The parts of a command include a command label (optional), a command
name (mnemonic), and one or more parameters. The parameter includes a keyword
and a value.
This figure illustrates the parts of a command:
CL command syntax
A command name and parameters make up each CL
command.
CL command label
Command labels identify particular commands for branching purposes
in a CL program. Labels can also be used to identify statements in CL programs
that are being debugged. They can identify statements used either as breakpoints
or as starting and ending statements for tracing purposes.
CL command parameters
Most CL commands have one or more parameters that specify
the objects and values used to run the commands.
CL command delimiters
Command delimiters are special characters or spaces that identify
the beginning or end of a group of characters in a command.
CL command continuation
Commands can be entered in free format. This means that a command
does not have to begin in a specific location on a coding sheet or on the
display. A command can be contained entirely in one record, or it can be continued
on several lines or in several records.
CL command comments
Comments within CL programs describe the expected
behavior of the code.