The Get-History cmdlet in PowerShell is a useful tool for users who want to keep track of the commands they've executed in their current session. It helps in recalling previous commands, which can be especially useful for troubleshooting or when you need to repeat a command without retyping it.

Understanding Get-History

Get-History is a built-in cmdlet in Windows PowerShell that displays a list of commands that have been entered during the current session. Each command is assigned a unique ID, which can be used to reference the command later.

Examples

Example 1: Display Command History

To view the command history in your current PowerShell session, simply use:

Get-History

This command will output a list of all the commands you've executed, along with their respective IDs.

Example 2: Re-Execute a Command from History

If you want to re-execute a specific command from your history, you can use the Invoke-History cmdlet along with the command ID. For instance, to re-execute the command with ID 5, you would use:

Invoke-History -Id 5

Example 3: Clear Command History

To clear the command history, use the Clear-History cmdlet:

Clear-History

This will remove all the entries from the current session's command history.

Practical Use Cases

• Troubleshooting: Quickly re-run diagnostic commands without retyping them.
• Automation: Streamline repetitive tasks by recalling and executing previous commands.
• Learning: Review past commands to reinforce learning and understand command syntax.

Alternatives in CMD

In the traditional Command Prompt (CMD), there isn't a direct equivalent to Get-History. However, you can use the doskey command to view command history:

doskey /history

This command will display a list of commands entered in the current CMD session.