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NAME

       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  (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 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 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
       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 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 -preserv 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 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  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 specification.  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), rmf(1), rmm(1)

DEFAULTS

-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 destination  folders.   See  mh-sequence
       (5) for information concerning the previous sequence.

BUGS

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