Command syntax

A command name and parameters make up each command. The parameters used in CL commands are keyword parameters. The keyword, usually abbreviated the same way as commands, identifies the purpose of the parameter. However, when commands are entered, some keywords may be omitted by specifying the parameters in a certain order (positional specification).

Commands have the following general syntax. The brackets indicate that the item within them is optional; however, the parameter set may or may not be optional, depending upon the requirements of the command.

[//] [?] [label-name:][library-name/]command-name
[parameter-set]

Note: The // is valid only for a few batch job control commands, such as the DATA command. The // identifies those types of commands sent to the spooling reader that reads the batch job input stream.