MCP request semantics

An MCP request is of the general form:


  #$#<request-name>[*][ <auth-key>][ <keyword>: <value>]...

 

<request-name> identifies the `type' of the request. The type of the request can be thought of as a function that processes the structures in the rest of the line.

<auth-key> is an optional authentication key. See `help mcp-authentication' .

The set of <keyword>: <value> pairs are a function mapping <keyword>s onto <value>s. <keyword>s are names of arguments to the request; <value>s are the corresponding values of arguments.

Duplicate <keyword>s are not allowed. Arbitrary order of <keyword>: <value> pairs is allowed.

Specific <keyword>s may be optional for a given request type, with default <value>s assumed.

<keyword>s may be unrecognized by a request type. A suggested strategy for request handlers is to ignore any <keyword>s they don't understand.