This chapter describes the various help options and tutorials that are available in IBM z/OS Management Facility (z/OSMF) to enable a user to effectively and efficiently use z/OSMF.

This chapter includes the following topics:

Help information is provided to assist you with understanding and performing a task, troubleshooting problems, entering information, and using all aspects of z/OSMF. Help is available in all z/OSMF windows.

The Help Contents button is shown in Figure 5-1.

The Welcome window is shown in Figure 5-2, in which you can see links that are available under the Learn more option for learning more about z/OSMF.

In most of the z/OSMF windows, the following types of help are available:

Tutorials also are available.

This type of help provides more information about a page. For example, page-level help describes each field or column that is displayed on the page and the actions that you can start from a page. To open page-level help, click the Help link in the upper right corner of each page, as shown in Figure 5-3.

More information about the page is displayed in a new browser window. The browser window is divided into two sections: the navigation area and the content area, as shown in Figure 5-4.

The help information is displayed in the content area. A hierarchical list of z/OSMF-specific help topics is displayed in the navigation area. The active help topic is highlighted in the navigation area so that you can see where it is within the hierarchy and easily browse to related information.

You can also use the links (if any) that are displayed at the bottom of the content area to find information that is related to the active help topic. The following types of links might be displayed:

When clicked, the links open the corresponding information.

This type of help provides more information about a message. Message help includes a detailed explanation of the message, a description of any reason codes that are listed in the message, and suggestions for actions you can implement to resolve the issue. To display the help for a message, click the message ID link (see Figure 5-5).

When you click the message ID, a new window that includes an explanation of the message opens, as shown in Figure 5-6.

Field-level help describes the type and format of data to enter in a field. It also indicates when required information is omitted.

Field-level help takes the form of messages. When a message is available for a field, a status icon is displayed within or next to the field, and a message also is displayed, as shown in Figure 5-7.