Basic PowerShell Syntax

PowerShell is built on the .NET framework and uses a syntax similar to C#. Here are the basic elements of PowerShell syntax:

Cmdlet: A cmdlet is a pre-built command in PowerShell that performs a specific task. Cmdlets have a verb-noun naming convention, for example, “Get-ChildItem” or “Set-ItemProperty”. Cmdlets can be used alone or with additional parameters.

Parameters: Parameters provide additional information to the cmdlet to modify its behavior or provide additional context. Parameters are added after the cmdlet and are preceded by a hyphen. For example, in the cmdlet “Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Users”, “-Path” is the parameter and “C:\Users” is the value of the parameter.

Variables: Variables are used to store data in PowerShell. Variables start with the “$” symbol, followed by the variable name. For example, “$myVariable”.

Operators: PowerShell supports a wide range of operators for arithmetic, comparison, logical, and other operations. Some examples include “+” for addition, “-“ for subtraction, “-eq” for equality comparison, “-gt” for greater than comparison, “-and” for logical and, and “-or” for logical or.

Comments: Comments are used to add context to PowerShell code and are preceded by the “#” symbol. Comments are ignored by PowerShell when the code is executed.

Here is an example of basic PowerShell syntax:

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Users | Where-Object { $_.Name -like '*john*' } | Select-Object Name, LastWriteTime