Display a mail message.

Syntax

READ [folder-name] [message-number]

Qualifiers	Defaults
/BEFORE=date	None
/CC_SUBSTRING=text	None
/EDIT	/NOEDIT
/FILTER_CTRL	/NOFILTER_CTRL
/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.

/FILTER_CTRL

/NOFILTER_CTRL (default)

When /FILTER_CTRL is specified, 7-bit and 8-bit control characters in messages are filtered out. Messages which contain such control characters can cause problems with the terminal when they are displayed. When /FILTER_CTRL is specified, such a character is displayed as its hexidecimal value in the format "=XX".

/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 want 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

$ PMDF MAIL
 
You have 2 new messages.
 
EMAIL> READ
 
Message NEWMAIL 1                                  18-FEB-2012 08:27:45.18
 
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2012 08:27:45 PDT
From: rex@example.com
Subject: Mrochek
To: fresnel@example.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.

EMAIL> READ/SINCE=1-FEB-2012
 
Message MAIL 1                                      2-FEB-2012 12:13:18.01
 
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2012 12:13:18 PDT
From: bob@example.com
To: staff@example.com
Subject: Vacation schedule
   .
   .
   .
EMAIL>
      

Here, messages received on or since 1-FEB-2012 are selected for reading. The first message meeting this criterion is displayed.