Get-Help

Get-Help [-Full] [[-Name] <string>] [-Category <string[]>] [-Component <string[]>] [-Functionality <string[]>] [-Online] [-Path <string>] [-Role <string[]>] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Help [-Detailed] [[-Name] <string>] [-Category <string[]>] [-Component <string[]>] [-Functionality <string[]>] [-Online] [-Path <string>] [-Role <string[]>] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Help [-Examples] [[-Name] <string>] [-Category <string[]>] [-Component <string[]>] [-Functionality <string[]>] [-Online] [-Path <string>] [-Role <string[]>] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Help [-Parameter <string>] [[-Name] <string>] [-Category <string[]>] [-Component <string[]>] [-Functionality <string[]>] [-Online] [-Path <string>] [-Role <string[]>] [<CommonParameters>]

C:\PS>get-help

This command displays help about the Windows PowerShell help system.

C:\PS>get-help *

This command displays a list of all help files in the Windows PowerShell help system.

C:\PS>get-help get-alias

C:\PS>help get-alias

C:\PS>get-alias -?

These commands display basic information about the get-alias cmdlet. The "Get-Help" and "-?" commands display the information on a single page. The "Help" command displays the information one page at a time.

C:\PS>get-help about_*

This command displays a list of the conceptual topics included in Windows PowerShell help. All of these topics begin with the characters "about_". To display a particular help file, type "get-help <topic-name>, for example, "get-help about_signing".

C:\PS>get-help ls -detailed

This command displays detailed help for the Get-ChildItem cmdlet by specifying one of its aliases, "ls." The Detailed parameter requests the detailed view of the help file, which includes parameter descriptions and examples. To see the complete help file for a cmdlet, use the Full parameter.

C:\PS>get-help format-string -full

This command displays the full view help for the Format-String cmdlet. The full view of help includes parameter descriptions, examples, and a table of technical details about the parameters.

C:\PS>get-help start-service -examples

This command displays examples of using start-service in Windows PowerShell commands.

C:\PS>get-help get-childitem -parameter f*

This command displays descriptions of the parameters of the Get-ChildItem cmdlet that begin with "f" (filter and force). For descriptions of all parameters, type "get-help get-childitem parameter*".

C:\PS>(get-help write-output).syntax

This command displays only the syntax of the Write-Output cmdlet. 

Syntax is one of many properties of help objects; others are description, details, examples, and parameters. To find all properties and methods of help objects, type "get-help <cmdlet-name> | get-member"; for example, "get-help start-service | get member".

C:\PS>(get-help trace-command).alertset

This command displays the notes about the cmdlet. The notes are stored in the alertSet property of the help object.

The notes include conceptual information and tips for using the cmdlet. By default, the notes are displayed only when you use the Full parameter of Get-Help, but you can also display them by using the alertSet property.

C:\PS>get-help add-member -full | out-string -stream | select-string -pattern clixml

This example shows how to search for a word in particular cmdlet help topic. This command searches for the word "clixml" in the full version of the help topic for the Add-Member cmdlet. 

Because the Get-Help cmdlet generates a MamlCommandHelpInfo object, not a string, you need to use a command that transforms the help topic content into a string, such as Out-String or Out-File.

C:\PS>get-help get-member -online

This command displays the online version of the help topic for the Get-Member cmdlet.

C:\PS>get-help remoting

This command displays a list of topics that include the word "remoting" in their contents. 

When you enter a word that does not appear in any topic title, Get-Help displays a list of topics that include that word.

C:\PS>get-help get-item -path SQLSERVER:\DataCollection

NAME
    Get-Item

SYNOPSIS
    Gets a collection of Server objects for the local computer and any computers to which you have made a SQL Server PowerShell connection.       
...

C:\PS> cd SQLSERVER:\DataCollection
C:\PS> SQLSERVER:\DataCollection> get-help get-item


NAME
    Get-Item

SYNOPSIS
    Gets a collection of Server objects for the local computer and any computers to which you have made a SQL Server PowerShell connection.       
...


C:\PS> Get-Item

NAME
    Get-Item

SYNOPSIS
    Gets the item at the specified location.

...


Description
-----------
This example shows how to get help for the Get-Item cmdlet that explains how to use the cmdlet in the DataCollection node of the Windows PowerShell SQL Server provider.

The example shows two ways of getting the custom help for Get-Item. 

The first command uses the Path parameter of Get-Help to specify the provider path. This command can be entered at any path location.

The second command uses the Set-Location cmdlet (alias = "cd") to go to the provider path. From that location, even without the Path parameter, the Get-Help command gets the custom help for the provider path.

The third command shows that a Get-Help command in a file system path, and without the Path parameter, gets the standard help for the Get-Item cmdlet.

C:\PS>get-help c:\ps-test\MyScript.ps1

This command gets help for the MyScript.ps1 script. For information about writing help for your functions and scripts, see about_Comment_Based_Help.