# Everything Is an Object

A file knows its name, size and date; so does everything else PowerShell shows you.

Updated: November 10, 2026

## [Objects](https://www.ask-codey.com/courses/powershell-in-depth/topics/powershell-objects)

1. [What an Object Is: Get-Member](https://www.ask-codey.com/lessons/powershell-what-is-an-object) (Apprentice): Everything PowerShell shows you is an object, a thing that carries named facts called properties, the way a library book's card carries its title, author and due date, and Get-Member lists every fact an object knows.
2. [Properties and Methods](https://www.ask-codey.com/lessons/powershell-properties-and-methods) (Apprentice): A dot after an object reads one of its properties, such as a file's Length or LastWriteTime, and a dot with parentheses runs one of its methods, something the object can do, such as ToUpper() or AddDays(-7).

## [Choosing What to Show](https://www.ask-codey.com/courses/powershell-in-depth/topics/powershell-choosing-what-to-show)

1. [Picking Columns: Select-Object](https://www.ask-codey.com/lessons/powershell-select-object) (Apprentice): Select-Object keeps only the properties you name with -Property, only the first or last few objects with -First and -Last, and with -ExpandProperty hands you one property's plain values, ready to save as a list.
2. [Tables and Lists: Format-Table and Format-List](https://www.ask-codey.com/lessons/powershell-format-output) (Apprentice): PowerShell shows each kind of object with a saved view of a few properties, Format-Table and Format-List show the ones you choose as a table or a list, Format-List \* shows every one, and a Format- command goes last because what comes out of it is for the screen, not for other commands.

## [Exercise: What a File Knows](https://www.ask-codey.com/courses/powershell-in-depth/topics/exercise-powershell-what-a-file-knows)

1. [Exercise: What a File Knows](https://www.ask-codey.com/lessons/exercise-powershell-what-a-file-knows) (Apprentice): Answer a friend's questions about their trip photos by asking the objects themselves, with Get-Member, properties, methods and Select-Object, save a plain list and a table of sizes, and let a Pester check tell you what's done.

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/courses/powershell-in-depth/chapters/powershell-everything-is-an-object