How to output objects from your own PowerShell functions

This example of PowerShell code shows how to output objects from your own functions. The basic tasks you do to accomplish this in your function are:

1. Assemble the values into a hash table
2. Create an object using that hash table
3. Output the object

Once you do this, then you can treat your output as you would any other object in PowerShell.

1. Assemble the values into a hash table
   • See my example below, it is the lines like $Properties =  @{…}
   • More info at about_Splatting
2. Create an object using that hash table
   • See my example, the line starting with $Object = New-Object…
3. Output the object
   • Simply Write-Output $Object

# Example Function
function Get-SystemInfo {

    # Prepare the info
    $OS = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_OperatingSystem # for FreePhysicalMemory, Caption, PSComputerName, SystemDrive
    $LoadPercentage = (Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Processor).LoadPercentage
    $ProcessCount = (Get-Process).Count
    $SystemDrive = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_LogicalDisk -filter "Name = '$($OS.SystemDrive)'" 
    $ComputerSystem = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_ComputerSystem

    # Prepare the properties in a hash table
    $Properties = @{
        ComputerName = $ComputerSystem.DNSHostName;
        Domain = $ComputerSystem.Domain;
        FreePhysicalMemory = "{0:n0}" -f ($OS.FreePhysicalMemory /1KB) + " MB";
        OS = $OS.Caption;
        LastBootUpTime = $OS.LastBootUpTime;
        LoadPercentage = $LoadPercentage;
        ProcessCount = $ProcessCount;
        SysVolFree = "{0:n1}" -f ($SystemDrive.FreeSpace /1GB) + " GB"
        }
    
    # Create an object using the properties
    $Object = New-Object -TypeName PSObject -Property $Properties

    # Output the object
    Write-Output $Object     
    }

# Example Usage

# Using the results, put them into an object "$Result"
$Result = Get-SystemInfo

# Access the values inside the object
$Result.LastBootUpTime