Show-Command

Reference

Module:: Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility

Displays PowerShell command information in a graphical window.

Syntax

Show-Command
    [[-Name] <String>]
    [-Height <Double>]
    [-Width <Double>]
    [-NoCommonParameter]
    [-ErrorPopup]
    [-PassThru]
    [<CommonParameters>]

Description

This cmdlet is only available on the Windows platform.

The Show-Command cmdlet lets you create a PowerShell command in a command window. You can use the features of the command window to run the command or have it return the command to you.

Show-Command is a very useful teaching and learning tool. Show-Command works on all command types, including cmdlets, functions, workflows and CIM commands.

Without parameters, Show-Command displays a command window that lists all available commands in all installed modules. To find the commands in a module, select the module from the Modules drop-down list. To select a command, click the command name.

To use the command window, select a command, either by using the Name or by clicking the command name in the Commands list. Each parameter set is displayed on a separate tab. Asterisks indicate the mandatory parameters. To enter values for a parameter, type the value in the text box or select the value from the drop-down box. To add a switch parameter, click to select the parameter check box.

When you're ready, you can click Copy to copy the command that you've created to the clipboard or click Run to run the command. You can also use the PassThru parameter to return the command to the host program, such as the PowerShell console. To cancel the command selection and return to the view that displays all commands, press Ctrl and click the selected command.

In the PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE), a variation of the Show-Command window is displayed by default. For information about using this command window, see the PowerShell ISE Help topics.

This cmdlet was reintroduced in PowerShell 7.

Because this cmdlet requires a user interface, it does not work on Windows Server Core or Windows Nano Server. This cmdlet is only available on Windows systems that support the Windows Desktop.

Examples

Example 1: Open the Commands window

This example displays the default view of the Show-Command window. The Commands window displays a list of all commands in all modules that are installed on the computer.

Show-Command

Example 2: Open a cmdlet in the Commands window

This example display the Invoke-Command cmdlet in the Command window. You can use this display to run Invoke-Command commands.

Show-Command -Name "Invoke-Command"

Example 3: Open a cmdlet with specified parameters

This command opens a Show-Command window for the Connect-PSSession cmdlet.

Show-Command -Name "Connect-PSSession" -Height 700 -Width 1000 -ErrorPopup

The Height and Width parameters specify the dimension of the command window. The ErrorPopup parameter displays the error command window.

When you click Run , the Connect-PSSession command runs, just as would if you typed the Connect-PSSession command at the command line.

Example 4: Specify new default parameter values for a cmdlet

This example uses the $PSDefaultParameterValues automatic variable to set new default values for the Height , Width , and ErrorPopup parameters of the Show-Command cmdlet.

$PSDefaultParameterValues = @{
    "Show-Command:Height" = 700
    "Show-Command:Width" = 1000
    "Show-Command:ErrorPopup" = $True
}

Now when you run a Show-Command command, the new defaults are applied automatically. To use these default values in every PowerShell session, add the $PSDefaultParameterValues variable to your PowerShell profile. For more information, see about_Profiles and about_Parameters_Default_Values .

Example 5: Send output to a grid view

This command shows how to use the Show-Command and Out-GridView cmdlets together.

Show-Command Get-ChildItem | Out-GridView

The command uses the Show-Command cmdlet to open a command window for the Get-ChildItem cmdlet. When you click the Run button, the Get-ChildItem command runs and generates output. The pipeline operator ( | ) sends the output of the Get-ChildItem command to the Out-GridView cmdlet, which displays the Get-ChildItem output in an interactive window.

Example 6: Display a command that you create in the Commands window

This example shows the command that you created in the Show-Command window. The command uses the PassThru parameter, which returns the Show-Command results in a string.

Show-Command -PassThru

Get-EventLog -LogName "Windows PowerShell" -Newest 5

For example, if you use the Show-Command window to create a Get-EventLog command that gets the five newest events in the Windows PowerShell event log, and then click OK , the command returns the output shown above. Viewing the command string helps you learn PowerShell.

Example 7: Save a command to a variable

This example shows how to run the command string that you get when you use the PassThru parameter of the Show-Command cmdlet. This strategy lets you see the command and use it.

$C = Show-Command -PassThru
$C
Invoke-Expression $C

Get-EventLog -LogName "PowerShell" -Newest 5

Index Time          EntryType   Source                 InstanceID Message
----- ----          ---------   ------                 ---------- -------
11520 Dec 16 16:37  Information Windows PowerShell            400 Engine state is changed from None to Available...
11519 Dec 16 16:37  Information Windows PowerShell            600 Provider "Variable" is Started. ...
11518 Dec 16 16:37  Information Windows PowerShell            600 Provider "Registry" is Started. ...
11517 Dec 16 16:37  Information Windows PowerShell            600 Provider "Function" is Started. ...
11516 Dec 16 16:37  Information Windows PowerShell            600 Provider "FileSystem" is Started. ...

The first command uses the PassThru parameter of the Show-Command cmdlet and saves the results of the command in the $C variable. In this case, we use the Show-Command window to create a Get-EventLog command that gets the five newest events in the Windows PowerShell event log. When you click OK , Show-Command returns the command string, which is saved in the $C variable.

Example 8: Save the output of a command to a variable

This example uses the ErrorPopup parameter to save the output of a command in a variable.

$P = Show-Command Get-Process -ErrorPopup
$P

Handles  NPM(K)    PM(K)      WS(K) VM(M)   CPU(s)     Id ProcessName
-------  ------    -----      ----- -----   ------     -- -----------
    473      33    94096     112532   709     2.06   4492 powershell

In addition to displaying errors in a window, ErrorPopup returns command output to the current command, instead of creating a new command. When you run this command, the Show-Command window opens. You can use the window features to set parameter values. To run the command, click the Run button in the Show-Command window.

Parameters

-ErrorPopup

Indicates that the cmdlet displays errors in a pop-up window, in addition to displaying them at the command line. By default, when a command that is run in a Show-Command window generates an error, the error is displayed only at the command line.

Also, when you run the command (by using the Run button in the Show-Command window), the ErrorPopup parameter returns the command results to the current command, instead of running the command and returning its output to a new command. You can use this feature to save the command results in a variable.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Position:	Named
Default value:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Height

Specifies the height of the Show-Command window in pixels. Enter a value between 300 and the number of pixels in the screen resolution. If the value is too large to display the command window on the screen, Show-Command generates an error. The default height is 600 pixels. For a Show-Command command that includes the Name parameter, the default height is 300 pixels.

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

-Name

Displays a command window for the specified command. Enter the name of one command, such as the name of a cmdlet, function, or CIM command. If you omit this parameter, Show-Command displays a command window that lists all of the PowerShell commands in all modules installed on the computer.

Type:	String
Aliases:	CommandName
Position:	0
Default value:	None
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-NoCommonParameter

Indicates that this cmdlet omits the Common Parameters section of the command display. By default, the Common Parameters appear in an expandable section at the bottom of the command window.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Position:	Named
Default value:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-PassThru

Returns an object representing the item with which you are working. By default, this cmdlet does not generate any output. To run the command string, copy and paste it at the command prompt or save it in a variable and use the Invoke-Expression cmdlet to run the string in the variable.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Position:	Named
Default value:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Width

Specifies the width of the Show-Command window in pixels. Enter a value between 300 and the number of pixels in the screen resolution. If the value is too large to display the command window on the screen, Show-Command generates an error. The default width is 300 pixels.

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

Inputs

None

You can't pipe objects to this cmdlet.

Outputs