answer(1)                                                         answer(1)




 NAME    [Toc]    [Back]
      answer - phone message transcription system

 SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]
      answer [-pu]

 DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]
      The answer interactive program helps you to transcribe telephone (and
      other) messages into electronic mail.

      The program uses your personal elm alias database and the system elm
      alias database, allowing you to use aliases to address the messages.

    Options    [Toc]    [Back]
      answer supports the following options:

           -p   Prompt for phone-slip-type message fields.

           -u   Allow addresses that are not aliases.

    Operation    [Toc]    [Back]
      answer begins with the Message to: prompt.  Enter a one-word alias or
      a two-word user name ("Words" are separated by spaces.) The user name
      is converted to an alias in the form f_lastword, where f is the first
      character of the first word, lastword is the second word, and all
      letters are shifted to lowercase.  For example, Dave Smith is
      converted to the alias d_smith.

      Without the -u option, the specified or converted alias must exist in
      the alias databases.  With the -u option, if the processed "alias" is
      not in the alias databases, it is used for the address as is.

      The fully expanded address is displayed.

      With the -p option, you are asked for typical message slip data:

           Caller:
           of:
           Phone:

           TELEPHONED         -
           CALLED TO SEE YOU  -
           WANTS TO SEE YOU   -
           RETURNED YOUR CALL -
           PLEASE CALL        -
           WILL CALL AGAIN    -
           *****URGENT******  -

      Enter the appropriate data.  You can put just an X or nothing after
      the pertinent dash prompts, or you can type longer comments.  Whatever
      you enter becomes part of the message.  Lines with no added text are



 Hewlett-Packard Company            - 1 -   HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003






 answer(1)                                                         answer(1)




      omitted from the message.

      Finally, you are prompted for a message.  Enter a message, if any,
      ending with a blank line.  The message is sent and the Message to:
      prompt is repeated.

      To end the program, enter any one of bye, done, exit, or quit, at the
      Message to: prompt.

 EXAMPLES    [Toc]    [Back]
      User input is in normal type.

    With No Options    [Toc]    [Back]
      This example shows a valid alias, an invalid user name, and a valid
      user name.  In the invalid case, the converted alias is displayed in
      square brackets.

           -----------------------------------------------------------------

           Message to: oswald
           address '[email protected] (Oswald Rarebit)'

           Enter message for oswald ending with a blank line.    [Toc]    [Back]

           > And here is the message.
           >

           -----------------------------------------------------------------

           Message to: albert einstein
           Sorry, could not find 'albert einstein' [a_einstein] in list!

           Message to: john jones
           address '[email protected] (John P. Jones)'

           Enter message for john jones ending with a blank line.    [Toc]    [Back]

           > A nice message
           >

           -----------------------------------------------------------------

           Message to: quit

    With the -u Option    [Toc]    [Back]
      If you enter answer -u, the previous error is treated differently.

           -----------------------------------------------------------------

           Message to: albert einstein
           address 'a_einstein'



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 answer(1)                                                         answer(1)





           Enter message for albert einstein ending with a blank line.    [Toc]    [Back]

           > About your theory ...
           >

    With the -p Option    [Toc]    [Back]
      If you enter answer -p, the phone-slip prompts are added.  The three
      lines with no added text are deleted from the message.

           -----------------------------------------------------------------

           Message to: George Dancer
           address '[email protected] (George B. Dancer)'

           Caller: Harold Maudlin
           of:     Terpsichore Inc.
           Phone:  123 456 7890

           TELEPHONED         - at 4:30pm
           CALLED TO SEE YOU  -
           WANTS TO SEE YOU   - X
           RETURNED YOUR CALL -
           PLEASE CALL        - X
           WILL CALL AGAIN    -
           *****URGENT******  - very very!

           Enter message for George Dancer ending with a blank line.    [Toc]    [Back]

           > He said that you would ...
           >

 FILES    [Toc]    [Back]
      $HOME/.elm/aliases            User alias database data table
      $HOME/.elm/aliases.dir        User alias database directory table
      $HOME/.elm/aliases.pag        User alias database hash table
      $HOME/.elm/aliases.text       User alias source text
      /var/mail/.elm/aliases        System alias database data table
      /var/mail/.elm/aliases.dir    System alias database directory table
      /var/mail/.elm/aliases.pag    System alias database hash table
      /var/mail/.elm/aliases.text   System alias source text
      /tmp/snd.pid                  Outbound mail message edit buffer

 AUTHOR    [Toc]    [Back]
      answer was developed by HP.

 SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]
      elm(1), newalias(1).


 Hewlett-Packard Company            - 3 -   HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003