10/11/83  read_mail (forward) request:  apply, ap

Syntax:  ap {-control_args} command_line


Function:  passes the comment text to an arbitrary Multics command line
which is then executed in order to possibly edit the comment.


Arguments:
command_line
   is the Multics command line to be executed.  See the Notes below for
   an explanation of how the comment is supplied to the command line.


Control arguments:
-fill, -fi
   specifies that the comment text should be reformatted after the
   command line has been executed.
-no_fill, -nfi
   specifies that the comment text should not be reformatted.
-line_length N, -ll N
   specifies the line length to use when reformatting the comment text.
   If this control argument is not given, the line length specified on
   the forward request line will be used; if, however, no line length
   was specified on the forward request line, a line length of 62 will
   be used.


Notes:
The supplied command line need not be enclosed in quotes.  However, if
there are (), [], or "'s in the command line which should be processed
by the Multics command processor, they should be enclosed in quotes to
prevent processing by forward's request processor.

The comment is passed to the Multics command line by placing the
comment text into a temporary segment.  The pathname of this segment is
then appended to the command line which is then executed.  Thes content
of the segment after execution then replaces the prior comment text.

This request may be used to edit the comment with an editor other than
qedx.  For example, the request
      apply emacs
will invoke the Emacs text editor on the comment text.


The default for reformatting the comment after execution of the command
line is dependent on the original source of the comment text.  If
terminal input was used, the default is to reformat the comment; if
file input was used, the default is to not reformat the comment.  This
default may be changed by use of the -fill and -no_fill control
arguments on the forward request line.  Additionally, whatever default
is specified may be overriden for one invocation of the apply request
by use of the control arguments described above.


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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