SHOWCMD command

The SHOWCMD primary command controls the display of line commands and their operands as they are called. Use this format:


            .-ON--.   
>>-SHOWCMD--+-----+--------------------------------------------><
            '-OFF-'

where:

ON: Tells ISPF to display line commands. This is the default setting.
OFF: Tells ISPF not to display line commands. Though the SHOWCMD default is ON, SHOWCMD is initially set to OFF.

After you enter SHOWCMD ON, a panel (Figure 1) is displayed each time you enter a line command, TSO command, CLIST, or REXX exec on a data set list display.

On this panel, you see the command as you typed it and then, a few lines down, you see the command as ISPF interpreted it. Seeing these commands displayed can be especially useful when you use the slash ( / ) character to substitute for the data set name because the panel shows the line command after expansion occurs. Therefore, you can tell immediately whether you need to add operands to the command.

For example, suppose you have a data set list displayed on the screen and decide to browse member MEMB1 of data set USER.TEST.DATA. To see how ISPF interprets the B (browse) line command, type SHOWCMD ON on the Command line and press Enter. Then, enter this line command in the Line Command field to the left of USER.TEST.DATA:

B /(MEMB1)

When you press Enter, the panel shown in Figure 1 is displayed.

Figure 1. Data Set List Utility - SHOWCMD panel (ISRUDSLS)

                             Data Set List Utility

 Data Set Name. : MYPROJ.DEV.SOURCE

 Command before expansion:
       B /(TEST)

 Command after expansion:
 ===> B 'MYPROJ.DEV.SOURCE(TEST)'                                              
                                                                               
                                                                               
                      
 The expanded command field shown here can be modified,
 but the data set name field may not be changed for built-in commands.

 Press ENTER key to process the command.
 Enter END command to return without processing the command.





 Command ===>                                                                 
  F1=Help    F2=Split   F3=Exit    F9=Swap   F12=Cancel

Note:

The data set name and commands shown in Figure 1 are for illustrative purposes only. These values are determined by the command you enter and the data set acted on by that command.
SHOWCMD must be entered from a data set list. It is invalid if you use a line command, such as M, to display a member list before calling it.

When the panel showing the commands is displayed, you can perform one of these actions:

Press Enter to call the command displayed in the "Command after expansion" field.
Change the command displayed in the "Command after expansion" field and then press Enter to call the changed command.
Enter the END command to return to the data set list display.

For information about using line commands, TSO commands, CLISTs, REXX EXECs, and the / character on a data set list display, see Blank — display data set list.