1 11/08/90  Standard subsystem request:  abbrev, ab
 2 
 3 Syntax:  ab {-control_args}
 4 
 5 
 6 Syntax as an active request:  [ab]
 7 
 8 
 9 Function:  controls abbreviation processing within the subsystem.  As
10 an active request, returns "true" if abbreviation expansion of request
11 lines is currently enabled within the subsystem and "false" otherwise.
12 
13 
14 Control arguments:  may not be used with the active request.
15 -off
16    specifies that abbreviations are not to be expanded.
17 -on
18    specifies that abbreviations should be expanded. (Default)
19 -profile PATH
20    specifies that the segment named by PATH is to be used as the
21    profile segment; the suffix ".profile" is added to PATH if not
22    present.  The segment named by PATH must exist.  This control
23    argument implies "-abbrev".
24 
25 Notes:
26 Most subsystems which support abbreviation processing provide command
27 line control arguments (-abbrev, -no_abbrev, -profile) to specify the
28 initial state of abbreviation processing within the subsystem.  For
29 example, a Multics abbreviation could be defined to invoke the
30 read_mail subsystem with a default profile as follows:
31    .ab Rdm do "read_mail -profile [hd]>mail_system &rf1"
32 
33 If invoked with no arguments, this request will enable abbreviation
34 processing within the subsystem using the profile that was last used in
35 this subsystem invocation.  If abbreviation processing was not
36 previously enabled, the profile in use at Multics command level is
37 used; this profile is normally [home_dir]>Person_id.profile.
38 
39 See MPM Commands for a description of abbreviation processing.