Variables

A variable is a storage location that developers can use to store information with a so-called value. Variables always have names that allow you to call them independently of the values that are stored within. In PowerShell, the $ sign at the beginning indicates a variable:

> $i = 1

> $string = "Hello World!"

> $this_is_a_variable = "test"

Variables are great for storing simple values, strings, and also the output of commands:

> Get-Date

Monday, November 2, 2020 6:43:59 PM

> $date = Get-Date

> Write-Host "Today is" $date

Today is 11/2/2020 6:44:40 PM

As you can see in these examples, not only can we store strings and numbers within a variable, we can also store the output of a cmdlet such as Get-Date and reuse it within our code.

Data types

In contrast to other scripting or programming languages, you don’t necessarily need to define the data type for variables. When defining a variable...