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msgs                         Command                         msgs




Read messages intended for all COHERENT users

mmssggss [-_q] [_n_u_m_b_e_r]

mmssggss selects  and displays messages that are  intended to be read
by all  COHERENT users.  Messages  are mailed to  the login mmssggss.
They should  contain information  meant to  be read once  by most
users of the system.

The command msgs normally is in  a user's .pprrooffiillee, so that it is
executed every  time he  logs in.   When invoked, it  prompts the
user with the identifier of the user who sent the message and the
message's size.  msgs then asks the  user if he wishes to see the
rest  of the  message.  The  user  should reply  with one  of the
following:


         yy          Display the message.
         <rreettuurrnn>   Display the message.
         nn          Skip this message and go to the next one.
         -          Redisplay the last message.
         qq          Quit mmssggss.
         _n_u_m_b_e_r     Display message _n_u_m_b_e_r; then continue.


If environmental  variable PAGER  is defined, msgs  will ``pipe''
each  message through  the command specified  in PAGER.   For ex-
ample, the .pprrooffiillee command line:


    export PAGER="exec /bin/scat -1"


would invoke /bin/scat for each message with the command line ar-
gument -1 (the digit one).

mmssggss writes into the  file $(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc the number of the next
message the  user will see when he invokes  mmssggss.  mmssggss keeps all
messages in the directory /uussrr/mmssggss; each message is named with a
sequential number, which  indicates its message number.  The file
/uussrr/mmssggss/bboouunnddss contains  the low and  high numbers of  the mes-
sages in  the directory; mmssggss  determines whether a  user has not
read a  message by  comparing the information  in $(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc
with   that   in    /uussrr/mmssggss/bboouunnddss.    If   the   contents   of
/uussrr/mmssggss/bboouunnddss  are  incorrect, the  problem  can  be fixed  by
removing that  file; mmssggss will create a new  bboouunnddss file the next
time it is run.

When  the contents  of  a message  are no  longer needed,  simply
remove  that message.   Avoid removing  the  bboouunnddss file  and the
highest numbered message at the same time.

msgs accepts the following command-line options:



COHERENT Lexicon                                           Page 1




msgs                         Command                         msgs



-qq   Query whether there are messages; print ``There are new mes-
     sages'' if  there are, and ``No new  messages'' if not.  The
     command mmssggss -qq is often used in profile scripts.

_n_u_m_b_e_r
     Start at message  _n_u_m_b_e_r rather than at the message recorded
     in $(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc.   If _n_u_m_b_e_r  is greater than  zero, then
     start with  that message; if _n_u_m_b_e_r is  less than zero, then
     begin   _n_u_m_b_e_r   messages  before   the   one  recorded   in
     $(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc.

***** Files *****

/uussrr/ssppooooll/mmaaiill/mmssggss -- Mail messages file
/uussrr/mmssggss/[11-99]* -- Data base
/uussrr/mmssggss/bboouunnddss -- File that contains message number bounds
$(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc -- Number of next message to be presented

***** See Also *****

commands, mail, PAGER, scat




































COHERENT Lexicon                                           Page 2

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