Updated: 11 December 1998

OpenVMS DCL Dictionary

To use the Help facility on OpenVMS in its simplest form, enter the HELP command from your terminal. The Help facility displays a list of topics at your terminal and the prompt Topic?. To see information on one of the topics, type the topic name after the prompt. The system displays information on that topic.

If the topic has subtopics, the HELP command lists the subtopics and displays the Subtopic? prompt. To get information on one of the subtopics, type the name after the prompt. To see information on another topic, press the Return key. You can now ask for information on another topic when the Help facility displays the Topic? prompt. Press the Return key to exit the Help facility and return to DCL command level.

If you use an asterisk (*) in place of any keyword, the HELP command displays all information available at the level that the asterisk replaces. For example, HELP COPY * displays all the subtopics under the topic COPY.

If you use an ellipsis (...) immediately after any primary keyword, the Help facility displays all the information on the specified topic and all subtopics of that topic. For example, HELP COPY... displays information on the COPY topic as well as information on all the subtopics under COPY. The ellipsis can only be used from the topic level; it cannot be used from the subtopic level.

The asterisk (*) and the percent sign (%) wildcard characters are allowed in the keyword.

Qualifiers

/EXACT

Use with the /PAGE=SAVE and /SEARCH qualifiers to specify a search string that must match the search string exactly and must be enclosed with quotation marks (" ").

If you specify the /EXACT qualifier without the /SEARCH qualifier, exact search mode is enabled when you set the search string with the Find (E1) key.

/HIGHLIGHT[=keyword]

Use with the /PAGE=SAVE and /SEARCH qualifiers to specify the type of highlighting you want when a search string is found. When a string is found, the entire line is highlighted. You can use the following keywords: BOLD, BLINK, REVERSE, and UNDERLINE. BOLD is the default highlighting.

/INSTRUCTIONS (default)

/NOINSTRUCTIONS

Displays an explanation of the HELP command along with the list of topics (if no topic is specified). By default, the HELP command display includes a description of the facility and the format, along with the list of topics. If you specify the /NOINSTRUCTIONS qualifier, only the list of topics is displayed.

/LIBLIST (default)

/NOLIBLIST

Displays any auxiliary help libraries.

/LIBRARY=filespec

/NOLIBRARY

Uses an alternate help library instead of the default system library, SYS$HELP:HELPLIB.HLB. The specified library is used as the main (root) help library, and is searched for Help facility information before any user-defined default help libraries are checked.

If you omit the device and directory specification, the default is SYS$HELP, the logical name of the location of the system help libraries. The default file type is .HLB.

The /NOLIBRARY qualifier excludes the default help library from the library search order.

/MESSAGE

Displays descriptions of system messages. See the HELP/MESSAGE command in this manual.

/OUTPUT[=filespec]

/NOOUTPUT

Controls where the output of the command is sent. By default, the output is sent to SYS$OUTPUT, the current process default output stream or device.

If you enter the /OUTPUT qualifier with a partial file specification (for example, /OUTPUT=[JONES]), HELP is the default file name and LIS is the default file type. The asterisk (*) and the percent sign (%) wildcard characters are not allowed.

If you enter the /NOOUTPUT qualifier, output is suppressed.

/PAGE[=keyword]

/NOPAGE (default)

Controls the display of information on the screen.

You can use the following keywords with the /PAGE qualifier:

CLEAR_SCREEN	Clears the screen before each page is displayed.
SCROLL	Displays information one line at a time.
SAVE[= n]	Enables screen navigation of information, where n is the number of pages to store.

The /PAGE=SAVE qualifier allows you to navigate through screens of information. The /PAGE=SAVE qualifier stores up to 5 screens of up to 255 columns of information. When you use the /PAGE=SAVE qualifier, you can use the following keys to navigate through the information:

Key Sequence	Description
Up arrow key, Ctrl/B	Scroll up one line.
Down arrow key	Scroll down one line.
Left arrow key	Scroll left one column.
Right arrow key	Scroll right one column.
Find (E1)	Specify a string to find when the information is displayed.
Insert Here (E2)	Scroll right one half screen.
Remove (E3)	Scroll left one half screen.
Select (E4)	Toggle 80/132 column mode.
Prev Screen (E5)	Get the previous page of information.
Next Screen (E6), Return, Enter, Space	Get the next page of information.
F10, Ctrl/Z	Exit. (Some utilities define these differently.)
Help (F15)	Display utility help text.
Do (F16)	Toggle the display to oldest/newest page.
Ctrl/W	Refresh the display.

The /PAGE qualifier is not compatible with the /OUTPUT qualifier.

/PROMPT (default)

/NOPROMPT

Permits you to solicit further information interactively. If you specify the /NOPROMPT qualifier, the Help facility returns you to DCL command level after it displays the requested information.

If the /PROMPT qualifier is in effect, one of four different prompts is displayed, requesting you to specify a particular help topic or subtopic. Each prompt represents a different level in the hierarchy of help information. The four prompt levels are as follows:

1. Topic?---The root library is the main library and you are not currently examining the Help facility information for a particular topic.
2. [library-spec] Topic?---The root library is a library other than the main library and you are not currently examining the Help facility information for a particular topic.
3. [keyword] Subtopic?---The root library is the main library and you are currently examining the Help facility information for a particular topic (or subtopic).
4. A combination of 2 and 3.

When you encounter one of these prompts, you can enter any one of the responses described in the following table:

Response	Current Prompt Environment	Action
keyword[...]	1,2	Searches all enabled libraries for the keyword.
	3,4	Searches additional help libraries for the current topic (or subtopic) for the keyword.
@filespec keyword[...]	1,2	Same as above, except that the library specified by @filespec is now the root library. If the specified library does not exist, the Help facility treats @filespec as a normal keyword. Displays a list of topics available in the root library.
	3,4	Same as above; treats @filespec as a normal keyword. Displays the list of subtopics of the current topic (or subtopics) for which help exists.
[Return]	1	Exits from the Help facility.
	2	Changes root library to main library.
	3,4	Prompts for a topic or subtopic at the next higher level.
[Ctrl/Z]	1,2,3,4	Exits from the Help facility.

/SEARCH="string"

Use with the /PAGE=SAVE qualifier to specify a string that you want to find in the information being displayed. Quotation marks are required for the /SEARCH qualifier, if you include spaces in the text string.

You can also dynamically change the search string by pressing the Find key (E1) while the information is being displayed. Quotation marks are not required for a dynamic search.

/USERLIBRARY=(level[,...])

/NOUSERLIBRARY

Names the levels of search for information in auxiliary libraries. The levels are as follows:

PROCESS	Libraries defined at process level
GROUP	Libraries defined at group level
SYSTEM	Libraries defined at system level
ALL	All libraries (default)
NONE	No libraries (same as the /NOUSERLIBRARY qualifier)

Auxiliary help libraries are libraries defined with the logical names HLP$LIBRARY, HLP$LIBRARY_1, HLP$LIBRARY_2, and so on. Libraries are searched for information in this order: root (current) library, main library (if not current), libraries defined at process level, libraries defined at group level, libraries defined at system level, and the root library. If the search fails, the root library is searched a second time so that the context is returned to the root library from which the search was initiated. The default is the /USERLIBRARY=ALL qualifier. If you specify only one level for the Help facility to search, you can omit the parentheses.

/WRAP

/NOWRAP (default)

Use with the /PAGE=SAVE qualifier to limit the number of columns to the width of the screen and to wrap lines that extend beyond the width of the screen to the next line.

The /NOWRAP qualifier extends lines beyond the width of the screen and can be seen when you use the scrolling (left and right) features provided by the /PAGE=SAVE qualifier.

Examples

$ HELP
HELP
  .
  .  (HELP message text and list of topics)
  .
Topic?
      

In this example, the HELP command is entered without any qualifiers or parameters. This example produces a display of the help topics available from the root help library, SYS$HELP:HELPLIB.HLB.

If you enter one of the listed topics in response to the Topic? prompt, the Help facility displays information about that topic and a list of subtopics (if there are any). If one or more subtopics exist, the Help facility prompts you for a subtopic, as follows:

Topic? ASSIGN ASSIGN . . (HELP message text and subtopics) . ASSIGN Subtopic?

If you type a subtopic name, the Help facility displays information about that subtopic, as follows:

ASSIGN Subtopic? Name ASSIGN Name . . (HELP message text and subtopics, if any) . ASSIGN Subtopic?

If one or more sub-subtopics exist, the Help facility prompts you for a sub-subtopic; otherwise, as in the previous example, the facility prompts you for another subtopic of the topic you are currently inspecting.

Entering a question mark (?) redisplays the Help facility message and options at your current level. Pressing the Return key does either of the following:

• Moves you back to the previous help level if you are in a subtopic level.
• Terminates the Help facility if you are at the first level.

Pressing Ctrl/Z terminates the Help facility at any level.

$ HELP COPY... 
      

The HELP command in this example displays a description of the COPY command and of the command's parameters and qualifiers. Note that the ellipsis can be used only from the topic level; it cannot be used from the subtopic level.

$ HELP/NOPROMPT ASSIGN/GROUP
  .
  .  (ASSIGN/GROUP HELP message)
  .
$
$ HELP/NOPROMPT/PAGE EDIT *
  .
  .  (HELP messages on all first-level EDIT subtopics)
  .
$
      

The two HELP commands request help on specific topics. In each case, the HELP command displays the help message you request and then returns you to DCL command level and the dollar sign prompt ($).

The first command requests help on the /GROUP qualifier of the ASSIGN command. The asterisk (*) in the second example is a wildcard character. It signals the Help facility to display information about all EDIT subtopics, which are then displayed in alphabetical order. The /NOPROMPT qualifier suppresses prompting in both sample commands. The /PAGE qualifier on the second HELP command causes output to the screen to stop after each screen of information is displayed.

$ HELP FILL
Sorry, no documentation on FILL
Additional information available:
 .
 .  (list of first-level topics )
 .
Topic? @EDTHELP FILL
FILL
 .
 .  (FILL HELP message)
 .
@EDTHELP Topic?
 
      

When you enter a request for help on a topic that is not in the default help library, you can instruct the Help facility to search another help library for the topic. In this example, entering the command @EDTHELP FILL instructs the Help facility to search the help library SYS$HELP:EDTHELP.HLB for information on FILL, an EDT editor command. The Help facility displays the message and prompts you for another EDT editor topic.

$ SET DEFAULT SYS$HELP
$ DEFINE HLP$LIBRARY EDTHELP
$ DEFINE HLP$LIBRARY_1 MAILHELP
$ DEFINE HLP$LIBRARY_2 BASIC
$ DEFINE HLP$LIBRARY_3 DISK2:[MALCOLM]FLIP
$ HELP REM
      

You can use logical names to define libraries for the Help facility to search automatically if it does not find the specified topic in the OpenVMS root help library. This sequence of commands instructs the Help facility to search libraries in addition to the default root library, SYS$HELP:HELPLIB.HLB.

The four DEFINE statements create logical names for the four user-defined help libraries that the Help facility is to search after it has searched the root library. The first three entries are help libraries in the current default directory. By default, the Help facility searches for user-defined help libraries in the directory defined by the logical name SYS$HELP. The fourth entry is the help library FLIP.HLB in the directory DISK2:[MALCOLM]. Note that the logical names that you use to define these help libraries must be numbered consecutively; that is, you cannot skip any numbers.

The Help facility first searches the root library for REM. It then searches the libraries HLP$LIBRARY, HLP$LIBRARY_1, HLP$LIBRARY_2, and so on, until it finds REM or exhausts the libraries it knows it can search. When it finds REM in the BASIC.HLB library, the Help facility displays the appropriate help information and prompts you for a subtopic in that library. If you request information on a topic not in the BASIC.HLB library, the Help facility once again searches the help libraries you have defined.

Displays descriptions of system messages.

Format

HELP/MESSAGE [/qualifier [...]] [search-string]

Parameter

search-string

Specifies a message identifier or one or more words from a message's text. By default, HELP/MESSAGE displays a description of the message produced by the last executed command (that is, the message corresponding to the value currently stored in the CLI symbol $STATUS).

The Help Message utility (MSGHLP) operates on the search string using the following conventions:

• Words containing fewer than three alphanumeric characters are ignored.
• Words can be specified in any order.
  You can minimize search time by specifying the most unusual word first.
• Nonalphanumeric characters are ignored in the search. Exceptions are the percent sign (%) and hyphen (-) when they prefix a message. Therefore, you can paste a full message into the search string, provided you include these special characters and delete any variables (such as file names) that were inserted into the message.
  If Help Message fails to find a pasted message in the database, submit the command again and omit the leading special character, facility, and severity. Some common messages are documented as "shared" messages rather than facility-specific messages.
• Help Message matches all words that begin with the characters specified in the search string. Use /WORD_MATCH=WHOLE_WORD to specify that only whole words be matched.

Description

The Help Message utility accesses message descriptions in a text file. This text file is derived from the latest OpenVMS system messages documentation, and, optionally, from other source files, including user-supplied message documentation. By default, Help Message provides information on how the last executed command completed.

You can extract all messages produced by one or more specified facilities. By directing this output to a file, you can create and print your own customized message documentation.

For full details about adding comments or messages to the Help Message database, refer to the OpenVMS System Messages: Companion Guide for Help Message Users.

Qualifiers

/BRIEF

Outputs the message text only.

/DELETE=filename.MSGHLP

Deletes all messages contained in the specified .MSGHLP file from whichever of the following files is found first:

• A .MSGHLP$DATA file specified with the /LIBRARY qualifier
• The first .MSGHLP$DATA file in a search path specified by the /LIBRARY qualifier
• The first .MSGHLP$DATA file in the default search path (defined by logical name MSGHLP$LIBRARY)
• SYS$HELP:MSGHLP$LIBRARY.MSGHLP$DATA (the default .MSGHLP$DATA file)

You must have write access to Compaq-supplied .MSGHLP$DATA files to delete messages from the Compaq-supplied database.

Note If you create a .MSGHLP file by specifying a search string, check the output .MSGHLP file to be sure the search did not pick up any unexpected messages that you do not want to delete from the database. Edit any such messages out of the .MSGHLP file before you perform the delete operation.

/EXTRACT=filename.MSGHLP

Extracts messages from the database and generates a .MSGHLP file that can be edited, if desired, and used as input for /INSERT and /DELETE operations. /EXTRACT retrieves data from a .MSGHLP$DATA file or logical search path specified by /LIBRARY or, by default, from files in the search path defined by logical name MSGHLP$LIBRARY. When /EXTRACT is not specified, Help Message produces output in standard text format by default (see /OUTPUT).

/FACILITY=?

/FACILITY=(facility-name [,...])

/FACILITY=ALL

Specifies which facilities in the database are to be searched for a match.

Enter /FACILITY=? to output a list of all facilities in the default database or in a database specified by /LIBRARY.

To narrow your search, specify one or more facility names with /FACILITY. (Multiple facilities must be enclosed in parentheses and be separated by commas.) Help Message then outputs only matching messages produced by the specified facility or facilities.

Specify /FACILITY=ALL to output messages for all facilities in the database. /FACILITY=ALL is the default unless another facility is implied; for example, specifying /STATUS or defaulting to the value of the CLI symbol $STATUS automatically identifies a specific facility. Similarly, cutting and pasting a message that includes a facility name invalidates use of the /FACILITY qualifier.

Refer to the OpenVMS System Messages: Companion Guide for Help Message Users for more details about using the /FACILITY qualifier.

/FULL (default)

Outputs the complete message description, including message text, facility name, explanation, user action, and user-supplied comment, if any.

/INSERT=filename.MSGHLP

/INSERT=TT:

Updates the first of the following files to be found with new or changed information from the specified .MSGHLP file, or, if TT: is specified, with the data entered immediately at the terminal:

• A .MSGHLP$DATA file specified with the /LIBRARY qualifier
• The first .MSGHLP$DATA file in a search path specified by the /LIBRARY qualifier
• The first .MSGHLP$DATA file in the default search path (defined by logical logical name MSGHLP$LIBRARY)
• SYS$HELP:MSGHLP$LIBRARY.MSGHLP$DATA (the default .MSGHLP$DATA file)

You must have write access for the Compaq-supplied .MSGHLP$DATA files to insert data into these files. User-supplied data is identified by change bars in Help Message output.

/LIBRARY=disk:[directory]filename.MSGHLP$DATA

/LIBRARY=disk:[directory]

/LIBRARY=logical-name

Defines the messages database for the current command to be a particular .MSGHLP$DATA file, all the .MSGHLP$DATA files in a specified directory, or all the files in a search path defined by a logical name.

For most operations, the default database is either SYS$HELP:MSGHLP$LIBRARY.MSGHLP$DATA or a search path of .MSGHLP$DATA files defined by the logical name MSGHLP$LIBRARY.

For /DELETE and /INSERT operations, the default database is either SYS$HELP:MSGHLP$LIBRARY.MSGHLP$DATA or the first file in a search path defined by the logical name MSGHLP$LIBRARY.

/OUTPUT=filespec

Writes output to the specified file. By default, Help Message writes output to SYS$OUTPUT, which is normally the terminal. (Use of /OUTPUT=filespec is incompatible with /PAGE.)

/PAGE (default for screen display)

/NOPAGE

Displays terminal output one screen at a time. The page length is automatically set to 1 line less than the value specified by SET TERMINAL/PAGE. (Use of /PAGE is incompatible with /OUTPUT=filespec.)

/SECTION_FILE=*

/SECTION_FILE=file-spec

Identifies the specified message section file to the system so that Help Message can interpret the $STATUS values for the messages in that file. The default file specification is SYS$MESSAGE:.EXE. Specifying /SECTION_FILE=* automatically includes all OpenVMS-supplied message section files. For more information, refer to OpenVMS System Messages: Companion Guide for Help Message Users.

Note The results of using this qualifier are entirely independent from those created by the SET MESSAGE command. The Help Message utility and Message utility do not interact. You must separately code each utility to obtain the results you want.

/SORT

/NOSORT (default)

Sorts output in alphabetical order. If a sort fails, retry the operation using the /WORK_FILES qualifier.

/STATUS=status-code

/STATUS='symbol'

/STATUS='$STATUS' (default)

Outputs the message corresponding to the specified status code. You can specify the status code with a decimal or hexadecimal number or a symbol enclosed in apostrophes. You can omit leading zeros, but you must prefix any hexadecimal number with "%X".

If a HELP/MESSAGE command does not include a search string, Help Message by default outputs the message corresponding to the CLI symbol $STATUS; that is, Help Message displays information on how the last executed command completed.

You cannot specify a search string or /FACILITY with /STATUS. /FACILITY is also illegal if you omit the search string and default to /STATUS='$STATUS'.

/WORD_MATCH=INITIAL_SUBSTRING (default)

/WORD_MATCH=WHOLE_WORD

/WORD_MATCH=INITIAL_SUBSTRING matches all words that begin with a word specified in the search string. The search string can contain multiple words to be matched. Only messages that match every word in the search string (in any order) are output.

/WORD_MATCH=WHOLE_WORD matches whole words only and refines your search to the exact words specified. For example, an exact search on ACC screens out dozens of other messages containing words that begin with the letters ACC.

/WORK_FILES=nn

/WORK_FILES=0 (default if qualifier is omitted)

/WORK_FILES=2 (default if qualifier is entered with no value)

Specifies that work files are to be used if the /SORT qualifier is specified. You can specify a value from 0 to 10 for nn. This qualifier has no effect if /SORT is not specified.

Examples

$ SHOW DEVICE KUDOS
%SYSTEM-W-NOSUCHDEV, no such device available
$ HELP/MESSAGE
      

The first command creates an error. The default HELP/MESSAGE command (with no qualifiers) displays a description of the SYSTEM facility message NOSUCHDEV.

$ HELP/MESSAGE ACCVIO
$ HELP/MESSAGE/BRIEF ACCVIO
$ HELP/MESSAGE/FACILITY=SYSTEM ACCVIO
$ HELP/MESSAGE VIRTUAL ACCESS
$ HELP/MESSAGE/STATUS=12
$ HELP/MESSAGE/STATUS=%XC
      

These commands demonstrate how you can use various qualifiers to access and display the ACCVIO message (sometimes several!) in different formats.

$ HELP/MESSAGE/BRIEF ACC
$ HELP/MESSAGE/BRIEF/WORD_MATCH=WHOLE_WORD ACC
      

In the first command, Help Message by default matches dozens of words beginning with the string "ACC." The /WORD_MATCH=WHOLE_WORD qualifier dramatically refines the search to match the exact word only.

$ HELP/MESSAGE/FACILITY=(BACKUP,SHARED)/SORT/OUTPUT=MESSAGES.TXT
      

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