# mh-draft(5mh) - man - phpMan [MH-DRAFT(5mh)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MH-DRAFT/5mh/markdown) [MH-DRAFT(5mh)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MH-DRAFT/5mh/markdown) ## NAME mh-draft - draft folder facility for nmh message system ## DESCRIPTION There are a number of interesting advanced facilities for the composition of outgoing mail. ### The Draft Folder The **comp**, **dist**, **forw**, **repl**, **send**, and **whom** commands each take the switches **-draftfolder** _+folder_ and **-draftmessage** _msg_, which allow you to manipulate the various draft messages you are composing. If **-draftfolder** _+folder_ is used, draft messages will be constructed in the indicated folder. The “_Draft-Folder_” profile entry may be used to specify a default draft folder. If the switch **-draftmessage** _msg_ is given, the specified draft is used to compose the message. If **-draftmessage** _msg_ is not used, then the draft defaults to `new' (create a new draft) un‐ less the user invokes **comp** with **-use**, in which case the default is `cur'. Hence, the user may have several message compositions in progress simultaneously. Now, all of the **nmh** tools are available on each of the user's message drafts (e.g. **show**, **scan**, **pick**, and so on). If the folder does not exist, the user is asked if it should be created (just like with **refile**). The last draft message the user was composing is known as `cur' in the draft folder. Using **send**, the user can send drafts using the standard **nmh** `msgs' convention with **-draftmes**‐‐ **sage** _msgs_. If no `msgs' are given, it defaults to `cur'. In addition, all of these programs have a **-nodraftfolder** switch, which undoes the last occur‐ rence of **-draftfolder** _folder_ (useful if a default is specified in the user's **nmh** profile). If the user does not give the **-draftfolder** _+folder_ switch, then all these commands act “nor‐ mally”. Note that the **-draft** switch to **send** and **show** still refers to the file called `draft' in the user's **nmh** directory. In the interests of economy of expression, when using **comp** or **send**, the user needn't prefix the draft `msg' or `msgs' with **-draftmessage**. Both of these commands accept a `file' or `files' argument and they will, if given **-draftfolder** _+folder_, treat these arguments as `msg' or `msgs'. (This may appear to be inconsistent, at first, but it saves a lot of typing.) Hence, send -draftfolder +drafts first is the same as send -draftfolder +drafts -draftmessage first To make all this a bit more clear, here are some examples. Let's assume that the following entries are in the **nmh** profile: Draft-Folder: drafts sendf: -draftfolder +drafts Furthermore, let's assume that the program **sendf** is a (symbolic) link in the user's _$HOME/bin/_ directory to **send**. Now, comp dist forw repl will construct the message draft in the `draft' folder using the `new' message number. Fur‐ thermore, they each define `cur' in this folder to be that message draft. If the user were to use the **quit** option at the `What now?' prompt, then later on, if no other draft composi‐ tion was done, the draft could be sent with simply sendf Or, if more editing was required, the draft could be edited with comp -use If other drafts had been composed in the meantime, so that this message draft was no longer known as `cur' in the `draft' folder, then the user could **scan** the folder to see which mes‐ sage draft should be used for editing or sending. Clever users could even employ a back‐ quoted **pick** to do the work: comp -use `pick +drafts -to nmh-workers` or sendf `pick +drafts -to nmh-workers` Note that in the **comp** example, the output from **pick** must resolve to a single message draft (it makes no sense to talk about composing two or more drafts with one invocation of **comp**). In contrast, in the **send** example, as many message drafts as desired can appear, since **send** doesn't mind sending more than one draft at a time. Note that the argument **-draftfolder** _+folder_ is not included in the profile entry for **send**, since when **comp**, et al, invoke **send** directly, they supply **send** with the Unix pathname of the message draft; _not_ a **-draftmessage** _msg_ argument. As far as **send** is concerned, a draft folder is not being used. It is important to realize that **nmh** treats the draft folder like a standard **nmh** folder in nearly all respects. There are two exceptions: First, under no circumstances will the **-draftfolder** _folder_ switch cause the named folder to become the current folder. Obviously, if the folder appeared in the context of a standard _+folder_ argument to an **nmh** program, as in scan +drafts it might become the current folder, depending on the context changes of the **nmh** program in question. Second, although conceptually **send** deletes the `msgs' named in the draft folder, it does not call _delete-prog_ to perform the deletion. ### What Happens if the Draft Exists When the **comp**, **dist**, **forw**, and **repl** commands are invoked and the draft you indicated already exists, these programs will prompt the user for a response directing the program's action. The prompt is Draft ``/home/foobar/nmhbox/draft'' exists (xx bytes). Disposition? The appropriate responses and their meanings are: **replace** deletes the draft and starts afresh **list** lists the draft **refile** files the draft into a folder and starts afresh **quit** leaves the draft intact and exits In addition, if you specified **-draftfolder** _folder_ to the command, then one other response will be accepted: **new** creates a new draft just as if **-draftmessage** _new_ had been given. Finally, the **comp** command will accept one more response: **use** re-uses the draft just as if **-use** had been given. ## FILES $HOME/.mh_profile The user's profile. ## PROFILE COMPONENTS Draft-Folder: For a default draft folder ## CONTEXT None nmh-1.7.1 2012-03-18 [MH-DRAFT(5mh)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MH-DRAFT/5mh/markdown)