TOPIC
	about_aliases

SHORT DESCRIPTION
	Describes how to use alternate names for cmdlets and commands in Windows
	PowerShell. 

LONG DESCRIPTION
	An alias is an alternate name or nickname for a cmdlet or for a command
	element, such as a function, script, file, or executable file. You
	can use the alias instead of the command name in any Windows PowerShell
	commands.

	To create an alias, use the New-Alias cmdlet. For example, the following
	command creates the "gas" alias for the Get-AuthenticodeSignature cmdlet:

		new-alias -name gas -value Get-AuthenticodeSignature

	After you create the alias for the cmdlet name, you can use the alias 
	instead of the cmdlet name. For example, to get the Authenticode signature
	for the SqlScript.ps1 file, type:

		get-authenticodesignature sqlscript.ps1

	Or, type:

		gas sqlscript.ps1

	
	If you create "word" as the alias for Microsoft Office Word, you can type
	"word" instead of the following:
	

		"c:\program files\microsoft office\office11\winword.exe" 

BUILT-IN ALIASES
	Windows PowerShell includes a set of built-in aliases, including "cd" and
	"chdir" for the Set-Location cmdlet, and "ls" and "dir" for the
	Get-ChildItem cmdlet. 

	To get all the aliases on the computer, including the built-in aliases,
	type:

		get-alias

ALIAS CMDLETS
	Windows PowerShell includes the following cmdlets, which are designed for
	working with aliases: 

		- Get-Alias. Gets all the aliases in the current session.	 
		- New-Alias. Creates a new alias.
		- Set-Alias. Creates or changes an alias.
		- Export-Alias. Exports one or more aliases to a file.
		- Import-Alias. Imports an alias file into Windows PowerShell. 

	For detailed information about the cmdlets, type:

		get-help <cmdlet-name> -detailed

	For example, type:
	
		get-help export-alias -detailed

CREATING AN ALIAS
	To create a new alias, use the New-Alias cmdlet. For example, to create the
	"gh" alias for Get-Help, type:

		new-alias -name gh -value get-help

	You can use the alias in commands, just as you would use the full cmdlet
	name, and you can use the alias with parameters.

	For example, to get detailed Help for the Get-WmiObject cmdlet, type:

		get-help get-wmiobject -detailed

	Or, type:

		gh get-wmiobject -detailed

SAVING ALIASES
	The aliases that you create are saved only in the current session. To use
	the aliases in a different session, add the alias to your Windows 
	PowerShell profile. Or, use the Export-Alias cmdlet to save the aliases to
	a file. 

	For more information, type:

		get-help about_profile

GETTING ALIASES
	To get all the aliases in the current session, including the built-in
	aliases, the aliases in your Windows PowerShell profiles, and the aliases
	that you have created in the current session, type:

		get-alias
  
	To get particular aliases, use the Name parameter of the Get-Alias cmdlet.
	For example, to get aliases that begin with "p", type:

		get-alias -name p*

	To get the aliases for a particular item, use the Definition parameter.
	For example, to get the aliases for the Get-ChildItem cmdlet type:

		get-alias -definition Get-ChildItem


ALTERNATE NAMES FOR COMMANDS WITH PARAMETERS
	You can assign an alias to a cmdlet, script, function, or executable file.
	However, you cannot assign an alias to a command and its parameters.
	For example, you can assign an alias to the Get-EventLog cmdlet, but you
	cannot assign an alias to the "get-eventlog -logname system" command.

	However, you can create a function that includes the command. To create a
	function, type the word "function" followed by a name for the function.
	Type the command, and enclose it in braces ({}).

	For example, the following command creates the syslog function. This
	function represents the "get-eventlog -logname system" command:

		function syslog {get-eventlog -logname system}

	You can now type "syslog" instead of the command. And, you can create
	aliases for the syslog function.

	For more information about functions, type:

		get-help about_functions

ALIAS OBJECTS
	 Windows PowerShell aliases are represented by objects that are instances
	 of the System.Management.Automation.AliasInfo class. For more information
	 about this type of object, see "AliasInfo Class" in the Microsoft 
	 Developer Network (MSDN) library at 
	 http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=143644.

	 To view the properties and methods of the alias objects, get the
	 aliases. Then, pipe them to the Get-Member cmdlet. For example:

		get-alias | get-member

	 To view the values of the properties of a specific alias, such as the 
	 "dir" alias, get the alias. Then, pipe it to the Format-List cmdlet. For
	 example, the following command gets the "dir" alias. Next, the command
	 pipes the alias to the Format-List cmdlet. Then, the command uses the 
	 Property parameter of Format-List with a wildcard character (*) to display
	 all the properties of the "dir" alias. The following command performs
	 these tasks:

		get-alias -name dir | format-list -property *

WINDOWS POWERSHELL ALIAS PROVIDER
	Windows PowerShell includes the Alias provider. The Alias provider lets you
	view the aliases in Windows PowerShell as though they were on a file system
	drive. 

	The Alias provider exposes the Alias: drive. To go into the Alias: drive,
	type:

		set-location alias:

	To view the contents of the drive, type:

		get-childitem

	To view the contents of the drive from another Windows PowerShell drive,
	begin the path with the drive name. Include the colon (:). For example:

		get-childitem -path alias:

	To get information about a particular alias, type the drive name and
	the alias name. Or, type a name pattern. For example, to get all the 
	aliases that begin with "p", type:

		get-childitem -path alias:p*

	For more information about the Windows PowerShell Alias provider,
	type:
	
		get-help alias-psprovider


SEE ALSO

	new-alias
	get-alias
	set-alias
	export-alias
	import-alias
	get-psprovider
	get-psdrive
	about_functions
	about_profiles
	about_providers