Investigating PowerShell Parameters
On this page I will explain parameter concepts, which are useful to the intermediate PowerShell script writer. For example, mandatory (required) and named parameters.
- Recap on the Basics of PowerShell Parameters
- Mandatory PowerShell Parameters
- Research PowerShell’s Mandatory Parameters
- Named PowerShell Parameters
- PowerShell Function Parameters
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Mandatory PowerShell Parameters
A good way to understand PowerShell’s need for a mandatory, or required parameter is to launch Get-Eventlog.
# PowerShell Mandatory Parameters
Get-Eventlog
Get-EventLog cmdlet
Get-EventLog at command pipeline position 1
Supply values for the following parameters:
LogName:
The problem with plain Get-Eventlog is that the cmdlet halts because it does not know whether you want the system, security, application or some other log. Setting aside marketing speak, this weakness is actually a strength, Get-Eventlog works with all sorts of logs, all you need to do is supply the LogName! For example: Get-Eventlog -LogName system.
In terms of learning more about PowerShell, the question is how do you know which parameters are mandatory or ‘Required’? The answer is to run Get-Help against the cmdlet, and then study the parameters’ descriptions.
# PowerShell Required Parameters
Get-Help Get-Eventlog -full
-LogName <String>
Specifies the event log. Enter the log name of one event log. Wildcard characters are not permitted.
This parameter is required.
Required? true
Position? 1
Default value
Accept pipeline input? false
Accept wildcard characters? false
Note 1: This parameter is in position number 1. Thus if you just type a name such as ‘system’, or ‘application’, then PowerShell will be able to interpret this word as a value for -LogName.
My point: This instruction works just fine: Get-EventLog System
For a quick look at the logs you don’t need to explicitly name the parameter in position 1: Get-EventLog -LogName System.
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Research PowerShell’s Mandatory Parameters
Here is script to detect cmdlets containing parameters that are required; the key clause is: Where IsMandatory -eq "True".
# PowerShell Mandatory Parameter Script
Clear-Host
$a = Get-Command -Verb Get
Foreach ($cmdlet in $a) {
$Cmdlet.ParameterSets | Select-Object -ExpandProperty parameters | `
Where-Object {$_.IsMandatory -eq "True" } `
| Format-Table $Cmdlet.Name, Name, IsMandatory -auto
}
Note 2: On closer inspection, my script finds only cmdlets using the Get verb; however, I am sure that you could modify my example to find all cmdlets containing mandatory parameters.
Named PowerShell Parameters
The more parameters that you employ in a PowerShell script, the greater the need to name them. Indeed, all parameters are named by default, the only time you can get away with omitting the name is if it’s a positional parameter; a fact you check by looking in the helpfile for parameters with: ‘Position? 1’.
Take as an example, Get-Eventlog system,
This instruction works because even though ‘system’ is not a named parameter, it is in position 1, which is reserved for -LogName.
Take another example, here we wish to truncate the log output by introducing -Newest 50; this parameter must be named as there are at least 3 parameters that could be in the second position.
# PowerShell Named Parameters
Clear-Host
Get-EventLog system -Newest 50 -Message "*media*" -EntryType Error
Note 3: -Newest, -Message and -EntryType are named parameters; whereas system is a value for the required -LogName parameter.
Summary of PowerShell Mandatory Parameters
Understanding mandatory parameters explains why cmdlets sometimes work when you append an intuitive value; for example Get-Eventlog system. Appreciating the nuance of named parameters show the way forward if you want to improve your scripts by adding more parameters.
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See more example of PowerShell’s parameters
• PowerShell Tutorials • PowerShell Parameter Introduction • Parameter Examples of Technique
• Mandatory Parameters • PowerShell $PSDefaultParameterValues • Top 10 PowerShell Parameters
• PowerShell Parameters Index • Parameter Hashtable Splatting • PowerShell 3.0 Default Parameters
Please email me if you have a better example script. Also please report any factual mistakes, grammatical errors or broken links, I will be happy to correct the fault.
