Long Online Commands

Commands that are entered in a VTAM or TSO/ISPF interface environment are limited to the top line of the screen by default. In most cases, only 79 characters can be entered on the top line, which is also known as the command line. A command that has more than 79 characters is considered a long command.

When it is necessary to enter a long command, enter part of the command followed by the command continuation character (CCC). The CCC is a plus sign (+). When the CCC is the last character on the command line, the following happens when you press ENTER:

The screen blanks.
The command that was entered shows without the CCC.
The cursor positions after the last nonblank character.
The two top rows, totaling 160 characters, are available for command input.

A plus sign that is not the last character in the command is treated as part of the command. The maximum length command that can be entered is 160 characters.

The CCC is not valid with the following commands:

/AUTO
/ECHO
/FETCH (The command ignores the CCC. The usage notes for /FETCH discuss how it displays a long command.)
/LOGON

The CCC is not available in a batch environment.

Note: For more information about continuation characters in a CAICCI terminal environment, see the Interface Reference Guide.

More information:

/FETCH Usage Notes