Where-Object for filtering in PowerShell - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Output of filtering numbers greater than 5

What is the output of this PowerShell command?

1..10 | Where-Object { $_ -gt 5 }

PowerShell

1..10 | Where-Object { $_ -gt 5 }

A

6
7
8
9
10

B

1
2
3
4
5
6

C

5
6
7
8
9
10

D

1
2
3
4
5

💡 Hint

Remember, Where-Object filters items where the condition is true.

The command filters numbers from 1 to 10, keeping only those greater than 5, which are 6 to 10.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Filtering strings containing 'a'

What is the output of this PowerShell command?

@('apple','banana','cherry','date') | Where-Object { $_ -like '*a*' }

PowerShell

@('apple','banana','cherry','date') | Where-Object { $_ -like '*a*' }

A

banana
cherry
date

B

apple
banana
date

C

apple
cherry

D

cherry
date

💡 Hint

The -like operator checks if the string contains the pattern.

Strings containing the letter 'a' are 'apple', 'banana', and 'date'.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Identify the syntax error in filtering

Which option contains a syntax error in using Where-Object to filter even numbers from 1 to 5?

PowerShell

1..5 | Where-Object { $_ % 2 -eq 0 }

A 1..5 | Where-Object { $_ % 2 = 0 }

B } 0 qe- 2 % _$ { tcejbO-erehW | 5..1

C 1..5 | Where-Object { $_ % 2 -eq 0 }

D ..5 | Where-Object { $_ % 2 -eq 0 }

💡 Hint

Check the operator used for comparison.

Option A uses '=' which is assignment, not comparison, causing a syntax error.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this filter return no results?

Given this command:

@('cat','dog','bird') | Where-Object { $_ -ceq 'Cat' }

Why does it return no output?

PowerShell

@('cat','dog','bird') | Where-Object { $_ -ceq 'Cat' }

A Because -ceq operator is invalid here

B Because the array is empty

C Because PowerShell -ceq string comparison is case-sensitive

D Because the script block is missing a return statement

💡 Hint

Check the case sensitivity of the comparison operator used.

PowerShell's -ceq operator performs case-sensitive string comparisons, so 'cat' does not match 'Cat'.

🚀 Application

expert

Filter processes using Where-Object with multiple conditions

Which command filters processes with CPU usage greater than 100 and process name starting with 's' (case-insensitive)?

A Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.CPU -gt 100 -and $_.Name -like 's*' }

B Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.CPU -gt 100 -or $_.Name -ilike 's*' }

C Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.CPU > 100 -and $_.Name -like 's*' }

D Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.CPU -gt 100 -and $_.Name -ilike 's*' }

💡 Hint

Use the correct operator for case-insensitive matching and logical AND.

Option D uses '-ilike' for case-insensitive matching and '-and' for combining conditions correctly.