1FORW(1) General Commands Manual FORW(1)
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6 forw - forward nmh messages
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9 forw [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-annotate | -noannotate]
10 [-form formfile] [-format | -noformat] [-filter filterfile]
11 [-inplace | -noinplace] [-mime | -nomime] [-draftfolder +folder]
12 [-draftmessage msg] [-nodraftfolder] [-editor editor] [-noedit]
13 [-width columns] [-from address] [-to address] [-cc address] [-fcc
14 +folder] [-subject text] [-whatnowproc program] [-nowhatnowproc]
15 [-dashstuffing | -nodashstuffing] [-build] [-file msgfile]
16 forw [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-digest list] [-issue number]
18 [-volume number] [other switches for forw]
19
21 forw constructs a new message from a forms (components) file, with a
22 body composed of the message(s) to be forwarded. An editor is invoked
23 and, after editing is complete, the user is prompted before the message
24 is sent.
25 The default message template will direct forw to construct the draft as
27 follows:
28 From: {from switch} or <Local-Mailbox> or <username@hostname>
30 To: {to switch} or blank
31 Fcc: {fcc switch} or +outbox
32 Subject: {subject switch} or "{original subject} (fwd)"
33 --------
34 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. Forms are processed
38 via the nmh template system; see mh-format(5) for details. Components
39 from the first forwarded message are available as standard component
40 escapes in the forms file.
41 In addition to the standard mh-format escapes, the following component
43 escapes are also supported:
44 Escape Returns Description
46 fcc string Any folders specified with `-fcc folder'
47 nmh-from string Addresses specified with `-from address'
48 nmh-to string Addresses specified with `-to address'
49 nmh-cc string Addresses specified with `-cc address'
50 nmh-subject string Any text specified with `-subject text'
51 By default, the “To:” and “cc:” fields are empty. You may add
53 addresses to these fields with the -to address and -cc address
54 switches. You may give these switches multiple times to add multiple
55 addresses.
56 By default, the “From:” field contains either the value of the
58 Local-Mailbox profile entry, or a system default email address. This
59 default can be overridden by using the -from address switch. The
60 default mailbox in the “Fcc:” field is +outbox. This can be overridden
61 by the -fcc switch.
62 Any text given to the -subject switch will be placed in the “Subject:”
64 field in the draft.
65 If the draft already exists, forw will ask you as to the disposition of
67 the draft. A reply of quit will abort forw, leaving the draft intact;
68 replace will replace the existing draft with a blank skeleton; and list
69 will display the draft.
70 If the -annotate switch is given, each message being forwarded will be
72 annotated with the lines:
73 Forwarded: date
75 Forwarded: addrs
76 where each address list contains as many lines as required. This anno‐
78 tation will be done only if the message is sent directly from forw. If
79 the message is not sent immediately from forw, “comp -use” may be used
80 to re-edit and send the constructed message, but the annotations won't
81 take place. Normally, annotations are done in place in order to pre‐
82 serve any links to the message. You may change this by using the
83 -noinplace switch.
84 See comp(1) for a description of the -editor and -noedit switches.
86 Although forw uses a forms (components) file to construct the initial
88 draft, a message filter file is used to format each forwarded message
89 in the body of the draft. The filter file for forw should be a stan‐
90 dard form file for mhl(1), as forw will invoke mhl to filter (re-for‐
91 mat) the forwarded messages prior to being output to the body of the
92 draft.
93 The switches -noformat, -format, and -filter filterfile specify which
95 message filter file to use. If -noformat is specified (this is the
96 default), then each forwarded message is output into the draft exactly
97 as it appears, with no mhl filtering. If -format is specified, then
98 the following default message filter file, “mhl.forward”, which should
99 be adequate for most users, is used:
100 ; mhl.forward
102 ;
103 ; default message filter for `forw' (forw -format)
104 ;
105 width=80,overflowtext=,overflowoffset=10
106 leftadjust,compress,compwidth=9
107 Date:formatfield="%<(nodate{text})%{text}%|%(tws{text})%>"
108 From:
109 To:
110 cc:
111 Subject:
112 :
113 body:nocomponent,overflowoffset=0,noleftadjust,nocompress
114 If a file named “mhl.forward” exists in the user's nmh directory, it
116 will be used instead. You may specify an alternate message filter file
117 with the switch -filter filterfile.
118 Each forwarded message is separated with an encapsulation delimiter.
120 By default, any dashes in the first column of the forwarded messages
121 will be prepended with `- ' so that when received, the message is suit‐
122 able for bursting by burst(1). This follows the guidelines in RFC 934.
123 You may use the -nodashstuffing switch to suppress this form of quot‐
124 ing.
125 Users of prompter(1) can, by specifying prompter's -prepend switch in
127 the .mh_profile file, prepend any commentary text before the forwarded
128 messages.
129 To use the MIME rules for encapsulation, specify the -mime switch.
131 This directs forw to generate an mhbuild composition file. Note that
132 nmh will not invoke mhbuild automatically; you must specifically give
133 the command
134 What now? mime
136 prior to sending the draft.
138 The -draftfolder +folder and -draftmessage msg switches invoke the nmh
140 draft folder facility. This is an advanced (and highly useful) fea‐
141 ture. Consult the mh-draft(5) man page for more information.
142 The -editor editor switch indicates the editor to use for the initial
144 edit. Upon exiting from the editor, comp will invoke the whatnow pro‐
145 gram. See whatnow(1) for a discussion of available options. The invo‐
146 cation of this program can be inhibited by using the -nowhatnowproc
147 switch. (In fact, it is the whatnow program which starts the initial
148 edit. Hence, -nowhatnowproc will prevent any edit from occurring.)
149 The -build switch is intended to be used by the Emacs mh-e interface to
151 nmh. It implies -nowhatnowproc. It causes a file <mh-dir>/draft to be
152 created, containing the draft message that would normally be presented
153 to the user for editing. No mail is actually sent.
154 The -file msgfile switch specifies the message to be forwarded as an
156 exact filename rather than as an nmh folder and message number. This
157 switch implies -noannotate. The forwarded message is simply copied
158 verbatim into the draft; the processing implied by the -filter, -mime,
159 and -digest switches is bypassed, and the usual leading and trailing
160 'Forwarded Message' delimiters are not added. The same caveats apply
161 to this option as to the -build switch.
162 The -digest list, -issue number, and -volume number switches implement
164 a digest facility for nmh. Specifying these switches enables and/or
165 overloads the following escapes:
166 Type Escape Returns Description
168 component digest string Argument to `-digest'
169 function cur integer Argument to `-volume'
170 function msg integer Argument to `-issue'
171
173 forw looks for format and filter files in multiple locations: absolute
174 pathnames are accessed directly, tilde expansion is done on usernames,
175 and files are searched for in the user's Mail directory as specified in
176 their profile. If not found there, the directory “/etc/nmh” is
177 checked.
178 /etc/nmh/forwcomps The default message skeleton.
180 <mh-dir>/forwcomps The user's message skeleton.
181 /etc/nmh/digestcomps The default message skeleton if -digest is
182 given.
183 <mh-dir>/digestcomps The user's -digest skeleton.
184 ^/etc/nmh/mhl.forward The default message filter.
185 <mh-dir>/mhl.forward The user's message filter.
186 ^$HOME/.mh_profile The user's profile.
187
189 Path: To determine the user's nmh directory.
190 Current-Folder: To find the default current folder.
191 Draft-Folder: To find the default draft-folder.
192 Editor: To override the default editor.
193 Msg-Protect: To set mode when creating a new message
194 (draft).
195 fileproc: Program to refile the message.
196 mhlproc: Program to filter messages being forwarded.
197 whatnowproc: Program to ask the “What now?” questions.
198
200 burst(1), comp(1), mh-format(5) mhbuild(1), mhl(1), prompter(1),
201 repl(1), send(1), whatnow(1),
202 Proposed Standard for Message Encapsulation (RFC 934)
204
206 +folder The current folder.
207 msgs The current message.
208 -noannotate
209 -nodraftfolder
210 -noformat
211 -inplace
212 -dashstuffing
213 -nomime
214
216 If a folder is given, it will become the current folder. The first
217 message forwarded will become the current message.
218
220 If whatnowproc is whatnow, then forw uses a built-in whatnow, it does
221 not actually run the whatnow program. Hence, if you define your own
222 whatnowproc, don't call it whatnow since forw won't run it.
223 When forw is told to annotate the messages it forwards, it doesn't
225 actually annotate them until the draft is successfully sent. If, from
226 the whatnowproc, you push instead of send, it is possible to confuse
227 forw by re-ordering the file (e.g. by using “folder -pack”) before the
228 message is successfully sent. dist and repl don't have this problem.
229nmh-1.7.1 2013-03-22 FORW(1)