[comp.mail.mh] # signs in inbox

gaspar@ALMSA-1.ARPA (Al Gaspar) (11/30/88)

I notice that when I refile items from my inbox the orignal messages
are stored in files with the same number but with a '#' sign in
the first position.  Are these removed by mh?  How?  I can do it
at the shell of course, but it seems so inelegant :-).

Cheers--

Al

-- 
Al Gaspar	<gaspar@almsa-1.arpa>
USAMC CSDA, ATTN:  AMXAL-OW, Box 1578, St. Louis, MO  63188-1578
COMMERCIAL:  (314) 263-5118	AUTOVON:  693-5118
uunet.uu.net!almsa-1.arpa!gaspar

jerryp@PACRAT.NPAC.SYR.EDU (Jerry Peek) (12/02/88)

> I notice that when I refile items from my inbox the orignal messages
> are stored in files with the same number but with a '#' sign in
> the first position.  Are these removed by mh?

On systems I know of, they're removed by cron(8), with a line in the crontab
file.  The line looks something like this:

	45 3 * * * find / -name "[,#]*" -type f -atime +7 -print | xargs rm -f

Once a day (at 3:45 AM) it searches the filesystem for files whose name
starts with "#" or "," and which haven't been read or written in 7 days.
It removes those files.

--Jerry Peek, Northeast Parallel Architectures Center, Syracuse, NY
  jerryp@cmx.npac.syr.edu
  +1 315 443-1722

khera@romeo.cs.duke.edu (Vick Khera) (12/04/88)

In article <8812011831.aa18248@ICS.UCI.EDU> gaspar@ALMSA-1.ARPA (Al Gaspar) writes:
>
>I notice that when I refile items from my inbox the orignal messages
>are stored in files with the same number but with a '#' sign in
>the first position.  Are these removed by mh?  How?  I can do it
>at the shell of course, but it seems so inelegant :-).
> ... 
>Al Gaspar	<gaspar@almsa-1.arpa>

In my installation of mh, deleted and refiled messages are renamed to have
a comma ``,'' before them.  i take care of these files with my .logout
file.  comma-files that have not been modified in two or more days are
deleted. 

----<cut here>----
if ( "$HOST" == "romeo" ) then
	find `mhpath +` -name ,\* -mtime +2 -exec rm -f \{\} \; &
endif
clear
echo Goodbye
----<cut here>----

							v.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
ARPA:	khera@cs.duke.edu		Department of Computer Science
CSNET:	khera@duke        		Duke University
UUCP:	decvax!duke!khera		Durham, NC 27706

tr@wind.bellcore.com (tom reingold) (12/04/88)

Vick Khera offers a ".logout" file to remove files from mh directories
that are more than two days old and whose names begin with a comma.
But omitted from the ".logout" file was the most essential ingredient:
the command "/usr/games/fortune".  Logging out without my fortune
would be like breakfast without Anita Bryant.

Tom Reingold
PAPERNET:                      |INTERNET:       tr@bellcore.bellcore.com
Bell Communications Research   |UUCP-NET:       bellcore!tr
445 South St room 2L350        |SOUNDNET:       (201) 829-4622 [work],
Morristown, NJ 07960-1910      |                (201) 287-2345 [home]

brian@apollo.COM (Brian Holt) (12/07/88)

In article <8812021334.AA04237@PacRat.NPAC.syr.edu> jerryp@PACRAT.NPAC.SYR.EDU (Jerry Peek) writes:
>> I notice that when I refile items from my inbox the orignal messages
>> are stored in files with the same number but with a '#' sign in
>> the first position.  Are these removed by mh?
>
>On systems I know of, they're removed by cron(8), with a line in the crontab
>file.  The line looks something like this:
>
>	45 3 * * * find / -name "[,#]*" -type f -atime +7 -print | xargs rm -f
>

I have the following script, which I call 'purge'.
Share and enjoy,

		=brian

#!/bin/sh
#
# purge - Purges deleted mh messages
#
# Usage:  purge		 Removes deleted messages in the current folder
#         purge +folder  Removes deleted messages in specified folder
#
PATH=/usr/new/mh:$PATH:/bin

curfolder=`folder -fast`
folderpath=`mhpath $1`
# Uncomment the following line if you want purge to change your current folder
#newfolder=`folder -fast $1`

echo "Purging deleted messages in $folderpath:"
cd $folderpath

deleted=`ls \#* 2>/dev/null`
if [ -n "$deleted" ]
then
	ls \#*
	rm $deleted
else
	echo "No deleted messages"
fi

#echo "Remaining messages:"
#scan $1

folder +$curfolder -fast > /dev/null
-- 
Internet: brian@apollo.COM            UUCP: {decvax,mit-erl,yale}!apollo!brian
NETel:    Apollo: 508-256-6600 x5694         Home: 617-332-3073    
USPS:     Apollo Computer, Chelmsford MA     Home: 29 Trowbridge St. Newton MA
(Copyright 1988 by author. All rights reserved.  Free redistribution allowed.)

ehrhart@aai8.uucp (Tim Ehrhart) (12/11/88)

In article <8812011831.aa18248@ICS.UCI.EDU> gaspar@ALMSA-1.ARPA (Al Gaspar) writes:
>
>I notice that when I refile items from my inbox the orignal messages
>are stored in files with the same number but with a '#' sign in
>the first position.  Are these removed by mh?  How?  I can do it
>at the shell of course, but it seems so inelegant :-).

I use an approach that kind of 'nips it in the bud'. I use my 
.mh_profile to use /bin/rm as my rmmproc. This doesn't allow
for accidental errors, but doesn't one other cleanup machanisms.

Here is the line from my .mh_profile:

rmmproc: /bin/rm

Tim Ehrhart
SRI International
ehrhart@spam.istc.sri.com

ault@PAWL.RPI.EDU (James Ault) (12/30/88)

> > I notice that when I refile items from my inbox the orignal messages
> > are stored in files with the same number but with a '#' sign in
> > the first position.  Are these removed by mh?

> On systems I know of, they're removed by cron(8), with a line in the crontab
> file.  The line looks something like this:

> 	45 3 * * * find / -name "[,#]*" -type f -atime +7 -print | xargs rm -f

> Once a day (at 3:45 AM) it searches the filesystem for files whose name
> starts with "#" or "," and which haven't been read or written in 7 days.
> It removes those files.

> --Jerry Peek, Northeast Parallel Architectures Center, Syracuse, NY
>   jerryp@cmx.npac.syr.edu

These files can be removed by MH if you specify it in your .mh_profile:
 
 rmmproc:    /bin/rm

I believe this will replace the default of /bin/mv.

  --Jim Ault, Postmaster, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
    ault@itsgw.rpi.edu                        ault@rpitsgw.BITNET

jerryp@PacRat.NPAC.syr.EDU (Jerry Peek) (12/30/88)

> > > I notice that when I refile items from my inbox the orignal messages
> > > are stored in files with the same number but with a '#' sign in
> > > the first position.  Are these removed by mh?
> > On systems I know of, they're removed by cron(8)...
> > Once a day (at 3:45 AM) it searches the filesystem for files whose name
> > starts with "#" or "," and which haven't been read or written in 7 days.
> > It removes those files.
> These files can be removed by MH if you specify it in your .mh_profile:
>  rmmproc:    /bin/rm

The advantage of the pound-sign setup is that people who accidentally remove
messages can change their minds for a week or so and "un-rmm" them by taking
off the #.  There are shell scripts that do this--or you can just use "mv".

Of course, there's a tradeoff:  using /bin/rm right away saves disk space.

--Jerry Peek, Northeast Parallel Architectures Center, Syracuse, NY
  jerryp@cmx.npac.syr.edu
  +1 315 443-1722