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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]	[-in-
	    place | -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, 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	alter-
       nate forms file with the	switch -form formfile.	 Forms	are  processed
       via  the	nmh template system; see mh-format(5) for details.  Components
       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	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  ad-
       dresses	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  Lo-
       cal-Mailbox profile entry, or a system default email address.  This de-
       fault 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 anno-
       tation 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 pre-
       serve 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 stan-
       dard form file for mhl(1), as forw will invoke mhl to  filter  (re-for-
       mat)  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 de-
       fault), 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 suit-
       able for	bursting by burst(1).  This follows the	guidelines in RFC 934.
       You may use the -nodashstuffing switch to suppress this form  of	 quot-
       ing.

       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 generate an	mhbuild	composition file.  Note	 that,
       with  the default nmh configuration, forw will not invoke mhbuild auto-
       matically; you must specifically	give the command

	    What now? mime

       prior to	sending	the draft.  Alternatively, to have forw	invoke mhbuild
       automatically, first, add mhbuild-next: $EDITOR to your profile,	as de-
       scribed 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)  fea-
       ture.  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  pro-
       gram.  See whatnow(1) for a discussion of available options.  The invo-
       cation  of  this	 program  can be inhibited by using the	-nowhatnowproc
       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  Message'  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  "/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
       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 ac-
       tually annotate them until 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-1.8+dev			  2025-01-14			       FORW(1)

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