nptx -- Command

Generate permutations of users' full names
/usr/bin/nptx

The command  nptx reads  an address/name  pair (that is,  an address  and a
user's full  name), and prints on the standard  output as many permutations
of the user's  name as it can devise, each  linked to the given address.  A
set of  such permutations helps to  relieve a user of the  need to know the
exact form  of another  user's name  when she wishes  to send mail  to that
user.   When a  set of  users'  names is  filtered through  nptx, the  mail
program smail can use the output as a ``full-name data base''.

The format of an input line is:

    name<tab>address

name gives  the user's first name, last name,  optional middle initial, and
optional nickname  in parentheses; all  are separated by  space characters.
address can contain any e-mail  address.  name and address are separated by
one <tab> character.

nptx prints all permutations of the first names and initials, with the last
name  appearing  in  each  permutation.   Permutations are  not  necesarily
unique.

Example

Given the name/address pair

    LaMonte Cranston(Shadow)<tab>shadow@goodguy.com

nptx produces the following set of permutations:

    Cranston        shadow@goodguy.com
    L.Cranston      shadow@goodguy.com
    LaMonte.Cranstonshadow@goodguy.com
    S.Cranston      shadow@goodguy.com
    Shadow.Cranston shadow@goodguy.com

See Also

commands,
mail,
mkfnames,
paths,
smail

Notes

nptx normally  is invoked via  the script mkfnames,  which reads a  file of
names  (or the  file /etc/passwd  and generates  a data  base of  names and
addresses that can be used by the mail system.

nptx assumes  European-style names, i.e.,  that the family  name comes last
(unlike Asian or Hungarian names, in which the family name comes first).

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness