This is the built-in help made by Microsoft for the document 'about_Objects', in PowerShell version 5 - as retrieved from
Windows version 'Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard' PowerShell help files on 2016-06-24.
For PowerShell version 3 and up, where you have Update-Help, this command was run just before creating the web pages from the help files.
about_Objects
TOPIC
about_Objects
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Provides essential information about objects in Windows PowerShell.
LONG DESCRIPTION
Every action you take in Windows PowerShell occurs within the context of
objects. As data moves from one command to the next, it moves as one or
more identifiable objects. An object, then, is a collection of data that
represents an item. An object is made up of three types of data: the
objects type, its methods, and its properties.
TYPES, PROPERTIES, AND METHODS
The object type tells what kind of object it is. For example, an object
that represents a file is a FileInfo object.
The object methods are actions that you can perform on the object.
For example, FileInfo objects have a CopyTo method that you can use
to copy the file.
Object properties store information about the object. For example,
FileInfo objects have a LastWriteTime property that stores the date
and time that the file was most recently accessed.
When working with objects, you can use their properties and methods
in commands to take action and manage data.
OBJECTS IN PIPELINES
When commands are combined in a pipeline, they pass information to each
other as objects. When the first command runs, it sends one or more
objects down the pipeline to the second command. The second command
receives the objects from the first command, processes the objects, and
then passes new or revised objects to the next command in the pipeline.
This continues until all commands in the pipeline run.
The following example demonstrates how objects are passed from one
command to the next:
Get-ChildItem C: | where {$_.PsIsContainer -eq $False} |
Format-List
The first command (Get-ChildItem C:) returns a file or directory
object for each item in the root directory of the file system. The
file and directory objects are passed down the pipeline to the second
command.
The second command (where {$_.PsIsContainer -eq $false}) uses the
PsIsContainer property of all file system objects to select only
files, which have a value of False ($false) in their PsIsContainer
property. Folders, which are containers and, thus, have a value of
True ($true) in their PsIsContainer property, are not selected.
The second command passes only the file objects to the third command
(Format-List), which displays the file objects in a list.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Now that you understand a bit about objects, see the about_Methods
help topic to learn how to find and use object methods, the
about_Properties topic to learn how to find and use object properties,
and the Get-Member topic, to learn how to find an object type.
about_Methods
about_Object_Creation
about_Properties
about_Pipelines
Get-Member