FILTER(1L)                                                         FILTER(1L)



NAME
  filter - filter incoming messages before adding to mailbox

SYNOPSIS
  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]

DESCRIPTION
  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;

  -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 stan-
            dard input, but don't actually do anything with it.

  -o file   Redirect stdout messages to the specified file or device.  Log-
            ging 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 informa-
            tion additionally.

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

AUTHOR
  Elm Development Group

FILES
  $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

SEE ALSO
  The Elm Filter Guide
  readmsg(1L), elm(1L), mail(1), mailx(1), sendmail(1,8)

COMMENTS
  Not really smart about pattern matching.

BUG REPORTS TO
  Syd Weinstein   elm@DSI.COM     (dsinc!elm)

COPYRIGHTS
  Copyright 1988-1992 by The USENET Community Trust
  Derived from Elm 2.0,  Copyright 1986, 1987 by Dave Taylor