Performing operations on instances

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This topic provides an overview of how a cmdlet that corresponds to an instance method, intrinsic or extrinsic, is applied to a set of instances of a class that have been retrieved by using a query constructed based on the query parameters.

A CIM query operation may return 0 or many instances matching the constructed query. After the instances are retrieved, the CIM Instance operation can be performed on those instances. The following table shows a typical mapping between cmdlet verbs and CIM operations.

PowerShell verb CIM operation
Set/Update
 ModifyInstance
Remove
 DeleteInstance
Other approved verbs
 Extrinsic instance method operations

A cmdlet definition based on a CIM Instance operation requires the following information.

  • Cmdlet Metadata element.

  • Query Parameters element, which defines the properties and query expressions used to filter the instances.

  • Method elements, which define the mapping between the cmdlet parameters and the corresponding method. For Method elements, you'll also need the following information.

    • For both extrinsic and intrinsic methods The method name (for intrinsic methods , use cim: as the prefix).
    • For extrinsic methods Method parameters that are used as cmdlet parameters. (A method can have more parameters than are used by a cmdlet.)
    • For extrinsic methods Method output.

The following CDXML elements are used to describe the information outlined above.

Cmdlet Metadata : <Cmdlet> and <CmdletMetadata> 
Cmdlet Filterting Parameters : <GetCmdletParameters>
Method invoked by cmdlet : <Method>