HELP
Explains a command: what it does and how to type it.
Also written H
Why it matters. You can't remember every operand. HELP does, so you can always look it up.
Syntax
{HELP | H} [command-name] [FUNCTION | SYNTAX | OPERANDS[(operand ...)] | ALL]
HELP MSGID(message-id)- command-name
- The command or subcommand to explain.
- FUNCTION
- Show only what the command is for.
- SYNTAX
- Show only how to type it.
- OPERANDS(name)
- Explain the operands. Give names in brackets to see only those. Use the full name, not a short form.
- MSGID(id)
- Explain a message by its ID.
- ALL
- Show everything HELP has.
Try it HELP
- 1
Ask the system what commands you can use.
HELP - 2
Now ask for help with one command: LISTDS.
HELP LISTDS
Remember
- HELP alone lists the commands.
- HELP followed by a command explains that command.
- Ask HELP before you guess.
The usual mistake
LISTDS HELP
HELP goes first. Here, LISTDS reads HELP as a dataset name and looks for it in the catalog.
HELP LISTDS
On real z/OS
Real HELP shows pages kept in the SYS1.HELP library, so the list depends on the installation. MF/OS shows its own pages, and its quick-reference list mixes TSO, ISPF, JES and console commands in one place. FUNCTION, SYNTAX, OPERANDS and MSGID are not modelled, and inside a story MF/OS shows a shorter help.
Where can I practise HELP?
Right here, at ZedBank. You take a junior job at a simulated bank and use HELP in real work, with Zed beside you. There's nothing to install.
Start at ZedBank