s-o-1036 June 1994

6.6. Control

The  Control  header  content marks the article as a control
message, and specifies the desired actions (other  than  the
usual ones of filing and passing on the article):

     Control-content  = verb *( space argument )
     verb             = 1*( letter / digit )
     argument         = 1*<ASCII printable character>

The  verb  indicates  what  action  should be taken, and the
argument(s) (if any) supply details.   In  some  cases,  the
body  of  the  article  may also contain details.  Section 7
describes the standard verbs.   See  also  the  Also-Control
header (section 6.15).

     NOTE:  Control  messages  are  often processed and
     filed rather differently than normal articles.

     NOTE: The restriction of verbs to letters and dig-
     its  is new, but is consistent with existing prac-
     tice and potentially simplifies implementation  by
     avoiding  characters significant to command inter-
     preters.  Beware that the arguments are  under  no
     such restriction in general.

     NOTE:  Two  other  conventions  for distinguishing
     control messages from normal  articles  were  for-
     merly  in  use:  a  three-component newsgroup name
     ending in  ".ctl"  or  a  subject  beginning  with
     "cmsg "  was  considered to imply that the article
     was a  control  message.   These  conventions  are
     obsolete.  Do not use them.

An  article  with  a  Control  header MUST not have an Also-
Control or Supersedes header.

INTERNET DRAFT to be        NEWS                    sec. 6.7

--- ../rfc1036/Control.out          December 1987
+++ ../s-o-1036/Control.out          June 1994
@@ -1,17 +1,39 @@
-2.2.6.  Control
+6.6. Control
 
-    If a message contains a "Control" line, the message is a control
-    message.  Control messages are used for communication among USENET
-    host machines, not to be read by users.  Control messages are
-    distributed by the same newsgroup mechanism as ordinary messages.
-    The body of the "Control" header line is the message to the host.
-
-    For upward compatibility, messages that match the newsgroup pattern
-    "all.all.ctl" should also be interpreted as control messages.  If no
-    "Control" header is present on such messages, the subject is used as
-    the control message.  However, messages on newsgroups matching this
-    pattern do not conform to this standard.
-    Also for upward compatibility, if the first 4 characters of the
-    "Subject:" line are "cmsg", the rest of the "Subject:" line should
-    be interpreted as a control message.
+The  Control  header  content marks the article as a control
+message, and specifies the desired actions (other  than  the
+usual ones of filing and passing on the article):
+
+     Control-content  = verb *( space argument )
+     verb             = 1*( letter / digit )
+     argument         = 1*<ASCII printable character>
+
+The  verb  indicates  what  action  should be taken, and the
+argument(s) (if any) supply details.   In  some  cases,  the
+body  of  the  article  may also contain details.  Section 7
+describes the standard verbs.   See  also  the  Also-Control
+header (section 6.15).
+
+     NOTE:  Control  messages  are  often processed and
+     filed rather differently than normal articles.
+
+     NOTE: The restriction of verbs to letters and dig-
+     its  is new, but is consistent with existing prac-
+     tice and potentially simplifies implementation  by
+     avoiding  characters significant to command inter-
+     preters.  Beware that the arguments are  under  no
+     such restriction in general.
+
+     NOTE:  Two  other  conventions  for distinguishing
+     control messages from normal  articles  were  for-
+     merly  in  use:  a  three-component newsgroup name
+     ending in  ".ctl"  or  a  subject  beginning  with
+     "cmsg "  was  considered to imply that the article
+     was a  control  message.   These  conventions  are
+     obsolete.  Do not use them.
+
+An  article  with  a  Control  header MUST not have an Also-
+Control or Supersedes header.
+
+INTERNET DRAFT to be        NEWS                    sec. 6.7