Control language (CL) is the primary interface to the operating system. CL can be used at the same time by users at different workstations, in batch and interactive jobs and in CL programs and procedures.
A single control language statement is called a command. Commands can be entered in the following ways:
Commands can be entered individually from any command line or the Command Entry display.
To simplify the use of CL, all the commands use a consistent syntax. In addition, the operating system provides prompting support for all commands, default values for most command parameters, and validity checking to ensure that a command is entered correctly before the function is performed. Thus, CL provides a single, flexible interface to many different system functions that can be used by different system users.