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description How to add return values to a cmdlet help topic
ms.date 07/10/2023
ms.topic reference
title How to add return values to a cmdlet help topic

How to add return values to a cmdlet help topic

This section describes how to add an OUTPUTS section to a PowerShell cmdlet Help topic. The OUTPUTS section lists the .NET classes of objects that the cmdlet returns or passes down the pipeline.

There is no limit to the number of classes that you can add to the OUTPUTS section. The return types of a cmdlet are enclosed in a <command:returnValues> node, with each class enclosed in a <command:returnValue> element.

If a cmdlet doesn't generate any output, use this section to indicate that there is no output. For example, in place of the class name, write None and provide a brief explanation. If the cmdlet generates output conditionally, use this node to explain the conditions and describe the conditional output.

The schema includes two <maml:description> elements in each <command:returnValue> element. However, the Get-Help cmdlet displays only the content of the <command:returnValue>/<maml:description> element.

Beginning in PowerShell 3.0, the Get-Help cmdlet displays the content of the <maml:uri> element. This element lets you direct users to topics that describe the .NET class.

The following XML shows the <maml:returnValues> node.

<command:returnValues>
  <command:returnValue>
    <dev:type>
      <maml:name> Class Name </maml:name>
      <maml:uri>  URI of a topic that describes the class </maml:uri>
      <maml:description/>
    </dev:type>
    <maml:description>
       <maml:para> Brief description <maml:para>

</maml:description>
  </command: returnValue>
</command: returnValues>

The following XML shows an example of using the <maml:returnValues> node to document an output type.

<command:returnValues>
  <command:returnValue>
    <dev:type>
      <maml:name> System.DateTime </maml:name>
      <maml:uri>  https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/system.datetime </maml:uri>
      <maml:description/>
    </dev:type>
    <maml:description>
      <maml:para> Get-Date returns a DateTime object. <maml:para>
    </maml:description>
  </command: returnValue>
</command: returnValues>