08/23/83  reorder_archive, ra

Syntax:  ra {-control_arg} path1 ...  {-control_arg} pathN


Function:  provides a convenient way of reordering the contents of an
archive segment, eliminating the need to extract, order, and replace
the entire contents of an archive.  This command places designated
components at the beginning of the archive, leaving any unspecified
components in their original order at the end of the archive.  For more
information on archives and how they can be sorted, see the archive and
archive_sort commands.


Arguments:
pathi
   is the pathname of the archive segment to be reordered.  If pathi
   does not have the archive suffix, one is assumed.


Control arguments:
-console_input, -ci
   indicates the command is to be driven from terminal input.
   (Default)
-file_input, -fi
   indicates the command is to be driven from a driving list (see
   "Notes").


Notes:  When the command is invoked with -console_input or with no
control arguments, the message "input for archive_name" is printed,
where archive_name is the name of the archive segment to be reordered.
Component names are then typed in the order desired, one component name
per line.  A period (.)  on a line by itself terminates input.  The
two-character line ".*" causes the command to print an asterisk (*).
This feature can be used to make sure there are no typing errors before
typing a period.  The two-character line ".q" causes the command to
terminate without reordering the archive.


When reorder_archive is invoked with -file_input, it reads a driving
list to determine the order of components.  That list resides in the
working directory with the name "name.order" (where "name.archive" is
the name of the archive segment to be reordered) and it consists of a
list of component names in the order desired, one component name per
line.  No period is necessary to terminate the list.  Any errors in the
list (name not found in the archive segment, name duplication) cause
the command to terminate without altering the archive.  A temporary
segment named "ra_temp_.archive" is created in the user's process
directory, which is created once per process and is truncated after it
is copied into the directory supplied by pathi.  If the command cannot
copy the temporary segment, it attempts to save it in the process
directory by renaming it with the name of the archive.

This command does not operate on archive segments containing more than
1000 components.


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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. .

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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