vacation(1)              USER COMMANDS                vacation(1)



NAME
     vacation - reply to mail automatically

SYNOPSIS
     /usr/ucb/vacation [ -I ]
     /usr/ucb/vacation [ -j ] [ -aalias ] [ -tN ] username

DESCRIPTION
     vacation automatically replies to incoming mail.  The  reply
     is  contained  in the file .vacation.msg, that you create in
     your home directory.  This file should include a header with
     at least a `Subject:'  line (it should not include a `From:'
     or a `To:'  line).  For example:

          Subject: I am on vacation
          I am on vacation until July 22.  If you have something urgent,
          please contact Joe Jones (jones@f40).
               --John
     If the string $SUBJECT appears in the .vacation.msg file, it
     is  replaced  with  the subject of the original message when
     the reply is sent; thus, a .vacation.msg file such as
          Subject: I am on vacation
          I am on vacation until July 22.
          Your mail regarding "$SUBJECT" will be read when I return.
          If you have something urgent, please contact
          Joe Jones (jones@f40).
               --John
     will include the subject of the message in  the  reply.   No
     message  is  sent  if the `To:'  or the `Cc:'  line does not
     list the user to whom the original message was sent  or  one
     of  a  number  of aliases for them, if the initial From line
     includes the string -REQUEST@, or if a `Precedence: bulk' or
     `Precedence: junk' line is included in the header.  The fol-
     lowing options are available:

     -I   Initialize the .vacation.pag  and  .vacation.dir  files
          and  start  /usr/ucb/vacation.   If  the -I flag is not
          specified,   and   a   user    argument    is    given,
          /usr/ucb/vacation  reads  the first line from the stan-
          dard input (for a `From:'  line, no colon).  If absent,
          it  produces  an  error message.  The following options
          may be specified:

     -aalias
          Indicate that alias is one of the valid aliases for the
          user  running /usr/ucb/vacation, so that mail addressed
          to that alias generates a reply.

     -j   Do not check whether the recipient appears in the  `To:
          ' or the `Cc:'  line.

     -tN  Change the interval between repeat replies to the  same



             Last change: BSD Compatibility Package             1

vacation(1)              USER COMMANDS                vacation(1)



          sender.  The default is 1 week.  A trailing s, m, h, d,
          or w scales N to  seconds,  minutes,  hours,  days,  or
          weeks respectively.

USAGE
     To start /usr/ucb/vacation, create a .forward file  in  your
     home directory containing a line of the form:

          \username, "|/usr/ucb/vacation username" where username
          is your login name.  Then type in the command:

          /usr/ucb/vacation -I To stop /usr/ucb/vacation,  remove
          the  .forward  file,  or  move  it  to  a new name.  If
          /usr/ucb/vacation is run with  no  arguments,  it  will
          permit  you  to interactively turn /usr/ucb/vacation on
          or off.  It will create a .vacation.msg file  for  you,
          or  edit an existing one, using the editor specified by
          the VISUAL or EDITOR environment variable, or vi(1)  if
          neither  of  those environment variables are set.  If a
          .forward file is present in  your  home  directory,  it
          will  ask  whether  you  want to remove it and turn off
          /usr/ucb/vacation.  If it is not present in  your  home
          directory,  it  creates  it  for you, and automatically
          performs a `/usr/ucb/vacation -I' function, turning  on
          /usr/ucb/vacation.

FILES
     ~/.forward
     ~/.vacation.mesg    A list of senders is kept in  the  files
                         .vacation.pag  and .vacation.dir in your
                         home directory.

SEE ALSO
     sendmail(1M).  vi(1) in the User's Reference Manual.





















             Last change: BSD Compatibility Package             2