Click on image to enlarge.
Sections: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Index | Next >
Learning objective: Explain how to get help in the MS CLI
Click on image to enlarge.
In computing, help is a command in various command line shells such as COMMAND.COM, cmd.exe, 4DOS/4NT, Windows PowerShell, Bash, Singularity shell, Python and GNU Octave. It provides online information about available commands and the shell environment. Used without parameters, help lists and briefly describes every system command. Windows NT-based versions use MS-DOS 5 style help. [Wikipedia]
Prior to DOS 5X, there was no online help in DOS. If you did not know what command to use, you were out of luck. The online help in DOS is not designed to teach you how to use a command but provide a mental crutch with some many commands and options available. During the hay day of DOS in the 80s, there was a thriving DOS book industry, like the popular "DOS for Dummies" and many others. Amazon lists more than 4,000 titles on MS-DOS.
HELP
At the system prompt, you can enter "HELP" to get a list of available DOS commands. Give it a try.
(command) /?
To view the help for a given application, the default method in DOS is to use the "/?" switch after any command. For example, "TREE /?" to get a list of options for a given command. Give it a try.
(command) | more
If the help contents require more than one screen's worth of information, you can give the "MORE" command with a pipe "|" to control how much is seen. It will pause at a screen's worth of information. By pressing the enter key, it will go down one line at a time. By pressing the space bar, it will go down one screen at a time. Use Ctrl+C to terminate the command. For example, "HELP | MORE" to get a list of options for a given command. Give it a try.
DOS is not case sensitive
DOS is not case sensitive but will normally show commands and other instructions in all caps.
Thinking: How helpful is HELP in DOS?
Key terms: /? switch, Help, | more
Resources:
To maximize your learning, please visit these Web sites and review their content
to help reinforce the concepts presented in this section.
Quick links:
Help Command @ Wikipedia
Notes on navigation: Click inside the frame to navigate the embedded Web page. - Click outside the frame to navigate this page to scroll up/down between the embedded Web pages. - Click on the frame title to open that page in a new tab in most browsers. - Click on the the "Reload page" link to reload the original page for that frame.
Help Command @ Wikipedia |
Reload page
|
If frame is empty, click on the link to view the page in a new tab or window
Sections: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Index | Next >