Feb 022011
 

As you are typing in any given PowerShell console or in PowerShell ISE you can finish typing many things simply by hitting the “Tab” key while you are halfway through a word. This practice is refered to as “Tab Complete”. If you aren’t in the practice of using this all the time, then you really need to start utilizing it heavily for your own sake. Not only can it help you type and create code faster, but it can be useful in remembering cmdlet names or parameters when you are typing.

Things I know you can tab complete are: cmdlet names, file and directory names, third party programs, custom scripts, cmdlet parameters, variable names, object members, functions, and many more.

Another cool thing is that if you hit it too early in the word, simply hit it again to keep going through all possible entries. If you type “Get-” and then start hitting tab,you will see the names of all the cmdlets until you get the one you want. Or after you’ve typed the name of a cmdlet,type “-” and then tab to see all possible parameter names, and it even works with your own scripts!

Skipped by the command you wanted? Shift-Tab will start you back in the other direction.

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