Programs in This Book's Archive
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The Section Obtaining Example Files From This Book
explains how to get an archive file with
example files and programs from this book.
Most of those files and programs are mentioned in other parts of the book;
some are explained in detail.
This section explains unusual features of programs and lists
important customization steps.
This section does not explain a script's operation in detail.
Before using a script, you or someone who understands shell
programming should check it for things that need customizing (like
correct directory and file pathnames) and for features you don't expect.
The Chapter
Introduction to UNIX Programming with MH
will help you understand how the scripts work.
The Reference List
has some good reference books on UNIX programming.
The scripts in the archive have more detailed comments in them.
Even if you don't want to use the programs from this section in your
day-to-day work, each one demonstrates something new about shell
programming with MH -- so they're worth studying.
Programs like these let you go further with MH customization, to do
things that
MH versions won't let you do.
These scripts don't use features of modern Bourne shells that
have more built-in commands and options than earlier Bourne shells.
Some programs (like distprompter)
are longer because of that.
The benefit is that the scripts should work on all Bourne shells.
Before you run any of the scripts in this archive, do what you'd do with any
unknown software: read through it and test to be sure that it'll
work well in your setup.
Although I use the scripts myself and have tried to write them portably,
I can't be responsible for problems you have.
Finally, if you find a bug or have a suggestion, please tell us about it.
Our address is in the Preface.
We'll update the online archives periodically.
If you got your copy of a script awhile ago, you might look for
an updated version online.
The archive file is organized by book chapter.
The files documented in a chapter are stored in a directory named for the
chapter.
For example, the chapter11 directory holds MH format files for
the Chapter MH Formatting.
Once you've extracted the files you want from the archive, use the UNIX
mv or cp commands to install the files where you want to keep
them.
For example, to move the rcvdistcomps file from the chapter11
directory to your MH directory, you'd type a command like:
% mv chapter11/rcvdistcomps `mhpath +`
(The command `mhpath +` gives the pathname of your MH directory.)
You'll probably want to store the shell scripts in a bin directory
on your account.
The Section
Making a bin Directory, Setting Search Path
explains how.
The next pages document many of the files in the archive.
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