NAME

repl − reply to a message

SYNTAX

repl [+folder] [msg] [−annotate] [−noannotate] [−cc all/to/cc/me] [−nocc all/to/cc/me] [−draftfolder +foldername] [−draftmessage msg] [−nodraftfolder] [−editor editor] [−noedit] [−fcc +foldername] [−filter filterfile] [−form formfile] [−format] [−noformat] [−inplace] [−noinplace] [−query] [−noquery] [−width columns] [−whatnowproc program] [−nowhatnowproc] [−help]

DESCRIPTION

You can use the repl command to reply to a specified message.  If you do not specify a message, repl will create a reply to the current message.  You can reply to messages other than the current message by specifying the message number. The message replied to will become the current message.

You normally reply to a message in the current folder.  However, you can reply to a message in another folder by using the −folder<foldername> option.  If you do specify a folder, that folder will become the current folder.

When you reply to a message, repl automatically fills in the mail header for you, taking the information it needs from the mail header of the original message.  The following example shows how repl constructs the mail header for the return message.

To: <Reply−To> or <From> or <sender>
cc: <cc>, <To>, and yourself
Subject: Re: <Subject>
In−reply−to: Your message of <Date>.
<Message−Id>

Field names enclosed in angle brackets (< >) indicate the contents of the named field from the original message.

OPTIONS

You can create a different mail header from the default and use it every time you reply to mail.  If you create an alternative mail header and store it in the file replcomps in your MH directory, repl will use it instead of the default header file.  You can also vary the appearance of the mail header for the reply, by using the −form<formfile> option.  If you specify a header file with the form<formfile> option, this header file will always be used regardless of how the other options are set.

Normally, repl will reply to the original sender and send carbon copies to all the addressees on the original message.  You can change this, if you want, by specifying the −cc<type> option.  The cc option lets you select the following type switches.

In addition to this you can modify the list of reciptients by specifying the −query option.  This option modifies the action of the −cc type switch by interactively asking you if each address that would normally be placed in the To: and cc: list should actually receive a copy.

You cannot reply to a message if you have a message in your draft file, until you have cleared the draft file.  If the draft already exists, repl will ask you for the disposition of the draft. A reply of quit will abort repl, leaving the draft intact; replace will replace the existing draft with a blank skeleton; and list will display the draft.

You can avoid this by setting up a +drafts folder.  This will allow you to have more than one incomplete or unsent message in your system at the same time.  See folders() for details of how you can do this.

You can also avoid this problem by specifying −draftfolder +foldername.  This option lets you determine which folder the message reply is created in.  In the following example the message reply would be created in the +answer folder.

% repl -draftfolder +answer

This reply will be created regardless of whether there is a message already in the draft folder.

Finally, if you do not have a drafts folder set up, you can use the −draftmessage filename option.  This option allows you to specify a file in which the draft message will be created. 

The editor that is provided with repl is prompter. See prompter() for more details of this editor. You can specify an alternative editor using the −editor<editorname> option.  If you are regularly going to use the same editor, you can specify this by putting the following line in your .mh-profile.

% editor: <editorname>

See mh-profile() for more details.  The −noedit switch can be used to call repl without an editor.  See comp() for more details.

Note that while in the editor, the message being replied to is available through a link named “@” (assuming the default whatnowproc). In addition, the actual pathname of the message is stored in the envariable $editalt, and the pathname of the folder containing the message is stored in the envariable $mhfolder.

Although repl uses the −form  formfile switch to direct it how to construct the beginning of the draft, the −filter filterfile switch tells repl how the message, being replied to, should be formatted in the body of the draft. If −filter is not specified, then the message being replied to is not included in the body of the draft. If −filter filterfile is specified, then the message being replied to is filtered (re-formatted) prior to being output to the body of the draft. The filter file for repl should be a standard form file for mhl, as repl will invoke mhl to format the message being replied to. There is no default message filter.  The −filter option must be followed by a file name.

A filter file that is commonly used is:

:
body:nocomponent,compwidth=9,offset=9

This outputs a blank line and then the body of the message being replied to, indented by one tab-stop.

If the −annotate switch is given, the message being replied to will be annotated with the lines

     Replied: date
     Replied: addrs

where the address list contains one line for each addressee. The annotation will be done only if the message is sent directly from repl. If the message is not sent immediately from repl, comp −use may be used to re-edit and send the constructed message, but the annotations will not take place. The −inplace switch causes annotation to be done in place in order to preserve links to the annotated message.

The −format switch specifies that Internet-style formatting should be used.  This is the default set up for address formatting. If −format is specified, then lines beginning with the fields To:, cc: and Bcc: will be standardized and have duplicate addresses removed.

You can use −noformat in conjunction with the −width option to format your own address header.  However, this can result in creating a message header that will not be accepted by MH or other mail systems.  So you should only attempt to change the default settings if you completely understand the implications of any changes you intend to make.

The −fcc +folder switch can be used to automatically specify a folder to receive Fcc:s. More than one folder, each preceded by −fcc can be named.

Upon exiting from the editor, repl will invoke the whatnow program. See whatnow() for a discussion of available options. The invocation of this program can be inhibited by using the −nowhatnowproc switch.  But as it is actually the whatnow program which starts the initial edit, specifying −nowhatnowproc will prevent any edit from occurring.

If the whatnowproc is whatnow, then repl uses its own built-in whatnow, it does not actually run the whatnow program. Hence, if you define your own whatnowproc, do not call it whatnow since repl will not run it.

If your current working directory is not writable, the link named @ is not available. The default settings for this command are:

+folder defaults to the current folder
msg defaults to the current message
−cc all
−format
−noannotate
−nodraftfolder
−noinplace
−noquery
−width 72

FILES

PROFILE COMPONENTS

SEE ALSO

comp(1mh), dist(1mh), forw(1mh), prompter(1mh), send(1mh), whatnow(1mh), mh-format(5mh)

Commands