[Nmh-workers] [PATCH] nmh.man: reorganize the command listing

[Paul Fox]

i mentioned this on the list some time ago, and finally got around to
enduring an evening of man macros (i'd forgotten how painful troff
is!) to make it happen.  the gist is that the alphabetical list of
commands in nmh.1 is replaced by a list that's arranged by function.
i've put a copy of the processed man page here: 
    http://dev.laptop.org/~pgf/junk/nmh.txt
so you can get the idea before deciding to apply or not.

i clearly think it's an improvement, though i'm sure there may
be further suggestions as to the specific hierarchy i suggested.
with enough approval, i can commit (i think i have privs), unless
david or ken wants to do that instead.

paul

>From 8898528fa60ec3a993bcc2b3be4e09a5abf84d47 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Paul Fox <address@hidden>
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:54:51 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] nmh.man: reorganize the command listing

the alphabetical listing wasn't very user friendly.  this grouping may
make it easier to find related commands.  (mh-chart also contains an
alphabetical list.)
---
 man/nmh.man |  205 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------
 1 files changed, 168 insertions(+), 37 deletions(-)

diff --git a/man/nmh.man b/man/nmh.man
index 213b59e..65c3f81 100644
--- a/man/nmh.man
+++ b/man/nmh.man
@@ -192,74 +192,205 @@ of this manual entry.
 .PP
 Following is a list of all the
 .B nmh
-commands:
+commands, grouped loosely according to their role:
 .PP
-.RS 5
 .fc ^ ~
 .nf
+Sending:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+The principle commands for sending mail are:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
+^comp(1)~^\- compose a message
+^forw(1)~^\- forward messages
+^repl(1)~^\- reply to a message
+.sp
+^whatnow(1)~^\- prompting front-end for send
+.ta
+.PP
+.fi
+Note that although
+.B whatnow
+provides much of the primary
+.B nmh
+user interface for sending mail, it is almost never invoked manually,
+but rather is invoked indirectly by one of the above commands, after
+you've composed a message in your editor, and before you've decided to
+send it.  Here you can add attachments, check the recipient
+list, decide to quit and send it later, etc.
+.nf
+.RE
+.PP
+Related utilities:
+.RS 2
+.PP
 .ta 1.5i
 ^ali(1)~^\- list mail aliases
 ^anno(1)~^\- annotate messages
-^burst(1)~^\- explode digests into messages
-^comp(1)~^\- compose a message
+^whom(1)~^\- report to whom a message would go
 ^dist(1)~^\- redistribute a message to additional addresses
-^flist(1)~^\- list folders with messages in given sequence(s)
-^flists(1)~^\- list all folders with messages in given sequence(s)
-^folder(1)~^\- set/list current folder/message
-^folders(1)~^\- list all folders
-^forw(1)~^\- forward messages
-^inc(1)~^\- incorporate new mail
-^mark(1)~^\- mark messages
+.ta
+.RE
+.PP
+Advanced commands, only sometimes invoked directly:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
 ^mhbuild(1)~^\- translate MIME composition draft
+^send(1)~^\- send a message
+^sendfiles(1)~^\- send multiple files in a MIME message
+.ta
+.RE
+.RE
+.PP
+Receiving:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+The primary command for receiving mail:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
+^inc(1)~^\- incorporate new mail
+.ta
+.RE
+.PP
+Related utilities:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
+^burst(1)~^\- explode digests into messages
+^msgchk(1)~^\- check for messages
+^rcvdist(1)~^\- asynchronously redistribute new mail
+^rcvpack(1)~^\- append message to file
+^rcvstore(1)~^\- asynchronously incorporate new mail
+^slocal(1)~^\- asynchronously filter and deliver new mail
+.ta
+.RE
+.RE
+.PP
+Displaying:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+The primary commands for viewing mail are:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
+^next(1)~^\- show the next message
+^prev(1)~^\- show the previous message
+^show(1)~^\- show(display) messages
+^scan(1)~^\- produce a one line per message scan listing
+^fnext(1)~^\- select the next folder with new messages
+^fprev(1)~^\- select the previous folder with new messages
+.ta
+.RE
+.PP
+Related utilities, only sometimes invoked directly:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
 ^mhl(1)~^\- produce formatted listings of nmh messages
 ^mhlist(1)~^\- list information about content of MIME messages
-^mhmail(1)~^\- send or read mail
 ^mhn(1)~^\- display/list/store/cache MIME messages
-^mhparam(1)~^\- print nmh profile components
-^mhpath(1)~^\- print full pathnames of nmh messages and folders
 ^mhshow(1)~^\- display MIME messages
 ^mhstore(1)~^\- store contents of MIME messages into files
-^msgchk(1)~^\- check for messages
-^msh(1)~^\- nmh shell(and BBoard reader)
-^next(1)~^\- show the next message
-^packf(1)~^\- compress a folder into a single file
+.ta
+.RE
+.RE
+.PP
+Searching:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+Within a folder:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
 ^pick(1)~^\- select messages by content
-^prev(1)~^\- show the previous message
-^prompter(1)~^\- prompting editor front end
-^rcvdist(1)~^\- asynchronously redistribute new mail
-^rcvpack(1)~^\- append message to file
-^rcvstore(1)~^\- asynchronously incorporate new mail
-^rcvtty(1)~^\- report new mail
+.ta
+.RE
+.PP
+Across folders:
+.RS 2
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
+^new(1)~^\- list folders with new messages
+^unseen(1)~^\- list new messages in a give set of folders
+^flist(1)~^\- list folders with messages in given sequence(s)
+^flists(1)~^\- list all folders with messages in given sequence(s)
+^folder(1)~^\- set/list current folder/message
+^folders(1)~^\- list all folders
+.ta
+.fi
+.PP
+For doing full-text indexed searches of a large MH mailstore,
+consider the mairix command, which is not part of MH but which
+may be available on your system.
+.nf
+.RE
+.RE
+.PP
+Organizing:
+.RS 4
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
+^mark(1)~^\- mark messages
 ^refile(1)~^\- file messages in other folders
-^repl(1)~^\- reply to a message
 ^rmf(1)~^\- remove folder
 ^rmm(1)~^\- remove messages
-^scan(1)~^\- produce a one line per message scan listing
-^send(1)~^\- send a message
-^sendfiles(1)~^\- send multiple files and directories in MIME message
-^show(1)~^\- show(display) messages
-^slocal(1)~^\- asynchronously filter and deliver new mail
 ^sortm(1)~^\- sort messages
-^whatnow(1)~^\- prompting front\-end for send
-^whom(1)~^\- report to whom a message would go
-.sp
+.ta
+.RE
+.PP
+Convenience wrappers:
+.RS 4
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
+^mhmail(1)~^\- send or read mail
+^msh(1)~^\- nmh shell(and BBoard reader)
+.ta
+.RE
+.PP
+Utility:
+.RS 4
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
+^mhparam(1)~^\- print nmh profile components
+^mhpath(1)~^\- print full pathnames of nmh messages and folders
+^packf(1)~^\- compress a folder into a single file
+^prompter(1)~^\- prompting editor front end
+^rcvtty(1)~^\- report new mail
+.ta
+.RE
+.PP
+Files used by nmh commands:
+.RS 4
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
 ^mh\-alias(5)~^\- alias file for nmh message system
 ^mh\-draft(5)~^\- draft folder facility
 ^mh\-format(5)~^\- format file for nmh message system
 ^mh\-mail(5)~^\- message format for nmh message system
 ^mh\-profile(5)~^\- user customization for nmh message system
 ^mh\-sequence(5)~^\- sequence specification for nmh message system
-^mh\-tailor(5)~^\- mail transport configuration for nmh message system
-.sp
+^mh\-tailor(5)~^\- mail transport customization for nmh message system
+.ta
+.RE
+.PP
+Other commands, invoked indirectly:
+.RS 4
+.PP
+.ta 1.5i
 ^ap(8)~^\- parse addresses 822\-style
 ^conflict(8)~^\- search for alias/password conflicts
 ^dp(8)~^\- parse dates 822\-style
 ^fmtdump(8)~^\- decode \fInmh\fP format files
 ^install\-mh(8)~^\- initialize the nmh environment
 ^post(8)~^\- deliver a message
-.fi
+.ta
 .RE
-
+.PP
+.fi
 .SH FILES
 .fc ^ ~
 .nf
-- 
1.7.5.4


=---------------------
 paul fox, address@hidden (arlington, ma, where it's 58.3 degrees)