Help (command)

File:Rsx-11m-plus.png on RSX-11]]

File:ReactOS-0.4.13 help command 667x434.png help command]]

The command is available in operating systems such as Multics,{{Cite web|url=https://www.multicians.org/mgh.html#help|title=Multics Glossary -H-|website=www.multicians.org}} Heath Company HDOS,{{cite web |title=Software Reference Manual HDOS SYSTEM Chapter 2 General Operations |language=en |author=Heath Company |author-link=Heath Company |url=http://sebhc.lesbird.com/documentation/software/HDOS-2/HDOS_Reference_Chapter2.pdf |access-date=2020-02-08 |archive-date=2017-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807205702/http://sebhc.lesbird.com/documentation/software/HDOS-2/HDOS_Reference_Chapter2.pdf |url-status=dead }} CP/M Plus, DOS, IBM OS/2,{{Cite web |url=http://www.jatomes.com/Help/Os2Cmd.php#HELP |title=JaTomes Help - OS/2 Commands |access-date=2019-07-27 |archive-date=2019-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414130029/http://www.jatomes.com/Help/Os2Cmd.php#HELP |url-status=dead }} eComStation, ArcaOS, IBM i,{{cite web |title=IBM System i Version 7.2 Programming Qshell |language=en |author=IBM |website=IBM |author-link=IBM |url=https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_74/rzahz/rzahzpdf.pdf?view=kc |access-date=2020-09-05 }} Microsoft Windows, ReactOS,{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/reactos/reactos|title=reactos/reactos|website=GitHub|date=3 January 2022}} THEOS/OASIS,[http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/phaseOneSystems/THEOS_OASIS_Users_Handbook_1985.pdf THEOS/OASIS User′s Handbook] Zilog Z80-RIO,[https://www.z80cpu.eu/mirrors/oldcomputers.dyndns.org/public/pub/rechner/zilog/zds/z80-rio_os_userman.pdf Z80-RIO OPERATING SYSTEM USER'S MANUAL] Microware OS-9,{{cite book|author=Paul S. Dayan|year=1992|title=The OS-9 Guru - 1 : The Facts|publisher=Galactic Industrial Limited|isbn=0-9519228-0-7}} Stratus OpenVOS,{{cite web |url= http://stratadoc.stratus.com/vos/19.1.0/r098-19/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/r098-19.pdf|title=Reference manual |website=stratadoc.stratus.com|access-date=2020-09-14}} HP MPE/iX,[http://www.teamnaconsulting.com/compresources/pdfs/c01687363.pdf MPE/iX Command Reference Manual] Motorola VERSAdos,[http://bitsavers.org/pdf/motorola/versados/M68KVSF_D7_VERSAdosSysFacilities_Oct85.pdf M68000 Family VERSAdos System Facilities Reference Manual] KolibriOS{{Cite web|url=http://wiki.kolibrios.org/wiki/Shell|title=Shell - KolibriOS wiki|website=wiki.kolibrios.org}} and also in the DEC RT-11,{{Cite web|url=http://paleoferrosaurus.com/beta/documents/rt11help.html#HELP|title=RT-11 HELP FILE|website=paleoferrosaurus.com|access-date=2018-07-16|archive-date=2018-07-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717041552/http://paleoferrosaurus.com/beta/documents/rt11help.html#HELP|url-status=dead}} RSX-11,{{Cite book |title=RSX A Guide for Users |date=1987 |author=John F. Pieper |publisher=Digital Equipment Corporation |url=http://www.rsx11m.com/rsxguide.pdf |isbn=0-932376-90-8 |access-date=2020-09-19}} TOPS-10{{Cite book |title=TOPS-10 Operating System Commands Manual |date=August 1980 |publisher=Digital Equipment Corporation |url=http://scandocs.trailing-edge.com/tops10-aa-0916d-tb.pdf |access-date=2019-02-17 |archive-date=2020-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809145058/http://scandocs.trailing-edge.com/tops10-aa-0916d-tb.pdf |url-status=dead }} and TOPS-20{{cite web

|url=http://www.textfiles.com/bitsavers/pdf/dec/pdp10/TOPS20/V6.1/AA-FP65A-TM_tops20CmdsRef.pdf

|title=TOPS-20 Command manual

|access-date=2018-07-18

|archive-date=2020-08-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809103116/http://www.textfiles.com/bitsavers/pdf/dec/pdp10/TOPS20/V6.1/AA-FP65A-TM_tops20CmdsRef.pdf

|url-status=dead

}} operating systems. Furthermore it is available in the open source MS-DOS emulator DOSBox and in the EFI shell.{{cite web

| url = http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/efi-shells-and-scripting/

| title = EFI Shells and Scripting

| publisher = Intel

| access-date = 2013-09-25

}}

On Unix, the command is part of the Source Code Control System and prints help information for the SCCS commands.

The Multics help command prints descriptions of system commands/active functions and subroutines. It also prints various information about the system status, system changes, and other general information. This information is selected from segments maintained online, which are in a special format, called information segments. More than 800 information segments are available.{{cite book

| last = Honeywell Bull, Inc.

| title = Multics Commands and Active Functions (AG92-06)

| url = http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/honeywell/multics/AG92-06B_multicsCmds_Nov87.pdf

| access-date = Jan 10, 2021

| date = Feb 1985

| archive-date = June 6, 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220606144002/http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/honeywell/multics/AG92-06B_multicsCmds_Nov87.pdf

| url-status = dead

}}

The DEC OS/8 CCL help command prints information on specified OS/8 programs."Concise Command Language" (CCL).{{cite web

|url=http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/pdp8/os8/OS8_Handbook_Apr1974.pdf

|title=OS/8 Handbook |date=April 1974 |access-date=28 November 2017}}

The help command is available in MS-DOS 5.x and later versions of the software.{{Cite book|author-last=Wolverton|author-first=Van|title=Running MS-DOS Version 6.22 (20th Anniversary Edition), 6th Revised edition|date=2003|publisher=Microsoft Press|isbn=0-7356-1812-7}}

The help command with a 'command' parameter would give help on a specific command.

If no arguments are provided, the command lists the contents of DOSHELP.HLP.

In MS-DOS 6.x this command exists as FASTHELP.

The MS-DOS 6.xx help command uses QBasic to view a quickhelp HELP.HLP file, which contains more extensive information on the commands, with some hyperlinking etc. The MS-DOS 6.22 help system is included on Windows 9x CD-ROM versions as well.

In PC DOS 5 and 6 help is the same form as MS-DOS 5 help command.

PC DOS 7.xx help uses view.exe to open OS/2 style INF files (cmdref.inf, dosrexx.inf and doserror.inf), opening these to the appropriate pages.

The Software Link's PC-MOS includes an implementation of help.{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/roelandjansen/pcmos386v501|title=roelandjansen/pcmos386v501|website=GitHub|date=2 January 2022}} Like the rest of the operating system, it is licensed under the GPL v3.{{cite web|url=https://github.com/roelandjansen/pcmos386v501|title=pcmos386v501: PC-MOS/386 v5.01 final release including cdrom driver sources|first=Roeland|last=Jansen|date=8 February 2018|via=GitHub}}

In DR-DOS, help is a batch file that launches DR-DOS' internal help program, dosbook.

Datalight ROM-DOS includes an implementation of the {{code|help}} command.{{Cite web|url=https://www.datalight.com/assets/files/ROM-DOS_Users_Guide.pdf|title=Datalight ROM-DOS User's Guide|website=www.datalight.com}} ROM-DOS was introduced in 1989 as an MS-DOS compatible operating system designed for embedded systems.

The FreeDOS version was developed by Joe Cosentino.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.2/repos/pkg-html/help.html|title=ibiblio.org FreeDOS Package -- Help (FreeDOS Base)|website=www.ibiblio.org}}

The 4DOS/4NT help command uses a text user interface to display the online help.

File:Microsoft Windows CE Version 3.0 (Build 126) cmd.exe Command Prompt 800x574.png) on Windows CE 3.0 showing the help command output]]

Used without parameters, help lists and briefly describes every system command.

Windows NT-based versions use MS-DOS 5 style help. Versions before Windows Vista also have a Windows help file (NTCMDS.HLP or NTCMDS.INF) in a similar style to MS-DOS 6.

In PowerShell, help is a short form (implemented as a PowerShell function) for access to the Get-Help Cmdlet.

Windows PowerShell includes an extensive, console-based help system, reminiscent of man pages in Unix. The help topics include help for cmdlets, providers, and concepts in PowerShell.

In Bash, the builtin command help'{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bashref.html|title=Bash Reference Manual|website=www.gnu.org|access-date=2016-05-09}} lists all Bash builtin commands if used without arguments. Otherwise, it prints a brief summary of a command. Its syntax is:

help [-dms] [pattern]

HELP is a DCL utility that contains information on the use of commands and descriptions of some OpenVMS concepts such as time formats and lexical functions, as well as lists of commands for a particular purpose (HELP Hints).

The command-syntax is:

help [command]

Arguments:

• command This command-line argument specifies the name of the command about which information is to be displayed.

===DOSBox===

Z:\>help

If you want a list of all supported commands type help /all .

A short list of the most often used commands:

{{Main article|Docstring}}

>>> help

Type help() for interactive help, or help(object) for help about object.

>>> help()

Welcome to Python 2.5! This is the online help utility.

If this is your first time using Python, you should definitely check out

the tutorial on the Internet at https://www.python.org/doc/tut/.

Enter the name of any module, keyword, or topic to get help on writing

Python programs and using Python modules. To quit this help utility and

return to the interpreter, just type "quit".

...

octave-3.0.0.exe:1> help

Help is available for the topics listed below.

Additional help for built-in functions and operators is

available in the on-line version of the manual. Use the command

`doc ' to search the manual index.

...

• Online help
• List of DOS commands

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book|author-last=Wolverton|author-first=Van|title=MS-DOS Commands: Microsoft Quick Reference, 4th Revised edition|url=https://archive.org/details/msdos00wolv|url-access=registration|date=1990|publisher=Microsoft Press|isbn=978-1556152894}}
• {{Cite book|author1=Kathy Ivens|author2=Brian Proffit|year=1993|title=OS/2 Inside & Out|publisher=Osborne McGraw-Hill|isbn=978-0078818714}}
• {{Cite book|first=Æleen|last=Frisch|year=2001|title=Windows 2000 Commands Pocket Reference|publisher=O'Reilly|isbn=978-0-596-00148-3}}

{{Wikibooks|Guide to Windows Commands}}

• [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/help help | Microsoft Docs]

{{Windows commands}}

{{Unix commands}}

Category:Multics commands

Category:External DOS commands

Category:MSX-DOS commands

Category:OS/2 commands

Category:ReactOS commands

Category:Windows commands

Category:IBM i Qshell commands

Category:Microcomputer software

Category:Windows administration

Category:Technical communication

Category:Online help