07/30/86  Virtual entries (general information)

The cv_entry_ subroutine converts a character string into a Multics
entry value.  Altogether nine forms are accepted.  The command
processor performs a similar transformation to the command name to
derive the command's entry, but only accepts five of the forms.


List of virtual entries:
refname$entrypoint
   The entry at the word identified by the definition named entrypoint
   in the object file found using search rules to find refname.  The
   refname follows the rules for entrynames, but entrypoint can be up
   to 254 characters in length.
refname
   The same as refname$refname.
refname$offset
   The entry at the word identified by octal offset in the object file
   found using search rules to find refname.  The command processor
   doesn't distinguish this case from refname$entrypoint.
refname$
   same as ref_name$0.  The command processor also uses a zero offset.


path$entrypoint
   The entry at the word identified by the definition named entrypoint
   in the object file identified by path.  In this case, path is
   distinguished from the refname case by containing less-than (<) or
   greater-than (>) characters.
path
   The same as path$entrypoint, except that the word is identified by
   the definition named by the final entryname in the expanded form of
   path.
path|entrypoint
   The same as path$entrypoint, but in this case, the vertical-bar
   causes the interpretatation of the preceding string as a path, so no
   less-than or greater-than is needed as in the dollar sign case.
   Note that the command processor does not recognize the vertical-bar
   as a virtual entry delimiter.


path|offset
   The entry at the word identified by the octal offset in the object
   file identified by path.
path|
   The same as path|0.


Notes: Converting a character string to a entry value will initiate the
object file with the refname or the final entryname of the expanded
path if the file was not previously initiated or the name was not a
refname of the segment.  This can also result in the termination of the
refname if it was previously associated with another segment.


For more information about entrynames, see entryname.gi.info.  For more
information about pathnames, see pathname.gi.info.


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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