Set-TraceSource

Set-TraceSource
    [-Name] <String[]>
    [[-Option] <PSTraceSourceOptions>]
    [-ListenerOption <TraceOptions>]
    [-FilePath <String>]
    [-Force]
    [-Debugger]
    [-PSHost]
    [-PassThru]
    [<CommonParameters>]

Set-TraceSource
    [-Name] <String[]>
    [-RemoveListener <String[]>]
    [<CommonParameters>]

Set-TraceSource
    [-Name] <String[]>
    [-RemoveFileListener <String[]>]
    [<CommonParameters>]

The Set-TraceSource cmdlet configures, starts, and stops a trace of a PowerShell component. You can use it to specify which components will be traced and where the tracing output is sent.

PS C:\> Set-TraceSource -Name "ParameterBinding" -Option ExecutionFlow -PSHost -ListenerOption "ProcessId,TimeStamp"

This command starts tracing for the ParameterBinding component of PowerShell. It uses the Name parameter to specify the trace source, the Option parameter to select the ExecutionFlow trace events, and the PSHost parameter to select the PowerShell host listener, which sends the output to the console. The ListenerOption parameter adds the ProcessID and TimeStamp values to the trace message prefix.

PS C:\> Set-TraceSource -Name "ParameterBinding" -RemoveListener "Host"

This command stops the trace of the ParameterBinding component of PowerShell. It uses the Name parameter to identify the component that was being traced and the RemoveListener parameter to identify the trace listener.

This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, -InformationAction, -InformationVariable, -OutBuffer, -OutVariable, -PipelineVariable, -ProgressAction, -Verbose, -WarningAction, and -WarningVariable. For more information, see about_CommonParameters.

You can pipe a string that contains a name to Set-TraceSource.

When you use the PassThru parameter, Set-TraceSource generates a System.Management.Automation.PSTraceSource object representing the trace session. Otherwise, this cmdlet does not generate any output.

• Tracing is a method that developers use to debug and refine programs. When tracing, the program generates detailed messages about each step in its internal processing.

  The PowerShell tracing cmdlets are designed to help PowerShell developers, but they are available to all users. They let you monitor nearly every aspect of the functionality of PowerShell.

  A trace source is the part of each PowerShell component that manages tracing and generates trace messages for the component. To trace a component, you identify its trace source.

  A trace listener receives the output of the trace and displays it to the user. You can elect to send the trace data to a user-mode or kernel-mode debugger, to the console, to a file, or to a custom listener derived from the System.Diagnostics.TraceListener class.

• To start a trace, use the Name parameter to specify a trace source and the FilePath, Debugger, or PSHost parameters to specify a listener (a destination for the output). Use the Options parameter to determine the types of events that are traced and the ListenerOption parameter to configure the trace output.

• To change the configuration of a trace, enter a Set-TraceSource command as you would to start a trace. PowerShell recognizes that the trace source is already being traced. It stops the trace, adds the new configuration, and starts or restarts the trace.

• To stop a trace, use the RemoveListener parameter. To stop a trace that uses the file listener (a trace started by using the FilePath parameter), use the RemoveFileListener parameter. When you remove the listener, the trace stops.

• To determine which components can be traced, use Get-TraceSource. The trace sources for each module are loaded automatically when the component is in use, and they appear in the output of Get-TraceSource.