Skip to main content

Use a hash table to create custom objects in PowerShell V3

By

As you continue to develop your skills in PowerShell, you will need to master the art of creating objects.  Objects are the result of your cmdlets efforts, packaged in a way that other cmdlets can use them.  A new feature to PowerShell V3 is the ability to create an object from a hash table.  This method may help with reducing the amount of typing required.

1

2

3

4

$Obj = [PSCustomObject]@{'Prop1'="hello";

'prop2'='World';

'Prop3'=[double]5;

"Prop4" = $True}

 

Line 1 creates the variable $Obj that will store our object.  We set it equal to a hash table of type PSCustomeObject. The PSCustomeObject class is designed for this purpose.  We also add our first property called Prop1 with a value of hello.  The semicolon is used to separate properties.  We could have continued to type the remaining lines on line 1, but the use of the semicolon allows us to break up this single line into multiple lines for better readability.

Line 2 adds a second property called prop2 with a value of World.  PowerShell will automatically select the data type for both of these properties to be of type string when either single or double quotes are used to encapsulate the value.

Line 3 demonstrates how to cast a data type in the hash table.  Normally PowerShell would cast the number 5 as an integer.  In this case we are casting this property to be of type Double.

Line 4 also demonstrates type casting, but in this case as a Boolean value.

Here is our output:

PS C:\powershell> $Obj

 

Prop1 prop2 Prop3 Prop4

----- ----- ----- -----

hello World     5  True

 

And here is the member information of the object.

$Obj | GM

 

   TypeName: System.Management.Automation.PSCustomObject

 

Name        MemberType   Definition                   

----        ----------   ----------                   

Equals      Method       bool Equals(System.Object obj)

GetHashCode Method       int GetHashCode()            

GetType     Method       type GetType()               

ToString    Method       string ToString()            

Prop1       NoteProperty System.String Prop1=hello    

prop2       NoteProperty System.String prop2=World    

Prop3       NoteProperty System.Double Prop3=5        

Prop4       NoteProperty System.Boolean Prop4=True

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to list all the AD LDS instances on a server

By
AD LDS allows you to provide directory services to applications that are free of the confines of Active Directory.  To list all the AD LDS instances on a server, follow this procedure: Log into the server in question Open a command prompt. Type dsdbutil and press Enter Type List Instances and press Enter . You will receive a list of the instance name, both the LDAP and SSL port numbers, the location of the database, and its status.
Post a Comment
Read more

How to run GPResult on a remote client with PowerShell

By
In the past, to run the GPResult command, you would need to either physically visit this client, have the user do it, or use and RDP connection.  In all cases, this will disrupt the user.  First, you need PowerShell remoting enabled on the target machine.  You can do this via Group Policy . Open PowerShell and type this command. Invoke-Command –ScriptBlock {GPResult /r} –ComputerName <ComputerName> Replace <ComputerName> with the name of the target.  Remember, the target needs to be online and accessible to you.
Post a Comment
Read more

Error icon when creating a GPO Preference drive map

By
You may not have an error at all.  Take a look at the drive mapping below. The red triangle is what threw us off.  It is not an error.  It is simply a color representation of the Replace option of the Action field in the properties of the drive mappings. Create action This give you a green triangle. The Create action creates a new mapped drive for users. Replace Action The Replace action gives you a red triangle.  This action will delete and recreate mapped drives for users. The net result of the Replace action is to overwrite all existing settings associated with the mapped drive. If the drive mapping does not exist, then the Replace action creates a new drive mapping. Update Action The Update action will have a yellow triangle. Update will modify settings of an existing mapped drive for users. This action differs from Replace in that it only updates settings defined within the preference item. All other settings remain as configured on the ma...
1 comment
Read more