REFILE(1)

NAME
refile - file message in other folders

SYNOPSIS
refile [msgs] [-draft] [-link] [-nolink] [-preserve] [-nopreserve] [-src +folder] [-file file] [-rmmproc program] [-normmproc] +folder ... [-help]

DESCRIPTION
Refile moves (mv (1)) or links (ln (1)) messages from a source folder into one or more destination folders. If you think of a message as a sheet of paper, this operation is not unlike filing the sheet of paper (or copies) in file cabinet folders. When a message is filed, it is linked into the destination folder(s) if possible, and is copied otherwise. As long as the destination folders are all on the same file system, multiple filing causes little storage overhead. This facility provides a good way to cross-file or multiply-index messages. For example, if a message is received from Jones about the ARPA Map Project, the command
     refile cur +jones +Map would allow the message to be found in either of the two folders `jones' or `Map'. The option `-file file' directs refile to use the specified file as the source message to be filed, rather than a message from a folder. Note that the file should be a validly formatted message, just like any other MH message. It should NOT be in mail drop format (to convert a file in mail drop format to a folder of MH messages, see inc (1)). If a destination folder doesn't exist, refile will ask if you want to create it. A negative response will abort the file operation. If the standard input for refile is not a tty, then refile will not ask any questions and will proceed as if the user answered “yes” to all questions. The option `-link' preserves the source folder copy of the message (i.e., it does a ln(1) rather than a mv(1)), whereas, `-nolink' deletes the filed messages from the source folder. Normally, when a message is filed, it is assigned the next highest number available in each of the destination folders. Use of the `-preserve' switch will override this message renaming, but name conflicts may occur, so use this switch cautiously. If `-link' is not specified (or `-nolink' is specified), the filed messages will be removed from the source folder, by renaming them with a site-dependent prefix (usually a comma). If the user has a profile component such as
    rmmproc:    /bin/rm
then refile will instead call the named program to delete the message files. The user may specify `-rmmproc program' on the command line to override this profile specification. The `-normmproc' option forces the message files to be deleted by renaming them as described above. The `-draft' switch tells refile to file the <mh-dir>/draft. ^$HOME/.mh_profile~^The user profile ^Path:~^To determine the user's MH directory ^Current-Folder:~^To find the default current folder ^Folder-Protect:~^To set mode when creating a new folder ^rmmproc:~^Program to delete the message folder(1) `-src +folder' defaults to the current folder `msgs' defaults to cur `-nolink' `-nopreserve' If `-src +folder' is given, it will become the current folder. If neither `-link' nor `all' is specified, the current message in the source folder will be set to the last message specified; otherwise, the current message won't be changed. If the Previous-Sequence profile entry is set, in addition to defining the named sequences from the source folder, refile will also define those sequences for the destination folders. See mh-sequence (5) for information concerning the previous sequence. Since refile uses your rmmproc to delete the message, the rmmproc must NOT call refile without specifying `-normmproc', or you will create an infinte loop.