "Dublin", Pending = 12, Status = "Warn" },
    new { Name = "WEB01", Site = "Berlin", Pending = 0, Status = "Pass" }
};
Terminal.Write(Table.For(servers)
    .Column(s => s.Name)
    .Column(s => s.Site)
    .Column(s => s.Pending)
    .Column(s => s.Status, column => column.WithPresenter(CellPresenters.StatusWord))
    .WithTitle("Patch inventory"));

using ConsoleMonster;
using ConsoleMonster.Presenters;
using ConsoleMonster.Widgets;

var servers = new[] {
    new { Name = "FS01", Site = "Warsaw", Pending = 4, Status = "Pass" },
    new { Name = "SQL01", Site = "Dublin", Pending = 12, Status = "Warn" },
    new { Name = "WEB01", Site = "Berlin", Pending = 0, Status = "Pass" }
};
Terminal.Write(Table.For(servers)
    .Column(s => s.Name)
    .Column(s => s.Site)
    .Column(s => s.Pending)
    .Column(s => s.Status, column => column.WithPresenter(CellPresenters.StatusWord))
    .WithTitle("Patch inventory"));

 Patch inventory
╭───────┬────────┬─────────┬────────╮
│ Name  │ Site   │ Pending │ Status │
├───────┼────────┼─────────┼────────┤
│ FS01  │ Warsaw │       4 │ ✓ Pass │
│ SQL01 │ Dublin │      12 │ ▴ Warn │
│ WEB01 │ Berlin │       0 │ ✓ Pass │
╰───────┴────────┴─────────┴────────╯

 Patch inventory
╭───────┬────────┬─────────┬────────╮
│ Name  │ Site   │ Pending │ Status │
├───────┼────────┼─────────┼────────┤
│ FS01  │ Warsaw │       4 │ ✓ Pass │
│ SQL01 │ Dublin │      12 │ ▴ Warn │
│ WEB01 │ Berlin │       0 │ ✓ Pass │
╰───────┴────────┴─────────┴────────╯

 Patch inventory
╭───────┬────────┬─────────┬────────╮
│ Name  │ Site   │ Pending │ Status │
├───────┼────────┼─────────┼────────┤
│ FS01  │ Warsaw │       4 │ ✓ Pass │
│ SQL01 │ Dublin │      12 │ ▴ Warn │
│ WEB01 │ Berlin │       0 │ ✓ Pass │
╰───────┴────────┴─────────┴────────╯

 Patch inventory
╭───────┬────────┬─────────┬────────╮
│ Name  │ Site   │ Pending │ Status │
├───────┼────────┼─────────┼────────┤
│ FS01  │ Warsaw │       4 │ ✓ Pass │
│ SQL01 │ Dublin │      12 │ ▴ Warn │
│ WEB01 │ Berlin │       0 │ ✓ Pass │
╰───────┴────────┴─────────┴────────╯

This full program produces the shown output, including explicit column order and a narrow-window layout.

2. Select a server and collect a ticket

$name = Read-SpectreSelection -Message 'Target server' -Choices $servers.Name
$ticket = Read-SpectreText -Message 'Change ticket' -DefaultAnswer 'CHG0042'
$review = Read-SpectreConfirm -Message "Review $name?"

$server = $servers | Read-ConsoleSelect 'Target server' -Display Name -GroupBy Site
$ticket = Read-ConsoleText 'Change ticket' -Default 'CHG0042' -Required
$review = Read-ConsoleConfirm "Review $($server.Name)?" -Default $false

The right-hand selection preserves Site, Pending and Status on the chosen object. Use Read-ConsoleMultiSelect for several rows. Handle the terminating PromptCanceled error on cancellation; do not silently treat cancellation as approval. In unattended runs provide values yourself, or use explicit defaults and -Mode None where appropriate.

3. Report progress while collecting data

Invoke-SpectreCommandWithProgress -ScriptBlock {
    param($context)
    $task = $context.AddTask('Inventory')
    foreach ($server in $servers) {
        Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 100
        $task.Increment(100 / $servers.Count)
    }
}

Use-ConsoleProgress {
    for ($i = 0; $i -lt $servers.Count; $i++) {
        Write-Progress -Activity 'Inventory' -Status $servers[$i].Name `
            -PercentComplete ($i * 100 / $servers.Count)
        Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 100
    }
    Write-Progress -Activity 'Inventory' -Completed
}

The sleep represents the collection operation. ConsoleMonster can draw existing Write-Progress calls, so native progress scripts do not need Spectre task objects. For per-server results and concurrency, use live runs; their execution and error contracts differ from a single progress wrapper.

4. A scoped status line

$names = Invoke-SpectreCommandWithStatus -Title 'Reading inventory' -ScriptBlock {
    $servers.Name
}

try {
    Show-ConsoleStatusLine 'Reading inventory' -Spinner
    $names = $servers.Name
} finally {
    Show-ConsoleStatusLine -Complete
}

Complete the line even when the work throws. This operation is separate from a New-ConsoleStatusList checklist or an Invoke-ConsoleDashboard live layout.

5. Heading and message

Write-SpectreFigletText -Text 'Ops'
Write-SpectreRule -Title 'Patch inventory'
Write-SpectreHost '[yellow]SQL01 needs review[/]'

New-ConsoleLogo 'Ops' | Show-Console
Show-ConsoleRule 'Patch inventory'
Write-ConsoleText -Markup '[warn]SQL01 needs review[/]'

The built-in logo lettering is different. Literal text is the default for Write-ConsoleText; -Markup opts into parsing. Use New-ConsoleText to compose styled cells and labels.

6. Chart pending patches

$items = foreach ($server in $servers) {
    New-SpectreChartItem -Label $server.Name -Value $server.Pending -Color Yellow
}
Format-SpectreBarChart -Data $items -Label 'Pending patches'

$servers | Show-ConsoleChart -Label Name -Property Pending -Type Bar
# For composition, build the chart and pass the widget to a panel/dashboard.

Differences to know

• New-* creates definitions, Show-* renders or opens a viewer, Read-* returns answers, Invoke-* executes and waits, and Start-ConsoleRun returns a running handle. The names describe lifetimes rather than mirror Spectre's method names.
• Show-* -AsString and -AsWidget suppress host display. Export commands own file formats. The native PowerShell pipeline remains objects until a deliberate display/export boundary.
• PowerShell 5.1 uses the .NET Framework build; PowerShell 7 isolates the binary module in its own assembly load context. Test scripts on the hosts you support; running in PowerShell 7 does not establish native 5.1 proof.
• A Nerd Font is unnecessary for built-in rendering. ASCII/plain fallback is available; custom glyphs and emoji still need a font that contains them.
• No automatic conversion exists for Spectre renderables, Figlet fonts or calendar output. Check the roadmap before replacing those paths.

Sources and next steps

Checked 25 October 2026: installation and font guidance, PwshSpectreConsole command reference, and the maintained source and generated command examples. This guide does not describe PwshSpectreConsole as discontinued.

Next: PowerShell conventions, interactive screens, ConsoleMonster command reference or all migration guides.