Collection Manager

A MahApps.Metro WPF GUI for managing MECM (Configuration Manager) device collections with an offline WQL editor. Bypass the slow console query editor -- load all collections into a local grid, edit WQL queries in a fast monospace editor, validate, preview results, and apply changes in bulk.

Ships with a template library: 225 ready-made operational queries and 20 parameterized WQL templates.

Requirements

• Windows 10 / 11
• PowerShell 5.1
• .NET Framework 4.7.2+
• Configuration Manager console installed (provides the ConfigurationManager PowerShell module)

Quick Start

1. Download the release zip and extract it to a working folder.

2. Right-click start-collectionmanager.ps1 -> Run with PowerShell, or from a PowerShell prompt:

   powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File start-collectionmanager.ps1

3. Click the Options button on the sidebar and set your Site Code and SMS Provider.

4. Click Refresh to load every device collection.

Layout

The shell uses a sidebar layout with three views and an Options modal:

• Collections -- master-detail grid of every device collection: Name, ID, Member Count, Limiting Collection, Refresh Type, Comment. Detail panel tabs: Properties, Direct Members, Query Rules, Include Rules, Exclude Rules. Filter by membership shape (Built-in / Custom / Empty / Has direct members / Has query rules) or free text.
• WQL Editor -- pick a collection, pick a rule, edit the WQL in the monospace editor, click Validate Query to syntax-check via Invoke-CMWmiQuery, click Preview Results to see how many devices match. Add, Update, or Remove rules with single clicks.
• Templates -- two tabs (Operational, Parameterized). Pick a template; for parameterized ones, fill in the parameters and watch the expanded WQL update live. Then Copy to WQL Editor for hand-tuning, or Apply to Collection to push the rule onto a target collection.

Workflows

Create or copy a collection

1. Collections view -> New Collection. Pick name, limiting collection, comment, refresh type. Click Create.
2. To clone an existing one: select the source row, click Copy..., name the clone, click Copy.

Edit direct membership

1. Select a collection on the Collections view.
2. Click Edit Membership... to open the modal: add devices by name (auto-resolves Resource ID), remove selected members in bulk with confirmation.

Author a new WQL rule

1. Switch to WQL Editor view.
2. Pick a target collection.
3. Type or paste the WQL. Click Validate Query to syntax-check.
4. Click Preview Results to count matches.
5. Type a rule name and click Add Rule.

Apply a ready-made template

1. Switch to Templates view -> Operational tab.
2. Pick a template (e.g., "Workstations | Windows 11 24H2"). The expanded WQL appears in the right pane.
3. Click Apply to Collection..., pick a target, confirm the rule name, click Apply.

Use a parameterized template

1. Templates view -> Parameterized tab.
2. Pick a template (e.g., "Software Installed by Name").
3. Fill in the parameters (e.g., SoftwareName = 7-Zip). The expanded WQL updates live.
4. Apply to Collection... or Copy to WQL Editor for further tuning.

Template Categories

Operational: Clients, Clients Version, Hardware Inventory, Laptops, Microsoft 365 Apps Build Version / Channel, Mobile Devices, Office 365 Build / Channel (legacy), Project, SCCM Infrastructure, Servers, Software Inventory, System Health, Systems, Visio, Windows Update Agent, Workstations.

Parameterized: Software (Installed / Not Installed by Name, Version), OS Build, Client Version, Manufacturer, Model, HW / SW Inventory Reporting, AD OU, Created Within N Days, Chassis Type, TPM, Disk Space, RAM, IP Subnet, Domain, BIOS Version, BitLocker, Last Boot.

Project Structure

collectionmanager/
+- start-collectionmanager.ps1               # WPF shell
+- MainWindow.xaml                           # Main window layout
+- Lib/                                      # Vendored MahApps.Metro 2.4.10
+- Module/
|  +- CollectionManagerCommon.psd1           # Module manifest
|  \- CollectionManagerCommon.psm1           # Business logic (28 functions)
+- Templates/
|  +- operational-collections.json           # 225 ready-made queries
|  \- parameterized-templates.json           # 20 parameterized templates
+- Logs/                                     # Session logs (per-run)
+- Reports/                                  # CSV / HTML exports
+- CHANGELOG.md
+- LICENSE
\- README.md

Safety

• Built-in collections (SMS prefix) cannot be deleted.
• Confirmation dialogs before every destructive operation (collection removal, member removal, query-rule removal).
• WQL validation before applying query rules.
• Lazy loading of direct members keeps refreshes bounded for large environments.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Author

Jason Ulbright

Credits

Ready-made operational collection queries adapted from SystemCenterDudes / prae1809/PowerShell-Scripts.