

FORM                            3/1/79                            FORM


NAME
       FORM -- produces form letter by prompting user for information

SYNOPSIS
       form [-c] [+c] [file ...]

DESCRIPTION
       
       Form  reads input files and writes them to the standard output.
       Any time it encounters  some  characters  surrounded  by  angle
       brackets  ('<'  and  '>')  it  prints  the  string  between the
       characters as a prompt to the user.  It  then  reads  from  the
       standard  input and replaces the bracketed string with what was
       read.
       
       Normally only one line of input is accepted from  the  standard
       input.   However,  a  response  can  be continued on succeeding
       lines by terminating each line to be continued with  an  atsign
       ('@').
       
       The prompts inside the file may also span line boundaries if so
       desired (no atsign is needed in this case).
       
       The  user's  answers  to  prompts  are remembered, so duplicate
       prompts are replaced without repeating the prompt to the user.
       
       If the standard input is not a terminal, no prompts are issued.
       
       The '-c' flag may  be  used  to  reset  the  initial  character
       signalling a prompt. The character 'c' then replaces the '<'.
       
       The '+c' flag may be used to reset the terminating character of
       a prompt. The character 'c' then replaces '>'.

FILES
       The user's terminal is opened both at READ and at WRITE access.

SEE ALSO
       The Unix form-letter tool

DIAGNOSTICS
       If  an  input  file  cannot be opened, a message is printed and
       execution is terminated.
       
       A message is also printed if either the prompt or the  response
       is too long for the tool's internal buffer.
       

AUTHORS

       Debbie Scherrer

BUGS


                                 -1-                                  

