. ds ct " .\} . ds ct \\(co .\} filter - filter incoming messages before adding to mailbox filter [-q] [-v] [-l] [-o output] [-f rules-file]

filter [-n] [-f rules-file]

filter [-r] [-o output] [-f rules-file]

filter [-c] [-s] [-o output] [-f rules-file]

filter [-c] [-S] [-o output] [-f rules-file]

Filter uses a set of selection rules to process incoming mail messages. The format for the rules, located in $HOME/.elm/filter-rules, is;

 
 rule ::= if (expression) then action

where expression is:

 expression ::= { not } condition expr2

 expr2 ::= NULL | and condition expr2

 condition ::= field relationship value
 ::= lines relop numvalue
or ::= always

These further break down as:

 field ::= from | subject | to | lines | sender

 relationship ::= = | !=
 
 relop ::= = | != | < | > | <= | >=

 value ::= any quoted string

 numvalue ::= any integer value

Action can be any of:

 delete
 save foldername
 savecopy foldername
 execute command
 executec command
 forward address
 leave

For further information about the rules language, please see The Elm Filter Guide. The flags the filter program understands are;

1.0i "-c" Clear logs. If this flag is used, the log files will be removed after being summarized by either "-s" or "-S" (see below).

-f rules-file Get rules from specified file instead of default $HOME/.elm/filter-rules

"-l" Log actions only. Do not log information about mailed messages.

"-n" Not really. Output what would happen if given message from standard input, but don't actually do anything with it.

-o file Redirect stdout messages to the specified file or device. Logging of filter actions is not affected. (This is added to more gracefully deal with changes in the file system (since sendmail is quite picky about modes of files being redirected into.))

"-q" Quiet. Do not log filtering actions.

"-r" Rules. List the rules currently being used.

"-s" Summarize. List a summary of the message filtering log.

"-S" This is the same as `-s' but includes message-by-message information additionally.

"-v" Verbose. Give output on standard out for each message filtered. Useful to have redirected to ``/dev/console'' and such. (see -o too).

Elm Development Group $HOME/.elm/filter-rules Default rules file

$HOME/.elm/filterlog A log of what has been done

$HOME/.elm/filtersum A summary of what has been done

/etc/passwd Used to get users home directory

"The Elm Filter Guide"

readmsg(1L), elm(1L), mail(1), mailx(1), sendmail(1,8)

Not really smart about pattern matching. Syd Weinstein elm@DSI.COM (dsinc!elm) \*(ctCopyright 1988-1992 by The USENET Community Trust

Derived from Elm 2.0, \*(ct Copyright 1986, 1987 by Dave Taylor