Vista Tutorial - Change Help default behaviour

when i type the help command i want the result to show
as if i typed help with the -full parameter.

can i change the defaults?

$hay
http://scriptolog.blogspot.com

We didn't make that configurable. You can write a function to do this:
function myhelp {$helpcmd = "get-help -full $args" ;invoke-expression
$helpcmd}

You could request this as a feature.
--
Jeffrey Snover [MSFT]
Windows PowerShell Architect
Microsoft Corporation
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, no confers rights.
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You can define your own 'help' function in your profile:

filter help($name, [switch]$full = $true) {
Invoke-Expression ('get-help -Name:$name -full:$full ' + ($args |
join-string " "))
}

Note that I've defined Join-String in my profile as this:

function Join-String([string]$separator = " ", [switch]$empty = $false,
[string[]]$strings = $null)
{
begin
{
$result = "";
$list = New-GenericObject System.Collections.Generic.List string $strings;
}
process
{
if($empty -or $_) { [void]$list.add($_); }
}
end
{
[string]::Join($separator, $list.ToArray());
}
}

Now 'help' displays full help by default; if you want to suppress this,
you can call it with -full:$false :

help Get-Command -Full:$false

Nick


$hay wrote:
> when i type the help command i want the result to show
> as if i typed help with the -full parameter.
>
> can i change the defaults?
>
> $hay
> http://scriptolog.blogspot.com
>
>

Yeah, looks like you don't actually need the join-string.

I would like to request a feature whereby you can set defaults for cmdlet parameters. Something like this, maybe:

Set-CommandDefault -Command:<cmdlet, function, filter> -Parameter:<parameter name> -Value:<some object>

Or perhaps put it in a ps1xml file.

Nick

Jeffrey Snover [MSFT] wrote:
> We didn't make that configurable. You can write a function to do this:
> function myhelp {$helpcmd = "get-help -full $args" ;invoke-expression
> $helpcmd}
>
> You could request this as a feature.

ya...
writing my own function was the first choice, something like

function Get-HelpExamples([string]$cmd) {
& get-help $cmd -examples | more
}
Set-Alias ghe Get-HelpExamples


to get only the examples section

10x all

$hay
http://scriptolog.blogspot.com

Nick,

You can already do what you want using a slightly different technique.

Suppose, as a simple example, you want to make the get-process cmdlet
behave like

get-process -name sql*

Do it like this:

PS Function:\> function get-process {
>> Microsoft.PowerShell.Management\get-process sql*
>> }
>>
PS Function:\> get-process

Handles NPM(K) PM(K) WS(K) VM(M) CPU(s) Id ProcessName
------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ------ -- -----------
383 11 9400 1820 98 12.31 5604 SQLAGENT90
416 6 37968 5124 68 51.88 468 sqlbrowser
332 39 36728 20736 1495 12.09 3484 sqlservr
599 77 160552 135432 1719 197.38 3528 sqlservr
624 18 49316 52168 288 52.66 4476 SqlWb
83 2 940 2220 20 8.45 748 sqlwriter

You need to qualify the name inside the curly braces or you get a loop
that terminates with an error:

PS Function:\> function get-process {
>> get-process
>> }
>>
PS Function:\> get-process
The script failed due to call depth overflow. The call depth reached
101 and the maximum is 100.

When you want to return to default behaviour simply type:

del function:get-process

I hope that helps.

Andrew Watt MVP

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 16:25:43 -0600, Nick Howell
<msnews.1.nlhowell@spamgourmet.com> wrote:

>I would like to request a feature whereby you can set defaults for cmdlet parameters. Something like this, maybe:
>
>Set-CommandDefault -Command:<cmdlet, function, filter> -Parameter:<parameter name> -Value:<some object>
>
>Or perhaps put it in a ps1xml file.

Oops. Typo in my earlier post. The code that gives an error due to a
potentially infinite loop should read :

PS Function:\> function get-process {
>> get-process sql*
>> }
>>

Andrew Watt MVP

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 14:21:27 +0000, "Andrew Watt [MVP]"
<SVGDeveloper@aol.com> wrote:

>Nick,
>
>You can already do what you want using a slightly different technique.
>
>Suppose, as a simple example, you want to make the get-process cmdlet
>behave like
>
>get-process -name sql*
>
>Do it like this:
>
>PS Function:\> function get-process {
>>> Microsoft.PowerShell.Management\get-process sql*
>>> }
>>>
>PS Function:\> get-process
>
>Handles NPM(K) PM(K) WS(K) VM(M) CPU(s) Id ProcessName
>------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ------ -- -----------
> 383 11 9400 1820 98 12.31 5604 SQLAGENT90
> 416 6 37968 5124 68 51.88 468 sqlbrowser
> 332 39 36728 20736 1495 12.09 3484 sqlservr
> 599 77 160552 135432 1719 197.38 3528 sqlservr
> 624 18 49316 52168 288 52.66 4476 SqlWb
> 83 2 940 2220 20 8.45 748 sqlwriter
>
>You need to qualify the name inside the curly braces or you get a loop
>that terminates with an error:
>
>PS Function:\> function get-process {
>>> get-process
>>> }
>>>
>PS Function:\> get-process
>The script failed due to call depth overflow. The call depth reached
>101 and the maximum is 100.
>
>When you want to return to default behaviour simply type:
>
>del function:get-process
>
>I hope that helps.
>
>Andrew Watt MVP
>
>On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 16:25:43 -0600, Nick Howell
><msnews.1.nlhowell@spamgourmet.com> wrote:
>
>>I would like to request a feature whereby you can set defaults for cmdlet parameters. Something like this, maybe:
>>
>>Set-CommandDefault -Command:<cmdlet, function, filter> -Parameter:<parameter name> -Value:<some object>
>>
>>Or perhaps put it in a ps1xml file.

Didn't think of using a fully qualified cmdlet; nice trick!

Nick

Andrew Watt [MVP] wrote:
> Oops. Typo in my earlier post. The code that gives an error due to a
> potentially infinite loop should read :
>
> PS Function:\> function get-process {
>>> get-process sql*
>>> }
>>>
>
> Andrew Watt MVP
>
> On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 14:21:27 +0000, "Andrew Watt [MVP]"
> <SVGDeveloper@aol.com> wrote:
>
>> Nick,
>>
>> You can already do what you want using a slightly different technique.
>>
>> Suppose, as a simple example, you want to make the get-process cmdlet
>> behave like
>>
>> get-process -name sql*
>>
>> Do it like this:
>>
>> PS Function:\> function get-process {
>>>> Microsoft.PowerShell.Management\get-process sql*
>>>> }
>>>>
>> PS Function:\> get-process
>>
>> Handles NPM(K) PM(K) WS(K) VM(M) CPU(s) Id ProcessName
>> ------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ------ -- -----------
>> 383 11 9400 1820 98 12.31 5604 SQLAGENT90
>> 416 6 37968 5124 68 51.88 468 sqlbrowser
>> 332 39 36728 20736 1495 12.09 3484 sqlservr
>> 599 77 160552 135432 1719 197.38 3528 sqlservr
>> 624 18 49316 52168 288 52.66 4476 SqlWb
>> 83 2 940 2220 20 8.45 748 sqlwriter
>>
>> You need to qualify the name inside the curly braces or you get a loop
>> that terminates with an error:
>>
>> PS Function:\> function get-process {
>>>> get-process
>>>> }
>>>>
>> PS Function:\> get-process
>> The script failed due to call depth overflow. The call depth reached
>> 101 and the maximum is 100.
>>
>> When you want to return to default behaviour simply type:
>>
>> del function:get-process
>>
>> I hope that helps.
>>
>> Andrew Watt MVP
>>
>> On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 16:25:43 -0600, Nick Howell
>> <msnews.1.nlhowell@spamgourmet.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I would like to request a feature whereby you can set defaults for cmdlet parameters. Something like this, maybe:
>>>
>>> Set-CommandDefault -Command:<cmdlet, function, filter> -Parameter:<parameter name> -Value:<some object>
>>>
>>> Or perhaps put it in a ps1xml file.