1FORW(1)                     General Commands Manual                    FORW(1)
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NAME

6       forw - forward nmh messages
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SYNOPSIS

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]
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17       forw [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-digest list] [-issue number]
18            [-volume number] [other switches for forw]
19

DESCRIPTION

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
26       The default message template will direct forw to construct the draft as
27       follows:
28
29            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
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.   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
42       In  addition to the standard mh-format escapes, the following component
43       escapes are also supported:
44
45            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
52       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
57       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
63       Any  text given to the -subject switch will be placed in the “Subject:”
64       field in the draft.
65
66       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
71       If  the -annotate switch is given, each message being forwarded will be
72       annotated with the lines:
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74            Forwarded: date
75            Forwarded: addrs
76
77       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
85       See comp(1) for a description of the -editor and -noedit switches.
86
87       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
94       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:
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101            ; 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
115       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
119       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
126       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
130       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
135            What now? mime
136
137       prior to sending the draft.
138
139       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
143       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
150       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.
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155       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
163       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
167            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

FILES

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
179       /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

PROFILE COMPONENTS

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

SEE ALSO

200       burst(1),  comp(1),  mh-format(5)  mhbuild(1),   mhl(1),   prompter(1),
201       repl(1), send(1), whatnow(1),
202
203       Proposed Standard for Message Encapsulation (RFC 934)
204

DEFAULTS

206       +folder                  The current folder.
207       msgs                     The current message.
208       -noannotate
209       -nodraftfolder
210       -noformat
211       -inplace
212       -dashstuffing
213       -nomime
214

CONTEXT

216       If  a  folder  is  given, it will become the current folder.  The first
217       message forwarded will become the current message.
218

BUGS

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
224       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.
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232nmh-1.7.1                         2013-03-22                           FORW(1)
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