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1.1 root 1: .ls 1
2: .ch "Using Notesfiles"
3:
4: The notesfile system is invoked with a single command line.
5: Most notesfile commands require only a single character (like the vi editor).
6: Those that do require more than one character are terminated by a carriage
7: return.
8:
9: .se "Invocation"
10:
11: Invoke the notesfile system with:
12:
13: notes [ -sxi ] [-a subsequencer] [ -t termtype ] [ -f nfile ] [ topic1 ] [ topic2 ... ]
14:
15: The topic list (e.g., topic1) specifies the notesfiles to read.
16: Invoking the notes system with NO arguments yields a list of some
17: available topics.
18: When more than one topic is specified, the user encounters each topic
19: sequentially (i.e., topic2 is entered upon completion of topic1).
20:
21: The -s switch activates the ``notesfile sequencer'' which is discussed
22: in section 2.7.
23: Specify ``-x'' to use the extended sequencer.
24: The ``-i'' flag selects yet another sequencing mode.
25: The ``-a'' option specifies a particular subsequencer.
26: This allows several users sharing a signon to maintain their
27: own sequencing timestamp information.
28:
29: The -t option directs the notesfile system to use ``termtype'' as the user's
30: terminal type, overriding the TERM shell variable.
31:
32: The -f option directs the notesfile system to read the contents
33: of the file ``nfile'' for a list of notesfiles to read.
34: See section 2.3 (``The -f Option'')
35: for more information on the format of this file.
36:
37: .se "Notesfile Names and Wildcards"
38:
39: Notesfiles can be specified in several ways.
40: The most common is to merely give the name of the notesfile,
41: such as ``general''.
42: These notesfiles typically reside in the directory
43: ``/usr/spool/notes''.
44: Notesfiles may also be specified by their complete pathname;
45: thus you could also refer to ``general'' by its full
46: pathname ``/usr/spool/notes/general''.
47: Using complete naming, notesfiles can be placed anywhere in
48: the filesystem.
49: This allows ``private'' notesfiles to be
50: stored in personal directories.
51:
52: The notesfile system supports pattern matching for names in
53: the same manner as the shell.
54: By using the shell meta-characters ``*'', ``?'', ``['' and ``]'', the user
55: can specify a number of notesfiles with a single entry.
56: To read all the notesfiles that pertain to
57: unix, enter the following
58: line (the quotes are required to protect the asterisks from interpretation
59: by the shell):
60:
61: notes ``*unix*''
62:
63: There are several ways to read the notesfiles
64: test1, test2, test3 and test4:
65:
66: notes test1 test2 test3 test4
67: .br
68: notes ``test?''
69: .br
70: notes ``test[1234]''
71:
72: Entries can also be eliminated from th list of notesfiles to
73: look at.
74: By prefixing a notesfile name (possibly containing wildcard characters)
75: with a `!', the notesfiles are removed from the list of notesfiles
76: to be examined.
77: If one wished to look at all of the ``test'' notesfiles except
78: test3, one could specify:
79:
80: notes ``test?'' !test3
81:
82:
83: These features are available from
84: the normal entry (notes) and
85: the automatic sequencer entry (see section 2.8).
86: Most notesfile programs recognize this format. Among those
87: which do not are programs which must receive exactly one
88: notesfile name.
89:
90: .se "The -f Option"
91:
92: The ``-f'' option of the notesfile system
93: specifies a file of notesfile names to read.
94: The file consists of lines containing notesfile names:
95:
96: .ne 4
97: .nf
98: nfgripes
99: net.unix-wizards
100: net.general
101: fa.telecom
102: .fi
103:
104: The names start at the left margin; they are indented here
105: for readability.
106: Wildcard characters (``*'', ``?'', ``['', and ``]'')
107: are acceptable in this context.
108: Full names such as ``/usr/spool/notes/general''
109: are also accepted.
110: Notesfiles can be eliminated through the ``!'' feature
111: as described in section 2.2.
112: The sequencer mode can be changed
113: by inserting a line of the form:
114:
115: -s
116:
117: Again, this starts at the left margin.
118: The ``s'' can be any of: ``s'', ``x'', ``i'', or ``n''.
119: When a line of this form is read from the file, the sequencer mode
120: is set to the corresponding mode: The normal ``s''equencer,
121: the e``x''tended sequencer,
122: the ``i''ndex sequencer,
123: and
124: ``n''o sequencer.
125:
126: To always enter nfgripes, micronotes, and bicycle
127: while only entering the networked notesfiles ``net.*'' when new notes
128: are present, one might use ``notes -f myfile''
129: with the following ``myfile'':
130:
131: .ne 6
132: .nf
133: -x
134: nfgripes
135: micronotes
136: bicycle
137: -s
138: net.*
139: .fi
140:
141:
142: .se "General"
143:
144: Almost all notesfile commands require exactly one character
145: (no carriage return). Only commands that are longer than one character
146: require a terminating carriage return (currently, choosing a note to read
147: is the only non-single character command).
148:
149: The commands were chosen to be easy to remember.
150: Upper case forms of commands usually function
151: like their lower case counterparts but with some additional
152: feature or power (i.e., ``w'' writes a response, ``W'' includes the current
153: displayed text in the response).
154:
155: Some commands are available almost everywhere in the notesfile
156: system. These include those for help, exiting, forking a shell,
157: and making a comment for the suggestion box.
158:
159: .ss "Help"
160:
161: Typing ``?'' anywhere will list the available options in
162: an abbreviated format.
163:
164: .ss "Exiting"
165:
166: Type ``q'' (``quit'') to leave the current notesfile.
167: Capital ``Q''
168: leaves the current notesfile and refrains from entering your
169: last entry time into the sequencer table (see section ``The Sequencer'').
170: The notesfile system
171: proceeds to the next topic in the invocation list.
172: The ``k'' and ``K'' keys function exactly as ``q'' and ``Q''.
173:
174: Use control-D (``signoff'')
175: to leave the notesfile system completely (without updating
176: entry time information).
177: The ``z'' command behaves similarly to control-D,
178: the user exits the notesfile system immediately.
179: Unlike control-D, the ``z'' command updates the
180: entry time information for the current notesfile.
181: The ``z'' command functions only when reading notes or responses
182: or when on the index page.
183:
184:
185: .ss "Shells"
186:
187: Fork a shell at any time by typing ``!''
188: (just like many other Unix programs).
189:
190: .ss "Comments & Suggestions"
191:
192: Type capital ``B'' (``suggestion Box'')
193: while on the index page or reading notes
194: to make a comment or suggestion about the notesfile program.
195: Your suggestion will be stored in another
196: notesfile reviewed frequently by the notesfile system manager.
197:
198: .se "The Index Page"
199:
200: When the notes system is invoked without the -s option,
201: the user sees an index
202: of the most recent notes.
203: A sample page is shown below:
204:
205: .KS
206: .nf
207: .in +10
208: Workstation Discussion 2:03 pm Jan 4, 1982
209:
210: .ta .75i 3.0i 3.25i
211: 12/9/81 2 Stanford SUN 4 horton
212: 3*WICAT 68000 kolstad
213: 4 M68000 1 horton
214: 5 Dolphin 3 duke!johnson
215: 12/10 6 CDC Standalone 1 smith
216: 8 IBM Personal Computer henry
217: 9 Personal computers harmful? 8 Anonymous
218: 10 Ethernet interfaces 3 mhz? 23 essick
219: 11 Requirements for uiucdcs 10 botten
220: 1/1/82 12 Happy New Year! 5 mjk
221:
222:
223: - - - - - - - - - - - - -
224:
225: .TA
226: .in
227: .fi
228: .KE
229: The upper left corner shows the notesfile's title. In this
230: example, the notesfile discusses personal workstations.
231: The current time and date are displayed in the upper right corner.
232: Approximately ten note titles are displayed (if available).
233: More notes are displayed on longer
234: screens (such as the Ann Arbor Ambassador).
235: Each note is displayed
236: with its date (if different from the previous date), note number,
237: title, number of responses (if any), and author. The first note above
238: was written by user ``horton'' on December 9th. It is titled ``Stanford
239: SUN'' and has four responses. Note 7 has been deleted for some reason
240: (by either its author or a notesfile director). Note 5 was written
241: by user ``johnson'' whose signon resides on the ``duke'' system.
242: Note 9 was written by an author who preferred to remain unidentified.
243: Notes with director messages (sometimes denoting importance) are displayed
244: with a ``*'' next to the note number (see note 3 above).
245:
246: From the index page the user may:
247:
248: .br
249: .bx
250: .ix
251: Scroll the index forward or backward.
252: .ix
253: Read a note.
254: .ix
255: Write a note.
256: .ix
257: Go to the next unread note.
258: .ix
259: Search for notes or responses after a specific date/time.
260: .ix
261: Search for keywords within notes' titles.
262: .ix
263: Search for notes/responses by a specific author.
264: .ix
265: Go to another notesfile.
266: .ix
267: Consult the notesfile's archive.
268: .ix
269: Read the policy note.
270: .ix
271: Check on anonymous and networked status.
272: .ix
273: Register a complaint/suggestion about notesfiles.
274: .ix
275: Fork a shell.
276: .ix
277: Exit the notes program.
278: .ix
279: Invoke notesfile director options (if the user is a director).
280: .ex
281:
282: .ss "Scrolling the Index Page"
283:
284: Scroll the index page by:
285:
286: .nf
287: .ls 1
288: + forward one page
289: * forward to the most recent page (* is multiple +'s)
290: - backward one page
291: = backward all the way (= is multiple -'s)
292: <return> forward one page
293: <space> forward one page
294: .br
295: .ls
296: .fi
297:
298: .ss "Choosing Notes & Responses"
299:
300: While on the index page, choose a note to read by typing its number
301: followed by a carriage return.
302: (This is the only command that requires a carriage return after it.)
303: Usually the space bar is used to scan text.
304: To skip to a special note or response, use the features below.
305:
306: While reading a note, ``;'' or ``+''
307: advances to the
308: first response of the note.
309: The next note is displayed if there are no responses.
310: The number keys (``1'', ``2'', ... , ``9'') advance that many
311: responses.
312: If there are fewer responses, the last response is displayed.
313: The return key skips the responses and goes to the next note.
314: Press ``-'' or backspace to see the previous page of the current note;
315: if the page currently displayed is the first, the notesfile program
316: displays the first page of the previous note.
317:
318: While a response is on the screen, the ``;'' and ``+'' keys
319: display the next response.
320: As with reading a note, if there are no further responses these
321: keys advance to the next note.
322: The number keys (``1'', ... , ``9'') will advance the appropriate number
323: of responses.
324: If there are fewer responses, the last response is displayed.
325: The ``-'' or backspace keys display the previous page of the current
326: response. If the current page is the first page of the response,
327: these keys display the first page of the previous response.
328: Enter ``='' to see the base note of the current note string.
329: Press the return key to proceed to the next note.
330:
331: .se "Notes & Responses"
332:
333: .ss "Reading Notes"
334:
335: After selecting a note from the index page (or entering the
336: notesfile with your ``sequencer'' on), the note is displayed. A sample
337: display is shown below:
338:
339: .KS
340: .nf
341: Note 15 Workstation Discussion 2 responses
342: horton WICAT 150 4:03 pm Dec 11, 1981
343:
344: Wicat System 150
345:
346: 8 MHz 68000, Mem. mgmt, Multibus architecture, 256k to 1.5 Mb RAM
347: 16/32/64Kbyte EPROM,
348:
349: 10 ms interval timer, 2 RS232 (19.6k async, 56k sync), 16 bit parallel
350: intelligent disk controller
351: 10 Mbyte winchester (5.25", 3600 rpm, access: 3 ms trk-trk, 70 avg, 150 max),
352: 960Kb floppy (5.25", 300 rpm, access 10 ms trk-trk, 267 avg, 583 max)
353:
354: Options: battery backed clock, graphics with touch panel, video disk control,
355: High Speed Serial Network Interface
356:
357: Unix/V7 avail, Pascal, C, APL, ADA, Cobol, Fortran, Lisp, Basic, Asm
358:
359: ======================================
360: .fi
361: .KE
362:
363: This is note number 15 in the ``Workstation Discussion'' file.
364: User ``horton'' wrote this note at 4:03 pm on December 11th, 1981. Two
365: responses have been written. The note's title is ``WICAT 150''. If a
366: director had written the note, the ``director message'' might have been
367: displayed beneath the note's title. Director's notes sometimes contain
368: important information or new policies.
369:
370: Notes and responses can be up to 65535 bytes long,
371: much more than can be displayed in a single screen.
372: The display routine pages text automatically.
373: For all but the last page of a long note or response,
374: the lower right corner of the display shows the percentage of the
375: note that has been shown.
376: For all but the first page of long text, the message ``[Continued]''
377: appears in the upper left portion of the display.
378: Use the space bar to see the next page of a long note or response.
379: When the last page is displayed, the space key functions as the ``;''
380: key: it proceeds to the next response.
381: The ``-'' and backspace keys back up the display to the previous page.
382: Only the first 50 pages of text are managed this way;
383: typing ``-'' from the fifty-second page will return to the fiftieth page.
384: The ``='' key returns to the first page of the note.
385:
386: While reading a note, it is possible to:
387:
388: .br
389: .bx
390: .ix
391: Display the next page of the note.
392: .ix
393: Display the previous page of the note.
394: .ix
395: Display the first page of the note.
396: .ix
397: Write a response to the displayed note.
398: .ix
399: Read next note or previous note.
400: .ix
401: Read next unread response or note.
402: .ix
403: Return to the index page.
404: .ix
405: Skip to a given response.
406: .ix
407: Delete the note (if you are its author or a file director).
408: .ix
409: Edit the note's title (if it is yours).
410: .ix
411: Edit the note (if it is yours and there are no responses).
412: .ix
413: Copy the note to another notesfile.
414: .ix
415: Save the note in your file space.
416: .ix
417: Mail the note to someone.
418: .ix
419: Talk (``write'') to the author of the note.
420: .ix
421: Search for keywords in note titles.
422: .ix
423: Search for notes/responses by a particular author.
424: .ix
425: Toggle the director message (if privileged).
426: .ix
427: Fork a shell.
428: .ix
429: Go to another notesfile.
430: .ix
431: Make a comment or suggestion about notesfiles.
432: .ix
433: Exit the notesfile program.
434: .ex
435:
436: .ss "Reading Responses"
437:
438: Response displays are similar to those of main notes with the exception that
439: ``Response x of y'' replaces the note's title.
440: The first response to note 15 is shown below:
441:
442: .KS
443: .nf
444: Note 15 Workstation Discussion
445: koehler Response 1 of 2 11:53 pm Dec 11, 1981
446:
447: Does anyone have any insight about the relative speeds of the Winchester
448: disks available on these systems? The previous disk seems to have
449: track to track response times commensurate with reasonably fast 8"
450: floppies. I wonder if some of the manufacturers are using disks that
451: will not meet reasonable specifications for response time for these
452: kinds of applications.
453:
454: On the other hand, with intelligent layout of file sectors, the I/O system
455: could romp and stomp on often used files...
456:
457: ======================================
458: .fi
459: .KE
460:
461: The commands for manipulating the text of a long response
462: are the same as those for looking at long notes.
463: Typing space will move to the next page.
464: Typing ``-'' or backspace will display the previous page, within the
465: same limitations as for reading notes (only 50 pages are kept).
466: Press ``='' to go back to the first page of the text.
467:
468: The options available while reading responses include:
469:
470: .bx
471: .ix
472: Display the next page of the response.
473: .ix
474: Display the previous page of the response.
475: .ix
476: Display the first page of the response.
477: .ix
478: Go to a different response (usually the next one).
479: .ix
480: Go to the next unread note/response.
481: .ix
482: Reread the base note.
483: .ix
484: Reread the previous note.
485: .ix
486: Return to the index page.
487: .ix
488: Copy the response to another notesfile.
489: .ix
490: Mail the response to someone.
491: .ix
492: Save the response in your file space.
493: .ix
494: Talk to the response's author.
495: .ix
496: Write another response to the note.
497: .ix
498: Search for keywords in note titles.
499: .ix
500: Search for notes/responses by particular authors.
501: .ix
502: Delete the response (if you are its author or a file director).
503: .ix
504: Edit the response (if it is yours and there are no later responses).
505: .ix
506: Fork a shell
507: .ix
508: Go to another notesfile.
509: .ix
510: Register a suggestion or complaint about the notesfile program.
511: .ix
512: Exit the notesfile program.
513: .ex
514:
515:
516: .ss "Writing Notes & Responses"
517:
518: Write new base notes by hitting ``w'' while reading the index page.
519: The notesfile system will then invoke an editor
520: (the default editor is
521: ``ed'', use either of the shell variables NFED or EDITOR to change it).
522: After the prompt,
523: type the insert command along with the text you wish to enter.
524: Write the text to the disk and leave the editor. The system will prompt
525: you for various options if they are available: anonymity, director
526: message status, and the note's title.
527:
528: To write a response to a note type ``w'' while that note or any of
529: its responses is displayed.
530: The same steps used to write a base note
531: should then be followed.
532:
533: .ss "Mailing Notesfile Text"
534:
535: Both notes and responses can be mailed to other users (with
536: optional appended text).
537: The capital ``M'' (``mail'') command gives you the opportunity to edit the text then send
538: it to anyone. Its inferior counterpart, ``m'', allows you to mail a message to
539: anyone.
540: To mail to the author of the text,
541: use capital ``P'' (``Personal comment'') to send the text
542: and your comments; use ``p'' for a simple letter.
543:
544: To use a specific mail program, set the environment variable
545: MAILER. If this is not set, a standard mail program is used.
546:
547: .ss "Forwarding Text To Other Notesfiles"
548:
549: There are several methods for forwarding text from one notesfile
550: to another.
551: Single notes or responses can be copied with the `c' or `C' command
552: while entire note strings can be forwarded with the `f' and `F'
553: commands.
554:
555: The ``f'' (``forward'') command is given when a base note
556: is displayed on the screen.
557: When given, the ``f'' command causes the base note and all of it's
558: responses to be copied to another notesfile.
559: The user is prompted for the destination notesfile.
560: The copied note and all of the copied responses contain header
561: information detailing their origin.
562: Where ``f'' copies the note string without change, the ``F''
563: command allows the user to edit the text of the note and each
564: response before inserting it into the target notesfile.
565:
566: The ``c'' (``copy'') command prompts for a destination notesfile
567: then
568: copies the currently displayed note or response to the target notesfile.
569: The user is allowed to choose between forwarding the note as a response
570: or as a new base note.
571: The ``c'' command does not give the user a chance to edit the text
572: before inserting it in the new notesfile.
573: The extended copying command ``C''
574: allows editing of the note text before it is copied to the other notesfile.
575:
576: Both the ``c' and ``C'' commands provide for
577: the forwarded text to be entered as either a new note or as a response
578: to an existing note.
579: In the latter case, an index page is given to the user so that he may
580: choose the appropriate note to which he wishes to respond.
581:
582: .ss "Saving Text in Local Files"
583:
584: The ``s'' (``save'') command appends the current displayed text to a
585: file of your choice (which is created if not present).
586: Notesfiles prompts for the file name;
587: typing only a carriage return aborts the command -- no text is saved.
588: Capital ``S'' appends
589: the base note and all its responses.
590:
591: The number of lines saved and the file they were written to
592: are printed when the command completes.
593:
594: .ss "Deletion"
595:
596: Capital ``D'' (``delete'') deletes a note or response if it is yours and
597: has no subsequent responses. Notes already sent to the network can not be
598: deleted by non-directors.
599: Directors can delete any note or response with the ``Z'' (``zap'') command.
600:
601:
602: .ss "Online Communication"
603:
604: Typing ``t'' (``talk'') attempts to page the author of the current displayed
605: text. The Unix ``write'' command to him/her is issued
606: if the author is local and non-anonymous.
607:
608: If the environment variable WRITE is defined,
609: the program it specifies is used to write to the author.
610:
611: .ss "Editing Note Titles"
612:
613: While reading a base note, type ``e'' (``edit'') to
614: change the note's title
615: (provided you are the author of the note or a notesfile director).
616:
617: .ss "Editing Notes/Responses"
618:
619: ``E'' allows editing of the text of a note or response.
620: It is not permitted to edit an article if it has subsequent responses or
621: if it has been sent to the network.
622: If the ``later responses'' are deleted, it is possible to edit the
623: original text.
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