refile(1mh) - man - phpMan

REFILE(1mh)                                                                              REFILE(1mh)



NAME
       refile - file message in nmh folders

SYNOPSIS
       refile [-help] [-version] [msgs] [-draft] [-link | -nolink] [-preserve | -nopreserve] [-re‐‐
            tainsequences | -noretainsequences] [-unlink | -nounlink] [-src +folder] [-file file]
            [-rmmproc program] [-normmproc] +folder1 ...

DESCRIPTION
       refile  moves (see mv(1)) or links (see ln(1)) messages from a source folder into one or more
       destination folders.

       If you think of a message as a sheet of paper, this operation is not unlike filing the  sheet
       of paper (or copies) in file cabinet folders.  When a message is filed, it is linked into the
       destination folder(s) if possible, and is copied otherwise.  As long as the destination fold‐
       ers  are  all  on the same file system, multiple filing causes little storage overhead.  This
       facility provides a good way to cross-file or multiple-index messages.   For  example,  if  a
       message is received from Jones about the ARPA Map Project, the command

            refile cur +jones +Map

       would allow the message to be found in either of the two folders `jones' or `Map'.

       You  may  specify  the  source  folder using -src +folder.  If this is not given, the current
       folder is used by default.  If no message is specified, then `cur' is used by default.

       The option -file file directs refile to use the specified file as the source  message  to  be
       filed, rather than a message from a folder.  Note that the file should be a validly formatted
       message, just like any other nmh message.  It should not be in mail drop format (to convert a
       file in mail drop format to a folder of nmh messages, see inc(1)).

       If  a destination folder doesn't exist, refile will ask if you want to create it.  A negative
       response will abort the file operation.  If the standard input for refile is not a tty,  then
       refile will not ask any questions and will proceed as if the user answered “yes” to all ques‐
       tions.

       The option -link preserves the source folder copy of the message  (i.e.,  it  does  an  ln(1)
       rather  than  a  mv(1)),  whereas,  -nolink (the default) deletes the filed messages from the
       source folder.

       Normally when a message is refiled, for each destination folder it  is  assigned  the  number
       which  is  one above the current highest message number in that folder.  Use of the -preserve
       switch will override this message renaming, and try to preserve the number  of  the  message.
       If  a  conflict  for  a particular folder occurs when using the -preserve switch, then refile
       will use the next available message number which is above the message number you wish to pre‐
       serve.

       As  message  sequences are folder-specific, moving the message from the source folder removes
       it from all its sequences in that folder.  -retainsequences adds it to those  same  sequences
       in the destination folder, creating any that don't exist.  This adding does not apply for the
       “cur” sequence.

       If -link is not specified (or -nolink is specified), the filed messages will be removed  from
       the  source folder.  The default is to remove these messages by renaming them with a site-de‐
       pendent prefix (usually a comma).  Such files will then need to be removed in some manner af‐
       ter  a certain amount of time.  Many sites arrange for cron to remove these files once a day,
       so check with your system administrator.

       Alternately, if you wish for refile to really remove the files  representing  these  messages
       from  the  source  folder,  you can use the -unlink switch (not to be confused with the -link
       switch).  But messages removed by this method cannot be later recovered.

       If you prefer a more sophisticated method of `removing' the messages from the source  folder,
       you  can  define the rmmproc profile component.  For example, you can add a profile component
       such as

            rmmproc:    /home/coleman/bin/rmm_msgs

       then refile will instead call the named program or script to handle the message files.

       The user may specify -rmmproc program on the command line to override this profile specifica‐
       tion.   The -normmproc option forces the message files to be deleted by renaming or unlinking
       them as described above.

       The -draft switch tells refile to file the <mh-dir>/draft.

FILES
       $HOME/.mh_profile          The user profile

PROFILE COMPONENTS
       Path:                To determine the user's nmh directory
       Current-Folder:      To find the default current folder
       Folder-Protect:      To set mode when creating a new folder
       rmmproc:             Program to delete the message

SEE ALSO
       folder(1), mh-sequence(5), rmf(1), rmm(1)

DEFAULTS
       `-src +folder' defaults to the current folder
       `msgs' defaults to cur
       `-nolink'
       `-nounlink'
       `-nopreserve'
       `-noretainsequences'

CONTEXT
       If -src +folder is given, it will become the current folder.  If neither -link nor  `all'  is
       specified,  the  current  message in the source folder will be set to the last message speci‐
       fied; otherwise, the current message won't be changed.

       If the “Previous-Sequence” profile entry is set, in addition to defining the named  sequences
       from  the source folder, refile will also define those sequences for the destination folders.
       See mh-sequence(5) for information concerning the previous sequence.

BUGS
       Since refile and rmm use your rmmproc to delete the message, the rmmproc must not call refile
       or rmm without specifying -normmproc, or you will create an infinite loop.



nmh-1.7.1                                    2013-03-19                                  REFILE(1mh)