is an intelligent mail processing system, which has
a command syntax reminiscent of
with lines replaced by messages.
Verbose mode.
The details of
delivery are displayed on the user's terminal.
Ignore tty interrupt signals.
This is
particularly useful when using
on noisy phone lines.
Forces mail to run in interactive mode even when
input isn't a terminal.
In particular, the
special
character when sending mail is only active in interactive mode.
Inhibits reading
upon startup.
Inhibits the initial display of message headers
when reading mail or editing a mail folder.
Specify subject on command line
(only the first argument after the
flag is used as a subject; be careful to quote subjects
containing spaces.)
Send carbon copies to
of users.
Send blind carbon copies to
List should be a comma-separated list of names.
Read in the contents of your
(or the specified file)
for processing; when you
writes undeleted messages back to this file.
Is equivalent to:
To send a message to one or more people,
can be invoked with arguments which are the names of people to
whom the mail will be sent.
You are then expected to type in
your message, followed
by an
at the beginning of a line.
The section below
describes some features of
available to help you compose your letter.
In normal usage
is given no arguments and checks your mail out of the
post office, then
prints out a one line header of each message found.
The current message is initially the first message (numbered 1)
and can be printed using the
command (which can be abbreviated
You can move among the messages much as you move between lines in
with the commands
and
moving backwards and forwards, and
simple numbers.
After examining a message you can
the message or
to it.
Deletion causes the
program to forget about the message.
This is not irreversible; the message can be
by giving its number, or the
session can be aborted by giving the
command.
Deleted messages will, however, usually disappear never to be seen again.
Commands such as
and
can be given a list of message numbers as arguments to apply
to a number of messages at once.
Thus
deletes messages 1 and 2, while
deletes messages 1 through 5.
The special name
addresses all messages, and
addresses
the last message; thus the command
which prints the first few lines of a message could be used in
to print the first few lines of all messages.
You can use the
command 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,
defines the contents of the message.
While you are composing a message,
treats lines beginning with the character
specially.
For instance, typing
(alone on a line) will place a copy
of the current message into the response right shifting it by a tabstop
(see
variable, below).
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
are given in the summary below.)
You can end a
session with the
command.
Messages which have been examined go to your
file unless they have been deleted in which case they are discarded.
Unexamined messages go back to the post office.
(See the
option above).
It is also possible to create a personal distribution lists so that,
for instance, you can send mail to
and have it go
to a group of people.
Such lists can be defined by placing a line like
in the file
in your home directory.
The current list of such aliases can be displayed with the
command in
System wide distribution lists can be created by editing
see
and
these are kept in a different syntax.
In mail you send, personal aliases will be expanded in mail sent
to others so that they will be able to
to the recipients.
System wide
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
See
for a description of network addresses.
has a number of options which can be set in the
file to alter its behavior; thus
enables the
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 commands which take message lists as arguments, 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,
types
and
aborts the command.
Print out the preceding message.
If given a numeric
argument
goes to the
previous message and prints it.
Prints a brief summary of commands.
Executes the shell
(see
and
command which follows.
Like
but also prints out ignored header fields.
See also
and
Reply to originator.
Does not reply to other
recipients of the original message.
Identical to the
command.
With no arguments, prints out all currently-defined aliases.
With one
argument, prints out that alias.
With more than one argument, creates
a new alias or changes an old one.
The
command is useful if you have accounts on several machines.
It can be used to inform
that the listed addresses are really you.
When you
to messages,
will not send a copy of the message to any of the addresses
listed on the
list.
If the
command is given with no argument, the current set of alternate
names is displayed.
Changes the user's working directory to that specified, if given.
If
no directory is given, then changes to the user's login directory.
The
command does the same thing that
does, except that it does not mark the messages it
is used on for deletion when you quit.
Takes a list of messages as argument and marks them all as deleted.
Deleted messages will not be saved in
nor will they be available for most other commands.
(also
Deletes the current message and prints the next message.
If there is no next message,
says
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.
or
Effects an immediate return to the Shell without
modifying the user's system mailbox, his
file, or his edit file in
The same as
List the names of the folders in your folder directory.
The
command switches to a new mail file or folder.
With no
arguments, it tells you which file you are currently reading.
If you give it an argument, it will write out changes (such
as deletions) you have made in the current file and read in
the new file.
Some special conventions are recognized for
the name.
# means the previous file, % means your system
mailbox, %user means user's system mailbox, & means
your
file, and
+folder means a file in your folder
directory.
Takes a list of messages and prints their message headers.
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.
A synonym for
also
Takes a message list and marks each
message therein to be saved in the
user's system mailbox instead of in
Does not override the
command.
Add the list of header fields named to the
Header fields in the ignore list are not printed
on your terminal when you print a message.
This
command is very handy for suppression of certain machine-generated
header fields.
The
and
commands can be used to print a message in its entirety, including
ignored fields.
If
is executed with no arguments, it lists the current set of
ignored fields.
Takes as argument login names and distribution group names and sends
mail to those people.
Indicate that a list of messages be sent to
in your home directory when you quit.
This is the default
action for messages if you do
have the
option set.
like
or
Goes to the next message in sequence and types it.
With an argument list, types the next matching message.
A synonym for
Takes a message list and types out each message on the user's terminal.
Terminates the session, saving all undeleted, unsaved messages in
the user's
file in his login directory, preserving all messages marked with
or
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
is given.
If given while editing a
mailbox file with the
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
command.
Takes a message list and sends mail to the sender and all
recipients of the specified message.
The default message must not be deleted.
A synonym for
Add the list of header fields named to the
Only the header fields in the retain list
are shown on your terminal when you print a message.
All other header fields are suppressed.
The
and
commands can be used to print a message in its entirety.
If
is executed with no arguments, it lists the current set of
retained fields.
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.
With no arguments, prints all variable values.
Otherwise, sets
option.
Arguments are of the form
(no space before or after =) or
Quotation marks may be placed around any part of the assignment statement to
quote blanks or tabs, i.e.
is to
what
is to
and
Header fields thus marked are filtered out when
saving a message by
or when automatically saving to
is to
what
is to
and
Header fields thus marked are the only ones saved
with a message when saving by
or when automatically saving to
overrides
Invokes an interactive version of the shell.
Takes a message list and prints out the size in characters of each
message.
The
command reads
commands from a file.
Takes a message list and prints the top few lines of each.
The number of
lines printed is controlled by the variable
and defaults to five.
A synonym for
Takes a list of names defined by
commands and discards the remembered groups of users.
The group names
no longer have any significance.
Takes a message list and marks each message as
being deleted.
Takes a message list and marks each message as
having been read.
Takes a list of option names and discards their remembered values;
the inverse of
Takes a message list and invokes the display editor on each message.
Similar to
except that
the message body
the header) is saved.
Extremely useful for such tasks as sending and receiving source
program text over the message system.
A synonym for
presents message headers in windowfuls as described under the
command.
You can move
attention forward to the next window with the
command.
Also, you can move to the previous window by using
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
is somewhat of a misnomer since the actual escape character can be set
by the option
Execute the indicated shell command, then return to the message.
Add the given names to the list of carbon copy recipients but do not make
the names visible in the Cc: line ("blind" carbon copy).
Add the given names to the list of carbon copy recipients.
Read the file
from your home directory into the message.
Invoke the text editor on the message collected so far.
After the
editing session is finished, you may continue appending text to the
message.
Read the named messages into the message being sent.
If no messages are specified, read in the current message.
Message headers currently being ignored (by the
or
command) are not included.
Identical to
except all message headers are included.
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.
Read the named messages into the message being sent, indented by a
tab or by the value of
If no messages are specified,
read the current message.
Message headers currently being ignored (by the
or
command) are not included.
Identical to
except all message headers are included.
Print out the message collected so far, prefaced by the message header
fields.
Abort the message being sent, copying the message to
in your home directory if
is set.
Read the named file into the message.
Cause the named string to become the current subject field.
Add the given names to the direct recipient list.
Invoke an alternate editor (defined by the
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 message.
Write the message onto the named file.
Pipe the message through the command as a filter.
If the command gives
no output or terminates abnormally, retain the original text of the
message.
The command
is often used as
to rejustify the message.
Execute the given mail command.
Not all commands, however, are allowed.
Insert the string of text in the message prefaced 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
and
commands.
Options may be either binary, in which case it is only
significant 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:
Causes messages saved in
to be appended to the end rather than prepended.
This should always be set (perhaps in
Causes
to prompt you for the subject of each message you send.
If
you respond with simply a newline, no subject field will be sent.
Causes you to be prompted for additional carbon copy recipients at the
end of each message.
Responding with a newline indicates your
satisfaction with the current list.
Causes you to be prompted for additional blind carbon copy recipients at the
end of each message.
Responding with a newline indicates your
satisfaction with the current list.
Causes the
command to behave like
- thus, after deleting a message, the next one will be typed
automatically.
Setting the binary option
is the same as specifying
on the command line and causes
to output all sorts of information useful for debugging
The binary option
causes
to interpret a period alone on a line as the terminator
of a message you are sending.
This option is used to hold messages in the system mailbox
by default.
Causes interrupt signals from your terminal to be ignored and echoed as
@'s.
An option related to
is
which makes
refuse to accept a control-d as the end of a message.
also applies to
command mode.
Usually, when a group is expanded that contains the sender, the sender
is removed from the expansion.
Setting this option causes the sender
to be included in the group.
Setting the option
is the same as giving the
flag on the command line.
Normally, when you abort a message with two
(erase or delete)
copies the partial letter to the file
in your home directory.
Setting the binary option
prevents this.
Reverses the sense of
and
commands.
Suppresses the printing of the version when first invoked.
If this option is set, then a message-list specifier in the form ``/x:y''
will expand to all messages containing the substring ``y'' in the header
field ``x''. The string search is case insensitive.
Setting the option
is the same as using the
flag on the command line.
When mail runs in verbose mode,
the actual delivery of messages is displayed on the user's
terminal.
Pathname of the text editor to use in the
command and
escape.
If not defined, then a default editor is used.
Pathname of the directory lister to use in the
command.
Default is
Pathname of the program to use in the
command or when
variable is set.
The default paginator
is used if this option is not defined.
Pathname of the shell to use in the
command and the
escape.
A default shell is used if this option is
not defined.
Pathname of the text editor to use in the
command and
escape.
The valued option
is used as a threshold to determine how long a message must
be before
is used to read it.
If
is set without a value,
then the height of the terminal screen stored in the system
is used to compute the threshold (see
If defined, the first character of this option gives the character to
use in the place of ~ to denote escapes.
The name of the directory to use for storing folders of
messages.
If this name begins with a `/',
considers it to be an absolute pathname; otherwise, the
folder directory is found relative to your home directory.
The name of the
file.
It can be the name of a folder.
The default is
in the user's home directory.
If defined, gives the pathname of the file used to record all outgoing
mail.
If not defined, then outgoing mail is not so saved.
String used by the ``~m'' tilde escape for indenting messages, in place of
the normal tab character (^I).
Be sure to quote the value if it contains
spaces or tabs.
If defined, gives the number of lines of a message to be printed out
with the
command; normally, the first five lines are printed.
ENVIRONMENT
utilizes the
and
environment variables.
FILES
Post office.
User's old mail.
File giving initial mail commands. Only used if the owner of the file is the
user running this copy of mail.
Temporary files.
Help files.
System initialization file.
SEE ALSO
and
.%T "The Mail Reference Manual" .
HISTORY
A
command
appeared in
This man page is derived from
.%T "The Mail Reference Manual"
originally written by Kurt Shoens.
BUGS
There are some flags that are not documented here.
Most are
not useful to the general user.
