In version 2 of PowerShell, you could create hashtables, but the order in which the data is stored in the hashtable is not necessarily the same order you input it in. Take this example:
$hashTableV2 = @{a=1;b=2;c=3;d=4} $hashTableV2
Produces this output:
Name Value
---- -----
c 3
d 4
a 1
b 2
Version 3 of PowerShell now offers the ability to force the hashtable to hold the data in the same order it was created, using the new [ordered] tag.
$hashTableV3 = [ordered]@{a=1;b=2;c=3;d=4} $hashTableV3
The new syntax produces this output:
Name Value
---- -----
a 1
b 2
c 3
d 4
Now if it’s important that your hashtable is in a specific order, you have the [ordered] to make that happen.
Warning: This post was created using PowerShell v3 BETA. Changes to the final version may alter the validity of this post.