Information available through HELP

The scope of available information ranges from general to specific. The HELP command or subcommand with no operands produces a list of valid commands or subcommand and their basic functions. From the list you can select the command or subcommand most applicable to your needs. If you need more information about the selected command or subcommand, you can use HELP again, specifying the selected command or subcommand name as an operand. You then receive:

A brief description of the function of the command or subcommand
The format and syntax for the command or subcommand
A description of each operand

You can obtain information about a command or subcommand only when the system is ready to accept a command or subcommand.

If you do not want to have all of the detailed information, you can request only the portion that you need.

The information about the commands is contained in a cataloged partitioned data set named SYS1.HELP. Information for each command or subcommand is kept in a member of the partitioned data set. The HELP command or subcommand causes the system to select the appropriate member and display its contents at your terminal.

Figure 1 shows the hierarchy of the sets of information available with the HELP command or subcommand. It also shows the form of the command or subcommand necessary to produce any particular set.

Figure 1. Information available through the HELP command