Show-Command

Reference

Module:: Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility

Creates Windows PowerShell commands in a graphical command window.

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 parameter 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 is introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

Examples

Example 1

PS C:\> Show-Command

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

Example 2

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

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

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

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

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

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.
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.

Example 8

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.
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.

Parameters

-ErrorPopup

Displays errors in a pop-up window, in addition to displaying them at the command line. By default, when a command that is run in a Show-Command window generates an error, the error is displayed only at the command line.

Also, when you run the command (by using the Run button in the Show-Command window), the ErrorPopup parameter returns the command results to the current command, instead of running the command and returning its output to a new command. You can use this feature to save the command results in a variable.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Position:	Named
Default value:	No error popup
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Height

Specifies the height of the Show-Command window in pixels. Enter a value between 300 and the number of pixels in the screen resolution. If the value is too large to display the command window on the screen, Show-Command generates an error. The default height is 600 pixels. For a Show-Command command that includes the Name parameter, the default height is 300 pixels.

Type:	Double
Position:	Named
Default value:	600 or 300
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Name

Displays a command window for the specified command. Enter the name of one command, such as the name of a cmdlet, function, workflow, or CIM command. If you omit this parameter, Show-Command displays a command window that lists all of the Windows PowerShell commands in all modules installed on the computer.

Type:	String
Aliases:	CommandName
Position:	1
Default value:	All commands
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-NoCommonParameter

Omits the Common Parameters section of the command display. By default, the Common Parameters appear in an expandable section at the bottom of the command window.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Position:	Named
Default value:	Show common parameters
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-PassThru

Displays the command string in the console, instead of running it.

To run the command string, copy and paste it at the command prompt or save it in a variable and use the Invoke-Expression cmdlet to run the string in the variable.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Position:	Named
Default value:	False
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Width

Specifies the width of the Show-Command window in pixels. Enter a value between 300 and the number of pixels in the screen resolution. If the value is too large to display the command window on the screen, Show-Command generates an error. The default width is 300 pixels.

Type:	Double
Position:	Named
Default value:	Variable
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

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.

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