Re: [exim] when are exim vars first available? and ...

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Author: Philip Hazel
Date:  
To: OpenMacNews
CC: exim-users
Subject: Re: [exim] when are exim vars first available? and ...
On Fri, 30 Sep 2005, OpenMacNews wrote:

> that said, let's use my latest example as an example ...
>
> it would be nice to be able to simply look at a table/etc and learn:
>
>     $local_part: not set until RCPT


Well, I'm afraid that's only part of the answer, and not entirely
accurate even so. During reception of an SMTP message, $local_part is
set during the running of a RCPT ACL, but not during any other ACLs. It
does not *remain* set, because there may be many recipients. Then,
during delivery, $local_part is set while routing an address. It may be
set during a transport, and it may not. Oh, and during address
re-writing, $local_part is set according to the address being rewritten.

You see, for that particular variable, there are lots of cases. That's
why it is all written down in section 11.9 of the reference manual. Or
at least, I try to keep that complete and up-to-date.

> fwiw, imho, doc/OptionsList.txt -- where i first looked -- woud've been a nice
> place to find it.


If I were to create doc/VariableList.txt, it would just be a copy of
section 11.9, so is there any point? (And they would no doubt get out of
step. Better to try to keep one place up-to-date.)

Of course, it would be good to put pointers to 11.9 is as many useful
places as we can find. I have made a note to think about this at the
next documentation update.

-- 
Philip Hazel            University of Cambridge Computing Service,
ph10@???      Cambridge, England. Phone: +44 1223 334714.
Get the Exim 4 book:    http://www.uit.co.uk/exim-book