DIST(1mh)

NAME
dist - redistribute a message to additional addresses

SYNOPSIS

dist [+folder] [msgs] [-form formfile] [-annotate | -noannotate] [-editor editor] [-whatnowproc program] [-Version] [-help]

DESCRIPTION
Dist is similar to forw. It prepares the specified message for redistribution to addresses that (presumably) are not on the original address list.

The default message form contains the following elements:

    Resent-To:
    Resent-Cc:
    Resent-Fcc:

If a file named `distcomps' exists in the user's mmh directory, it will be used instead of this default form. You may specify an alternate forms file with the switch -form formfile. The form used will be prepended to the message being resent.

Only those addresses in `Resent-To:', `Resent-Cc:', and `Resent-Bcc:' will be sent. Also, a `Resent-Fcc: folder' will be honored (see send(1)). Note that with dist, the draft should contain only `Resent-xxx:' fields and no body. The headers and the body of the original message are copied to the draft when the message is sent. Use care in constructing the headers for the redistribution.

If the -annotate switch is given, the message being distributed will be annotated with the line:

     Resent: date

This annotation will be done only if the message is sent directly from dist. If the message is not sent immediately from dist, `comp -use' may be used to re-edit and send the constructed message, but the annotations won't take place. Annotations are always done inplace in order to preserve any links to the message.

See comp(1) for a description of the -editor switch. Note that while in the editor, the actual pathname of the message being resent is stored in the environment variable $mhaltmsg, and the pathname of the folder containing the message is stored in the environment variable $mhfolder.

Consult the mh-draft(7) man page for more information.

Upon exiting from the editor, dist will invoke the whatnow program. See whatnow(1) for a discussion of available options.

FILES
^/etc/mmh/distcomps~^The standard message skeleton
^or $HOME/.mmh/distcomps~^Rather than the standard skeleton
^$HOME/.mmh/profile~^The user profile
^+drafts~^The draft folder

PROFILE COMPONENTS
^Path:~^To determine the user's mail storage
^Current-Folder:~^To find the default current folder
^Draft-Folder:~^To set the default draft-folder
^Editor:~^To override the default editor
^whatnowproc:~^Program to ask the `What now?' questions

SEE ALSO
comp(1), forw(1), repl(1), send(1), whatnow(1)

DEFAULTS
`+folder' defaults to the current folder
`msg' defaults to the current message
`-noannotate'

CONTEXT
If a folder is given, it will become the current folder. The message distributed will become the current message.

HISTORY
Dist originally used headers of the form `Distribute-xxx:' instead of `Resent-xxx:'. In order to conform with the ARPA Internet standard, RFC-822, the `Resent-xxx:' form is now used. Since mmh dist will no longer recognize and convert `Distribute-xxx:' type headers.

BUGS
Dist does not rigorously check the message being distributed for adherence to the transport standard, but post called by send does. The post program will balk (and rightly so) at poorly formatted messages, and dist won't correct things for you.