4 .TH MH-PROFILE %manext5% "%nmhdate%" MH.6.8 [%nmhversion%]
6 mh-profile \- user profile customization for mmh message handler
14 is expected to have a file named
16 in his or her home directory. This file contains
17 a set of user parameters used by some or all of the
19 family of programs. Each entry in the file is of the format
22 .IR Profile\-Component ": " value
25 If the text of profile entry is long, you may extend it across several
26 real lines by indenting the continuation lines with leading spaces or tabs.
28 .SS "Standard Profile Entries"
29 The possible profile components are exemplified below. The only mandatory
30 entry is `Path:'. The others are optional; some have default values if
31 they are not present. In the notation used below, (profile, default)
32 indicates whether the information is kept in the user's
36 context, and indicates what the default value is.
41 Sets the user's mail storage to \*(lqMail\*(rq. This is the
42 only mandatory profile entry. (profile, no default)
48 Declares the location of the
50 context file. This is overridden by the environment variable
55 (profile, default: $HOME/.mmh/context)
61 Keeps track of the current open folder.
62 (context, default: folder specified by \*(lqInbox\*(rq)
68 Defines the name of your default inbox.
69 (profile, default: inbox)
72 .BR Previous\-Sequence :
75 Names the sequence or sequences which should be defined as the `msgs' or
76 `msg' argument given to any
78 command. If not present or empty,
79 no such sequences are defined. Otherwise, for each name given, the
80 sequence is first zero'd and then each message is added to the sequence.
83 man page for the details about this sequence. (profile, no default)
86 .BR Sequence\-Negation :
89 Defines the string which, when prefixed to a sequence name, negates
90 that sequence. Hence, \*(lq!foo\*(rq means all those messages that
91 are not a member of the sequence \*(lqfoo\*(rq.
92 To deactivate this mechanism, define Sequence\-Negation to an empty value.
95 man page for the details. (profile, default: !)
98 .BR Unseen\-Sequence :
101 Names the sequence or sequences which shall contain any unread messages.
108 will add or remove messages from these
109 sequences when they are incorporated or read. If defined with an empty
110 value, no such sequences are defined. Otherwise, each message is
111 added to, or removed from, each sequence name given. Read the
113 man page for the details about this sequence.
114 (profile, default: u)
120 The name of the file in each folder which defines public sequences.
121 To disable the use of public sequences, leave the value portion of this
122 entry blank. (profile, default: \&.mh_sequences)
125 .BI atr\- seq \- folder :
128 Keeps track of the private sequence called \*(lqseq\*(rq in the specified
129 folder. Private sequences are generally used for read\-only folders.
132 man page for details about private sequences.
133 (context, no default)
139 Defines the editor to be used by the commands
145 This profile entry overrides the $VISUAL and $EDITOR environment variables,
146 but gets overridden by the $MMHEDITOR environment variabel.
147 (profile, default: vi)
153 This is the program used by
157 formatted message when displaying to a terminal. It is also the default
160 to display message bodies (or message parts) of type text/plain.
161 This profile entry overrides the $PAGER environment variable, but gets
162 overridden by the $MMHPAGER environment variable.
163 (profile, default: more)
174 (profile, default: %sendmailpath%)
180 The prefix that is prepended to the name of message files when they
181 are ``removed'' by rmm. This should typically be `,' or `#'.
182 (profile, default: `,')
188 Name of the link to the file to which you are replying or which you are
189 redistributing. See `$mhaltmsg' below.
190 (profile, default: `@')
193 .BR Attachment-Header :
196 The (pseudo) header in draft messages, that contains files to be attached
197 to the message on sending.
198 If you like to type a lot, name it `X-MH-Attachment'.
199 (profile, default: `Attach')
202 .BR Mime-Type-Query :
205 A command that prints the MIME type of a file.
206 The file name gets appended to the command line.
207 Note: Older GNU versions of file(1) won't generate the desired
208 output. GNU file-4.26, for instance, omits a required semicolon.
209 GNU file-5.04 is known to work. Non-GNU version likely need different
210 options or don't provide this function at all. Alternatively, you can use
211 .BR print\-mimetype ,
212 which is part of mmh, but guesses MIME types by file name extensions only.
218 An octal number which defines the permission bits for new message files.
221 for an explanation of the octal number.
222 (profile, default: 0644)
225 .BR Folder\-Protect :
228 An octal number which defines the permission bits for new folder
231 for an explanation of the octal number.
232 (profile, default: 700)
238 Sets default switches to be used whenever the mmh program
240 is invoked. For example, one could override the \*(lqEditor:\*(rq profile
241 component when replying to messages by adding a component such as:
244 repl: \-editor /bin/ed
247 (profile, no defaults)
250 .IB lasteditor "-next:"
253 Names \*(lqnexteditor\*(rq to be the default editor after using
254 \*(lqlasteditor\*(rq. This takes effect at \*(lqWhat now?\*(rq prompt
262 the draft with \*(lqlasteditor\*(rq, the default editor is set to be
263 \*(lqnexteditor\*(rq. If the user types \*(lqedit\*(rq without any
264 arguments to \*(lqWhat now?\*(rq, then \*(lqnexteditor\*(rq is used.
265 (profile, no default)
271 The contents of the folder-stack for the
274 (context, no default)
283 auditfile in addition to its other tasks.
289 (profile, no default)
292 .BR Alternate\-Mailboxes :
293 mh@uci\-750a, bug-mh*
299 which addresses are really yours.
302 knows which addresses should be included in the
305 knows if the message really originated from you.
306 Addresses must be separated by a comma, and the hostnames listed should
307 be the \*(lqofficial\*(rq hostnames for the mailboxes you indicate, as
308 local nicknames for hosts are not replaced with their official site names.
309 For each address, if a host is not given, then that address on any host is
310 considered to be you. In addition, an asterisk (`*') may appear at either
311 or both ends of the mailbox and host to indicate wild-card matching.
312 (profile, default: your user-id)
319 Indicates aliases files for
323 This may be used instead of the
326 switch. (profile, no default)
332 Changes the default draft folder. Read the
334 man page for details. (profile, default: +drafts)
337 .BI digest\-issue\- list :
342 the last issue of the last volume sent for the digest
344 (context, no default)
347 .BI digest\-volume\- list :
352 the last volume sent for the digest
354 (context, no default)
362 your maildrop, if different from the default. This is
363 superseded by the environment variable
365 (profile, default: %mailspool%/$USER)
369 RAND MH System (agent: Marshall Rose)
373 your mail signature. This is superseded by the
378 is not set and this profile entry is not present, the \*(lqgcos\*(rq field of
379 the \fI/etc/passwd\fP file will be used.
380 Your signature will be added to the address
382 puts in the \*(lqFrom:\*(rq header; do not include an address in the
383 signature text. (profile, no default)
386 .SS "Process Profile Entries"
387 The following profile elements are used whenever an
389 program invokes some other program such as
391 The profile can be used to select alternate programs if the
392 user wishes. The default values are given in the examples.
398 This program is used to refile or link a message to another folder.
401 to file a copy of a message into a folder given
402 by a \*(lqFcc:\*(rq field. It is used by the draft folder facility in
409 message into another folder. It is used to refile a draft message in
412 directive at the \*(lqWhat now?\*(rq prompt.
420 to incorporate new mail when it
421 is invoked with no arguments.
427 This program is used to list the contents of a message in response
432 directive at the \*(lqWhat now?\*(rq prompt.
433 The absolute pathname of the message to list will be appended to
434 the command line given.
440 This is the program used to automatically mail various messages
441 and notifications. It is used by
445 option. It is used by
447 to post failure notices.
448 It is used to retrieve an external-body with access-type `mail-server'
449 (such as when storing the body with
456 This is the program used to filter messages in various ways. It
459 to filter and display the message headers
467 is used to filter the
468 message to which you are replying.
474 This is the program used by
483 post a message to the mail transport system.
489 This is the program used by
493 to delete a message from a folder.
499 This is the program to use by
501 to actually send the message
507 This is the program used by
509 to process and display non-text (MIME) messages.
515 This is the program used by
517 to filter and display text (non-MIME) messages.
523 This is the program invoked by
529 to query about the disposition of a composed draft message.
532 .SS "Environment Variables"
535 and its commands it also controlled by the
536 presence of certain environment variables.
538 Many of these environment variables are used internally by the
539 \*(lqWhat now?\*(rq interface. It's amazing all the information
540 that has to get passed via environment variables to make the
541 \*(lqWhat now?\*(rq interface look squeaky clean to the
543 user, isn't it? The reason for all this is that the
551 one of the standard shells. As a result, it's not possible to pass
552 information via an argument list. The convention is that environment
553 variables whose names are all upper-case are user-settable; those
554 whose names are lower-case only are used internally by mmh and should
555 not generally be set by the user.
559 option was set during
562 if this environment variable is set, then if the commands
567 are not given any `msgs'
568 arguments, then they will default to using the file indicated by
570 This is useful for getting the default behavior
571 supplied by the default
576 With this environment variable, you can specify an alternative
577 mmh directory. Personal mmh configuration files are located relative to
579 Non-absolute values are relative to the home directory.
580 This is one of the very few exceptions in
582 where non-absolute pathnames are not considered relative to the user's
588 With this environment variable, you can specify a profile
590 .I $HOME/.mmh/profile
594 that you invoke. If the value of
596 is not absolute, it will be presumed to start from the mmh directory.
601 With this environment variable, you can specify a
602 context other than the normal context file (as specified in
603 the profile). As always, unless the value of
605 is absolute, it will be presumed to start from your mmh directory.
610 With this environment variable, you can specify
611 the native character set you are using. You must be able to display
612 this character set on your terminal.
614 This variable is checked to see if a RFC-2047 header field should be
627 be called, since showmimeproc will be called if a text message uses
628 a character set that doesn't match
633 for matches against the charset parameter
634 of text contents to decide it the text content can be displayed
635 without modifications to your terminal. This variable is checked by
637 to decide what character set to specify in the charset
638 parameter of text contents containing 8\-bit characters.
640 When decoding text in such an alternate character set,
642 must be able to determine which characters are alphabetic, which
643 are control characters, etc. For many operating systems, this
644 will require enabling the support for locales (such as setting
645 the environment variable
654 the default maildrop. This supersedes the \*(lqMailDrop\*(rq profile entry.
663 your mail signature. This supersedes the \*(lqSignature\*(rq profile entry.
668 This variable tells all
670 programs your home directory
677 the default shell to run
686 These variables (in descending priority) define the default editor to use.
693 These variables (in descending priority) define the default pager to use.
702 The environment variable
704 is also consulted. In particular,
709 how many columns wide your terminal is. They also tell
712 lines long your terminal screen is.
717 This is the alternate message.
723 during edit sessions so you can peruse the message being distributed or
724 replied to. The message is also available through a link called
725 \*(lq@\*(rq (if not changed by
727 in the current directory if your current working directory
728 and the message's folder are on the same UNIX filesystem.
733 This is the path to the working draft.
743 which file to ask \*(lqWhat now?\*(rq
766 about an alternate message associated with the
767 draft (the message being distributed or replied to).
777 that message re-distribution is occurring.
791 editor (unless overridden by
808 if annotations are to occur.
818 if annotations are to occur.
823 This is the folder containing the alternate message.
829 during edit sessions so you
830 can peruse other messages in the current folder besides the one being
831 distributed or replied to. The environment variable
845 .ta \w'%etcdir%/ExtraBigFileName 'u
846 ^$HOME/.mmh~^The user's mmh directory
847 ^or $MMH~^Rather than the standard mmh directory
848 ^$HOME/.mmh/profile~^The user's profile
849 ^or $MMHP~^Rather than the standard profile
850 ^$HOME/.mmh/context~^The user's context
851 ^or $MMHC~^Rather than the standard context
852 ^<folder>/.mh_sequences~^Public sequences for <folder>
856 nmh(1), environ(5), mh-sequence(7)
860 .I $HOME/.mmh/profile
861 contains only static information, which
865 update. Changes in context are made to the
866 .I $HOME/.mmh/context
868 This includes, but is not limited to: the \*(lqCurrent\-Folder\*(rq entry
869 and all private sequence information. Public sequence information is
870 kept in each folder in the file determined by the \*(lqMh\-Sequences\*(rq
871 profile entry (default is
872 .IR \&.mh_sequences ).
874 The profile may override the path of the
876 file, by specifying a \*(lqContext\*(rq entry.
877 As a result, you can actually have more than one set of
878 private sequences by using different context files.
881 The shell quoting conventions are not available in the profile.
882 Each token is separated by whitespace.
884 There is some question as to what kind of arguments should be placed
885 in the profile as options. In order to provide a clear answer, recall
886 command line semantics of all
888 programs: conflicting switches
893 may occur more than one time on the
894 command line, with the last switch taking effect. Other arguments, such
895 as message sequences, filenames and folders, are always remembered on
896 the invocation line and are not superseded by following arguments of
897 the same type. Hence, it is safe to place only switches (and their
898 arguments) in the profile.
902 program is being invoked again and again
903 with the same arguments, and those arguments aren't switches, then there
904 are a few possible solutions to this problem. The first is to create a
910 of your choice. By giving this link a different name, you can create
911 a new entry in your profile and use an alternate set of defaults for
914 command. Similarly, you could create a small shell script
917 program of your choice with an alternate set
918 of invocation line switches (using links and an alternate profile entry
919 is preferable to this solution).
923 user could create an alias for the command of the form:
926 alias cmd 'cmd arg1 arg2 ...'
929 In this way, the user can avoid lengthy type-in to the shell, and still
932 commands safely. (Recall that some
935 invoke others, and that in all cases, the profile is read, meaning that
936 aliases are disregarded beyond an initial command invocation)
projects / mmh / blob