Trace-Command
Configures and starts a trace of the specified expression or command.
Trace-Command
[-InputObject <PSObject>]
[-Name] <String[]>
[[-Option] <PSTraceSourceOptions>]
[-Expression] <ScriptBlock>
[-ListenerOption <TraceOptions>]
[-FilePath <String>]
[-Force]
[-Debugger]
[-PSHost]
[<CommonParameters>]
Trace-Command
[-InputObject <PSObject>]
[-Name] <String[]>
[[-Option] <PSTraceSourceOptions>]
[-Command] <String>
[-ArgumentList <Object[]>]
[-ListenerOption <TraceOptions>]
[-FilePath <String>]
[-Force]
[-Debugger]
[-PSHost]
[<CommonParameters>]
The Trace-Command
cmdlet configures and starts a trace of the specified expression or command.
It works like Set-TraceSource, except that it applies only to the specified command.
This example starts a trace of metadata processing, parameter binding, and cmdlet creation and
destruction of the Get-Process Notepad
expression.
Trace-Command -Name metadata,parameterbinding,cmdlet -Expression {Get-Process Notepad} -PSHost
It uses the Name parameter to specify the trace sources, the Expression parameter to specify the command, and the PSHost parameter to send the output to the console. Because it doesn't specify any tracing options or listener options, the command uses the defaults:
- All for the tracing options
- None for the listener options
This example traces the actions of the ParameterBinding operations of PowerShell while it
processes a Get-Alias
expression that takes input from the pipeline.
$A = "i*"
Trace-Command ParameterBinding {Get-Alias $Input} -PSHost -InputObject $A
In Trace-Command
, the InputObject parameter passes an object to the expression that's being
processed during the trace.
The first command stores the string i*
in the $A
variable. The second command uses the
Trace-Command
cmdlet with the ParameterBinding trace source. The PSHost parameter sends the
output to the console.
The expression being processed is Get-Alias $Input
, where the $Input
variable is associated with
the InputObject parameter. The InputObject parameter passes the variable $A
to the
expression. In effect, the command being processed during the trace is
Get-Alias -InputObject $A" or "$A | Get-Alias
.
Specifies the parameters and parameter values for the command being traced. The alias for ArgumentList is Args. This feature is useful for debugging dynamic parameters.
For more information about the behavior of ArgumentList, see about_Splatting.
Type: | Object[] |
Aliases: | Args |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Specifies a command that's being processed during the trace.
When you use this parameter, PowerShell processes the command just as it would be processed in a pipeline. For example, command discovery isn't repeated for each incoming object.
Type: | String |
Position: | 1 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | True |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Indicates that the cmdlet sends the trace output to the debugger. You can view the output in any user-mode or kernel mode debugger or in Visual Studio. This parameter also selects the default trace listener.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Specifies the expression that's being processed during the trace. Enclose the expression in braces
({}
).
Type: | ScriptBlock |
Position: | 1 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | True |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Specifies a file that the cmdlet sends the trace output to. This parameter also selects the file trace listener.
Type: | String |
Aliases: | PSPath |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Forces the command to run without asking for user confirmation. Used with the FilePath parameter. Even using the Force parameter, the cmdlet can't override security restrictions.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Specifies input to the expression that's being processed during the trace. You can enter a variable that represents the input that the expression accepts, or pass an object through the pipeline.
Type: | PSObject |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | True |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Specifies optional data to the prefix of each trace message in the output. The acceptable values for this parameter are:
None
LogicalOperationStack
DateTime
Timestamp
ProcessId
ThreadId
Callstack
None
is the default.
These values are defined as a flag-based enumeration. You can combine multiple values together to set multiple flags using this parameter. The values can be passed to the ListenerOption parameter as an array of values or as a comma-separated string of those values. The cmdlet will combine the values using a binary-OR operation. Passing values as an array is the simplest option and also allows you to use tab-completion on the values.
Type: | TraceOptions |
Accepted values: | None, LogicalOperationStack, DateTime, Timestamp, ProcessId, ThreadId, Callstack |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Specifies an array of PowerShell components that are traced. Enter the name of the trace source of
each component. Wildcards are permitted. To find the trace sources on your computer, type
Get-TraceSource
.
Type: | String[] |
Position: | 0 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | True |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Determines the type of events that are traced. The acceptable values for this parameter are:
None
Constructor
Dispose
Finalizer
Method
Property
Delegates
Events
Exception
Lock
Error
Errors
Warning
Verbose
WriteLine
Data
Scope
ExecutionFlow
Assert
All
All
is the default.
The following values are combinations of other values:
ExecutionFlow
:Constructor
,Dispose
,Finalizer
,Method
,Delegates
,Events
,Scope
Data
:Constructor
,Dispose
,Finalizer
,Property
,Verbose
,WriteLine
Errors
:Error
,Exception
These values are defined as a flag-based enumeration. You can combine multiple values together to set multiple flags using this parameter. The values can be passed to the Option parameter as an array of values or as a comma-separated string of those values. The cmdlet will combine the values using a binary-OR operation. Passing values as an array is the simplest option and also allows you to use tab-completion on the values.
Type: | PSTraceSourceOptions |
Accepted values: | None, Constructor, Dispose, Finalizer, Method, Property, Delegates, Events, Exception, Lock, Error, Errors, Warning, Verbose, WriteLine, Data, Scope, ExecutionFlow, Assert, All |
Position: | 2 |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Indicates that the cmdlet sends the trace output to the PowerShell host. This parameter also selects the PSHost trace listener.
Type: | SwitchParameter |
Position: | Named |
Default value: | None |
Required: | False |
Accept pipeline input: | False |
Accept wildcard characters: | False |
You can pipe objects that represent input to the expression to this cmdlet.
This cmdlet returns no output of its own. The traced command may return output. This cmdlet writes the command trace to the debug stream.
Windows PowerShell includes the following aliases for Trace-Command
:
trcm
Tracing is a method that developers use to debug and refine programs. When tracing, the program generates detailed messages about each step in its internal processing. The PowerShell tracing cmdlets are designed to help PowerShell developers, but they're available to all users. They let you monitor nearly every aspect of the functionality of the shell.
A trace source is the part of each PowerShell component that manages tracing and generates trace messages for the component. To trace a component, you identify its trace source.
Use Get-TraceSource
to see a list of PowerShell components that are enabled for tracing.
A trace listener receives the output of the trace and displays it to the user. You can elect to send the trace data to a user-mode or kernel-mode debugger, to the host or console, to a file, or to a custom listener derived from the System.Diagnostics.TraceListener class.
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