Input in batch mode is the same as in unguided dialog. Letters must be entered in uppercase notation. Commands must be preceded by a slash, statements by two slashes. A command or statement may take up one or more lines. The continuation character used is the hyphen, which indicates that a continuation line is present. Each continuation line starts with a slash (or, in the case of statements, with two slashes).
Depending on the setting of the SDF option CONTINUATION, the continuation character for commands must either be entered in column 72 exactly (Old mode) or may be entered in any column from 2 through 72 (New mode). The setting can be queried by means of the SHOW-SDF-OPTIONS command and modified via the appropriate specification for the CONTINUATION operand of the MODIFY-SDF-OPTIONS command.
In the case of statements, the continuation character may occupy any position as of column 2, and the line length can be more than 72 characters.
Input records contradicting the SDF syntax description activate the spin-off mechanism, since a correction dialog is not possible in batch mode.
It is not possible to define task-specific default values.