Get Host - PowerShell

Overview

The Get-Host cmdlet retrieves information about the session, environment, and PowerShell instance. It provides insights into the current runtime context and can be used for debugging, troubleshooting, and customizing PowerShell sessions.

Syntax

Get-Host [-AncillaryHost] [-Culture] [-CurrentCulture] [-CurrentUICulture] [-Host]
 [-Location] [-MaxReceivedObjectSize] [-Name] [-Runspace] [-UICulture]
 [-Version] [<CommonParameters>]

Options/Flags

  • -AncillaryHost

    • Retrieves information about the ancillary host process if available.

  • -Culture

    • Shows the current culture of the PowerShell session.

  • -CurrentCulture

    • Retrieves the current thread’s culture.

  • -CurrentUICulture

    • Retrieves the current thread’s UI culture.

  • -Host

    • Displays information about the host application (e.g., the PowerShell console).

  • -Location

    • Shows the name of the host application’s executable file.

  • -MaxReceivedObjectSize

    • Specifies the maximum size of objects that can be received from the remote host.

  • -Name

    • Gets the name of the host process if available.

  • -Runspace

    • Retrieves information about the current runspace.

  • -UICulture

    • Shows the current UI culture of the PowerShell session.

  • -Version

    • Displays the version information for the PowerShell instance.

Examples

Example 1: Displaying Basic Host Information

Get-Host

Example 2: Retrieving Host Process Name

Get-Host -Name

Example 3: Checking Remote Host Maximum Object Size

Get-Host -AncillaryHost -MaxReceivedObjectSize

Common Issues

  • Incorrect Host Information: If the -Host option is used without an ancillary host process running, it may return an empty object or an error.

  • Culture Inconsistencies: Be aware of potential differences between the current culture and UI culture, which can affect formatting and localization.

Integration

Get-Host can be used in conjunction with other commands for advanced tasks:

  • Pipeline Output: The output of Get-Host can be piped to other commands for further processing or filtering.
  • Debug Scripts: Use Get-Host to troubleshoot issues by examining the session and environment variables within scripts.
  • Customizing Sessions: Information from Get-Host can be used to modify PowerShell session behavior, such as setting the culture or maximum object size.
  • Set-Host
  • Get-Culture
  • Get-Location
  • Get-Runspace