Command Syntax Symbols

Parentheses, brackets, ellipses, and slashes have the following meanings or uses:

( ): Parentheses enclose operands that govern the action of certain command options.
[ ]: Brackets indicate an optional command argument. If you do not use the optional item, the program selects a default.
...: Ellipsis after an argument indicates that you can repeat the preceding item any number of times.
/: For 3270, a slash must precede the Time Sharing Option Extensions (TSO/E) password. A slash must also precede parameters of DOS commands entered from the command line. For 5250, a slash must precede parameters of IBM® DOS commands entered from the command line.
\: A backslash is included as part of any directory name. An initial backslash indicates the first-level directory, and an additional backslash is inserted in the directory name to indicate another level.

All directives, operands, and other syntax can be typed in either uppercase or lowercase, unless otherwise indicated.