I wanted to set an alias for listing files in the directory, but Set-Alias -name lf -value ls -file does not seem to work. I intend to use this the Unix alias way.
An alias can't do that. From the help for Set-Alias:
You can create an alias for a cmdlet, but you cannot create an alias for a command that consists of a cmdlet and its parameters.
However, using a technique called "splatting", a function can do it easily:
function lf {
ls -file #args
}
For more information, see help about_splatting.
Example 5 from Get-Help Set-Alias -Full is what you want:
Function lsfile {Get-Childitem -file}
Set-Alias lf lsfile
Append to the answer from #mike-z .
You can put the function definition into the PowerShell profile so that you can reuse it opening shell again.
test-path $profile
// Ensure it doesn't exists before creating the profile!
new-item -path $profile -itemtype file -force
notepad $profile
Simply put the code into the file:
function lf { ls -file #args }
You can check the details from official documentation.
Related
I want to create an alias in Windows PowerShell to delete multiple folders from the command line.
To remove more than one item I call:
Remove-Item '.\Documents\*\Bin\' ,'.\Documents\*\Inter\' -Force -Recurse
I have tried to create the alias like this:
New-Alias -Name 'Clean-RCD' Remove-Item '.\Documents\*\Bin\' ,'.\Documents\*\Inter\' -Force -Recurse
Output:
New-Alias: A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument 'System.Object[]'.
Any idea how to define this alias correctly?
Unlike in bash, aliases in PowerShell are strict 1-to-1 command name mappings - no extra parameter arguments allowed.
You'll want to create a function instead:
function Clean-RCD {
Remove-Item -Path '~\Documents\*\Bin', '~\Documents\*\Inter\' -Force -Recurse
}
Use of ~ (which resolves to your home folder) over . is intentional - this way it'll still work if you've navigated to a different path
Why such alias doesn't work? In my opinion there is problem with duplicated quotation marks.
New-Alias -Name "chrome" -Value ""C:\Program Files
(x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"
--user-data-dir="%APPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data" --disk-cache-dir="%LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data""
To add to #boxdog's comment, pointing to the alias documentation, you must point your alias to a function if you want parameters.
Consider adding this to your $profile to accomplish your goal:
function Start-Chrome {
$argList = #(
"--user-data-dir=`"$Env:AppData\Google\Chrome\User Data`""
"--disk-cache-dir=`"$Env:LocalAppData\Google\Chrome\User Data`""
)
& "${Env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" #argList
}
New-Alias -Name chrome -Value Start-Chrome
I found that there are two different cmdlets : New-Item and mkdir, firstly I was thinking that mkdir is one of aliases of New-Item, but it is not:
Try to get aliases of it, it is md for mkdir and ni for New-Item :
So I am a little bit confused, what the difference between that cmdlets, because powershell reference gives me almost the same pages: mkdir, New-Item
But New-Item is in Microsoft.PowerShell.Management and mkdir in Microsoft.PowerShell.Core , but the do the same(or not?)! Why there are two same cmdlets in powershell?
New-Item is a cmdlet, defined in an assembly, which creates new objects - both files and directories. mkdir is a function which calls New-Item to create directories specifically. It is provided for convenience to shell users who are familiar with Windows CMD or unix shell command mkdir
To see the definition of mkdir use Get-Content Function:\mkdir. You can see that it calls New-Item under the covers, after some parameter and pipeline management. Using PS 5.0:
$wrappedCmd = $ExecutionContext.InvokeCommand.GetCommand('New-Item', [System.Management.Automation.CommandTypes]::Cmdlet)
$scriptCmd = {& $wrappedCmd -Type Directory #PSBoundParameters }
Both of the following commands will create a new directory named foo in the root of C:\. The second form is familiar to people coming from other shells (and shorter to type). The first form is idiomatic PowerShell.
PS> New-Item -Path C:\foo -Type Directory
PS> mkdir C:\foo
Because mkdir hardcodes the -Type Directory parameter, it can only be used to create directories. There is no equivalent mkfile built-in function. To create files, use New-Item -Type File, or another cmdlet such as Out-File.
My PowerShell prompt's currently pointed to my C drive (PS C:\>). How do I change directory to a folder on my Q (PS Q:\>) drive?
The folder name on my Q drive is "My Test Folder".
Unlike the CMD.EXE CHDIR or CD command, the PowerShell Set-Location cmdlet will change drive and directory, both. Get-Help Set-Location -Full will get you more detailed information on Set-Location, but the basic usage would be
PS C:\> Set-Location -Path Q:\MyDir
PS Q:\MyDir>
By default in PowerShell, CD and CHDIR are alias for Set-Location.
(Asad reminded me in the comments that if the path contains spaces, it must be enclosed in quotes.)
To go directly to that folder, you can use the Set-Location cmdlet or cd alias:
Set-Location "Q:\My Test Folder"
Multiple posted answer here, but probably this can help who is newly using PowerShell
SO if any space is there in your directory path do not forgot to add double inverted commas "".
You can simply type Q: and that should solve your problem.
Set-Location -Path 'Q:\MyDir'
In PowerShell cd = Set-Location
You can also use the sl command to be able to change directories. It is Set-Location but it is much shorter.
Example:
# Too verbose
Set-Location -Path C:\
# Just the right amount of characters to type
sl C:\
If your Folder inside a Drive contains spaces In Power Shell you can Simply Type the command then drive name and folder name within Single Quotes(''):
Set-Location -Path 'E:\FOLDER NAME'
The Screenshot is attached here
On Powershell use Set-Location instead of cd.
Put path in quotes. Single quotes works for me.
Set-Location 'C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\6.0'
Starting up notepad++ or many other GUI applications in Windows that will accepted fully qualified filenames of documents on the command line, but which do not accept them if they are not fully qualified, is often done in DOS/Windows batch files like this:
#echo off
start "notepad++" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" %*
The above, if saved as "npp.cmd" will let you type "npp foo.txt" and it will work.
Note that without the npp.cmd, even typing out the full path to the exe, but not fully qualifying the file to edit doesn't work, like this:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" foo.txt
This however, DOES work:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" c:\users\warren\foo.txt
A way to easily work around this limitation is to make a batch file (.cmd) as shown at the top of this file. I'm learning PowerShell and trying to find the equivalent magic to the "start .... %*" incantation in the batchfile at the top. I believe it would have to be a 'powershell function'.
Here's what I have so far:
new-item -path alias:nppapp -value "C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\notepad++.exe"
function npp { nppapp $args }
The above is equivalent, in the end to simply an alias, because $args is really not equivalent to %*, in that it does not do parameter expansion. I think I need something like this:
new-item -path alias:nppapp -value "C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\notepad++.exe"
function npp { nppapp globexpand($args) }
globexpand is of course, a placeholder, for some kind of expansion/globbing routine, which I haven't been able to find yet in PowerShell.
try this:
new-item -path alias:nppapp -value "C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\notepad++.exe"
function npp { nppapp (join-path -Path $pwd -ChildPath $args[0]) }
$pwd is an automatic variable with the current working path as value
Edit:
function npp {
if ($args[0] -match '.:\\.+')
{
nppapp $args[0]
}
else
{
nppapp (join-path -Path $pwd -ChildPath $args[0]) }
}