Commit | Line | Data |
---|---|---|
11a514e8 C |
1 | .TH MSGS 1 "18 January 1983" |
2 | .UC 4 | |
3 | .SH NAME | |
4 | msgs \- system messages and junk mail program | |
5 | .SH SYNOPSIS | |
6 | .B msgs | |
7 | [ | |
8 | .B \-fhlpq | |
9 | ] [ | |
10 | number | |
11 | ] [ | |
12 | \-number | |
13 | ] | |
14 | .SH DESCRIPTION | |
15 | .I Msgs | |
16 | is used to read system messages. | |
17 | These messages are | |
18 | sent by mailing to the login `msgs' and should be short | |
19 | pieces of information which are suitable to be read once by most users | |
20 | of the system. | |
21 | .PP | |
22 | .I Msgs | |
23 | is normally invoked each time you login, by placing it in the file | |
24 | .I \&.login | |
25 | .I (\&.profile | |
26 | if you use | |
27 | .IR /bin/sh ). | |
28 | It will then prompt you with the source and subject of each new message. | |
29 | If there is no subject line, the first few non-blank lines of the | |
30 | message will be displayed. | |
31 | If there is more to the message, you will be told how | |
32 | long it is and asked whether you wish to see the rest of the message. | |
33 | The possible responses are: | |
34 | .TP 7 | |
35 | .B y | |
36 | type the rest of the message | |
37 | .TP 7 | |
38 | RETURN | |
39 | synonym for y. | |
40 | .TP 7 | |
41 | .B n | |
42 | skip this message | |
43 | and go on to the next message. | |
44 | .TP 7 | |
45 | .B \- | |
46 | redisplay the last message. | |
47 | .TP 7 | |
48 | .B q | |
49 | drops you out of | |
50 | .I msgs; | |
51 | the next time you run the program it will pick up where you left off. | |
52 | .TP 7 | |
53 | .B s | |
54 | append the current message to the file ``Messages'' in the current directory; | |
55 | `s\-' will save the previously displayed message. A `s' or `s\-' may | |
56 | be followed by a space and a filename to receive the message replacing | |
57 | the default ``Messages''. | |
58 | .TP 7 | |
59 | .B m | |
60 | or `m\-' causes a copy of the specified message to be placed in a temporary | |
61 | mailbox and | |
62 | .IR mail (1) | |
63 | to be invoked on that mailbox. | |
64 | Both `m' and `s' accept a numeric argument in place of the `\-'. | |
65 | .PP | |
66 | .I Msgs | |
67 | keeps track of the next message you will see by a number in the file | |
68 | .I \&.msgsrc | |
69 | in your home directory. | |
70 | In the directory | |
71 | .I /usr/msgs | |
72 | it keeps a set of files whose names are the (sequential) numbers | |
73 | of the messages they represent. | |
74 | The file | |
75 | .I /usr/msgs/bounds | |
76 | shows the low and high number of the messages in the directory | |
77 | so that | |
78 | .I msgs | |
79 | can quickly determine if there are no messages for you. | |
80 | If the contents of | |
81 | .I bounds | |
82 | is incorrect it can be fixed by removing it; | |
83 | .I msgs | |
84 | will make a new | |
85 | .I bounds | |
86 | file the next time it is run. | |
87 | .PP | |
88 | Options to msgs include: | |
89 | .TP 7 | |
90 | .B \-f | |
91 | which causes it not to say ``No new messages.''. | |
92 | This is useful in your | |
93 | .I \&.login | |
94 | file since this is often the case here. | |
95 | .TP 7 | |
96 | .B \-q | |
97 | Queries whether there are messages, printing | |
98 | ``There are new messages.'' if there are. | |
99 | The command ``msgs \-q'' is often used in login scripts. | |
100 | .TP 7 | |
101 | .B \-h | |
102 | causes | |
103 | .I msgs | |
104 | to print the first part of messages only. | |
105 | .TP 7 | |
106 | .B \-l | |
107 | option causes only locally originated messages to be reported. | |
108 | .TP 7 | |
109 | \fInum\fR | |
110 | A message number can be given | |
111 | on the command line, causing | |
112 | .I msgs | |
113 | to start at the specified message rather than at the next message | |
114 | indicated by your | |
115 | .I \&.msgsrc | |
116 | file. | |
117 | Thus | |
118 | .IP "" 7 | |
119 | msgs \-h 1 | |
120 | .IP "" 7 | |
121 | prints the first part of all messages. | |
122 | .TP 7 | |
123 | .I "\-number" | |
124 | will cause | |
125 | .I msgs | |
126 | to start | |
127 | .I number | |
128 | messages back from the one indicated by your | |
129 | .I \&.msgsrc | |
130 | file, useful for reviews of recent messages. | |
131 | .TP 7 | |
132 | .B \-p | |
133 | causes long messages to be piped through | |
134 | .IR more (1). | |
135 | .PP | |
136 | Within | |
137 | .I msgs | |
138 | you can also go to any specific message by typing its number when | |
139 | .I msgs | |
140 | requests input as to what to do. | |
141 | .SH FILES | |
142 | .ta 2i | |
143 | /usr/msgs/* database | |
144 | .br | |
145 | ~/.msgsrc number of next message to be presented | |
146 | .SH AUTHORS | |
147 | William Joy | |
148 | .br | |
149 | David Wasley | |
150 | .SH SEE ALSO | |
151 | mail(1), more(1) | |
152 | .SH BUGS |