Converting the Windows Script Host WriteLine Method

Definition: Sends a string with a newline character to an output stream.

WriteLine

In Windows Script Host the WriteLine method enables you to write data (plus a carriage return-linefeed) to the console window. In Windows PowerShell, you don’t need any method calls or specialized cmdlets in order to accomplish this same task. Instead, you can write a string to the command window simply by specifying the string to be written. For example, this command writes the value This is a test to the command window:

"This is a test"

Likewise, you can echo back the value of a variable simply by specifying the variable name:

$a

Or, if you prefer, use the Write-Host cmdlet to echo data to the screen:

Write-Host "This is a test."

So if you don’t need the Write-Host cmdlet why would you ever want to even use the Write-Host cmdlet? Well, Write-Host does give you a few additional capabilities when it comes to formatting your output. For example, this command, along with the –foreground and –background parameters – enables you to output red text on a yellow background:

Write-Host "This is a test" -foreground red -background yellow

Alternatively, try the following example, which writes three items – Alpha, Beta, Gamma – to the screen, using the three dots to separate the individual items:

Write-Host "Alpha", "Beta", "Gamma" -separator " ... "

Fun, huh?

See conversions of other Windows Script Host methods and properties.
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