forw
FORW(1) FORW(1)
NAME
forw - forward messages
SYNOPSIS
forw [+folder] [msgs]
[-annotate] [-noannotate] [-form formfile]
[-format] [-noformat] [-filter filterfile]
[-inplace] [-noinplace] [-mime] [-nomime]
[-draftfolder +folder] [-draftmessage msg]
[-nodraftfolder] [-editor editor] [-noedit]
[-whatnowproc program] [-nowhatnowproc]
[-dashstuffing] [-nodashstuffing]
[-build] [-file msgfile]
[-version] [-help]
forw [+folder] [msgs] [-digest list] [-issue number]
[-volume number] [other switches for forw] [-help]
DESCRIPTION
Forw may be used to prepare a message containing other messages.
It constructs the new message from a forms (components) file, with a
body composed of the message(s) to be forwarded. An editor is invoked
as in comp, and after editing is complete, the user is prompted before
the message is sent.
The default message form contains the following elements:
If a file named "forwcomps" exists in the user's nmh directory, it will
be used instead of this default form. You may also specify an alter-
nate forms file with the switch `-form formfile'.
When If the draft already exists, forw will ask you as to the disposi-
tion of the draft. A reply of quit will abort forw, leaving the draft
intact; replace will replace the existing draft with a blank skeleton;
and list will display the draft.
If the `-annotate' switch is given, each message being forwarded will
be annotated with the lines
Forwarded: date
Forwarded: addrs
where each address list contains as many lines as required. This anno-
tation will be done only if the message is sent directly from forw. If
the message is not sent immediately from forw, "comp -use" may be used
to re-edit and send the constructed message, but the annotations won't
take place. Normally annotations are done inplace in order to preserve
any links to the message. You may change this by using the '-noin-
place' switch.
See comp (1) for a description of the `-editor' and `-noedit' switches.
Although forw uses a forms (components) file to direct it how to con-
struct the beginning of the draft, it uses a message filter file to
direct it as to how each forwarded message should be formatted in the
body of the draft. The filter file for forw should be a standard form
file for mhl, as forw will invoke mhl to filter (re-format) the for-
warded messages prior to being output to the body of the draft.
The switches `-noformat', `-format', and `-filter filterfile' specify
which message filter file to use.
If `-noformat' is specified (this is the default), then each forwarded
message is output into the draft exactly as it appears with no mhl fil-
tering.
If `-format' is specified, then a default message filter file is used.
This default message filter should be adequate for most users. This
default filter "mhl.forward" is:
If a file named "mhl.forward" exists in the user's nmh directory, it
will be used instead of this form. You may specify an alternate mes-
sage filter file with the switch `-filter filterfile'.
Each forwarded message is separated with an encapsulation delimiter.
By default, any dashes in the first column of the forwarded messages
will be prepended with `- ' so that when received, the message is suit-
able for bursting by burst (1). This follows the Internet RFC-934
guidelines. You may use the flag `-nodashstuffing' in order to sup-
press this form of quoting to the forwarded messages.
For users of prompter (1), by specifying prompter's `-prepend' switch
in the .mh_profile file, any commentary text is entered before the for-
warded messages. (A major win!)
To use the MIME rules for encapsulation, specify the `-mime' switch.
This directs forw to generate an mhbuild composition file. Note that
nmh will not invoke mhbuild automatically, unless you add this line to
your .mh_profile file:
automimeproc: 1
Otherwise, you must specifically give the command
What now? mime
prior to sending the draft.
The `-draftfolder +folder' and `-draftmessage msg' switches invoke the
nmh draft folder facility. This is an advanced (and highly useful)
feature. Consult the mh-draft(5) man page for more information.
Upon exiting from the editor, forw will invoke the whatnow program.
See whatnow (1) for a discussion of available options. The invocation
of this program can be inhibited by using the `-nowhatnowproc' switch.
(In truth of fact, it is the whatnow program which starts the initial
edit. Hence, `-nowhatnowproc' will prevent any edit from occurring.)
The `-build' switch is intended to be used by the Emacs mh-e interface
to nmh, and is only present if nmh was compiled with support for mh-e.
It implies `-nowhatnowproc'. It causes a file <mh-dir>/draft to be cre-
ated, containing the draft message that would normally be presented to
the user for editing. No mail is actually sent. Note that this switch
is not guaranteed to be present or to have the same effects in future
versions of nmh: it is documented here only for completeness.
The `-file msgfile' switch specifies the message to be forwarded as an
exact filename rather than as an nmh folder and message number. It is
intended to be used by the msh (1) interface to nmh. This switch
implies `-noannotate'. The forwarded message is simply copied verbatim
into the draft; the processing implied by the `-filter', `-mime' and
`-digest' switches is bypassed, and the usual leading and trailing
'Forwarded Message' delimiters are not added. The same caveats apply
to this option as to the `-build' switch.
The `-digest list', `-issue number', and `-volume number' switches
implement a digest facility for nmh. Specifying these switches enables
and/or overloads the following escapes:
Type Escape Returns Description
component digest string Argument to `-digest'
function cur integer Argument to `-volume'
function msg integer Argument to `-issue'
Consult the Advanced Features section of the nmh User's Manual for more
information on making digests.
FILES
/etc/nmh/forwcomps The standard message skeleton
or <mh-dir>/forwcomps Rather than the standard skeleton
/etc/nmh/digestcomps The message skeleton if `-digest' is given
or <mh-dir>/digestcomps Rather than the standard skeleton
/etc/nmh/mhl.forward The standard message filter
or <mh-dir>/mhl.forward Rather than the standard filter
$HOME/.mh_profile The user profile
<mh-dir>/draft The draft file
PROFILE COMPONENTS
Path: To determine the user's nmh directory
Current-Folder: To find the default current folder
Draft-Folder: To find the default draft-folder
Editor: To override the default editor
Msg-Protect: To set mode when creating a new message (draft)
fileproc: Program to refile the message
mhlproc: Program to filter messages being forwarded
whatnowproc: Program to ask the "What now?" questions
SEE ALSO
Proposed Standard for Message Encapsulation (RFC-934),
mhbuild(1), comp(1), repl(1), send(1), whatnow(1), mh-format(5)
DEFAULTS
`+folder' defaults to the current folder
`msgs' defaults to cur
`-noannotate'
`-nodraftfolder'
`-noformat'
`-inplace'
`-dashstuffing'
`-nomime'
CONTEXT
If a folder is given, it will become the current folder. The first
message forwarded will become the current message.
BUGS
If whatnowproc is whatnow, then forw uses a built-in whatnow, it does
not actually run the whatnow program. Hence, if you define your own
whatnowproc, don't call it whatnow since forw won't run it.
When forw is told to annotate the messages it forwards, it doesn't
actually annotate them until the draft is successfully sent. If from
the whatnowproc, you push instead of send, it's possible to confuse
forw by re-ordering the file (e.g., by using `folder -pack') before the
message is successfully sent. Dist and repl don't have this problem.
[nmh-1.0.4] MH.6.8 FORW(1)
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