Vista - How can select -first X work, but not select -last X

PS C:\> $authors|select -first 10

$_.header.from
--------------
"microsoft news" <oevinny@hotmail.com>
"v-haos" <v-haos@hotmail.com>
"v-haos" <v-haos@hotmail.com>
mk display name
mk display name
"Community User" <oe1@test.com>
"bvt2" <bvt2@oeexchange.com>
"msnews.microsoft.com" <someone at si-intl.com>
PS C:\> $authors|select -last 10
out-lineoutput : Object of type
"Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Internal.Format.FormatEntryData" is not legal
or not in
the correct sequence. This is likely caused by a user-specified "format-*"
command which is conflicting with the defaul
t formatting.

I don't get it. Can anyone explain?

Marco

It works for me with simple arrays and sequences, even if the count is lower
than the argument of -Last.

Do you see anything suspect if you do this:
$authors | get-member
And what object types are the members of $author?

"Marco Shaw" <marco@Znbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:u7jAwriHHHA.3616@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> PS C:\> $authors|select -first 10
>
> $_.header.from
> --------------
> "microsoft news" <oevinny@hotmail.com>
> "v-haos" <v-haos@hotmail.com>
> "v-haos" <v-haos@hotmail.com>
> mk display name
> mk display name
> "Community User" <oe1@test.com>
> "bvt2" <bvt2@oeexchange.com>
> "msnews.microsoft.com" <someone at si-intl.com>
> PS C:\> $authors|select -last 10
> out-lineoutput : Object of type
> "Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Internal.Format.FormatEntryData" is not
> legal or not in
> the correct sequence. This is likely caused by a user-specified "format-*"
> command which is conflicting with the defaul
> t formatting.
>
> I don't get it. Can anyone explain?
>
> Marco
>

Any chance you could post where you're getting $authors from? (If it isn't
that large that is.) It would make it easier to try to repro.


"Marco Shaw" <marco@Znbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:u7jAwriHHHA.3616@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> PS C:\> $authors|select -first 10
>
> $_.header.from
> --------------
> "microsoft news" <oevinny@hotmail.com>
> "v-haos" <v-haos@hotmail.com>
> "v-haos" <v-haos@hotmail.com>
> mk display name
> mk display name
> "Community User" <oe1@test.com>
> "bvt2" <bvt2@oeexchange.com>
> "msnews.microsoft.com" <someone at si-intl.com>
> PS C:\> $authors|select -last 10
> out-lineoutput : Object of type
> "Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Internal.Format.FormatEntryData" is not
> legal or not in
> the correct sequence. This is likely caused by a user-specified "format-*"
> command which is conflicting with the defaul
> t formatting.
>
> I don't get it. Can anyone explain?
>
> Marco
>

I suspect that $authors was created by:

$authors = $somethinghuge | ft @{ e= { $_.headers.from } }

In that case, $authors actually stores the output of the formatting, not the
objects themselves. If you send formatting records to the host in the wrong
order (such as the table end before the table beginning,) you get the error
you saw.

If you want to filter some properties, you would do:

$authors = $somethinghuge | select { $_.headers.from }

Although that generates a bunch of objects with just a "$_.headers.from"
property. If you want just the authors themselves, you might do:

$authors = $somethinghuge | foreach { $_.headers.from }

However, you might question why you are dropping the data -- the information
you need might be available without having to go through the middle step of
filtering.

--
Lee Holmes [MSFT]
Windows PowerShell Development
Microsoft Corporation
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.



"Marcel J. Ortiz [MSFT]" <mosoto@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:umGBarjHHHA.1248@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Any chance you could post where you're getting $authors from? (If it
> isn't that large that is.) It would make it easier to try to repro.
>
>
> "Marco Shaw" <marco@Znbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
> news:u7jAwriHHHA.3616@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> PS C:\> $authors|select -first 10
>>
>> $_.header.from
>> --------------
>> "microsoft news" <oevinny@hotmail.com>
>> "v-haos" <v-haos@hotmail.com>
>> "v-haos" <v-haos@hotmail.com>
>> mk display name
>> mk display name
>> "Community User" <oe1@test.com>
>> "bvt2" <bvt2@oeexchange.com>
>> "msnews.microsoft.com" <someone at si-intl.com>
>> PS C:\> $authors|select -last 10
>> out-lineoutput : Object of type
>> "Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Internal.Format.FormatEntryData" is not
>> legal or not in
>> the correct sequence. This is likely caused by a user-specified
>> "format-*" command which is conflicting with the defaul
>> t formatting.
>>
>> I don't get it. Can anyone explain?
>>
>> Marco
>>
>
>

> Do you see anything suspect if you do this:
> $authors | get-member
> And what object types are the members of $author?

|gm was ugly...

$authors contains some ugly stuff in the last lines which was likely the
issue...

<bvt2@oeexchange.com>
à,?à,"à,µä,-æ-?
<v-haos1@hotmail.com>
à,?à,"à,µä,-æ-?
"Claus A. Munch" <munchen@disturbed.dk>
need.help.please@aol.com
?$B%K%e!<%9?(B
"asd" <asdfads@ad>
<v-xichen@oeexchange.com>
"D@ny" <dany484-news*STOP-SPAM*@yahoo.it>
<v-haos1@hotmail.com>
<zl991619@hotmail.com>
<prcmc07@hotmail.com>
<prcmc07@hotmail.com>

OK, how are you generating this? Share.

"Marco Shaw" <marco@Znbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:eV95vQlHHHA.1008@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Do you see anything suspect if you do this:
>> $authors | get-member
>> And what object types are the members of $author?
>
> |gm was ugly...
>
> $authors contains some ugly stuff in the last lines which was likely the
> issue...
>
> <bvt2@oeexchange.com>
> à,?à,"à,µä,-æ-?
> <v-haos1@hotmail.com>
> à,?à,"à,µä,-æ-?
> "Claus A. Munch" <munchen@disturbed.dk>
> need.help.please@aol.com
> ?$B%K%e!<%9?(B
> "asd" <asdfads@ad>
> <v-xichen@oeexchange.com>
> "D@ny" <dany484-news*STOP-SPAM*@yahoo.it>
> <v-haos1@hotmail.com>
> <zl991619@hotmail.com>
> <prcmc07@hotmail.com>
> <prcmc07@hotmail.com>
>

"Alex K. Angelopoulos [MVP]" <aka@online.mvps.org> wrote in message
news:%23Cwd5crHHHA.4216@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> OK, how are you generating this? Share.

See thread "Loading 3rd party .NET assembly" from Dec 8th. You'll have to
install the Smilla NNTP .NET libray.

If you're willing to do that, I can provide my code that gets you to the
point where I was at.

Marco

got it, playing with it a bit, but it obviously takes learning some things
to work out my own code. Examples would be wonderful.

"Marco Shaw" <marco@Znbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:uI0%23RDsHHHA.4896@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> "Alex K. Angelopoulos [MVP]" <aka@online.mvps.org> wrote in message
> news:%23Cwd5crHHHA.4216@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> OK, how are you generating this? Share.
>
> See thread "Loading 3rd party .NET assembly" from Dec 8th. You'll have to
> install the Smilla NNTP .NET libray.
>
> If you're willing to do that, I can provide my code that gets you to the
> point where I was at.
>
> Marco
>

"Alex K. Angelopoulos [MVP]" <aka@online.mvps.org> wrote in message
news:Ooxkqs4HHHA.4688@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> got it, playing with it a bit, but it obviously takes learning some things
> to work out my own code. Examples would be wonderful.

>>
>> See thread "Loading 3rd party .NET assembly" from Dec 8th. You'll have
>> to install the Smilla NNTP .NET libray.

If you mean examples to get and post, check out the thread where Jacques
provides a transcript. (Seems Google news/deja.com won't show his
article?!).

Also: http://www.smilla.ru/tutorial.html

Quickly:
$session = new-object smilla.net.nntpclient.session("news.microsoft.com")
$group=$session.getnewsgroup("microsoft.public.nntp.test")
$articles=$group.getarticles($true)
$authors=$articles.getarticlelist()|%{$_.header.from}

Hmm.... I think that was the group I queried... a '$authors|select -last
100' doesn't seem to err out anymore.

I dunno...