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One of the communication features provided by MOOs is an internal electronic mail facility, called MOO-mail. This module covers the basic commands needed in order to send and receive MOO-mail, as well as to post messages to internal MOO mailing lists. It is a good idea when reading through this module to try out the commands as you learn them. You might consider sending several MOO-mail messages to yourself once you learn how, and then use the remaining commands to list, read, and delete these messages. How can you tell whether you've received any mail? Using the @mail command: Syntax: @mail @mail new @mail 1-$ @mail <range-of-message-numbers> Typing produces a list of the last 15 messages you have received. Typing @mail new produces a list of those messages which arrived after the current message. Typing @mail 1-$ produces a list of ALL your messages. Typing @mail 1-3 produces a list of those messages in the range 1 to 3. For example, typing @mail may produce a list such as the following: 3 messages: >>>1: Aug 11 15:19 Asaph (#7688) the bulldozer works! 2:+ Aug 11 23:40 Esh (#2444) wizbit? 3:+ Aug 11 23:41 YoYoBoy (#123456) Help!! 4:+ Aug 12 10:20 Asaph (#7688) yoyoboy The + beside messages 2, 3, and 4 indicates that these messages have not yet been read. The >>> indicates the `current message' --- in this case, message 1. The current message is generally the message you've read most recently. To read a message you've received, you use the @read command. Syntax: @read @read new @read 1-$ @read <range-of-message-numbers> Typing @read prints the contents of the `current message' --- message 1 in our example. Typing @read new prints the contents of all messages received after the current message. Typing @read 1-$ prints the contents of ALL your messages. Once you've read a message, it's a very good idea to delete it. Why? MOO-mail messages are stored as a property on YOU. If you don't remove them regularly, you may find yourself short on `quota'. Every character on Hippo has a quota as to how much storage they can use --- and every object, property, and verb you own requires storage. Once you've used your quota, you can't create any new objects. Deleting messages once they've been read frees up storage, and quota. The command for removing messages is @rmmail: Syntax: @rmmail @rmmail new @rmmail 1-$ @rmmail <range-of-message-numbers> As you might expect by now, typing @rmmail with no options removes the current message. Typing @rmmail new removes all messages after the current message (generally not a good idea). Typing @rmmail 1-$ deletes all your messages, and @rmmail 3 would delete message 3. To send MOO-mail to one or more people, the command to use is @send: Syntax: @send <recipient1> <recipient2> <...> Examples: @send yoyoboy @send mike esh fedi @send #720 After typing the @send command, you will be prompted for the subject of the message: Subject: [Type a line of input or `@abort' to abort the command.] Just type in a few words describing what you're on about, and then hit return. At this point, an editing session is started for you, so that you may compose the main text of your message. If you are using tkMOO as your client, and you have set @edit-option +local then an edit window should pop up. Using the tkMOO editor, you can compose your message, and send it back to Hippo. To check the setting of your edit-option without changing it, type @edit-option If you have set @edit-option -local then the internal MOO editor will start up. Something similar to the following should be displayed to you: Mail Room Do a 'look' to get the list of commands, or 'help' for assistance. Composing a letter to YoYoBoy (#123456) entitled "When can we meet?" The internal editor is not as nice as other editors, but at least it's reliable. Do a 'look' to get the list of commands, and experiment! Remember, though: nothing actually gets sent until you type send If you have set @edit-option +local but your client is not set up to handle external editing, then disaster will strike! This happens, for instance, when you are used to editing with the tkMOO client editor, but then switch to another client such as TinyFugue (tf on unix). As a rule, whenever editing doesn't seem to be working right, you should > > > > > check your @edit-option setting!! < < < < < On a MOO, it is possible to subscribe to `mailing lists'. When you are subscribed to a mailing list, you can (generally) read messages that other people send to that list, and you can (generally) send a message to the list yourself. Mailing lists are an effective way to communicate with many people at one time. Typically, a mailing list has a theme in which the subscribers have an interest. For example, on Hippo the mailing list *SENG114 is used to disseminate information to students of SENG114 (if you are a SENG114 student, then you should be subscribed to this list!). To find out how to subscribe to a list, read on... To subscribe to a list, use the @subscribe command. Example: @subscribe *SENG114 To see what mailing lists you are subscribed to, type @subscribed If you feel you need to unsubscribe from a list, use the @unsubscribe command. Example: @unsubscribe *SENG114 For mailing lists, checking messages, reading messages, sending messages, removing messages is very similar to the situation when mail is sent to or received from a player character. To send a message to a mailing list, just treat the name of the list as if it were a player. Examples: @send *SENG114 @send mike *SENG114 asaph Checking the messages on the mailing list can be done using the following forms of the @mail command: Syntax: @mail on <mailing-list-name> @mail new on <mailing-list-name> @mail 1-$ on <mailing-list-name> @mail <range-of-message-numbers> on <mailing-list-name> For example, the command @mail new on *SENG114 will list those new messages received on the *SENG114 mailing list. Reading the messages on the mailing list can be done using the following forms of the @read command: Syntax: @read on <mailing-list-name> @read new on <mailing-list-name> @read 1-$ on <mailing-list-name> @read <range-of-message-numbers> on <mailing-list-name> For example, the command @read new on *SENG114 will display on your screen all new messages received on the *SENG114 mailing list. Removing messages from a mailing list is an option that is usually not open to you, unless you happen to be the owner of the list. Nevertheless, here is the syntax: Syntax: @rmmail from <mailing-list-name> @rmmail new from <mailing-list-name> @rmmail 1-$ from <mailing-list-name> @rmmail <range-of-message-numbers> from <mailing-list-name> This brings up an important point: the ability to send to a mailing list, to read from a mailing list, or to delete from a mailing list, all depend on permissions which can be set by the owner (creator) of the list. Although this tutorial covers the most important aspects of MOO-mail and mailing lists, more detailed information is available on the MOO system help. To find out more, check out the following help topics: mail-index message-sequences mail-forwarding mail-system $mail_recipient Some reminders: Read your MOO-mail regularly! Delete your MOO-mail regularly! Check your subscribed mailing lists regularly! |
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