Conference noted::hackers_v1

Easy work-around, for you.  Get on your rarely visited node, type MAIL
and then type SET FORWARD node::user at the MAIL> prompt.  The next time
someone sends mail to the first node, it will get forwarded to you automagicly.

Isn't that easy?

-Mike

I tried that and the lovely network refused to forward mail unless
the path was up and  running 100% of the time.  This method works
if the network is up at any time.   Also, if the network fails,
the sender is notified that I've moved, which is not necessarily
what I want the sender to know.

Martin.

Could you forward to NM%martin::minow?

This tells mail (I don't know how) that the message is to be sent
using the NMAIL facilities.  This will retry every hour until the
network is up.

If you try this, please let us know if it works or not.

Andy V

forward nm%rex::minow doesn't work -- can't find NM_MAILSHR.EXE.

Note that the DCL problem remains -- I might want to change the
working part of the program to examine incoming mail automatically
and automatically file network news for me.  The problem is, I
can't get the guts to work if I can't handle the file creation
stuff.

Remember, this is the hacker's notesfile, not the "how to use mail"
notesfile.

Martin.

  Re: .4  ``I can't get the guts to work...''

  I assume it has to do with the way MAIL outputs its ``You have new mail''
  message.  If you look at the log file without the $ASSIGN, you won't see it
  there either.  Under Batch it seems to go to the NL: device.

  Here's what I'd hack for a batch file to check for newmail on a remote node:

  $ del temp.tmp;*		! assure no temp files left around
  $ mail			! let Mail check for new mail the hard way
  Sel Newmail
  Ext/all/mail temp.tmp
  $ open/read/error=nomailfile check_tmp temp.tmp  ! now we're back in business

  Thus if you have new mail, it's already in TEMP.TMP ready to be NMAIL'ed. If
  you don't, MAIL won't create a TEMP.TMP file since no messages were selected
  to be extracted.

MarkG.

	Like it says in Reply #5, the "You have X new messages"
does not appear to be displayed when MAIL is run in batch mode.
Fortunately, the solution is simple:  The SELECT NEWMAIL command
will tell you if you have new mail.  If you do, the TEMP.TMP file
will have a %MAIL-I-SELECTED message in it.  If there's no mail,
you'll get a %MAIL-E-NOTEXIST message.
		<_Jym_>

.5 seems to have done the trick.  look for WATCHMAIL.COM at a toolshed
near you.  (I probably should "internationalize" the program so it
forces the message to have the %MAIL-I-SELECTED or %MAIL-I-NOTEXIST
but it seems to be ok for now.)

Thanks Mark and Jym.

I use the following DCL procedure to check for new messages.  It requires
read access to VMSMAIL.DAT, with privs, or file protection.

/Eric

$ !++
$ !
$ !  CNM.COM - Look for new mail messages
$ !
$ !  REQUIRED PRIVILEGES:
$ !		READALL
$ !		
$ !  IMPLICIT INPUT:
$ !		SYS$SYSTEM:VMSMAIL.DAT
$ !
$ !--
$	close = "CLOSE"
$	exit = "EXIT"
$	goto = "GOTO"
$	if = "IF"
$	on = "ON"
$	open = "OPEN"
$	read = "READ"
$	write = "WRITE"
$!
$	prev_priv = F$SETPRV("READALL")
$	sysmai = f$parse("VMSMAIL","SYS$SYSTEM:.DAT;")
$	OPEN /READ /SHARE file 'sysmai'
$	ON CONTROL_Y THEN GOTO done
$!
$	username = F$GETJPI("","USERNAME")
$	IF p1 .NES. "" THEN $ username = "''p1'"
$!
$	READ /INDEX=0 /ERR=no_user /KEY="''username'" file record
$	msgs = F$CVUI(33*8, 16, record)
$	username = F$EDIT(username, "TRIM")
$	IF p1 .EQS. "" THEN $ GOTO me
$	outstr = F$FAO("User !AS has !UL new message!%S.", username, msgs)
$	WRITE SYS$OUTPUT outstr
$	GOTO done
$me:	outstr = F$FAO("You have !UL new message!%S.", msgs)
$	WRITE SYS$OUTPUT outstr
$	GOTO done
$no_user:
$	WRITE SYS$OUTPUT "No such user ''username', or ''username' has no new mail."
$	GOTO done
$done:
$	CLOSE file
$	prev_priv = F$SETPRV(prev_priv)
$	EXIT

related gotcha...

Unless things have changed under V4, MAIL will not work as a network job
(for instance, define your own .COM object that, among other things, mails you a
message).  Running as a network process, Mail assumes that it should set up to
receive incoming mail from a remote node.

__Rich

re .9

"(for instance, define your own .COM object that, among other things, mails you
 a message)." 

However, it can be done from a suprocess of the network job.

- M

WRT:  nm%node::user

You need the latest version of NMAIL, this is a re-write in Bliss of
the original command procedure.

You can do set forward, so you don't need to worry about the net.

Mark