Re: [Nmh-workers] mh-format multiply function

[norm]

Ken Hornstein <address@hidden> writes:
>>Is it really true, that mh-format does not have a multiply function?
>
>Huh ... it does not!  I guess one of those old geezers did not think it
>was necessary.  Maybe it would be worth it to implement that at some point.

Rather than multiply, may I susggest another funncton, which would give
mutliply and much more.

                %(exec procedure_name)

It would exec procedure_name and return its stdout. It would not redirect
stderr. For each component, comp, of the messages, it would define an
environment variable, NMH_FORMAT_comp, whose value was the content of that
component.

A non-zero exit status would be an error.

Such a function would let the ordinary bloke define her own format without
having to learn the intricacies of mh-format. She could use her favorite
scripting language, be it python, bash, csh, perl, Java, or even C or C++.

And it would let the non-orginary bloke do things that mh-format
can't do.

    Norman Shapiro