10/11/83 read_mail request: forward, for, fwd Syntax: fwd {message_specifier} {addresses} {-control_args} Function: redistributes a copy of the specified messages to the stated recipients. Arguments: message_specifier identifies which messages are to be forwarded. If no message_specifiers are supplied, the current message is forwarded. For more information on message specifiers, type: help message_specifiers.gi addresses identifies the recipients of the forwarded copy of the specified messages. Type: help addresses.gi -section control argument for a description of the syntax of addresses. Control arguments: -message message_specifier, -msg message_specifier identifies additional messages to be forwarded. -add_comments specifies that the user wishes to add a comment to the messages before they are forwarded. See "Notes on forwarding with comments" below for more information. -no_add_comments specifies that comments are not to be added to the messages before forwarding. (Default) -acknowledge, -ack specifies that each recipient of the forwarded message will send an acknowledgement message after they have read the message to the user who forwarded the message. -no_acknowledge, -nack specifies that the user forwarding the message does not want to receive acknowledgements. (Default) -notify, -nt specifies that the mail system should send a "You have mail." notification to each recipient of the forwarded message. (Default) -no_notify, -nnt specifies that the mail system should not send notification messages. -brief, -bf suppresses those messages which indicate successful delivery of the forwarded message. -long, -lg displays the messages indicating successful delivery. (Default) -include_deleted, -idl includes all messages in the mailbox whether or not they have been deleted when processing the message_specifiers to determine which messages will be forwarded. -only_deleted, -odl includes only those messages which have been deleted. -only_non_deleted, -ondl includes only those messages which have not been deleted. (Default) -delete, -dl marks the specified messages for deletion on exit from read_mail if all messages are successfully forwarded. -no_delete, -ndl does not mark the messages for deletion. (Default) -reverse, -rv forwards the messages in descending numeric order. -no_reverse, -nrv forwards the messages in ascending numeric order. (Default) Notes: This request will acknowledge any messages requiring acknowledgement unless -no_acknowledge is specified on the read_mail command line. This request will add Redistributed-Date, Redistributed-From, and Redistributed-To fields to the message before forwarding. In addition, if a comment is requested, it will be placed in the Redistributed-Comment field. These fields only appear in the copy of the message that is forwarded; the original message is unchanged. For a detailed discussion of the format of a message, type: help message_format.gi If it is desired to forward a set of messages which can not be identified by a single message specifier, request line iteration and the list active request may be used to avoid retyping the recipients. For example: forward ([list 1 3 9 last-4:last]) Palter.PDO Sibert.Multics -dl Notes on forwarding with comments: When -add_comments is specified, the forward request will accept a single multi-line comment from the user which is added to each message forwarded by the request. As mentioned above, this comment is placed in the Redistributed-Comments field of the forwarded messages. By default, the forward request displays the prompt "Comment:" and then reads the text of the comment from the user's terminal. If the user terminates the text with a line containing just a period (.), the text of the comment is reformatted and the messages are forwarded. If the user terminates the text with a line containing "\f" anywhere on the line, the qedx editor is invoked to allow the user to edit the comment. Any text on the line after the "\f" will be executed as qedx requests. After exiting qedx, the comment text is reformatted and the user is placed in a forward sub-request loop where he may issue requests to print the comment, edit the comment, or forward the messages with the edited comment. If the user terminates the text with a line containing "\q" anywhere on the line, the comment text is reformatted and the user is immediately placed into the forward sub-request loop. Any text on the line after the "\q" is ignored with a suitable warning message. The user is then free to print or edit the comment or forward the messages as described above. The forward request provides several additional control arguments which may be used to override the default behavior of the -add_comments control argument described above. These additional control arguments may be used to read the comment text from a file instead of the terminal, to suppress the automatic reformatting of the comment text, and to automatically enter the sub-request loop even if the user ends his input with a line containing just a period (.). These additional control arguments may be specified even if the -add_comments control argument is not used. List of control arguments for forwarding with comments: -terminal_input, -ti accepts the comment text from the terminal. (Default) -input_file path, -if path takes the comment text from the specified file. -fill, -fi reformats the comment text according to "fill-on" and "align-left" modes in compose. The message is reformatted after initial input is completed and after each execution of the qedx and apply requests. (Default for terminal input) -no_fill, -nfi does not reformat the comment text unless the fill request of the "-fill" control argument of the qedx or apply requests is used. (Default for file input) -line_length N, -ll N specifies the line length to use for reformatting the comment text. (Default is 62) -auto_write specifies that the qedx request will automatically update the comment text when the user quits the editor. -no_auto_write specifies that the qedx request will require the user to use the write request to update the comment text before quitting the editor. Any attempt to exit without writing will result in a query. (Default) -abbrev, -ab enables abbreviation expansion of request lines. The default is to use the same state of abbreviation processing as the read_mail invocation in which the forward request was executed. -no_abbrev, -nab does not enable abbreviation expansion. -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". The default is to use the same profile as the read_mail invocation in which the forward request was executed. -prompt STR, -pmt STR sets the sub-request loop prompt to STR. The default is: ^/read_mail (forward)^[ (^d)^]:^2x -no_prompt, -npmt suppresses the prompt for request lines in the sub-request loop. -request STR, -rq STR executes STR as a forward request line after reading the comment text but before entering the request loop. This control argument implies "-request_loop". -request_loop, -rql enters the forward sub-request loop after reading the comment text. (Default for file input) -no_request_loop, -nrql attempts to forward the messages with the comment immediately upon completion of input unless input was from the terminal and was terminated by "\f" or "\q". (Default for terminal input) List of forward requests: In the following summary of forward requests, "-ca" is shorthand for "-control_args", "specs" is shorthand for "message_specifiers" and "-c/sa" is shorthand for "-control_args -selection_args": For a complete description of any request, issue the forward request: help request_name . prints a line identifying the forward sub-request loop. ? prints a multi-columnar list of available requests. abbrev {-ca}, ab {-ca} controls abbreviation processing of request lines. answer STR -ca request_line provides preset answers to questions asked by another request. apply {-ca} cmd_line, ap {-ca} cmd_line passes the comment text to a Multics command line for possible editing. debug_mode {-ca} enables/disables the forward request's debugging facilities. 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 forward 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. fill {-ca}, fi {-ca} reformats the comment text. help {topics} {-ca} prints information about forward requests and other topics. if expr -then line1 {-else line2}, [if expr -then STR1 {-else STR2}] conditionally executes/returns one of two request lines. list_help {topics}, lh {topics} displays the name of all forward info segments on given topics. list_requests {STRs} {-ca}, lr {STRs} {-ca} prints a brief description of selected forward requests. print, pr, p prints the comment text. print_original {specs} {-c/sa}, pro {specs} {-c/sa} prints the messages being forwarded. qedx {-ca}, qx {-ca} edits the comment text using the Multics qedx editor. quit {-ca}, q {-ca} exits the forward sub-request loop without forwarding the messages. 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. send forwards the messages and exits the sub-request loop. subsystem_name, [subsystem_name] prints/returns the name of this subsystem subystem_version, [subsystem_version] prints/returns the version number of this subsystem. ----------------------------------------------------------- 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