So, what’s a PowerShell $Profile got to do with it?

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Added by Jason Helmick August 25, 2011

So, students ask me about my PowerShell $profile that I use in class. They want to know how I got the line numbering, and how I retrieve history commands and re-execute them so quickly

Well, among other things, I added a couple of functions to my $profile that help me out when I’m presenting. First, for my prompt. I didn’t invent the wheel on this, I actually took a look at the help file about_prompt and modified one the examples.

I wanted the prompt to stand out on the console display more, so I threw in the

$Host.UI.Write("Yellow",$Host.UI.RawUI.BackGroundColor,"[PS:$nextCommand]")

<span style="color: #0000ff;">function</span><span style="color: #0000cd;">prompt</span><span style="color: #000000;">{ </span><span style="color: #800080;">$history</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #000000;">@</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">get-history</span><span style="color: #000000;">) </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">if</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #800080;">$history</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span><span style="color: #8b4513;">Count</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">-gt</span><span style="color: #000000;">0</span><span style="color: #000000;">) { </span><span style="color: #800080;">$lastItem</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #800080;">$history</span><span style="color: #000000;">[</span><span style="color: #800080;">$history</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span><span style="color: #8b4513;">Count</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">-</span><span style="color: #000000;">1</span><span style="color: #000000;">] </span><span style="color: #800080;">$lastId</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #800080;">$lastItem</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span><span style="color: #8b4513;">Id</span><span style="color: #000000;"> } </span><span style="color: #800080;">$nextCommand</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #800080;">$lastId</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">+</span><span style="color: #000000;">1</span><span style="color: #008000;">#$currentDirectory = get-location </span><span style="color: #008000;">#&quot;$nextCommand[PS] $currentDirectory&gt;&quot; </span><span style="color: #000080;">$Host</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span><span style="color: #8b4513;">UI</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span><span style="color: #8b4513;">Write</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #800000;">&quot;Yellow&quot;</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #000080;">$Host</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span><span style="color: #8b4513;">UI</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span><span style="color: #8b4513;">RawUI</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span><span style="color: #8b4513;">BackGroundColor</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #800000;">&quot;[PS:$nextCommand]&quot;</span><span style="color: #000000;">) </span><span style="color: #800000;">&quot; &quot;</span><span style="color: #000000;"> }</span>

functionprompt{ $history=@(get-history) if($history.Count-gt0) { $lastItem=$history[$history.Count-1] $lastId=$lastItem.Id } $nextCommand=$lastId+1#$currentDirectory = get-location #"$nextCommand[PS] $currentDirectory>" $Host.UI.Write("Yellow",$Host.UI.RawUI.BackGroundColor,"[PS:$nextCommand]") " " }

The cool part is using Get-History to help me out. I wanted to use a fast-to-type alias that would retrieve and display a previous line number from the function above. I wanted to be able to display it, invoke it, or just copy it to my clipboard so I can paste it into an email or something. (I have the console edit and paste because multiple lines are a bitch to copy.)

So, I think the interesting part is using clip.exe to copy it to the clipboard. Try it out and see what you think!

<span style="color: #0000ff;">function</span><span style="color: #0000cd;">Get-CommandLine</span><span style="color: #000000;"> { [</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">CmdletBinding</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">DefaultParametersetName</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #800000;">Id</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #000000;">)] </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">param</span><span style="color: #000000;">( [</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Parameter</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Position</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #000000;">0</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">ParameterSetName</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #800000;">Id</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">$true</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Mandatory</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">$true</span><span style="color: #000000;">)] [</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Parameter</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Position</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #000000;">0</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">ParameterSetName</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #800000;">Clip</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">$true</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Mandatory</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">$true</span><span style="color: #000000;">)] [</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Parameter</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Position</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #000000;">0</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">ParameterSetName</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #800000;">Invoke</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">$true</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Mandatory</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">$true</span><span style="color: #000000;">)] [</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">string</span><span style="color: #000000;">]</span><span style="color: #800080;">$Id</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #000000;"> [</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Parameter</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Position</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #000000;">1</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">ParameterSetName</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #800000;">Clip</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Mandatory</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">$false</span><span style="color: #000000;">)] [</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">switch</span><span style="color: #000000;">]</span><span style="color: #800080;">$Clip</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #000000;"> [</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Parameter</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Position</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #000000;">1</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">ParameterSetName</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #800000;">Invoke</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">Mandatory</span><span style="color: #ff0000;">=</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">$false</span><span style="color: #000000;">)] [</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">switch</span><span style="color: #000000;">]</span><span style="color: #800080;">$Invoke</span><span style="color: #000000;"> ) </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">process</span><span style="color: #000000;"> { </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">switch</span><span style="color: #000000;">(</span><span style="color: #800080;">$PsCmdlet</span><span style="color: #000000;">.</span><span style="color: #8b4513;">ParameterSetName</span><span style="color: #000000;">) { </span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #800000;">Id</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #000000;"> { </span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">Get-History</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">-Id</span><span style="color: #800080;">$Id</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">|</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">select</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">-ExpandProperty</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">CommandLine</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">;</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">break</span><span style="color: #000000;"> } </span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #800000;">Clip</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #000000;"> { </span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">Get-History</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">-Id</span><span style="color: #800080;">$Id</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">|</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">select</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">-ExpandProperty</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">CommandLine</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">|</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">clip</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">;</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">break</span><span style="color: #000000;"> } </span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #800000;">Invoke</span><span style="color: #800000;">&#39;</span><span style="color: #000000;"> { </span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">Invoke-Expression</span><span style="color: #000000;"> (</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">Get-History</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">-Id</span><span style="color: #800080;">$Id</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">|</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">select</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">-ExpandProperty</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">CommandLine</span><span style="color: #000000;">) } } } }</span>

functionGet-CommandLine { [CmdletBinding(DefaultParametersetName='Id')] param( [Parameter(Position=0,ParameterSetName='Id',ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true,Mandatory=$true)] [Parameter(Position=0,ParameterSetName='Clip',ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true,Mandatory=$true)] [Parameter(Position=0,ParameterSetName='Invoke',ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true,Mandatory=$true)] [string]$Id, [Parameter(Position=1,ParameterSetName='Clip',Mandatory=$false)] [switch]$Clip, [Parameter(Position=1,ParameterSetName='Invoke',Mandatory=$false)] [switch]$Invoke ) process { switch($PsCmdlet.ParameterSetName) { 'Id' { Get-History-Id$Id|select-ExpandPropertyCommandLine;break } 'Clip' { Get-History-Id$Id|select-ExpandPropertyCommandLine|clip;break } 'Invoke' { Invoke-Expression (Get-History-Id$Id|select-ExpandPropertyCommandLine) } } } }

<span style="color: #5f9ea0;">New-Alias</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">gcl</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">Get-CommandLine</span>

1	<span style="color: #5f9ea0;">New-Alias</span><span style="color: #0000ff;">gcl</span><span style="color: #5f9ea0;">Get-CommandLine</span>

So, what’s a PowerShell $Profile got to do with it?