Get-Member for object inspection in PowerShell - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Get-Member for object inspection

Run Get-Command or Get-Process

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Pipe output to Get-Member

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Get-Member inspects object

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List properties and methods

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User reads object details

Get-Member takes objects from a command and shows their properties and methods so you can understand what you can do with them.

Execution Sample

PowerShell

Get-Process | Get-Member

This command shows all properties and methods of the objects output by Get-Process.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Input	Output
1	Run Get-Process	None	List of process objects
2	Pipe output to Get-Member	Process objects	Get-Member receives objects
3	Get-Member inspects first object	One process object	List of properties and methods
4	Display properties and methods	List of members	User sees object details
5	End	No more objects needed	Execution stops

💡 Get-Member inspects one object type and lists members, then stops.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	Final
Output	None	Process objects list	Process objects passed to Get-Member	Member list extracted	Member list displayed

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does Get-Member only show one set of properties and methods even if many objects are piped?

Get-Member inspects the first object type it receives and shows its members. It does not list members for each object separately. See execution_table row 3.

What is the difference between properties and methods shown by Get-Member?

Properties are data values of the object, like 'Id' or 'Name'. Methods are actions the object can perform, like 'Kill()'. This is shown in the output at execution_table row 4.

Can Get-Member change the objects it inspects?

No, Get-Member only reads the object structure and lists members. It does not modify the objects. This is why output remains unchanged after inspection (see variable_tracker).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what does Get-Member receive as input at Step 2?

A List of properties and methods

B No input

C List of process objects

D User commands

💡 Hint

Check execution_table row 2 under Input column.

At which step does Get-Member display the properties and methods to the user?

A Step 3

B Step 4

C Step 1

D Step 5

💡 Hint

See execution_table row 4 under Action and Output.

If Get-Process outputs no objects, what will Get-Member show?

A No output because no objects to inspect

B Error message

C List of properties and methods of the first object

D All properties and methods of all objects

💡 Hint

Think about what happens if Get-Member receives no input objects.

Concept Snapshot

Get-Member inspects objects passed through the pipeline.
It shows properties (data) and methods (actions) of the object.
It only inspects the first object type it receives.
Use it to explore what you can do with command outputs.
Syntax: <command> | Get-Member
Example: Get-Process | Get-Member

Full Transcript

Get-Member is a PowerShell command that helps you see what properties and methods an object has. When you run a command like Get-Process, it outputs objects representing running processes. By piping these objects to Get-Member, you ask PowerShell to look inside one of these objects and list all the data fields (properties) and actions (methods) it supports. This helps you understand what you can do with these objects in your scripts. Get-Member only looks at the first object it receives and shows its members. It does not change the objects or list members for each object separately. This makes it a useful tool to explore and learn about objects in PowerShell.