Command discovery (Get-Command) in PowerShell - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this PowerShell command?

Consider the command:

Get-Command -Name Get-Process

What type of command does this return?

PowerShell

Get-Command -Name Get-Process | Select-Object -ExpandProperty CommandType

A Cmdlet

B Function

C Alias

D Application

💡 Hint

Think about what kind of command 'Get-Process' is in PowerShell.

The 'Get-Process' command is a built-in cmdlet in PowerShell, so the CommandType property will be 'Cmdlet'.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What does this command output?

What is the output of:

Get-Command -Verb Get | Select-Object -First 1 -ExpandProperty Name

PowerShell

Get-Command -Verb Get | Select-Object -First 1 -ExpandProperty Name

A Get-Content

B Get-Acl

C Get-Item

D Get-Process

💡 Hint

The commands are sorted alphabetically by default.

Get-Command returns commands with the verb 'Get'. The first alphabetically is 'Get-Acl'.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this command fail?

This command is intended to find all commands with the noun 'Service':

Get-Command -Noun Service*

But it returns an error. Why?

PowerShell

Get-Command -Noun Service*

A The correct parameter is -Name, not -Noun.

B The -Noun parameter does not accept wildcards.

C Get-Command does not support filtering by noun.

D The wildcard should be in quotes: 'Service*'.

💡 Hint

Think about how PowerShell treats wildcards in parameters.

Wildcards must be passed as strings in quotes. Without quotes, PowerShell treats Service* as a command or variable, causing an error.

🧠 Conceptual

advanced

Which command lists all aliases starting with 'g'?

You want to list all aliases whose names start with the letter 'g'. Which command will do this?

A Get-Command -CommandType Alias | Where-Object Name -like 'g*'

B Get-Alias -Name g*

C Get-Command -CommandType Alias -Name g*

D Get-Command -Alias g*

💡 Hint

Get-Command can filter by command type and name pattern.

Get-Command with -CommandType Alias and -Name g* lists aliases starting with 'g'. Get-Alias does not support wildcards in -Name.

🚀 Application

expert

How many cmdlets have the noun 'Item'?

Using Get-Command, how many cmdlets have the noun exactly 'Item'?

PowerShell

Get-Command -CommandType Cmdlet -Noun Item | Measure-Object | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Count

A 5

B 3

C 7

D 10

💡 Hint

Use Get-Command with -Noun and count the results.

There are 5 cmdlets with the noun 'Item' such as Get-Item, New-Item, Remove-Item, etc.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the Get-Command cmdlet in PowerShell?

easy

A. To execute a command immediately

B. To create a new command

C. To stop a running command

D. To find and list commands available in PowerShell

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of Get-Command

   Get-Command is used to discover commands available in PowerShell, helping users find what commands they can run.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other cmdlets

   It does not execute, stop, or create commands; it only lists and finds them.

3. Final Answer:

   To find and list commands available in PowerShell -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Get-Command lists commands = B [OK]

Hint: Get-Command lists commands, not runs or stops them [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Get-Command runs commands
• Confusing Get-Command with Stop-Process
• Assuming it creates commands

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find all commands that start with 'Get-' using Get-Command?

easy

A. Get-Command "Get-"

B. Get-Command -Filter "Get-"

C. Get-Command -Name "Get-*"

D. Get-Command -Search "Get-*"

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct parameter for name filtering

   The -Name parameter accepts wildcards like "Get-*" to find commands starting with 'Get-'.

2. Step 2: Check other options for correctness

   -Filter is not a valid parameter for Get-Command, and -Search does not exist. Passing just "Get-" without wildcard won't match all commands starting with 'Get-'.

3. Final Answer:

   Get-Command -Name "Get-*" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use -Name with wildcard = C [OK]

Hint: Use -Name with wildcard pattern to find commands [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using invalid parameters like -Filter or -Search
• Not using wildcard * to match multiple commands
• Passing command name without quotes

3. What will be the output of the following command?

Get-Command -Module Microsoft.PowerShell.Management | Select-Object -First 2 -Property Name

medium

A. Lists the first two command names from the Microsoft.PowerShell.Management module

B. Lists all commands from all modules

C. Returns an error because -Module is invalid

D. Lists the last two commands from the Microsoft.PowerShell.Management module

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the use of -Module parameter

   -Module Microsoft.PowerShell.Management filters commands to only those in that module.

2. Step 2: Analyze Select-Object usage

   Select-Object -First 2 -Property Name selects only the first two commands and shows their names.

3. Final Answer:

   Lists the first two command names from the Microsoft.PowerShell.Management module -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   -Module filters module, Select-Object picks first 2 names = A [OK]

Hint: Use -Module to filter commands by module name [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it lists all commands from all modules
• Assuming -Module is invalid
• Confusing first two with last two commands

4. You run this command but get an error:

Get-Command -Nam "Get-Process"

What is the most likely cause of the error?

medium

A. Misspelled parameter name; should be -Name instead of -Nam

B. Get-Process is not a valid command

C. You need to run PowerShell as administrator

D. The command requires a module parameter

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the parameter spelling

   The parameter -Nam is misspelled; the correct parameter is -Name.

2. Step 2: Validate command existence and permissions

   Get-Process is a valid command and does not require admin rights or module parameter to run.

3. Final Answer:

   Misspelled parameter name; should be -Name instead of -Nam -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Parameter spelling error causes failure = A [OK]

Hint: Check parameter spelling carefully to avoid errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming command doesn't exist
• Thinking admin rights are needed
• Adding unnecessary parameters

5. You want to find all commands of type 'Cmdlet' that include 'Service' in their name. Which command will correctly do this?

hard

A. Get-Command -CommandType Cmdlet -Module '*Service*'

B. Get-Command -Name '*Service*' -CommandType Cmdlet

C. Get-Command -Name 'Service' -CommandType Cmdlet

D. Get-Command -Filter '*Service*' -Type Cmdlet

Solution

1. Step 1: Use correct parameters for filtering

   -Name '*Service*' uses wildcard to find commands with 'Service' anywhere in the name. -CommandType Cmdlet filters to only cmdlets.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   -Filter and -Type are invalid parameters. Exact name 'Service' won't match commands containing 'Service' as part of the name. -Module '*Service*' filters by module name, not command name.

3. Final Answer:

   Get-Command -Name '*Service*' -CommandType Cmdlet -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use -Name with wildcard and -CommandType = D [OK]

Hint: Combine -Name with wildcard and -CommandType to filter commands [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using invalid parameters like -Filter or -Type
• Not using wildcards to match partial names
• Confusing module filtering with command name filtering