write(1)						      General Commands Manual							  write(1)

NAME

       write - Sends messages to other users

SYNOPSIS

       write [-r] [-n node] user [line]

       write user@node [line]

       write -h  handle,reply

       write -q  [-n node]

       The write command allows you to converse with another user who is logged in.

       [Tru64  UNIX]  The  write  -r  command  allows  you  to send messages to users on other hosts (usually from a shell script) and to wait for
       replies; use write -h to reply to such messages.

STANDARDS

       Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry standards as follows:

       write:  XCU5.0

       Refer to the standards(5) reference page for more information about industry standards and associated tags.

OPTIONS

       [Tru64 UNIX]  Replies to a message sent by a utility or shell script with write -r.  The value to be used for handle  is  generated  inter-
       nally and supplied to you in the text of the original message.

	      [Tru64  UNIX]  The  reply  can be ok, cancel, or query. (See EXAMPLES and EXIT STATUS.)  [Tru64 UNIX]  Specifies a remote host.  The
	      node field may be a nickname or a node ID.  This option is used in place of the user@node argument;  the	two  cannot  be  specified
	      together.   [Tru64  UNIX]  Queries  all messages awaiting replies from users on a node and displays them with their handles.  [Tru64
	      UNIX]  Generates a message handle, places it in the message header, sends the message, and waits for a reply.  This  option  can	be
	      used  for  operator  messages and can be put in shell scripts. It is not used for interactive conversations.  (See EXAMPLES and EXIT
	      STATUS).

OPERANDS

       Login name of the user with whom you wish to converse. This operand is in the form written by the who utility.

	      [Tru64 UNIX]  You may append an optional @node if the user is on a different host.  The format of @node is as  much  of  the  remote
	      hostname	and  domainname  as  may  be required by your system.  The terminal identification of the terminal where the other user is
	      logged in.  You only need to specify this parameter if the other user has several  sessions  operating  on  the  target  host.   See
	      DESCRIPTION for a further explanation.

DESCRIPTION

       When two users converse with write, each user alternately sends and receives short messages from their respective terminals.

       [Tru64  UNIX]  For  another user to receive your message, that user must be logged in and must not have refused message permission.  When a
       person you are trying to reach is not logged in, you get the message user is not logged on.  When the person you are trying  to	reach  has
       refused message permission, you get the message Write: Permission denied.

       When you run the write command, it immediately sends the following message to the person whose login name you entered.

       Message from sender on node (ttynn) [date]...

       [Tru64 UNIX]  The message is accompanied by attention-getting sound (three ASCII BEL characters).

       After  successful  connection,  the write command then sends two ASCII BEL characters to your terminal to alert you that whatever you enter
       now is being sent to the other user.  Sending continues until you enter the End-of-File key sequence, at which point write sends an End-of-
       Text sequence to the other terminal and exits.

       At any point, the other user can respond by sending a write message back.

       [Tru64  UNIX]  For  this type of exchange, the following convention is useful.  When you first write to others, wait for them to write back
       before sending any text.  End a message with a prearranged signal (such as o for over) to alert the other user to reply.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  If the !  (exclamation point) character is found at the beginning of an input line, write calls the shell to execute the rest
       of the line as a command.

       When  you  use  the  write  command to contact a user logged in at more than one terminal, write uses the first login instance found in the
       /var/adm/utmp file as the message delivery point, and you get the message:

       user is logged on more than one place.  You are connected to tty.  Other locations are: tty ...

       You can contact this user at another location by specifying the line.  The parameter line indicates to which terminal (tty00, for  example)
       the message should be sent.

       Permission  to  use  the  write command to contact another user is granted or denied by the other user with the mesg command. Some commands
       deny message permission while they are running to prevent interference with their output.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  If you have superuser authority, you can write to any terminal regardless of the terminal's message permission.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  The write command filters nonprintable characters and transmits them in their printed form (that is, ASCII  sequence  001	is
       transmitted as ^A).

       [Tru64  UNIX]  When  the  write -r command is used to send you a message, you can send a reply of ok, cancel, or query with write -h.  (See
       OPTIONS, EXAMPLES and EXIT STATUS).

       [Tru64 UNIX]  An argument of a - (dash) following the write command allows you to specify a specific terminal to which you want to write as
       the second argument.

       Typing characters from LC_TYPE classifications print or space causes those characters to be sent to the recipient's terminal.

NOTES

       The talk utility is considered to be a more usable utility on full-screen terminals.

RESTRICTIONS

       [Tru64  UNIX]  The writesrv daemon must be running on the target host in order for any of the options to work.  If you are not using either
       the -n option or @host, but using -h, -q, or -r, the writesrv daemon must be running on your host.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  See writesrv(8) for information on how to start or stop the writesrv daemon.

EXIT STATUS

       [Tru64 UNIX]  The write -r command is used to send messages to users and to wait for replies. Their responses  determine  the  exit  value:
       [Tru64 UNIX]  Exit status 0 (zero).  [Tru64 UNIX]  Exit status 1.  [Tru64 UNIX]	Message for handle redisplays; write does not exit.

       An exit status of 2 indicates that the user could not be contacted.

EXAMPLES

       The  following  examples  assume  that  the  End-of-File key sequence is <Ctrl-d>.  The actual key sequence may be different.  lucy on tty3
       writes a message to sue on the same node: write sue Meet me in the computer room at 12:30.  <Ctrl-d>

	      sue sees: Message from lucy on node (tty3) [Thu Aug 17 11:55:24 1990] Meet me in the computer room at 12:30.  <EOT> Holding  a  con-
	      versation: write sue Meet me in the computer room at 12:30.  over

	      lucy then waits for a response from sue, who replies: write lucy I'm running tests at 12:30.  Can we meet at 3?  over

	      sue then waits for lucy, who replies and terminates: OK--the computer room at 3.	bye <Ctrl-d>

	      sue then terminates their side of the conversation.  To write someone a prepared message, enter: write sue <message.text

	      This  writes the contents of the file message.text to sue's terminal.  To write to the person using a certain terminal, enter: write
	      - console The printer in building 998 has jammed.  Please send help.  <Ctrl-d>

	      This writes the message to the person logged in on the system console.  To send a message to user sue at node, enter: write -n  node
	      sue

	      or write sue@node To get a reply to a message, lucy might enter the following: write -r sue console Please insert next tape.

	      sue terminates lucy's message with write -h 12345,ok <Ctrl-d>

	      or write -h 12345,cancel

	      or write -h 12345,query

	      sue then terminates as usual.

	      Note that with the -h option, there is no need to supply the hostname or user ID.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

       The following environment variables affect the execution of write: Provides a default value for the internationalization variables that are
       unset or null. If LANG is unset or null, the corresponding value from the default locale is used.  If any of the internationalization vari-
       ables  contain  an  invalid setting, the utility behaves as if none of the variables had been defined.  If set to a non-empty string value,
       overrides the values of all the other internationalization variables.  Determines the locale for the interpretation of sequences  of  bytes
       of  text data as characters (for example, single-byte as opposed to multibyte characters in arguments).	If the recipient's locale does not
       use an equivalent LC_CTYPE, the results are undefined.  Determines the locale for the format and contents of diagnostic messages written to
       standard error.	Determines the location of message catalogues for the processing of LC_MESSAGES.

FILES

       Contains user and accounting information.

SEE ALSO

       Commands:  mesg(1), login(1), sh(1b), sh(1p), talk(1), wall(1), who(1), writesrv(8)

       Files:  utmp(4)

       Standards:  standards(5)

																	  write(1)