---
name: "mh-draft"
section: "5mh"
platform: "linux"
package: "nmh"
version: "1.8-3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/mh-draft/5mh"
---

# mh-draft(5mh)

draft folder facility for nmh message system

## NAME

mh-draft - draft folder facility for nmh message system

## DESCRIPTION

There are a number of interesting advanced facilities for the composition of outgoing mail.

### The Draft Folder

The **comp**, **dist**, **forw**, **repl**, **send**, and **whom** commands each take the switches **-draftfolder** *+folder* and **-draftmessage** *msg*, which allow you to manipulate the various draft messages you are composing.

If **-draftfolder** *+folder* is used, draft messages will be constructed in the indicated folder.  The “*Draft-Folder*” profile entry may be used to specify a default draft folder.

If the switch **-draftmessage** *msg* is given, the specified draft is used to compose the message.  If **-draftmessage** *msg* is not used, then the draft defaults to \`new' (create a new draft) unless the user invokes **comp** with **-use**, in which case the default is \`cur'.

Hence, the user may have several message compositions in progress simultaneously.  Now, all of the **nmh** tools are available on each of the user's message drafts (e.g. **show**, **scan**, **pick**, and so on).  If the folder does not exist, the user is asked if it should be created (just like with **refile**). The last draft message the user was composing is known as \`cur' in the draft folder.

Using **send**, the user can send drafts using the standard **nmh** \`msgs' convention with **-draftmessage** *msgs*. If no \`msgs' are given, it defaults to \`cur'.

In addition, all of these programs have a **-nodraftfolder** switch, which undoes the last occurrence of **-draftfolder** *folder* (useful if a default is specified in the user's **nmh** profile).

If the user does not give the **-draftfolder** *+folder* switch, then all these commands act “normally”.  Note that the **-draft** switch to **send** and **show** still refers to the file called \`draft' in the user's **nmh** directory.  In the interests of economy of expression, when using **comp** or **send**, the user needn't prefix the draft \`msg' or \`msgs' with **-draftmessage**. Both of these commands accept a \`file' or \`files' argument and they will, if given **-draftfolder** *+folder*, treat these arguments as \`msg' or \`msgs'.  (This may appear to be inconsistent, at first, but it saves a lot of typing.)  Hence,

```
send -draftfolder +drafts first
```

is the same as

```
send -draftfolder +drafts -draftmessage first
```

To make all this a bit more clear, here are some examples.  Let's assume that the following entries are in the **nmh** profile:

```
Draft-Folder: drafts
sendf: -draftfolder +drafts
```

Furthermore, let's assume that the program **sendf** is a (symbolic) link in the user's *$HOME/bin/* directory to **send**. Now,

```
comp
dist
forw
repl
```

will construct the message draft in the \`drafts' folder using the \`new' message number.  Furthermore, they each define \`cur' in this folder to be that message draft.  If the user were to use the **quit** option at the \`What now?' prompt, then later on, if no other draft composition was done, the draft could be sent with simply

```
sendf
```

Or, if more editing was required, the draft could be edited with

```
comp -use
```

If other drafts had been composed in the meantime, so that this message draft was no longer known as \`cur' in the \`draft' folder, then the user could **scan** the folder to see which message draft should be used for editing or sending. Clever users could even employ a backquoted **pick** to do the work:

```
comp -use `pick +drafts -to nmh-workers`
```

or

```
sendf `pick +drafts -to nmh-workers`
```

Note that in the **comp** example, the output from **pick** must resolve to a single message draft (it makes no sense to talk about composing two or more drafts with one invocation of **comp**). In contrast, in the **send** example, as many message drafts as desired can appear, since **send** doesn't mind sending more than one draft at a time.

Note that the argument **-draftfolder** *+folder* is not included in the profile entry for **send**, since when **comp**, et al, invoke **send** directly, they supply **send** with the Unix pathname of the message draft; *not* a **-draftmessage** *msg* argument.  As far as **send** is concerned, a draft folder is not being used.

It is important to realize that **nmh** treats the draft folder like a standard **nmh** folder in nearly all respects.  There are two exceptions:

First, under no circumstances will the **-draftfolder** *folder* switch cause the named folder to become the current folder. Obviously, if the folder appeared in the context of a standard *+folder* argument to an **nmh** program, as in

```
scan +drafts
```

it might become the current folder, depending on the context changes of the **nmh** program in question.

Second, although conceptually **send** deletes the \`msgs' named in the draft folder, it does not call *delete-prog* to perform the deletion.

### What Happens if the Draft Exists

When the **comp**, **dist**, **forw**, and **repl** commands are invoked and the draft you indicated already exists, these programs will prompt the user for a response directing the program's action. The prompt is

```
Draft "/home/foobar/nmhbox/draft" exists (xx bytes).
Disposition?
```

The appropriate responses and their meanings are:

- **replace**

  deletes the draft and starts afresh

- **list**

  lists the draft

- **refile**

  files the draft into a folder and starts afresh

- **quit**

  leaves the draft intact and exits

In addition, if you specified **-draftfolder** *folder* to the command, then one other response will be accepted:

- **new**

  creates a new draft

just as if **-draftmessage** *new* had been given. Finally, the **comp** command will accept one more response:

- **use**

  re-uses the draft

just as if **-use** had been given.

## FILES

- $HOME/.mh\_profile

  The user's profile.

## PROFILE COMPONENTS

- Draft-Folder:

  For a default draft folder

## CONTEXT

None