burst(1mh)
NAME
burst − explode digests into messages
SYNTAX
burst [+folder] [msgs] [−inplace] [−noinplace] [−quiet] [−noquiet] [−verbose] [−noverbose] [−help]
DESCRIPTION
The burst command extracts the original messages from a forwarded message, discards the forwarder’s header details and places the burst message at the end of the current folder. You can specify messages, other than the current forwarded message, by using burst with the <+folder> and <msgs> arguments. If you specify a message, that message becomes the current folder. If you specify a folder, that folder becomes the current folder.
You can use burst to expand a message, that contains a number of messages that have been packed into one file for ease of mailing, into its constituent messages. The packf and forw commands can both pack individual messages into a single message or file.
The burst command can also be used on Internet digests.
As an example of the way in which burst can be used, imagine that you have gone on a business trip and have been allocated a guest account on a local machine. Whilst you are away you redirect all your mail to the local machine. At the end of the trip, there is some mail that you want to keep when you return. Rather than send a number of mail messages, you can use forw to pack all the individual messages into one large message, and forward it to your normal account (after disabling the redirection).
When you return you can use burst to expand the single message into its constituent messages.
OPTIONS
If −inplace is given, each digest is replaced by the table of contents for the digest. The original digest is removed. The burst command then renumbers all of the messages in the folder following the digest to make room for each of the messages contained within the digest. These messages are placed immediately after the digest.
If −noinplace is given, each digest is preserved, no table of contents is produced, and the messages contained within the digest are placed at the end of the folder. Other messages are not tampered with in any way.
The −quiet switch directs burst to be silent about reporting messages that are not in digest format.
The −verbose switch directs burst to tell you the general actions that it is taking to explode the digest.
The burst command has the following defaults:
+folder defaults to the current folder
msgs defaults to cur
−noinplace
−noquiet
−noverbose
If −inplace is given, then the first message burst becomes the current message.
This leaves the context ready for a show of the table of contents of the digest, and a next to see the first message of the digest. If −noinplace is given, then the first message extracted from the first digest burst becomes the current message. This leaves the context in a similar, but not identical, state to the context achieved when using −inplace.
The burst program enforces a limit on the number of messages which may be expanded from a single message. This number is about 1000 messages. However, there is usually no limit on the number of messages which may reside in the folder after the messages have been expanded.
Although burst uses a sophisticated algorithm to determine where one encapsulated message ends and another begins, not all programs that create digests use an encapsulation algorithm. The burst command only works on messages that have been encapsulated according to the guidelines laid down by the proposed standard RFC 934. This basically means that the encapsulated message is considered to start after burst encounters a line of dashes. If you attempt to burst a message that has not been encapsulated according to RFC 934, the results may be unpredictable. In most cases, this means that burst may find an encapsulation boundary prematurely and split a single encapsulated message into two or more messages.
Furthermore, any text which appears after the last encapsulated message is not placed in a seperate message by burst. In the case of encapsulated messages, this text is usually an End-of-digest string. Note that when the −inplace option is used, this trailing information is lost. However, in practice this is not a problem, since correspondents usually place remarks in text prior to the first encapsulated message, and this information is not lost.
FILES
| $HOME/.mh_profile | The user profile |
PROFILE COMPONENTS
| Path: | To determine your MH directory |
| Current−Folder: | To find the default current folder |
| Msg−Protect: | To set mode when creating a new message |
SEE ALSO
Proposed Standard for Message Encapsulation (RFC 934)
inc(1mh), msh(1mh)
Commands