PowerShell Formatting

Formatting Cmdlet	Description	Syntax	Example
Format-Table	Displays output in a tabular format, allowing customization of columns and their order.	“`<command>	Format-Table <columns>“`
Format-List	Displays output as a list, showing each property on a new line. Ideal for detailed outputs with many properties.	“`<command>	Format-List <properties>“`
Format-Wide	Displays output in a wide format, showing only one property for each object across the console window.	“`<command>	Format-Wide <property>“`
Format-Custom	Provides a custom format for displaying objects, useful for specific, non-standard views.	“`<command>	Format-Custom“`
Out-String	Converts objects into their string representation. Useful for converting structured data into simple text.	“`<command>	Out-String“`
Out-File	Sends output to a file, saving the formatted output to disk.	“`<command>	Out-File <path>“`
Out-GridView	Sends output to an interactive table in a separate window. Ideal for data exploration in GUI mode.	“`<command>	Out-GridView“`
Out-Host	Sends output directly to the console (default behavior). Useful when managing the display of long outputs.	“`<command>	Out-Host -Paging“`
Out-Null	Suppresses output, effectively discarding it.	“`<command>	Out-Null“`
Select-Object	Selects specific properties of an object to be displayed. Useful for limiting the output to only relevant information.	“`<command>	Select-Object <properties>“`
Group-Object	Groups objects based on a specified property. Useful for summarizing and organizing data.	“`<command>	Group-Object <property>“`
Sort-Object	Sorts objects by specified properties, either in ascending or descending order.	“`<command>	Sort-Object <property>“`
Measure-Object	Calculates statistical properties (e.g., count, sum, average) of numeric data in objects.	“`<command>	Measure-Object <property>“`

Advanced Formatting Techniques

Advanced Formatting Technique	Description	Syntax	Example
Custom Views with Format-Custom	Allows creating and applying custom views for objects, ideal for highly tailored output formats.	“`<command>	Format-Custom -View <viewName>“`
Custom Formatting with Select-Object and Calculated Properties	Allows the creation of custom properties on the fly, which can include calculated values and custom labels.	“`<command>	Select-Object @{Label=”LabelName”; Expression={<code>}}“`
Conditional Formatting with Format-Table	Enables the application of conditional logic to determine the format of specific output values.	“`<command>	Format-Table @{Label=”PropertyName”; Expression={<code>}; Width=<number>; Alignment=<Left
Format-Table with AutoSize and Wrap	Adjusts the output of a table to fit within the console width, wrapping text as necessary.	“`<command>	Format-Table -AutoSize -Wrap“`
Custom Output Formatting with Out-String	Converts complex objects into formatted strings for custom output, often used for logging or display purposes.	“`<command>	Out-String -Width <number>“`
Advanced Grouping and Formatting with Group-Object	Groups objects and then applies additional formatting, such as sorting or custom calculations within groups.	“`<command>	Group-Object <property>
Custom Format XML Files	Use format XML files to define custom views for objects, providing reusable formats across different scripts and environments.	Update-FormatData -PrependPath <path-to-format.ps1xml>	powershell<br>Update-FormatData -PrependPath "C:\CustomFormats\MyFormat.ps1xml"<br>
Using Format-Table with Nested Properties	Allows access to and formatting of nested properties within complex objects.	“`<command>	Format-Table <Property1>, @{Label=”NestedProp”; Expression={$_.<Property>.<NestedProperty>}}“`
Combining Format-Table with Out-String and Exporting	Generates formatted output strings and exports them to a file, useful for generating reports or logs.	“`<command>	Format-Table
Dynamic Property Creation and Sorting	Dynamically creates and sorts objects based on calculated properties during runtime, enabling complex output manipulation.	“`<command>	Select-Object @{Label=”LabelName”; Expression={<code>}}