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Help topic

As explained in Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches: Fourth Edition, Covers Windows, Linux, and macOS

An about topic is a PowerShell help document that explains background concepts, features, or capabilities rather than a specific cmdlet.

A help topic is a document available through PowerShell’s help system. Unlike cmdlet help, an about topic explains background concepts, features, or capabilities and uses a filename beginning with about_. section 3.6 section 3.4

Use Get-Help or its Help alias to find these documents. Wildcards make discovery practical: Help *common* finds the common-parameters topic, while Help *event* searches broadly across available help topics. section 3.4 section 3.6

List and open about topics

Run get-help about_* to list the background topics installed on the system. Then try get-help about_Updateable_Help to open one specific topic. To investigate common parameters, use Help *common*. section 3.6

Help *common*

This listing shows how a wildcard search can locate a general topic about common parameters before opening its detailed help. section 3.6

How Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches: Fourth Edition, Covers Windows, Linux, and macOS covers it

How deep it goes
Defines about topics and demonstrates wildcard searches, but stops short of explaining their individual contents in depth.
Examples
Demonstrates Help *common*, get-help about_*, and get-help about_Updateable_Help.
What it assumes
Assumes familiarity with PowerShell’s help command while teaching the distinction between cmdlet help and background topics.
What you can do after
Operate PowerShell’s help system to locate background documentation and common-parameter guidance.
How it connects
Connects help topics with Get-Help, cmdlets, wildcards, modules, and common parameters.
Cover of Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches: Fourth Edition, Covers Windows, Linux, and macOS
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Related concepts

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches: Fourth Edition, Covers Windows, Linux, and macOS. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.