07/15/88 help Syntax as a command: help {info_names} {-control_args} Function: prints descriptions of system commands, active functions, and subroutines; as well as miscellaneous information about system status, system changes, and general information. Help selects this information from segments maintained on-line, which are in a special format, called info segments (info segs). For information on the format of info segs, type "help info_seg.gi". Arguments: info_names specify the information to be printed. The suffix ".info" is assumed. If a pathname is specified, it identifies the info seg to be printed. Otherwise, help searches for segments matching an entryname using the "info_segments" search list. For subroutines, an entry point name can be included in the info_name (e.g., subroutine_$entry_point). The star convention is allowed, except when an entry point name is specified or when the -entry_point control argument is used. (See "Notes on star convention" below.) If no info_names are specified, help prints the default info seg help_infos.gi.info which gives a brief introduction to the help facility. If the help command fails to find an info seg corresponding to a given info_name, use the list_help command to find info segs which contain the specified info_name in their entrynames. Control arguments for selecting info segs: -pathname path, -pn path specifies the pathname of a segment containing the info seg to be printed. It is useful when the info to be printed is in the working directory, or when the pathname begins with a minus (-) character. -entry_point, -ep selects the info describing the main entry point of a subroutine, if there is one. For example, "help ioa_ -ep" prints the info describing the ioa_$ioa_ subroutine entry point. Control arguments for information selection: -all, -a prints the entire info or subroutine entry point description without intervening questions. -brief, -bf prints a brief summary of a command, active function or subroutine info seg with no intervening questions. The summary includes the Syntax section, and (for commands and active functions) a list of control arguments and/or other keywords used by the command. -brief_header, -bfhe shortens the long heading line that is printed by default. Instead, help prints a brief heading line, consisting of the heading and line count. -case_sensitive, -cs when used with either -section of -search, will perform the requested action in a case sensitive manner. -control_arg STR, -ca STR prints only the descriptions of the control (or other) arguments whose names contain STR. STR must NOT include a leading minus sign (-). For example, "help mail -ca brief match exclude" prints descriptions of the -brief, -match and -exclude control arguments of the mail command. All arguments following -ca until the next control argument are treated as STR. -header, -he prints only a long heading line consisting of the pathname of the info seg, heading, and line count. No other information is printed. This control argument conflicts with all other information selection control arguments. -list_entry_points, -lep lists the entry points in a subroutine info segment. -non_case_sensitive, -ncs when used with either -section or -search, will perform the requested action in a non-case sensitive manner. This is the default. -title lists the section titles used in the info seg (including section line counts), then asks if the user wishes to see the first section. Control arguments for selecting a starting paragraph: -search STRs, -srh STRs begins printing with the first paragraph containing any of STRs. STRs can be typed in lowercase, since case is ignored when matching. All arguments following the -search control argument are treated as STRs, so -search must be the last control argument given. The search usually begins with the first paragraph, but when -section is also specified it begins with the matching section and continues to the last paragraph (i.e., without wraparound). -section STRs, -scn STRs prints the first section whose title contains the strings STRs. The entire section title is not required. STRs can be typed in lowercase, since case is ignored when matching. All arguments following the -section control argument until the next control argument are treated as STRs. Control arguments for paragraph grouping: The following control arguments determine how much information help prints before asking if the user wants to see more. -minlines I sets the minimum paragraph size to I lines. Paragraphs smaller than this size are printed with preceding paragraphs. The default is 4. -maxlines J sets the maximum paragraph grouping size to J lines so no more than J lines of information are printed before asking if the user wants more help. The default is 15. List of responses: The responses accepted when help questions the user are given here. Those responses that search the info seg or list section titles operate from the current paragraph to the end of the info seg. No wraparound feature is employed. brief, bf prints a summary of a command, active function or subroutine info seg, including Syntax section and a list of control arguments, then repeats the previous question. control_arg STR, ca STR prints descriptions of control (or other) arguments whose names contain STR, then repeats the previous question. entry_point {EP_NAME}, ep {EP_NAME} skips to the description of subroutine entry point EP_NAME. The EP_NAME can be specified as entry_point_name or subroutine_$entry_point_name. If EP_NAME is omitted, help skips to the description of the subroutine_$subroutine_ entry point, if one exists. header, he prints a long heading line to identify the current info seg. The line consists of the pathname of the info seg, heading, and line count. list_entry_points, lep lists the entry points in a subroutine info segment. list_requests, lr prints information about available help requests. no, n exits from the current info seg, and begins printing the next info seg selected by info_names given in the help command. Returns from the help command if all selected info segs have been printed. quit, q causes the help command to return without printing the remaining info segs selected by the info_names. rest {-scn} {-all_entrypoints} {-entrypoint}, r {-scn} {-aep} {-ep} prints the rest of the info seg without intervening questions. If the -section control argument is specified, help prints only the rest of the current section without questions. When the section has been printed, help then asks whether the user wants to see the next section. If -all_entrypoints is specified, help will print the rest of the remaining entry points. If -entrypoint is specified help will print the rest of the current entry point only (default). search {STRs} {-case_sensitive} {-non_case_sensitive } {-top}, srh {STRs} {-top} {-cs} {-ncs} skips to the next paragraph containing STRs. Paragraph selection is performed as described above for the -search control argument. If -top or -t is specified, searching starts at the beginning of the info seg. If STRs is omitted, help uses the strings from the previous search response or -search control argument. -case_sensitive and -non_case_sensitive are mutually exclusive and will search the string as specified. section {STRs} {-case_sensitive} {-non_case_sensitive} {-top}, scn {STRs} {-cs} {-ncs} {-top} skips to the next section whose title contains STRs. Title matching is performed as described above for the -section control argument. If -top or -t is specified, title searching starts at the beginning of the info. If STRs is omitted, help uses the search strings from the previous section response or -section control argument. -case_sensitive and -non_case_sensitive are mutually exclusive and will search the string as specified. skip {-scn} {-rest} {-seen} {-ep}, s {-scn} {-rest} {-seen} {-ep} skips the next paragraph and asks whether the user wants to see the paragraph following it. If -section or -scn is specified, help skips all paragraphs of the current section. If -rest or -r, -entry_point or -ep are specified, help skips the rest of this info seg or subroutine entry point description, continuing with the next. If -seen is specified, help skips to the next paragraph that the user has not seen. Only one of these control arguments can be used at a time. title {-top} lists titles and line counts of all sections remaining in the current info seg. If -top or -t is specified, help lists all section titles. top, t skips to the beginning of the info seg, prints the heading line, and asks whether the user wants to see the first section. This is useful if the user wishes to review earlier parts of the info seg. yes, y prints the next paragraph of information, then asks whether the user wants more help. ? prints a list of available responses. . prints "help" to identify the current interactive environment. .. command_line passes the remainder of the response to the Multics command processor as a command line. Notes: The -all, -brief, -control_arg and -title control arguments are mutually exclusive. When -section or -search control arguments are specified and no matching paragraph is found in any of the info segs selected by an info_name or info selection control argument, that info seg is passed over without comment. Thus, the starting paragraph control arguments serve as a secondary info selection mechanism. The starting paragraph control arguments can be used with any of the information selection control arguments listed above, but its effect differs depending upon which of them are used. When -section or -search is used with -header, only the heading lines for infos containing a matching paragraph are listed. The matching paragraph itself is not printed. When they are used with -brief or -control_arg, help prints a heading line and then the information selected by -brief or -control_arg. The matching paragraph is not printed. When -section or -search is used with -brief_header, a brief heading line is printed preceding the matching paragraph. When used with -title, help prints a heading line, then the list of section titles, and finally the matching paragraph. When used with -all, the entire info is printed for infos containing a matching paragraph. The help command remembers which paragraphs the user has seen and which have been skipped or not yet reached. It asks the user to "Review" paragraphs seen before, but asks if "More help" is needed for unseen paragraphs. It stops printing if all paragraphs have been seen when the end of info is reached. However, if any paragraphs were skipped, help asks if user wants to see them. If the response is "yes", the first unseen paragraph is printed. The user can then answer "skip -seen" to view subsequent unseen paragraphs. The question/answer dialogue continues until all of the information is printed, or until the user replies "no". ----------------------------------------------------------- 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