dattier(_at_)wwa(_dot_)com (David W. Tamkin) wrote:
[snip]
I find it helps to think of `s' for "split" and `d' for "digest". -s will
split only where it finds "From " after an empty line (-es will split at
"From " at the start of a line without requiring a blank line before it) ...
and even then it won't split if "From " is protected by a Content-Length:
value (unless you use the -Y option to tell formail to ignore Content-Length:
headers). -ds does not require "From " because it is designed to separate
digest articles from one another as well as full-fledged messages from one
another; -ds will also split wherever it finds a clump of RFC822 headers
How big is a "clump?"
embedded in the body of a message.
A sort-of-related question. My feeling is that the answer is "no".
But anyway, for a particular digest, my .procmailrc contains:
# File the wxobs digests, split up
:0 i:
* ^From:.*wxobs-sne-digest
* ^Subject:.*wxobs-sne-digest
| formail +1 -ds >>split-digest
Recently, I found "two" messages, which *after* said processing,
ended up in my split-digest mailbox as follows (the lines
"Status: RO"
may have been added by elm when I deleted other messages):
: From 71435(_dot_)211(_at_)CompuServe(_dot_)COM Thu Aug 1 22:49:41 1996
: From: Munley <71435(_dot_)211(_at_)CompuServe(_dot_)COM>
: Date: 01 Aug 96 21:45:20 EDT
: Subject: Copy of: 5-Day Forecast August 2-6
: Status: RO
:
: - ---------- Forwarded Message ----------
:
: From Munley Thu Aug 1 22:49:41 1996
: From: Munley, 71435,211
: TO: Wxob MA, Internet:wxobs-mda(_at_)greatbasin(_dot_)com
: Wxobs-sne-digest, Internet:Wxobs-sne-digest(_at_)shore(_dot_)net
: DATE: 8/1/96 8:45 PM
: Status: RO
:
: RE: Copy of: 5-Day Forecast August 2-6
[text snipped due to irrelevancy here]
My question is, is there a way to *not* split the forwarded
message? That included "From " is a killer, I think. I don't think
digests come with built-in "Content-Length:" headers. (This is
a majordomo list, if it matters).
At a place I used to work, I always had problems with elm with
forwarded messages like the above; someone would forward me something
old which looked similar to the above (using suntools), and my sorting
by "date received" would use the From_ (I think) and put the interesting
stuff way back in my mailbox, and I'd miss it. (In that case there
*may* have been a Content-Length header overlooked by elm; I'm not
sure now.)
(I don't know whether the elm here at TIAC would honor a Content-Length:
header or not.)
It seems to me that any mail "forwarding" software that sends
a From_ header in the body unescaped and without a Content-Length:
header must be broken. Does an RFC cover this? Should it?
And, shouldn't that RFC also cover the contents of digests?
Cheers,
Stan Ryckman (stanr(_at_)tiac(_dot_)net)