What does $_ mean in PowerShell?

Question

I\'ve seen the following a lot in PowerShell, but what does it do exactly?

$_

Answer 1

I think the easiest way to think about this variable like input parameter in lambda expression in C#. I.e. $_ is similar to x in x => Console.WriteLine(x) anonymous function in C#. Consider following examples:

PowerShell:

1,2,3 | ForEach-Object {Write-Host $_}

Prints:

1
2
3

or

1,2,3 | Where-Object {$_ -gt 1}

Prints:

2
3

And compare this with C# syntax using LINQ:

var list = new List { 1, 2, 3 };
list.ForEach( _ => Console.WriteLine( _ ));

Prints:

1
2
3

or

list.Where( _ => _ > 1)
    .ToList()
    .ForEach(s => Console.WriteLine(s));

Prints:

2
3