write(1)write(1)NAMEwrite - Sends messages to other users
SYNOPSISwrite [-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 stan‐
dards 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 internally
and supplied to you in the text of the original message.
[Tru64 UNIX] The reply can be ok, cancel, or query. (See EXAM‐
PLES 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 spec‐
ified together. [Tru64 UNIX] Queries all messages awaiting
replies from users on a node and displays them with their han‐
dles. [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 per‐
son 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 mes‐
sage 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 mes‐
sage:
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 com‐
puter 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
conversation: 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 ter‐
minal. 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: Pro‐
vides 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, over‐
rides 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 multi‐
byte 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)
