All references to PowerShell version 2.0.
- Getting PowerShell installed
- What is PowerShell?
PowerShell is a powerful scripting language from Microsoft.
- How do I get it?
You can download PowerShell 2.0 from here. PowerShell is only officially supported on the Windows platform.
- How do I start it?
Start Menu / Programs / Accessories / Windows PowerShell / Windows PowerShell
A command window similiar to "cmd" will open and be ready for your input.
- What is PowerShell?
- Interacting with PowerShell
At the command prompt you can enter simple commands like,
PS C:\> 7 * 6 42
PowerShell will try to intelligently decide when you want multiple line entries:
PS C:\> 7 * >> 6 >> 42
It will also respect quotes:
PS C:\> "hello" hello PS C:\> "hello >> there" >> hello there PS C:\>
You can force it to expect more input by using the backtick character (`) at the end of the line
PS C:\> 7` >> * 6 >> 42 PS C:\>
The "up" and "down" arrows allow you to scroll through your history and select previous commands, also try "F9".
- The magic of Tab
When you want PowerShell to suggest a completion to your command enter "Tab"
PS C:>Hel(Tab)
will complete to "help".
- You can always Escape
If you want to start over on a line just hit "ESC"
- Comments
The "#" character starts a comment
PS C:\> $g = 9.81 #set value for gravity
- You can use wildcards in commands
PS C:\> cd p*les PS C:\Program Files>
- Piping and Redirects
Using the pipe character, "|" you can redirect the output of one command into the input of another. For example, the "Get-ChildItem" command will return a list of files that you can redirect to "Sort-Object" to get a sorted list.
PS C:\> Get-ChildItem | Sort-Object -Property LastWriteTime
Using the ">" character will redirect all the output to a file.
PS C:\> Get-ChildItem | Sort-Object -Property LastWriteTime > SortedFiles.txt
Using ">>" will append to a file.
- Editing files
To open a file in your editor give part of the path name
PS C:\> .\SortedFiles.txt
- Storing output in variables
You can execute a command and store the result in a variable (names start with "$").
PS C:\> $a = date.exe PS C:\> $a Tue May 4 10:00:36 CDT 2010
- Simple Calculations
PowerShell does simple math:
PS C:\> 7*6 42 PS C:\> "abc"*4 abcabcabcabc PS C:\> 20mb / 7kb 2925.71428571429 PS C:\> 6 * 0x77 714
- Executables
Some executable names can be entered into powershell:
PS C:\> tracert fincher.org Tracing route to fincher.org [208.97.191.221] over a maximum of 30 hops: 1 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 172.30.78.1 2 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.65.26 3 29 ms 28 ms 44 ms 10.255.240.249 4 40 ms 40 ms 40 ms 10.255.240.241
Only some can be entered because not all executables are within the default "Path".
To see what directories are in your path,
PS C:\> $env:Path C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\;
To add directories,
PS C:\> $env:path += ";C:\home\mfincher\bin"
The "&" preceeding a string tells powershell to execute the string as a command:
PS C:\> & "C:\home\mfincher\bin\backup.exe"
- Saving your current directory location
Sometimes you need to temporarily change directories. The unix "pushd" and "popd" are availible (aliases for "Push-Location" and "Pop-Location".
PS C:\> pushd PS C:\> cd tmp PS C:\tmp> popd PS C:\>
- Cmdlets
Cmdlets are real powershell commands. They have the form "verb-noun", like "Get-Date".
These are the most common verbs:
- Add
- Clear
- Compare
- Convert
- Copy
- Export
- Format
- Get
- Group
- Import
- Measure
- Move
- New
- Out
- Read
- Remove
- Rename
- Resolve
- Restart
- Resume
- Select
- Set
- Sort
- Split
- Start
- Stop
- Suspend
- Tee
- Test
- Trace
- Update
- Write
- Help
- The "Get-Command" cmdlet
The command "Get-Command -verb get" will return all the commands with the verb "Get"
PS C:\> Get-Command -verb get
- Get-Command for cmdlet
This will show all cmdlets
PS C:\home\mfincher> Get-Command -commandType cmdlet
CommandType Name Definition Cmdlet Add-Computer Add-Computer [-DomainName] <String> [-Credential... Cmdlet Add-Content Add-Content [-Path] <String[]> [-Value] <Object[... Cmdlet Add-History Add-History [[-InputObject] <PSObject[]>] [-Pass... Cmdlet Add-Member Add-Member [-MemberType] <PSMemberTypes> [-Name]... Cmdlet Add-PSSnapin Add-PSSnapin [-Name] <String[]> [-PassThru] [-Ve... Cmdlet Add-Type Add-Type [-TypeDefinition] <String> [-Language <... Cmdlet Checkpoint-Computer Checkpoint-Computer [-Description] <String> [[-R... Cmdlet Clear-Content Clear-Content [-Path] <String[]> [-Filter <Strin... Cmdlet Clear-EventLog Clear-EventLog [-LogName] <String[]> [[-Computer... Cmdlet Clear-History Clear-History [[-Id] <Int32[]>] [[-Count] <Int32... Cmdlet Clear-Item Clear-Item [-Path] <String[]> [-Force] [-Filter ... Cmdlet Clear-ItemProperty Clear-ItemProperty [-Path] <String[]> [-Name] <S... Cmdlet Clear-Variable Clear-Variable [-Name] <String[]> [-Include <Str... Cmdlet Compare-Object Compare-Object [-ReferenceObject] <PSObject[]> [... Cmdlet Complete-Transaction Complete-Transaction [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-Error... Cmdlet Connect-WSMan Connect-WSMan [[-ComputerName] <String>] [-Appli... Cmdlet ConvertFrom-Csv ConvertFrom-Csv [-InputObject] <PSObject[]> [[-D... Cmdlet ConvertFrom-SecureString ConvertFrom-SecureString [-SecureString] <Secure... Cmdlet ConvertFrom-StringData ConvertFrom-StringData [-StringData] <String> [-... Cmdlet Convert-Path Convert-Path [-Path] <String[]> [-Verbose] [-Deb... Cmdlet ConvertTo-Csv ConvertTo-Csv [-InputObject] <PSObject> [[-Delim... Cmdlet ConvertTo-Html ConvertTo-Html [[-Property] <Object[]>] [[-Head]... Cmdlet ConvertTo-SecureString ConvertTo-SecureString [-String] <String> [[-Sec... Cmdlet ConvertTo-Xml ConvertTo-Xml [-InputObject] <PSObject> [-Depth ... Cmdlet Copy-Item Copy-Item [-Path] <String[]> [[-Destination] <St... Cmdlet Copy-ItemProperty Copy-ItemProperty [-Path] <String[]> [-Destinati... Cmdlet Debug-Process Debug-Process [-Name] <String[]> [-Verbose] [-De... Cmdlet Disable-ComputerRestore Disable-ComputerRestore [-Drive] <String[]> [-Ve... Cmdlet Disable-PSBreakpoint Disable-PSBreakpoint [-Breakpoint] <Breakpoint[]... Cmdlet Disable-PSSessionConfiguration Disable-PSSessionConfiguration [[-Name] <String[... Cmdlet Disable-WSManCredSSP Disable-WSManCredSSP [-Role] <String> [-Verbose]... Cmdlet Disconnect-WSMan Disconnect-WSMan [[-ComputerName] <String>] [-Ve... Cmdlet Enable-ComputerRestore Enable-ComputerRestore [-Drive] <String[]> [-Ver... Cmdlet Enable-PSBreakpoint Enable-PSBreakpoint [-Id] <Int32[]> [-PassThru] ... Cmdlet Enable-PSRemoting Enable-PSRemoting [-Force] [-Verbose] [-Debug] [... Cmdlet Enable-PSSessionConfiguration Enable-PSSessionConfiguration [[-Name] <String[]... Cmdlet Enable-WSManCredSSP Enable-WSManCredSSP [-Role] <String> [[-Delegate... Cmdlet Enter-PSSession Enter-PSSession [-ComputerName] <String> [-Crede... Cmdlet Exit-PSSession Exit-PSSession [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorAction... Cmdlet Export-Alias Export-Alias [-Path] <String> [[-Name] <String[]... Cmdlet Export-Clixml Export-Clixml [-Path] <String> [-Depth <Int32>] ... Cmdlet Export-Console Export-Console [[-Path] <String>] [-Force] [-NoC... Cmdlet Export-Counter Export-Counter [-Path] <String> [-FileFormat <St... Cmdlet Export-Csv Export-Csv [-Path] <String> [[-Delimiter] <Char>... Cmdlet Export-FormatData Export-FormatData [-InputObject <ExtendedTypeDef... Cmdlet Export-ModuleMember Export-ModuleMember [[-Function] <String[]>] [-C... Cmdlet Export-PSSession Export-PSSession [-Session] <PSSession> [-Output... Cmdlet ForEach-Object ForEach-Object [-Process] <ScriptBlock[]> [-Inpu... Cmdlet Format-Custom Format-Custom [[-Property] <Object[]>] [-Depth <... Cmdlet Format-List Format-List [[-Property] <Object[]>] [-GroupBy <... Cmdlet Format-Table Format-Table [[-Property] <Object[]>] [-AutoSize... Cmdlet Format-Wide Format-Wide [[-Property] <Object>] [-AutoSize] [... Cmdlet Get-Acl Get-Acl [[-Path] <String[]>] [-Audit] [-Filter <... Cmdlet Get-Alias Get-Alias [[-Name] <String[]>] [-Exclude <String... Cmdlet Get-AuthenticodeSignature Get-AuthenticodeSignature [-FilePath] <String[]>... Cmdlet Get-ChildItem Get-ChildItem [[-Path] <String[]>] [[-Filter] <S... Cmdlet Get-Command Get-Command [[-ArgumentList] <Object[]>] [-Verb ... Cmdlet Get-ComputerRestorePoint Get-ComputerRestorePoint [[-RestorePoint] <Int32... Cmdlet Get-Content Get-Content [-Path] <String[]> [-ReadCount <Int6... Cmdlet Get-Counter Get-Counter [[-Counter] <String[]>] [-SampleInte... Cmdlet Get-Credential Get-Credential [-Credential] <PSCredential> [-Ve... Cmdlet Get-Culture Get-Culture [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorAction <A... Cmdlet Get-Date Get-Date [[-Date] <DateTime>] [-Year <Int32>] [-... Cmdlet Get-Event Get-Event [[-SourceIdentifier] <String>] [-Verbo... Cmdlet Get-EventLog Get-EventLog [-LogName] <String> [[-InstanceId] ... Cmdlet Get-EventSubscriber Get-EventSubscriber [[-SourceIdentifier] <String... Cmdlet Get-ExecutionPolicy Get-ExecutionPolicy [[-Scope] <ExecutionPolicySc... Cmdlet Get-FormatData Get-FormatData [[-TypeName] <String[]>] [-Verbos... Cmdlet Get-Help Get-Help [[-Name] <String>] [-Path <String>] [-C... Cmdlet Get-History Get-History [[-Id] <Int64[]>] [[-Count] <Int32>]... Cmdlet Get-Host Get-Host [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorAction <Acti... Cmdlet Get-HotFix Get-HotFix [[-Id] <String[]>] [-ComputerName <St... Cmdlet Get-Item Get-Item [-Path] <String[]> [-Filter <String>] [... Cmdlet Get-ItemProperty Get-ItemProperty [-Path] <String[]> [[-Name] <St... Cmdlet Get-Job Get-Job [[-Id] <Int32[]>] [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-... Cmdlet Get-Location Get-Location [-PSProvider <String[]>] [-PSDrive ... Cmdlet Get-Member Get-Member [[-Name] <String[]>] [-InputObject <P... Cmdlet Get-Module Get-Module [[-Name] <String[]>] [-All] [-Verbose... Cmdlet Get-PfxCertificate Get-PfxCertificate [-FilePath] <String[]> [-Verb... Cmdlet Get-Process Get-Process [[-Name] <String[]>] [-ComputerName ... Cmdlet Get-PSBreakpoint Get-PSBreakpoint [[-Script] <String[]>] [-Verbos... Cmdlet Get-PSCallStack Get-PSCallStack [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorActio... Cmdlet Get-PSDrive Get-PSDrive [[-Name] <String[]>] [-Scope <String... Cmdlet Get-PSProvider Get-PSProvider [[-PSProvider] <String[]>] [-Verb... Cmdlet Get-PSSession Get-PSSession [[-ComputerName] <String[]>] [-Ver... Cmdlet Get-PSSessionConfiguration Get-PSSessionConfiguration [[-Name] <String[]>] ... Cmdlet Get-PSSnapin Get-PSSnapin [[-Name] <String[]>] [-Registered] ... Cmdlet Get-Random Get-Random [[-Maximum] <Object>] [-SetSeed <Null... Cmdlet Get-Service Get-Service [[-Name] <String[]>] [-ComputerName ... Cmdlet Get-TraceSource Get-TraceSource [[-Name] <String[]>] [-Verbose] ... Cmdlet Get-Transaction Get-Transaction [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorActio... Cmdlet Get-UICulture Get-UICulture [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorAction ... Cmdlet Get-Unique Get-Unique [-InputObject <PSObject>] [-AsString]... Cmdlet Get-Variable Get-Variable [[-Name] <String[]>] [-ValueOnly] [... Cmdlet Get-WinEvent Get-WinEvent [[-LogName] <String[]>] [-MaxEvents... Cmdlet Get-WmiObject Get-WmiObject [-Class] <String> [[-Property] <St... Cmdlet Get-WSManCredSSP Get-WSManCredSSP [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorActi... Cmdlet Get-WSManInstance Get-WSManInstance [-ResourceURI] <Uri> [-Applica... Cmdlet Group-Object Group-Object [[-Property] <Object[]>] [-NoElemen... Cmdlet Import-Alias Import-Alias [-Path] <String> [-Scope <String>] ... Cmdlet Import-Clixml Import-Clixml [-Path] <String[]> [-Verbose] [-De... Cmdlet Import-Counter Import-Counter [-Path] <String[]> [-StartTime <D... Cmdlet Import-Csv Import-Csv [-Path] <String[]> [[-Delimiter] <Cha... Cmdlet Import-LocalizedData Import-LocalizedData [-BindingVariable] <String>... Cmdlet Import-Module Import-Module [-Name] <String[]> [-Global] [-Pre... Cmdlet Import-PSSession Import-PSSession [-Session] <PSSession> [[-Comma... Cmdlet Invoke-Command Invoke-Command [-ScriptBlock] <ScriptBlock> [-In... Cmdlet Invoke-Expression Invoke-Expression [-Command] <String> [-Verbose]... Cmdlet Invoke-History Invoke-History [[-Id] <String>] [-Verbose] [-Deb... Cmdlet Invoke-Item Invoke-Item [-Path] <String[]> [-Filter <String>... Cmdlet Invoke-WmiMethod Invoke-WmiMethod [-Class] <String> [-Name] <Stri... Cmdlet Invoke-WSManAction Invoke-WSManAction [-ResourceURI] <Uri> [-Action... Cmdlet Join-Path Join-Path [-Path] <String[]> [-ChildPath] <Strin... Cmdlet Limit-EventLog Limit-EventLog [-LogName] <String[]> [-ComputerN... Cmdlet Measure-Command Measure-Command [-Expression] <ScriptBlock> [-In... Cmdlet Measure-Object Measure-Object [[-Property] <String[]>] [-InputO... Cmdlet Move-Item Move-Item [-Path] <String[]> [[-Destination] <St... Cmdlet Move-ItemProperty Move-ItemProperty [-Path] <String[]> [-Destinati... Cmdlet New-Alias New-Alias [-Name] <String> [-Value] <String> [-D... Cmdlet New-Event New-Event [-SourceIdentifier] <String> [[-Sender... Cmdlet New-EventLog New-EventLog [-LogName] <String> [-Source] <Stri... Cmdlet New-Item New-Item [-Path] <String[]> [-ItemType <String>]... Cmdlet New-ItemProperty New-ItemProperty [-Path] <String[]> [-Name] <Str... Cmdlet New-Module New-Module [-ScriptBlock] <ScriptBlock> [-Functi... Cmdlet New-ModuleManifest New-ModuleManifest [-Path] <String> -NestedModul... Cmdlet New-Object New-Object [-TypeName] <String> [[-ArgumentList]... Cmdlet New-PSDrive New-PSDrive [-Name] <String> [-PSProvider] <Stri... Cmdlet New-PSSession New-PSSession [[-ComputerName] <String[]>] [-Cre... Cmdlet New-PSSessionOption New-PSSessionOption [-MaximumRedirection <Int32>... Cmdlet New-Service New-Service [-Name] <String> [-BinaryPathName] <... Cmdlet New-TimeSpan New-TimeSpan [[-Start] <DateTime>] [[-End] <Date... Cmdlet New-Variable New-Variable [-Name] <String> [[-Value] <Object>... Cmdlet New-WebServiceProxy New-WebServiceProxy [-Uri] <Uri> [[-Class] <Stri... Cmdlet New-WSManInstance New-WSManInstance [-ResourceURI] <Uri> [-Selecto... Cmdlet New-WSManSessionOption New-WSManSessionOption [-ProxyAccessType <ProxyA... Cmdlet Out-Default Out-Default [-InputObject <PSObject>] [-Verbose]... Cmdlet Out-File Out-File [-FilePath] <String> [[-Encoding] <Stri... Cmdlet Out-GridView Out-GridView [-InputObject <PSObject>] [-Title <... Cmdlet Out-Host Out-Host [-Paging] [-InputObject <PSObject>] [-V... Cmdlet Out-Null Out-Null [-InputObject <PSObject>] [-Verbose] [-... Cmdlet Out-Printer Out-Printer [[-Name] <String>] [-InputObject <PS... Cmdlet Out-String Out-String [-Stream] [-Width <Int32>] [-InputObj... Cmdlet Pop-Location Pop-Location [-PassThru] [-StackName <String>] [... Cmdlet Push-Location Push-Location [[-Path] <String>] [-PassThru] [-S... Cmdlet Read-Host Read-Host [[-Prompt] <Object>] [-AsSecureString]... Cmdlet Receive-Job Receive-Job [-Job] <Job[]> [[-Location] <String[... Cmdlet Register-EngineEvent Register-EngineEvent [-SourceIdentifier] <String... Cmdlet Register-ObjectEvent Register-ObjectEvent [-InputObject] <PSObject> [... Cmdlet Register-PSSessionConfiguration Register-PSSessionConfiguration [-Name] <String>... Cmdlet Register-WmiEvent Register-WmiEvent [-Class] <String> [[-SourceIde... Cmdlet Remove-Computer Remove-Computer [[-Credential] <PSCredential>] [... Cmdlet Remove-Event Remove-Event [-SourceIdentifier] <String> [-Verb... Cmdlet Remove-EventLog Remove-EventLog [-LogName] <String[]> [[-Compute... Cmdlet Remove-Item Remove-Item [-Path] <String[]> [-Filter <String>... Cmdlet Remove-ItemProperty Remove-ItemProperty [-Path] <String[]> [-Name] <... Cmdlet Remove-Job Remove-Job [-Id] <Int32[]> [-Force] [-Verbose] [... Cmdlet Remove-Module Remove-Module [-Name] <String[]> [-Force] [-Verb... Cmdlet Remove-PSBreakpoint Remove-PSBreakpoint [-Breakpoint] <Breakpoint[]>... Cmdlet Remove-PSDrive Remove-PSDrive [-Name] <String[]> [-PSProvider <... Cmdlet Remove-PSSession Remove-PSSession [-Id] <Int32[]> [-Verbose] [-De... Cmdlet Remove-PSSnapin Remove-PSSnapin [-Name] <String[]> [-PassThru] [... Cmdlet Remove-Variable Remove-Variable [-Name] <String[]> [-Include <St... Cmdlet Remove-WmiObject Remove-WmiObject [-Class] <String> [-AsJob] [-Im... Cmdlet Remove-WSManInstance Remove-WSManInstance [-ResourceURI] <Uri> [-Sele... Cmdlet Rename-Item Rename-Item [-Path] <String> [-NewName] <String>... Cmdlet Rename-ItemProperty Rename-ItemProperty [-Path] <String> [-Name] <St... Cmdlet Reset-ComputerMachinePassword Reset-ComputerMachinePassword [-Server <String>]... Cmdlet Resolve-Path Resolve-Path [-Path] <String[]> [-Relative] [-Cr... Cmdlet Restart-Computer Restart-Computer [[-ComputerName] <String[]>] [[... Cmdlet Restart-Service Restart-Service [-Name] <String[]> [-Force] [-Pa... Cmdlet Restore-Computer Restore-Computer [-RestorePoint] <Int32> [-Verbo... Cmdlet Resume-Service Resume-Service [-Name] <String[]> [-PassThru] [-... Cmdlet Select-Object Select-Object [[-Property] <Object[]>] [-InputOb... Cmdlet Select-String Select-String [-Pattern] <String[]> -InputObject... Cmdlet Select-Xml Select-Xml [-XPath] <String> [-Xml] <XmlNode[]> ... Cmdlet Send-MailMessage Send-MailMessage [-To] <String[]> [-Subject] <St... Cmdlet Set-Acl Set-Acl [-Path] <String[]> [-AclObject] <ObjectS... Cmdlet Set-Alias Set-Alias [-Name] <String> [-Value] <String> [-D... Cmdlet Set-AuthenticodeSignature Set-AuthenticodeSignature [-FilePath] <String[]>... Cmdlet Set-Content Set-Content [-Path] <String[]> [-Value] <Object[... Cmdlet Set-Date Set-Date [-Date] <DateTime> [-DisplayHint <Displ... Cmdlet Set-ExecutionPolicy Set-ExecutionPolicy [-ExecutionPolicy] <Executio... Cmdlet Set-Item Set-Item [-Path] <String[]> [[-Value] <Object>] ... Cmdlet Set-ItemProperty Set-ItemProperty [-Path] <String[]> [-Name] <Str... Cmdlet Set-Location Set-Location [[-Path] <String>] [-PassThru] [-Ve... Cmdlet Set-PSBreakpoint Set-PSBreakpoint [-Script] <String[]> [-Line] <I... Cmdlet Set-PSDebug Set-PSDebug [-Trace <Int32>] [-Step] [-Strict] [... Cmdlet Set-PSSessionConfiguration Set-PSSessionConfiguration [-Name] <String> [-Ap... Cmdlet Set-Service Set-Service [-Name] <String> [-ComputerName <Str... Cmdlet Set-StrictMode Set-StrictMode -Version <Version> [-Verbose] [-D... Cmdlet Set-TraceSource Set-TraceSource [-Name] <String[]> [[-Option] <P... Cmdlet Set-Variable Set-Variable [-Name] <String[]> [[-Value] <Objec... Cmdlet Set-WmiInstance Set-WmiInstance [-Class] <String> [[-Arguments] ... Cmdlet Set-WSManInstance Set-WSManInstance [-ResourceURI] <Uri> [[-Select... Cmdlet Set-WSManQuickConfig Set-WSManQuickConfig [-UseSSL] [-Force] [-Verbos... Cmdlet Show-EventLog Show-EventLog [[-ComputerName] <String>] [-Verbo... Cmdlet Sort-Object Sort-Object [[-Property] <Object[]>] [-Descendin... Cmdlet Split-Path Split-Path [-Path] <String[]> [-LiteralPath <Str... Cmdlet Start-Job Start-Job [-ScriptBlock] <ScriptBlock> [[-Initia... Cmdlet Start-Process Start-Process [-FilePath] <String> [[-ArgumentLi... Cmdlet Start-Service Start-Service [-Name] <String[]> [-PassThru] [-I... Cmdlet Start-Sleep Start-Sleep [-Seconds] <Int32> [-Verbose] [-Debu... Cmdlet Start-Transaction Start-Transaction [-Timeout <Int32>] [-Independe... Cmdlet Start-Transcript Start-Transcript [[-Path] <String>] [-Append] [-... Cmdlet Stop-Computer Stop-Computer [[-ComputerName] <String[]>] [[-Cr... Cmdlet Stop-Job Stop-Job [-Id] <Int32[]> [-PassThru] [-Verbose] ... Cmdlet Stop-Process Stop-Process [-Id] <Int32[]> [-PassThru] [-Force... Cmdlet Stop-Service Stop-Service [-Name] <String[]> [-Force] [-PassT... Cmdlet Stop-Transcript Stop-Transcript [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorActio... Cmdlet Suspend-Service Suspend-Service [-Name] <String[]> [-PassThru] [... Cmdlet Tee-Object Tee-Object [-FilePath] <String> [-InputObject <P... Cmdlet Test-ComputerSecureChannel Test-ComputerSecureChannel [-Repair] [-Server <S... Cmdlet Test-Connection Test-Connection [-ComputerName] <String[]> [[-So... Cmdlet Test-ModuleManifest Test-ModuleManifest [-Path] <String> [-Verbose] ... Cmdlet Test-Path Test-Path [-Path] <String[]> [-Filter <String>] ... Cmdlet Test-WSMan Test-WSMan [[-ComputerName] <String>] [-Authenti... Cmdlet Trace-Command Trace-Command [-Name] <String[]> [-Expression] <... Cmdlet Undo-Transaction Undo-Transaction [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorActi... Cmdlet Unregister-Event Unregister-Event [-SourceIdentifier] <String> [-... Cmdlet Unregister-PSSessionConfiguration Unregister-PSSessionConfiguration [-Name] <Strin... Cmdlet Update-FormatData Update-FormatData [[-AppendPath] <String[]>] [-P... Cmdlet Update-List Update-List [[-Property] <String>] [-Add <Object... Cmdlet Update-TypeData Update-TypeData [[-AppendPath] <String[]>] [-Pre... Cmdlet Use-Transaction Use-Transaction [-TransactedScript] <ScriptBlock... Cmdlet Wait-Event Wait-Event [[-SourceIdentifier] <String>] [-Time... Cmdlet Wait-Job Wait-Job [-Id] <Int32[]> [-Any] [-Timeout <Int32... Cmdlet Wait-Process Wait-Process [-Name] <String[]> [[-Timeout] <Int... Cmdlet Where-Object Where-Object [-FilterScript] <ScriptBlock> [-Inp... Cmdlet Write-Debug Write-Debug [-Message] <String> [-Verbose] [-Deb... Cmdlet Write-Error Write-Error [-Message] <String> [-Category <Erro... Cmdlet Write-EventLog Write-EventLog [-LogName] <String> [-Source] <St... Cmdlet Write-Host Write-Host [[-Object] <Object>] [-NoNewline] [-S... Cmdlet Write-Output Write-Output [-InputObject] <PSObject[]> [-Verbo... Cmdlet Write-Progress Write-Progress [-Activity] <String> [-Status] <S... Cmdlet Write-Verbose Write-Verbose [-Message] <String> [-Verbose] [-D... Cmdlet Write-Warning Write-Warning [-Message] <String> [-Verbose] [-D... - Help on individual commands
Use the "Get-Help" command followed by the command. (add "-detailed" for way more info than you need).
PS C:\> Get-Help Get-Process
- Wildcards
You can use a wildcard "*" to expand the results. For example, "Get-Command *" will return all commands (5,426 on my machine, your results will vary).
- Parameters
PowerShell has 3 types of parameters: Named, Switch, and Positional.
- Named
Named parameters start with a "-" followed by the name, a space, and a value. They are like adding named value pairs to your cmdlet.
Get-ChildItem -path "C:\Program Files"
- Switch
Switch parameters turn a feature "on" or "off". They have no value following themselves.
Get-ChildItem -recurse
- Positional
Positional parameters follow a command in certain positions. For example, below "C:\home\mfincher" is the first position and "*.txt" is the second.
PS C:\home\mfincher> Get-ChildItem "C:\home\mfincher" *.txt Directory: C:\home\mfincher Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- -a--- 11/15/2004 2:22 PM 392 ant.txt -a--- 11/7/2001 8:18 AM 4059 ascii.txt -a--- 10/10/2002 2:40 PM 13143 Day.txt -a--- 1/21/2010 1:50 PM 0 Defrag_2010-01-21-13-50-33.42.txtThe above command is the same as below, which explicitly tells the cmdlet what the parameters are:
Get-ChildItem -path "C:\home\mfincher" -filter *.txt
If you look for help on the "path" named parameter, it will tell you it has a postion of "1", meaning you can omit the "-path" and PowerShell will assume the first paramter is "path"
PS C:\home\mfincher> Get-Help Get-ChildItem -parameter path -Path <string[]> Specifies a path to one or more locations. Wildcards are permitted. The default location is the current directory ( .). Required? false Position? 1 Default value Accept pipeline input? true (ByValue, ByPropertyName) Accept wildcard characters? falseParameters themselves can be abbreviated to their shortest, non-ambiguous length.
Get-ChildItem -pa "C:\home\mfincher" -fil *.txt
- Common Parameters
All cmdlets can accept these common parameters: -Verbose, -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, and -OutVariable. Enter "get-help about_commonparameters" for more details.
To see parameters use the "-full" parameter:
PS C:\> Get-Help Get-ChildItem -full
example:
PS C:\> get-childitem . -include *.exe -recurse -force
- Named
- The "Get-Command" cmdlet
- Aliases
Just as we give our friends and family members nicknames, you can assign a shorthand term for PowerShell commands.
Since typing "Get-ChildItem" is rather tedious, let's give it an alias of "l".
PS C:\> Set-Alias l Get-ChildItem
Now, whenever I type "l" PowerShell will list all the files in the current directory.
To see what an alias represents use the "Get-alias" command. Use with no arguments to get them all.
PS C:\> Get-Alias -name l CommandType Name Definition ----------- ---- ---------- Alias l Get-ChildItem
You can also use $alias: format. $
PS C:\> $alias:l Get-ChildItem
- Functions
Functions are more powerful than aliases. You can do multiple lines and pass in arguments. Let's assume you want to see all processes containing "devenv".
PS C:\> Get-Process | Out-String -Stream | Select-String "devenv"
PS C:\> function proc { Get-Process | Out-String -Stream | Select-String "devenv" }Produces:
PS C:\> proc 713 30 51768 85420 285 4.42 532 devenv 1538 56 193080 207940 643 20.95 4884 devenvYou can use "$args" in a function definition to pass in arguments making it more flexible
PS C:\> function proc { Get-Process | Out-String -Stream | Select-String $args } PS C:\> proc emacs 96 4 18668 20220 300 855.55 352 emacs - Creating PowerShell scripts
PowerShell scripts have the extension "ps1". Let's create one called "gd.ps1" and enter the following command into it. This should be in a directory that is in your PATH variable.
Get-Date
Let's run it.
PS C:\> gd File C:\home\mfincher\bin\gd.ps1 cannot be loaded because the execution of scripts is disabled on this system. Please s ee "get-help about_signing" for more details. At line:1 char:3 + gd <<<< + CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [], PSSecurityException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : RuntimeExceptionHmm.. We need to add permission to have a local PowerShell script run.
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
Now, it runs and shows the date
PS C:\> gd Friday, June 18, 2010 2:21:13 PM
- Command Hierarchy
PowerShell searches the following in order when interpreting a command: Alias, Function, Cmdlet, Application, Script, Files.
- Virtual Drives
A virtual drive is a datastore that is treated as a real drive with a tree structure of items. Some examples are "env", "Function", "C", "Alias", and "HKCU". The contents of virtual drives can be listing by using "dir", "ls", or "Get-ChildItem". "Get-PSProvider" will show all PSProviders and their virtual drives.
PS C:\> get-PSProvider Name Capabilities Drives ---- ------------ ------ WSMan Credentials {WSMan} Alias ShouldProcess {Alias} Environment ShouldProcess {Env} FileSystem Filter, ShouldProcess {C, D, M} Function ShouldProcess {Function} Registry ShouldProcess, Transactions {HKLM, HKCU} Variable ShouldProcess {Variable} Certificate ShouldProcess {cert} - Variables
- Basics
Varibles names start with "$" and contain letters, numbers, or the underscore "_" and are case-insensitive. Variables can contain simple objects like strings and integers, or complex objects.
PS C:\> $name = "Inigo Montoya" PS C:\> $secs = 6 PS C:\> "My name is $name, you killed my father, prepare to die in $secs seconds" My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die in 6 seconds
If you must have strange characters in a variable name, enclose the name in curly braces
PS C:\> ${my variable with wierd $%^ characters} = "Howdy" PS C:\> ${my variable with wierd $%^ characters} Howdyor complex objects
PS C:\> $myfiles = Get-ChildItem PS C:\> $myfiles Directory: C:\ Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d---- 8/10/2009 11:09 AM 8ac45b2e935881d6d92e68 d---- 11/21/2003 10:00 AM alphablox d---- 8/11/2008 3:14 PM Cheops3 d---- 6/1/2007 4:13 PM dell d---- 9/25/2009 4:54 AM Documents and Settings d---- 2/19/2007 2:56 PM drivers d---- 7/16/2009 3:55 PM e-tabs d---- 2/20/2006 7:08 PM ed d---- 10/9/2009 3:13 PM home - Multiple variables can be set at the same time.
PS C:\> $a = $b = $c = 0
- Multiple variables can be set on one line
PS C:\> $one,$two,$three = 1,2,3
- Swapping values
Using the comma syntax below you can swap the contents of two variables
PS C:\> $var1 = 1; $var2 = 2; PS C:\> $var1, $var2 = $var2, $var1 PS C:\> $var1 2
- Directory of Variables
PowerShell remembers all your variables in the "variable" virtual drive. More on these below. You can get a list of variables using "dir variable:". (I've removed some of them).
PS C:\> dir variable: Name Value ---- ----- a 0 b 0 c 0 myfiles {8ac45b2e935881d6d92e68, alphablox, Cheops3, dell...} name Inigo Montoya one 1 secs 6 three 3 two 2 var1 2 var2 1 - How to test if a directory already exists
Use "Test-Path" which will return a boolean
if(Test-Path C:\inetpub\wwwroot) { ... } - Does a variable exist?
Use the Test-Path cmdlet with the "variable" virtual drive.
PS C:\> Test-Path variable:one True PS C:\> Test-Path variable:four False
- Variable Meta-data
Using "New-Variable" you can set metadata associated with a variable.
PS C:\> New-Variable life -value 42 -Description "Meaning of life, the universe and everything."
To see the description you can use "Format-Table"
PS C:\> dir variable:\life | Format-Table Name, Value, Description -autosize Name Value Description ---- ----- ----------- life 42 Meaning of life, the universe and everything.
- Readonly
You can set a variable to be readonly. Let's delete our old variable first.
PS C:\> del variable:\life PS C:\> New-Variable life -value 42 -option ReadOnly PS C:\> $life 42 PS C:\> $life = 43 Cannot overwrite variable life because it is read-only or constant. At line:1 char:6 + $life <<<< = 43 + CategoryInfo : WriteError: (life:String) [], SessionStateUnauthorizedAccessException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : VariableNotWritable - Deleting Variables
To delete we use "-force"
PS C:\> del variable:\life -force
- Constants
For variables that really are constants we can use the "Constant" option.
PS C:\> New-Variable gravity -value 9.81 -option Constant PS C:\> del variable:\gravity -force Remove-Item : Cannot remove variable gravity because it is constant or read-only. If the variable is read-only, try the operation again specifying the Force option. At line:1 char:4 + del <<<< variable:\gravity -force + CategoryInfo : WriteError: (gravity:String) [Remove-Item], SessionStateUnauthorizedAccessException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : VariableNotRemovable,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.RemoveItemCommand - System Variables
PowerShell uses internal variables some of which are shown below:
PS C:\> dir variable: | Sort-Object Name | Format-Table Name, Description -autosize Name Description ---- ----------- $ ? Execution status of last command. ^ _ a amount args b c ConfirmPreference Dictates when confirmation should be requested. Confirmation is requested when the Con... ConsoleFileName Name of the current console file. DebugPreference Dictates action taken when an Debug message is delivered. Error ErrorActionPreference Dictates action taken when an Error message is delivered. ErrorView Dictates the view mode to use when displaying errors. ExecutionContext The execution objects available to cmdlets.
- Environmental Variables
The virtual drive "$env:" contains the environmental variables.
PS C:\> $env:PATH C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\;c:\program files\imagemagick-6.3.6-q16;C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\ WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\WBEM;C:\MINGPATH;C:\E-TABS\BIN;C:\PROGRAM FILES\ATI TECHNOLOGIES\ATI CONTROL PANEL;c:\mingspec;C:\Prog
- Operations on Environmental Variables
These only affect your processes local copy, not the system's values
PS C:\> $env:myNewEnvVar = 12 #create a new environmental variable PS C:\> del env:\CLASSPATH #deletes the environmental variable PS C:\> $env:TMP = "C:\NewTemp" #replace the contents of an environmental variable PS C:\> $env:PATH += ";C:\newBinDir" # append to variable
- Basics
- Encoding
PowerShell by default uses Unicode. So when you do something like this it will write in Unicode
PS C:\> get-date >> t1.txt
Produces:
but if you are using an older text editor you may see this:Monday, June 21, 2010 2:52:25 PM
Produces:
^M^@ ^@M^@o^@n^@d^@a^@y^@,^@ ^@J^@u^@n^@e^@ ^@2^@1^@,^@ ^@2^@0^@1^@0^@ ^@2^@:^@5^@2^@:^@2^@5^@ ^@P^@M^@^M^@ ^@
To pipe output from a program into a file
PS C:\> get-date | Out-File c:\t1.txt
Using and Encoding option will let you write in something other than Unicode.
PS C:\> get-date | Out-File -Encoding UTF8 c:\t1.txt
- To view the contents of a file
Either of these will work:
PS C:\> cat "C:\defrag.txt" PS C:\> ${c:\defrag.txt} -
PS C:\> echo "testme" > "$env:TEMP\temp.tmp" PS C:\> cat "$env:TEMO\temp.tmp" Get-Content : Cannot find path 'C:\temp.tmp' because it does not At line:1 char:4 + cat <<<< "$env:TEMO\temp.tmp" + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\temp.tmp:Strin + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell. PS C:\> cat C:\temp.tmp Get-Content : Cannot find path 'C:\temp.tmp' because it does not At line:1 char:4 + cat <<<< C:\temp.tmp + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\temp.tmp:Strin + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell. PS C:\> cat "C:\temp.tmp" Get-Content : Cannot find path 'C:\temp.tmp' because it does not At line:1 char:4 + cat <<<< "C:\temp.tmp" + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\temp.tmp:Strin + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell. PS C:\> echo "$env:TEMP" c:\windows\temp PS C:\> $mycommand = 'echo "testme" > "$env:TEMP\temp.tmp"' PS C:\> Invoke-Expression $mycommand PS C:\> cat "C:\windows\temp\temp.tmp" testme PS C:\> - To see code behind a function
Enter the name of the function and PowerShell will return the code
PS C:\> $function:prompt $(if (test-path variable:/PSDebugContext) { '[DBG]: ' } else { '' }) + 'PS ' + $(Get-Location) + $(if ($nestedpromptlev el -ge 1) { '>>' }) + '> ' - Variable Scope
Variables and functions in PowerShell have a scope in which they are accessible. PowerShell has four scopes (from "Get-Help scope"):
Global: The scope that is in effect when Windows PowerShell starts. Variables and functions that are present when Windows PowerShell starts have been created in the global scope. This includes automatic variables and preference variables. This also includes the variables, aliases, and functions that are in your Windows PowerShell profiles. Local: The current scope. The local scope can be the global scope or any other scope. Script: The scope that is created while a script file runs. Only the commands in the script run in the script scope. To the commands in a script, the script scope is the local scope. Private: Items in private scope cannot be seen outside of the current scope. You can use private scope to create a private version of an item with the same name in another scope. Numbered Scopes: You can refer to scopes by name or by a number that describes the relative position of one scope to another. Scope 0 represents the current, or local, scope. Scope 1 indicates the immediate parent scope. Scope 2 indicates the parent of the parent scope, and so on. Numbered scopes are useful if you have created many recursive scopes.You can modify the scope of a variable or function by prefacing its name with the scope, $global:rate, $local:cost.
variables inside scripts by default have a local scope. After they run the outer environment is unchanged.
test.ps1: $song = "Hero" PS C:\home\mfincher> $song = "Mirror, Mirror" PS C:\home\mfincher> .\test.ps1 PS C:\home\mfincher> $song
Now if we change our tiny script we get the following:
test.ps1: $global:song = "Hero" PS C:\home\mfincher> .\test.ps1 PS C:\home\mfincher> $song Hero
- Types
PowerShell is a weakly typed language, it tries to assign a type to a variable based on usage. To see the type
use ".Get-Type().Name"
$song.GetType().Name String PS C:\home\mfincher> (12).GetType().Name Int32 PS C:\home\mfincher> (12.6).GetType().Name Double
You can specify a date by prepending the variable with "[" type "]" as shown below. This allows you to access member methods.
PS C:\home\mfincher> $date = "January 1, 2012" PS C:\home\mfincher> $date.GetType().Name String PS C:\home\mfincher> [datetime]$realdate = "Janaury 1, 2010" PS C:\home\mfincher> $realdate.DayOfWeek Friday
Common Types: array, bool, byte, char, datetime, decimal, double, guid, hashtable, int16, int32, int64, nullable, psobject, regex, regex, sbyte, single, string, switch, timespan, type, uint16, uint32, uint64, xml
Declaring a variable to be XML datatype brings many advantages
PS C:\home\mfincher> [xml]$periodic = "<atoms>" + >> "<atom name='actinium' atomic_number='89'></atom>" + >> "<atom name='aluminum' atomic_number='13'></atom>" + >> "</atoms>" >> PS C:\home\mfincher> $periodic.atoms atom ---- {actinium, aluminum} PS C:\home\mfincher> $periodic.atoms.atom name atomic_number ---- ------------- actinium 89 aluminum 13 PS C:\home\mfincher> $periodic.atoms.atom[0] name atomic_number ---- ------------- actinium 89 PS C:\home\mfincher> $periodic.atoms.atom[0].atomic_number 89 - PSVariables
When you create a variable, PowerShell creates a backend object to store information about the variable - it's value is only the tip of the iceberg. You can get at the real variable object by using "Get-Variable".
You can even change properties of the variable by modifying its PSVariable.PS C:\home\mfincher> $psvar = Get-Variable periodic PS C:\home\mfincher> $psvar | Format-List Name : periodic Description : Value : #document Visibility : Public Module : ModuleName : Options : None Attributes : {System.Management.Automation.ArgumentTypeConverterAttribute}PS C:\home\mfincher> $psvar.Description = "Periodic table, well the first two elements" PS C:\home\mfincher> $psvar | Format-List Name : periodic Description : Periodic table, well the first two elements Value : #document Visibility : Public Module : ModuleName : Options : None Attributes : {System.Management.Automation.ArgumentTypeConverterAttribute}You can also set its "Options" to "None", "ReadOnly", "Constant", "Private", or "AllScope":
PS C:\home\mfincher> $psvar.Options None PS C:\home\mfincher> $psvar.Options = "Private"
- Validating Variables
An interesting feature of PowerShell is variable validation. You can set a variable to have a range of length, match a regular expression, be between a range of values, or be in a set of values. Below is a simple example of using regular expressions.
$phonenum = "622-333-3444" $varObject = Get-Variable phonenum $pattern = "[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{4}" $varObject.Attributes.Add($(New-Object System.Management.Automation.ValidatePatternAttribute -argumentList $pattern)) $phonenum = "444-332-3433" $phonenum = "AR4-332-3433" #bad - Arrays
- Basics
PowerShell commands return arrays when more than one object is returned.
PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles = dir c:\ PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles Directory: C:\ Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d---- 8/10/2009 11:09 AM 8ac45b2e935881d6d92e68 d---- 11/21/2003 10:00 AM alphablox d---- 8/11/2008 3:14 PM Cheops3 d---- 6/1/2007 4:13 PM dell d---- 9/25/2009 4:54 AM Documents and Settings ... PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles.Count 67 PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles -is [Array] TrueYou can access an individal element with [num].
PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles[3] Directory: C:\ Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d---- 6/1/2007 4:13 PM dell - PowerShell almost always return an array
PowerShell will return a single object if only one object is returned. This could be a little confusing to your programs because it returns arrays sometimes and single objects at other times. For example above "dir c:" returned an array, but below it returns a single object.
PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles = dir c:\del* PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles.Count PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles Directory: C:\ Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d---- 6/1/2007 4:13 PM dell PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles -is [Array] FalseTo force a command to return an array use @().
PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles = @(dir c:\del*) PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles -is [Array] True PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles.Count 1
- Piping
The "|" character will pipe the contents of one command to another. With each line being its own object, you can search for a particular string in the output like this to find all files modified in 2009 (well, and all files that contain "/2009" in their name too).
PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles = dir c:\ PS C:\home\mfincher> $myfiles | Select-String "/2009" C:\SortedFiles.txt:38:d---- 2/12/2009 3:13 PM switchboard C:\SortedFiles.txt:39:-a--- 4/10/2009 10:14 AM 422 Shortcut to installs.lnk C:\SortedFiles.txt:40:d---- 5/11/2009 1:30 PM TEMP C:\SortedFiles.txt:41:d---- 7/16/2009 3:26 PM tmpsd C:\SortedFiles.txt:42:d---- 7/16/2009 3:55 PM e-tabs
- Piping objects
While traditional shells like 'sh', 'csh', and bash process raw text, PowerShell processes objects. This is very cool.
PS C:\home\mfincher> $jobs = ps PS C:\home\mfincher> $jobs Handles NPM(K) PM(K) WS(K) VM(M) CPU(s) Id ProcessName ------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ------ -- ----------- 294 10 6364 14656 68 0.75 5516 AdobeARM 108 5 1512 5740 33 0.06 2196 alg 258 4 1832 300 46 10.80 6040 ALMon 162 4 1756 1872 37 15.59 3040 ALsvc ... PS C:\home\mfincher> $jobs[1] Handles NPM(K) PM(K) WS(K) VM(M) CPU(s) Id ProcessName ------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ------ -- ----------- 108 5 1512 5740 33 0.06 2196 alg PS C:\home\mfincher> $jobs[1] | Format-List * __NounName : Process Name : alg Handles : 108 VM : 34553856 WS : 5877760 PM : 1548288 NPM : 5448 Path : C:\WINDOWS\System32\alg.exe Company : Microsoft Corporation ... : - How to create an array
PS C:\home\mfincher> $one2five = 1,2,3,4,5 PS C:\home\mfincher> $one2five 1 2 3 4 5 PS C:\home\mfincher> $one2file = 1..5 PS C:\home\mfincher> $one2five 1 2 3 4 5
Arrays can contain objects of different types
PS C:\home\mfincher> $mydate = "January 1, 2012", 1, 1, 2012 PS C:\home\mfincher> $mydate January 1, 2012 1 1 2012
How to create an array of length 1 or empty
PS C:\home\mfincher> $one = @(1) PS C:\home\mfincher> $one.Length 1 PS C:\home\mfincher> $one -is [Array] True PS C:\home\mfincher> $empty = @() PS C:\home\mfincher> $empty.Length 0
- Accessing the last element of an array
Like Ruby, PowerShell lets you access the last element by using a negative index
PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors = "red","green","blue" PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors[-1] blue PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors[-2] green PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors[0] red PS C:\home\mfincher>
If you go to far negative, nothing is returned
PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors[-5] PS C:\home\mfincher>
- Access multiple elements
Simply by using a comma separated list you can create a subset of an existing array.
PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors[1,2] green blue
- Reverse elements
PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors[2..0] blue green red
- Adding elements
The "+=" operator creates a new array with one more element and copies the old contents to the new array
PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors += "yellow" PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors red green blue yellow
- Hashtables
Hashtables are pretty much what you'd expect. You can access an element either with brackets, var["key"], or with dot notation, var.key. The brackets has to have the double quotes, the dot notation does not.
PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals = @{Alabama = "Montgomery"; Alaska = "Juneau"; Arizona = "Phoenix"} PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals Name Value ---- ----- Alaska Juneau Arizona Phoenix Alabama Montgomery PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals["Alaska"] Juneau PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals.Alaska #using dot notation Juneau PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals.keys Alaska Arizona Alabama PS C:\home\mfincher> $southern = "Alabama" PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals.$southern MontgomeryYou can add hashtable elements with either bracket or dot notation:
PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals["Arkansas"] = "Little Rock" PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals.Arkansas = "Little Rock"
"Remove" removes the hashtable entry
PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals."Puerto Rico" = "San Juan" PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals Name Value ---- ----- Puerto Rico San Juan Alaska Juneau Arkansas Little Rock Arizona Phoenix Alabama Montgomery PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals.Remove("Puerto Rico") PS C:\home\mfincher> $capitals Name Value ---- ----- Alaska Juneau Arkansas Little Rock Arizona Phoenix Alabama Montgomery - Copying Arrays
An array variable really only contains a pointer to the real array object. When you assign one array to another you are merely copying the pointer to the array, not the contents of the array. Use the "Clone()" method to create a copy.
PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors2 = $colors PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors2 red green blue yellow PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors[0] = "pink" PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors2 pink green blue yellow PS C:\home\mfincher> $colors2 = $colors.Clone() # this creates a new array
- Type Safe Arrays
Although the default is to have non-homogeneous arrays, you can specify that an array can only have one type. If you try to add something that cannot be coerced into the specified type, an error is thrown.
PS C:\home\mfincher> [int[]]$years = 2009,2010,2011 PS C:\home\mfincher> $years += twentytwelve The term 'twentytwelve' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check th e spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again. At line:1 char:23 + $years += twentytwelve <<<< + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (twentytwelve:String) [], CommandNotFoundException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException
- Basics
- Misc
- Print a line to the console
Use "write-host" to print a string to the console. Also see "write-debug", and "write-error".
Write-host "Hello World!"
- Read a string from the user
$selection = Read-Host "Please enter the number"
- Use powershell commands straight from the console.
This writes the working directory to a file.
powershell -C pwd > c:\t1
- Embed the date in a filename
This pipes the output of "mycommand" to the Tee-Object and then to a log file with the date in the name.
$filename = "MyImportLog-{0:yyyy-MM-dd}.txt" -f (Get-Date) mycommand | Tee-Object -file $filename - For Loop
for ($i=1; $i -le 5; $i++) { Write-host $i } - How to wait, or sleep
You can specify "-s" for seconds or "-m" for milliseconds.
Start-Sleep -s 1
- How to add quotes in a string
The escape character is the backtick '`', so preface a double quote within double quotes to have PowerShell insert a literal double quote.
$db = "MyDatabase" $DatabaseServer = "Venus" Write-Host "On server `"$DatabaseServer`", upgrading database `"$db`" from version 1.0 to 1.1"
The backtick also works to insert a single quote inside single quotes, 'It`'s too early in the morning to kill princes.'
- Print a line to the console
- Passing in parameters to Powershell
PowerShell has a very good concept of parameters. These will be passed directly to variables with those names.
Param( [Parameter(Mandatory=$True,Position=1)][string]$DatabaseServer, [Parameter(Mandatory=$False,Position=2)][switch]$live ) Write-Host "On dbserver `"$DatabaseServer`", upgrading database `"$db`" from version 1.0 to 1.1"
Whatever is passed in after "-DatabaseServer" will automatically be put in the variable $DatabaseServer. Since it is marked as Mandatory, if it's not passed in, Powershell will ask the user for a value. The boolean variable $live will be set to true if the user adds "-live" on the command line, otherwise it's false.
- How to make a read-only file writable
Set-ItemProperty MyFile.txt -name IsReadOnly -value $false
- How to invoke scripts on other computers
invoke-command -computername mars,jupiter,venus -scriptblock { - How to find the version of Powershell
$PSVersionTable