Powershell

Calling a function Within PowerShell

A function is a segment of code that can be called repeatedly after being declared only once. In the Windows system, functions can also be created inside the PowerShell ISE or within the console. More specifically, the “function” keyword is used to declare a function in PowerShell, which is then followed by the function name that the user assigned. Finally, there are close curly brackets. The added code inside the curly braces gets executed when the function is called in PowerShell.

This post will elaborate on the procedure to call a function within PowerShell.

How to Call a Function Within PowerShell?

These techniques will be employed to call a function:

Method 1: Calling a Function Within PowerShell ISE

PowerShell ISE is the host application of PowerShell. It is employed in the production of scripts and functions. It allows the calling of the specific function within its console. To do so, first and foremost, it is critical to define a function. And then invoke it using its specified name.

Example

This example will demonstrate the calling of the function within PowerShell ISE:

function CurrentTime{
    Get-Date -DisplayHint Time
}
currentTime

In this above code:

  • First, we have defined a function named “CurrentTime”.
  • After that, we called the function by simply writing out its name:

It can be observed that the added function has been successfully invoked, and it displayed the current date on the console.

Method 2: Calling a Function Within PowerShell

The PowerShell console itself also allows the creation and running of the function in its console. Moreover, the created function can be invoked within PowerShell.

Example

Here is the demonstration of defining a function inside the PowerShell:

Function text-output {
     Write-output "Hello World"
}

Here, the given function will output the added message to the console.

Now, let’s call the function by simply typing its name in the PowerShell terminal:

> text-output

As you can see, the “text-output” function has been invoked and displayed the added “Hello World” message on the console.

Conclusion

The function in PowerShell can be called inside the PowerShell ISE or PowerShell console itself by simply calling the function name. For that reason, create a function and then invoke it by utilizing its name. On the other way, execute the script to call the function within PowerShell ISE. This post has covered a procedure to fix the mentioned query.

About the author

Muhammad Farhan

I am a Computer Science graduate and now a technical writer who loves to provide the easiest solutions to the most difficult problems related to Windows, Linux, and Web designing. My love for Computer Science emerges every day because of its ease in our everyday life.