Windows PowerShell command on Get-command Get-Module

NAME

Get-Module

SYNOPSIS

Gets the modules that have been imported or that can be imported into the current session.

SYNTAX

Get-Module [[-Name] ] [-All] [-FullyQualifiedName ] []

Get-Module [[-Name] ] [-All] [-FullyQualifiedName ] -ListAvailable [-PSEdition

] [-Refresh] []

Get-Module [[-Name] ] [-CimNamespace ] [-CimResourceUri ] -CimSession

[-FullyQualifiedName ] [-ListAvailable] [-Refresh] []

Get-Module [[-Name] ] [-FullyQualifiedName ] [-ListAvailable] [-PSEdition

] -PSSession [-Refresh] []

DESCRIPTION

The Get-Module cmdlet gets the Windows PowerShell modules that have been imported, or that can be imported, into a

Windows PowerShell session. The module object that Get-Module returns contains valuable information about the

module. You can also pipe the module objects to other cmdlets, such as the Import-Module and Remove-Module cmdlets.

Without parameters, Get-Module gets modules that have been imported into the current session. To get all installed

modules, specify the ListAvailable parameter. Get-Module gets modules, but it does not import them. Starting in

Windows PowerShell 3.0, modules are automatically imported when you use a command in the module, but a Get-Module

command does not trigger an automatic import. You can also import the modules into your session by using the

Import-Module cmdlet.

Starting in Windows PowerShell 3.0, you can get and then, import modules from remote sessions into the local session. This strategy uses the Implicit Remoting feature of Windows PowerShell and is equivalent to using the

Import-PSSession cmdlet. When you use commands in modules imported from another session, the commands run

implicitly in the remote session. This feature lets you manage the remote computer from the local session.

Also, starting in Windows PowerShell 3.0, you can use Get-Module and Import-Module to get and import Common

Information Model (CIM) modules, in which the cmdlets are defined in Cmdlet Definition XML (CDXML) files. This

feature lets you use cmdlets that are implemented in non-managed code assemblies, such as those written in C++.

With these new features, the Get-Module and Import-Module cmdlets become primary tools for managing heterogeneous

enterprises that include computers that run the Windows operating system and computers that run other operating systems. To manage remote computers that run the Windows operating system that have Windows PowerShell and Windows PowerShell remoting enabled, create a PSSession on the remote computer and then use the PSSession parameter of

Get-Module to get the Windows PowerShell modules in the PSSession . When you import the modules, and then use the

imported commands in the current session, the commands run implicitly in the PSSession on the remote computer. You can use this strategy to manage the remote computer. You can use a similar strategy to manage computers that do not have Windows PowerShell remoting enabled. These include computers that are not running the Windows operating system, and computers that have Windows PowerShell but do not have Windows PowerShell remoting enabled. Start by creating a CIM session on the remote computer. A CIM session is a connection to Windows Management

Instrumentation (WMI) on the remote computer. Then use the CIMSession parameter of Get-Module to get CIM modules

from the CIM session. When you import a CIM module by using the Import-Module cmdlet and then run the imported

commands, the commands run implicitly on the remote computer. You can use this WMI and CIM strategy to manage the remote computer.

PARAMETERS

-All []

Indicates that this cmdlet gets all modules in each module folder, including nested modules, manifest (.psd1)

files, script module (.psm1) files, and binary module (.dll) files. Without this parameter, Get-Module gets

only the default module in each module folder. Required? false Position? named Default value False Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-CimNamespace

Specifies the namespace of an alternate CIM provider that exposes CIM modules. The default value is the namespace of the Module Discovery WMI provider. Use this parameter to get CIM modules from computers and devices that are not running the Windows operating system. This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0. Required? false Position? named Default value None Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-CimResourceUri

Specifies an alternate location for CIM modules. The default value is the resource URI of the Module Discovery WMI provider on the remote computer. Use this parameter to get CIM modules from computers and devices that are not running the Windows operating system. This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0. Required? false Position? named Default value None Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-CimSession

Specifies a CIM session on the remote computer. Enter a variable that contains the CIM session or a command

that gets the CIM session, such as a Get-CIMSessionhttp://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=227966 command.

Get-Module uses the CIM session connection to get modules from the remote computer. When you import the module

by using the Import-Module cmdlet and use the commands from the imported module in the current session, the

commands actually run on the remote computer. You can use this parameter to get modules from computers and devices that are not running the Windows operating system, and computers that have Windows PowerShell, but do not have Windows PowerShell remoting enabled.

The CimSession parameter gets all modules in the CIMSession . However, you can import only CIM-based and

Cmdlet Definition XML (CDXML)-based modules.

Required? true Position? named Default value None Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-FullyQualifiedName

Specifies names of modules in the form of ModuleSpecification objects. These objects are described in the Remarks section of ModuleSpecification Constructor (Hashtable)http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/desktop/jj136290(v=vs.85).aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/desktop/jj136290(v=vs.85).aspx) in the Microsoft Developer Network

(MSDN) library. For example, the FullyQualifiedName parameter accepts a module name that is specified in the

following formats:

@{ModuleName = "modulename"; ModuleVersion = "version_number"} @{ModuleName = "modulename"; ModuleVersion =

"version_number"; Guid = "GUID"}. ModuleName and ModuleVersion are required, but Guid is optional.

You cannot specify the FullyQualifiedName parameter in the same command as a Name parameter.

Required? false Position? named Default value None

Accept pipeline input? True (ByPropertyName)

Accept wildcard characters? false

-ListAvailable []

Indicates that this cmdlet gets all installed modules. Get-Module gets modules in paths listed in the

PSModulePath environment variable. Without this parameter, Get-Module gets only the modules that are both

listed in the PSModulePath environment variable, and that are loaded in the current session. ListAvailable does not return information about modules that are not found in the PSModulePath environment variable, even if those modules are loaded in the current session. Required? true Position? named Default value False Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-Name

Specifies names or name patterns of modules that this cmdlet gets. Wildcard characters are permitted. You can

also pipe the names to Get-Module . You cannot specify the FullyQualifiedName parameter in the same command as

a Name parameter. Name cannot accept a module GUID as a value. To return modules by specifying a GUID, use

FullyQualifiedName instead.

Required? false Position? 0 Default value None Accept pipeline input? True (ByValue) Accept wildcard characters? false

-PSEdition

@{Text=} Required? false Position? named Default value None Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-PSSession

Gets the modules in the specified user-managed Windows PowerShell session ( PSSession ). Enter a variable that

contains the session, a command that gets the session, such as a Get-PSSession command, or a command that

creates the session, such as a New-PSSession command.

When the session is connected to a remote computer, you must specify the ListAvailable parameter.

A Get-Module command that uses the PSSession parameter is equivalent to using the Invoke-Command cmdlet to run

a `Get-Module -ListAvailable` command in a PSSession .

This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0. Required? true Position? named Default value None Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-Refresh []

Indicates that this cmdlet refreshes the cache of installed commands. The command cache is created when the

session starts. It enables the Get-Command cmdlet to get commands from modules that are not imported into the

session. This parameter is designed for development and testing scenarios in which the contents of modules have changed since the session started. When you specify the Refresh parameter in a command, you must specify ListAvailable . This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0. Required? false Position? named Default value False Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false This cmdlet supports the common parameters: Verbose, Debug, ErrorAction, ErrorVariable, WarningAction, WarningVariable, OutBuffer, PipelineVariable, and OutVariable. For more information, see about_CommonParameters (https:/go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113216).

INPUTS

System.String You can pipe module names to this cmdlet. .

OUTPUTS

System.Management.Automation.PSModuleInfo

This cmdlet returns objects that represent modules. When you specify the ListAvailable parameter, Get-Module

returns a ModuleInfoGrouping object, which is a type of PSModuleInfo object that has the same properties and methods.

NOTES

Beginning in Windows PowerShell 3.0, the core commands that are included in Windows PowerShell are packaged in

modules. The exception is Microsoft.PowerShell.Core , which is a snap-in ( PSSnapin ). By default, only the

Microsoft.PowerShell.Core snap-in is added to the session. Modules are imported automatically on first use and

you can use the Import-Module * cmdlet to import them. Starting in Windows PowerShell 3.0, the core commands

that are installed with Windows PowerShell are packaged in modules. In Windows PowerShell 2.0, and in host

programs that create older-style sessions in later versions of Windows PowerShell, the core commands are

packaged in snap-ins ( PSSnapins ). The exception is Microsoft.PowerShell.Core , which is always a snap-in.

Also, remote sessions, such as those started by the New-PSSession * cmdlet, are older-style sessions that

include core snap-ins.

For information about the CreateDefault2 method that creates newer-style sessions with core modules, see

CreateDefault2 Methodhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/system.management.automation.runsp

aces.initialsessionstate.createdefault2(v=VS.85).aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/

system.management.automation.runspaces.initialsessionstate.createdefault2(v=VS.85).aspx) in the MSDN library.

Get-Module gets only modules in locations that are stored in the value of the PSModulePath environment

variable ($env:PSModulePath). You can use the Path parameter of the Import-Module cmdlet to import modules in

other locations, but you cannot use the Get-Module * cmdlet to get them. Also, starting in Windows PowerShell

3.0, new properties have been added to the object that Get-Module returns that make it easier to learn about

modules even before they are imported. All properties are populated before importing. These include the

ExportedCommands , ExportedCmdlets and ExportedFunctions * properties that list the commands that the module

exports. The ListAvailable* parameter gets only well-formed modules, that is, folders that contain at least

one file whose base name is the same as the name of the module folder. The base name is the name without the file name extension. Folders that contain files that have different names are considered to be containers, but not modules. To get modules that are implemented as .dll files, but are not enclosed in a module folder, specify both the ListAvailable and All parameters.

* To use the CIM session feature, the remote computer must have WS-Management remoting and Windows Management

Instrumentation (WMI), which is the Microsoft implementation of the Common Information Model (CIM) standard. The computer must also have the Module Discovery WMI provider or an alternate WMI provider that has the same basic features. You can use the CIM session feature on computers that are not running the Windows operating system and on Windows computers that have Windows PowerShell, but do not have Windows PowerShell remoting enabled. You can also use the CIM parameters to get CIM modules from computers that have Windows PowerShell remoting enabled. This includes the local computer. When you create a CIM session on the local computer, Windows PowerShell uses DCOM, instead of WMI, to create the session.

Example 1: Get modules imported into the current session

PS C:\>Get-Module

This command gets modules that have been imported into the current session.

Example 2: Get installed modules and available modules

PS C:\>Get-Module -ListAvailable

This command gets the modules that are installed on the computer and can be imported into the current session.

Get-Module looks for available modules in the path specified by the $env:PSModulePath environment variable. For

more information about PSModulePath , see about_Modules and about_Environment_Variables.

Example 3: Get all exported files

PS C:\>Get-Module -ListAvailable -All

This command gets all of the exported files for all available modules.

Example 4: Get a module by its fully qualified name

PS C:\>Get-Module -FullyQualifiedName @{ModuleName="Microsoft.PowerShell.Management";ModuleVersion="3.1.0.0"} |

Format-Table -Property Name,Version

Name Version

---- -------

Microsoft.PowerShell.Management 3.1.0.0 This command gets the Microsoft.PowerShell.Management module by specifying the fully qualified name of the module

by using the FullyQualifiedName parameter. The command then pipes the results into the Format-Table cmdlet to

format the results as a table with Name and Version as the column headings.

Example 5: Get properties of a module

PS C:\>Get-Module | Get-Member -MemberType Property | Format-Table Name

Name

----

AccessMode Author ClrVersion

CompanyName

ExportedAliases

ExportedCmdlets ExportedCommands ExportedFormatFiles ExportedFunctions ExportedTypeFiles ExportedVariables ExportedWorkflows FileList Guid HelpInfoUri LogPipelineExecutionDetails ModuleBase ModuleList ModuleType

Name

NestedModules OnRemove Path

PowerShellHostName

PowerShellHostVersion PowerShellVersion PrivateData ProcessorArchitecture RequiredAssemblies RequiredModules RootModule Scripts

SessionState

Version

This command gets the properties of the PSModuleInfo object that Get-Module returns. There is one object for each

module file. You can use the properties to format and filter the module objects. For more information about the properties, see PSModule Propertieshttp://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=143624 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=143624) in the MSDN library.

The output includes the new properties, such as Author and CompanyName , that were introduced in Windows

PowerShell 3.0.

Example 6: Group all modules by name

PS C:\>Get-Module -ListAvailable -All | Format-Table -Property Name, Moduletype, Path -Groupby Name

Name: AppLocker

Name ModuleType Path

---- ---------- ----

AppLocker Manifest C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\AppLocker\AppLocker.psd1

Name: Appx

Name ModuleType Path

---- ---------- ----

Appx Manifest C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\Appx\en-US\Appx.psd1

Appx Manifest C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\Appx\Appx.psd1 Appx Script C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\Appx\Appx.psm1

Name: BestPractices

Name ModuleType Path

---- ---------- ----

BestPractices Manifest C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\BestPractices\BestPractices.psd1

Name: BitsTransfer

Name ModuleType Path

---- ---------- ----

BitsTransfer Manifest C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\BitsTransfer\BitsTransfer.psd1 This command gets all module files, both imported and available, and then groups them by module name. This lets you see the module files that each script is exporting.

Example 7: Display the contents of a module manifest

The first command gets the **PSModuleInfo** object that represents **BitsTransfer** module. It saves the object in

the $m variable.

PS C:\>$m = Get-Module -list -Name BitsTransfer

The second command uses the Get-Content cmdlet to get the content of the manifest file in the specified path. It

uses dot notation to get the path to the manifest file, which is stored in the *Path* property of the object.The

output shows the contents of the module manifest.

PS C:\>Get-Content $m.Path

GUID="{8FA5064B-8479-4c5c-86EA-0D311FE48875}"

Author="Microsoft Corporation"

CompanyName="Microsoft Corporation"

Copyright="Ac Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved." ModuleVersion="1.0.0.0" Description="Windows Powershell File Transfer Module" PowerShellVersion="2.0" CLRVersion="2.0" NestedModules="Microsoft.BackgroundIntelligentTransfer.Management" FormatsToProcess="FileTransfer.Format.ps1xml"

RequiredAssemblies=Join-Path $psScriptRoot "Microsoft.BackgroundIntelligentTransfer.Management.Interop.dll"

} These commands display the contents of the module manifest for the Windows PowerShell BitsTransfer module. Modules are not required to have manifest files. When they do have a manifest file, the manifest file is required only to include a version number. However, manifest files often provide useful information about a module, its requirements, and its contents.

Example 8: List files in module directory

PS C:\>dir (Get-Module -ListAvailable FileTransfer).ModuleBase

Directory: C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\FileTransfer

Mode LastWriteTime Length Name

---- ------------- ------ ----

d---- 12/16/2008 12:36 PM en-US

-a--- 11/19/2008 11:30 PM 16184 FileTransfer.Format.ps1xml

-a--- 11/20/2008 11:30 PM 1044 FileTransfer.psd1

-a--- 12/16/2008 12:20 AM 108544 Microsoft.BackgroundIntelligentTransfer.Management.Interop.dll

This command lists the files in the directory of the module. This is another way to determine what is in a module before you import it. Some modules might have help files or ReadMe files that describe the module.

Example 9: Get modules installed on a computer

PS C:\>$s = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01

PS C:\>Get-Module -PSSession $s -ListAvailable

These commands get the modules that are installed on the Server01 computer.

The first command uses the New-PSSession cmdlet to create a PSSession on the Server01 computer. The command saves

the PSSession in the $s variable.

The second command uses the PSSession and ListAvailable parameters of Get-Module to get the modules in the

PSSession in the $s variable.

If you pipe modules from other sessions to the Import-Module cmdlet, Import-Module imports the module into the

current session by using the implicit remoting feature. This is equivalent to using the Import-PSSession cmdlet.

You can use the cmdlets from the module in the current session, but commands that use these cmdlets actually run

the remote session. For more information, see Import-Module and Import-PSSession .

Example 10: Manage a computer that does not run the Windows operating system

The first command uses the **New-CimSession** cmdlet to create a session on the RSDGF03 remote computer. The

session connects to WMI on the remote computer. The command saves the CIM session in the $cs variable.

PS C:\>$cs = New-CimSession -ComputerName RSDGF03

The second command uses in the CIM session in the $cs variable to run a Get-Module command on the RSDGF03

computer. The command uses the *Name* parameter to specify the Storage module.The command uses a pipeline operator

(|) to send the Storage module to the **Import-Module** cmdlet, which imports it into the local session.

PS C:\>Get-Module -CimSession $cs -Name Storage | Import-Module

The third command runs the **Get-Command** cmdlet on the Get-Disk command in the **Storage** module.When you

import a CIM module into the local session, Windows PowerShell converts the CDXML files that represent in the CIM module into Windows PowerShell scripts, which appear as functions in the local session.

PS C:\>Get-Command Get-Disk

CommandType Name ModuleName

----------- ---- ----------

Function Get-Disk Storage

The fourth command runs the **Get-Disk** command. Although the command is typed in the local session, it runs

implicitly on the remote computer from which it was imported.The command gets objects from the remote computer and returns them to the local session.

PS C:\>Get-Disk

Number Friendly Name OperationalStatus Total Size Partition Style

------ ------------- ----------------- ---------- ---------------

0 Virtual HD ATA Device Online 40 GB MBR The commands in this example enable you to manage the storage systems of a remote computer that is not running the Windows operating system. In this example, because the administrator of the computer has installed the Module Discovery WMI provider, the CIM commands can use the default values, which are designed for the provider.