MH-FORMAT(5)MH-FORMAT(5)NAMEmh-format - format file for nmh message system
DESCRIPTION
Several nmh commands utilize either a format string or a format file
during their execution. For example, scan uses a format string which
directs it how to generate the scan listing for each message; repl uses
a format file which directs it how to generate the reply to a message,
and so on.
There are a few alternate scan listing formats available in
nmh/etc/scan.time, nmh/etc/scan.size, and nmh/etc/scan.timely. Look in
nmh/etc for other scan and repl format files which may have been writ‐
ten at your site.
It suffices to have your local nmh expert actually write new format
commands or modify existing ones. This manual section explains how to
do that. Note: familiarity with the C printf routine is assumed.
A format string consists of ordinary text, and special multi-character
escape sequences which begin with `%'. When specifying a format
string, the usual C backslash characters are honored: `\b', `\f', `\n',
`\r', and `\t'. Continuation lines in format files end with `\' fol‐
lowed by the newline character.
SYNTAX
Format strings are built around escape sequences. There are three
types of escape sequences: header components, built-in functions, and
flow control. Comments may be inserted in most places where a function
argument is not expected. A comment begins with `%;' and ends with a
(non-escaped) newline.
A component escape is specified as `%{component}', and exists for each
header found in the message being processed. For example `%{date}'
refers to the “Date:” field of the appropriate message. All component
escapes have a string value. Normally, component values are compressed
by converting any control characters (tab and newline included) to spa‐
ces, then eliding any leading or multiple spaces. However, commands
may give different interpretations to some component escapes; be sure
to refer to each command's manual entry for complete details. Some
commands (such as ap and mhl) use a special component `%{text}' to
refer to the text being processed; see their respective man pages for
details and examples.
A function escape is specified as `%(function)'. All functions are
built-in, and most have a string or numeric value. A function escape
may have an argument. The argument follows the function escape: sepa‐
rating whitespace is discarded: `%(function argument)'.
In addition to literal numbers or strings, the argument to a function
escape can be another function, a component, or a control escape. When
the argument is a function or a component, they are listed without a
leading `%'. When control escapes are used as function arguments, they
written as normally, with a leading `%';
Control escapes
A control escape is one of: `%<', `%?', `%|', or `%>'. These are com‐
bined into the conditional execution construct:
%< condition format-text
%? condition format-text
...
%| format-text
%>
Extra white space is shown here only for clarity. These constructs may
be nested without ambiguity. They form a general if-elseif-else-endif
block where only one of the format-texts is interpreted. In other
words, `%<' is like the "if", `%?' is like the "elseif", `%|' is like
"else", and `%>' is like "endif".
A `%<' or `%?' control escape causes its condition to be evaluated.
This condition is a component or function. For integer valued func‐
tions or components, the condition is true if the function return or
component value is non-zero, and false if zero. For string valued
functions or components, the condition is true if the function return
or component value is a non-empty string, and false for an empty
string.
The `%?' control escape is optional, and may there may be more than one
`%?' control escape in a conditional block. The `%|' control escape is
also optional, but may be included at most once.
Function escapes
Functions expecting an argument generally require an argument of a par‐
ticular type. In addition to the number and string types, these
include:
Argument Description Example Syntax
literal A literal number %(func 1234)
or string %(func text string)
comp Any component %(func{in-reply-to})
date A date component %(func{date})
addr An address component %(func{from})
expr Nothing %(func)
or a subexpression %(func(func2))
or control escape %(func %<{reply-to}%|%{from}%>)
The types date and addr have the same syntax as comp, but require that
the header component be a date string, or address string, respectively.
Most arguments not of type expr are required. When escapes are nested
(via expr arguments), evaluation is done from inner-most to outer-most.
As noted above, for the expr argument type, functions and components
are written without a leading `%'. Control escape arguments must use a
leading `%', preceded by a space.
For example,
%<(mymbox{from}) To: %{to}%>
writes the value of the header component “From:” to the internal reg‐
ister named str; then (mymbox) reads str and writes its result to the
internal register named num; then the control escape evaluates num. If
num is non-zero, the string “To:” is printed followed by the value
of the header component “To:”.
Evaluation
The evaluation of format strings is performed by a small virtual
machine. The machine is capable of evaluating nested expressions as
described above, and in addition has an integer register num, and a
text string register str. When a function escape that accepts an
optional argument is processed, and the argument is not present, the
current value of either num or str is used as the argument: which reg‐
ister is used depends on the function, as listed below.
Component escapes write the value of their message header in str.
Function escapes write their return value in num for functions return‐
ing integer or boolean values, and in str for functions returning
string values. (The boolean type is a subset of integers with usual
values 0=false and 1=true.) Control escapes return a boolean value,
setting num to 1 if the last explicit condition evaluated by a `%<' or
`%?' control succeeded, and 0 otherwise.
All component escapes, and those function escapes which return an inte‐
ger or string value, evaluate to their value as well as setting str or
num. Outermost escape expressions in these forms will print their
value, but outermost escapes which return a boolean value do not result
in printed output.
Functions
The function escapes may be roughly grouped into a few categories.
Function Argument Result Description
msg integer message number
cur integer message is current (0 or 1)
unseen integer message is unseen (0 or 1)
size integer size of message
strlen integer length of str
width integer output buffer size in bytes
charleft integer bytes left in output buffer
timenow integer seconds since the UNIX epoch
me string the user's mailbox (username)
myhost string the user's local hostname
myname string the user's name
localmbox string the complete local mailbox
eq literal boolean num == arg
ne literal boolean num != arg
gt literal boolean num > arg
match literal boolean str contains arg
amatch literal boolean str starts with arg
plus literal integer arg plus num
minus literal integer arg minus num
divide literal integer num divided by arg
modulo literal integer num modulo arg
num literal integer Set num to arg.
num integer Set num to zero.
lit literal string Set str to arg.
lit string Clear str.
getenv literal string Set str to environment value of arg
profile literal string Set str to profile component arg
value
nonzero expr boolean num is non-zero
zero expr boolean num is zero
null expr boolean str is empty
nonnull expr boolean str is non-empty
void expr Set str or num
comp comp string Set str to component text
compval comp integer Set num to “atoi(comp)”
decode expr string decode str as RFC-2047 (MIME-encoded)
component
unquote expr string remove RFC-2822 quotes from str
trim expr trim trailing white-space from str
putstr expr print str
putstrf expr print str in a fixed width
putnum expr print num
putnumf expr print num in a fixed width
putlit expr print str without space compression
nodate string integer Argument not a date string (0 or 1)
formataddr expr append arg to str as a
(comma separated) address list
concataddr expr append arg to str as a
(comma separated) address list,
including duplicates,
see Special Handling
putaddr literal print str address list with
arg as optional label;
get line width from num
The (me) function returns the username of the current user. The
(myhost) function returns the localname entry in mts.conf, or the local
hostname if localname is not configured. The (myname) function will
return the value of the SIGNATURE environment variable if set, other‐
wise will return the passwd GECOS field (truncated at the first comma
if it contains one) for the current user. The (localmbox) function
will return the complete form of the local mailbox, suitable for use in
a “From” header. It will return the “Local-Mailbox” profile entry if
it is set; if it is not, it will be equivalent to:
%(myname) <%(me)@%(myhost)>
The following functions require a date component as an argument:
Function Argument Return Description
sec date integer seconds of the minute
min date integer minutes of the hour
hour date integer hours of the day (0-23)
wday date integer day of the week (Sun=0)
day date string day of the week (abbrev.)
weekday date string day of the week
sday date integer day of the week known?
(1=explicit,0=implicit,-1=unknown)
mday date integer day of the month
yday date integer day of the year
mon date integer month of the year
month date string month of the year (abbrev.)
lmonth date string month of the year
year date integer year (may be > 100)
zone date integer timezone in hours
tzone date string timezone string
szone date integer timezone explicit?
(1=explicit,0=implicit,-1=unknown)
date2local date coerce date to local timezone
date2gmt date coerce date to GMT
dst date integer daylight savings in effect? (0 or 1)
clock date integer seconds since the UNIX epoch
rclock date integer seconds prior to current time
tws date string official 822 rendering
pretty date string user-friendly rendering
These functions require an address component as an argument. The
return value of functions noted with `*' is computed from the first
address present in the header component.
Function Argument Return Description
proper addr string official 822 rendering
friendly addr string user-friendly rendering
addr addr string mbox@host or host!mbox rendering*
pers addr string the personal name*
note addr string commentary text*
mbox addr string the local mailbox*
mymbox addr integer List has the user's address? (0 or 1)
host addr string the host domain*
nohost addr integer no host was present (0 or 1)*
type addr integer host type* (0=local,1=network,
-1=uucp,2=unknown)
path addr string any leading host route*
ingrp addr integer address was inside a group (0 or 1)*
gname addr string name of group*
(A clarification on (mymbox{comp}) is in order. This function checks
each of the addresses in the header component “comp” against the user's
mailbox name and any “Alternate-Mailboxes”. It returns true if any
address matches, however, it also returns true if the “comp” header is
not present in the message. If needed, the (null) function can be used
to explicitly test for this case.)
Formatting
When a function or component escape is interpreted and the result will
be immediately printed, an optional field width can be specified to
print the field in exactly a given number of characters. For example,
a numeric escape like %4(size) will print at most 4 digits of the mes‐
sage size; overflow will be indicated by a `?' in the first position
(like `?234'). A string escape like %4(me) will print the first 4
characters and truncate at the end. Short fields are padded at the
right with the fill character (normally, a blank). If the field width
argument begins with a leading zero, then the fill character is set to
a zero.
The functions (putnumf) and (putstrf) print their result in exactly the
number of characters specified by their leading field width argument.
For example, %06(putnumf(size)) will print the message size in a field
six characters wide filled with leading zeros; %14(putstrf{from}) will
print the “From:” header component in fourteen characters with trailing
spaces added as needed. For putstrf, using a negative value for the
field width causes right-justification of the string within the field,
with padding on the left up to the field width. The functions (putnum)
and (putstr) are somewhat special: they print their result in the mini‐
mum number of characters required, and ignore any leading field width
argument. The (putlit) function outputs the exact contents of str reg‐
ister without any changes such as duplicate space removal or control
character conversion.
The available output width is kept in an internal register; any output
past this width will be truncated.
Special Handling
A few functions have different behavior depending on what command they
are being invoked from.
In repl the (formataddr) function stores all email addresses encoun‐
tered into an internal cache and will use this cache to suppress dupli‐
cate addresses. If you need to create an address list that includes
previously-seen addresses you may use the (concataddr) function, which
is identical to (formataddr) in all other respects. Note that (con‐
cataddr) will NOT add addresses to the duplicate-suppression cache.
Other Hints and Tips
Sometimes to format function writers it is confusing as to why output
is duplicated. The general rule to remember is simple: If a function
or component escape is used where it starts with a %, then it will gen‐
erate text in the output file. Otherwise, it will not.
A good example is a simple attempt to generate a To: header based on
the From: and Reply-To: headers:
%(formataddr %<{reply-to}%|%{from})%(putaddr To: )
Unfortuantely if the Reply-to: header is NOT present, the output line
that is generated will be something like:
My From User <from@example.com>To: My From User <from@example.com>
What went wrong? When performing the test for the if clause (%<), the
component is not output because it is considered an argument to the if
statement (hence the rule about the lack of % applies). But the compo‐
nent escape in our else statement (everything after the `%|') is NOT an
argument to anything; the syntax is that it is written with a %, and
thus the value of that component is output. This also has the side
effect of setting the str register, which is later picked up by the
(formataddr) function and then output by (putaddr). This format string
has another bug as well; there should always be a valid width value in
the num register when (putaddr) is called, otherwise bad formatting can
take place.
The solution is to use the (void) function; this will prevent the func‐
tion or component from outputting any text. With this in place (and
using (width) to set the num register for the width, a better implemen‐
tation would look like:
%(formataddr %<{reply-to}%|%(void{from})%(void(width))%(putaddr To: )
It should be noted here that the side-effects of functions and compo‐
nent escapes still are in force: as a result each component test in the
if-elseif-else-endif clause sets the str register.
As an additional note, the (formataddr) and (concataddr) functions have
some behavior when it comes to the str register. The starting point of
the register is saved and is used to build up entries in the address
list.
You will find the ap and fmtdump utilities invaluable in debugging
problems with format strings.
Examples
With all this in mind, here's the default format string for scan. It's
been divided into several pieces for readability. The first part is:
%4(msg)%<(cur)+%| %>%<{replied}-%?{encrypted}E%| %>
which says that the message number should be printed in four digits.
If the message is the current message then a `+' else a space should be
printed; if a “Replied:” field is present then a `-' else if an
“Encrypted:” field is present then an `E' otherwise a space should be
printed. Next:
%02(mon{date})/%02(mday{date})
the month and date are printed in two digits (zero filled) separated by
a slash. Next,
%<{date} %|*%>
If a “Date:” field was present, then a space is printed, otherwise a
`*'. Next,
%<(mymbox{from})%<{to}To:%14(decode(friendly{to}))%>%>
if the message is from me, and there is a “To:” header, print “To:”
followed by a “user-friendly” rendering of the first address in the
“To:” field; any MIME-encoded characters are decoded into the actual
characters. Continuing,
%<(zero)%17(decode(friendly{from}))%>
if either of the above two tests failed, then the “From:” address is
printed in a mime-decoded, “user-friendly” format. And finally,
%(decode{subject})%<{body}<<%{body}>>%>
the mime-decoded subject and initial body (if any) are printed.
For a more complicated example, next consider a possible replcomps for‐
mat file.
%(lit)%(formataddr %<{reply-to}
This clears str and formats the “Reply-To:” header if present. If not
present, the else-if clause is executed.
%?{from}%?{sender}%?{return-path}%>)\
This formats the “From:”, “Sender:” and “Return-Path:” headers, stop‐
ping as soon as one of them is present. Next:
%<(nonnull)%(void(width))%(putaddr To: )\n%>\
If the formataddr result is non-null, it is printed as an address (with
line folding if needed) in a field width wide with a leading label of
“To:”.
%(lit)%(formataddr{to})%(formataddr{cc})%(formataddr(me))\
str is cleared, and the “To:” and “Cc:” headers, along with the user's
address (depending on what was specified with the “-cc” switch to repl)
are formatted.
%<(nonnull)%(void(width))%(putaddr cc: )\n%>\
If the result is non-null, it is printed as above with a leading label
of “cc:”.
%<{fcc}Fcc: %{fcc}\n%>\
If a -fcc folder switch was given to repl (see repl(1) for more details
about %{fcc}), an “Fcc:” header is output.
%<{subject}Subject: Re: %{subject}\n%>\
If a subject component was present, a suitable reply subject is output.
%<{message-id}In-Reply-To: %{message-id}\n%>\
%<{message-id}References: %<{references} %{references}%>\
%{message-id}\n%>
--------
If a message-id component was present, an “In-Reply-To:” header is out‐
put including the message-id, followed by a “References:” header with
references, if present, and the message-id. As with all plain-text,
the row of dashes are output as-is.
This last part is a good example for a little more elaboration. Here's
that part again in pseudo-code:
if (comp_exists(message-id)) then
print (“In-reply-to: ”)
print (message-id.value)
print (“\n”)
endif
if (comp_exists(message-id)) then
print (“References: ”)
if (comp_exists(references)) then
print(references.value);
endif
print (message-id.value)
print (“\n”)
endif
One more example: Currently, nmh supports very large message numbers,
and it is not uncommon for a folder to have far more than 10000 mes‐
sages. Nontheless (as noted above) the various scan format strings are
inherited from older MH versions, and are generally hard-coded to 4
digits of message number before formatting problems start to occur.
The nmh format strings can be modified to behave more sensibly with
larger message numbers:
%(void(msg))%<(gt 9999)%(msg)%|%4(msg)%>
The current message number is placed in num. (Note that (msg) is an
int function, not a component.) The (gt) conditional is used to test
whether the message number has 5 or more digits. If so, it is printed
at full width, otherwise at 4 digits.
SEE ALSOscan(1), repl(1), ap(8), dp(8)CONTEXT
None
nmh-1.5-2 March 24, 2012 MH-FORMAT(5)
