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- .\" This file is automatically generated. Do not edit!
- .SC BBL 1
- .NA
- bbl \- manage a BBoard
- .SY
- bbl
- \%[+folder]
- \%[\-shell\ program]
- \%[\-verbose] \%[\-noverbose]
- bboard
- \%[\-help]
- .DE
- \fIbbl\fR allows a \fIBBleader\fR to manage a BBoard.
- The process is relatively simple: a \fIBBleader\fR
- invokes the \fIbbl\fR program to set\-up an environment in which the messages
- contained in the BBoard
- may be accessed as if they were messages in an \fIMH\fR folder.
-
- To do this, \fIbbl\fR, \fIincs\fR the \fIBBoard\fR
- to the folder \*(lq+bbl\*(rq, and \fIincs\fR the archives for the \fIBBoard\fR
- to the folder \*(lq+bbl/arc\*(rq. The \fIBBleader\fR
- then gets a new shell in which \fIMH\fR
- commands (among others) may be executed. When the \fIBBleader\fR
- is done, CTRL\-D is typed, which terminates the shell. \fIbbl\fR then
- asks the \fIBBleader\fR
- as to how the BBoard
- should be reconstructed.
- Usually, this results in zeroing the existing \fIBBoard\fR
- file, and \fIpack\fRing the \*(lq+bbl\*(rq folder into the \fIBBoard\fR
- file. Similar actions are taken for the archive.
-
- The `\-shell' switch specifies what process that \fIbbl\fR should invoke
- as your command interpreter. This need not be a rooted filename.
- If this switch is not specified,
- \fIbbl\fR looks at the environment variable \fB$SHELL\fR for a value.
- If this environment variable is not set, then \fIbbl\fR uses your login shell.
-
- The `\-verbose' switch directs \fIbbl\fR to type the shell commands that it
- executes to get the job done (e.g., \fIchmod\fR\0s, \fIinc\fR\0s, etc.)
-
- As \fIbbl\fR processing is most likely not intuitively obvious to most
- prospective BBoard\-leaders, a short diatribe is in order. As pointed out in
- \fIBBleader\fR(1),
- a BBoard\-leader (of the fictitious BBoard \*(lqhacks\*(rq)
- has three primary maintenance functions:
- .in +.5i
-
- .ti -.5i
- \fBRead the BBoard\fR
- .br
- You don't need \fIbbl\fR
- to do this, use \fIbbc\fR instead.
-
- .ti -.5i
- \fBRemove inappropriate material\fR
- .br
- Do this by running \fIbbl\fR.
- An example of this might be:
- .sp
- .nf
- \01 % bbl hacks
- \02 [ Working folder is +bbl, Archive folder is +bbl/arc ]
- \03 [ Type CTRL\-D to finish ]
- \04 % scan
- .ta \w'\05 'u +\w'20 'u +\w'10/14 'u +\w'1345-PDT 'u +\w'Reasonable Person 'u
- \05 20 10/14 1345-PDT Silly User Nonsensical message
- \06 21 10/14 1707-PDT Silly User Another one
- \07 22 10/14 2144-PDT Reasonable Person Legit message
- .re
- \09 % rmm 20 21
- \10 % \^D
- \11 Incorporate changes? y
- \12 Remove +bbl? y
- \13 Update archives? n
- \14 Remove +bbl/arc? y
- \15 [+inbox now current]
- \16 %
- .fi
- .sp
- In item 1, the BBoard\-Leader invokes \fIbbl\fR
- on the BBoard called \*(lqhacks\*(rq. The \fIbbl\fR
- program responds by typing items 2 and 3 which tell the user what \fIMH\fR
- folders are being used and that a sub\-shell is now in use (respectively).
- The user does a scan of the +bbl folder
- (\fIbbl\fR sets the current\-folder to be the one with the BBoard in it.)
- and finds two messages that should be removed (numbers 20 and 21).
- The user then removes these using the \fIrmm\fR
- program (item 9) and then types a CTRL\-D to return to
- \fIbbl\fR (item 10).
- At this point,
- \fIbbl\fR
- asks how the BBoard should be reconstructed. Item 11 asks if the contents of
- the +bbl folder should OVERWRITE the contents of the BBoard. The user
- responds `yes',
- that it should (hence the two \fIrmm\fR'd messages disappear).
- Next on item 12,
- the user is asked if the +bbl folder should be killed, since the BBoards
- have been successfully updated, the user answers `yes'.
- On item 13, the user is
- asked if the archives should be updated. Since the user made no changes, the
- answer `no' is made. (The user could have answered `yes' with no disastrous
- effects, but knew that nothing had been updated). Finally, on item 14, the
- user indicates that the +bbl/arc subfolder should be killed, by answering
- `yes'.
-
- .ti -.5i
- \fBArchive non\-recent material\fR
- .br
- Do this by running \fIbbl\fR.
- An example of this might be:
- .sp
- .nf
- \01 % bbl hacks
- \02 [ Working folder is +bbl, Archive folder is +bbl/arc ]
- \03 [ Type CTRL\-D to finish ]
- \04 % scan
- .ta \w'\05 'u +\w'20 'u +\w'10/14 'u +\w'1345-PDT 'u +\w'GFISHER@UCI-20B 'u
- \05 11 10/12 1905-PST Marshall Rose New MMail/BBck
- \06 12 10/12 1916-PST Stephen Willson PATH, nfinger, and ls
- \07 13 10/12 2329-PDT G@UCI-20A 833-5122 hours
- \08 14 10/13 1045-PDT MELLON@UCI-20B Reporting line
- \09 15 10/13 1112-PST Tim Shimeall Re: 833-5122 hours
- \10 16 10/13 1045-PDT MELLON@UCI-20B Reporting line
- \11 17 10/13 2042-PST Dana Roode Ucifinger
- \12 18 10/13 2045-PST Dana Roode Files in /usr/restores
- \13 19 10/14 1028-PDT WILLSON@UCI-20B Re: term no pause
- \14 20 10/14 1345-PDT Martin Katz Re: term no pause
- \15 21 10/14 1707-PDT SCRIBE@UCI-20A Scribe Use
- \16 22 10/14 2144-PDT GFISHER@UCI-20B New Twemacs
- \17 23 10/15 1227-PDT Rob Rittenhouse Re: New Twemacs
- .re
- \18 % file +bbl/arc \-src +bbl 11\-12 17\-20 21
- \19 % ^D
- \20 Incorporate changes? y
- \21 Remove +bbl? y
- \22 Update archives? y
- \23 Remove +bbl/arc? y
- \24 [+inbox now current]
- \25 %
- .fi
- .sp
- The important command given is in item 18, in which the user \fIfiles\fR
- some messages from +bbl into +bbl/arc. When CTRL\-D is typed, the user
- directs \fIbbl\fR
- to update both the BBoard and its archives, which does the proper action.
- As an alternate to this scenario,
- some creative \fIBBleaders\fR might use the \fIpick\fR command to do all of
- the work:
-
- .in +.5i
- .nf
- pick \-sequence select \-before \-12 \-datefield BB-Posted \-zero
- pick \-sequence select \-before \-20 \-nozero
- scan select
- refile select +bbl/arc
- .fi
- .in -.5i
-
- In order to facilitate the use of automation shell scripts,
- if the standard input for \fIbbl\fR is \fInot\fR a tty,
- then \fIbbl\fR will not ask any questions and will proceed as if
- the user's answer was \*(lqyes\*(rq for all questions.
- Hence, \fIbbl\fR may be run under \fIcron\fR\0(8) to provide for
- automatic archiving.
- .in -.5i
- .Fi
- ^$HOME/\&.mh\(ruprofile~^The user profile
- .Pr
- ^Path:~^To determine the user's MH directory
- .Ps
- ^incproc:~^Program to incorporate a mail drop into a folder
- .Ps
- ^packproc:~^Program to pack a folder into a msgbox
- .Ps
- ^rmfproc:~^Program to remove a folder
- .Sa
- bbc(1), bbleader(1), bboards(1)
- .De
- `+folder' defaults to \*(lqbbl\*(rq
- .Ds
- `\-nofile'
- .Ds
- `\-shell' defaults to \fB$SHELL\fR or your login shell
- .Co
- None
- .Hi
- In the early days of the UCI BBoards facility,
- \fIBBleaders\fR actually used to run this program by hand.
- Now, this \fIbbl\fR is often run automatically by the system to perform
- automatic archiving.
- .Bu
- Note that \fIbbl\fR executes a lot of \fIMH\fR
- commands, and as such, each of these commands can and will read
- your \fI\&.mh\(ruprofile\fR for defaults.
- Please read the \fBBUGS\fR section of \fImh\-profile\fR\0(5)
- for some hints to help you avoid many silly problems.
-
- Also, \fIbbl\fR is unforgiving in doing exactly what it is told,
- so take special care in answering \fIbbl\fR's questions.
- .En
-