Data Types

Analyze an existing object

List data types of an object

$object | Get-Member | select TypeName -Unique

• abbriviate $object | gm | select Typename -Unique

List members of an object

$object | Get-Member

Numbers

Integers

• Convert automatically to larger types
• [Int32], [Int] 32-bit signed integer
• [Int64], [Long] 64-bit signed integer

[Int] $smallNumber = 2147483647
[Long] $highNumber = 9223372036854775807

Decimal numbers

• [Single], [Float] Single-precision 32-bit floating point number
• [Double] Double-precision 64-bit floating point number

[Float] $lowPrecision = 15.95459
[Double] $highPrecision = 15.954589770191

Boolean

• [Boolean] Logical value

[Boolean] $enabled = $True 
[Bool] $disabled = $False

Text

• [Char] Single Unicode 16-bit character
• [String] Fixed-length string of Unicode characters Char (A Unicode 16-bit character)

[Char] $letter = "a"
[String] $evaluatedString = "Hello $env:Username"
[String] $unevaluatedString = 'Raw <>|$&%\Text'
[String] $combinedString1 = ("Found " + $_.Name + "!")
[String] $combinedString2 = ("Found $($_.Name)!")
[String] $combinedString3 = [String]@(
    "Found ",
    $_.Name,
    "!"
)
[String] $multilineString = @”  
First-line  
Second line  
Third line  
“@

Date and time

Collect multiple items in containers like arrays or dictionaries

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Sources:

• 2023-01-18: Types - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn
• 2022-12-17: Difference between single quote (‘) and double quote (“) in PowerShell
• 2022-12-17: PowerShell Multiline String - Working of multiline string using her string

Related: How types make hard problems easy

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