{ "mode": "man", "parameter": "forw", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/forw/1/json", "generated": "2026-06-03T09:46:10Z", "synopsis": "forw [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-annotate | -noannotate] [-form formfile] [-format\n| -noformat] [-filter filterfile] [-inplace | -noinplace] [-mime | -nomime] [-draft‐‐\nfolder +folder] [-draftmessage msg] [-nodraftfolder] [-editor editor] [-noedit] [-width\ncolumns] [-from address] [-to address] [-cc address] [-fcc +folder] [-subject text]\n[-whatnowproc program] [-nowhatnowproc] [-dashstuffing | -nodashstuffing] [-build]\n[-file msgfile]\nforw [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-digest list] [-issue number] [-volume number]\n[other switches for forw]", "sections": { "NAME": { "content": "forw - forward nmh messages\n", "subsections": [] }, "SYNOPSIS": { "content": "forw [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-annotate | -noannotate] [-form formfile] [-format\n| -noformat] [-filter filterfile] [-inplace | -noinplace] [-mime | -nomime] [-draft‐‐\nfolder +folder] [-draftmessage msg] [-nodraftfolder] [-editor editor] [-noedit] [-width\ncolumns] [-from address] [-to address] [-cc address] [-fcc +folder] [-subject text]\n[-whatnowproc program] [-nowhatnowproc] [-dashstuffing | -nodashstuffing] [-build]\n[-file msgfile]\n\nforw [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-digest list] [-issue number] [-volume number]\n[other switches for forw]\n", "subsections": [] }, "DESCRIPTION": { "content": "forw constructs a new message from a forms (components) file, with a body composed of the\nmessage(s) to be forwarded. An editor is invoked and, after editing is complete, the user is\nprompted before the message is sent.\n\nThe default message template will direct forw to construct the draft as follows:\n\nFrom: {from switch} or or \nTo: {to switch} or blank\nFcc: {fcc switch} or +outbox\nSubject: {subject switch} or \"{original subject} (fwd)\"\n--------\n\nIf a file named “forwcomps” exists in the user's nmh directory, it will be used instead of\nthis default form. You may also specify an alternate forms file with the switch -form form‐\nfile. Forms are processed via the nmh template system; see mh-format(5) for details. Compo‐\nnents from the first forwarded message are available as standard component escapes in the\nforms file.\n\nIn addition to the standard mh-format escapes, the following component escapes are also sup‐\nported:\n\nEscape Returns Description\nfcc string Any folders specified with `-fcc folder'\nnmh-from string Addresses specified with `-from address'\nnmh-to string Addresses specified with `-to address'\nnmh-cc string Addresses specified with `-cc address'\nnmh-subject string Any text specified with `-subject text'\n\nBy default, the “To:” and “cc:” fields are empty. You may add addresses to these fields with\nthe -to address and -cc address switches. You may give these switches multiple times to add\nmultiple addresses.\n\nBy default, the “From:” field contains either the value of the Local-Mailbox profile entry,\nor a system default email address. This default can be overridden by using the -from address\nswitch. The default mailbox in the “Fcc:” field is +outbox. This can be overridden by the", "subsections": [ { "name": "-fcc", "content": "Any text given to the -subject switch will be placed in the “Subject:” field in the draft.\n\nIf the draft already exists, forw will ask you as to the disposition of the draft. A reply\nof quit will abort forw, leaving the draft intact; replace will replace the existing draft\nwith a blank skeleton; and list will display the draft.\n\nIf the -annotate switch is given, each message being forwarded will be annotated with the\nlines:\n\nForwarded: date\nForwarded: addrs\n\nwhere each address list contains as many lines as required. This annotation will be done\nonly if the message is sent directly from forw. If the message is not sent immediately from\nforw, “comp -use” may be used to re-edit and send the constructed message, but the annota‐\ntions won't take place. Normally, annotations are done in place in order to preserve any\nlinks to the message. You may change this by using the -noinplace switch.\n\nSee comp(1) for a description of the -editor and -noedit switches.\n\nAlthough forw uses a forms (components) file to construct the initial draft, a message filter\nfile is used to format each forwarded message in the body of the draft. The filter file for\nforw should be a standard form file for mhl(1), as forw will invoke mhl to filter (re-format)\nthe forwarded messages prior to being output to the body of the draft.\n\nThe switches -noformat, -format, and -filter filterfile specify which message filter file to\nuse. If -noformat is specified (this is the default), then each forwarded message is output\ninto the draft exactly as it appears, with no mhl filtering. If -format is specified, then\nthe following default message filter file, “mhl.forward”, which should be adequate for most\nusers, is used:\n\n; mhl.forward\n;\n; default message filter for `forw' (forw -format)\n;\nwidth=80,overflowtext=,overflowoffset=10\nleftadjust,compress,compwidth=9\nDate:formatfield=\"%<(nodate{text})%{text}%|%(tws{text})%>\"\nFrom:\nTo:\ncc:\nSubject:\n:\nbody:nocomponent,overflowoffset=0,noleftadjust,nocompress\n\nIf a file named “mhl.forward” exists in the user's nmh directory, it will be used instead.\nYou may specify an alternate message filter file with the switch -filter filterfile.\n\nEach forwarded message is separated with an encapsulation delimiter. By default, any dashes\nin the first column of the forwarded messages will be prepended with `- ' so that when re‐\nceived, the message is suitable for bursting by burst(1). This follows the guidelines in RFC\n934. You may use the -nodashstuffing switch to suppress this form of quoting.\n\nUsers of prompter(1) can, by specifying prompter's -prepend switch in the .mhprofile file,\nprepend any commentary text before the forwarded messages.\n\nTo use the MIME rules for encapsulation, specify the -mime switch. This directs forw to gen‐\nerate an mhbuild composition file. Note that nmh will not invoke mhbuild automatically; you\nmust specifically give the command\n\nWhat now? mime\n\nprior to sending the draft.\n\nThe -draftfolder +folder and -draftmessage msg switches invoke the nmh draft folder facility.\nThis is an advanced (and highly useful) feature. Consult the mh-draft(5) man page for more\ninformation.\n\nThe -editor editor switch indicates the editor to use for the initial edit. Upon exiting\nfrom the editor, comp will invoke the whatnow program. See whatnow(1) for a discussion of\navailable options. The invocation of this program can be inhibited by using the -nowhatnow‐‐\nproc switch. (In fact, it is the whatnow program which starts the initial edit. Hence," }, { "name": "-nowhatnowproc", "content": "The -build switch is intended to be used by the Emacs mh-e interface to nmh. It implies" }, { "name": "-nowhatnowproc", "content": "that would normally be presented to the user for editing. No mail is actually sent.\n\nThe -file msgfile switch specifies the message to be forwarded as an exact filename rather\nthan as an nmh folder and message number. This switch implies -noannotate. The forwarded\nmessage is simply copied verbatim into the draft; the processing implied by the -filter," }, { "name": "-mime -digest", "content": "sage' delimiters are not added. The same caveats apply to this option as to the -build\nswitch.\n\nThe -digest list, -issue number, and -volume number switches implement a digest facility for\nnmh. Specifying these switches enables and/or overloads the following escapes:\n\nType Escape Returns Description\ncomponent digest string Argument to `-digest'\nfunction cur integer Argument to `-volume'\nfunction msg integer Argument to `-issue'\n" } ] }, "FILES": { "content": "forw looks for format and filter files in multiple locations: absolute pathnames are accessed\ndirectly, tilde expansion is done on usernames, and files are searched for in the user's Mail\ndirectory as specified in their profile. If not found there, the directory “/etc/nmh” is\nchecked.\n\n/etc/nmh/forwcomps The default message skeleton.\n/forwcomps The user's message skeleton.\n/etc/nmh/digestcomps The default message skeleton if -digest is given.\n/digestcomps The user's -digest skeleton.\n^/etc/nmh/mhl.forward The default message filter.\n/mhl.forward The user's message filter.\n^$HOME/.mhprofile The user's profile.\n", "subsections": [] }, "PROFILE COMPONENTS": { "content": "Path: To determine the user's nmh directory.\nCurrent-Folder: To find the default current folder.\nDraft-Folder: To find the default draft-folder.\nEditor: To override the default editor.\nMsg-Protect: To set mode when creating a new message (draft).\nfileproc: Program to refile the message.\nmhlproc: Program to filter messages being forwarded.\nwhatnowproc: Program to ask the “What now?” questions.\n", "subsections": [] }, "SEE ALSO": { "content": "burst(1), comp(1), mh-format(5) mhbuild(1), mhl(1), prompter(1), repl(1), send(1), what‐\nnow(1),\n\nProposed Standard for Message Encapsulation (RFC 934)\n", "subsections": [] }, "DEFAULTS": { "content": "+folder The current folder.\nmsgs The current message.", "subsections": [ { "name": "-noannotate", "content": "" }, { "name": "-nodraftfolder", "content": "" }, { "name": "-noformat", "content": "" }, { "name": "-inplace", "content": "" }, { "name": "-dashstuffing", "content": "" }, { "name": "-nomime", "content": "" } ] }, "CONTEXT": { "content": "If a folder is given, it will become the current folder. The first message forwarded will\nbecome the current message.\n", "subsections": [] }, "BUGS": { "content": "If whatnowproc is whatnow, then forw uses a built-in whatnow, it does not actually run the\nwhatnow program. Hence, if you define your own whatnowproc, don't call it whatnow since forw\nwon't run it.\n\nWhen forw is told to annotate the messages it forwards, it doesn't actually annotate them un‐\ntil the draft is successfully sent. If, from the whatnowproc, you push instead of send, it\nis possible to confuse forw by re-ordering the file (e.g. by using “folder -pack”) before the\nmessage is successfully sent. dist and repl don't have this problem.\n\n\n\nnmh-1.7.1 2013-03-22 FORW(1mh)", "subsections": [] } }, "summary": "forw - forward nmh messages", "flags": [ { "flag": "", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "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 .mhprofile 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," }, { "flag": "", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "The -build switch is intended to be used by the Emacs mh-e interface to nmh. It implies" }, { "flag": "", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "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," }, { "flag": "", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "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'" } ], "examples": [], "see_also": [ { "name": "burst", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/burst/1/json" }, { "name": "comp", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/comp/1/json" }, { "name": "mh-format", "section": "5", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/mh-format/5/json" }, { "name": "mhbuild", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/mhbuild/1/json" }, { "name": "mhl", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/mhl/1/json" }, { "name": "prompter", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/prompter/1/json" }, { "name": "repl", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/repl/1/json" }, { "name": "send", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/send/1/json" }, { "name": "now", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/now/1/json" } ] }