MAIL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual MAIL(1) NAME mail - send and receive mail SYNOPSIS Mail [ -f [ name ] ] [ people ... ] INTRODUCTION _M_a_i_l is a intelligent mail processing system, which has a command syntax reminiscent of _e_d with lines replaced by mes- sages. _S_e_n_d_i_n_g _m_a_i_l. To send a message to one or more other peo- ple, _m_a_i_l can be invoked with arguments which are the names of people to send to. You are then expected to type in your message, followed by an EOT (control-D) at the beginning of a line. The section below, labeled _R_e_p_l_y_i_n_g _t_o _o_r _o_r_i_g_i_n_a_t_- _i_n_g _m_a_i_l, describes some features of _m_a_i_l available to help you compose your letter. _R_e_a_d_i_n_g _m_a_i_l. In normal usage, _m_a_i_l is given no arguments and checks your mail out of the post office, then printing out a one line header of each message there. The current message is initially the first message (numbered 1) and can be printed using the print command (which can be abbreviated p). You can move among the messages much as you move between lines in _e_d, with the commands `+' and `-' moving backwards and forwards, and simple numbers typing the addressed message. _D_i_s_p_o_s_i_n_g _o_f _m_a_i_l. After examining a message you can delete (d) the message or reply (r) to it. Deletion causes the _m_a_i_l program to forget about the message. This is not irreversible, the message can be undeleted (u) by giving its number, or the _m_a_i_l session can be aborted by giving the exit (x) command. Deleted messages will, however, usually disappear never to be seen again. _S_p_e_c_i_f_y_i_n_g _m_e_s_s_a_g_e_s. Commands such as print and delete often can be given a list of message numbers as argument to apply to a number of messages at once. Thus ``delete 1 2'' deletes messages 1 and 2, while ``delete 1-5'' deletes mes- sages 1 through 5. The special name ``*'' addresses all messages, and ``$'' addresses the last message; thus the command top which prints the first few lines of a message could be used in ``top *'' to print the first few lines of all messages. _R_e_p_l_y_i_n_g _t_o _o_r _o_r_i_g_i_n_a_t_i_n_g _m_a_i_l. You can use the reply com- mand to set up a response to a message, sending it back to the person who it was from. Text you then type in, up to an end-of-file (or a line consisting only of a ``.'') defines the contents of the message. While you are composing a Printed 5/16/83 1 MAIL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual MAIL(1) message, _m_a_i_l treats lines beginning with the character `~' specially. For instance, typing ``~m'' (alone on a line) will place a copy of the current message into the response right shifting it by a tabstop. Other escapes will set up subject fields, add and delete recipients to the message and allow you to escape to an editor to revise the message or to a shell to run some commands. (These options will be given in the summary below.) _E_n_d_i_n_g _a _m_a_i_l _p_r_o_c_e_s_s_i_n_g _s_e_s_s_i_o_n. You can end a _m_a_i_l ses- sion with the quit (q) command. Messages which have been examined go to your _m_b_o_x file unless they have been deleted or preserved in which case they are discarded. Unexamined messages go back to the post office. The -f option causes _m_a_i_l to read in the contents of your _m_b_o_x (or the specified file) for processing; when you quit _m_a_i_l writes undeleted messages back to this file. _P_e_r_s_o_n_a_l _a_n_d _s_y_s_t_e_m_w_i_d_e _d_i_s_t_r_i_b_u_t_i_o_n _l_i_s_t_s. It is also pos- sible to create a personal distribution lists so that, for instance, you can send mail to ``cohorts'' and have it go to a group of people. Such lists can be defined by placing a line like alias cohorts bill ozalp sklower jkf mark cory:kridle in the file .mailrc in your home directory. The current list of such aliases can be displayed by the alias (a) com- mand in _m_a_i_l. System wide distribution lists can be created by editing /usr/lib/aliases, see _a_l_i_a_s_e_s(5) and _d_e_l_i_v_e_r_- _m_a_i_l(8); these are kept in a slightly different syntax. In mail you send, personal aliases will be expanded in mail sent to others so that they will be able to reply to the recipients. System wide _a_l_i_a_s_e_s are not expanded when the mail is sent, but any reply returned to the machine will have the system wide alias expanded as all mail goes through _d_e_l_i_v_e_r_m_a_i_l. If you edit /usr/lib/aliases, you must run the program _n_e_w_a_l_i_a_s_e_s(1). _N_e_t_w_o_r_k _m_a_i_l (_A_R_P_A, _U_U_C_P, _B_e_r_k_n_e_t) Mail to sites on the ARPA network and sites using UUCP can be sent using ``name@site'' for ARPA-net sites or ``machine!user'' for UUCP sites, provided appropriate gateways are known to the system. (Be sure to escape the ! in UUCP sites when giving it on a _c_s_h command line by preceding it with a \. Machines on an instance of the Berkeley network are addressed as ``machine:user'', e.g. ``csvax:bill''. When addressed from the arpa-net, ``csvax:bill'' is known as ``csvax.bill@berkeley''. _M_a_i_l has a number of options which can be set in the ._m_a_i_l_r_c file to alter its behavior; thus ``set askcc'' enables the Printed 5/16/83 2 MAIL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual MAIL(1) ``askcc'' feature. (These options are summarized below.) SUMMARY (Adapted from the `Mail Reference Manual') Each command is typed on a line by itself, and may take arguments following the command word. The command need not be typed in its entirety - the first command which matches the typed prefix is used. For the commands which take message lists as argu- ments, if no message list is given, then the next message forward which satisfies the command's requirements is used. If there are no messages forward of the current message, the search proceeds backwards, and if there are no good messages at all, _m_a_i_l types ``No applicable messages'' and aborts the command. - Goes to the previous message and prints it out. If given a numeric argument _n , goes to the _n _t_h previous message and prints it. ? Prints a brief summary of commands. ! Executes the UNIX shell command which follows. alias (a) With no arguments, prints out all currently-defined aliases. With one argument, prints out that alias. With more than one argu- ment, adds the users named in the second and later arguments to the alias named in the first argument. chdir (c) Changes the user's working directory to that specified, if given. If no directory is given, then changes to the user's login directory. delete (d) Takes a list of messages as argument and marks them all as deleted. Deleted messages will not be saved in _m_b_o_x , nor will they be available for most other commands. dp (also dt) Deletes the current message and prints the next message. If there is no next message, _m_a_i_l says ``at EOF.'' edit (e) Takes a list of messages and points the text editor at each one in turn. On return from the editor, the message is read back in. exit (ex or x) Effects an immediate return to the Shell without modifying the user's system mail- box, his _m_b_o_x file, or his edit file in -f . from (f) Takes a list of messages and prints their Printed 5/16/83 3 MAIL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual MAIL(1) message headers. headers (h) Lists the current range of headers, which is an 18 message group. If a ``+'' argument is given, then the next 18 message group is printed, and if a ``-'' argument is given, the previous 18 message group is printed. help A synonym for ? hold (ho, also preserve) Takes a message list and marks each message therein to be saved in the user's system mailbox instead of in _m_b_o_x. Does not override the delete command. mail (m) Takes as argument login names and distribu- tion group names and sends mail to those people. next (n like + or CR) Goes to the next message in sequence and types it. With an argument list, types the next matching message. preserve A synonym for hold. print (p) Takes a message list and types out each mes- sage on the user's terminal. quit (q) Terminates the session, saving all undeleted, unsaved messages in the user's _m_b_o_x file in his login directory, preserving all mes- sages marked with hold or preserve or never referenced in his system mailbox, and removing all other messages from his system mailbox. If new mail has arrived during the session, the message ``You have new mail'' is given. If given while editing a mailbox file with the -f flag, then the edit file is rewritten. A return to the Shell is effected, unless the rewrite of edit file fails, in which case the user can escape with the exit command. reply (r) Takes a message list and sends mail to each message author just like the mail command. The default message must not be deleted. respond A synonym for reply . save (s) Takes a message list and a filename and appends each message in turn to the end of the file. The filename in quotes, followed by the line count and character count is echoed on the user's terminal. Printed 5/16/83 4 MAIL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual MAIL(1) set (se) With no arguments, prints all variable values. Otherwise, sets option. Arguments are of the form ``option=value'' or ``option.'' shell (sh) Invokes an interactive version of the shell. size Takes a message list and prints out the size in characters of each message. top Takes a message list and prints the top few lines of each. The number of lines printed is controlled by the variable toplines and defaults to five. type (t) A synonym for print . unalias Takes a list of names defined by alias commands and discards the remembered groups of users. The group names no longer have any significance. undelete (u) Takes a message list and marks each one as _n_o_t being deleted. unset Takes a list of option names and discards their remembered values; the inverse of set . visual (v) Takes a message list and invokes the display editor on each message. write (w) A synonym for save . xit (x) A synonym for exit . Here is a summary of the tilde escapes, which are used when composing messages to perform special functions. Tilde escapes are only recognized at the beginning of lines. The name ``tilde escape'' is somewhat of a misnomer since the actual escape character can be set by the option escape. ~!command Execute the indicated shell command, then return to the message. ~c name ... Add the given names to the list of carbon copy recipients. ~d Read the file ``dead.letter'' from your home directory into the message. ~e Invoke the text editor on the message collected so far. After the editing session is finished, you may continue appending text to the message. Printed 5/16/83 5 MAIL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual MAIL(1) ~h Edit the message header fields by typing each one in turn and allowing the user to append text to the end or modify the field by using the current terminal erase and kill characters. ~m messages Read the named messages into the message being sent, shifted right one tab. If no messages are specified, read the current message. ~p Print out the message collected so far, prefaced by the message header fields. ~q Abort the message being sent, copying the mes- sage to ``dead.letter'' in your home directory if save is set. ~r filename Read the named file into the message. ~s string Cause the named string to become the current subject field. ~t name ... Add the given names to the direct recipient list. ~v Invoke an alternate editor (defined by the VISUAL option) on the message collected so far. Usually, the alternate editor will be a screen editor. After you quit the editor, you may resume appending text to the end of your mes- sage. ~w filename Write the message onto the named file. ~|command Pipe the message through the command as a filter. If the command gives no output or ter- minates abnormally, retain the original text of the message. The command _f_m_t(1) is often used as _c_o_m_m_a_n_d to rejustify the message. ~~string Insert the string of text in the message pre- faced by a single ~. If you have changed the escape character, then you should double that character in order to send it. Options are controlled via the set and unset commands. Options may be either binary, in which case it is only sig- nificant to see whether they are set or not, or string, in which case the actual value is of interest. The binary options include the following: append Causes messages saved in _m_b_o_x to be appended to the end rather than prepended. (This is Printed 5/16/83 6 MAIL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual MAIL(1) set in /usr/lib/Mail.rc on version 7 sys- tems.) ask Causes _m_a_i_l to prompt you for the subject of each message you send. If you respond with simply a newline, no subject field will be sent. askcc Causes you to be prompted for additional car- bon copy recipients at the end of each mes- sage. Responding with a newline indicates your satisfaction with the current list. autoprint Causes the delete command to behave like dp - thus, after deleting a message, the next one will be typed automatically. ignore Causes interrupt signals from your terminal to be ignored and echoed as @'s. metoo Usually, when a group is expanded that con- tains the sender, the sender is removed from the expansion. Setting this option causes the sender to be included in the group. quiet Suppresses the printing of the version when first invoked. save Causes the message collected prior to a interrupt to be saved on the file ``dead.letter'' in your home directory on receipt of two interrupts (or after a ~q.) The following options have string values: EDITOR Pathname of the text editor to use in the edit command and ~e escape. If not defined, then a default editor is used. SHELL Pathname of the shell to use in the ! command and the ~! escape. A default shell is used if this option is not defined. VISUAL Pathname of the text editor to use in the visual command and ~v escape. escape If defined, the first character of this option gives the character to use in the place of ~ to denote escapes. record If defined, gives the pathname of the file used to record all outgoing mail. If not Printed 5/16/83 7 MAIL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual MAIL(1) defined, then outgoing mail is not so saved. toplines If defined, gives the number of lines of a message to be printed out with the top com- mand; normally, the first five lines are printed. FILES /usr/spool/mail/* post office ~/mbox your old mail ~/.mailrc file giving initial mail commands /tmp/R# temporary for editor escape /usr/lib/Mail.help* help files /usr/lib/Mail.rc system initialization file /bin/mail to do actual mailing /etc/delivermail postman SEE ALSO fmt(1), mail(1), newaliases(1), aliases(5), delivermail(8) _T_h_e _M_a_i_l _R_e_f_e_r_e_n_c_e _M_a_n_u_a_l by Kurt Shoens AUTHOR Kurt Shoens BUGS Doesn't know how to handle standard addresses such as user@machine.UUCP. It isn't MH. Printed 5/16/83 8