PowerShell versions (5.1 vs 7+) - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to check the PowerShell version.

PowerShell

Write-Output $PSVersion[1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A.Minor

B.Major

C.Build

D.Revision

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using .Minor instead of .Major

Trying to print $PSVersion without a property

The .Major property shows the main version number of PowerShell.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to detect if PowerShell version is 7 or higher.

PowerShell

if ($PSVersion[1] -ge 7) { Write-Output 'PowerShell 7 or newer' }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A.Major

B.Minor

C.Build

D.Revision

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Comparing .Minor or .Build instead of .Major

Using -eq instead of -ge for comparison

Checking the major version number lets you know if it's PowerShell 7 or newer.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to get the PowerShell version as a string.

PowerShell

$versionString = $PSVersionTable.PSVersion[1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A.ToNumber()

B.ToInt()

C.ToString()

D.ToVersion()

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using non-existent methods like ToInt() or ToNumber()

Trying to access properties instead of calling a method

The .ToString() method converts the version object to a readable string.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a condition that checks if PowerShell is version 5.1.

PowerShell

if ($PSVersionTable.PSVersion[1] -eq 5 -and $PSVersionTable.PSVersion[2] -eq 1) { Write-Output 'PowerShell 5.1 detected' }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A.Major

B.Minor

C.Build

D.Revision

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Swapping .Major and .Minor

Using .Build or .Revision instead of .Minor

The major version is 5 and the minor version is 1 for PowerShell 5.1.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a dictionary with version parts as keys and their values.

PowerShell

$versionParts = @{ 'Major' = $PSVersionTable.PSVersion[1]; 'Minor' = $PSVersionTable.PSVersion[2]; 'Build' = $PSVersionTable.PSVersion[3] }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A.Major

B.Minor

C.Build

D.Revision

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using .Revision instead of .Build

Mixing up the order of properties

Use .Major, .Minor, and .Build properties to get the respective version numbers.

Practice

1. Which statement correctly describes PowerShell 5.1 compared to PowerShell 7+?

easy

A. PowerShell 7+ is only available on Linux systems.

B. PowerShell 5.1 is Windows-only and comes pre-installed on many Windows PCs.

C. PowerShell 5.1 is cross-platform and faster than PowerShell 7+.

D. PowerShell 7+ is the older version and no longer supported.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand PowerShell 5.1 platform support

   PowerShell 5.1 is built for Windows and comes pre-installed on many Windows machines.

2. Step 2: Compare with PowerShell 7+

   PowerShell 7+ is newer, faster, and supports Windows, Mac, and Linux.

3. Final Answer:

   PowerShell 5.1 is Windows-only and comes pre-installed on many Windows PCs. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   PowerShell 5.1 = Windows-only [OK]

Hint: Remember: 5.1 = Windows-only, 7+ = cross-platform [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking PowerShell 5.1 works on Mac/Linux
• Confusing which version is newer
• Assuming PowerShell 7+ is Windows-only

2. Which of the following is the correct PowerShell command to check your PowerShell version?

easy

A. $PSVersionTable.PSVersion

B. Get-PSVersion

C. Check-PSVersion

D. Show-Version

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the built-in variable for version info

   $PSVersionTable is a built-in variable that holds version details.

2. Step 2: Access the PSVersion property

   Using $PSVersionTable.PSVersion returns the current PowerShell version object.

3. Final Answer:

   $PSVersionTable.PSVersion -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Check version = $PSVersionTable.PSVersion [OK]

Hint: Use $PSVersionTable.PSVersion to see your PowerShell version [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-existent commands like Get-PSVersion
• Confusing variable names
• Trying commands that don't exist in PowerShell

3. What will be the output of this command in PowerShell 7+?

$PSVersionTable.PSVersion.Major

medium

A. 5

B. Error: Property not found

C. 1

D. 7

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the command

   $PSVersionTable.PSVersion returns a version object; .Major accesses the major version number.

2. Step 2: Identify the major version in PowerShell 7+

   PowerShell 7+ means the major version is 7, so the output is 7.

3. Final Answer:

   7 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Major version in PS 7+ = 7 [OK]

Hint: Major version number is the first digit in $PSVersionTable.PSVersion [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming major version is 5 for PowerShell 7+
• Expecting full version string instead of major number
• Thinking .Major property does not exist

4. You run this script in PowerShell 5.1:

if ($PSVersionTable.PSVersion.Major -ge 7) { Write-Output "New version" } else { Write-Output "Old version" }

But it always outputs "Old version" even on PowerShell 7+. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The script is running in PowerShell 5.1, not 7+.

B. The comparison operator -ge is invalid in PowerShell 5.1.

C. $PSVersionTable.PSVersion does not exist in PowerShell 5.1.

D. Write-Output cannot print strings in PowerShell 7+.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the condition logic

   The script checks if major version is 7 or greater to print "New version".

2. Step 2: Understand why it outputs "Old version"

   If it always prints "Old version", the major version is less than 7, meaning the script runs in PowerShell 5.1 or older.

3. Final Answer:

   The script is running in PowerShell 5.1, not 7+. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Output "Old version" means PS version < 7 [OK]

Hint: If condition fails, check which PowerShell version runs the script [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking -ge operator is invalid in 5.1
• Assuming $PSVersionTable.PSVersion is missing in 5.1
• Believing Write-Output behaves differently in 7+

5. You want to write a script that uses a feature only available in PowerShell 7+, but your script might run on 5.1. How should you check the version before running the feature?

hard

A. Use if ($PSVersionTable.PSVersion -eq 7) { # run feature }

B. Use if ($PSVersionTable.Version -gt 7) { # run feature }

C. Use if ($PSVersionTable.PSVersion.Major -ge 7) { # run feature }

D. Use if ($PSVersionTable.PSVersion.Minor -ge 7) { # run feature }

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct property for major version

   $PSVersionTable.PSVersion.Major gives the major version number (5 or 7).

2. Step 2: Use proper comparison operator

   Using -ge 7 checks if version is 7 or higher, suitable for feature gating.

3. Final Answer:

   Use if ($PSVersionTable.PSVersion.Major -ge 7) { # run feature } -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Check major version with .Major and -ge 7 [OK]

Hint: Check major version with .Major and -ge 7 before running features [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Comparing full version object instead of .Major
• Using .Minor instead of .Major for major version check
• Using wrong property like $PSVersionTable.Version