1      Abbreviations permit you to create a shorthand way of typing "command
 2 lines."  You can use single letters and short terms to stand for just about
 3 anything you want.  Once these abbreviations (normally called abbrevs) are
 4 created, they are stored for you in a "profile segment" until you change them.
 5 In order to create and use abbrevs, you must turn on the abbrev processor by
 6 typing the abbrev "command."  To create an abbrev, you first type a code that
 7 begins with a period.  Then you type the intended abbrev and follow that with
 8 whatever you intend it to stand for.  For example:
 9 
10      .a M my_segment
11 
12 sets the letter M to stand for my_segment anytime M appears on a command line.
13 This can be tricky.  Sometime you might type M to stand for itself and find
14 instead that it is replaced by what it is defined to stand for.  One way to
15 correct this is by turning the abbrev processor off.  This is done by typing
16 '.q' alone on a command line.  Another way to deal with this is to use upper
17 case letters as abbrevs.  Almost everthing on the Multics command line is
18 typed in lower case, so upper case abbrevs ordinarily won't interfere.
19 
20      Try creating an abbrev.  Press the function key F2 to get to command
21 level.  Then type the abbrev command.  When the next "ready message" appears,
22 create an abbrev.  You can even create an abbrev for a command (e.g., L for
23 the list command).  Use that abbrev and see what happens.