Powershell Hashtable Issue

Question

I create a small script for accepting a Users ID, First Name, Last Name and then adding that data to a hash table. The problem I have is when I display my hashtable to says the value of the user is System.Object. What am I doing wrong?

$personHash = @{}
$userID=""
$firstname=""  
$lastname=""


    While([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($userID))
    {
        $userID = Read-Host "Enter ID"
    }

    While([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($firstname))
    {
        $firstname = Read-Host "Enter First Name"
    }


    While([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($lastname))
    {
        $lastname = Read-Host "Enter Last Name"
    }


$user = New-Object System.Object
$user | Add-Member -type NoteProperty -Name ID -value $userID
$user | Add-Member -type NoteProperty -Name First -value $firstname
$user | Add-Member -type NoteProperty -Name Last -Value $lastname
$personHash.Add($user.ID,$user)

$personHash

You create $user as a System.Object. What are you expecting? — Keith Hill
– Keith Hill, Commented Dec 13, 2014 at 18:58
Try $personHash[$user.ID] or $personHash['NameYouEntered']. You see System.Object because the hashtable contains an object of that type as the value for that entry. It's a placeholder that says "There's an object here, but it's too complex to display." — Bacon Bits
– Bacon Bits, Commented Dec 13, 2014 at 18:59
@BaconBits - How do I correct this user to show my user object properly? — user4350786
– user4350786, Commented Dec 13, 2014 at 19:00
In a hashtable? You don't. Not with the way you're doing the object. — Bacon Bits
– Bacon Bits, Commented Dec 13, 2014 at 19:01

Mike Zboray · Accepted Answer · 2014-12-13 19:00:30Z

2

It looks like when PowerShell displays the contents of a hashtable it just calls ToString on the objects in the table. It doesn't format them using the DefaultDisplayPropertySet as it usually does.

One alternative is to use PSCustomObject instead of System.Object like so:

$user = New-Object PSCustomObject -Property @{ ID = $userID; First = $firstname; Last = $lastname }
$personHash.Add($user.ID, $user)

Then the display will be something like:

Name         Value  
----         -----  
1            @{ID=1;First="Mike";Last="Z"}

answered Dec 13, 2014 at 19:00

Mike Zboray

41.1k3 gold badges101 silver badges132 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

1 Comment

Keith Hill Over a year ago

There's no need to use new-object here. You can merely cast the hashtable to [PSCustomObject].

Keith Hill · Accepted Answer · 2014-12-13 19:03:02Z

2

Use [PSCustomObject] to create at type that PowerShell knows how to render to string:

$personHash = @{}
$userID=""
$firstname=""  
$lastname=""

While([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($userID))
{
    $userID = Read-Host "Enter ID"
}

While([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($firstname))
{
    $firstname = Read-Host "Enter First Name"
}

While([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($lastname))
{
    $lastname = Read-Host "Enter Last Name"
}

$personHash[$userID] = [pscustomobject]@{ID=$userID; First=$firstname; Last=$lastname}
$personHash

answered Dec 13, 2014 at 19:03

Keith Hill

204k44 gold badges370 silver badges377 bronze badges

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Powershell Hashtable Issue

2 Answers 2

1 Comment

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

2 Answers 2

1 Comment

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related