===== HELP /MESSAGE =====

In PARSEC VMS classes, we also say that "Error messages are your friends."  But sometimes just the error message text itself doesn't tell you quite enough to fix a command problem.

A little known and infrequently used variant of the HELP command allows you to review help-text specifically for the current or last-occurring DCL error message displayed on your screen -- see in particular:

  $ HELP HELP /MESSAGE
  ...

Best shown by example:

<code>
$ cp login.txt foo.txt
%DCL-W-IVVERB, unrecognized command verb - check validity and spelling
 \CP\
$ copy login.txt foo.txt
%COPY-E-OPENIN, error opening DSA2:[LRICKER]login.txt; as input
-RMS-E-FNF, file not found
$ help /message

 OPENIN,  error opening 'input-file-spec' as input

  Facility:     Shared by several facilities

  Explanation:  The specified input file cannot be opened.

  User Action:  Make sure the file exists and is accessible, or take action
                based on an accompanying message.
</code>

By default (without a command parameter), ''HELP /MESSAGE'' shows the error-message help for the last/latest/current command.  If you want to see help-text for a previous error, be sure to note the error-message "abbreviation string", whatever follows the ''-W-'', ''-E-'' or ''-F-'' part of the error message, and use that as the parameter for ''HELP /MESSAGE'':

<code>
$ help /message ivverb

 IVVERB,  unrecognized command verb - check validity and spelling

  Facility:     CLI, Command Language Interpreter (DCL)

  Explanation:  The first word in the command is not a valid DCL command or
                a symbol name equated with a command. The rejected portion of
                the command is displayed between backslashes.

  User Action:  Check the spelling of the command name or symbol name, then
                reenter the command.
</code>

The ''User Action'' and ''Explanation'' texts are usually sufficient to figure out what's wrong with the command and how to fix it.