1 09/05/87 accept_messages, am
2
3 Syntax as a command: am mbx_specification -control_args
4
5
6 Function: initializes or reinitializes your process both for accepting
7 messages that are sent by send_message and for notifications.
8
9
10 Arguments:
11 mbx_specification
12 specifies the mailbox on which messages are to be accepted. If not
13 given, the user's default mailbox >udd>Project>Person>Person.mbx
14 is used.
15
16
17 List of mbx specifications:
18 -log
19 specifies the user's logbox and is equivalent to
20 -mailbox >udd>Project_id>Person_id>Person_id.sv.mbx
21 -mailbox path, -mbx path
22 specifies the pathname of a mailbox. The suffix .mbx is added if
23 necessary.
24 -save path, -sv path
25 specifies the pathname of a savebox. The suffix .sv.mbx is added if
26 necessary.
27
28
29 -user STR
30 specifies either a user's default mailbox or an entry in the system
31 mail table.
32 STR
33 is any noncontrol argument, and is first interpreted as -mailbox
34 STR; if no mailbox is found, STR is then interpreted as -save STR;
35 if no savebox is found, it is interpreted as -user STR.
36
37
38 Control arguments:
39 -brief, -bf
40 prevents accept_messages from informing you that it is creating a
41 mailbox, and prints messages in short format.
42 -call cmdline
43 when the message is received, instead of printing it in the default
44 format, accept_messages calls the command processor with a string of
45 the form
46 cmdline number sender time message path
47 where:
48 cmdline
49 is any Multics command line; enclose it in quotes if it contains
50 blanks or other command language characters.
51
52
53 number
54 is the sequence number of the message, assigned when you use
55 -hold_messages; otherwise it is 0.
56 sender
57 is the User_id of the person who sent the message.
58 time
59 is the date-time the message was sent.
60 message
61 is the message sent.
62 path
63 is the pathname of the mailbox to which the message was sent. If
64 the message was sent to the default mailbox, path is omitted.
65 To suppress a previous -call, give -call with no cmdline argument.
66
67
68 -flush DT
69 discards messages sent before the specified date-time see
70 time_strings.gi for valid DT values. This control argument should
71 be used by operators and consultants.
72 -hold_messages, -hdmsg
73 holds messages until explicitly deleted by delete_message. Messages
74 printed when -hold_messages is in effect are preceded by an
75 identifying number.
76 -hold_notifications, -hdnt
77 holds notifications in the mailbox after being printed. This
78 implies -notifications.
79 -long, -lg
80 precedes every message printed by the sender's Person_id and
81 Project_id and prints the date-time string. It prints the message
82 number only if you use -hold_messages. Default
83
84
85 -no_hold_messages, -nhdmsg
86 reverts -hold_messages.
87 -no_hold_notifications, -nhdnt
88 deletes notifications after being printed. Default
89 -no_notifications, -nnt
90 deletes notifications as they are received. This implies
91 -no_hold_notifications.
92 -no_print, -npr
93 does not print old messages. Default
94 -no_short_prefix, -nshpfx
95 does not print the prefix when messages are printed in short format.
96 -notifications, -nt
97 prints notifications. Default
98
99
100 -prefix STR, -pfx STR
101 places STR in front of all messages printed as they are received.
102 STR can be up to 12 characters long, and can contain the ioa_
103 control strings ^/, ^|, and ^- if desired.
104 -print, -pr
105 prints all messages that you received since the last time you were
106 accepting messages. The messages are deleted after printing, unless
107 you are holding them.
108 -short, -sh
109 precedes consecutive messages from the same sender by "=" instead of
110 the Person_id and Project_id, and prints the date-time string only
111 if less than five minutes have passed since the previous message.
112 It omits the date if the current message and the previous one are
113 received on the same date.
114
115
116 -short_prefix, -shpfx
117 prints the prefix when messages are printed in short format.
118 Default
119 -time N, -tm N
120 prints undeleted messages every N minutes, preceded by a message of
121 the form
122 You have X messages
123 where X is the number of undeleted messages. If N equals 0, the
124 time mode is reset.
125
126
127 Notes: A default mailbox is created the first time you issue
128 print_mail, read_mail, or accept_messages. The default mailbox is
129 >udd>Project_id>Person_id>Person_id.mbx
130
131 Messages sent when you are not logged in or when you are deferring
132 messages see defer_messages are saved in the mailbox; you can read
133 them later with print_messages. The send_mail command stores mail in
134 the same mailbox.
135
136 Don't share the same mailbox with others.
137
138
139 At any time, only one process can be accepting messages from a given
140 mailbox. If you create two processes that accept messages from the
141 same mailbox, the second process i.e. the one issuing an
142 accept_messages most recently automatically take over the command
143 function. The first process receives no indication that messages are
144 being routed to the second process. If the second process logs out or
145 is destroyed, the messages do not revert to an earlier process; thus if
146 you send a message to that mailbox, you are informed that the addressee
147 is currently not accepting messages or is not logged in. So if you are
148 registered on multiple projects using a common mailbox, be aware that
149 this behavior affects your processes.
150
151 Generally don't accept messages in absentee processes; the start_up.ec
152 should distinguish between interactive and absentee processes, and
153 should issue accept_messages only in an interactive process.
154
155
156 You can accept messages on more than one mailbox at a time and on a
157 mailbox other than the default. If you use a nondefault mailbox and it
158 does not exist, accept_messages queries you whether it should be
159 created. When messages are printed from a nondefault mailbox, the
160 mailbox is always identified.