Specifying options with accompanying arguments

In addition to simple options, some commands accept options that have accompanying arguments. Such options look like simple options followed by additional information. The argument may be a number, a string, the name of a file, or something else.

For example, if you read the ps command description in z/OS UNIX System Services Command Reference, you will see that ps accepts an argument of the form:

–u userlist

When z/OS UNIX System Services Command Reference shows part of a command line in italics, the italicized material is just a placeholder; when you actually use the command, you should fill in something else in its place. In this case, the userlist should be a string of one or more UID numbers or login names separated by commas and enclosed in single quotation marks. In the command:

ps –u 'macneil,wellie1'

the userlist string is macneil,wellie1. (If the string does not contain spaces, tabs, or other special characters, you can actually omit the enclosing single quotation marks, but the command is often easier to read if you use quotes anyway.) When executed, ps displays information for the specified users.