Major, minor, and immediate command help
Major, minor, and immediate commands provide one-line help. Many of these commands also provide extended help, which displays more information about the command or the command operands.
A continuation character (+) following the end of the one-line
help indicates that more (extended) help is available. To request
help for a major, minor, or immediate command, enter one of three
symbols (?, /, or ;)
followed by the command.
Help symbols
| Symbol | Description |
|---|---|
| ? | Displays a one-line help that stays on the screen until you clear it. |
| / | Displays an extended help that stays on the screen until you clear it. You can clear the help text with the .DCL command. |
| ; | Displays an extended help that is cleared from the screen on the next cycle. |
Help examples
The following examples show the three symbols being used to obtain help for the .WAT command.
?.WAT, one-line help is displayed.
>.WAT
> Specifies a delay before executing the commands that follow. +/.WAT, an extended
help is displayed.>.WAT
> Specifies a delay before executing the commands that follow. +
>
> Type of Command: Immediate
>
> Command Format: .WATnn
>
> 1 | 2 | Definition of operands
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> | .WAT | nn Specifies the length of the delay (seconds) before
> | | the command(s) that follow are executed.
>
> EXAMPLE:
>
> .WAT02
> .FGO MYSCREEN
>
> The commands shown above cause OMEGAMON to wait 2 seconds before
> fetching screen space MYSCREEN. ;.WAT produces the same output as ?.WAT,
however, plus signs (+) display in column 1 of the lines below the
one-line help. The plus signs indicate that the extended help text
will disappear on the next cycle. >.WAT
> Specifies a delay before executing the commands that follow. +
+
+ Type of Command: Immediate
+
+ Command Format: .WATnn
+
+ 1 | 2 | Definition of operands
+ -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ | .WAT | nn Specifies the length of the delay (seconds) before
+ | | the command(s) that follow are executed.
+
+ EXAMPLE:
+
+ .WAT02
+ .FGO MYSCREEN
+
+ The commands shown above cause OMEGAMON to wait 2 seconds before
+ fetching screen space MYSCREEN. Minor command help
?, /,
and ; symbols, without knowing the associated major
command name. In some cases, however, the same minor name is used
for multiple majors. If the function of the minor command is the same
for all of its associated majors, OMEGAMON® for IMS displays
help that lists the associated major commands with the help for the
minor command, as shown in the following example, which displays the
one-line help for the DIO minor command.>DIO
> DIO is a minor command of the following major(s):
> DEV DEVL DEVP DISK DPAV DSKB DSKC DSKE DSKG DSKM DSKN DSKP
> DSKQ DSKR DSKS DSKU DSKV GDEV TAPE TPAL TPBS TPCU TPFR TPMT
> TPOF TP16 TP38 TP62 TP7T TP80 2305 2314 3330 3340 3350 3375
> 3380 3390
> Help:
> Displays the I/O count since IPL of the device(s). +In cases where OMEGAMON for IMS uses the same minor command name for multiple major commands, but the function and help text differ, OMEGAMON for IMS lists the major command names and instructs you to place your cursor under the desired command. When you press Enter, the appropriate help displays.
If you know that the minor command
is shared among several major commands and you know the major command,
you can type the major command name on the same line after the help
request. For example, entering /DIO DISK produces
the help text for the DIO minor specific to the DISK major command.