10/10/83 read_mail, rdm Syntax: rdm {mbx_specification} {-control_args} Function: selectively lists, prints, deletes, saves and forwards messages and mail sent to a mailbox. Arguments: mbx_specification specifies the mailbox to be exmained. If not given, the user's default mailbox (>udd>Project>Person>Person.mbx) is used. List of mbx_specifications: -mailbox path, -mbx path specifies the pathname of a mailbox. The suffix "mbx" is added if necessary. -user STR specifies either a user's default mailbox or an entry in the system mail table. See "Notes on mailbox selection by user" below for more information. -save path, -sv path specifies the pathname of a savebox. The suffix "sv.mbx" is added if necessary. -log specifies the user's logbox and is equivalent to: -mailbox >udd>Project_id>Person_id>Person_id.sv.mbx STR is any non-control argument and is first interpreted as: -mailbox STR if no mailbox is found, this specification is then interpreted as: -save STR if no savebox is found, this specification is then interpreted as: -user STR Control arguments: -interactive_messages, -im specifies that read_mail should process interactive messages in the mailbox. -no_interactive_messages, -nim specifies that read_mail should not process interactive messages. Use of this control argument is incompatible with -no_mail. (Default) -mail, -ml specifies that read_mail should process ordinary messages in the mailbox. (Default) -no_mail, -nml specifies that read_mail should not process ordinary messages. Use of this control argument is incompatible with -nim. -accessible, -acc specifies that read_mail should only select those messages in the mailbox that the user is permitted to read. If the user has read (r) extended access on the mailbox, read_mail will select all messages in the mailbox; if the user has own (o) extended access on the mailbox, read_mail will select only those messages which the user sent to the mailbox. (Default) -all, -a specifies that read_mail should select all messages in the mailbox regardless of who sent them. Use of this control argument requires read (r) extended access on the mailbox. -own specifies that read_mail should select only those messages in the mailbox that the user himself sent to the mailbox. Use of this control argument requires own (o) extended access on the mailbox. -not_own specifies that read_mail should select only those messages in the mailbox that were not sent by the user. Use of this control argument requires read (r) extended access on the mailbox. -count, -ct prints the number of messages being read before entering the request loop. (Default) -no_count, -nct does not print the message count. -totals, -tt prints the number of the messages in the mailbox and exits without entering the request loop. This control argument is incompatible with -print, -list, -request, and -quit. -request_loop, -rql enters the read_mail request loop even if there are no messages in the mailbox. -no_request_loop, -nrql does not enter the request loop if there are no messages in the mailbox. (Default) -list, -ls lists the messages in the mailbox before entering the request loop. -no_list, -nls does not list the messages before entering request loop. (Default) -print, -pr prints all messages in the mailbox before entering the request loop. -no_print, -npr does not the print messages before entering request loop. (Default) -request STR, -rq STR executes STR as a read_mail request line before entering the request loop. -quit exits read_mail after performing any operations given by the -list, -print, or -request control arguments; this control argument must be given in combination with one of those. -acknowledge, -ack acknowledges messages which request acknowledgement. (Default) -no_acknowledge, -nack does not acknowledge messages which request acknowledgement. -brief, -bf shortens some informative messages and suppresses others. -long, -lg prints the long form of all informative messages. (Default) -abbrev, -ab enables abbreviation expansion of request lines. -no_abbrev, -nab does not enable abbreviation expansion of request lines. (Default) -profile path, -pf path specifies the pathname of the profile to use for abbreviation expansion. The suffix "profile" is added if necessary. This control argument implies -abbrev. -prompt STR, -pmt STR sets the request loop prompt to STR. The default is: ^/read_mail^[ (^d)^]:^2x -no_prompt, -npmt suppresses the prompt for request lines in the request loop. -debug, -db enables read_mail's debugging facilities. Use of this control argument is not recommended for normal users of read_mail. -no_debug, -ndb disables read_mail's debugging facilities. (Default) Notes on mailbox selection by user: As listed above, the "-user STR" mbx_specification is used to select either a user's default mailbox or the mailbox identified by an entry in the system wide mail table. For more information on the mail table, type: help mail_table.gi If the above STR contains exactly one period and no whitespace, it is interpreted as a User_id which specifies a user's default mailbox; otherwise, it is interpreted as the name of an entry in the mail table. For example, -user Sibert.SiteSA is interpreted as a User_id which identifies a default mailbox. On the other hand, -user "Gary M. Palter" -user J.C.Snead are both interpreted as the names of entries in the mail table; the first because it contains whitespace and the second because it contains more than one period. When interpreted as a User_id, the STR may not contain any angle brackets (<>) and must have the form Person_id.Project_id where Person_id may not exceed 28 characters in length and Project_id may not exceed 32 characters in length. In this case, "-user STR" is equivalent to the mbx_specification -mailbox >udd>Project_id>Person_id>Person_id.mbx When interpreted as the name of a mail table entry, STR may not contain any commas, colons, semi-colons, backslashes (\), parentheses, angle brackets (<>), braces ({}), quotes ("), commercial at-signs (@), or whitespace other than spaces. The query of the mail table is performed in a case insensitive manner. The display_mailing_address command may be used to determine the actual address corresponding to the STR. The address in the mail table must identify a mailbox. Notes on control arguments affecting individual requests: Control arguments may be specified on the read_mail command line to change the default behavior of individual requests. Use of these control arguments on the command line is identical to specifying them for each use of the particular request. Of course, the modified default behavior of a request may be overriden for individual uses of the request by use of the appropriate control argument. Type: help request_name within read_mail for more detail on the effect of the following control arguments. List of control arguments affecting the print request: -long_header, -lghe specifies that the print request is to display all information from the message header including network tracing information even if some of the information is redundant. -header, -he specifies that the print request is to display all information from the message header including user-defined fields while excluding the message trace and redundant information. (Default) -brief_header, -bfhe specifies that the print request is to display the minimal amount of information from the message header. -no_header, -nhe specifies that print request is to display absolutely no information from the message header. Only the message number, message body line count, and message body will be displayed. List of control arguments affecting the reply request: -include_authors, -iat includes the author(s) of the message as recipients of the reply. (Default) -no_include_authors, -niat does not include the author(s) of the message as recipients of the reply. -include_recipients, -irc includes the recipients of the message as recipients of the reply. -no_include_recipients, -nirc does not include the recipients of the message as recipients of the reply. (Default) -include_self, -is allows the user of read_mail to be a recipient of the reply without explicit use of -to or -cc. -no_include_self, -nis does not include the user of read_mail as a recipient of the reply unless explicitly requested via -to or -cc. (Default) -include_original, -io includes the original message as part of the text of the reply. -no_include_original, -nio does not put the original message into the reply's text. (Default) -indent N, -ind N indents the original message when -include_original is specified. (Default -- 4) -fill, -fi causes the reply message to be filled before transmission. (Default for -terminal_input) -no_fill, -nfi causes the reply message to not be filled before transmission. (Default for -input_file) -line_length N, -ll N specifies the line length used when filling the reply message. (Default -- 72) Notes: Messages are not actually deleted until read_mail is exited via the quit request. While within read_mail, messages which are accidently marked for deletion can be restored by using the retrieve request. For a description of the message specifiers, selection control arguments, and addresses used by the individual read_mail requests, type: help message_specifiers.gi help selection_control_args.gi help addresses.gi -section control argument within the read_mail request loop. List of requests: In the following summary of read_mail requests, "spec" is used as shorthand for "message_specifier", "-selca" is used as shorthand for "-selection_args" and "-ca" is used as shorthand for "-control_args". For a complete description of any request, issue the read_mail request: help request_name . prints a line describing the current invocation of read_mail. ? prints a list of requests available in read_mail. abbrev {-ca}, ab {-ca} controls abbreviation processing of request lines. all -ca, [all -ca] prints/returns the message numbers of all messages of the specified type in the mailbox. answer STR -ca request_line provides preset answers to questions asked by another request. append {specs} path -ca, app {specs} path -ca writes the ASCII representation of the specified messages to the end of a segment. apply {specs} {-ca} cmd_line, ap {specs} {-ca} cmd_line executes a Multics command line on the ASCII form of the messages. copy {specs} path {-ca} copies the specified messages into another mailbox. current, c, [current], [c] prints/returns the current message number. debug_mode {-ca} enables/disables read_mail's debugging facilities. delete {specs} {-ca} {-selca}, dl {specs} {-ca} {-selca}, d {specs} {-ca} {-selca} deletes the specified messages. do rq_str {args}, [do rq_str args] executes/returns a request line with argument substitution. exec_com ec_path {ec_args}, ec ec_path {ec_args}, [exec_com ec_path {ec_args}], [ec ec_path {ec_args}] executes a file of read_mail requests which may return a value. execute cmd_line, e cmd_line, [execute active_str], [e active_str] executes a Multics command line/evaluates a Multics active string. first -ca, f -ca, [first -ca], [f -ca] prints/returns the message number of the first message of the specified type in the mailbox. forward {spec} {addresses} {-ca}, fwd {spec} {addresses} {-ca}, for {spec} {addresses} {-ca} forwards the specified message to the specified recipients. help {topics} {-ca} prints information about read_mail requests and other topics. if expr -then line1 {-else line2}, [if expr -then STR1 {-else STR2}] conditionally executes/returns one of two request lines. last {-ca}, l {-ca}, [last {-ca}], [l {-ca}] prints/returns the message number of the last message of the specified type in the mailbox. list {specs} {-ca} {-selca}, ls {specs} {-ca} {-selca}, [list {specs} {-ca} {-selca}], [ls {specs} {-ca} {-selca}] displays a summary of the selected messages or returns their message numbers. list_help {topics}, lh {topics} displays the name of all read_mail info segments on given topics. list_requests {STRs} {-ca}, lr {STRs} {-ca} prints a brief description of selected read_mail requests. log {specs} {-ca} places a copy of the specified messages into the user's logbox. mailbox, mbx, [mailbox], [mbx] prints/returns the absolute pathname of the mailbox being read. next {-ca}, [next {-ca}] prints/returns the message number of the first message of the specified type after the current message. preface {specs} pathname {-ca}, prf {specs} pathname {-ca} writes the ASCII representations of the specified messages to the beginning of a segment. previous {-ca}, [previous {-ca}] prints/returns the message number of the last message of the specified type before the current message. print {specs} {-ca} {-selca}, pr {specs} {-ca} {-selca}, p {specs} {-ca} {-selca} prints the specified messages. print_header {specs} {-ca} {-selca}, prhe {specs} {-ca} {-selca} prints the specified messages' headers. quit {-ca}, q {-ca} exits read_mail. ready, rdy prints a Multics ready message. ready_off, rdf disables printing of a ready message after each request line. ready_on, rdn enables printing of a ready message after each request line. reply {specs} {-ca} {addresses}, rp {specs} {-ca} {addresses} creates a send_mail invocation to answer the specified messages. retrieve {specs} {-selca}, rt {specs} {-selca} retrieves the specified deleted messages. save {specs} path {-ca}, sv {specs} path {-ca} places a copy of the specified messages into a save mailbox. subsystem_name, [subsystem_name] prints/returns the name of this subsystem subystem_version, [subsystem_version] prints/returns the version number of this subsystem. write {specs} path {-ca}, w {specs} path {-ca} writes the ASCII representation of the specified messages to the end of a segment. ----------------------------------------------------------- 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. Copyright 2006 by Bull SAS All Rights Reserved