Show-Command

Syntax

Show-Command
    [[-Name] <String>]
    [-Height <Double>]
    [-Width <Double>]
    [-NoCommonParameter]
    [-ErrorPopup]
    [-PassThru]
    [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Show-Command cmdlet lets you create a Windows PowerShell command in a command window. You can use the features of the command window to run the command or have it return the command to you.

Show-Command is a very useful teaching and learning tool. Show-Command works on all command types, including cmdlets, functions, workflows and CIM commands.

Without parameters, Show-Command displays a command window that lists all available commands in all installed modules. To find the commands in a module, select the module from the Modules drop-down list. To select a command, click the command name.

To use the command window, select a command, either by using the Name or by clicking the command name in the Commands list. Each parameter set is displayed on a separate tab. Asterisks indicate the mandatory parameters. To enter values for a parameter, type the value in the text box or select the value from the drop-down box. To add a switch parameter, click to select the parameter check box.

When you're ready, you can click Copy to copy the command that you've created to the clipboard or click Run to run the command. You can also use the PassThru parameter to return the command to the host program, such as the Windows PowerShell console. To cancel the command selection and return to the view that displays all commands, press Ctrl and click the selected command.

In the Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE), a variation of the Show-Command window is displayed by default. For information about using this command window, see the Windows PowerShell ISE Help topics.

This cmdlet was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

Examples

Example 1: Open the Commands window

PS C:\> Show-Command

This command displays the default view of the Show-Command window. The Commands window displays a list of all commands in all modules that are installed on the computer.

Example 2: Open a cmdlet in the Commands window

PS C:\> Show-Command -Name "Invoke-Command"

This command opens the Invoke-Command cmdlet display in the Show-Command window. You can use the Invoke-Command display to run Invoke-Command commands.

Example 3: Open a cmdlet with specified parameters

PS C:\> Show-Command -Name "Connect-PSSession" -Height 700 -Width 1000 -ErrorPopup

This command opens a Show-Command window for the Connect-PSSession cmdlet. It uses the Height and Width parameters to specify the dimension of the command window and the ErrorPopup parameter to display the error command window.

When you click Run, the Connect-PSSession command runs, just as would if you typed the Connect-PSSession command at the command line.

Example 4: Specify new default parameter values for a cmdlet

PS C:\> $PSDefaultParameterValues = @{"Show-Command:Height" = 700; "Show-Command:Width" = 1000; "Show-Command:ErrorPopup" = $True}

This command uses the $PSDefaultParameterValues automatic variable to set new default values for the Height, Width, and ErrorPopup parameters of the Show-Command cmdlet. Now when you run a Show-Command command, the new defaults are applied automatically.

To use these default values in every Windows PowerShell session, add the $PSDefaultParameterValues variable to your Windows PowerShell profile. For more information, see about_Profiles and about_Parameters_Default_Values.

Example 5: Send output to a grid view

PS C:\> Show-Command Get-ChildItem | Out-GridView

This command shows how to use the Show-Command and Out-GridView cmdlets together.

The command uses the Show-Command cmdlet to open a command window for the Get-ChildItem cmdlet. When you click the Run button, the Get-ChildItem command runs and generates output. The pipeline operator ( | ) sends the output of the Get-ChildItem command to the Out-GridView cmdlet, which displays the Get-ChildItem output in an interactive window.

Example 6: Display a command that you create in the Commands window

PS C:\> Show-Command -PassThru
Get-EventLog -LogName "Windows PowerShell" -Newest 5

This command shows the command that you created in the Show-Command window. The command uses the PassThru parameter, which returns the Show-Command results in a string.

For example, if you use the Show-Command window to create a Get-EventLog command that gets the five newest events in the Windows PowerShell event log, and then click OK, the command returns the following output.

Viewing the command string helps you to learn Windows PowerShell.

Example 7: Save a command to a variable

PS C:\> $C = Show-Command -PassThru

This command displays the command string in the $C variable.
PS C:\> $C
Get-EventLog -LogName "Windows PowerShell" -Newest 5

These commands use the Invoke-Expression cmdlet to run the string in the $C variable. The first command uses the full cmdlet name. The second command uses the "iex" alias for the **Invoke-Expression** cmdlet. These commands are equivalent and you can use them interchangeably.The output shows the five newest events in the Windows PowerShell event log.
PS C:\> Invoke-Expression $C

PS C:\> iex $C
   Index Time          EntryType   Source                 InstanceID Message
   ----- ----          ---------   ------                 ---------- -------
   11520 Dec 16 16:37  Information PowerShell                    400 Engine state is changed from None to Available....
   11519 Dec 16 16:37  Information PowerShell                    600 Provider "Variable" is Started. ...
   11518 Dec 16 16:37  Information PowerShell                    600 Provider "Registry" is Started. ...
   11517 Dec 16 16:37  Information PowerShell                    600 Provider "Function" is Started. ...
   11516 Dec 16 16:37  Information PowerShell                    600 Provider "FileSystem" is Started. ...

This command shows how to run the command string that you get when you use the PassThru parameter of the Show-Command cmdlet. This strategy lets you see the command and use it.

The first command uses the PassThru parameter of the Show-Command cmdlet. It saves the results of the command in the $C variable.

The command opens a Show-Command window. In this case, we use the Show-Command window to create a Get-EventLog command that gets the five newest events in the Windows PowerShell event log. When you click OK, Show-Command returns the command string, which is saved in the $C variable.

Example 8: Save the output of a command to a variable

PS C:\> $P = Show-Command Get-Process -ErrorPopup

The second command displays the value in the $P variable.
PS C:\> $P
Handles  NPM(K)    PM(K)      WS(K) VM(M)   CPU(s)     Id ProcessName

-------  ------    -----      ----- -----   ------     -- -----------

    473      33    94096     112532   709     2.06   4492 powershell

These commands use the ErrorPopup parameter of the Show-Command cmdlet to save the output of a command in a variable.

The first command runs the Show-Command cmdlet with the ErrorPopup parameter. In addition to displaying errors in a window, ErrorPopup returns command output to the current command, instead of creating a new command.

When you run this command, the Show-Command window opens. You can use the window features to set parameter values. To run the command, click the Run button in the Show-Command window.

Parameters

-ErrorPopup

-Height

-Name

-NoCommonParameter

-PassThru

-Width

Inputs

None

You cannot pipe input to Show-Command.

Outputs

System.String, System.Object

When you use the PassThru parameter, Show-Command returns a command string. When you use the ErrorPopup parameter, Show-Command returns the command output (any object).Otherwise, Show-Command does not generate any output.

Notes

• Show-Command does not work in remote sessions.