Configuration Methods - Command Line

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Last updated: Feb 14, 2023 by
Stonebranch
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Command Line

Command line options affect one instance of a program execution. Each time that you execute a program, command line options let you tailor the behavior of the program to meet the specific needs for that execution.

Command line options are the highest in order of precedence of all the Configuration Methods. They override the options specified using all other configuration methods, except where indicated.

Each command line options consist of:

  • Parameter (name of the option)
  • Value (pre-defined or user-defined value of the option)

The command line syntax depends, in part, on the operating system, as noted below.

A value may or may not be case-sensitive, depending on what it is specifying. For example, if a value is either yes or no, it is not case-sensitive. It could be specified as YES, Yes, or yes. However, if a value specifies a directory name or file name, it would be case-sensitive if the operating system's file system is case-sensitive.

If an option is specified more than once on the command line, the last instance of the option specified is used.
 

z/OS

Command line options are specified in the JCL EXEC statement PARM keyword or on the SYSIN ddname. The PARM keyword is used to pass command line options to the program being executed with the EXEC statement.
 
Command line options are prefixed with a dash (-) character or a plus (+) character. The plus character indicates that system symbols found in the value are resolved to their defined value before the value is processed by the Universal Agent component. For many options, there are two different forms in which they can be specified:

  • Short form: one case-sensitive character.
  • Long form: two or more case-insensitive characters.

The parameter and value must be separated by at least one space.
 
Example command line options specified in the PARM value:


 
As noted above, z/OS command line options also can be specified on the SYSIN ddname. This is the easiest and least restrictive place to specify options, since the PARM values are limited in length. The options specified in the SYSIN ddname have the same syntax. Options can be specified on one line or multiple lines. The data set or inline data allocated to the SYSIN ddname cannot have line numbers in the last 8 columns (that is, all columns of the records are used as input).

UNIX, Windows, HP NonStop

Command line options are prefixed with a dash ( - ) character, and alternatively on Windows, the slash ( / ) character.
 
For many options, there are two different forms in which they can be specified:

  • Short form: one case-sensitive character.
  • Long form: two or more case-insensitive characters.

The parameter and value must be separated by at least one space or tab character.
 
Example command line options:


IBM i

Command line options use the native conventions for Command Language (CL) commands. The option name is specified as a CL parameter with its value enclosed in parentheses.
 
Example command line options:


  All Universal Agent components provide IBM i-style command panels. The panels are accessed by entering the command name on the command line and pressing the F4 (PROMPT) key.