Command discovery (Get-Command) in PowerShell - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the PowerShell cmdlet <code>Get-Command</code> do?

Get-Command helps you find commands available in PowerShell. It shows cmdlets, functions, scripts, and applications you can run.

beginner

How can you use Get-Command to find all commands that start with 'Get-'?

Use Get-Command Get-*. The asterisk * is a wildcard that matches any characters after 'Get-'.

intermediate

What type of commands can Get-Command discover?

It finds cmdlets, functions, workflows, aliases, scripts, and applications available in your PowerShell session.

beginner

How do you find the command that runs a specific executable, like 'notepad'?

Use Get-Command notepad. It shows the path and details of the executable.

intermediate

What information does Get-Command provide about a command?

It shows the command's name, type (cmdlet, function, application), module it belongs to, and its path if applicable.

Which cmdlet helps you find available commands in PowerShell?

A Find-Command

B Get-Command

C Show-Command

D Search-Command

Get-Command is the correct cmdlet to discover commands in PowerShell.

What does Get-Command Get-* do?

A Deletes commands starting with 'Get-'

B Runs all commands starting with 'Get-'

C Finds all commands starting with 'Get-'

D Lists commands ending with '*'

The asterisk * is a wildcard to match any characters, so it finds commands starting with 'Get-'.

Which command type is NOT found by Get-Command?

A Cmdlets

B Functions

C Applications

D Database tables

Get-Command does not find database tables; it finds commands like cmdlets, functions, and applications.

How do you find the path of the 'notepad' executable using PowerShell?

A Get-Command notepad

B Find-Path notepad

C Show-Path notepad

D Get-Path notepad

Get-Command notepad shows the executable's path and details.

What info does Get-Command NOT provide about a command?

A Command execution time

B Command type

C Module name

D Command name

Get-Command does not show execution time; it shows name, type, module, and path.

Explain how you would use Get-Command to discover commands related to file management.

Think about searching commands with names containing 'File'.

Describe the types of commands that Get-Command can find and why this is useful.

Consider the variety of command types in PowerShell.

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