01/26/91 forum Syntax as a command: forum {meeting_name} {-control_args} Function: The forum command enters the Forum interactive meeting system. Once the command is invoked, you are placed in the Forum subsystem, where you must use Forum requests. Forum requests are listed below under "List of Requests". Arguments: meeting_name is the name or pathname of the meeting to be entered immediately upon invoking Forum. If a pathname is specified, it identifies the meeting to enter. Otherwise, Forum searches for meeting_name by using the forum search list. Control arguments: -abbrev, -ab specifies that abbreviation processing should be done by the Forum request processor. If the -profile argument is not given, the user's default profile segment (>udd>Project_id>Person_id>Person_id.profile) is used. -auto_write specifies that the qedx request automatically updates the message when you quit the editor. -brief, -bf suppresses some messages from Forum and shortens others. -input_fill, -ifi fills transactions before entering them into the proceedings of a meeting. (Default) -input_line_length N, -ill N causes input filling (fill request and default filling) to be done with line length N. (Default is 72) -line_length N, -ll N causes both input and output filling (fill request and default filling) to be done with line length N. (Default is 72) -list {trans_spec}, -ls {trans_spec} lists the specified transactions before entering the request loop. If no transaction specifier is given, all the transactions in the meeting are listed. -long, -lg uses long messages from Forum. (Default) -meeting meeting_name, mtg meeting_name enters the meeting whose entryname or pathname is meeting_name. -no_abbrev, -nab specifies that abbreviation processing is not to be done by the Forum request processor. (Default) -no_auto_write specifies that the qedx request requires you to use the write request to update the message before quitting the editor. Any attempt to exit without writing results in a query. (Default) -no_input_fill, -nif does not fill transactions before entering them into the proceedings of a meeting. -no_output_fill, -nof does not fill transactions before printing them on the user's terminal. (Default) -no_prompt does not prompt in the request loop. -no_start_up, -nsu does not execute the start_up exec_com. -output_fill, -ofi fills transactions before printing or writing. -output_line_length N, -oll N causes output filling (fill request and default filling) to be done with line length N. (Default is 72) -profile profile_path, -pf profile_path specifies that abbreviation processing is to be done using the profile named profile_path. If this control argument is given, the -abbrev argument need not be given. -prompt prompt_string sets the request loop prompt to prompt_string. (Default is "forum:") -quit tells Forum to process the initial request line and then return without entering the request loop (even if the initial request line is aborted). -request string, -rq string executes the requests in string before entering the request loop. -start_up, -su executes the start_up exec_com. (Default) -trailer_format TYPE, -tfmt TYPE specifies the format of the trailer line printed by the print and write requests after each transaction. TYPE must be one of: none no trailer is printed. number, nb a trailer containing the transaction number is printed. more a trailer containing the transaction number is printed. If there is a subsequent transaction in the same chain, "(more)" is also printed. references, refs a trailer containing the transaction number and the numbers of the previous and next transaction is printed. (Default) Notes on requests: Request lines use () for iteration, "" for quoting, and [] to invoke Forum active requests (listed below under "List of Active Requests"). Any request line that begins with ".." is passed directly to the Multics command processor with the leading ".." stripped off. Consequently, any reference to an active function is evaluated by the Multics command processor. The "execute" (e) forum request can also make use of active strings via the square brackets ([]), but these are evaluated as active requests by Forum before the command line is passed to the Multics command processor. Notes on start_up: If the -no_start_up control argument is not given, forum will search for and execute an exec_com file of forum requests. It will look for a segment named "start_up.fmec" in the home directory, project directory, and >site in that order. The start_up will be executed before going to the initial meeting and before executing the initial request line. Notes on filling: Transactions can be filled out to a given line length on both input and output. By default, all transactions input from the terminal are filled to a line length of 72 upon entry. The -input_fill (-if) and -no_output_fill (-nof) control arguments are the default. These control arguments specify a global attribute for the invocation of Forum, which can be overridden by control arguments associated with the various requests for inputting and outputting transactions (such as the -no_fill control argument to the "print" request). The -input_fill and -no_input_fill control arguments do not affect transactions entered using the -input_file control argument to the talk and reply requests. The fill width can be altered by control arguments to the forum command (-line_length, -input_line_length, and -output_line_length) and by the -line_length control argument to the forum requests that fill transactions. List of requests: Listed below are the available requests that you can use once you are in the Forum subsystem. ? lists the available forum requests and active requests. . identifies Forum with version number; gives meeting_name if attending; gives count of new, total, last, and current transactions; and gives number of lines in the unprocessed transaction. abbrev {-control_args}, ab {-control_args} turns abbreviation processing on or off and changes profile segments. add_meeting adds a meeting to the list of meetings attended. Makes the user a participant of the meeting. add_participant NAME {-control_arg}, apt NAME {-control_args} allows a user to participate in the meeting. (A chairman request only). add_project NAME {-control_arg}, apj NAME {-control_args} allows a project to participate in the meeting. (A chairman request only). announce_meeting places an announcement of the current meeting in another meeting. This announcement can be used with the add_meeting request by other users to add this meeting to their search list. announcement_info extracts information from a meeting announcement produced by the announce_meeting request. answer STR {-control_args} request_line supplies an answer to a question asked by a request. STR is the desired answer to the question and request_line is the Forum request line. apply command_line, ap command_line places the unprocessed transaction into a temporary segment, concatenates command_line with the pathname, and passes the result to the Multics command processor. The temporary segment is then read back in as the unprocessed transaction. chairman {meeting_name}, cm {meeting_name} prints the User_id (Person_id.Project_id) of the meeting's chairman. check_meetings establishes a list of meetings to be flagged when changed. The meeting can be successively viewed with the next_meeting (nm) request. current_meeting {-control_args}, cmtg {-control_args} prints the name of the current meeting. delete trans_specs, dl trans_specs allows the chairman to delete specified transactions from the proceedings. do {request_line} {args}, do {-control_args} substitutes args into the request_line and passes the result to the Forum request processor. Control arguments can be -nogo to suppress execution or -long (-lg) to display expanded line before execution. enter {-control_args}, en {-control_args}, send {-control_args} enters the unprocessed transaction into the proceedings of a meeting. exec_com PATH STRs, ec PATH STRs executes an exec_com segment containing forum requests where PATH is the pathname of the exec_com segment (the ".fmec" suffix is assumed) and STRs are arguments to be passed to the program. execute STRs, e STRs executes STRs as a Multics command line after evaluating Forum active requests. As an active request, returns the result of evaluating strings as an Multics active string. fill {-control_args}, fi {-control_args} reformats transaction text to fit in a given line length. forum_dir, fd prints the pathname of the central forum directory. goto meeting_name, g meeting_name enters the user into the meeting_name meeting. help {STR} prints information about request names or topics. A list of available topics is produced by the list_help request. if EXPR -then LINE1 {-else LINE2} conditionally executes one of two request lines depending on the value of an active string. EXPR is the active string that must evaluate to either "true" or "false". LINE1 is the Forum request line to execute if EXPR evaluates to "true". LINE2 is the Forum request line to execute if EXPR evaluates to "false". list {trans_specs} {-control_args}, ls {trans_specs} {-control_args} prints a summary of the specified transactions. list_help {topics}, lh {topics} prints a list of available info segments whose names include a topic string. list_meetings {meeting_names} {-control_args} , lsm {meeting_names} {-control_args} prints a list of selected meetings and information about them. list_requests {-control_args}, lr {-control_args} prints information about forum requests. list_users {-control_args}, lsu {-control_args} prints information about specified participants in a meeting. mail sends a transaction or set of transactions to other users, mailing lists, or forum meetings using the Multics mail system. make_public, mp allows all users on the system access to the meeting. (A chairman request only.) next_meeting changes the current meeting to the next meeting in the list of changed meetings established by the check_meetings request. print {trans_specs} {-control_args}, pr {trans_specs} {-control_args} prints selected transactions from a meeting. qedx, qx invokes the qedx editor on the unprocessed transaction. quit {-control_arg}, q {-control_arg} exits Forum. rechain modifies a transaction chaining information. remove_meeting removes meetings to the user's forum search list by deleting links to them from the directory >udd>Project>Person>meetings. remove_participant NAME, rpt NAME denies the user permission to participate in the meeting. (A chairman request only.) remove_project NAME, rpj NAME denies users on a project permission to participate in the meeting. (A chairman request only.) reply {trans_spec} {-control_args}, rp {trans_spec} {-control_args} enters/builds a new transaction in a meeting that has as its subject a reference to some other transaction in the form "Re: ", and which will be logically linked to the transaction specified by trans_spec. reset {trans_spec} {-control_args}, rs {trans_spec} {-control_args} resets the user's current or highest-seen transaction index to the specified transaction. The highest transaction seen is only maintained for pre-MR11 version meetings. retrieve trans_specs, rt trans_specs retrieves specified transactions that were previously deleted with the "delete" request. Only the chairman or the author of the deleted transaction can use this request. set_message {-control_args} sets a greeting message for the meeting. The default action puts the user into input mode to specify the message. (A chairman request only.) subject {strings}, sj {strings} prints or modifies the subject of an unprocessed transaction. If strings are supplied, they are catenated together to become the new subject. If no strings are supplied, the current subject is printed. subsystem_name prints the name of the subsystem ("forum"). subsystem_version prints the current version of Forum. switch_off switch {-control_args}, swf switch {-control_args} turns off various Forum switches. Switches are: adjourned, adj meeting_eligibility_messages, mtg_emsg notify, nt participating, part switch_on switch {-control_args}, swn switch {-control_args} turns on various Forum switches. Switches are: adjourned, adj meeting_eligibility_messages, mtg_emsg notify, nt participating, part talk {-control_args} enters/builds a new transaction in a meeting. ted invokes the ted editor on the unprocessed transaction. unchain removes a transaction from its transaction chain. unmake_public, ump allows only users granted explicit permission to participate in the meeting. (A chairman request only.) write {trans_specs} {-control_args}, w {trans_specs} {-control_args} writes selected transactions to a segment. List of active requests: [chairman {meeting_name}], [cm {meeting_name}] returns the Person_id.Project_id of meeting chairman. [current_meeting {-control_args}], [cmtg {-control_args}] returns the name of the current meeting. [do {request_string} {args}] returns expanded request string. [exec_com PATH STRs], [ec PATH STRs] executes an exec_com segment containing forum requests. [execute STRs], [e STRs] invokes Multics active function within forum request line. [forum_dir], [fd] returns absolute pathname of central forum directory. [if EXPR -then STR1 {-else STR2}] returns one of two character strings to the Forum request processor depending on the value of EXPR. EXPR is the active string that must evaluate to either "true" or "false". STR1 is returned if EXPR evaluates to "true". STR2 is returned if EXPR evaluates to "false". [list_meetings {-control_args}], [lsm {-control_args}] returns names of meetings that have new transactions. [list_users {-control_args}], [lsu {-control_args}] return names of participants matching given conditions. [next_meeting] returns the name of the next meeting in the list of changed meetings established by the check_meetings request. [subject], [sj] returns the subject of an unprocessed transaction. [subsystem_name] returns the name of the subsystem ("forum"). [subsystem_version] returns the current version of Forum. Transaction specifiers: Transaction specifiers identify transactions. They are used as arguments to the forum requests that act on transactions. In addition, there are several requests and active requests that return information about transaction numbers. Notes on search list: The forum command uses the "forum" search path. For more information about search paths, see the descriptions of the search facility commands in the Commands manual. ----------------------------------------------------------- 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