New-Alias

Article
04/20/2010

Applies To: Windows PowerShell 2.0

Creates a new alias.

Syntax

New-Alias [-Name] <string> [-Value] <string> [-Description <string>] [-Force] [-Option {<None> | <ReadOnly> | <Constant> | <Private> | <AllScope>}] [-PassThru] [-Scope <string>] [-Confirm] [-WhatIf] [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The New-Alias cmdlet creates a new alias in the current Windows PowerShell session. Aliases created by using New-Alias are not saved after you exit the session or close Windows PowerShell. You can use the Export-Alias cmdlet to save your alias information to a file. You can later use Import-Alias to retrieve that saved alias information.

Parameters

-Description <string>

Specifies a description of the alias. You can type any string. If the description includes spaces, enclose it in quotation marks.

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default Value
Accept Pipeline Input?	false
Accept Wildcard Characters?	false

-Force

If set, act like Set-Alias if the alias named already exists.

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default Value
Accept Pipeline Input?	false
Accept Wildcard Characters?	false

-Name <string>

Specifies the new alias. You can use any alphanumeric characters in an alias, but the first character cannot be a number.

Required?	true
Position?	1
Default Value
Accept Pipeline Input?	true (ByPropertyName)
Accept Wildcard Characters?	false

-Option <ScopedItemOptions>

Sets the value of the Options property of the alias.

Valid values are:

-- None: Sets no options. ("None" is the default.)

-- ReadOnly: Can be deleted. Cannot be not changed, except by using the Force parameter.

-- Constant: Cannot be deleted or changed.

-- Private: The alias is available only in the current scope.

-- AllScope: The alias is copied to any new scopes that are created.

To see the Options property of all aliases in the session, type "Get-Alias | Format-Table -property name, options -autosize".

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default Value
Accept Pipeline Input?	false
Accept Wildcard Characters?	false

-PassThru

Returns an object representing the new alias. By default, this cmdlet does not generate any output.

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default Value
Accept Pipeline Input?	false
Accept Wildcard Characters?	false

-Scope <string>

Specifies the scope of the new alias. Valid values are "Global", "Local", or "Script", or a number relative to the current scope (0 through the number of scopes, where 0 is the current scope and 1 is its parent). "Local" is the default. For more information, see about_Scopes.

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default Value
Accept Pipeline Input?	false
Accept Wildcard Characters?	false

-Value <string>

Specifies the name of the cmdlet or command element that is being aliased.

Required?	true
Position?	2
Default Value
Accept Pipeline Input?	true (ByPropertyName)
Accept Wildcard Characters?	false

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before executing the command.

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default Value
Accept Pipeline Input?	false
Accept Wildcard Characters?	false

-WhatIf

Describes what would happen if you executed the command without actually executing the command.

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default Value
Accept Pipeline Input?	false
Accept Wildcard Characters?	false

<CommonParameters>

This command supports the common parameters: Verbose, Debug, ErrorAction, ErrorVariable, OutBuffer, OutVariable, WarningAction, and WarningVariable. For more information, see about_CommonParameters.

Inputs and Outputs

The input type is the type of the objects that you can pipe to the cmdlet. The return type is the type of the objects that the cmdlet returns.

Inputs

None

You cannot pipe input to this cmdlet.

Outputs

None or System.Management.Automation.AliasInfo

When you use the Passthru parameter, New-Alias generates a System.Management.Automation.AliasInfo object representing the new alias. Otherwise, this cmdlet does not generate any output.

Notes

To create a new alias, use Set-Alias or New-Alias. To change an alias, use Set-Alias. To delete an alias, use Remove-Item.

Example 1

C:\PS>new-alias list get-childitem

Description
-----------
This command creates an alias named "list" to represent the Get-ChildItem cmdlet.

Example 2

C:\PS>new-alias -name w -value get-wmiobject -description "quick wmi alias" -option ReadOnly

C:\PS> get-alias -name w | format-list *

Description
-----------
This command creates an alias named "w" to represent the Get-WMIObject cmdlet. It creates a description, "quick wmi alias", for the alias and makes it read only. The last line of the command uses Get-Alias to get the new alias and pipes it to Format-List to display all of the information about it.

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