Commenting in PowerShell

PowerShell provides several ways to add comments to your scripts, enhancing readability and maintainability. Comments allow you to explain your code’s purpose, logic, and functionality without being executed by the PowerShell interpreter.

Single-Line Comments

The simplest way to comment in PowerShell is using the hash symbol (#). Any text following the # on a single line will be treated as a comment and ignored by PowerShell.

# This is a single-line comment.
$result = 10 + 5  # This comment explains the calculation.

Multi-Line Comments (Block Comments)

For comments spanning multiple lines, PowerShell version 2.0 and later introduce block comments enclosed within <# and #>. All text between these delimiters is treated as a comment.

<#
This is a multi-line comment.
It can span several lines and is useful for 
describing complex logic or providing detailed explanations.
#>

# Another line of code
$data = "some data"

Comment-Based Help

PowerShell also supports a special type of multi-line comment called comment-based help. These comments are formatted in a specific way that allows the Get-Help cmdlet to extract information and display it as help documentation for your scripts or functions.

<#
.SYNOPSIS
   Brief description of the script or function.
.DESCRIPTION
   Detailed explanation of the script or function's purpose and functionality.
.PARAMETER ParameterName
   Description of a specific parameter.
.EXAMPLE
   Example usage of the script or function.
#>
Function MyFunction {
    # Function implementation
}

By using these structured comments, you can easily create comprehensive help documentation for your PowerShell code. The Get-Help cmdlet will parse these comments and display them to the user when they request help for your script or function.

Best Practices

• Use comments liberally: Explain complex logic, the purpose of variables, and the overall intention of your code.
• Keep comments concise and accurate: Avoid redundant or outdated comments.
• Use comment-based help for functions and scripts: Provide clear and informative documentation for your code.
• Be mindful of tab completion: When pasting comments, be cautious of accidental spaces or tabs that may affect code execution.