Out Host - PowerShell

Overview

The Out-Host command displays output to the console window of the current PowerShell session. It is primarily used for providing informational messages, debugging output, or any other text-based output to the user.

Syntax

Out-Host [-ErrorAction <Action>] [-ForegroundColor <Color>] [-BackgroundColor <Color>] [-InputObject <Object>] [-OutBuffer <bool>] [-Width <int>] [-Append] [-NoNewline]

Options/Flags

  • -ErrorAction: Specifies the action to be taken when an error occurs. Valid values include: Stop, SilentlyContinue, Continue, Suspend, and Ignore. Default: Continue.
  • -ForegroundColor: Sets the foreground color of the output text. Valid values are the standard color names or the escape sequences below:
    • Red: [Esc][91m, Green: [Esc][92m, Yellow: [Esc][93m
    • Blue: [Esc][94m, Magenta: [Esc][95m, Cyan: [Esc][96m
    • White: [Esc][97m
    • Default: White
  • -BackgroundColor: Sets the background color of the output text using the same escape sequences as ForegroundColor. Default: Black
  • -InputObject: Specifies the input object to be displayed. If not provided, no input will be displayed.
  • -OutBuffer: Specifies whether to buffer the output before displaying it. If $true, the output will be collected in a buffer before being displayed. Default: $false
  • -Width: Sets the maximum width of the displayed output. Lines longer than the specified width will be wrapped. Default: System Console Width
  • -Append: Appends the output to the current line instead of creating a new line.
  • -NoNewline: Prevents a newline from being added after the output.

Examples

# Display a simple message
Out-Host "Hello, PowerShell!"

# Display a warning with a red foreground
Out-Host -ForegroundColor Red "Warning: This is important!"

# Display a progress bar with a blue background
Out-Host -BackgroundColor Blue "Progress: [=========]"

# Display the output of Get-Command
Out-Host (Get-Command)

# Display custom objects with -InputObject
$obj = New-Object -TypeName PSObject
$obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name Name -Value "John Smith"
$obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name Email -Value "john.smith@example.com"
Out-Host -InputObject $obj

Common Issues

  • Output not colored: Ensure the PowerShell console supports ANSI escape sequences.
  • Output not wrapped: Set the appropriate value for -Width.
  • Output displayed in separate lines: Use -Append to prevent a newline.
  • ANSI escape sequences not recognized: Use the -ForegroundColor and -BackgroundColor parameters instead of escape sequences.

Integration

Out-Host can be combined with other commands to create informative scripts and workflows. For example, you can use it to:

  • Display error messages from Try-Catch blocks
  • Create custom progress bars
  • Provide feedback to users during script execution
  • Write-Host
  • Format-Host
  • Write-Error