How to Use the PowerShell Expand Property for Select-Object

The “Select-Object” cmdlet selects the objects and properties specified by the user from a group of objects or an array. While the “-ExpandProperty” cmdlet works as a switch for the “Select-Object” property, as it details the selected property or an object from an array. Moreover, it can select objects from a specific position in an array.

This blog will cover a guide about the “Select-Object” and the “-ExpandProperty” cmdlet.

How to Use/Utilize the PowerShell Expand Property for Select-Object?

The cmdlet “Select-Object” selects the objects from the collection of objects. However, the “-ExpandProperty” parameter gets the details of the specific selected property.

Example 1: Display the Selected Properties of an Object Using the “Select-Object” Cmdlet

This example will show only the selected values from an array:

$Pets = @(

[pscustomobject]@{Pet='Cat';Name='Fairy';Color='White';}

[pscustomobject]@{Pet='Dog';Name='Jimmy';COlor='Black';}

[pscustomobject]@{Pet='Horse';Name='Kim';Color='Brown';}

)

According to the above code:

First, initialize an array of custom objects and assign it to the “$Pets” variable.
Inside the array, create three objects and mention the three properties in each object.
Lastly, define the values defined by the user:

Now, let’s select and display the values assigned to the name property:

$Pets | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name

In the above-stated code:

First, add the “$Pets” variable, add the “|” pipeline and then specify the “Select-Object” cmdlet.
After that, add the “-ExpandProperty” parameter and assign the “Name” value.
It will display the names of all the objects assigned to them:

Example 2: Display the Last Five Running Process in PowerShell

This example will show the five last running processes using the “Select-Object” cmdlet and “-ExpandProperty” parameter”:

Get-Process | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name -Last 5

According to the above code:

First, add the “Get-Process” cmdlet to get the list of processes and then specify the “|” pipeline to transfer the output of the previous cmdlet to the next cmdlet.
Then, add the “Select-Object” cmdlet, followed by the “-ExpandProperty” parameter, and assign it to the name.
Lastly, define the “-Last” parameter and assign the value “5” to it:

Example 3: Display the List of First Five Services in PowerShell

This example will show the services using the “Select-Object” cmdlet and “-ExpandProperty” parameter:

Get-Service | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name -First 5

That was all about using the PowerShell Expand property for selecting objects.

Conclusion

The objects in PowerShell can be selected with the aid of the “Select-Object” cmdlet. However, the details of the specific objects can be retrieved by adding the “-ExpandProperty” parameter along with the “Select-Object” cmdlet. This blog has elaborated on PowerShell expand property for “Select-Object”.