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Out-Host

  • Reference
Module:
Microsoft.PowerShell.Core

Sends output to the command line.

Syntax

Out-Host
   [-Paging]
   [-InputObject <PSObject>]
   [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Out-Host cmdlet sends output to the PowerShell host for display. The host displays the output at the command line. Because Out-Host is the default, you don't have to specify it unless you want to use its parameters.

Out-Host is automatically appended to every command that is executed. It passes the output of the pipeline to the host executing the command. Out-Host ignores ANSI escape sequences. The escape sequences are handled by the host. Out-Host passes ANSI escape sequences to the host without trying to interpret or change them.

Examples

Example 1: Display output one page at a time

This example displays the system processes one page at a time.

Get-Process | Out-Host -Paging

NPM(K)    PM(M)      WS(M)     CPU(s)      Id  SI ProcessName
 ------    -----      -----     ------      --  -- -----------
     30    24.12      36.95      15.86   21004  14 ApplicationFrameHost
     55    24.33      60.48      10.80   12904  14 BCompare
<SPACE> next page; <CR> next line; Q quit
      9     4.71       8.94       0.00   16864  14 explorer
<SPACE> next page; <CR> next line; Q quit

Get-Process gets the system processes and sends the objects down the pipeline. Out-Host uses the Paging parameter to display one page of data at a time.

Example 2: Use a variable as input

This example uses objects stored in a variable as the input for Out-Host.

$io = Get-History
Out-Host -InputObject $io

Get-History gets the PowerShell session's history, and stores the objects in the $io variable. Out-Host uses the InputObject parameter to specify the $io variable and displays the history.

Parameters

-InputObject

Specifies the objects that are written to the console. Enter a variable that contains the objects, or type a command or expression that gets the objects.

Type:PSObject
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Paging

Indicates that Out-Host displays one page of output at a time, and waits for user input before the remaining pages are displayed. By default, all the output is displayed on a single page. The page size is determined by the characteristics of the host.

Press the Space bar to display the next page of output or the Enter key to view the next line of output. Press Q to quit.

Paging is similar to the more command.

Note

The Paging parameter isn't supported by the PowerShell ISE host.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

Inputs

PSObject

You can pipe any object to this cmdlet.

Outputs

None

This cmdlet returns no output. It sends objects to the host for display.

Notes

PowerShell includes the following aliases for Out-Host:

  • All platforms:
    • oh

The Paging parameter isn't supported by all PowerShell hosts. For example, if you use the Paging parameter in the PowerShell ISE, the following error is displayed: out-lineoutput : The method or operation is not implemented.

The cmdlets that contain the Out verb, Out-, don't format objects. They render objects and send them to the specified display destination. If you send an unformatted object to an Out- cmdlet, the cmdlet sends it to a formatting cmdlet before rendering it.

The Out- cmdlets don't have parameters for names or file paths. To send data to an Out- cmdlet, use the pipeline to send a PowerShell command's output to the cmdlet. Or, you can store data in a variable and use the InputObject parameter to pass the data to the cmdlet.

Out-Host sends data, but it doesn't produce any output objects. If you pipeline the output of Out-Host to the Get-Member cmdlet, Get-Member reports that no objects have been specified.