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Update-Type Data

  • Reference
Module:
Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility

Updates the extended type data in the session.

Syntax 

Update-TypeData
      [[-AppendPath] <String[]>]
      [-PrependPath <String[]>]
      [-WhatIf]
      [-Confirm]
      [<CommonParameters>]
Update-TypeData
      [-MemberType <PSMemberTypes>]
      [-MemberName <String>]
      [-Value <Object>]
      [-SecondValue <Object>]
      [-TypeConverter <Type>]
      [-TypeAdapter <Type>]
      [-SerializationMethod <String>]
      [-TargetTypeForDeserialization <Type>]
      [-SerializationDepth <Int32>]
      [-DefaultDisplayProperty <String>]
      [-InheritPropertySerializationSet <Nullable`1>]
      [-StringSerializationSource <String>]
      [-DefaultDisplayPropertySet <String[]>]
      [-DefaultKeyPropertySet <String[]>]
      [-PropertySerializationSet <String[]>]
      -TypeName <String>
      [-Force]
      [-WhatIf]
      [-Confirm]
      [<CommonParameters>]
Update-TypeData
      [-Force]
      [-TypeData] <TypeData[]>
      [-WhatIf]
      [-Confirm]
      [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Update-TypeData cmdlet updates the extended type data in the session by reloading the Types.ps1xml files into memory and adding new extended type data.

By default, PowerShell loads extended type data as it is needed. Without parameters, Update-TypeData reloads all of the Types.ps1xml files that it has loaded in the session, including any type files that you added. You can use the parameters of Update-TypeData to add new type files and add and replace extended type data.

The Update-TypeData cmdlet can be used to preload all type data. This feature is particularly useful when you are developing types and want to load those new types for testing purposes.

Beginning in Windows PowerShell 3.0, you can use Update-TypeData to add and replace extended type data in the session without using a Types.ps1xml file. Type data that is added dynamically, that is, without a file, is added only to the current session. To add the type data to all sessions, add an Update-TypeData command to your PowerShell profile. For more information, see about_Profiles .

Also, beginning in Windows PowerShell 3.0, you can use the Get-TypeData cmdlet to get the extended types in the current session and the Remove-TypeData cmdlet to delete extended types from the current session.

Exceptions that occur in properties, or from adding properties to an Update-TypeData command, do not report errors. This is to suppress exceptions that would occur in many common types during formatting and outputting. If you are getting .NET properties, you can work around the suppression of exceptions by using method syntax instead, as shown in the following example:

"hello".get_Length()

Note that method syntax can only be used with .NET properties. Properties that are added by running the Update-TypeData cmdlet cannot use method syntax.

For more information about the Types.ps1xml files in PowerShell, see about_Types.ps1xml .

Examples

Example 1: Update extended types 

Update-TypeData

This command updates the extended type configuration from the Types.ps1xml files that have already been used in the session.

Example 2: Update types multiple times

This example shows how to update the types in a type file multiple times in the same session.

The first command updates the extended type configuration from the Types.ps1xml files, processing the TypesA.types.ps1xml and TypesB.types.ps1xml files first.

The second command shows how to update the TypesA.types.ps1xml again, such as you might do if you added or changed a type in the file. You can either repeat the previous command for the TypesA.types.ps1xml file, or run an Update-TypeData command without parameters, because TypesA.types.ps1xml is already in the type file list for the current session. 

Update-TypeData -PrependPath TypesA.types.ps1xml, TypesB.types.ps1xml
Update-TypeData -PrependPath TypesA.types.ps1xml

Example 3: Add a script property to DateTime objects

This example uses Update-TypeData to add the Quarter script property to System.DateTime objects in the current session, such as those returned by the Get-Date cmdlet. 

Update-TypeData -TypeName "System.DateTime" -MemberType ScriptProperty -MemberName "Quarter" -Value {
  if ($this.Month -in @(1,2,3)) {"Q1"}
  elseif ($this.Month -in @(4,5,6)) {"Q2"}
  elseif ($this.Month -in @(7,8,9)) {"Q3"}
  else {"Q4"}
}
(Get-Date).Quarter

Q1

The Update-TypeData command uses the TypeName parameter to specify the System.DateTime type, the MemberName parameter to specify a name for the new property, the MemberType property to specify the ScriptProperty type, and the Value parameter to specify the script that determines the annual quarter.

The value of the Value property is a script that calculates the current annual quarter. The script block uses the $this automatic variable to represent the current instance of the object and the In operator to determine whether the month value appears in each integer array. For more information about the -in operator, see about_Comparison_Operators .

The second command gets the new Quarter property of the current date.

Example 4: Update a type that displays in lists by default

This example shows how to set the properties of a type that displays in lists by default, that is, when no properties are specified. Because the type data is not specified in a Types.ps1xml file, it is effective only in the current session. 

Update-TypeData -TypeName "System.DateTime" -DefaultDisplayPropertySet "DateTime, DayOfYear, Quarter"
Get-Date | Format-List

Thursday, March 15, 2012 12:00:00 AM
DayOfYear : 75
Quarter   : Q1

The first command uses the Update-TypeData cmdlet to set the default list properties for the System.DateTime type. The command uses the TypeName parameter to specify the type and the DefaultDisplayPropertySet parameter to specify the default properties for a list. The selected properties include the new Quarter script property that was added in a previous example.

The second command uses the Get-Date cmdlet to get a System.DateTime object that represents the current date. The command uses a pipeline operator ( | ) to send the DateTime object to the Format-List cmdlet. Because the Format-List command does not specify the properties to display in the list, PowerShell uses the default values that were established by the Update-TypeData command.

Example 5: Update type data for a piped object 

Get-Module | Update-TypeData -MemberType ScriptProperty -MemberName "SupportsUpdatableHelp" -Value {
  if ($this.HelpInfoUri) {$True} else {$False}
}
Get-Module -ListAvailable | Format-Table Name, SupportsUpdatableHelp

Name                             SupportsUpdatableHelp
----                             ---------------------
Microsoft.PowerShell.Diagnostics                  True
Microsoft.PowerShell.Host                         True
Microsoft.PowerShell.Management                   True
Microsoft.PowerShell.Security                     True
Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility                      True
Microsoft.WSMan.Management                        True
PSDiagnostics                                    False
PSScheduledJob                                    True
PSWorkflow                                        True
ServerManager                                     True
TroubleshootingPack                              False

This example demonstrates that when you pipe an object to Update-TypeData , Update-TypeData adds extended type data for the object type.

This technique is quicker than using the Get-Member cmdlet or the Get-Type method to get the object type. However, if you pipe a collection of objects to Update-TypeData , it updates the type data of the first object type and then returns an error for all other objects in the collection because the member is already defined on the type.

The first command uses the Get-Module cmdlet to get the PSScheduledJob module. The command pipes the module object to the Update-TypeData cmdlet, which updates the type data for the System.Management.Automation.PSModuleInfo type and the types derived from it, such as the ModuleInfoGrouping type that Get-Module returns when you use the ListAvailable parameter in the command.

The Update-TypeData commands adds the SupportsUpdatableHelp script property to all imported modules. The value of the Value parameter is a script that returns $True if the HelpInfoUri property of the module is populated and $False otherwise.

The second command pipes the module objects from Get-Module to the Format-Table cmdlet, which displays the Name and SupportsUpdatableHelp properties of all modules in a list.

Parameters

-AppendPath

Specifies the path to optional .ps1xml files. The specified files are loaded in the order that they are listed after the built-in files are loaded. You can also pipe an AppendPath value to Update-TypeData .

Type: String [ ]
Aliases: PSPath, Path
Position: 0
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: True
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.

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

-DefaultDisplayProperty

Specifies the property of the type that is displayed by the Format-Wide cmdlet when no other properties are specified.

Type the name of a standard or extended property of the type. The value of this parameter can be the name of a type that is added in the same command.

This value is effective only when there are no wide views defined for the type in a Format.ps1xml file.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-DefaultDisplayPropertySet

Specifies one or more properties of the type. These properties are displayed by the Format-List , Format-Table , and Format-Custom cmdlets when no other properties are specified.

Type the names of standard or extended properties of the type. The value of this parameter can be the names of types that are added in the same command.

This value is effective only when there are no list, table, or custom views, respectively, defined for the type in a Format.ps1xml file.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

Type: String [ ]
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-DefaultKeyPropertySet

Specifies one or more properties of the type. These properties are used by the Group-Object and Sort-Object cmdlets when no other properties are specified.

Type the names of standard or extended properties of the type. The value of this parameter can be the names of types that are added in the same command.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

Type: String [ ]
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Force

Indicates that the cmdlet uses the specified type data, even if type data has already been specified for that type.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-InheritPropertySerializationSet

Indicates whether the set of properties that are serialized is inherited. The default value is $Null . The acceptable values for this parameter are:

  • $True . The property set is inherited.
  • $False . The property set is not inherited.
  • $Null . Inheritance is not defined.

This parameter is valid only when the value of the SerializationMethod parameter is SpecificProperties . When the value of this parameter is $False , the PropertySerializationSet parameter is required.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

Type: Nullable<T> [ Boolean ]
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-MemberName

Specifies the name of a property or method.

Use this parameter with the TypeName , MemberType , Value and SecondValue parameters to add or change a property or method of a type.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-MemberType

Specifies the type of the member to add or change.

Use this parameter with the TypeName , MemberType , Value and SecondValue parameters to add or change a property or method of a type. The acceptable values for this parameter are:

  • AliasProperty
  • CodeMethod
  • CodeProperty
  • Noteproperty
  • ScriptMethod
  • ScriptProperty

For information about these values, see PSMemberTypes Enumeration .

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

Type: PSMemberTypes
Accepted values: NoteProperty, AliasProperty, ScriptProperty, CodeProperty, ScriptMethod, CodeMethod
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-PrependPath

Specifies the path to the optional .ps1xml files. The specified files are loaded in the order that they are listed before the built-in files are loaded.

Type: String [ ]
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-PropertySerializationSet

Specifies the names of properties that are serialized. Use this parameter when the value of the SerializationMethod parameter is SpecificProperties .

Type: String [ ]
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-SecondValue

Specifies additional values for AliasProperty , ScriptProperty , CodeProperty , or CodeMethod members.

Use this parameter with the TypeName , MemberType , Value , and SecondValue parameters to add or change a property or method of a type.

When the value of the MemberType parameter is AliasProperty , the value of the SecondValue parameter must be a data type. PowerShell converts (that is, casts) the value of the alias property to the specified type. For example, if you add an alias property that provides an alternate name for a string property, you can also specify a SecondValue of System.Int32 to convert the aliased string value to an integer.

When the value of the MemberType parameter is ScriptProperty , you can use the SecondValue parameter to specify an additional script block. The script block in the value of the Value parameter gets the value of a variable. The script block in the value of the SecondValue parameter set the value of the variable.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-SerializationDepth

Specifies how many levels of type objects are serialized as strings. The default value 1 serializes the object and its properties. A value of 0 serializes the object, but not its properties. A value of 2 serializes the object, its properties, and any objects in property values.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

Type: Int32
Position: Named
Default value: 1
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-SerializationMethod

Specifies a serialization method for the type. A serialization method determines which properties of the type are serialized and the technique that is used to serialize them. The acceptable values for this parameter are:

  • AllPublicProperties . Serialize all public properties of the type. You can use the SerializationDepth parameter to determine whether child properties are serialized.
  • String . Serialize the type as a string. You can use the StringSerializationSource to specify a property of the type to use as the serialization result. Otherwise, the type is serialized by using the ToString method of the object.
  • SpecificProperties . Serialize only the specified properties of this type. Use the PropertySerializationSet parameter to specify the properties of the type that are serialized. You can also use the InheritPropertySerializationSet parameter to determine whether the property set is inherited and the SerializationDepth parameter to determine whether child properties are serialized.

In PowerShell, serialization methods are stored in PSStandardMembers internal objects.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-StringSerializationSource

Specifies the name of a property of the type. The value of specified property is used as the serialization result. This parameter is valid only when the value of the SerializationMethod parameter is String.

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

-TargetTypeForDeserialization

Specifies the type to which object of this type are converted when they are deserialized.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-TypeAdapter

Specifies the type of a type adapter, such as Microsoft.PowerShell.Cim.CimInstanceAdapter . A type adapter enables PowerShell to get the members of a type.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-TypeConverter

Specifies a type converter to convert values between different types. If a type converter is defined for a type, an instance of the type converter is used for the conversion.

Enter a System.Type value that is derived from the System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter or System.Management.Automation.PSTypeConverter classes.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-TypeData

Specifies an array of type data that this cmdlet adds to the session. Enter a variable that contains a TypeData object or a command that gets a TypeData object, such as a Get-TypeData command. You can also pipe a TypeData object to Update-TypeData .

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

Type: TypeData [ ]
Position: 0
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: True
Accept wildcard characters: False

-TypeName

Specifies the name of the type to extend.

For types in the System namespace, enter the short name. Otherwise, the full type name is required. Wildcards are not supported.

You can pipe type names to Update-TypeData . When you pipe an object to Update-TypeData , Update-TypeData gets the type name of the object and type data to the object type.

Use this parameter with the MemberName , MemberType , Value and SecondValue parameters to add or change a property or method of a type.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-Value

Specifies the value of the property or method.

If you add an AliasProperty , CodeProperty , ScriptProperty , or CodeMethod member, you can use the SecondValue parameter to add additional information.

Use this parameter with the MemberName , MemberType , Value and SecondValue parameters to add or change a property or method of a type.

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

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

-WhatIf

Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.

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

Inputs

String

You can pipe a string that contains the values of the AppendPath , TypeName , or TypeData parameters to this cmdlet.

Outputs

None

This cmdlet returns no output.