Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ames!amdahl!pacbell!pbhyf!rob
From: rob@PacBell.COM (Rob Bernardo)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.elm
Subject: Re: New Elm behavior
Message-ID: <5424@pbhyf.PacBell.COM>
Date: 27 May 89 15:51:43 GMT
References: <133@dsinc.DSI.COM> <2654@csd4.milw.wisc.edu>
Reply-To: rob@PacBell.COM (Rob Bernardo)
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
Lines: 29

In article <2654@csd4.milw.wisc.edu> jgd@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (John G Dobnick,EMS E380,4142295727,) writes:
+  Why can't the "builtin editor" append the signature file in the same
+  manner that the "external editor" does?   

Actually, ELM appends the signature file and then invokes whichever
editor.  The builtin editor is rather simply-minded.  It basically reads
lines from standard input and writes (appends) them to a temporary file,
which becomes the text of the message to dispatch.  The builtin editor
provides no mechanism for backing up or editing any previously entered
lines; all you can do is append to the message.  Because of that, ELM
can not invoke the builtin editor if the message has any pre-existing
contents, such as when you forward a message or reply to a message
quoting the original message.  The way ELM used to append the signature
file to the temp message text file prior ot editing, ELM could therefore
not invoke the builtin editor on the temp messsage text file.

If you were using the builtin editor, and if there were some way of it
inserting lines before the signature, rather than appending lines to the
end of the file, the pre-appending of the signature file would be
useless, insofar as the builtin editor gives you no mechanism for
editing the signature lines.

NOTE: This is simply an explanation of the code and not a defense of
the code.
-- 
Rob Bernardo, Pacific Bell UNIX/C Reusable Code Library
Email:     ...![backbone]!pacbell!pbhyf!rob   OR  rob@pbhyf.PacBell.COM
Office:    (415) 823-2417  Room 4E850O San Ramon Valley Administrative Center
Residence: (415) 827-4301  R Bar JB, Concord, California