Improving the usability of PowerShell on the command line with PSReadLine

1 min read · Updated 25 April 2022

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Hello,

The PSReadLine PowerShell module replaces the command line experience for PowerShell 3 and above. It provides the following:
- Syntax highlighting
- Syntax error notification
- Multiline editing
- Customisation of keyboard shortcuts
- Windows, Emacs or Vi mode
- Completion
- Predictive completion
- History

https://github.com/PowerShell/PSReadLine

Prediction is enabled by default in PSReadLine 2.2.6.

Syntaxes used in the video

# Windows PowerShell installation.
powershell -noprofile -command "Install-Module PSReadLine -Force -SkipPublisherCheck"

# Installation under PowerShell Core/7
pwsh.exe -noprofile -command "Install-Module PSReadLine -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -AllowPrerelease"

# You can create a profile file to customise and configure the module
notepad $profile

## You can add the following information:
# Load the module
Import PSReadLine module

# Navigable menu when using TAB
Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler -Key Tab -Function MenuComplete

# Enable prediction based on history
Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionSource History

# Configure the prediction view as a list
Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionViewStyle ListView

# Use Windows editing mode
Set-PSReadLineOption -EditMode Windows

## Save and run PowerShell to test
# Show all keyboard shortcuts
Get-PSReadlineKeyHandler