MESSAGE                                                CP Privilege Class:  Any

Use the MESSAGE command to transmit message text to a specified userid or to
the primary system operator.  The format of the MESSAGE command is:
+----------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Message  | userid|*|OPerator msgtext                                        |
| Msg      |                                                                  |
+----------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
where:

userid | * | OPerator
         is the identification of the user who is to receive the message.  *
         specifies that you are sending a message to yourself; OPerator sends
         the message to the primary system operator regardless of his userid.

msgtext  is the text of the message that is to be transmitted.  The length of
         the message is limited to the number of characters remaining on the
         input line after entering the command and the appropriate operand.


Usage notes:

1.  A user will not receive a message if he or she is not logged on, is
    disconnected, or has suppressed the receiving of messages (SET MSG OFF),
    even if the user issued "CP SPOOL CONSOLE START."  The sender receives a
    diagnostic message to this effect.  A message that is not received by a
    user is not saved and must be sent at a later time when the user is
    receiving messages.

2.  The message is displayed at the terminal when the terminal is ready to
    receive output.  If a typewriter terminal (or a display terminal having
    AUTOREAD set ON) is entering data, the message is not displayed until an
    end-of-line (carriage return or ENTER) signal is received.

3.  If the message is received by the primary system operator console and SET
    MSG ON is in effect, the alarm at the central computer console sounds.

4.  If the user receiving the message is logged on with a 3277 virtual console
    that has the alarm feature, the alarm sounds.

5.  MSG * is useful in identifying the current userid of an abandoned terminal,
    or it can be used in a program intended to be executed under several
    userids.

Responses:

hh:mm:ss
MSG FROM OPERATOR:  msgtext
   is the message received by the user from the system operator.

hh:mm:ss
MSG FROM LOGONxxx ¦ userid ¦ LOGNxxxx : msgtext
   is the format of the message sent to another user or to the system operator,
   where userid is that of the sender.  If the user sending the message is not
   logged on to VM/370, LOGON or LOGN and the line number are displayed instead
   of userid.

hh:mm:ss
   is the time in hours:minutes:seconds when the message was sent to the user.