What? You can’t remember that command?

Do you have those days when you just can’t remember the correct syntax for the command you need to use? Most IBM i commands are based on display (DSP) to just display a certain object, like Device Description, File, Data Area, Authority, JOB… you get the picture. Then there is Change (CHG) to change a particular kind of object.  My favorite is Work-With (WRK), this allows you to look at/change what is currently there. (like with a device description and change the address). But if you can’t remember the command, here are a couple of ways to find the command you want.

My favorite way is to go to the Command Line and type in WRKDEV* , The  asterisk is a wild card and will show you all commands that start with WRKDEV.  You would see a list including; WRKDEVBRM, WRKDEVD, WRKDEVTBL and  you could put a 1 next to the one you want and hit enter and it will prompt the command for you. Hopefully you will eventually you will remember the commands you use the most.

Another method is go to a command line and hit F4 (Function Key 4), you will see a list of Major Command Groups, like Print, Security, Save/Restore Commands. My favorite is option 3 (Subject Commands), this is an alphabetic list of commands in a particular group. An example would be, you can scroll to Job Queue Commands, select the option next to the topic and hit enter (174). This will show you all the commands that something to do with Job Queues. (Change, Clear, display, hold…)

Hope you found this short set of tips useful.