Using the ISPF shell

With the ISPF shell (ISHELL), a user or systems programmer can use ISPF dialogs instead of shell commands to perform many tasks, especially those related to file systems and files. An ordinary user can use the ISPF shell to work with:

Directories
Regular files
FIFO special files
Symbolic links, including external links

You can also run shell commands, REXX programs, and C programs from the ISPF shell. The ISPF shell can only direct stdout and stderr to a file in your file system, not to your terminal. If it has any contents, the file is displayed when the command or program completes.