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FORW(1) 		     General Commands Manual			 FORW(1)

NAME
     forw - forward nmh messages

SYNOPSIS
     forw [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-annotate | -noannotate] [-form
	  formfile] [-format | -noformat] [-filter filterfile] [-inplace |
	  -noinplace] [-mime | -nomime] [-draftfolder +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, af-
     ter 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  tem-
     plate system; see mh-format(5) for details.  Components from the first for-
     warded  message  are  available  as standard component escapes in the forms
     file.

     In addition to the standard mh-format escapes, the following component  es-
     capes are also supported:

	  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-Mail-
     box  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 dis-
     play the draft.

     If the -annotate switch is given, each message being forwarded will be  an-
     notated with the lines:

	  Forwarded: date
	  Forwarded: addrs

     where  each  address list contains as many lines as required.  This annota-
     tion 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.   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 for-
     warded messages prior to being output to the body of the draft.

     The switches -noformat, -format, and -filter filterfile specify which  mes-
     sage  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 received,  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  mes-
     sages.

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

	  What now? mime

     prior to sending the draft.  Alternatively, to have forw invoke mhbuild au-
     tomatically, first, add mhbuild-next: $EDITOR to your profile, as described
     in the mhbuild man page.  Second, add -editor mhbuild to  your  forw  -mime
     invocation.

     The  -draftfolder	+folder  and  -draftmessage  msg switches invoke the nmh
     draft folder facility.  This is an advanced (and  highly  useful)	feature.
     Consult mh-draft(5) 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 -nowhatnowproc switch.  (In fact, it
     is the whatnow program which starts the initial edit.   Hence,  -nowhatnow-
     proc 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 im-
     plies -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 over-
     loads 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	"/usr/local/etc/nmh"  is
     checked.

     /usr/local/etc/nmh/forwcomps
			      The default message skeleton.
     <mh-dir>/forwcomps       The user's message skeleton.
     /usr/local/etc/nmh/digestcomps
			      The default message skeleton if -digest is given.
     <mh-dir>/digestcomps     The user's -digest skeleton.
     ^/usr/local/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 specify the default draftfolder.
     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-draft(5),   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	whatnow-
     proc, 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 until the draft is successfully sent.  If, from the whatnow-
     proc, you push instead of send, it is possible to confuse forw by re-order-
     ing the file (e.g. by using "folder -pack") before the message is	success-
     fully sent.  dist and repl don't have this problem.

nmh-1.8+dev			   2025-01-14				 FORW(1)

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