--- /dev/null
+.\"
+.\" %nmhwarning%
+.\"
+.TH MH-ALIAS %manext5% "%nmhdate%" MH.6.8 [%nmhversion%]
+.SH NAME
+mh-alias \- alias file for nmh message system
+.SH SYNOPSIS
+any
+.B nmh
+command
+.SH DESCRIPTION
+This describes
+.B nmh
+personal alias files.
+It does
+.B not
+describe aliases files used by the message transport system.
+Each line of the alias file has the format:
+.PP
+.RS 5
+.I alias
+.B :
+.I address\-group
+.RE
+or
+.RS 5
+.I alias
+.B ;
+.I address\-group
+.RE
+or
+.RS 5
+.B <
+.I alias\-file
+.RE
+or
+.RS 5
+.B ;
+.I comment
+.RE
+.PP
+where:
+.PP
+.RS 5
+.nf
+.IR address\-group " := " address\-list
+.RI " | < " file
+.RI " | = " UNIX\-group
+.RI " | + " UNIX\-group
+ | *
+
+.IR address\-list " := " address
+.RI " | " address\-list ", " address
+.fi
+.RE
+.PP
+Continuation lines in alias files end with `\\' followed by the newline
+character.
+.PP
+.RI \*(lq Alias\-file \*(rq
+and
+.RI \*(lq file \*(rq
+are UNIX file names.
+.I UNIX\-group
+is a group name (or number) from
+.IR /etc/group .
+An address is a \*(lqsimple\*(rq
+Internet\-style address. Througout this file, case is ignored, except
+for file names.
+.PP
+If the line starts with a `<', then the file named after the `<' is
+read for more alias definitions. The reading is done recursively, so a
+`<' may occur in the beginning of an alias file with the expected results.
+.PP
+If the
+.I address\-group
+starts with a `<', then the file named after the
+`<' is read and its contents are added to the
+.I address\-list
+for the alias.
+.PP
+If the
+.I address\-group
+starts with an `=', then the file
+.I /etc/group
+is consulted for the UNIX\-group named after the `='. Each login name
+occurring as a member of the group is added to the
+.I address\-list
+for the alias.
+.PP
+In contrast, if the
+.I address\-group
+starts with a `+', then the file
+.I /etc/group
+is consulted to determine the group\-id of the
+UNIX\-group named after the `+'. Each login name occurring in the
+.I /etc/passwd
+file whose group\-id is indicated by this group is
+added to the
+.I address\-list
+for the alias.
+.PP
+If the
+.I address\-group
+is simply `*', then the file
+.I /etc/passwd
+is consulted and all login names with a userid
+greater than some magic number (usually 200) are added to the
+.I address\-list
+for the alias.
+.PP
+In match, a trailing \*(lq*\*(rq on an alias will match just about anything
+appropriate. (See example below.)
+.PP
+An approximation of the way aliases are resolved at posting time is
+(it's not really done this way):
+.PP
+.RS 2
+.IP 1) 3
+Build a list of all addresses from the message to be delivered,
+eliminating duplicate addresses.
+.PP
+.IP 2) 3
+If this draft originated on the local host, then for those addresses in
+the message that have no host specified, perform alias resolution.
+.PP
+.IP 3) 3
+For each line in the alias file, compare \*(lqalias\*(rq against all of
+the existing addresses. If a match, remove the matched \*(lqalias\*(rq
+from the address list, and add each new address in the address\-group to
+the address list if it is not already on the list. The alias itself is
+not usually output, rather the address\-group that the alias maps to is
+output instead. If \*(lqalias\*(rq is terminated with a `;' instead of
+a `:', then both the \*(lqalias\*(rq and the address are output in the
+correct format. (This makes replies possible since personal
+.B nmh
+aliases are unknown to the mail transport system.)
+.RE
+.PP
+Since the alias file is read line by line, forward references work, but
+backward references are not recognized, thus, there is no recursion.
+.PP
+Example Alias File:
+.PP
+.RS 5
+.nf
+<%etcdir%/MoreAliases
+sgroup: fred, fear, freida
+b-people: Blind List: bill, betty;
+fred: frated@UCI
+UNIX\-committee: <unix.aliases
+staff: =staff
+wheels: +wheel
+everyone: *
+news.*: news
+.fi
+.RE
+.PP
+The first line says that more aliases should immediately be read from
+the file
+.IR %etcdir%/MoreAliases .
+Following this, \*(lqfred\*(rq
+is defined as an alias for \*(lqfrated@UCI\*(rq, and \*(lqsgroup\*(rq
+is defined as an alias for the three names \*(lqfrated@UCI\*(rq,
+\*(rqfear\*(rq, and \*(rqfreida\*(rq.
+.PP
+The alias \*(lqb-people\*(rq is a blind list which includes the addresses
+\*(lqbill\*(rq and \*(lqbetty\*(rq; the message will be delieved to those
+addresses, but the message header will show only \*(lqBlind List: ;\*(rq
+(not the addresses).
+.PP
+Next, the definition of \*(lqUNIX\-committee\*(rq is given by
+reading the file
+.I unix.aliases
+in the users
+.B mmh
+directory,
+\*(lqstaff\*(rq is defined as all users who are listed as members of the
+group \*(lqstaff\*(rq in the
+.I /etc/group
+file, and \*(lqwheels\*(rq
+is defined as all users whose group\-id in
+.I /etc/passwd
+is equivalent to the \*(lqwheel\*(rq group.
+.PP
+Finally, \*(lqeveryone\*(rq is defined as all users with a user\-id
+in
+.I /etc/passwd
+greater than 200, and all aliases of the form
+\*(lqnews.<anything>\*(rq are defined to be \*(lqnews\*(rq.
+.PP
+The key thing to understand about aliasing in
+.B nmh
+is that aliases in
+.B nmh
+alias files are expanded into the headers of messages posted.
+This aliasing occurs first, at posting time, without the knowledge of the
+message transport system. In contrast, once the message transport system
+is given a message to deliver to a list of addresses, for each address
+that appears to be local, a system\-wide alias file is consulted. These
+aliases are
+.B NOT
+expanded into the headers of messages delivered.
+
+.SH "HELPFUL HINTS"
+To use aliasing in
+.B nmh
+quickly, do the following:
+.PP
+.RS 2
+.IP 1) 3
+In your
+.IR .mmh/profile ,
+choose a name for your alias file, say
+.RI \*(lq aliases \*(rq,
+and add the line:
+.PP
+.RS 5
+.nf
+Aliasfile: aliases
+.\" ali: \-alias aliases
+.\" send: \-alias aliases
+.fi
+.RE
+.PP
+.IP 2) 3
+Create the file
+.RI \*(lq aliases \*(rq
+in your
+.B mmh
+directory.
+.PP
+.IP 3) 3
+Start adding aliases to your
+.RI \*(lq aliases \*(rq
+file as appropriate.
+.RE
+
+.SH FILES
+None
+
+.SH "PROFILE COMPONENTS"
+.fc ^ ~
+.nf
+.ta 2.4i
+.ta \w'ExtraBigProfileName 'u
+^Aliasfile:~^For a default alias file
+.fi
+
+.SH "SEE ALSO"
+ali(1), send(1), group(5), passwd(5), conflict(8), post(8)
+
+.SH CONTEXT
+None
+
+.SH BUGS
+Although the forward-referencing semantics of
+.B mh\-alias
+files prevent recursion, the
+.RI \*(lq< " alias\-file" \*(rq
+command may defeat this.
+Since the number of file descriptors is finite (and very limited), such
+infinite recursion will terminate with a meaningless diagnostic when
+all the fds are used up.
+.PP
+Forward references do not work correctly inside blind lists.
projects / mmh / blobdiff