Windows PowerShell Verbs for Scripting

Introduction to Windows PowerShell Verbs for Scripting

In Windows PowerShell, verbs always come first in the Verb-Noun command pair.  Get-Noun, set-value, remove-Item.  Only 50 verbs perform 80% of PowerShell tasks.  So far I have only used about 25 verbs.

Experiment With Get-Verb

Experiment with these commands, just substitute the noun that you are interested in:

Special note, the pipeline symbol displays as ¦ in PowerShell, but as | in notepad.

List of Windows PowerShell Verbs

Add (add-Content, works like append)

Clear (clear-Variable)

(Delete* – there is no delete in PowerShell, instead see remove)

Expand

Export

Format (format-List or Format-Table)

Get (This is the default verb, not always necessary, often assumed)

Group (group-Object often abbreviated to plain group)

Import

Measure (measure-Object)

Move

New (new-Object, opens up a whole world of com or net objects)

Out (out-File, also out-Printer, even out-Host)

Pop

Push

Read (read-Host is a method of obtaining console input)

Remove * (remove-Item.  PowerShell’s way of deleting)

Resume (Service)

Restart (Service)

Set (set-Location, like cmd’s cd) (set-executionpolicy Unrestricted)

Sort (Strictly speaking Sort-Object)

Start (start-Service)

Stop (stop-Service)

Write (write-Host, also write-Output)

• Nouns – See the noun half of the Verb-Noun pair
• What’s New in PowerShell v 3.0

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Summary of PowerShell Verbs

Never miss a chance to learn a new PowerShell verb, actually there are not that many to master, if you regularly use 40 then you are an advanced programmer.  ‘Get’ is the default verb, probably the next commonest is: ‘set’.  The construction begins with a verb then a hyphen, finally the Verb or object for example,  Get-Process.

See more PowerShell examples for syntax advice

• PowerShell Tutorials   • Syntax   • Get-Verb   • PowerShell Nouns   • Get-Credential

• PowerShell -as   • Comparison operators  • Conditional operators   • Real-time Bandwidth Monitor

• Get-Date  • Quotes   • Windows PowerShell   • PowerShell Version Check   • Get-Member

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.