Mail is an intelligent mail processing system, which has
a command syntax reminiscent of
ed(1)
with lines replaced by messages.
- -v
-
Verbose mode.
The details of
delivery are displayed on the user's terminal.
- -i
-
Ignore tty interrupt signals.
This is
particularly useful when using
mail on noisy phone lines.
- -I
-
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.
- -n
-
Inhibits reading
/etc/mail.rc upon startup.
- -N
-
Inhibits the initial display of message headers
when reading mail or editing a mail folder.
- -s
-
Specify subject on command line
(only the first argument after the
-s flag is used as a subject; be careful to quote subjects
containing spaces.)
- -c
-
Send carbon copies to
list of users.
- -b
-
Send blind carbon copies to
list. List should be a comma-separated list of names.
- -f
-
Read in the contents of your
mbox (or the specified file)
for processing; when you
quit, mail writes undeleted messages back to this file.
- -u
-
Is equivalent to:
- mail -f /var/mail/user
To send a message to one or more people,
mail 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
`
control-D' at the beginning of a line.
The section below
Replying to or originating mail, describes some features of
mail available to help you compose your letter.
In normal usage
mail 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
print command (which can be abbreviated
`
p).' You can move among the messages much as you move between lines in
ed(1),
with the commands
`
+' and
`
-' moving backwards and forwards, and
simple numbers.
After examining a message you can
delete `
d)' the message or
reply `
r)' to it.
Deletion causes the
mail program to forget about the message.
This is not irreversible; the message can be
undeleted `
u)' by giving its number, or the
mail session can be aborted by giving the
exit `
x)' command.
Deleted messages will, however, usually disappear never to be seen again.
Commands such as
print and
delete can be given a list of message numbers as arguments to apply
to a number of messages at once.
Thus
``
delete 1 2'' deletes messages 1 and 2, while
``
delete 1-5'' deletes messages 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.
You can use the
reply 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,
mail 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
(see
indentprefix 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
mail session with the
quit `
q)' command.
Messages which have been examined go to your
mbox file unless they have been deleted in which case they are discarded.
Unexamined messages go back to the post office.
(See the
-f option above).
It is also possible 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 jkf mark kridle@ucbcory
in the file
.mailrc in your home directory.
The current list of such aliases can be displayed with the
alias command in
mail System wide distribution lists can be created by editing
/etc/aliases, see
aliases(5)
and
sendmail(8);
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
reply to the recipients.
System wide
aliases 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
sendmail(.)
See
mailaddr(7)
for a description of network addresses.
Mail has a number of options which can be set in the
.mailrc file to alter its behavior; thus
``set askcc'' enables the
askcc feature.
(These options are summarized below.)
(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,
mail types
``applicable messages'' and
aborts the command.
- -
-
Print out the preceding message.
If given a numeric
argument
n, goes to the
n'th previous message and prints it.
- ?
-
Prints a brief summary of commands.
- !
-
Executes the shell
(see
sh(1)
and
csh(1))
command which follows.
- Print
(P) Like
print but also prints out ignored header fields.
See also
print, ignore and
retain. - Reply
(R) Reply to originator.
Does not reply to other
recipients of the original message.
- Type
-
(T) Identical to the
Print command.
- alias
(a) 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.
- alternates
(alt) The
alternates command is useful if you have accounts on several machines.
It can be used to inform
mail that the listed addresses are really you.
When you
reply to messages,
mail will not send a copy of the message to any of the addresses
listed on the
alternates list.
If the
alternates command is given with no argument, the current set of alternate
names is displayed.
- 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.
- copy
-
(co) The
copy command does the same thing that
save does, except that it does not mark the messages it
is used on for deletion when you quit.
- delete
(d) Takes a list of messages as argument and marks them all as deleted.
Deleted messages will not be saved in
mbox, 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,
mail 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 mailbox, his
mbox file, or his edit file in
-f.
- file
-
(fi) The same as
folder.
- folders
List the names of the folders in your folder directory.
- folder
(fo) The
folder 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
mbox file, and
+folder means a file in your folder
directory.
- from
-
(f) Takes a list of messages and prints their 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
mbox. Does not override the
delete command.
- ignore
Add the list of header fields named to the
ignored list. 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
Type and
Print commands can be used to print a message in its entirety, including
ignored fields.
If
ignore is executed with no arguments, it lists the current set of
ignored fields.
- inc
-
Incorporate any new messages that have arrived while mail
is being read.
The new messages are added to the end of the message list,
and the current message is reset to be the first new mail message.
This does not renumber the existing message list, nor does
does it cause any changes made so far to be saved.
- mail
-
(m) Takes as argument login names and distribution group names and sends
mail to those people.
- mbox
-
Indicate that a list of messages be sent to
mbox in your home directory when you quit.
This is the default
action for messages if you do
not have the
hold option set.
- 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
(pre) A synonym for
hold. - print
(p) Takes a message list and types out each message on the user's terminal.
- quit
-
(q) Terminates the session, saving all undeleted, unsaved messages in
the user's
mbox file in his login directory, preserving all messages 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 the sender and all
recipients of the specified message.
The default message must not be deleted.
- respond
A synonym for
reply. - retain
Add the list of header fields named to the
retained list 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
Type and
Print commands can be used to print a message in its entirety.
If
retain is executed with no arguments, it lists the current set of
retained fields.
- 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.
- set
-
(se) With no arguments, prints all variable values.
Otherwise, sets
option.
Arguments are of the form
option=value (no space before or after =) or
option. Quotation marks may be placed around any part of the assignment statement to
quote blanks or tabs, i.e.
``set indentprefix=->''
- saveignore
Saveignore is to
save what
ignore is to
print and
type. Header fields thus marked are filtered out when
saving a message by
save or when automatically saving to
mbox. - saveretain
Saveretain is to
save what
retain is to
print and
type. Header fields thus marked are the only ones saved
with a message when saving by
save or when automatically saving to
mbox. Saveretain overrides
saveignore. - shell
(sh) Invokes an interactive version of the shell.
- size
-
Takes a message list and prints out the size in characters of each
message.
- source
The
source command reads
commands from a file.
- 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 message as
not being deleted.
- unread
(U) Takes a message list and marks each message as
not having been read.
- 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) Similar to
save, except that
only the message body
(without) the header) is saved.
Extremely useful for such tasks as sending and receiving source
program text over the message system.
- xit
-
(x) A synonym for
exit.
- z
-
Mail presents message headers in windowfuls as described under the
headers command.
You can move
mail attention forward to the next window with the
z command.
Also, you can move to the previous window by using
z-.
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.
- ~a
-
Append the contents of the file
$HOME/.signature to the message.
- ~bname...
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).
- ~cname...
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.
- ~fmessages
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
ignore or
retain command) are not included.
- ~Fmessages
Identical to
~f, except all message headers are included.
- ~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.
- ~mmessages
Read the named messages into the message being sent, indented by a
tab or by the value of
indentprefix. If no messages are specified,
read the current message.
Message headers currently being ignored (by the
ignore or
retain command) are not included.
- ~Mmessages
Identical to
~m, except all message headers are included.
- ~p
-
Print out the message collected so far, prefaced by the message header
fields.
- ~q
-
Abort the message being sent, copying the message to
``dead.letter'' in your home directory if
save is set.
- ~rfilename
Read the named file into the message.
- ~sstring
Cause the named string to become the current subject field.
- ~tname...
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 message.
- ~wfilename
Write the message onto the named file.
- ~|command
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
fmt(1)
is often used as
command to rejustify the message.
- ~:mail-command
Execute the given mail command.
Not all commands, however, are allowed.
- ~~string
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
set and
unset 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:
- append
Causes messages saved in
mbox to be appended to the end rather than prepended.
This should always be set (perhaps in
/etc/mail.rc). - ask
-
Causes
mail 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 carbon copy recipients at the
end of each message.
Responding with a newline indicates your
satisfaction with the current list.
- autoinc
Causes new mail to be automatically incorporated when it arrives.
Setting this is similar to issuing the
inc command at each prompt, except that the current message is not
reset when new mail arrives.
- autoprint
Causes the
delete command to behave like
dp - thus, after deleting a message, the next one will be typed
automatically.
- debug
Setting the binary option
debug is the same as specifying
-d on the command line and causes
mail to output all sorts of information useful for debugging
mail - dot
-
The binary option
dot causes
mail to interpret a period alone on a line as the terminator
of a message you are sending.
- hold
-
This option is used to hold messages in the system mailbox
by default.
- ignore
Causes interrupt signals from your terminal to be ignored and echoed as
@'s.
- ignoreeof
An option related to
dot is
ignoreeof which makes
mail refuse to accept a control-d as the end of a message.
Ignoreeof also applies to
mail command mode.
- metoo
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.
- noheader
Setting the option
noheader is the same as giving the
-N flag on the command line.
- nosave
Normally, when you abort a message with two
RUBOUT (erase or delete)
mail copies the partial letter to the file
``dead.letter'' in your home directory.
Setting the binary option
nosave prevents this.
- Replyall
Reverses the sense of
reply and
Reply commands.
- quiet
Suppresses the printing of the version when first invoked.
- searchheaders
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.
If ``x'' is ommitted, it will default to the ``Subject'' header field.
The form ``/to:y'' is a special case, and will expand
to all messages containing the substring ``y'' in the ``To'', ``Cc''
or ``Bcc'' header fields.
The check for "to" is case sensitive, so that
``/To:y'' can be used to limit the search for ``y'' to just
the ``To:'' field.
- verbose
Setting the option
verbose is the same as using the
-v flag on the command line.
When mail runs in verbose mode,
the actual delivery of messages is displayed on the user's
terminal.
- EDITOR
Pathname of the text editor to use in the
edit command and
~e escape.
If not defined, then a default editor is used.
- LISTER
Pathname of the directory lister to use in the
folders command.
Default is
/bin/ls. - PAGER
Pathname of the program to use in the
more command or when
crt variable is set.
The default paginator
more(1)
is used if this option is not defined.
- 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.
- crt
-
The valued option
crt is used as a threshold to determine how long a message must
be before
PAGER is used to read it.
If
crt is set without a value,
then the height of the terminal screen stored in the system
is used to compute the threshold (see
stty(1))
- escape
If defined, the first character of this option gives the character to
use in the place of ~ to denote escapes.
- folder
The name of the directory to use for storing folders of
messages.
If this name begins with a `/',
mail considers it to be an absolute pathname; otherwise, the
folder directory is found relative to your home directory.
- MBOX
-
The name of the
mbox file.
It can be the name of a folder.
The default is
``mbox'' in the user's home directory.
- record
If defined, gives the pathname of the file used to record all outgoing
mail.
If not defined, then outgoing mail is not so saved.
- indentprefix
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.
- toplines
If defined, gives the number of lines of a message to be printed out
with the
top command; normally, the first five lines are printed.