Vista - Set-Variable

PS> Set-Variable -name xy -value "orange"
PS> Set-Variable -name xy -description "this variable contains a color"
PS> Get-Variable -name xy
Name Value
---- -----
xy orange

PS> Get-Variable -name xy |format-list -property *
Name : xy
Description : this variable contains a color
Value : orange
Options : None
Attributes : {}

PS> get-variable xy | format-list -property description
Description : this variable contains a color

Why isn't a value returned when I do this? All I get is a prompt.
PS > $xy.description
PS >
Fred Jacobowitz

Fred J. wrote:
> PS> Set-Variable -name xy -value "orange"
> PS> Set-Variable -name xy -description "this variable contains a color"
> PS> Get-Variable -name xy
> Name Value
> ---- -----
> xy orange
>
> PS> Get-Variable -name xy |format-list -property *
> Name : xy
> Description : this variable contains a color
> Value : orange
> Options : None
> Attributes : {}
>
> PS> get-variable xy | format-list -property description
> Description : this variable contains a color
>
> Why isn't a value returned when I do this? All I get is a prompt.
> PS > $xy.description

What you're asking for there is the value of a "description" property of
whatever $xy points to.

If $xy was a DateTime then you can do this:

PS > $xy.Year
2006

But in your case $xy is a string ("orange"), and System.String doesn't
have a property called Description.

I guess get-variable is the only way to get to this "metadata" attached
to a variable in PS.

"Fred J." <swim.instructor@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1161749627.048671.242200@m7g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
> Why isn't a value returned when I do this? All I get is a prompt.
> PS > $xy.description

FYI you can also access the description like this:

6# (Get-Variable xy).Description
this variable contains a color

However to answer you question as to why "$xy" didn't work as you expected,
when you access the variable directly using the syntax "$xy" you are telling
PowerShell that you just want the "value" portion of the variable. You can
confirm this by executing:

> $xy | get-member

You will see that the object emitted by $xy is just a string. If you had
executed "Set-Variable -name xy -value 3.14" then $xy would emit a double.
Now when you execute "Get-Variable xy" you will get the full PowerShell
PSVariable object with all the information about the variable: name, value,
description. For example:

13# Get-Variable xy | gm

TypeName: System.Management.Automation.PSVariable

Name MemberType Definition
---- ---------- ----------
Equals Method System.Boolean Equals(Object obj)
GetHashCode Method System.Int32 GetHashCode()
GetType Method System.Type GetType()
get_Attributes Method
System.Collections.ObjectModel.Collection`1[[Sy...
get_Description Method System.String get_Description()
get_Name Method System.String get_Name()
get_Options Method System.Management.Automation.ScopedItemOptions
....
get_Value Method System.Object get_Value()
IsValidValue Method System.Boolean IsValidValue(Object value)
set_Description Method System.Void set_Description(String value)
set_Options Method System.Void set_Options(ScopedItemOptions
value)
set_Value Method System.Void set_Value(Object value)
ToString Method System.String ToString()
Attributes Property
System.Collections.ObjectModel.Collection`1[[Sy...
Description Property System.String Description {get;set;}
Name Property System.String Name {get;}
Options Property System.Management.Automation.ScopedItemOptions
....
Value Property System.Object Value {get;set;}
OpenHelpTopic ScriptMethod System.Object OpenHelpTopic();

HTH,
Keith

In,

PS> get-variable xy | format-list -property description

get-variable xy will return an object of type PSVariable (representing the
variable itself). Description is a property of this object as you set. That
is why you can get the description property.

But in,

PS> $xy.Description

$xy actually will return the value of variable $xy, which is string
"orange". It doesn't have a description property. That is why you got
nothing back.

You should be getting the same thing with following command,

PS> $xy | format-list -property description

--
George Xie [MSFT]
Microsoft Command Shell Development
Microsoft Corporation
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"Fred J." <swim.instructor@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1161749627.048671.242200@m7g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
> PS> Set-Variable -name xy -value "orange"
> PS> Set-Variable -name xy -description "this variable contains a color"
> PS> Get-Variable -name xy
> Name Value
> ---- -----
> xy orange
>
> PS> Get-Variable -name xy |format-list -property *
> Name : xy
> Description : this variable contains a color
> Value : orange
> Options : None
> Attributes : {}
>
> PS> get-variable xy | format-list -property description
> Description : this variable contains a color
>
> Why isn't a value returned when I do this? All I get is a prompt.
> PS > $xy.description
> PS >
> Fred Jacobowitz
>