NAME

       dist - redistribute a message to additional addresses

SYNOPSIS

       dist [+folder] [msgs] [-form formfile] [-annotate | -noannotate] [-editor editor]
            [-whatnowproc program] [-Version] [-help]

DESCRIPTION

       Dist is similar to  forw.   It  prepares  the  specified  message  for  redistribution  to
       addresses that (presumably) are not on the original address list.

       The default message form contains the following elements:

            Resent-To:
            Resent-Cc:
            Resent-Fcc:

       If a file named `distcomps' exists in the user's mmh directory, it will be used instead of
       this default form.  You may  specify  an  alternate  forms  file  with  the  switch  -form
       formfile.  The form used will be prepended to the message being resent.

       Only those addresses in `Resent-To:', `Resent-Cc:', and `Resent-Bcc:' will be sent.  Also,
       a `Resent-Fcc: folder' will be honored (see send(1)).  Note  that  with  dist,  the  draft
       should  contain  only  `Resent-xxx:'  fields and no body.  The headers and the body of the
       original message are copied  to  the  draft  when  the  message  is  sent.   Use  care  in
       constructing the headers for the redistribution.

       If  the  -annotate  switch is given, the  message being distributed will be annotated with
       the line:

            Resent: date

       This annotation will be done only if the message is  sent  directly  from  dist.   If  the
       message is not sent immediately from dist, `comp -use' may be used to re-edit and send the
       constructed message, but the annotations won't take place.  Annotations  are  always  done
       inplace in order to preserve any links to the message.

       See  comp(1)  for a description of the -editor switch.  Note that while in the editor, the
       actual pathname of the  message  being  resent  is  stored  in  the  environment  variable
       $mhaltmsg,  and  the  pathname  of  the  folder  containing  the  message is stored in the
       environment variable $mhfolder.

       Consult the mh-draft(7) man page for more information.

       Upon exiting from the editor, dist will invoke the whatnow program.  See whatnow(1) for  a
       discussion of available options.

FILES

       /etc/mmh/distcomps         The standard message skeleton
       or $HOME/.mmh/distcomps    Rather than the standard skeleton
       $HOME/.mmh/profile         The user profile
       +drafts                    The draft folder

PROFILE COMPONENTS

       Path:                To determine the user's mail storage
       Current-Folder:      To find the default current folder
       Draft-Folder:        To set the default draft-folder
       Editor:              To override the default editor
       whatnowproc:         Program to ask the `What now?' questions

SEE ALSO

       comp(1), forw(1), repl(1), send(1), whatnow(1)

DEFAULTS

       `+folder' defaults to the current folder
       `msg' defaults to the current message
       `-noannotate'

CONTEXT

       If  a  folder  is  given, it will become the current folder.  The message distributed will
       become the current message.

HISTORY

       Dist originally used headers of the form `Distribute-xxx:' instead of  `Resent-xxx:'.   In
       order  to  conform with the ARPA Internet standard, RFC-822, the `Resent-xxx:' form is now
       used.  Since mmh dist will no longer recognize and convert `Distribute-xxx:' type headers.

BUGS

       Dist does not rigorously  check  the  message  being  distributed  for  adherence  to  the
       transport standard, but post called by send does.  The post program will balk (and rightly
       so) at poorly formatted messages, and dist won't correct things for you.