Using the Information Center Facility

You can learn how to use the Information Center Facility from information that you see on the screen. Standard services that IBM® provides have on-line tutorials; directions are on every panel; messages guide you as you go along; and if you need help for a panel or a message, you can display a help panel that describes what to do in more detail.

But, before you use the standard services offered by the Information Center Facility, you need to know a few basic procedures.

Reading the directions on each panel – Most panels have directions telling you what to do on that panel. You generally move to another panel by following those directions. Until you are familiar with the Information Center Facility, read the directions carefully because they change from panel to panel.

Processing information on a panel – To process information on most panels, type the information in the required field(s) and press the Enter key. You typically see another panel as a result of the information processed.

On scrollable panels, such as edit panels and some list panels, you can process more than one item of information. When you press the Enter key, you do not see another panel. You must press the END PF key (PF 3) to end the process and display another panel.

Exercise
Select an option on the Information Center Facility main menu by typing the option number on the OPTION line and pressing the Enter key. Stop when the new panel appears.

Exiting a panel – To exit most panels without processing information, press the END PF key (PF 3) or enter the word end on the COMMAND/OPTION line of the panel. To exit a service you select from the main menu panel, press the RETURN PF key (PF 4) or press the END PF key (PF 3) repeatedly on every panel that appears until you return to the main menu panel for the Information Center Facility.

If you cannot exit a panel by pressing the END PF key (PF 3), the directions generally tell you how to exit.

Exercise
Press the END PF key (PF 3) on the panel displayed in the previous exercise. Your Information Center Facility main menu panel reappears.

Getting help for a panel or a message – If the directions on a panel are unclear or you receive a message on your screen that is unclear, you can get more information by pressing the HELP PF key (PF 1) or by entering the word help on the COMMAND/OPTION line of the panel.

Exercise
Press the HELP PF key (PF 1) on the main menu panel. Read the panel and when you are finished, press the END PF key (PF 3).

With these basic procedures in mind, we will use the NAMES service and learn as we go.