📖 [Docs]: PowerShell messaging standard for Write-Verbose vs Write-Debug (#54)

Implements the PowerShell messaging standard for Write-Verbose vs
Write-Debug, addressing the acceptance criteria from #46.

- Fixes #46

## New: PowerShell messaging standard

A new guidance page documents when to use Write-Verbose versus
Write-Debug:

- **Write-Verbose**: user-facing operational progress, decision
summaries, and normal troubleshooting context
- **Write-Debug**: developer-focused internals, deep diagnostics, and
internal state details

Examples and audience explanation included. Instructions for enabling
messages at runtime via PowerShell preference variables.

## Review checklist

1. Useful at normal troubleshooting level? → Use Write-Verbose
2. Internal/deep diagnostic detail? → Use Write-Debug
3. Unsure? → Prefer Write-Verbose

## Deliverables

- New file: src/docs/Coding-Standards/PowerShell/Messaging.md
- Updated: src/docs/Coding-Standards/PowerShell/index.md
- Practical examples and review guidance included

---------

Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: MariusStorhaug

src/docs/Coding-Standards/PowerShell/Messaging.md

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+---
+title: Messaging
+description: "Write-Verbose for user-facing operational progress and normal troubleshooting; Write-Debug for developer-focused internals and deep diagnostics."
+---
+
+# Messaging
+
+Choose between `Write-Verbose` and `Write-Debug` based on the audience and purpose of the message. This distinction clarifies intent for maintainers, improves discoverability for operators, and keeps diagnostic output focused.
+
+## The rule
+
+- **Use `Write-Verbose`** for **user-facing** operational progress, decision summaries, and normal troubleshooting context — information that helps operators understand execution flow and diagnose issues at the normal operational level.
+- **Use `Write-Debug`** for **developer-focused** internals, deep diagnostics, low-level payload and transport details, internal state, and instrumentation — information for the author and maintainers of the code, not operators.
+
+## Examples
+
+### Write-Verbose: operational progress and troubleshooting
+
+These messages help an operator understand *what is happening* and *why*, without needing to know the implementation details.
+
+```powershell
+# Progress narration — what step is running
+Write-Verbose "Retrieving repository metadata from GitHub..."
+
+# Decision summary — what the code decided and why
+Write-Verbose "Found 3 matching repositories; filtering to 1 owned by the org"
+
+# Outcome — what succeeded or failed at the user-visible level
+Write-Verbose "Successfully cloned repository to $DestinationPath"
+
+# Configuration recap — what settings are in use
+Write-Verbose "Using authentication method: Personal Access Token"
+```
+
+Verbose messages stay at a **business level**: they talk about repositories, deployments, workflows, API calls — things an operator cares about.
+
+### Write-Debug: internals and deep diagnostics
+
+These messages are for the code author and maintainers. They expose the implementation details that help diagnose why something went wrong *internally*.
+
+```powershell
+# Payload details — the raw data moving through the code
+Write-Debug "Request body: $($RequestBody | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10)"
+
+# Internal state — variables and computed values
+Write-Debug "Resolved repository ID to: $RepoID"
+Write-Debug "Cache hit: $CacheHit; items in cache: $($Cache.Count)"
+
+# Low-level transport details — HTTP headers, raw responses
+Write-Debug "Response header 'X-RateLimit-Remaining': $($Response.Headers['X-RateLimit-Remaining'])"
+
+# Instrumentation — timing, counters, flow paths
+Write-Debug "Processed $ProcessedCount of $TotalCount items (elapsed: $ElapsedMs ms)"
+Write-Debug "Taking fallback branch: condition was $Condition"
+```
+
+Debug messages expose **plumbing**: they talk about payloads, headers, cache state, internal variables — details that only make sense in the context of reading the code.
+
+## Review checklist
+
+When writing messages, ask:
+
+1. **Is this message useful at normal troubleshooting level?** ✓ Use `Write-Verbose`
+   - Operators should understand it without reading source code.
+   - It describes *what* is happening at the business level (workflow, deployment, repository, API call).
+   - It helps answer "what did my operation do?" or "where did it fail?".
+
+2. **Is this an internal/deep diagnostic detail?** ✓ Use `Write-Debug`
+   - Only a code author or maintainer needs this information.
+   - It exposes implementation details (payload, headers, internal variables, timing).
+   - It helps answer "why did the code take this path?" or "what is the state inside this function?".
+
+3. **Am I unsure?** Prefer `Write-Verbose` — it's safer to be slightly more verbose at the normal level than to hide troubleshooting context that operators need.
+
+## Enabling messages at runtime
+
+PowerShell controls visibility with built-in preference variables — no code change needed to see messages:
+
+- **Show verbose messages:** run the command with the `-Verbose` switch, or set `$VerbosePreference = 'Continue'` before calling.
+- **Show debug messages:** set `$DebugPreference = 'Continue'` before calling the command (no `-Debug` switch exists; use the preference).
+
+Example:
+
+```powershell
+# Operator runs the command with -Verbose to see operational context
+Get-Repository -Owner 'MyOrg' -Name 'MyRepo' -Verbose
+
+# Or sets the preference for all calls in the session
+$VerbosePreference = 'Continue'
+Get-Repository -Owner 'MyOrg' -Name 'MyRepo'
+
+# In a script, enable debug messages
+$DebugPreference = 'Continue'
+Invoke-RepositoryOperation
+```
+
+## Relationship to other messaging
+
+This standard covers the two main diagnostic channels. For context:
+
+- **`Write-Information`** — user-facing but outside the troubleshooting spectrum. Use it for important operational summaries that should always be visible (not gated by `-Verbose`), e.g., "Migration complete: 42 items processed."
+- **`Write-Warning`** — a condition the operator should know about but that did not stop the operation; reserved for genuine warnings, not verbose narration.
+- **`Write-Error`** (terminating) — a failure that stops execution; emit structured errors with `[PSCustomObject]` or `-ErrorRecord` for discoverability.
+- **Logging (event logs, files)** — persistent audit; separate from these streams and outside the scope of this standard.
+
+Reserve the verbose and debug streams for their intended audiences, and keep messages at the right level so operators and maintainers can both find what they need.

src/docs/Coding-Standards/PowerShell/index.md

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ This standard builds on the [language-agnostic baseline](../index.md); where the
 | [Functions](Functions.md) | Advanced functions — CmdletBinding, typed and validated parameters, pipeline blocks, ShouldProcess, and required comment-based help. |
 | [Classes](Classes.md) | When to reach for a PowerShell class, and how to structure its members, constructors, and documentation. |
 | [Scripts](Scripts.md) | Structure for standalone .ps1 scripts — requirements, parameters, help, and keeping the script thin. |
+| [Messaging](Messaging.md) | Write-Verbose for user-facing operational progress and normal troubleshooting; Write-Debug for developer-focused internals and deep diagnostics. |
 | [Version Constraints](Version-Constraints.md) | Express module and package version constraints as NuGet version ranges — the canonical notation across PSResourceGet, .NET package references, and (mapped) #Requires and module manifests. |
 | [Module Requirements](Requires-Modules.md) | Valid `#Requires -Modules` version specifications — minimum, major-lock (with the `N.*` wildcard), exact, and GUID identity pinning — with an executable proof. |
 

src/zensical.toml

@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ nav = [
       {"Functions" = "Coding-Standards/PowerShell/Functions.md"},
       {"Classes" = "Coding-Standards/PowerShell/Classes.md"},
       {"Scripts" = "Coding-Standards/PowerShell/Scripts.md"},
+      {"Messaging" = "Coding-Standards/PowerShell/Messaging.md"},
       {"Version Constraints" = "Coding-Standards/PowerShell/Version-Constraints.md"},
     ]},
     {"Terraform" = "Coding-Standards/Terraform.md"},