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Out-ConsoleGridView.md

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external help file PSTui.dll-Help.xml
keywords powershell,cmdlet
locale en-us
Module Name PSTui
ms.date 05/04/2026
schema 2.0.0
title Out-ConsoleGridView

Out-ConsoleGridView

SYNOPSIS

Sends output to an interactive table view with column headers, horizontal scrolling, sorting, and streaming support.

SYNTAX

 Out-ConsoleGridView [-InputObject <psobject>] [-Title <string>] [-OutputMode {None | Single |
    Multiple}] [-Filter <string>] [-Search <string>] [-Focus {Table | Filter}] [-MinUI]
    [-FullScreen] [-Driver <string>] [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION

The Out-ConsoleGridView cmdlet sends the output from a command to a grid view window where the output is displayed in an interactive table with column headers, column sizing, horizontal scrolling, and column sorting.

Use the Filter box at the top of the window to search the text in the table using regular expressions. Unlike the Filter, the -Search parameter positions the cursor on the first matching row without hiding non-matching rows.

Objects are streamed into the table as they arrive from the pipeline — the UI appears immediately and rows are added incrementally. A spinner in the status bar indicates loading is in progress.

To send items from the interactive window down the pipeline, select rows (use arrow keys and SPACE or click with the mouse) and then press ENTER. Press ESC to cancel without output. Use Ctrl+A to select all rows, or Ctrl+D to deselect all. Click column headers to sort.

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Output processes to a grid view

Get-Process | Out-ConsoleGridView

This command gets the processes running on the local computer and sends them to a grid view window with column headers for each property. The table appears as soon as the first object arrives — rows stream in as the pipeline executes.

Example 2: Use a variable to output processes to a grid view

$P = Get-Process
$P | Out-ConsoleGridView -OutputMode Single

This command also gets the processes running on the local computer and sends them to a grid view window.

The first command uses the Get-Process cmdlet to get the processes on the computer and then saves the process objects in the $P variable.

The second command uses a pipeline operator to send the $P variable to Out-ConsoleGridView.

By specifying -OutputMode Single the grid view window will be restricted to a single selection, ensuring no more than a single object is returned.

Example 3: Display a formatted table in a grid view

Get-Process | Select-Object -Property Name, WorkingSet, PeakWorkingSet | Sort-Object -Property WorkingSet -Descending | Out-ConsoleGridView

This command displays a formatted table in a grid view window.

It uses the Get-Process cmdlet to get the processes on the computer.

Then, it uses a pipeline operator (|) to send the process objects to the Select-Object cmdlet. The command uses the Property parameter of Select-Object to select the Name, WorkingSet, and PeakWorkingSet properties to be displayed in the table.

Another pipeline operator sends the filtered objects to the Sort-Object cmdlet, which sorts them in descending order by the value of the WorkingSet property.

The final part of the command uses a pipeline operator (|) to send the formatted table to Out-ConsoleGridView.

You can now use the features of the grid view to search, sort, and filter the data.

Example 4: Save output to a variable, and then output a grid view

($A = Get-ChildItem -Path $pshome -Recurse) | Out-ConsoleGridView

This command saves its output in a variable and sends it to Out-ConsoleGridView.

The command uses the Get-ChildItem cmdlet to get the files in the Windows PowerShell installation directory and its subdirectories. The path to the installation directory is saved in the $pshome automatic variable.

The command uses the assignment operator (=) to save the output in the $A variable and the pipeline operator (|) to send the output to Out-ConsoleGridView.

The parentheses in the command establish the order of operations. As a result, the output from the Get-ChildItem command is saved in the $A variable before it is sent to Out-ConsoleGridView.

Example 5: Output processes for a specified computer to a grid view

Get-Process -ComputerName "Server01" | ocgv -Title "Processes - Server01"

This command displays the processes that are running on the Server01 computer in a grid view window.

The command uses ocgv, which is the built-in alias for the Out-ConsoleGridView cmdlet, it uses the Title parameter to specify the window title.

Example 6: Define a function to kill processes using a graphical chooser

function killp { Get-Process | Out-ConsoleGridView -OutputMode Single -Filter $args[0] | Stop-Process -Id {$_.Id} }
killp note

This example shows defining a function named killp that shows a grid view of all running processes and allows the user to select one to kill it.

The example uses the -Filter parameter to filter for all processes with a name that includes note (thus highlighting Notepad if it were running). Selecting an item in the grid view and pressing ENTER will kill that process.

Example 7: Pass multiple items through Out-ConsoleGridView

Get-Process | Out-ConsoleGridView -OutputMode Multiple | Export-Csv -Path .\ProcessLog.csv

This command lets you select multiple processes from the Out-ConsoleGridView window. The processes that you select are passed to the Export-Csv command and written to the ProcessLog.csv file.

By default, -OutputMode is Multiple, which lets you send multiple items down the pipeline.

Example 8: Use F7 as "Show Command History"

Save See this gist as F7History.ps1 and run F7History.ps1 in your $profile.

Press F7 to see the history for the current PowerShell instance

Press Shift-F7 to see the history for all PowerShell instances.

Whatever you select within Out-ConsoleGridView will be inserted on your command line.

Whatever was typed on the command line prior to hitting F7 or Shift-F7 will be used as a filter.

Example 9: Search for a row without filtering

Get-Service | ocgv -Search "wuauserv"

This command displays all services but positions the cursor on the first row matching "wuauserv". Unlike -Filter, all rows remain visible.

Example 10: Start with focus on the filter field

Get-ChildItem | ocgv -Focus Filter

This command opens the grid view with the cursor in the filter text field, ready to type a filter immediately. Pressing ENTER while in the filter field accepts the currently selected item(s).

Example 11: Full screen mode with a custom title

Get-Process | ocgv -FullScreen -Title "Process Monitor"

This command runs the grid view in full-screen mode using the alternate screen buffer, with a custom window title.

Example 12: Minimal UI for scripting

Get-Process | ocgv -MinUI -OutputMode Single

This command shows the grid view with no window frame, filter box, or status bar — just the table. Useful for quick selection in scripts.

PARAMETERS

-Filter

Pre-populates the Filter edit box, hiding rows that do not match the regular expression pattern.

Type: String
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Search

Positions the cursor on the first row matching this regular expression pattern. Unlike -Filter, non-matching rows remain visible.

Type: String
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Focus

Specifies which UI element receives initial focus.

  • Table (default): The table view receives focus. Use arrow keys to navigate immediately.
  • Filter: The filter text field receives focus. Start typing to filter. Press ENTER to accept the selected item(s).
Type: FocusTarget
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:
Accepted values: Table, Filter

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: Table
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-InputObject

Specifies that the cmdlet accepts input for Out-ConsoleGridView.

When you use the InputObject parameter to send a collection of objects to Out-ConsoleGridView, Out-ConsoleGridView treats the collection as one collection object, and it displays one row that represents the collection.

To display each object in the collection, use a pipeline operator (|) to send objects to Out-ConsoleGridView.

Type: PSObject
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: True (ByValue)
Accept wildcard characters: False

-OutputMode

Specifies the items that the interactive window sends down the pipeline as input to other commands. By default, this cmdlet generates zero, one, or many items.

To send items from the interactive window down the pipeline, select items and press ENTER. ESC cancels.

The values of this parameter determine how many items you can send down the pipeline.

  • None. No items.
  • Single. Zero items or one item. Use this value when the next command can take only one input object.
  • Multiple. Zero, one, or many items. Use this value when the next command can take multiple input objects. This is the default value.
Type: OutputModeOption
Parameter Sets: OutputMode
Aliases:
Accepted values: None, Single, Multiple

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: Multiple
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Title

Specifies the text that appears in the title bar of the Out-ConsoleGridView window.

By default, the title bar displays the command that invokes Out-ConsoleGridView.

Type: String
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-MinUI

If specified, no window frame, filter box, or status bar will be displayed. The table is shown without chrome.

Type: SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-Driver

Sets the Terminal.Gui driver to use. Valid values are ansi, windows, or unix.

Type: String
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases: ForceDriver

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

-FullScreen

If specified, the application runs in full-screen mode using the alternate screen buffer. By default, the application renders inline in the current terminal.

Type: SwitchParameter
Parameter Sets: (All)
Aliases:

Required: False
Position: Named
Default value: None
Accept pipeline input: False
Accept wildcard characters: False

CommonParameters

This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, -InformationAction, -InformationVariable, -OutVariable, -OutBuffer, -PipelineVariable, -Verbose, -WarningAction, and -WarningVariable. For more information, see about_CommonParameters.

INPUTS

System.Management.Automation.PSObject

You can send any object to this cmdlet. Objects are streamed — the UI appears as soon as the first object arrives.

OUTPUTS

System.Object

By default Out-ConsoleGridView returns objects representing the selected rows to the pipeline. Use -OutputMode to change this behavior.

NOTES

  • Out-ConsoleGridView uses Terminal.Gui's TableView control which provides column headers, column sizing, horizontal scrolling, column sorting, and native multi-row selection.

  • The alias for Out-ConsoleGridView is ocgv.

  • Objects are streamed into the table as they arrive from the pipeline. The UI appears immediately on the first object and rows are added incrementally. A spinner in the status bar indicates loading is in progress.

  • The command output that you send to Out-ConsoleGridView should not be formatted, such as by using the Format-Table or Format-Wide cmdlets. To select properties, use the Select-Object cmdlet.

  • Keyboard shortcuts:

    • ENTER — Accept selection and close
    • ESC — Cancel and close
    • Ctrl+A — Select all rows (when OutputMode is Multiple)
    • Ctrl+D — Deselect all rows (when OutputMode is Multiple)
    • Home/End — Jump to first/last row
    • Arrow keys — Navigate rows and columns
    • Tab — Move focus between filter and table
    • Click column headers — Sort by that column

RELATED LINKS

Show-ObjectTree