Custom objects (PSCustomObject) in PowerShell - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this PowerShell code creating a PSCustomObject?

Consider the following PowerShell script:

$obj = [PSCustomObject]@{Name='Alice'; Age=30; City='Seattle'}
$obj | Format-List

What will be the output shown in the console?

PowerShell

$obj = [PSCustomObject]@{Name='Alice'; Age=30; City='Seattle'}
$obj | Format-List

A Name: Alice, Age: 30, City: Seattle

B

Name : Alice
Age  : 30
City : Seattle

C Name=Alice; Age=30; City=Seattle

D @{Name=Alice; Age=30; City=Seattle}

💡 Hint

Think about how Format-List displays properties of an object in PowerShell.

The Format-List cmdlet displays each property on its own line with the format PropertyName : Value. So the output lists Name, Age, and City each on separate lines.

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Which statement about PSCustomObject property types is true?

In PowerShell, when you create a PSCustomObject with properties, which of the following is true about the property types?

A All properties are always strings regardless of assigned value.

B Properties are stored as integers by default.

C Properties keep the data type of the assigned value.

D Properties cannot hold arrays or nested objects.

💡 Hint

Think about how PowerShell handles variable types when assigning values.

PSCustomObject properties keep the data type of the value assigned to them. For example, if you assign an integer, the property is an integer; if you assign a string, it is a string.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this PSCustomObject creation script fail?

Examine this PowerShell code snippet:

$obj = [PSCustomObject]@{Name='Bob' Age=25 City='Boston'}

Why does this script produce an error?

A Hashtable keys must be integers, not strings.

B PSCustomObject cannot be created with string values.

C The variable $obj is reserved and cannot be used.

D Missing semicolons between hashtable key-value pairs cause a syntax error.

💡 Hint

Check the syntax rules for hashtables in PowerShell.

In PowerShell, when defining a hashtable, each key-value pair must be separated by a semicolon or newline. Missing semicolons cause a syntax error.

🚀 Application

advanced

How to add a new property to an existing PSCustomObject?

You have this PSCustomObject:

$person = [PSCustomObject]@{Name='Eve'; Age=28}

Which command correctly adds a new property City with value "Denver" to $person?

A $person | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name City -Value 'Denver'

B $person.City = 'Denver'

C $person += @{City='Denver'}

D $person = $person + @{City='Denver'}

💡 Hint

Think about how to add properties to objects in PowerShell without recreating them.

The Add-Member cmdlet adds a new property to an existing PSCustomObject. Direct assignment like $person.City = 'Denver' does not work because PSCustomObject properties are fixed after creation.

💻 Command Output

expert

What is the output of this script creating nested PSCustomObjects?

Consider this PowerShell script:

$address = [PSCustomObject]@{Street='123 Maple St'; City='Austin'}
$person = [PSCustomObject]@{Name='John'; Age=40; Address=$address}
$person.Address.City

What will be the output?

PowerShell

$address = [PSCustomObject]@{Street='123 Maple St'; City='Austin'}
$person = [PSCustomObject]@{Name='John'; Age=40; Address=$address}
$person.Address.City

A Austin

B Error: Property 'City' not found

C John

D 123 Maple St

💡 Hint

Think about how nested objects work and how to access their properties.

The $person object has a property Address which is itself a PSCustomObject. Accessing $person.Address.City returns the City property of the nested object, which is 'Austin'.