HELP

Displays information about SPIFF and its commands.

Syntax

   > H[ELP] [ FEATURES

              SUMMARY

              [command [ALL

                        PARMS

                        OPERATION

                        EXAMPLE ] ] ]

Parameters

none

If you invoke HELP with no parameters, the Help Facility will be interactive until you enter E or EXIT. Refer to the "Operation Notes" section.

To enter the MPE/iX help facility, use :HELP. Be sure to insert a colon before the HELP command.

FEATURES

Displays a short description of new SPIFF features along with differences between SPIFF and SPOOK5.

SUMMARY

Displays all available commands and their syntax. This is the closest match to SPOOK5's HELP or XPLAIN commands.

command

A SPIFF or MPE/iX command. You may specify a command file to which you have read access or a UDC, as long as neither one contains OPTION NOHELP.

ALL

Displays all help text for the command. This consists of all three sections, PARMS, OPERATION and EXAMPLE.

PARMS

Displays the PARMS section of the command's help text.

OPERATION

Displays the OPERATION section of the command's help text.

EXAMPLE

Displays the EXAMPLE section of the command's help text.

Operation Notes

The HELP command (abbreviated H) invokes SPIFF's help facility. The facility has an interactive mode and a direct access mode. Both are described below. Either mode has a scrolling facility, that is, if a display requires more than 23 lines, you are prompted whether or not to continue the display.

Interactive access mode
If HELP is entered with no parameters, as in
HELP
it enters the interactive mode, displays a table of contents and double greater-than (>>) prompt, and awaits your input. Entering any topic in the table of contents produces a description of that topic. Entering any command name (except EXIT) produces the syntax for that command and a list of the keywords. Entering a keyword such as PARMS produces a listing of all the items for that keyword (all parameters in this case). You can append the keyword to the command name and get only the help text for that keyword of that command.
NOTE: Because E[XIT] exits the interactive mode, the only way to obtain a description of SPIFF's EXIT command is by entering H[ELP] EXIT.
Direct access mode
If HELP is entered with one or more parameters, it enters direct access mode. It displays the text specified by your parameter(s), then returns you to the SPIFF prompt. Depending on the parameter(s), you can display summary help text for all commands, a detailed description of a specified SPIFF or MPE/iX command, or a brief description of SPIFF features.

The Help response to keyboard input depends on what is happening at the time:

At a scrolling continuation prompt--(xx/yy) Continue?—or while the output is in the process of being displayed, you are actually within the MPE/iX PRINT command. If the response is such that the PRINT command is terminated, you are returned to the appropriate SPIFF prompt (>> or >), depending on how you began the text display. Refer to the discussion of the PRINT command in the MPE/iX Commands Reference Manual (32650-90003) to determine its response to keyboard input.
In addition to the responses described there, a CTRLY response also terminates the PRINT command and returns you to an SPIFF prompt.
At an interactive mode prompt (>>), entering E[XIT] or : terminates interactive mode, returning you to the SPIFF command prompt. CTRLY has no effect. Pressing Return (Enter on some keyboards) causes SPIFF to display information up to the next keyword or command, or until 23 lines have been displayed, whichever comes first.

SPIFF HELP vs. MPE/iX HELP

Entering H[ELP] puts you in the interactive mode of SPIFF Help. Entering :HELP puts you in the interactive mode of of the MPE/iX help facility.

Entering H[ELP] followed by one or more parameters causes SPIFF to search its help file (SPHLP000.PUB.SYS) first. If it finds an entry for the first parameter, it displays appropriate text and returns to the SPIFF prompt. If it cannot find an entry corresponding to the first parameter, it passes the parameter list to the MPE/iX help facility. If an entry is found there, again, the appropriate text is displayed and you are returned to the SPIFF prompt. If the parameter is neither a SPIFF or an MPE/iX command, you get the MPE/iX message:

Can't find anything under this command or in table of contents.

If you enter :HELP followed by one or more parameters, SPIFF goes directly to the MPE/iX help facility (direct access mode) without checking SPIFF's HELP first.




	NOTE: The full form of the `:HELP` command is required. The `:H` abbreviation will not work, because it is not a valid MPE/iX command.

HELP

Technical documentation

» Table of Contents

» Glossary

» Index

Syntax

Parameters

Operation Notes

SPIFF HELP vs. MPE/iX HELP