Professional Windows® PowerShell for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1

Chapter 1: Getting Started with Windows PowerShell

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Using this procedure you can enter complex, mistake - free cmdlet names using a minimal number of

characters and Tab keystrokes. One major benefit of tab expansion is you don ’ t have to remember exact

cmdlet names as long as you can enter at least the verb name followed by a few letters of the noun name.

Tab expansion works for parameter names in the same manner. This works especially well when you

don ’ t know all the possible parameter names a cmdlet is using. To cycle through all the parameter names

type a hyphen and press the Tab key repeatedly. When the correct parameter name appears, continue

typing to enter the parameter value as applicable.

Be careful when using this procedure because Windows PowerShell does not validate the parameter

names entered on the command line until the command is parsed at run time. Using tab expansion it is

possible to inadvertently enter the same parameter name twice, causing the command to fail.

Using Cmdlet Aliases

Windows PowerShell allows you to refer to cmdlets using a shorter, simpler name called an alias. The

default installation of Windows PowerShell comes complete with several predefined alias names that

approximate a similar function in other command shells.

You may have already noticed that Windows PowerShell accepts

dir as a command to display items in

the current location. ...