Key PowerShell Features to Master

PowerShell Default Customization for More Relevant Output

By default, PowerShell formats the output based on the built-in settings. You can adjust those settings to show more relevant data:

1. Adding Custom Formatting for Objects

Use XML files to define the custom formats you want to apply to specific objects.

Update-FormatData -PrependPath “CustomFormat.ps1xml”

2. Saving the Output to a File

You can direct the output to a text file or a CSV file for a more structured report.

Get-Process | Select-Object Name, CPU | Export-Csv -Path “ProcessReport.csv” -NoTypeInformation

3. Output to GridView

For more interactive data management, use Out-GridView.

Get-Service | Out-GridView -Title “Layanan Aktif”

Interactive Assistance System

PowerShell comes with an interactive help system that provides detailed information about cmdlets, parameters, and examples. This system is very useful for administrators and users to understand and use PowerShell commands quickly.

Get-Help Function  to Quickly Understand Cmdlets

The Get-Help cmdlet allows you to access the documentation of the cmdlet or function directly from the PowerShell console. With this, you don’t have to rely on external references to understand cmdlets.

Get-Help Get-Process

This command will display information about the Get-Process cmdlet, including its description, parameters, and usage syntax.

You can also use the -Examples parameter  to see a practical example of using cmdlets:

Get-Help Get-Process -Examples

How to Get Get-Process Cmdlet Details

If you need in-depth information about the parameters of a cmdlet such as Get-Process, you can use the -Detailed or -Full parameters to see the full details.

Get-Help Get-Process -Detailed

If you need very complete documentation, use:

Get-Help Get-Process -Full

The two commands above will provide a full description, including a description of the parameters, the inputs received, and the output generated.

How to Update Help with Update-Help to the Latest Version

PowerShell allows you to update your help files to keep them relevant to the latest cmdlets and features. This is especially important considering that PowerShell continues to evolve.

Update-Help

This command will download and install the latest help files for all installed modules. Make sure your device is connected to the internet before running this command.

If you want to update the help for a specific module, use:

Update-Help -Module Microsoft.PowerShell.Management

By default, PowerShell only includes minimal help files to reduce the size of the installation. By running Update-Help, you can download the full documentation for the cmdlets and modules.

PowerShell Modules and Commands

PowerShell uses the module concept to group cmdlets and related functions in a single, structured package. Modules allow users to extend PowerShell functionality by adding custom cmdlets and scripts as needed.

Modules are collections of cmdlets, functions, variables, and configuration files that are used to extend PowerShell’s capabilities. Modules can contain cmdlets for specific tasks such as system management, networking, or third-party applications.

Each module can be imported into a PowerShell session by using the Import-Module command. This module can make it easy to manage various applications or administrative tasks without the need to rewrite complex scripts.

Module Source

Modules for PowerShell can come from a variety of sources:

1. Modul Bawaan Windows 11

Windows 11 comes with standard modules included to manage various system features, such as file management, networking, and services.

Examples of Windows 11’s built-in modules are the Microsoft.PowerShell.Management module, which provides cmdlets for managing processes and services, and the Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility which includes utility functions for data manipulation.