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PowerShell ISE 4.0

In the ps1 scripts it is possible to use backtick to divide a long expression into several lines. For example:

gps|sort -Descending -Property StartTime 2>$null|select `
-First 10 -Property id,StartTime,Name|ft -AutoSize

instead of

gps|sort -Descending -Property StartTime 2>$null|select -First 10 -Property id,StartTime,Name|ft -AutoSize

Can I do the same [in the same position] in the PowerShell ISE command prompt? I tried to use ` symbol and the Alt+Enter combination, but it didn't work as I had expected [At this case PowerShell interpreted -First as a next command].

In the PowerShell ISE command prompt the next variant works fine (I had used Alt+Enter before the select alias):

gps|sort -Descending -Property StartTime 2>$null|
select -First 10 -Property id,StartTime,Name|ft -AutoSize

But I can't do the same before -First parameter instead of select. Does it mean that in the PowerShell ISE command prompt it is possible only after | operator?

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  • What do you mean by it didn't work as I had expected? Did you try just Enter after `? Commented Feb 12, 2016 at 9:26
  • @PetSerAl, yes, I did. It means the copy & insert of that expression from ps1 into command prompt will not work. Commented Feb 12, 2016 at 9:28

1 Answer 1

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It is a backtick, hyphen would be -, and yes just type a backtick hit enter and continue your command on the next line. Don't use alt+enter that will maximise the window instead.

If you use Powershell ISE then it works just the same except you have to use shift+enter to continue entering text. The backtick is needed if you are splitting a command's arguments, if you split just after a pipe symbol you can use shift+enter and just continue with the next pipe element on a new line.

shift+enter also works in Powershell.exe 5.0, so you can use it everywhere and not have to remember two ways to do things. Earlier versions of powershell I think you have to remember different key sequences for each.

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13 Comments

It doesn't work. If I press Enter after gps|sort -Descending -Property StartTime 2>$null|select ` expression, then I get error message: Incomplete lexeme of a line.
Are you using powershell command line, powershell ISE, or something else?
I use PowerShell ISE host at this time.
Oh... You are right, it works fine in the powershell.exe (I checked it right now). I not expected that powershell_ise.exe can have other behaviour for this case.
Is it impossible for PowerShell ISE?
|

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