Add Format-PowerShellDataFile function for normalization

[MariusStorhaug]

Hand-written PSD1 files often have inconsistent indentation, key alignment, and value formatting. A Format-PowerShellDataFile function normalizes the text without changing semantics — equivalent to ConvertFrom-PowerShellDataFile | ConvertTo-PowerShellDataFile but expressed as a single ergonomic call.

Sister modules already follow this pattern: Format-Json and Format-Hashtable. PSD1 is the natural place to land canonical-form module manifests in CI workflows.

Request

Desired capability

Get-Content module.psd1 -Raw | Format-PowerShellDataFile
Format-PowerShellDataFile -Path module.psd1 -Indent 4

Parameters

Parameter	Description
-InputObject	String to format (ValueFromPipeline, default set)
-Path	File path to read and format
-LiteralPath	Literal file path
-Indent	Spaces per nesting level (default: 4 — PSD1 convention)
-AlignValues	Pad keys with spaces so values align in columns within the same hashtable (default: $false)

Acceptance criteria

• Format-PowerShellDataFile $s produces canonical PSD1 for $s
• Idempotent: Format-PowerShellDataFile (Format-PowerShellDataFile $s) equals Format-PowerShellDataFile $s
• Output round-trips: ConvertFrom-PowerShellDataFile produces equivalent objects from input and formatted output
• Output passes Test-ModuleManifest when the input is a valid module manifest
• -Indent controls spacing between nested table levels
• -AlignValues produces aligned-column output (matches the New-ModuleManifest style)

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Technical decisions

Implementation: Parses input with ConvertFrom-PowerShellDataFile and re-emits with ConvertTo-PowerShellDataFile using the requested indentation and alignment. Reuses existing logic — no new parser or emitter.

Function placement: src/functions/public/Format-PowerShellDataFile.ps1.

Parameter sets: InputObject (default, pipeline) and Path / LiteralPath for file input.

Indent default: 4 spaces — matches the convention used by New-ModuleManifest output.

Alias: Format-Psd1.

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Implementation plan

• Add Format-PowerShellDataFile in src/functions/public/Format-PowerShellDataFile.ps1 with Format-Psd1 alias
• Add Pester tests — basic format, custom -Indent, -AlignValues, idempotent round-trip, manifest validation after format
• Update README and examples/General.ps1

Related

• ConvertFrom/ConvertTo-PowerShellDataFile (prerequisite — separate issue)