NAME

       whatnow - prompting front-end for writing nmh messages

SYNOPSIS

       whatnow [-help] [-version] [-draftfolder +folder] [-draftmessage msg] [-nodraftfolder] [-editor editor]
            [-noedit] [-prompt string] [file]

DESCRIPTION

       whatnow  is  the  default program that queries the user about the disposition of a composed draft.  It is
       normally automatically invoked by one of the nmh commands comp, dist, forw, or  repl  after  the  initial
       edit.

       When started, the editor is started on the draft (unless -noedit is given, in which case the initial edit
       is  suppressed).   Then,  whatnow  repetitively prompts the user with “What now?”  and awaits a response.
       The valid responses are:

            edit             re-edit using the same editor that was used on the preceding round unless a profile
                             entry “<lasteditor>-next: <editor>” names an alternate editor

            edit editor      invoke editor for further editing

            refile +folder   refile the draft into the given folder

            mime             process the draft as MIME composition file using the buildmimeproc command (mhbuild
                             by default)

            display          list the message being distributed/replied-to on the terminal

            list             list the draft on the terminal

            send             send the message

            send -watch      send the message and monitor the delivery process

            push             send the message in the background

            whom             list the addresses that the message will go to

            whom -check      list the addresses and verify that they are acceptable to the transport service

            quit             preserve the draft and exit

            quit -delete     delete the draft and exit

            delete           delete the draft and exit

            cd directory     use directory when interpreting attachment file names

            pwd              print the working directory for attachment files

            ls [ls-options]  list files in the attachment working directory using the ls command

            attach [-v] files
                             add the named files to the message as MIME attachments;  -v  displays  the  mhbuild
                             directive that send(1) will use

            alist [-ln]      list the MIME attachments, either short, long [-l] or numbered [-n]

            detach [-n] files-or-numbers
                             remove MIME attachments, either by file name or by number with -n

       When entering your response, you need only type enough characters to uniquely identify the response.

       For the edit response, any valid switch to the editor is valid.

       For  the  send and push responses, any valid switch to send(1) is valid (as push merely invokes send with
       the -push option).

       For the whom response, any valid switch to whom(1) is valid.

       For the refile response, any valid switch to the fileproc is valid.

       For the display and list responses, any valid  argument  to  the  lproc  is  valid.   If  any  non-switch
       arguments  are  present,  then the pathname of the draft will be excluded from the argument list given to
       the lproc (this is useful for listing another nmh message).

       See mh-profile(5) for further information about how editors are used  by  nmh.   It  also  discusses  how
       environment variables can be used to direct whatnow's actions in complex ways.

       The -prompt string switch sets the prompting string for whatnow.

       The -draftfolder +folder and -draftmessage msg switches invoke the nmh draft folder facility.  This is an
       advanced (and highly useful) feature.  Consult the mh-draft(5) man page for more information.

       If  your  nmh  was  configured with readline enabled, you'll be able to use filename completion and other
       readline features at the prompt.  These are particularly useful with  the  cd,  ls,  attach,  and  detach
       commands for managing MIME attachments.

FILES

       $HOME/.mh_profile          The user profile
       <mh-dir>/draft             The draft file

PROFILE COMPONENTS

       Path:                To determine the user's nmh directory
       Draft-Folder:        To find the default draft-folder
       Editor:              To override the default editor
       <lasteditor>-next:   To name an editor to be used after exit
                            from <lasteditor>
       buildmimeproc:       Program to translate MIME composition files
       fileproc:            Program to refile the message
       lproc:               Program to list the contents of a message
       sendproc:            Program to use to send the message
       whomproc:            Program to determine who a message would go to

SEE ALSO

       send(1), whom(1)

DEFAULTS

       `-prompt' defaults to “What Now? ”

BUGS

       If  the  initial  edit  fails,  whatnow  deletes  your draft (by renaming it with a site-dependent prefix
       (usually a comma); failure of a later edit preserves the draft.

       If the buildmimeproc fails (returns a nonzero status),  whatnow  simply  prints  a  “What  now?”  prompt.
       whatnow depends on the buildmimeproc to tell the user that something went wrong.

       If  whatnowproc  is  whatnow, then comp, dist, forw, and repl use a built-in whatnow, and do not actually
       run the whatnow program.  Hence, if you define your own whatnowproc, don't call it whatnow since it won't
       be run.

       If sendproc is send, then whatnow uses a built-in send, it  does  not  actually  run  the  send  program.
       Hence, if you define your own sendproc, don't call it send since whatnow won't run it.

nmh-1.7.1                                          2014-01-23                                       WHATNOW(1mh)