CLI special characters

The following special characters are used in the command-line interface (CLI) command examples.

minus (-) sign
Flags are prefixed with a - (minus) sign. Flags define the action of a command or modify the operation of a command. You can use multiple flags, followed by parameters, when you issue a command. The - character cannot be used as the first character of an object name.
vertical bar (|)
A vertical bar signifies that you choose only one value. For example, [ a | b ] in brackets indicates that you can choose a, b, or nothing. Similarly, { a | b } in braces indicates that you must choose either a or b.
delimiters (: or , or !)
Delimiters are used to delimit items listed after issuing an information command.
  • Colon (:) is used to delimit items in a list in a command (for example mkhost -name myhost -hbawwpn AA22000011112222:AA22000011112223).
  • Comma (,) is used to delimit items in a list in a command if item values can contain a colon.
  • Exclamation mark (!) is used to delimit items in a command if the item values can contain a colon or comma. Exclamation points generally do not show up in example output and are a good delimiter to use.