TOPS-20 Commands Reference Manual
ADVISE
Links your terminal with another user's terminal so that you can give commands to that user's job. The advisee can still give commands to his job.
Format
@ADVISE (USER) argument
where:
| argument | is either a user name or terminal line number. |
Characteristics
Input to Other Job
For as long as the ADVISE command is in effect, the commands you give affect the advisee's job instead of your own.
Ending Advice
To end an advising link that you have formed between terminals, you must type CTRL/E. This CTRL/E is not echoed on either terminal.
Refused Advice
Ordinarily, you cannot advise a job unless its terminal is set to receive advice. However, if you have WHEEL or OPERATOR capabilities enabled, you can ADVISE any job, providing the user has not given the TERMINAL INHIBIT command.
Special ADVISE Commands
Once you are advising another job, you can give special commands to send comments or control characters, or to relink to a terminal that has broken links with yours. These commands are:
| CTRL/E | End an ADVISE link |
| CTRL/~ + | Restart an ADVISE link after a BREAK command is typed at the advised terminal |
| CTRL/~ ( | Start a comment (or use the REMARK command) |
| CTRL/~ ) | End a comment (or use the REMARK command) |
| CTRL/~ ? | Display the list of ADVISE control characters |
| CTRL/~ <CHAR> | Send CTRL/CHAR |
| Note that the tilde character (~) can have different meanings with various terminal models. Consult your terminal's manual for the character equivalent to 36 octal in ASCII code. |
Special Cases
Advisee Has More Than One Job
If more than one job is logged in under the user name you specify, the system gives you a list of that user's terminal numbers and associated programs to choose from, then prints TTY: to prompt your response. Type your choice of terminal number after the prompt.
Advising a Pseudoterminal (PTY:)
If you try to advise a PTY: the system informs you of this and asks you to confirm with a carriage return.
Restrictions
Compatible Terminals
Unless the terminals involved in an advising link have compatible characteristics (such as terminal width, ability to handle tabs and lowercase letters), some information can be lost or overprinted. To avoid this problem, the user of the faster or more capable terminal should adjust his terminal's characteristics, if possible before the ADVISE command is given.
Detached Jobs
You cannot advise detached jobs.
Warning
Talking Between a VT100 and a VT52
If links between VT100 and VT52 terminals are established using an ADVISE (or TALK) command, the VT52 may function improperly during or after the linked interval (for example, by requiring frequent CTRL/Q commands to print multiple lines of output). Turning the terminal off and then on again (after the linked interval) will correct this problem.
Effect on Terminal
The ADVISE command leaves your terminal at the advisee's terminal's command level, controlling his job.
Related Commands
| RECEIVE ADVICE | for allowing other users to advise you |
| REFUSE ADVICE | for preventing other users from advising you |
| REMARK | for sending comments only |
| TALK | for linking terminals so that your commands affect only your own job |
| TERMINAL INHIBIT | for refusing all types of terminal communication including advice, links, system messages, user messages, and notices of new mail. |
Examples
- Advise a user, then immediately type CTRL/E to end advice.
@ADVISE D.CROWLEY Escape character is <CTRL>E, type <CTRL>^? for help D.CROWLEY JOB 51 EXEC LINK FROM LATTA, TTY 226 [Advising] ^E !Not displayed on terminal [Advice terminated]
- Advise a user's job and access a directory for him.
@ADVISE BONSAVAGE Escape character is <CTRL>E, type <CTRL>^? for help BONSAVAGE JOB 48 EXEC LINK FROM LATTA, TTY 226 [Advising] !I'LL ACCESS THE DIRECTORY FOR YOU, THEN YOU CAN USE IT. @ACCESS <SARTINI> Password: @!OKAY, NOW YOU CAN USE IT. @!Thank you. ^E [Advice terminated]
- Advise another user, demonstrating how to use the FILCOM program.
@ADVISE D.CROWLEY Escape character is <CTRL>E, type <CTRL>^? for help D.CROWLEY JOB 51 EXEC LINK FROM LATTA, TTY 226 [Advising] !HERE'S HOW TO COMPARE FILES USING THE FILCOM PROGRAM. @FILCOM *=VERCBL.TXT, BAKVER.TXT/A No differences encountered *^C @!SEE? THE SWITCH AT THE END (/A) MEANS TO COMPARE THEM IN ASCII @!MODE. DON'T FORGET THE CTRL/C WHEN YOU'RE DONE. @!THANKS. ^E [Advice terminated]
- Advise a user who is logged in at more than one terminal. Choose one of
them.
@ADVISE LATTA TTY25, EXEC TTY41, EXEC TTY27, EXEC TTY: 27 Escape character is <CTRL>E, type <CTRL>^? for help LATTA Job 22 EXEC LINK FROM D.CROWLEY, TTY 225 [Advising] . . . ^E [Advice terminated]