1REFILE(1) General Commands Manual REFILE(1)
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6 refile - file message in nmh folders
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9 refile [-help] [-version] [msgs] [-draft] [-link | -nolink] [-preserve
10 | -nopreserve] [-retainsequences | -noretainsequences] [-unlink |
11 -nounlink] [-src +folder] [-file file] [-rmmproc program] [-normm‐
12 proc] +folder1 ...
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15 refile moves (see mv(1)) or links (see ln(1)) messages from a source
16 folder into one or more destination folders.
17 If you think of a message as a sheet of paper, this operation is not
19 unlike filing the sheet of paper (or copies) in file cabinet folders.
20 When a message is filed, it is linked into the destination folder(s) if
21 possible, and is copied otherwise. As long as the destination folders
22 are all on the same file system, multiple filing causes little storage
23 overhead. This facility provides a good way to cross-file or multiple-
24 index messages. For example, if a message is received from Jones about
25 the ARPA Map Project, the command
26 refile cur +jones +Map
28 would allow the message to be found in either of the two folders
30 `jones' or `Map'.
31 You may specify the source folder using -src +folder. If this is not
33 given, the current folder is used by default. If no message is speci‐
34 fied, then `cur' is used by default.
35 The option -file file directs refile to use the specified file as the
37 source message to be filed, rather than a message from a folder. Note
38 that the file should be a validly formatted message, just like any
39 other nmh message. It should not be in mail drop format (to convert a
40 file in mail drop format to a folder of nmh messages, see inc(1)).
41 If a destination folder doesn't exist, refile will ask if you want to
43 create it. A negative response will abort the file operation. If the
44 standard input for refile is not a tty, then refile will not ask any
45 questions and will proceed as if the user answered “yes” to all ques‐
46 tions.
47 The option -link preserves the source folder copy of the message (i.e.,
49 it does an ln(1) rather than a mv(1)), whereas, -nolink (the default)
50 deletes the filed messages from the source folder.
51 Normally when a message is refiled, for each destination folder it is
53 assigned the number which is one above the current highest message num‐
54 ber in that folder. Use of the -preserve switch will override this
55 message renaming, and try to preserve the number of the message. If a
56 conflict for a particular folder occurs when using the -preserve
57 switch, then refile will use the next available message number which is
58 above the message number you wish to preserve.
59 As message sequences are folder-specific, moving the message from the
61 source folder removes it from all its sequences in that folder. -re‐
62 tainsequences adds it to those same sequences in the destination
63 folder, creating any that don't exist. This adding does not apply for
64 the “cur” sequence.
65 If -link is not specified (or -nolink is specified), the filed messages
67 will be removed from the source folder. The default is to remove these
68 messages by renaming them with a site-dependent prefix (usually a
69 comma). Such files will then need to be removed in some manner after a
70 certain amount of time. Many sites arrange for cron to remove these
71 files once a day, so check with your system administrator.
72 Alternately, if you wish for refile to really remove the files repre‐
74 senting these messages from the source folder, you can use the -unlink
75 switch (not to be confused with the -link switch). But messages re‐
76 moved by this method cannot be later recovered.
77 If you prefer a more sophisticated method of `removing' the messages
79 from the source folder, you can define the rmmproc profile component.
80 For example, you can add a profile component such as
81 rmmproc: /home/coleman/bin/rmm_msgs
83 then refile will instead call the named program or script to handle the
85 message files.
86 The user may specify -rmmproc program on the command line to override
88 this profile specification. The -normmproc option forces the message
89 files to be deleted by renaming or unlinking them as described above.
90 The -draft switch tells refile to file the <mh-dir>/draft.
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94 $HOME/.mh_profile The user profile
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97 Path: To determine the user's nmh directory
98 Current-Folder: To find the default current folder
99 Folder-Protect: To set mode when creating a new folder
100 rmmproc: Program to delete the message
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103 folder(1), mh-sequence(5), rmf(1), rmm(1)
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106 `-src +folder' defaults to the current folder
107 `msgs' defaults to cur
108 `-nolink'
109 `-nounlink'
110 `-nopreserve'
111 `-noretainsequences'
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114 If -src +folder is given, it will become the current folder. If nei‐
115 ther -link nor `all' is specified, the current message in the source
116 folder will be set to the last message specified; otherwise, the cur‐
117 rent message won't be changed.
118 If the “Previous-Sequence” profile entry is set, in addition to defin‐
120 ing the named sequences from the source folder, refile will also define
121 those sequences for the destination folders. See mh-sequence(5) for
122 information concerning the previous sequence.
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125 Since refile and rmm use your rmmproc to delete the message, the rmm‐
126 proc must not call refile or rmm without specifying -normmproc, or you
127 will create an infinite loop.
128nmh-1.8 2013-03-19 REFILE(1)