1NOTES(1) General Commands Manual NOTES(1)
2
6 notes, autoseq, readnotes - a news system
7
9 notes [ -sxin ] [ -o date-spec ] [ -a subsequencer ] [ -t termtype ] [
10 -f file ] topic1 [ ... ]
11 autoseq [ -a subsequencer ]
13 readnotes [ -a subsequencer ]
15
17 Notes supports computer managed discussion forums. It coordinates
18 access to and updates of data bases of notes and their responses. A
19 single notesfile contains an ordered list of base notes, each of which
20 may have an ordered list of responses associated with it. A note
21 string consists of a base note and all of its responses. Separate
22 notesfiles contain discussions on separate subject matters; microcom‐
23 puters might be discussed in a ``micronotes'' notesfile while bicycling
24 enthusiasts make their comments in a ``bicycle'' notesfile.
25 The -s option signals notes to use the automatic sequencer. With the
27 sequencer enabled, notes shows the new notes and responses since your
28 last entry into that notesfile. With the sequencer enabled by -s the
29 notes program will not enter notesfiles which have no new text. Spec‐
30 ify -x to use the sequencer and enter notesfiles even if they have no
31 new text. The -i and -n options are still more sequencing modes, -i is
32 similar to -s but shows the index page instead of the first modified
33 note. -n turns the sequencer off.
34 The -o option helps users find articles that are vaguely remembered
36 with terms such as ``some note in the last 3 days in one of several
37 notesfiles''. These can be found with a command like:
38 notes -o "3 days ago" nf1 nf2 nf3
40 which sequences past all articles written in notesfiles ``nf1'',
42 ``nf2'', and ``nf3'' in the last 3 days. The user's timestamps are not
43 updated.
44 The -a option specifies a subsequencer. This allows several people
46 sharing the same signon to maintain their own sequencer file. The
47 actual sequencer name is generated by concatenating the user name and
48 the subsequencer name. It is recommended that subsequencer names be
49 unique within the first 6 characters.
50 Specify -t termtype to override the TERM environment variable. This
52 switch is primarily for V6 systems.
53 The -f option directs notes to read the contents of a file for a list
55 of notesfiles to scan. This file and the directories must be readable
56 by the notesfile user id.
57 The topic list specifies which notesfiles are to be scanned. The
59 notesfiles are scanned from left to right; upon finishing the first
60 topic, the second is entered. The shell's meta-characters are recog‐
61 nized within a topic but must be escaped to prevent shell interpreta‐
62 tion. Specifying ``net.*'' will yield all the notesfiles with the pre‐
63 fix ``net.''. Specify ``*unix*'' to read all notesfiles with the
64 string ``unix'' in their names. Bracket and question mark constructs
65 are also recognized.
66 Notesfile names are parsed such that a notesfile will be entered only
68 once no matter how many times it is listed on the command line and in
69 any files specified by the -f option. Notesfiles can also be excluded
70 by prefixing their names with a `!'. Thus to see all notesfiles except
71 ``general'', one might type:
72 notes "*" !general
74 The autoseq and readnotes commands allow sequencing through a list of
77 notesfiles with the sequencer enabled using with a single command.
78 Autoseq and Readnotes function identically. They are syntactically
79 equivalent to ``notes -s $NFSEQ''. The environment variable NFSEQ con‐
80 tains a comma separated list of notesfile specifications. A typical
81 NFSEQ definition for the Bourne shell looks like:
82 NFSEQ=``general,announce,net.*,bicycle,srg,:/usr/essick/nflist''.
84 Specifications beginning with a `:' specify a file to read for more
86 notesfile names. In the previous example, the last specification reads
87 the contents of the file `/usr/essick/nflist' for more notesfile speci‐
88 fications. Many of these can appear in the NFSEQ variable.
89 Notes and responses are entered by using an editor. The default editor
91 is ed(1). This can be changed by setting one of the environment vari‐
92 ables NFED or EDITOR. Notes looks for NFED before looking for EDITOR,
93 allowing users to use different editors for writing notes and for other
94 tools.
95 Notes and responses to non-local notesfiles will include the file named
97 in the NFSIG variable as a signature block. Notes will prompt whether
98 to include it when a new note or response is posted.
99 Some commonly used commands within the notesfile system are listed
101 below:
102 space Show the next page of the note/response.
104 ; Go the next response, if there are no more responses go to
106 the next note.
107 - Go to the previous page of the current note/response. From
109 the first page of a response, go to the previous response (or
110 the base note from the first response). From the first page
111 of a base note, go to the previous note.
112 newline Go to the next note.
114 j Jump to the next unread note/response (when using sequencer).
116 J Jump to the next unread note, ignoring any further responses
118 in the current note string (when using sequencer).
119 w When issued from the index page enters a new note. When
121 entered from a note/response display enters a response. A
122 capital-W will include the text of the currently displayed
123 note/response in the new response.
124 q Leave the current notesfile.
126 Q Leave the current notesfile without updating the sequencer
128 information.
129 control-d Return to the shell, ignoring any further notesfiles in the
131 current invocation. No sequencer information is updated.
132 x Search for a note with the (prompted for) string in its
134 title. Capital-X asks for a new search string, otherwise the
135 last entered string is used.
136 s Saves the currently displayed note/response at the end of a
138 (prompted for) file. Capital-S saves the entire note string.
139 M Sends the text of the note/response displayed and your com‐
141 ments to another user(s). The P command routes the letter
142 to the author of the note/response.
143 t Issues a write(1) command to the author of the currently dis‐
145 played note/response. No action is taken if the note origi‐
146 nated on a remote system or is anonymous.
147 ! Forks a shell.
149 Only the notesfile owner can create new notesfiles. The notesfile
151 owner will create the notesfile and turn control over to the person
152 requesting the notesfile. This person is the notesfile director; he
153 may designate others to also be notesfile directors. The notesfile
154 director has special privileges including: deleting any note, determin‐
155 ing policy for the notesfile, permitting anonymous notes, and determin‐
156 ing accessibility of the notesfile.
157 An interface is provided to news(1). Transfers in both directions are
159 supported. See newsoutput(8) and the Notesfile Reference Manual for
160 more information on this facility.
161 Facilities for mailing to notesfiles ( nfmail(8) ), networking notes‐
163 files ( nfxmit(8) ), printing notesfiles ( nfprint(1) ), archiving old
164 notes ( nfarchive(8) ), and several user routines ( nfabort(3) and
165 nfcomment(3) ) exist.
166 The concept of a notesfile was taken from the PLATO system (a trademark
168 of Control Data Corporation) designed at the University of Illinois to
169 provide automated teaching capabilities.
170
172 /etc/passwd for the users name
173 /etc/group for the users group(s)
174 /etc/termcap for terminal capabilites
175 /usr/spool/notes the default notesfile data
176 base
177 /usr/spool/notes/.utilities utility programs and
178 online help
179 /usr/spool/notes/.sequencer/user Sequencing timestamps for
180 user.
181 /usr/spool/notes/.sequencer/user:subsequencer
182 Sub-sequencing timestamps
183 for user.
184
186 checknotes(1), ed(1), mknf(8), news(1), newsoutput(8), nfabort(3),
187 nfaccess(8), nfarchive(8), nfmail(8), nfpipe(1), nfprint(1), nfs‐
188 tats(1), nfxmit(8), nfcomment(3), notes(8), termcap(3), write(1),
189 The Notesfile Reference Manual
190
192 Ray Essick (uiucdcs!essick, essick%uiuc@csnet-relay.arpa)
193 Department of Computer Science
194 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
195 Urbana, IL
196 Rob Kolstad (kolstad@convex.UUCP)
198 CONVEX Computer Corporation
199 Richardson, TX
200 University of Illinois NOTES(1)