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repl(1) General Commands Manual repl(1) NAME repl - reply to a message (only available within the message handling system, mh) SYNOPSIS repl [ msg ] [ +folders ] [ options ] DESCRIPTION Use repl to reply to a message that you have received. By default, repl replies to the current message in the current folder. If you want to reply to another message, you can specify a message num- ber as the msg argument. You can also specify a message in another folder by supplying a +folder argument. You can supply both a msg and a +folder argument. If you specify a folder without giving a message number, repl will reply to the current message in the named 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-re- ply-to: Your message of <Date>. <Message-Id> Field names enclosed in angle brackets (< >) indicate the contents of the named field from the original message. Normally, repl replies to the original sender, and sends carbon copies to all the addressees on the original message. 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 Mail directory, repl will use it instead of the default header file. This must be an mhl file; see mh-format(4) for more information. If you do not have a draft folder set up, repl creates your new draft in a file called draft in your Mail directory. This file must be empty before you can create a new draft, which means that you can only store one draft at a time. If it is not empty, the mail system will ask you what you want to do with the existing contents. The options are: quit Aborts repl, leaving the draft intact. replace Replaces the existing draft with the appropriate message form. list Displays the draft message. refile Refiles the existing draft message in the specified folder, and provides a new message form for you to complete. If you want to be able to have more than one draft at a time, you can set up a draft folder in your .mh_profile. This allows you to keep as many unsent drafts as space allows, and still create new messages as you wish. To do this, make sure that the following line is in your .mh_profile: Draft-folder: +drafts For more information on how to do this, see mh_profile(4). If you set up a draft folder, all draft messages are created in that folder. If you decide not to send the draft, by typing quit at the What now? prompt, the message is stored in the draft folder. You can then re-edit the message, or send it at a later date, by using the comp -use command. Note that while in the editor, the message being replied to is avail- able through a link named @ (assuming the default whatnowproc). In ad- dition, the actual pathname of the message is stored in the environment variable $editalt, and the pathname of the folder containing the mes- sage is stored in the environment variable $mhfolder. If your current working directory is not writable, the link named @ is not available. FLAGS -annotate -noannotate Marks out the original message as replied to. When the mes- sage is shown on the listing produced by scan, it is marked with a dash (-). The following lines are also added to the message: Replied: date Replied: addrs where the address list contains one line for each addressee. The mail system will annotate the message only if it is sent immediately. If the message is not sent immediately, you can send it later with comp -use, but the annotations will not take place. -cc all|to|cc|me -nocc all|to|cc|me Specifies who will receive copies of the reply. By default the mail system sends the reply to the sender of the original message, and copies to all other names in the To: and cc: lines. You can change this behavior by using the -cc option. This sends copies of the replies only to the specified names. There are four values: -cc all sends copies to all the names on the original message; -cc to sends copies only to those names in the To: field; -cc cc sends copies only to those names in the cc: field; and -cc me sends a copy of the reply to yourself. There is also a -nocc option, which stops copies of the reply being sent to the named people. It takes the same values as -cc . So, for example, -nocc cc would stop replies being sent to the names in the cc: field of the original message. -draftfolder +folder -nodraftfolder Specifies the folder in which the draft message is created. If you do not send the draft, it is stored in this folder. This option is usually set up in your .mh_profile. See mh_profile(4) for more information. If you have this option set up, you can override it by using the -nodraftfolder op- tion. -editor editorname Specifies the editor you wish to use to write your reply. The default editor provided is prompter. You can specify any legal editor as an alternative. You can also set up an editor in your .mh_profile file. See mh_profile(4) for more details. -fcc +folder Specifies a folder to receive copies of your reply. More than one folder can be named, each preceded by -fcc . -filter filterfile Specifies how the original message is formatted in the draft. By default, the mail system does not include a copy of the original message in your reply. If you use the -filter fil- terfile option, the original message may be included in your reply, and formatted according to the information in the file you name. 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 filter file for repl; you must create your own. 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. -form formfile Varies the appearance of the mail header for the reply. The mail system will construct the header according to the in- structions in the named file. In order for repl to operate correctly, this must be an mhl file; see mh-format(4) for more information. This option overrides the header set up by the system file /usr/lib/mh/replcomps. -help Prints out a list of valid options to the command. -inplace -noinplace Causes annotation to be done in place, in order to preserve links to the annotated message. -noedit Calls repl without an editor. This option takes you straight to the What now? prompt, without allowing you to edit your reply. This will usually produce a reply with no text in the body of the message. -query -noquery Allows you to modify the list of recipients. The mail system asks you whether each of the addresses that would normally be placed in the To: and cc: fields should actually receive a copy of the reply. -width Sets the maximum width of the header line. Lines exceeding this width are split. -whatnowproc program -nowhatnowproc Specifies an alternative whatnow program. Normally, repl in- vokes the default whatnow program. See whatnow(1) for a dis- cussion of available options. You can specify your own al- ternative to the default program using the -whatnowproc pro- gram option. If you do specify your own program, you should not call it whatnow. You can suppress the whatnow program entirely by using the -nowhatnowproc option. However, as the program normally starts the initial edit, the -nowhatnowproc option will pre- vent you from editing the message. 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 EXAMPLES This example replies to message number 15 in the current folder: % repl 15 The next example creates your reply in the folder +drafts. If you de- cide not to send the draft reply, the mail system will store it in this folder: % repl -draftfolder +drafts The next example places a copy of your reply in your +copylog folder: % repl -fcc +copylog PROFILE COMPONENTS tab(+); lw(1.5i) l. Path:+To determine your Mail directory Alternate- Mailboxes:+To determine your mailboxes Draft-Folder:+To find the de- fault draft folder Editor:+To override the default editor Msg-Pro- tect:+To set mode when creating a new message (draft) fileproc:+Program to refile the message mhlproc:+Program to filter message being replied to whatnowproc:+Program to ask the "What now?" questions FILES /usr/lib/mh/replcomps The default system reply template. <mh-dir>/replcomps The user-supplied alternative to the standard reply template. $HOME/.mh_profile The user profile. <mh-dir>/draft The draft file. RELATED INFORMATION comp(1), dist(1), forw(1), prompter(1), send(1), whatnow(1), mh-for- mat(4) delim off repl(1)