refile - file message in other folders


SYNOPSIS

       refile [msgs] [-draft] [-link] [-nolink]
            [-preserve] [-nopreserve] [-unlink] [-nounlink]
            [-src +folder] [-file file] [-rmmproc program]
            [-normmproc] +folder1 ...  [-version] [-help]


DESCRIPTION

       Refile  moves  (mv (1))  or links (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 opera­
       tion  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 folders  are
       all on the same file system, multiple filing causes little
       storage overhead.  This facility provides a  good  way  to
       cross-file  or multiply-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 speci­
       fied 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  mes­
       sage.   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  pro­
       ceed as if the user answered "yes" to all questions.

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

       Normally when a message is refiled, for  each  destination

       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  con­
       flict for a particular folder occurs when using the `-pre­
       serve' switch, then refile will  use  the  next  available
       message  number which is above the message number you wish
       to preserve.

       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-dependent  prefix  (usually  a comma).  Such
       files will then need to be removed in some manner after  a
       certain  amount  of time.  Many sites arrange for cron (8)
       to remove these files once a day, so check with your  sys­
       tem 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 specification.  The `-normm­
       proc'  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), rmf(1), rmm(1)

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


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 specified;  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 destina­
       tion folders.  See mh-sequence (5)  for  information  con­
       cerning the previous sequence.


BUGS

       Since  refile uses your rmmproc to delete the message, the
       rmmproc must NOT call refile without  specifying  `-normm­
       proc', or you will create an infinite loop.


Man(1) output converted with man2html