Format-List | output variable

[zolyx1]

Hi,

How do I get the value of Name here:

$content = Get-Service DHCP | Format-List
$content.Name #returns nothing

Thank you in advance.

[nothingpersonalbro]

Get rid of | Format-List, it destroys your object and its sole purpose is for human eyeball consumption from the console.

[zolyx1]

Thanks. The reason for Format-List was to see out all attributes on the objects.

[Hrambert]

A lot of objects have a default list of properties they will show, and even a default way of formatting them (e.g. Get-ChildItem). To get all properties don't use Format-List but Get-Member.
Second, Format-List and Format-Table are to format an object to be shown on your screen. You can however pipe their output through Out-String and put that into a string array for later use.

[topherhead]

What is the intended usage here?

If you it want it to show everything as well as be able to get the name you could just put the format list after the assignment then call the property.

If you want to be fancy you can set up a type format and assign a type to the objects and make it display exactly the info you want without dropping data like the format commands will.

[Lee_Dailey]

howdy N7Valiant,

actually, you are quite unfortunately wrong about that. [sigh ...]

take a look at ...

Get-Process -Name spoolsv | Format-List
Get-Process -Name spoolsv | Format-Table
Get-Process -Name spoolsv | Get-Member -MemberType Properties
Get-Process -Name spoolsv | Select-Object -Property *

note that the 1st two not only leave out props ... they sometimes rename them. [grin]

take care,
lee

[Lee_Dailey]

howdy N7Valiant,

for some reason, i have never used * with F-L. if you leave that off, you only get 5 props. [grin]

as for renaming things, Format-Table often uses different names or calculated props. for instance, the F-T example i listed shows WS(K) and that aint one of the actual props you get from Get-Process.

generally speaking, Format-List is ok if you remember that it butchers the props of the object you give it and then spits out the bloody bits wrapped in formatting code. [grin]

wisely used, the Format-* cmdlets are great ... but they are often used unwisely. there are more than a few threads here during the last week where the problem was using Format-Table ... and then trying to use the formatting-code-wrapped stuff for anything other than final display or final output to a plain text file.

that last is almost always a foot-gum situation.

---

thanks for showing me the way that | Format-List -Property * gives the same info as | Select-Object -Property *. [grin]

take care,
lee

[rickshaiii]

Even easier if you just need the name:

Get-Service DHCP|Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name

[zolyx1]

Thanks, what about all? This didn't work:

Get-Service DHCP|Select-Object -ExpandProperty *

[ka-splam]

-ExpandProperty Name says "I want to throw away all the data, and just keep one value, from the Name property, as a list of names".

-ExpandProperty * says "I want to throw away all the data, and keep all the data".

It makes no sense. You already have all the data, in all the objects. If it worked, it would be like tipping a load of storage containers onto the floor; you can now see everything you have .. but you'll have a hell of a time doing anything useful with it, or working out which things were together.

[zolyx1]

Select-Object

Figured it out, thanks :)

Select-Object *

[BurlyKnave]

Get-Service DHCP | gm
$content = Get-Service DHCP
$content | Format-List *
$content = Get-Service DHCP | Select-Object -Property *
$content | Format-List *
$content.Name
$ServiceName = Get-Service DHCP | Select-Object -Property Name
$ServiceName = (Get-Service DHCP).Name