PMDF User's Guide
OpenVMS Edition
PMDF-USR-VMS-6.0

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READ

Display a mail message.

Syntax

READ [folder-name] [message-number]

Qualifiers Defaults
/BEFORE=date None
/CC_SUBSTRING=text None
/EDIT /NOEDIT
/FROM_SUBSTRING=text None
/MARKED None
/MIME /MIME
/NEW None
/PAUSE /PAUSE
/REPLIED None
/SINCE=date None
/SUBJECT_SUBSTRING=text None
/TO_SUBSTRING=text None
/TRIM_HEADER /TRIM_HEADER

PARAMETERS

folder-name

Optional parameter specifying the name of the folder to select messages from.

message-number

Optional parameter specifying the particular message to display.

DESCRIPTION

Use the READ command to display your mail messages.

The folder-name and message-number parameters are optional. If you omit them, then the next message from those currently selected is displayed. If no messages are currently selected, then new messages from the NEWMAIL folder are displayed. If the NEWMAIL folder does not exist, messages from the MAIL folder are displayed.

The message number parameter specifies a particular message to display. The correspondance between message numbers and messages is shown with the DIRECTORY command.

The BACK, NEXT, FIRST, LAST, and CURRENT commands may also be used to display messages. Shown below are brief descriptions of these commands and further effects which may be had by using them in conjunction with the /PAGE or /PART qualifiers.
BACK, NEXT Display the previous or next message
FIRST, LAST Display the first or last message
CURRENT Redisplay the current message
BACK/PAGE Redisplay the last page of the message
CURRENT/PAGE Redisplay the current page of the message
LAST/PAGE Display the end of the message
NEXT/PART Skip to the next part of a multipart message
CURRENT/NOTRIM Redisplay the current message with all of its header lines

QUALIFIERS

/BEFORE[=date]

Select messages dated before the specified date. All the messages received before the current day are selected if no date is specified.

/CC_SUBSTRING=text

Select messages containing text in the VMS MAIL Cc: header line of the message.

/EDIT

/NOEDIT (default)

When /EDIT is specified, the editor will be invoked to display the message. This is the default when PMDF MAIL is invoked with the command PMDF MAIL/EDIT=(READ). /NOEDIT prevents the editor from being invoked.

/FROM_SUBSTRING=text

Select messages containing text in the VMS MAIL From: header line of the message.

/MARKED

/NOMARKED

Select messages that have been marked, /MARKED, or are not marked, /NOMARKED.

/MIME (default)

/NOMIME

Specify whether or not to interpret a message as a MIME message.

/NEW

Select new (unread) messages from the NEWMAIL folder of your default mail file, MAIL.MAI. If any other mail file is open, it is closed and the default mail file opened.

/PAUSE (default)

/NOPAUSE

When displaying the message, after a page of information has been output PMDF MAIL pauses and requests that you press RETURN if you wish to continue reading. To suppress these prompts, specify /NOPAUSE.

/REPLIED

/NOREPLIED

Select messages that have been replied to, /REPLIED, or have not been replied to, /NOREPLIED.

/SINCE[=date]

Select messages dated since the specified date. All the messages received on the current day are selected if no date is specified.

/SUBJECT_SUBSTRING=text

Select messages containing text in the VMS MAIL Subject: header line of the message.

/TO_SUBSTRING=text

Select messages containing text in the VMS MAIL To: header line of the message.

/TRIM_HEADER (default)

/NOTRIM_HEADER

When /NOTRIM_HEADER is specified, all header lines in the message will be displayed. By default, message header lines are trimmed; this behavior is explicitly requested with the /TRIM_HEADER qualifier.

Examples

#1 
$ PMDF MAIL
 
You have 2 new messages.
 
EMAIL> READ
 
Message NEWMAIL 1                                  18-FEB-1993 08:27:45.18
 
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1993 08:27:45 PDT
From: rex@acme.com
Subject: Mrochek
To: fresnel@acme.com
 
Have any of you seen Mrochek recently?
 
EMAIL>

In this example, the READ command is used upon entering PMDF MAIL. This causes the first new mail message to be displayed. A subsequent READ or NEXT command will then cause the next new mail message to be displayed. Simply entering a RETURN will have the same effect.

#2 
EMAIL> READ/SINCE=1-FEB-1993
 
Message MAIL 1                                      2-FEB-1993 12:13:18.01
 
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1993 12:13:18 PDT
From: bob@acme.com
To: staff@acme.com
Subject: Vacation schedule
   .
   .
   .
EMAIL>

Here, messages received on or since 1-FEB-1993 are selected for reading. The first message meeting this criterion is displayed.

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