NAME

forw − forward messages

SYNOPSIS

forw ­[+folder] ­[msgs] ­[−annotate] ­[−noannotate] ­[−draftfolder +folder] ­[−draftmessage msg] ­[−nodraftfolder] ­[−editor editor] ­[−noedit] ­[−filter filterfile] ­[−form formfile] ­[−format] ­[−noformat] ­[−inplace] ­[−noinplace] ­[−whatnowproc program] ­[−nowhatnowproc] ­[−cnv] ­[−nocnv] ­[−help]
 

forw ­[+folder] ­[msgs] ­[−digest list] ­[−issue number] ­[−volume number] ­[other switches for forw] ­[−help]

DESCRIPTION

Forw may be used to prepare a message containing other messages.  It constructs the new message from the components file or ‘−form formfile’ (see comp ), with a body composed of the message(s) to be forwarded.  An editor is invoked as in comp, and after editing is complete, the user is prompted before the message is sent. 
 
The default message form contains the following elements:
 

 
If the file named “forwcomps” exists in the user’s MH directory, it will be used instead of this form. In either case, the file specified by ‘−form formfile’ will be used if given.
 
If the draft already exists, forw will ask you as to the disposition of the draft.  A reply of quit will abort forw, leaving the draft intact; replace will replace the existing draft with a blank skeleton; and list will display the draft. 
 
If ‘−cnv’ flag is specified, forw converts 8bits messages to Mail code for sending message , and converts messages to internal code specified by environment ‘LANG’ for including messages.  If ‘−nocnv’ flag is specified, forw does not convert codes. 
 
If the ‘−annotate’ switch is given, each message being forwarded will be annotated with the lines
 
     Forwarded: date
     Forwarded: addrs
 
where each address list contains as many lines as required. This annotation will be done only if the message is sent directly from forw.  If the message is not sent immediately from forw, “comp −use” may be used to re−edit and send the constructed message, but the annotations won’t take place.  The ’−inplace’ switch causes annotation to be done in place in order to preserve links to the annotated message. 
 
See comp (1) for a description of the ‘−editor’ and ‘−noedit’ switches. 
 
Although forw uses the ‘−form formfile’ switch to direct it how to construct the beginning of the draft, the ‘−filter filterfile’, ‘−format’, and ‘−noformat’ switches direct forw as to how each forwarded message should be formatted in the body of the draft.  If ‘−noformat’ is specified, then each forwarded message is output exactly as it appears.  If ‘−format’ or ‘−filter filterfile’ is specified, then each forwarded message is filtered (re−formatted) prior to being output to the body of the draft.  The filter file for forw should be a standard form file for mhl, as forw will invoke mhl to format the forwarded messages.  The default message filter (what you get with ‘−format’) is:
 

 
If the file named “mhl.forward” exists in the user’s MH directory, it will be used instead of this form. In either case, the file specified by ‘−filter filterfile’ will be used if given. To summarize: ‘−noformat’ will reproduce each forwarded message exactly, ‘−format’ will use mhl and a default filterfile, “mhl.forward”, to format each forwarded message, and ‘−filter filterfile’ will use the named filterfile to format each forwarded message with mhl. 
 
Each forwarded message is separated with an encapsulation delimiter and dashes in the first column of the forwarded messages will be prepended with ‘− ’ so that when received, the message is suitable for bursting by burst (1). 
 
For users of prompter (1), by specifying prompter’s ‘-prepend’ switch in the .mh_profile file, any commentary text is entered before the forwarded messages.  (A major win!) 
 
The ‘−draftfolder +folder’ and ‘−draftmessage msg’ switches invoke the MH draft folder facility.  This is an advanced (and highly useful) feature.  Consult the Advanced Features section of the MH manual for more information. 
 
Upon exiting from the editor, forw will invoke the whatnow program.  See whatnow (1) for a discussion of available options.  The invocation of this program can be inhibited by using the ‘−nowhatnowproc’ switch.  (In truth of fact, it is the whatnow program which starts the initial edit.  Hence, ‘−nowhatnowproc’ will prevent any edit from occurring.) 
 
The ‘−digest list’, ‘−issue number’, and ‘−volume number’ switches implement a digest facility for MH.  Specifying these switches enables and/or overloads the following escapes:

TypeEscapeReturnsDescription
componentdigeststringArgument to ‘−digest’
functioncurintegerArgument to ‘−volume’
functionmsgintegerArgument to ‘−issue’

 
Consult the Advanced Features section of the MH User’s Manual for more information on making digests.  ^/usr/new/lib/mh/forwcomps~^The message skeleton ^or <mh−dir>/forwcomps~^Rather than the standard skeleton ^/usr/new/lib/mh/digestcomps~^The message skeleton if ‘−digest’ is given ^or <mh−dir>/digestcomps~^Rather than the standard skeleton ^/usr/new/lib/mh/mhl.forward~^The message filter ^or <mh−dir>/mhl.forward~^Rather than the standard filter ^$HOME/.mh_profile~^The user profile ^<mh−dir>/draft~^The draft file ^Path:~^To determine the user’s MH directory ^Current−Folder:~^To find the default current folder ^Draft−Folder:~^To find the default draft−folder ^Editor:~^To override the default editor ^Msg−Protect:~^To set mode when creating a new message (draft) ^fileproc:~^Program to refile the message ^mhlproc:~^Program to filter messages being forwarded ^whatnowproc:~^Program to ask the “What now?” questions Proposed Standard for Message Encapsulation (aka RFC−934),
comp(1), dist(1), repl(1), send(1), whatnow(1), mh−format(5), sendmail(8) ‘+folder’ defaults to the current folder ‘msgs’ defaults to cur ‘−noannotate’ ‘−nodraftfolder’ ‘−noformat’ ‘−noinplace’ ‘−cnv’ If a folder is given, it will become the current folder. The first message forwarded will become the current message. If whatnowproc is whatnow, then forw uses a built−in whatnow, it does not actually run the whatnow program.  Hence, if you define your own whatnowproc, don’t call it whatnow since forw won’t run it. 
 
When forw is told to annotate the messages it forwards, it doesn’t actually annotate them until the draft is successfully sent.  If from the whatnowproc, you push instead of send, it’s possible to confuse forw by re−ordering the file (e.g., by using ‘folder −pack’) before the message is successfully sent.  Dist and repl don’t have this problem. 

NEWS-OSRelease 4.1C