FORW(1) RISC/os Reference Manual FORW(1)
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] [-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 mes-
sages. 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:
To:
cc:
Subject:
--------
If the file named "forwcomps" exists in the user's MH direc-
tory, 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 the `-annotate' switch is given, each message being for-
warded 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
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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 for-
matted in the body of the draft. If `-noformat' is speci-
fied, 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:
width=80,overflowtext=,overflowoffset=10
leftadjust,compress,compwidth=9
Date:formatfield="%<(nodate{text})%{text}%|%(tws{text})%>"
From:
To:
cc:
Subject:
:
body:nocomponent,overflowoffset=0,noleftadjust,nocompress
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 filter-
file to format each forwarded message with mhl.
Each forwarded message is separated with an encapsulation
delimiter 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
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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. See the MH
user's manual for more information.
FILES
/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
PROFILE COMPONENTS
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
SEE ALSO
Proposed Standard for Message Encapsulation (aka RFC-934),
comp(1), dist(1), repl(1), send(1), whatnow(1)
DEFAULTS
`+folder' defaults to the current folder
`msgs' defaults to cur
`-noannotate'
`-nodraftfolder'
`-noformat'
`-noinplace'
CONTEXT
If a folder is given, it will become the current folder.
The first message forwarded will become the current message.
BUGS
If whatnowproc is whatnow, then forw uses a built-in what-
now, 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
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doesn't actually annotate them until the draft is success-
fully 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 suc-
cessfully sent. Dist and repl don't have this problem.
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