About topics

2025-01-21

Description

About topics cover a range of concepts about PowerShell.

About Topics

about_Alias_Provider

Provides access to the PowerShell aliases and the values that they represent.

about_Aliases

Describes how to use alternate names for cmdlets and commands in PowerShell.

about_ANSI_Terminals

Describes the support available for ANSI escape sequences in Windows PowerShell.

about_Arithmetic_Operators

Describes the operators that perform arithmetic in PowerShell.

about_Arrays

Describes arrays, which are data structures designed to store collections of items.

about_Assignment_Operators

Describes how to use operators to assign values to variables.

about_Automatic_Variables

Describes variables that store state information for PowerShell. These variables are created and maintained by PowerShell.

about_Booleans

Describes how boolean expressions are evaluated.

about_Break

Describes the break statement, which provides a way to exit the current control block.

about_Built-in_Functions

Describes the built-in functions in PowerShell.

about_Calculated_Properties

PowerShell provides the ability to dynamically add new properties and alter the formatting of objects output to the pipeline.

about_Calling_Generic_Methods

Generics let you tailor a method, class, structure, or interface to the precise data type it acts upon.

about_Case-Sensitivity

PowerShell is as case-insensitive as possible while preserving case.

about_Character_Encoding

Describes how PowerShell uses character encoding for input and output of string data.

about_CimSession

Describes a CimSession object and the difference between CIM sessions and PowerShell sessions.

about_Classes

Describes how you can use classes to create your own custom types.

about_Classes_Constructors

Describes how to define constructors for PowerShell classes.

about_Classes_Inheritance

Describes how you can define classes that extend other types.

about_Classes_Methods

Describes how to define methods for PowerShell classes.

about_Classes_Properties

Describes how to define properties for PowerShell classes.

about_Command_Precedence

Describes how PowerShell determines which command to run.

about_Command_Syntax

Describes the syntax diagrams that are used in PowerShell.

about_Comments

Describes how to use PowerShell comments and lists special use cases.

about_Comment_Based_Help

Describes how to write comment-based help topics for functions and scripts.

about_CommonParameters

Describes the parameters that can be used with any cmdlet.

about_Comparison_Operators

The comparison operators in PowerShell can either compare two values or filter elements of a collection against an input value.

about_Continue

Describes how the continue statement immediately returns the program flow to the top of a program loop, a switch statement, or a trap statement.

about_Core_Commands

Lists the cmdlets that are designed for use with PowerShell providers.

about_Data_Files

PowerShell data files are used to store arbitrary data using PowerShell syntax.

about_Data_Sections

Explains Data sections, which isolate text strings and other read-only data from script logic.

about_Debuggers

Describes the PowerShell debugger.

about_Do

Runs a statement list one or more times, subject to a while or until condition.

about_Enum

The enum statement is used to declare an enumeration. An enumeration is a distinct type that consists of a set of named labels called the enumerator list.

about_Environment_Provider

Provides access to the Windows environment variables.

about_Environment_Variables

Describes how to access and manage environment variables in PowerShell.

about_Execution_Policies

Describes the PowerShell execution policies and explains how to manage them.

about_Experimental_Features

The PowerShell provides a mechanism for experimental features to coexist with existing stable features in the PowerShell engine or in a PowerShell module.

about_FileSystem_Provider

Provides access to files and directories.

about_For

Describes a language command you can use to run statements based on a conditional test.

about_Foreach

Describes a language command you can use to traverse all the items in a collection of items.

about_Format.ps1xml

The Format.ps1xml files in PowerShell define the default display of objects in the PowerShell console.

about_Function_Provider

Provides access to the functions defined in PowerShell.

about_Functions_Advanced_Methods

Describes how functions that specify the CmdletBinding attribute can use the methods and properties that are available to compiled cmdlets.

about_Functions_Advanced_Parameters

Explains how to add parameters to advanced functions.

about_Functions_Advanced

Introduces advanced functions that are a way to create cmdlets using scripts.

about_Functions_Argument_Completion

Argument completion is a feature of PowerShell that provide hints, enables discovery, and speeds up input entry of argument values.

about_Functions_CmdletBindingAttribute

Describes the attribute that makes a function work like a compiled cmdlet.

about_Functions_OutputTypeAttribute

Describes an attribute that reports the type of object that the function returns.

about_Functions

Describes how to create and use functions in PowerShell.

about_Group_Policy_Settings

Describes the Group Policy settings for PowerShell

about_Hash_Tables

Describes how to create, use, and sort hashtables in PowerShell.

about_Hidden

Describes the hidden keyword, which hides class members from default Get-Member results.

about_History

Describes how to get and run commands in the command history.

about_If

Describes a language command you can use to run statement lists based on the results of one or more conditional tests.

about_Intrinsic_Members

Provides information about PowerShell's intrinsic members that are available to all PowerShell objects.

about_Job_Details

Provides details about background jobs on local and remote computers.

about_Jobs

Provides information about how PowerShell background jobs run a command or expression in the background without interacting with the current session.

about_Join

Describes how the join operator (-join) combines multiple strings into a single string.

about_Language_Keywords

Describes the keywords in the PowerShell scripting language.

about_Language_Modes

Explains language modes and their effect on PowerShell sessions.

about_Line_Editing

Describes how to edit commands at the PowerShell command prompt.

about_Locations

Describes how to access items from the working location in PowerShell.

about_Logging_Non-Windows

PowerShell logs internal operations from the engine, providers, and cmdlets.

about_Logging_Windows

PowerShell logs internal operations from the engine, providers, and cmdlets to the Windows event log.

about_Logical_Operators

Describes the operators that connect statements in PowerShell.

about_Member-Access_Enumeration

Describes the automatic enumeration of list collection items when using the member-access operator.

about_Methods

Describes how to use methods to perform actions on objects in PowerShell.

about_Module_Manifests

Describes the settings and practices for writing module manifest files.

about_Modules

Explains how to install, import, and use PowerShell modules.

about_Numeric_Literals

This article describes the syntax and usage of numeric values in PowerShell.

about_Object_Creation

Explains how to create objects in PowerShell.

about_Objects

Provides essential information about objects in PowerShell.

about_Operator_Precedence

Lists the PowerShell operators in precedence order.

about_Operators

Describes the operators that are supported by PowerShell.

about_Output_Streams

Explains the availability and purpose of output streams in PowerShell.

about_PackageManagement

PackageManagement is an aggregator for software package managers.

about_Parameter_Binding

Parameter binding is the process that PowerShell uses to determine which parameter set is being used and to associate (bind) values to the parameters of a command.

about_Parameter_Sets

Describes how to define and use parameter sets in advanced functions.

about_Parameters_Default_Values

Describes how to set custom default values for cmdlet parameters and advanced functions.

about_Parameters

Describes how to work with command parameters in PowerShell.

about_Parsing

Describes how PowerShell parses commands.

about_Path_Syntax

Describes the full and relative path formats in PowerShell.

about_Pipeline_Chain_Operators

Describes chaining pipelines with the && and || operators in PowerShell.

about_Pipelines

Combining commands into pipelines in the PowerShell

about_PowerShell_Config

Configuration files for PowerShell, replacing Registry configuration.

about_PowerShell_Editions

Different editions of PowerShell run on different underlying runtimes.

about_Preference_Variables

Variables that customize the behavior of PowerShell.

about_Profiles

Describes how to create and use a PowerShell profile.

about_Prompts

Describes the prompt function and demonstrates how to create a custom prompt function.

about_Properties

Describes how to use object properties in PowerShell.

about_Providers

PowerShell providers provide access to data and components, presented in a consistent format that resembles a file system drive.

about_PSConsoleHostReadLine

Explains how to create a customize how PowerShell reads input at the console prompt.

about_PSCustomObject

Explains the differences between the [psobject] and [pscustomobject] type accelerators.

about_PSItem

The automatic variable that contains the current object in the pipeline object.

about_PSModulePath

This article the purpose and usage of the $Env:PSModulePath environment variable.

about_PSSession_Details

Provides detailed information about PowerShell sessions and the role they play in remote commands.

about_PSSessions

Describes PowerShell sessions (PSSessions) and explains how to establish a persistent connection to a remote computer.

about_Pwsh

Explains how to use the pwsh command-line interface. Displays the command-line parameters and describes the syntax.

about_Quoting_Rules

Describes rules for using single and double quotation marks in PowerShell.

about_Redirection

Explains how to redirect output from PowerShell to text files.

about_Ref

Describes how to create and use a reference type variable. You can use reference type variables to permit a function to change the value of a variable that is passed to it.

about_Registry_Provider

Describes teh features and functions of the Registry provider.

about_Regular_Expressions

Describes regular expressions in PowerShell.

about_Remote_Disconnected_Sessions

Explains how to disconnect and reconnect to a PowerShell Session (PSSession).

about_Remote_Jobs

Describes how to run jobs on remote computers.

about_Remote_Output

Describes how to interpret and format the output of remote commands.

about_Remote_Requirements

Describes the system requirements and configuration requirements for running remote commands in PowerShell.

about_Remote_Troubleshooting

Describes how to troubleshoot remote operations in PowerShell.

about_Remote_Variables

Explains how to use local and remote variables in remote commands.

about_Remote

Describes how to run remote commands in PowerShell.

about_Requires

Prevents a script from running without the required elements.

about_Reserved_Words

Lists the reserved words that cannot be used as identifiers because they have a special meaning in PowerShell.

about_Return

Exits the current scope, which can be a function, script, or script block.

about_Run_With_PowerShell

Explains how to use the "Run with PowerShell" feature to run a script from a file system drive.

about_Scopes

Explains the concept of scope in PowerShell and shows how to set and change the scope of elements.

about_Script_Blocks

Defines what a script block is and explains how to use script blocks in the PowerShell programming language.

about_Script_Internationalization

Describes the script internationalization features that make it easy for scripts to display messages and instructions to users in their user interface (UI) language.

about_Scripts

Describes how to run and write scripts in PowerShell.

about_Session_Configuration_Files

Describes session configuration files, which are used in a session configuration (also known as an "endpoint") to define the environment of sessions that use the session configuration.

about_Session_Configurations

Describes session configurations, which determine the users who can connect to the computer remotely and the commands they can run.

about_Signing

Explains how to sign scripts so that they comply with the PowerShell execution policies.

about_Simplified_Syntax

Describes easier, more natural-language ways of scripting filters for collections of objects.

about_Special_Characters

Describes the special character sequences that control how PowerShell interprets the next characters in the sequence.

about_Splatting

Describes how to use splatting to pass parameters to commands in PowerShell.

about_Split

Explains how to use the Split operator to split one or more strings into substrings.

about_Switch

Explains how to use a switch to handle multiple if statements.

about_Tab_Expansion

PowerShell provides completions on input to provide hints, enable discovery, and speed up input entry by pressing the Tab key.

about_Telemetry

Describes the telemetry collected in PowerShell and how to opt-out.

about_Thread_Jobs

Provides information about PowerShell thread-based jobs. A thread job is a type of background job that runs a command or expression in a separate thread within the current session process.