1FORW(1)                      [nmh-1.2-20070115cvs]                     FORW(1)
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NAME

6       forw - forward messages
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SYNOPSIS

9       forw [+folder] [msgs] [-annotate | -noannotate] [-form formfile] [-for‐
10            mat | -noformat] [-filter filterfile] [-inplace | -noinplace]
11            [-mime | -nomime] [-draftfolder +folder] [-draftmessage msg]
12            [-nodraftfolder] [-editor editor] [-noedit] [-whatnowproc program]
13            [-nowhatnowproc] [-dashstuffing | -nodashstuffing] [-build] [-file
14            msgfile] [-version] [-help]
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16       forw [+folder] [msgs] [-digest list] [-issue number] [-volume number]
17            [other switches for  forw] [-version] [-help]
18

DESCRIPTION

20       Forw may be used to prepare a message containing other messages.
21
22       It  constructs  the  new message from a forms (components) file, with a
23       body composed of the message(s) to be forwarded.  An editor is  invoked
24       as  in comp, and after editing is complete, the user is prompted before
25       the message is sent.
26
27       The default message form contains the following elements:
28
29            To:
30            cc:
31            Fcc: +outbox
32            Subject:
33            --------
34
35       If a file named “forwcomps” exists in the user's nmh directory, it will
36       be  used  instead of this default form.  You may also specify an alter‐
37       nate forms file with the switch -form formfile.
38
39       If the draft already exists, forw will ask you as to the disposition of
40       the  draft.  A reply of quit will abort forw, leaving the draft intact;
41       replace will replace the existing draft with a blank skeleton; and list
42       will display the draft.
43
44       If  the -annotate switch is given, each message being forwarded will be
45       annotated with the lines:
46
47            Forwarded: date
48            Forwarded: addrs
49
50       where each address list contains as many lines as required.  This anno‐
51       tation will be done only if the message is sent directly from forw.  If
52       the message is not sent immediately from forw, “comp -use” may be  used
53       to  re-edit and send the constructed message, but the annotations won't
54       take place.  Normally annotations are done inplace in order to preserve
55       any  links to the message.  You may change this by using the -noinplace
56       switch.
57
58       See comp(1) for a description of the -editor and -noedit switches.
59
60       Although forw uses a forms (components) file to direct it how  to  con‐
61       struct  the  beginning  of  the draft, it uses a message filter file to
62       direct it as to how each forwarded message should be formatted  in  the
63       body  of the draft.  The filter file for forw should be a standard form
64       file for mhl, as forw will invoke mhl to filter  (re-format)  the  for‐
65       warded messages prior to being output to the body of the draft.
66
67       The  switches  -noformat, -format, and -filter filterfile specify which
68       message filter file to use.
69
70       If -noformat is specified (this is the default),  then  each  forwarded
71       message is output into the draft exactly as it appears with no mhl fil‐
72       tering.
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74       If -format is specified, then a default message filter  file  is  used.
75       This  default  message  filter should be adequate for most users.  This
76       default filter “mhl.forward” is:
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78            ; mhl.forward
79            ;
80            ; default message filter for `forw' (forw -format)
81            ;
82            width=80,overflowtext=,overflowoffset=10
83            leftadjust,compress,compwidth=9
84            Date:formatfield="%<(nodate{text})%{text}%|%(tws{text})%>"
85            From:
86            To:
87            cc:
88            Subject:
89            :
90            body:nocomponent,overflowoffset=0,noleftadjust,nocompress
91
92       If a file named “mhl.forward” exists in the user's  nmh  directory,  it
93       will  be  used instead of this form.  You may specify an alternate mes‐
94       sage filter file with the switch -filter filterfile.
95
96       Each forwarded message is separated with  an  encapsulation  delimiter.
97       By  default,  any  dashes in the first column of the forwarded messages
98       will be prepended with `- ' so that when received, the message is suit‐
99       able  for  bursting by burst.  This follows the Internet RFC-934 guide‐
100       lines.  You may use the flag -nodashstuffing in order to suppress  this
101       form of quoting to the forwarded messages.
102
103       For  users of prompter, by specifying prompter's -prepend switch in the
104       .mh_profile file, any commentary text is entered before  the  forwarded
105       messages.  (A major win!)
106
107       To use the MIME rules for encapsulation, specify the -mime switch. This
108       directs forw to generate an mhbuild composition  file.  Note  that  nmh
109       will not invoke mhbuild automatically, unless you add this line to your
110       .mh_profile file:
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112            automimeproc: 1
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114       Otherwise, you must specifically give the command
115
116            What now? mime
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118       prior to sending the draft.
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120       The -draftfolder +folder and -draftmessage msg switches invoke the  nmh
121       draft  folder  facility.   This is an advanced (and highly useful) fea‐
122       ture.  Consult the mh-draft(5) man page for more information.
123
124       The -editor editor switch indicates the editor to use for  the  initial
125       edit.   Upon exiting from the editor, comp will invoke the whatnow pro‐
126       gram.  See whatnow(1) for a discussion of available options.  The invo‐
127       cation  of  this  program  can be inhibited by using the -nowhatnowproc
128       switch.  (In truth of fact, it is the whatnow program which starts  the
129       initial  edit.  Hence, -nowhatnowproc will prevent any edit from occur‐
130       ring.)
131
132       The -build switch is intended to be used by the Emacs mh-e interface to
133       nmh,  and is only present if nmh was compiled with support for mh-e. It
134       implies -nowhatnowproc.  It causes a file <mh-dir>/draft to be created,
135       containing  the  draft  message that would normally be presented to the
136       user for editing.  No mail is actually sent. Note that this  switch  is
137       not guaranteed to be present or to have the same effects in future ver‐
138       sions of nmh: it is documented here only for completeness.
139
140       The -file msgfile switch specifies the message to be  forwarded  as  an
141       exact  filename  rather than as an nmh folder and message number. It is
142       intended to be used by the msh interface to nmh.  This  switch  implies
143       -noannotate.   The forwarded message is simply copied verbatim into the
144       draft; the processing  implied  by  the  -filter,  -mime,  and  -digest
145       switches  is  bypassed,  and  the  usual  leading and trailing The same
146       caveats apply to this option as to the -build switch.
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148       The -digest list, -issue number, and -volume number switches  implement
149       a  digest  facility  for nmh.  Specifying these switches enables and/or
150       overloads the following escapes:
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152            Type       Escape  Returns  Description
153            component  digest  string   Argument to `-digest'
154            function   cur     integer  Argument to `-volume'
155            function   msg     integer  Argument to `-issue'
156
157       Consult the Advanced Features section of the nmh User's Manual for more
158       information on making digests.
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160

FILES

162       /etc/nmh/forwcomps         The standard message skeleton
163       or <mh-dir>/forwcomps      Rather than the standard skeleton
164       /etc/nmh/digestcomps       The message skeleton if `-digest' is given
165       or <mh-dir>/digestcomps    Rather than the standard skeleton
166       /etc/nmh/mhl.forward       The standard message filter
167       or <mh-dir>/mhl.forward    Rather than the standard filter
168       $HOME/.mh_profile          The user profile
169       <mh-dir>/draft             The draft file
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171

PROFILE COMPONENTS

173       Path:                To determine the user's nmh directory
174       Current-Folder:      To find the default current folder
175       Draft-Folder:        To find the default draft-folder
176       Editor:              To override the default editor
177       Msg-Protect:         To set mode when creating a new message (draft)
178       fileproc:            Program to refile the message
179       mhlproc:             Program to filter messages being forwarded
180       whatnowproc:         Program to ask the “What now?” questions
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182

SEE ALSO

184       mhbuild(1),  comp(1),  repl(1), send(1), whatnow(1), mh-format(5), Pro‐
185       posed Standard for Message Encapsulation (RFC-934)
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187

DEFAULTS

189       `+folder' defaults to the current folder
190       `msgs' defaults to cur
191       `-noannotate'
192       `-nodraftfolder'
193       `-noformat'
194       `-inplace'
195       `-dashstuffing'
196       `-nomime'
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198

CONTEXT

200       If a folder is given, it will become the  current  folder.   The  first
201       message forwarded will become the current message.
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203

BUGS

205       If  whatnowproc  is whatnow, then forw uses a built-in whatnow, it does
206       not actually run the whatnow program.  Hence, if you  define  your  own
207       whatnowproc, don't call it whatnow since forw won't run it.
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209       When  forw  is  told  to  annotate the messages it forwards, it doesn't
210       actually annotate them until the draft is successfully sent.   If  from
211       the  whatnowproc,  you  push  instead of send, it's possible to confuse
212       forw by re-ordering the file (e.g. by using “folder -pack”) before  the
213       message is successfully sent.  Dist and repl don't have this problem.
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217MH.6.8                            1 Jul 2003                           FORW(1)
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