1 08/19/85 send_message, sm
2
3 Syntax as a command: sm -control_args address message
4
5
6 Function: sends a messages, one line at a time, to a given user on a
7 given project or to a specified mailbox.
8
9
10 Arguments:
11 address
12 can be of the form Person_id.Project_id to specify a mailbox
13 belonging to that person; a string containing at least one > or < to
14 specify the pathname of a mailbox; one of the arguments -mailbox
15 -mbx, -log, or -save -sv, immediately followed by a string
16 giving the pathname of a mailbox, logbox, or save box, respectively;
17 -last_message_destination -lmds if you have used send_message in
18 this process; or -last_message_sender -lms if a message has been
19 received in the user's default mailbox. All arguments beginning
20 with the first noncontrol argument after a destination are
21 considered to be message text.
22
23
24 message
25 is anything that appears up to the end of the command. It can be
26 one or more words. If you omit it, send_message enters an input
27 loop and you can send a multiline message see "Notes on input loop"
28 below.
29
30
31 Control arguments:
32 -access_class STR, -acc STR
33 sends messages at the specified AIM access class. The ring 1
34 privilege must be turned on in the sending process.
35 -acknowledge, -ack
36 requests that the recipient's process return an acknowledgement
37 message when the message is read. It implies -brief.
38 -acknowledge_if_deferred, -ackid
39 requests that the recipient's process return an acknowledgement
40 message when the message is read only if the recipient is not
41 accepting or has deferred messages. The state of requesting
42 acknowledgements is not affected while in the input loop by changes
43 in the recipient's wakeup state.
44
45
46 -brief, -bf
47 does not print an error message if the message cannot be sent or if
48 the recipient is not accepting messages.
49 -comment STR, -com STR
50 adds a comment of the form STR after the user's person and in the
51 message's header. The default is to use the value of the
52 "full_name._" variable in the user's default value segment as a
53 comment.
54 -escape, -esc
55 turns on the ".." escape convention to execute Multics commands
56 from within input mode for the current message. Default
57 -express, -xps
58 sends the message only if the recipient is likely to see it
59 immediately, that is, is currently accepting messages.
60
61
62 -long, -lg
63 prints error messages. Default
64 -no_acknowledge, -nack
65 requests that the recipient's process not return an acknowledgment
66 message when the message is read. Default
67 -no_comment, -ncom
68 suppresses adding of a comment.
69 -no_escape, -nesc
70 turns off the ".." escape convention.
71 -no_express, -nxps
72 always sends the message. Default
73 -no_print_destination, -nprds
74 does not print the destination to which the message is being sent if
75 the messaage is supplied on the command line. Default if you use
76 -lmds and -lms
77
78
79 -no_update_destination, -nupds
80 does not set the last message destination.
81 -print_destination, -prds
82 prints the destination to which the message is being sent if you
83 supplied the message on the command line. Default if you don't
84 use -lmds and -lms
85 -silent, -sil
86 suppresses all error messages.
87 -update_destination, -upds
88 causes the last message destination to be set. Default
89
90
91 Notes: If the message is to contain a parenthesis, bracket, or
92 semicolon character, enclose it in quotes because that character is not
93 treated specially by send_message. You can type a single quote
94 character as """".
95
96 For a description of the mailbox, see accept_messages and print_mail.
97
98
99 Notes on input loop: When send_messsage enters the input loop it types
100 "Input to <destination>" and accepts lines that are sent one at a time.
101 Input loop is terminated by a line consisting solely of a period. When
102 in input loop, you can execute Multics commands if typed on a line
103 beginning with two periods. You can receive messages while in the
104 input loop, so this is a way to hold conversations.
105
106 If the user whom you are sending messages to changes how she is
107 accepting messages e.g. defers messages logs out, send_message
108 prints a message to to that effect unless you supplied -brief or
109 -silent.