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forw(1)
NAME SYNOPSIS DESCRIPTION FILES PROFILE COMPONENTS SEE ALSO DEFAULTS CONTEXT BUGS
FORW(1mh)                                                                                  FORW(1mh)



NAME
       forw - forward nmh messages

SYNOPSIS
       forw [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-annotate | -noannotate] [-form formfile] [-format
            | -noformat] [-filter filterfile] [-inplace | -noinplace] [-mime | -nomime] [-draft‐‐
            folder +folder] [-draftmessage msg] [-nodraftfolder] [-editor editor] [-noedit] [-width
            columns] [-from address] [-to address] [-cc address] [-fcc +folder] [-subject text]
            [-whatnowproc program] [-nowhatnowproc] [-dashstuffing | -nodashstuffing] [-build]
            [-file msgfile]

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

DESCRIPTION
       forw  constructs  a  new  message from a forms (components) file, with a body composed of the
       message(s) to be forwarded.  An editor is invoked and, after editing is complete, the user is
       prompted before the message is sent.

       The default message template will direct forw to construct the draft as follows:

            From: {from switch} or <Local-Mailbox> or <username@hostname>
            To: {to switch} or blank
            Fcc: {fcc switch} or +outbox
            Subject: {subject switch} or "{original subject} (fwd)"
            --------

       If  a  file  named “forwcomps” exists in the user's nmh directory, it will be used instead of
       this default form.  You may also specify an alternate forms file with the switch -form  formfile.  Forms are processed via the nmh template system; see mh-format(5) for details.  Compo‐
       nents from the first forwarded message are available as standard  component  escapes  in  the
       forms file.

       In  addition to the standard mh-format escapes, the following component escapes are also sup‐
       ported:

            Escape         Returns   Description
            fcc            string    Any folders specified with `-fcc folder'
            nmh-from       string    Addresses specified with `-from address'
            nmh-to         string    Addresses specified with `-to address'
            nmh-cc         string    Addresses specified with `-cc address'
            nmh-subject    string    Any text specified with `-subject text'

       By default, the “To:” and “cc:” fields are empty.  You may add addresses to these fields with
       the  -to address and -cc address switches.  You may give these switches multiple times to add
       multiple addresses.

       By default, the “From:” field contains either the value of the Local-Mailbox  profile  entry,
       or a system default email address.  This default can be overridden by using the -from address
       switch.  The default mailbox in the “Fcc:” field is +outbox.  This can be overridden  by  the
       -fcc switch.

       Any text given to the -subject switch will be placed in the “Subject:” field in the draft.

       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 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  annota‐
       tions  won't  take  place.   Normally, annotations are done in place in order to preserve any
       links to the message.  You may change this by using the -noinplace switch.

       See comp(1) for a description of the -editor and -noedit switches.

       Although forw uses a forms (components) file to construct the initial draft, a message filter
       file  is used to format each forwarded message in the body of the draft.  The filter file for
       forw should be a standard form file for mhl(1), as forw will invoke mhl to filter (re-format)
       the forwarded messages prior to being output to the body of the draft.

       The  switches -noformat, -format, and -filter filterfile specify which message filter file to
       use.  If -noformat is specified (this is the default), then each forwarded message is  output
       into  the  draft exactly as it appears, with no mhl filtering.  If -format is specified, then
       the following default message filter file, “mhl.forward, which should be adequate  for  most
       users, is used:

            ; mhl.forward
            ;
            ; default message filter for `forw' (forw -format)
            ;
            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  a  file  named “mhl.forward” exists in the user's nmh directory, it will be used instead.
       You may specify an alternate message filter file with the switch -filter filterfile.

       Each forwarded message is separated with an encapsulation delimiter.  By default, any  dashes
       in  the  first  column of the forwarded messages will be prepended with `- ' so that when re‐
       ceived, the message is suitable for bursting by burst(1).  This follows the guidelines in RFC
       934.  You may use the -nodashstuffing switch to suppress this form of quoting.

       Users  of  prompter(1) can, by specifying prompter's -prepend switch in the .mh_profile file,
       prepend any commentary text before the forwarded messages.

       To use the MIME rules for encapsulation, specify the -mime switch.  This directs forw to gen‐
       erate  an mhbuild composition file.  Note that nmh will not invoke mhbuild automatically; you
       must specifically give the command

            What now? mime

       prior to sending the draft.

       The -draftfolder +folder and -draftmessage msg switches invoke the nmh draft folder facility.
       This  is  an advanced (and highly useful) feature.  Consult the mh-draft(5) man page for more
       information.

       The -editor editor switch indicates the editor to use for the  initial  edit.   Upon  exiting
       from  the  editor,  comp 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  -nowhatnow‐‐
       proc  switch.   (In  fact,  it  is the whatnow program which starts the initial edit.  Hence,
       -nowhatnowproc will prevent any edit from occurring.)

       The -build switch is intended to be used by the Emacs mh-e  interface  to  nmh.   It  implies
       -nowhatnowproc.   It causes a file <mh-dir>/draft to be created, containing the draft message
       that would normally be presented to the user for editing.  No mail is actually sent.

       The -file msgfile switch specifies the message to be forwarded as an  exact  filename  rather
       than  as  an  nmh folder and message number.  This switch implies -noannotate.  The forwarded
       message is simply copied verbatim into the draft; the  processing  implied  by  the  -filter,
       -mime,  and  -digest switches is bypassed, and the usual leading and trailing 'Forwarded Mes‐
       sage' delimiters are not added.  The same caveats apply to  this  option  as  to  the  -build
       switch.

       The  -digest list, -issue number, and -volume number switches implement a digest facility for
       nmh.  Specifying these switches enables and/or overloads the following escapes:

            Type       Escape  Returns  Description
            component  digest  string   Argument to `-digest'
            function   cur     integer  Argument to `-volume'
            function   msg     integer  Argument to `-issue'

FILES
       forw looks for format and filter files in multiple locations: absolute pathnames are accessed
       directly, tilde expansion is done on usernames, and files are searched for in the user's Mail
       directory as specified in their profile.  If not found there,  the  directory  “/etc/nmh”  is
       checked.

       /etc/nmh/forwcomps       The default message skeleton.
       <mh-dir>/forwcomps       The user's message skeleton.
       /etc/nmh/digestcomps     The default message skeleton if -digest is given.
       <mh-dir>/digestcomps     The user's -digest skeleton.
       ^/etc/nmh/mhl.forward    The default message filter.
       <mh-dir>/mhl.forward     The user's message filter.
       ^$HOME/.mh_profile       The user's profile.

PROFILE COMPONENTS
       Path:                    To determine the user's nmh 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
       burst(1),  comp(1),  mh-format(5)  mhbuild(1),  mhl(1),  prompter(1), repl(1), send(1), whatnow(1),

       Proposed Standard for Message Encapsulation (RFC 934)

DEFAULTS
       +folder                  The current folder.
       msgs                     The current message.
       -noannotate
       -nodraftfolder
       -noformat
       -inplace
       -dashstuffing
       -nomime

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 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 un‐
       til the draft is successfully sent.  If, from the whatnowproc, you push instead of  send,  it
       is 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.



nmh-1.7.1                                    2013-03-22                                    FORW(1mh)

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