PowerShell Upload Script Configuration Guide

This guide explains how to configure the upload-and-copy.ps1 script for your own environment.

📝 Note: Throughout this guide, replace username with your actual Windows username (e.g., if your user folder is C:\Users\john, replace username with john).

�️ Tested Environment

This script and configuration guide has been tested and verified on the following environment:

Component	Version	Notes
Windows	Windows 11 24H2 (Build 26100.4652)	Should work on Windows 10/11
PowerShell	5.1.26100.4652	Built-in Windows PowerShell
PuTTY Suite	0.83	Includes PuTTY, PSCP, Pageant, PuTTYgen
Greenshot	v1.2.10	Screenshot and annotation tool

🚀 Quick Installation (Advanced Users)

For advanced users, you can install PuTTY using Windows Package Manager:

winget install putty.putty

For regular installation, download from the official sources listed in the setup steps below.

�📋 Configuration Variables

Edit the configuration section at the top of upload-and-copy.ps1 to match your setup:

🌐 Upload Server Configuration

$UPLOAD_USERNAME = "your-ssh-username"     # SSH username for your server
$UPLOAD_SERVER = "your-domain.com"         # Your server hostname/IP
$UPLOAD_REMOTE_DIR = "/path/to/upload/"    # Remote directory (must end with /)
$PUTTY_PROFILE = "your-profile-name"       # PuTTY session profile name

Examples:

• Username: root, ubuntu, www-data, your-username
• Server: example.com, 192.168.1.100, files.mysite.org
• Remote Dir: /var/www/html/uploads/, /home/user/public/, /srv/files/
• Profile: myserver, webhost, production

💻 Local System Configuration

$PSCP_PATH = "C:\Program Files\PuTTY\pscp.exe"

Common PuTTY installation paths:

• Default: C:\Program Files\PuTTY\pscp.exe
• 32-bit on 64-bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\PuTTY\pscp.exe
• Portable: C:\Tools\PuTTY\pscp.exe
• Chocolatey: C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\bin\pscp.exe

🔗 Public URL Configuration

$PUBLIC_BASE_URL = "https://your-domain.com/uploads"

This should be the web-accessible URL that corresponds to your $UPLOAD_REMOTE_DIR.

Mapping Examples:

• Remote: /var/www/html/uploads/ → URL: https://mysite.com/uploads
• Remote: /var/www/html/files/ → URL: https://mysite.com/files
• Remote: /srv/nginx/static/ → URL: https://cdn.mysite.com

📝 Logging Configuration

$CUSTOM_SUCCESS_LOG = ""  # Leave empty for default location
$CUSTOM_ERROR_LOG = ""    # Leave empty for default location

Default locations:

• Success: %USERPROFILE%\pscp_upload_success.log
• Error: %USERPROFILE%\pscp_upload_errors.log

Custom examples:

• "C:\Logs\upload_success.log"
• "D:\MyApp\Logs\upload_errors.log"
• "\\NetworkShare\Logs\upload.log"

🔧 Setup Steps

1. Install PuTTY

Option A: Official Download (Recommended for most users) Download from: https://www.putty.org/

Option B: Windows Package Manager (Advanced users)

winget install putty.putty

This installs the complete PuTTY suite including PuTTY, PSCP, Pageant, and PuTTYgen.

2. File Placement and Directory Setup

Create a dedicated directory for the upload scripts:

mkdir C:\Users\username\bin

(Replace username with your actual Windows username)

Copy both script files to the same directory:

• upload-and-copy.ps1 (PowerShell script)
• upload-wrapper.bat (Batch wrapper)

⚠️ Important: The .bat and .ps1 files must be in the same directory. The batch file uses relative path references (%~dp0) to locate the PowerShell script, so they cannot be separated.

Example directory structure:

C:\Users\username\bin\
├── upload-and-copy.ps1
└── upload-wrapper.bat

3. SSH Key Setup and PuTTY Session Configuration

3a. Generate SSH Key Pair

1. Open PuTTYgen (installed with PuTTY)
2. Select RSA key type and set Number of bits to 2048 or 4096
3. Click Generate and move your mouse randomly to create entropy
4. Once generated:
   • Key comment: Enter a descriptive name (e.g., yourusername@hostname-upload-key - replace with your actual username and server)
   • Key passphrase: Enter a secure passphrase (optional but recommended)
5. Save the private key: Click Save private key → Save as upload-key.ppk in a secure location
6. Copy the public key: Select all text in the "Public key for pasting..." box and copy it

3b. Install Public Key on Server

1. Connect to your server via SSH using existing credentials (password or existing key)
2. Create SSH directory: mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
3. Add your public key: echo "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY_HERE" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
4. Set permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Note: Replace YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY_HERE with the actual public key text you copied from PuTTYgen.

3c. Configure Pageant (SSH Agent)

1. Add Pageant to Windows Startup:

   • Press Win + R, type shell:startup, press Enter
   • Create a shortcut to pageant.exe (usually in C:\Program Files\PuTTY\)
   • Right-click shortcut → Properties → Target:

     "C:\Program Files\PuTTY\pageant.exe" "C:\Path\To\Your\upload-key.ppk"
     

   • This will auto-load your key on Windows startup

2. Start Pageant Now:

   • Run the command above manually or double-click the shortcut
   • Enter your key passphrase when prompted
   • Pageant will run in the system tray

3d. Create PuTTY Session Profile

1. Open PuTTY

2. Basic Connection Settings:

   • Host Name: Enter your server hostname or IP (e.g., your-server.com)
   • Port: 22 (default SSH port)
   • Connection type: SSH

3. Configure SSH Authentication:

   • Navigate to Connection → SSH → Auth → Credentials
   • Private key file: Browse and select your upload-key.ppk file
   • ✅ Check Allow agent forwarding (optional)
   • ✅ Check Allow attempted changes of username in SSH-2

4. Auto-login Configuration:

   • Navigate to Connection → Data
   • Auto-login username: Enter your SSH username (e.g., root, ubuntu, www-data)

5. Session Settings:

   • Navigate back to Session (top of tree)
   • Saved Sessions: Enter a memorable name (e.g., YourServerPuttySession, linode, webserver)
   • Click Save to store the session

6. Test the Connection:

   • With your session selected, click Open
   • Should connect without password prompt (using SSH key)
   • If prompted for passphrase, ensure Pageant is running with your key loaded

3e. Update Script Configuration

Edit your $PUTTY_PROFILE variable to match your saved session name:

$PUTTY_PROFILE = "YourServerPuttySession"  # Match your saved PuTTY session name

Example configurations:

• $PUTTY_PROFILE = "linode"
• $PUTTY_PROFILE = "webserver"
• $PUTTY_PROFILE = "production"

4. Configure Script Variables

Edit the configuration section in upload-and-copy.ps1 with your values.

5. Test the Script

.\upload-and-copy.ps1 "C:\path\to\test-file.png"

6. Configure Greenshot Integration (Optional)

Step 6a: Install External Command Plugin

1. Open Greenshot
2. Go to Settings (right-click Greenshot tray icon → Configure)
3. Navigate to Plugins tab
4. If "External command Plugin" is not listed, install it:
   • Download from Greenshot plugins repository
   • Place the plugin DLL in Greenshot's plugins folder
   • Restart Greenshot

Step 6b: Configure External Command

1. In Greenshot Settings, go to Plugins tab
2. Select External command Plugin and click Configure
3. Click New to create a new command
4. Enter the following settings:

Command Configuration:

• Name: Upload to your-domain.com (customize as needed)
• Command: C:\Users\username\bin\upload-wrapper.bat (replace username with your Windows username)
• Argument: {0}

Alternative PowerShell Direct Method:

• Name: Upload to your-domain.com
• Command: C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
• Argument: -NoProfile -STA -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Users\username\bin\upload-and-copy.ps1" "{0}" (replace username with your Windows username)

5. Click OK to save the command
6. Click OK to close External command settings
7. Click OK to close Greenshot settings

Step 6c: Using the Upload Command

1. Take a screenshot with Greenshot (PrtScn, region select, etc.)
2. In the Greenshot editor, look for your custom command in the toolbar or File menu
3. Click your "Upload to your-domain.com" command
4. The rename dialog will appear - enter desired filename
5. File uploads automatically and URL is copied to clipboard

Alternative: Quick Upload Shortcut

You can also create a desktop shortcut for quick manual uploads:

Target: C:\Users\username\bin\upload-wrapper.bat (replace username with your Windows username) Start in: C:\Users\username\bin\ (replace username with your Windows username)

Then drag any file onto the shortcut to upload it.

🚨 Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

"pscp.exe not found"

• Check $PSCP_PATH points to correct PuTTY installation
• Install PuTTY if missing

"Connection failed"

• Verify $PUTTY_PROFILE name matches saved session
• Test SSH connection manually with PuTTY
• Check firewall/network connectivity

"Permission denied"

• Verify $UPLOAD_USERNAME has write access to $UPLOAD_REMOTE_DIR
• Check SSH key permissions

"File not accessible via URL"

• Verify $PUBLIC_BASE_URL matches web server configuration
• Check web server permissions on upload directory
• Ensure directory is in web server document root

SSH Key & Authentication Issues:

"Server refused our key" or "Authentication failed"

• Verify public key is properly installed in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on server
• Check file permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys and chmod 700 ~/.ssh
• Ensure private key file path is correct in PuTTY session configuration
• Test key manually: open PuTTY session and verify passwordless login works

"Unable to use key file" or "Couldn't load private key"

• Verify .ppk file exists and is accessible
• Check if key file is corrupted - regenerate if necessary
• Ensure key was saved in PuTTY format (.ppk), not OpenSSH format

"No supported authentication methods available"

• Server may not allow SSH key authentication
• Check server's /etc/ssh/sshd_config for PubkeyAuthentication yes
• Verify AuthorizedKeysFile setting points to correct location

Pageant Issues:

• "Agent refused to sign": Restart Pageant and reload your key
• Key not auto-loading: Check Pageant startup shortcut target path
• Passphrase keeps prompting: Verify Pageant is running with your key loaded
• Multiple keys conflict: Use pageant.exe -c "your-command" to clear all keys first

PuTTY Session Configuration Issues:

• Wrong username: Verify Connection → Data → Auto-login username matches server
• Wrong hostname: Double-check Session → Host Name field
• Session not found: Verify $PUTTY_PROFILE exactly matches saved session name (case-sensitive)
• Key not loading: Check Connection → SSH → Auth → Credentials → Private key file

Greenshot Integration Issues:

• Command not appearing: Restart Greenshot after plugin installation
• "File not found" error: Verify paths in External Command configuration
• PowerShell execution policy: Run Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned as Administrator
• Upload dialog not showing: Ensure -STA parameter is included for PowerShell command

📖 Example Configurations

Example 1: Standard Web Server

$UPLOAD_USERNAME = "www-data"
$UPLOAD_SERVER = "mywebsite.com"
$UPLOAD_REMOTE_DIR = "/var/www/html/uploads/"
$PUTTY_PROFILE = "webserver"
$PUBLIC_BASE_URL = "https://mywebsite.com/uploads"

Example 2: Personal VPS

$UPLOAD_USERNAME = "ubuntu"
$UPLOAD_SERVER = "192.168.1.50"
$UPLOAD_REMOTE_DIR = "/home/ubuntu/public_html/files/"
$PUTTY_PROFILE = "homeserver"
$PUBLIC_BASE_URL = "https://files.home.local"

Example 3: CDN/Static File Server

$UPLOAD_USERNAME = "deploy"
$UPLOAD_SERVER = "cdn.company.com"
$UPLOAD_REMOTE_DIR = "/srv/nginx/static/uploads/"
$PUTTY_PROFILE = "cdn-server"
$PUBLIC_BASE_URL = "https://static.company.com/uploads"

📸 Greenshot Quick Reference

External Command Plugin Settings

Based on the screenshots provided, here's the exact configuration:

In Greenshot Settings → Plugins → External command Plugin → Configure:

Field	Value
Name	Upload to share.username.com (replace username with your domain)
Command	C:\Users\username\bin\upload-wrapper.bat (replace username with your Windows username)
Argument	{0}

Alternative PowerShell Direct:

Field	Value
Command	C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
Argument	-NoProfile -STA -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Users\username\bin\upload-and-copy.ps1" "{0}" (replace username with your Windows username)

Usage Workflow

1. Capture → Take screenshot with Greenshot
2. Edit → Make any needed edits in Greenshot editor
3. Upload → Click your custom "Upload to..." command
4. Rename → Enter filename in dialog that appears
5. Share → URL is automatically copied to clipboard

Tips

• The {0} argument passes the screenshot file path to your script
• Use the batch wrapper for simpler configuration
• Use direct PowerShell method for more control
• Customize the "Name" field to match your domain/service