Additional Resources for Get-Help

Getting Help

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/topics/msh/cmdlets/get-help.mspx

SYNOPSIS

Displays information about Windows PowerShell cmdlets and concepts.

SYNTAX

Get-Help [[-name] <string>] [-component <string[]>] [-functionality <string[]>] [-role <string[]>] [-category <string[]>] [-full] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Help [[-name] <string>] [-component <string[]>] [-functionality <string[]>] [-role <string[]>] [-category <string[]>] [-detailed] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Help [[-name] <string>] [-component <string[]>] [-functionality <string[]>] [-role <string[]>] [-category <string[]>] [-examples] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Help [[-name] <string>] [-component <string[]>] [-functionality <string[]>] [-role <string[]>] [-category <string[]>] [-parameter <string>] [<CommonParameters>]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The Get-Help cmdlet displays information about Windows PowerShell cmdlets and concepts. You can also use "Help {<cmdlet name> | <topic-name>" or "<cmdlet-name> /?". "Help" displays the help topics one page at a time. The "/?" displays help for cmdlets on a single page.

PARAMETERS

-name <string>

Requests help about the specified cmdlet or conceptual topic. <String> represents a cmdlet name, such as Get-Member, a conceptual topic, such as "About_Object", or an alias, such as "ls". Wildcards are permitted. The parameter name ("-Name") is optional.

-component <string[]>

Displays a list of cmdlets with the specified component value, such as "Exchange." The core cmdlets do not have a value for the component property.

-functionality <string[]>

Displays help for cmdlets with the specified functionality. The core cmdlets do not have a value for the functionality property.

-role <string[]>

Displays help customized for the specified user role. <String> represents the role that the user plays in an organization. Some cmdlets display different text in their help files based on the value of this parameter. This parameter has no effect on help for the core cmdlets.

-category <string[]>

Displays help for items in the specified category.

Valid values for <String> are:

·          Alias:Help for a cmdlet by alias name.

·          Cmdlet:  Help for a cmdlet by cmdlet name.

·          HelpFile: Help about concepts ("About_" topics.)

-full <SwitchParameter>

Displays the entire help file for a cmdlet, including technical information about the parameters. This parameter has no effect on displays of conceptual ("About_") help.

-detailed <SwitchParameter>

Displays additional information about a cmdlet, including descriptions of the parameters and examples of using the cmdlet. This parameter has no effect on displays of conceptual ("About_") help.

-examples <SwitchParameter>

Displays examples of using the cmdlet. These examples are included the Detailed and Full views of help. This view also includes the name of the cmdlet and its brief description. To display only the examples, type "(get-help <cmdlet-name>).examples".

-parameter <string>

Displays a detailed description of the specified parameter. These descriptions are included in the Full view of help. Wildcards are permitted.

<CommonParameters>

This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Verbose, -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, and -OutVariable. For more information, type, "get-help about_commonparameters".

RETURN TYPE

String, MamlCommandHelpInfo

NOTES

Without parameters, "Get-Help" displays information about the Windows PowerShell help system.

When you specify a single cmdlet or conceptual topic, such as "Get-Help Set-Item", Get-Help displays help about that topic. When you specify multiple cmdlets or conceptual topics, such as "Get-Help *" or "Get-Help -Category HelpFile", Get-Help displays a list of cmdlets and topics that meet the specification.

There are three variations of Get-Help:

·          "Get-Help" displays the entire help topic on a single page.

·          "Help" displays the help topics one page at a time. You can use all of the Get-Help parameters with Help. The syntax is: help {<cmdlet-name> | <topic-name>}<parameters>]

·          "-?" displays basic help for a cmdlet. Wildcards are not permitted, parameters are not supported, and you cannot use "-?" to display help for a conceptual topic (about-*). The syntax is: <cmdlet-name> -?

The full view of help (-full) includes a table of information about the parameters. The table includes the following fields:

·          Required:  Indicates whether the parameter is required (true) or optional (false).

·          Position:  Indicates whether the parameter is named or positional (numbered). Positional parameters must appear in a specified place in the command.

·          "Named" indicates that the parameter name is required, but that the parameter can appear anywhere in the command.

·          <Number> indicates that the parameter name is optional, but when the name is omitted, the parameter must be in the place specified by the number. For example, "2" indicates that when the parameter name is omitted, the parameter must be the second (2) or only unnamed parameter in the command. When the parameter name is used, the parameter can appear anywhere in the command.

·          Default value: The parameter value that Windows PowerShell uses if you do not include the parameter in the command.

·          Accepts pipeline input: Indicates whether you can (true) or cannot (false) send objects to the parameter through a pipeline. "By Property Name" means that the pipelined object must have a property with the same name as the parameter name.

·          Accepts wildcard characters: Indicates whether the value of a parameter can include wildcard characters, such as * and ?.

EXAMPLE 1

This command displays help about the Windows PowerShell help system.

EXAMPLE 2

This command displays a list of all help files in the Windows PowerShell help system.

EXAMPLE 3

These commands display basic information about the get-aliascmdlet. The "Get-Help" and "-?" commands displays the information on a single page. The "Help" command displays the information one page at a time.

EXAMPLE 4

This command displays a list of the conceptual topics included in Windows PowerShell help. All of these topics begin with the characters "about_". To display a particular help file, type "get-help <topic-name>, for example, "get-help about_signing".

EXAMPLE 5

This command displays detailed help for the Get-Childitemcmdlet by specifying one of its aliases, "ls." The Detailed parameter requests the detailed view of the help file, which includes parameter descriptions and examples. To see the complete help file for a cmdlet, use the Full parameter.

EXAMPLE 6

This command displays the full view help for the Format-Tablecmdlet. The full view of help includes parameter descriptions and examples, and a table of technical details about the parameters.

EXAMPLE 7

This command displays examples of using start-service in Windows PowerShell commands.

EXAMPLE 8

This command displays descriptions of the parameters of the Get-Childitemcmdlet that begin with "f" (filter and force). To see descriptions of all parameters, type "get-help get-childitem parameter*".

EXAMPLE 9

This command displays only the syntax of the write-outputcmdlet. Syntax is one of many properties of help objects; others are description, details, examples, and parameters. To find all properties and methods of help objects, type "get-help <cmdlet-name> | get-member", for example, "get-help start-service| get member".

RELATED LINKS

Get-Command

Get-PSDrive

Get-Member