09/05/87 accept_messages, am Syntax as a command: am {mbx_specification} {-control_args} Function: initializes or reinitializes your process both for accepting messages that are sent by send_message and for notifications. Arguments: mbx_specification specifies the mailbox on which messages are to be accepted. If not given, the user's default mailbox (>udd>Project>Person>Person.mbx) is used. List of mbx specifications: -log specifies the user's logbox and is equivalent to -mailbox >udd>Project_id>Person_id>Person_id.sv.mbx -mailbox path, -mbx path specifies the pathname of a mailbox. The suffix .mbx is added if necessary. -save path, -sv path specifies the pathname of a savebox. The suffix .sv.mbx is added if necessary. -user STR specifies either a user's default mailbox or an entry in the system mail table. STR is any noncontrol argument, and is first interpreted as -mailbox STR; if no mailbox is found, STR is then interpreted as -save STR; if no savebox is found, it is interpreted as -user STR. Control arguments: -brief, -bf prevents accept_messages from informing you that it is creating a mailbox, and prints messages in short format. -call {cmdline} when the message is received, instead of printing it in the default format, accept_messages calls the command processor with a string of the form cmdline number sender time message {path} where: cmdline is any Multics command line; enclose it in quotes if it contains blanks or other command language characters. number is the sequence number of the message, assigned when you use -hold_messages; otherwise it is 0. sender is the User_id of the person who sent the message. time is the date-time the message was sent. message is the message sent. path is the pathname of the mailbox to which the message was sent. If the message was sent to the default mailbox, path is omitted. To suppress a previous -call, give -call with no cmdline argument. -flush DT discards messages sent before the specified date-time (see time_strings.gi for valid DT values). This control argument should be used by operators and consultants. -hold_messages, -hdmsg holds messages until explicitly deleted by delete_message. Messages printed when -hold_messages is in effect are preceded by an identifying number. -hold_notifications, -hdnt holds notifications in the mailbox after being printed. This implies -notifications. -long, -lg precedes every message printed by the sender's Person_id and Project_id and prints the date-time string. It prints the message number only if you use -hold_messages. (Default) -no_hold_messages, -nhdmsg reverts -hold_messages. -no_hold_notifications, -nhdnt deletes notifications after being printed. (Default) -no_notifications, -nnt deletes notifications as they are received. This implies -no_hold_notifications. -no_print, -npr does not print old messages. (Default) -no_short_prefix, -nshpfx does not print the prefix when messages are printed in short format. -notifications, -nt prints notifications. (Default) -prefix STR, -pfx STR places STR in front of all messages printed as they are received. STR can be up to 12 characters long, and can contain the ioa_ control strings ^/, ^|, and ^- if desired. -print, -pr prints all messages that you received since the last time you were accepting messages. The messages are deleted after printing, unless you are holding them. -short, -sh precedes consecutive messages from the same sender by "=" instead of the Person_id and Project_id, and prints the date-time string only if less than five minutes have passed since the previous message. It omits the date if the current message and the previous one are received on the same date. -short_prefix, -shpfx prints the prefix when messages are printed in short format. (Default) -time N, -tm N prints undeleted messages every N minutes, preceded by a message of the form You have X messages where X is the number of undeleted messages. If N equals 0, the time mode is reset. Notes: A default mailbox is created the first time you issue print_mail, read_mail, or accept_messages. The default mailbox is >udd>Project_id>Person_id>Person_id.mbx Messages sent when you are not logged in or when you are deferring messages (see defer_messages) are saved in the mailbox; you can read them later with print_messages. The send_mail command stores mail in the same mailbox. Don't share the same mailbox with others. At any time, only one process can be accepting messages from a given mailbox. If you create two processes that accept messages from the same mailbox, the second process (i.e., the one issuing an accept_messages most recently) automatically take over the command function. The first process receives no indication that messages are being routed to the second process. If the second process logs out or is destroyed, the messages do not revert to an earlier process; thus if you send a message to that mailbox, you are informed that the addressee is currently not accepting messages or is not logged in. So if you are registered on multiple projects using a common mailbox, be aware that this behavior affects your processes. Generally don't accept messages in absentee processes; the start_up.ec should distinguish between interactive and absentee processes, and should issue accept_messages only in an interactive process. You can accept messages on more than one mailbox at a time and on a mailbox other than the default. If you use a nondefault mailbox and it does not exist, accept_messages queries you whether it should be created. When messages are printed from a nondefault mailbox, the mailbox is always identified. ----------------------------------------------------------- Historical Background This edition of the Multics software materials and documentation is provided and donated to Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Group BULL including BULL HN Information Systems Inc. as a contribution to computer science knowledge. This donation is made also to give evidence of the common contributions of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bell Laboratories, General Electric, Honeywell Information Systems Inc., Honeywell BULL Inc., Groupe BULL and BULL HN Information Systems Inc. to the development of this operating system. Multics development was initiated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Project MAC (1963-1970), renamed the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in the mid 1970s, under the leadership of Professor Fernando Jose Corbato. Users consider that Multics provided the best software architecture for managing computer hardware properly and for executing programs. Many subsequent operating systems incorporated Multics principles. Multics was distributed in 1975 to 2000 by Group Bull in Europe , and in the U.S. by Bull HN Information Systems Inc., as successor in interest by change in name only to Honeywell Bull Inc. and Honeywell Information Systems Inc. . ----------------------------------------------------------- Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute these programs and their documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted,provided that the below copyright notice and historical background appear in all copies and that both the copyright notice and historical background and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation, and that the names of MIT, HIS, BULL or BULL HN not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the programs without specific prior written permission. Copyright 1972 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Honeywell Information Systems Inc. Copyright 2006 by BULL HN Information Systems Inc. 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