mailx(1) mailx(1)
NAME
mailx - interactive message processing system (mail extended)
SYNOPSIS
mailx [option ...] Format 1
mailx [option ...] recipient ... Format 2
DESCRIPTION
This description is divided into the following sections:
- Introduction
- Description of formats
Format 1: Read mode
mailx commands in read mode
Input format
Functional overview
Descriptions in alphabetical order
Functionality in read mode
Format 2: Send mode
mailx commands in send mode (tilde commands)
Input format
Functional overview
Descriptions in alphabetical order
Functionality in send mode
- mailx command and startup files
- Variables
mailx variables
Environment variables
- Note on error messages
- Files
- Examples
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- See also
INTRODUCTION
mailx enables you to send and receive electronic mail. If your com-
puter is linked to a network, mailx can also be used to exchange mes-
sages with users on remote systems.
The presence of mail, if any, is usually indicated when you log in.
You are also notified if new mail arrives while you are using mailx.
Messages are in the form of ASCII text. They have a message header
holding information needed for message forwarding; the nature of this
information is partly implementation-specific. The header is followed
by a blank line and then the text of the message.
mailx is an extended version of the mail utility. It allows you to:
- check for the presence of mail (read mode, Format 1, option -e)
- read messages (read mode, Format 1)
- use Reliant UNIX commands to process incoming messages (read mode,
Format 1, mailx commands !, | and pipe)
- send messages (send mode, Format 2)
- use an editor to edit messages during a mailx session (read and
send mode, mailx commands edit, visual, ~e and ~v).
Unlike mail, mailx automatically collects read messages in a user-
specific mailbox (HOME/mbox by default).
DESCRIPTION OF FORMATS
Format 1: Read mode
mailx [option ...]
No option specified:
mailx behaves as described in Functionality in read mode.
-e mailx simply checks whether there are any messages, terminating
with an exit status of 0 if the user has mail. Otherwise, an exit
status of 1 is returned.
mailx does not execute any startup files (see mailx command and
startup files).
-f [filename]
mailx reads messages from filename.
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file not specified:
mailx reads messages from the user-specific mailbox $HOME/mbox.
-f file not specified:
mailx reads messages from the default mailbox /var/mail/$USER.
-F (F - file) mailx records all messages which are sent to a log
file. The file name is the name of the first specified recipient.
It will be stored in your HOME directory and can be used with
mailx like a mailbox.
-F not specified:
mailx looks for the file name of the log file in the mailx vari-
able record. If the variable is not set, no log file will be gen-
erated.
-H mailx displays only the header summaries and terminates. The exit
status is 0 if the user has mail, otherwise 1.
The structure of a header summary is described in Functionality
in read mode).
-i (i - ignore) mailx ignores the signal SIGINT (see the mailx vari-
able ignore).
-I Only allowed in conjunction with -f.
mailx includes the newsgroup and article-id header lines when
printing mail messages. Only useful for "News" system users.
-n mailx does not initialize from the global startup file
/etc/mail/mailx.rc (see mailx command and startup files).
-N mailx does not print the initial header summary.
-T filename
mailx records message-id and article-id header lines in filename
once the messages have been read.
This option automatically sets the -I option.
-u loginname
mailx reads messages from the default mailbox of the specified
user, provided you have the required read permission.
-V mailx displays its version number and exits.
-~ Permit tilde escapes no matter where the input is coming from.
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mailx commands in read mode
Input format
mailx commands in read mode have the following format:
[command] [msglist] [argument ...]
command
Name of a mailx command. Most command names can be abbreviated.
In Descriptions in alphabetical order the accepted abbreviations
are shown in italic print.
command not specified:
If you simply press <RETURN> at the mailx prompt, mailx executes
the print command.
msglist
One or more messages to be processed by the command. If several
messages are specified, they are separated by blanks.
msglist can be one or more of the following:
n Message number n
. The current message (marked > in the header summary).
^ The first undeleted message.
$ The last message.
* All messages.
+ The next message.
- The preceding message.
n-m Messages n through m inclusive.
loginname
All messages from the specified user.
/str All messages with the string str in the subject field (the
case is ignored).
:msgtype
All messages of type msgtype, which can be any of the fol-
lowing:
d deleted messages
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n new messages
o old messages
r read messages
u unread messages
msglist not specified:
mailx defaults to the current message.
argument
String argument as appropriate to the command (see descriptions).
If argument is a file name, the usual shell metanotation may be
used. If a string containing blanks is to be interpreted as a
single argument, it must be enclosed in double quotes.
Functional overview
This section provides an overview of all mailx read-mode commands,
grouped by function. Some commands may appear more than once.
The overview is followed by descriptions of all the commands in alpha-
betical order.
Most commands can be abbreviated. In Descriptions in alphabetical
order the abbreviated forms are shown in italic print.
Help functions
? Display summary of mailx commands
help Display summary of mailx commands
list List names of all mailx commands
= Display current message number
size Display size of message
from Display header summary
z+ Scroll header display one page forward
z- Scroll header display one page back
headers Display screen page of headers
top Display first five lines of message header
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folders List contents of directory defined by mailx variable
folder
version Display mailx version number
Quitting mailx
exit Quit mailx without changing mailbox
xit Quit mailx without changing mailbox
quit Quit mailx
Displaying the header summary
from Display header summary
headers Display screen page of headers
z+ Scroll header display one page forward
z- Scroll header display one page back
Manipulating and displaying the message header
discard Suppress message header fields
undiscard Undo the effect of discard
ignore Suppress message header fields
unignore Undo the effect of ignore
top Display first five lines of message header
retain Display only specified fields of message header
Displaying messages
print Display message
type Display message
next Skip to next matching message
Print Display message with full message header, ignoring discard
Type Display message with full message header, ignoring discard
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Editing messages
edit Call editor to edit message (value of variable EDITOR,
default: ed)
visual Call editor to edit message (value of variable VISUAL,
default: vi)
Changing the mailbox
file Close current mailbox and open named one
folder Close current mailbox and open named one
Saving messages
hold Hold messages in mailbox
preserve Hold messages in mailbox
save Write message to file
copy Write message to file
write Write message to file, omitting header
mbox Write message to user's standard mailbox
touch Write message to user's standard mailbox
Deleting messages
delete Delete message
dp Delete message, display next
dt Delete message, display next
Switch to send mode and send or reply to message
mail Send message
Mail Send message, recording copy in file
reply Reply to message
respond Reply to message
followup Reply to message, recording reply
Reply Reply to list of messages
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Respond Reply to list of messages
Followup Reply to list of messages, recording replies
Undoing mailx commands during a mailx session
undelete Restore deleted messages
touch Undo effect of hold
hold Undo effect of touch
undiscard Undo effect of discard
unignore Undo effect of ignore
unset Erase variables
unalias Erase aliases
Invoking command interpreters, running shell commands
! Escape to shell
!! Repeat last shell command
shell Invoke command interpreter
pipe Pipe messages to standard input of shell command
| Pipe messages to standard input of shell command
Miscellaneous
# Null command (for including comments in command files)
= Display current message number
alias Declare aliases for mail recipients (same as group)
alternates Declare alternate names for your login name
cd Change directory
chdir Change directory
echo Echo string (like Reliant UNIX echo command)
folders List contents of directory defined by mailx variable
folder
group Declare aliases for mail recipients (same as alias)
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if mode cmdlist1 else cmdlist2 endif
if construct which selects a command list to execute on
the basis of the mode (send, read)
set Set variables
size Display size of message
source Read and execute command file
unset Erase variables
mailx commands not allowed in command files
! Escape to shell
edit Call editor to edit message
followup Reply to message, recording reply
Followup Reply to list of messages, recording replies
mail Send message
Mail Send message, recording copy in file
reply Reply to message
Reply Reply to list of messages
respond Reply to message
Respond Reply to list of messages
shell Invoke command interpreter
visual Call editor to edit message
Descriptions in alphabetical order
Some command names have synonyms. The full description is always next
to the name which comes first in alphabetical order.
Most of these commands can be used both interactively and in command
files. Exceptions to this rule are mentioned at the appropriate place
(see Functional overview).
The italic print in the command names refers to the abbreviated forms.
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!shellcommand
Executes shellcommand. By default the command interpreter speci-
fied in the mailx variable SHELL will be invoked and the speci-
fied command line will be passed to it.
If SHELL is not set, /bin/sh will be invoked.
If the bang variable is set, the last shell command executed is
saved by mailx and can be repeated with !!.
The ! command is not permitted in a command file.
#comment
This is the null command used to introduce comments in command
files (e.g. .mailrc).
= Displays the current message number.
? Displays a summary of all mailx commands.
alias [alias-name [recipient ...]]
group [alias-name [recipient ...]]
Declares an alias for the given recipients. The defined reci-
pients are substituted when you use the aliases as recipients.
alias-name
Any string.
alias-name not specified:
mailx displays a list of defined aliases.
recipient not specified:
mailx displays the definitions for alias-name.
alternates [name ...]
Declares alternate names for your login name. Once you reply to a
message, mailx deletes these alternative names from the list of
recipients.
name
String for the alternate name.
name not specified:
mailx displays the current list of alternate names.
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cd [directory]
chdir [directory]
Changes to the indicated directory.
directory not specified:
mailx changes to $HOME.
copy[ [msglist] file]
Copies the specified messages to the named file. If file already
exists, it is extended.
The messages are marked as read (O) and copied to the user-
specific mailbox when the default mailbox is closed.
No argument specified:
mailx appends the current message to $HOME/mbox. If you do not
subsequently delete the message, it will be saved again the next
time the default mailbox is closed.
It is possible to include a copy command in a command file, but
then any subsequent commands which are intended to operate on a
message list will be ignored.
Copy [msglist]
Copies the specified messages to a file in the current directory.
The name of this file is derived from the name of the author of
the first message in the message list (From entry).
If this file already exists, it is extended.
The messages are marked as read (O) and copied to the user-
specific mailbox when the default mailbox is closed.
It is possible to include a Copy command in a command file, but
then any subsequent commands which are intended to operate on a
message list will be ignored.
delete [msglist]
Deletes the specified messages from the current mailbox. If the
mailx variable autoprint is set, the message following the last
deleted message is printed.
A deleted message can be restored with undelete during a mailx
session.
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discard [field ...]
ignore [field ...]
Suppresses printing of the specified header fields in the output
if they appear at the start of a line and come before a colon,
e.g.: Cc:, Date:, Status:, Subject:, To:. You do not need to
include the colon, and mailx ignores the case of the letters in
field.
discard has an effect on the mailx commands next, pipe (or |),
print, type, ~f and ~m, but on Print, Type ~F and ~M.
No fields are suppressed when messages are saved.
The effect of discard can be undone with undiscard or unignore.
retain suppresses the effect of discard: all fields are ignored
except those explicitly specified.
field not specified:
discard displays the current list of fields being ignored, if
any.
dp [msglist]
dt [msglist]
(delete and print) Deletes messages from the mailbox and displays
the message that follows the last one deleted.
A deleted message can be restored with undelete during a mailx
session.
echo string ...
Echoes string on standard output (like the Reliant UNIX echo com-
mand).
The value of an environment variable can be accessed as $name.
echo always displays the value of the environment variable, even
if a mailx variable of the same name has been defined.
edit [msglist]
Invokes the editor specified with the mailx variable EDITOR
(default editor: ed) and loads the specified messages.
The edited message will be available in the mailbox again at the
end of the editing session.
The text is edited in a temporary file named /tmp/Rz$$, where $$
is the process ID of the mailx process (see FILES).
The edit command is not permitted in a command file.
exit
xit Exits from mailx without changing the current mailbox, i.e.
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- deleted messages are restored,
- read messages are not saved in $HOME/mbox, and
- edited messages retain their original status.
Also refer to the mailx command quit.
file [file]
folder [file]
Quits the current mailbox (like quit) and reads in the specified
file as another mailbox. The appropriate header lines are
displayed.
file Name of the mailbox to be processed, or the following
metanotation:
% the current mailbox
%loginname
the default mailbox of the named user (/var/mail/$USER)
# the previous mailbox
& the user-specific mailbox ($HOME/mbox or the mailbox
defined by the variable $MBOX)
file not specified:
mailx remains in the current mailbox and simply reports the
number of messages in it.
fi % closes and reopens the current mailbox. This allows you
to read any new messages that have arrived during your mailx
session.
folders
Lists the names of all files in the directory defined by the
mailx variable folder (messages are saved and recorded in this
directory by mailx).
followup [message]
Replies to the specified message like the mailx command reply.
mailx switches to send mode and considers the recipients to be
- the author of the specified message, i.e. the entry in the
"From" field is taken over to the "To" field,
- the other recipients of the message, i.e. the entries in the
"To" field are transferred to the "To" list, while those in
the Cc field are copied to the Cc list.
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mailx takes the contents of the subject field from the corre-
sponding field of message and precedes it with Re:. If there is
no subject entry, you are prompted to enter one.
When you have completed your input, mailx sends the message.
In contrast to reply, followup records the message in a file
named after the recipient (with the network path removed). The
storage location of this file depends on whether the mailx vari-
ables folder and outfolder are set. If both are set, the file is
stored in the directory defined by the folder variable. Otherwise
it is stored in the current directory. The file is extended if it
already exists.
The followup command is not permitted in a command file.
Followup [msglist]
Replies to the first of the messages specified in the message
list in the same way as the mailx command Reply.
mailx switches to send mode and sends the reply to each sender of
a message in msglist.
mailx takes the contents of the subject field from the corre-
sponding field of the first message in msglist and precedes it
with Re:. If there is no subject entry, you are prompted to enter
one.
When you have completed your input, mailx sends the message.
In contrast to reply, Followup records the message in a file
named after the sender of the first message (with the network
path removed). The storage location of this file depends on
whether the mailx variables folder and outfolder are set. If both
are set, the file is stored in the directory defined by the
folder variable. Otherwise it is stored in the current directory.
The file is extended if it already exists.
The Followup command is not permitted in a command file.
from [msglist]
Prints the header summary for all specified messages on the stan-
dard output.
group alias-name recipient ...
Declares aliases for the given recipients (see alias).
headers [message]
Displays the screen page of headers which includes the specified
message.
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message not specified:
mailx displays the first 20 headers, or the number defined by the
screen variable.
help Displays a summary of the mailx commands (see also ?).
hold [msglist]
preserve [msglist]
Holds (i.e. preserves) the specified messages in the default
mailbox.
The messages are marked H in the header and remain in the mail-
box, even if they have been read or saved.
The effect of hold can be undone with touch (and vice versa).
It is possible to include hold and preserve commands in a command
file, but then any subsequent commands which are intended to
operate on a message list will be ignored.
if mode
commandlist1
else
commandlist2
endif
If construct which selects a command list to execute on the basis
of the specified mode.
mode mode is the mode (send or read) in which you invoked mailx.
It can be:
s (send) commandlist1 is executed if you invoked mailx in
send mode; otherwise, commandlist2 is executed.
r (read) commandlist1 is executed if you invoked mailx in
read mode; otherwise, commandlist2 is executed.
commandlist1
commandlist2
Lists of mailx commands. Commands which are not permitted in
command files are also not permitted here, i.e.: !, edit,
followup, Followup, mail, Mail, reply, Reply, respond,
Respond, shell and visual.
if, else, endif and all the commands in the command lists
must each be on a separate line.
ignore [field ...]
Suppresses printing of the specified header fields (see discard).
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list Lists the names of all available mailx commands on standard out-
put (also refer to help and ?).
mail recipient ... Sends a message to recipient.
mailx switches to send mode and mails the message as soon as you
have finished entering the text.
If the mailx variable record is set, the message will be written
to the file defined there. If the file already exists, it is
extended.
The mail command is not permitted in a command file.
Mail recipient ...
Sends a message to recipient.
mailx switches to send mode and mails the message as soon as you
have finished entering the text.
mailx records your message in the current directory in a file
named after the recipient. If the file already exists, it is
extended.
The Mail command is not permitted in a command file.
mbox [msglist]
Writes the listed messages to the user-specific mailbox when the
current mailbox is closed and then deletes them from the current
mailbox, even if they have not been read. All such messages are
marked M in the header summary.
The user-specific mailbox is $HOME/mbox or the file defined by
the variable MBOX.
next [message]
Goes to the next message containing message in the header sum-
mary. For message you can enter characteristics as for a message
list.
This is useful e.g. for jumping to the next message of a specific
sender (next loginname).
message not specified:
mailx displays the message following the current one.
next otherwise works in the same way as print.
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pipe [[msglist] shellcommand]
| [[msglist] shellcommand]
Pipes the specified messages to the standard input of the given
shellcommand.
The messages are marked as read (O) in the header summary. If the
mailx variable page is set, a form feed character is inserted
after each message (FF = CTRL-L = X'0C').
No argument specified:
The default message is the current message, and the default com-
mand is the one specified by the mailx variable cmd. If cmd is
not set, the pipe command is ignored.
preserve [msglist]
Preserves the specified messages in the default mailbox (see
hold).
print [msglist]
type [msglist]
Prints the specified messages on the standard output.
The messages are marked as read (O) in the header summary. They
are copied to the user-specific mailbox upon termination of the
default mailbox and then deleted from the current one. The user-
specific mailbox is $HOME/mbox or the file defined by the vari-
able MBOX.
If the mailx variable crt is set, messages longer than the number
of lines specified by the crt variable are paged through the
Reliant UNIX command more. You can use the variable PAGER to
specify a Reliant UNIX command other than more.
Print [msglist]
Type [msglist]
Like print, except that the whole header is always displayed,
i.e. Print overrides the effect of discard and ignore.
quit Exits from mailx, closing the currently processed mailbox.
If the default mailbox was being processed, the following
applies:
- Read messages (O) and messages processed with mbox (M) are
copied to the user-specific mailbox and then deleted. The
user-specific mailbox is $HOME/mbox or the file defined by the
variable MBOX.
- Unread messages (U) and messages processed with hold or
preserve (P) are retained in the default mailbox.
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- Explicitly saved messages (S) are deleted from the default
mailbox.
Also refer to the mailx commands exit and xit.
reply [message]
respond [message]
Replies to the indicated message.
mailx switches to send mode and considers the recipients to be
- the author of the specified message, i.e. the entry in the
"From" field is taken over to the "To" field,
- the other recipients of the message, i.e. the entries in the
"To" field are transferred to the "To" list, while those in
the Cc field are copied to the Cc list.
mailx takes the contents of the subject field from the corre-
sponding field of message and precedes it with Re:. If there is
no subject entry, you are prompted to enter one.
When you have completed your input, mailx sends the message.
Unlike followup, reply does not automatically create a file to
record your reply. It only does so if the mailx variable record
is set, in which case the message will be written to the file
defined there. If the file already exists, it is extended.
The reply and respond commands are not permitted in a command
file.
Reply [msglist]
Respond [msglist]
Replies to the first message in the message list.
mailx switches to send mode and sends the response to the sender
of each message in msglist.
mailx takes the contents of the subject field from the corre-
sponding field of the first message in msglist and precedes it
with Re:. If there is no subject entry, you are prompted to enter
one.
When you have completed your input, mailx sends the message.
Unlike Followup, Reply does not automatically create a file to
record your reply. It only does so if the mailx variable record
is set, in which case the message will be written to the file
defined there. If the file already exists, it is extended.
The Reply and Respond commands are not permitted in a command file.
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retain [field ...]
displays only the specified fields of the message header. The
other fields are suppressed. retain displays the specified fields
as well, if they are contained in the list of fields to suppress,
i.e. retain overrides the effects of discard or ignore.
field not specified:
retain displays the current list of fields to display if avail-
able.
save [[msglist] file]
Saves the indicated messages in the named file, extending it if
it already exists.
The messages are marked as saved (S), which means that they are
deleted from the default mailbox as soon as you quit mailx,
unless you have set the keepsave variable).
No argument specified:
mailx appends the current message to the end of $HOME/mbox.
Save [msglist]
Saves the specified messages in a file in the current directory.
The file name is derived from the name of the sender of the first
message in msglist ("From" entry; network addresses are removed).
If the file already exists, it is extended.
The messages are marked as saved (S), which means that they are
deleted from the default mailbox as soon as you quit mailx,
unless you have set the keepsave variable).
set [name[=value]]
Sets the variable name.
name
Name of a mailx variable or a freely defined variable.
value
Any string or numeric value. \n within value is interpreted as a
newline character, \t as a tab.
value not specified:
name is set to the null string.
No argument specified: Prints all set variables and their values.
The values are enclosed in double quotes.
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You cannot change the values of environment variables. However,
if you define an internal variable of the same name, mailx will
use its value until you reset it (this does not apply to the
mailx echo command).
The tilde command ~i variable can be used to insert the value of
variable in the text of a message.
You can delete variables with unset or set noname.
shell
Invokes by default the command interpreter specified in the SHELL
variable. If SHELL is not set, /bin/sh will be invoked.
You can specify a different command interpreter with the mailx
variable SHELL.
The shell command is not permitted in a command file.
size [msglist]
Displays the size of the specified messages on standard output in
the form
messagenumber: numberofcharacters.
source file
Reads the specified file as a command file and executes the mailx
commands in it. mailx then returns to the interactive mode (see
mailx command and startup files below).
top [msglist]
Displays the first 5 lines of the header for each specified mes-
sage on the standard output. You can change the number of lines
displayed with the mailx variable toplines.
touch [msglist]
Causes the specified messages to be treated as read, i.e. they
are copied to the user-specific mailbox upon termination of the
default mailbox and then deleted from the current one. The user-
specific mailbox is $HOME/mbox or the file defined by the MBOX
variable.
This does not apply to messages that were saved with save or
Save.
touch cancels the effect of hold and vice versa.
type [msglist]
Prints the specified messages on standard output (see print).
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Type [msglist]
Like print, except that the whole header is always displayed (see
Print).
unalias [alias-name ...]
deletes the specified alias names.
undelete [msglist]
Restores the specified messages provided they were deleted during
the current session. The messages are marked as read (O).
If the autoprint variable is set, the last restored message is
displayed.
undiscard [field]
unignore [field]
Deletes the specified header fields from the list of fields being
ignored.
field not specified:
Deletes the whole of the list of fields being ignored.
unset [name ...]
set [noname ...]
Deletes the specified variables.
If you delete a variable with the same name as an environment
variable, you can access the value of the corresponding environ-
ment variable again.
version
Displays the current version and release number of mailx.
visual [msglist]
Invokes the editor specified by the variable VISUAL (default edi-
tor: vi) and loads the indicated messages.
The edited message is placed in the mailbox at the end of the
editing session.
The text is processed in a temporary file named /tmp/Re$$, where
$$ is the process ID of the mailx process.
The visual command is not permitted in a command file.
write [msglist] file
Writes the specified messages in the named file. If the file
already exists, it is extended.
write does not copy the header and the trailing blank line.
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The messages are marked as saved (S) in the header summary. They
are deleted from the default mailbox as soon as you quit mailx,
unless you have set the keepsave variable.
xit Exits from mailx without changing the current mailbox (see exit).
z[±] Scrolls the header display one page forward (z+) or back (z-).
The number of lines per page is set by the screen variable. If
screen is not set, 20 lines are displayed by default.
± not specified:
Same as z+.
Functionality in read mode
mailx checks the contents of the default mailbox /var/mail/$USER,
where all incoming messages arrive.
mailx then processes startup files. These files may be used to ini-
tialize mailx variables, for example (see mailx command and startup
files below).
If no mail is present, mailx issues the message:
No mail for loginname
If mail has been received, mailx responds with a message line, an
overview of all messages currently in the mailbox, and the mailx
prompt ?. You can now enter mailx commands. You can use the ?, help
and list command to get a list of all the available commands.
Headers
When you call mailx or use one of the mailx commands from, headers or
z, mailx displays a header line for each message present. A header can
have up to 9 blank-separated fields, e.g.:
N 1 marvin Mon Sep 21 13:05 10/164 Beeblebrox
These fields refer to:
N Processing status (see next subsection)
1 Message number. The messages are renumbered each time
mailx is invoked. The oldest message is numbered 1.
marvin Sender
Mon Sep 21 Date message received
13:05 Time message received
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10/164 Size of message in lines/characters
Beeblebrox Title (first 25 characters of subject entry)
Processing status
The processing status is the entry in the first header field. The
status will be one of the following:
O (old) The message has been read. It will be stored in $HOME/mbox
when you quit mailx or close the default mailbox.
U (unread) The message has not yet been read. It will be preserved
in the current mailbox when you quit mailx using quit.
N (new) The message has arrived since you last called mailx or
changed mailboxes.
M (mbox) The message has been saved with mbox.
H (hold) The message has been marked by the hold or preserve com-
mand. It will stay in the default mailbox when you close it.
S (save) The message has been saved with a save, Save or write com-
mand. It will be deleted from the default mailbox when you close
it.
>c This is the current message. This is the message referenced by
mailx commands if you do leave msglist unspecified. The character
c stands for any of the above status characters.
User-specific mailbox
Messages are written to the user-specific mailbox if
- you have read them but not deleted or explicitly saved them
- you have manipulated them with mbox or touch
- you have switched from the default mailbox to another mailbox using
the file or folder command
- you have quit mailx with quit
except where the variable hold is set (then the messages remain in the
standard mailbox).
The user-specific mailbox is $HOME/mbox or the file defined by the
variable MBOX. The file is extended if it already exists. If you use
the -f when you call mailx, you can process this file with mailx com-
mands in exactly the same way as the default mailbox.
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Format 2: Send mode
mailx [option ...] recipient ...
No option specified:
mailx behaves as described in Functionality in send mode.
-d (debug) mailx turns on debugging output.
-F (file) mailx records all outgoing messages in a file named after
the first specified recipient. This file is created in your home
directory and can be processed with mailx like a mailbox.
-F not specified:
mailx searches for the record file defined in the mailx variable
record. Nothing is recorded if this variable is not set.
-h n (hop) mailx is to make no more than n network "hops" from one
terminal to another. This is intended to enable network software
to avoid infinite delivery loops.
This option is ignored if the delivery program used is /bin/rmail
(see mailx variable sendmail).
-i mailx ignores the SIGINT signal (see also the mailx variable
ignore).
-n mailx does not initialize from the global startup file
/etc/mail/mailx.rc (see mailx command and startup files below).
-r address
(return) mailx passes the specified address to the delivery pro-
gram. All tilde commands are disabled. If the message is
undeliverable, it is sent (or returned) to address.
This option is ignored if the delivery program used is /bin/rmail
(see mailx variable sendmail).
-s subject
(subject) mailx enters subject in the Subject: header field of
the header summary. This allows you to indicate the subject of
the message.
subject
Any string. If the string includes blanks or special characters,
it must be enclosed in double quotes.
-U (UUCP) mailx converts UUCP-style addresses to Internet style. The
setting of the conv environment variable is ignored. Note that
the Internet standard is not yet fully supported.
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-- If recipient begins with a dash (-), the end of the command-line
options must be marked with --.
recipient
One or more recipients. recipient can be:
- a login name on the local system or a network address if the
computer is connected to a network
- an alias group (see mailx read-mode command alias)
- a pipe symbol followed by a shell command
If recipient begins with a pipe symbol (|), the rest of the name
is taken to be a shell command to pipe the message through. Thus
you could use the lp command to send a copy of outgoing mail to a
printer.
mailx commands in send mode (tilde commands)
Input format
Apart from being preceded by an escape symbol, mailx send-mode com-
mands have the same format as read-mode commands.
[command] [msglist] [argument ...]
~ Tilde as escape symbol. The mailx variable escape can be used to
define a different character as the escape symbol.
command
msglist
argument
As described above under mailx commands in read mode, Input for-
mat.
Functional overview
This section provides an overview of all mailx send-mode commands,
grouped by function. Some commands may appear more than once.
The overview is followed by descriptions of all the commands in alpha-
betical order.
Help functions
~? Display summary of tilde commands
~p Display message being entered
Terminating/aborting text input
~. Terminate input and send
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~x Abort input and do not send
~q Abort input and save but do not send
Inserting values of variables, old messages and files
~a Insert value of sign variable
~A Insert value of Sign variable
~i Insert value of mailx or environment variable
~d Insert contents of $HOME/dead.letter
~f Insert old messages
~F Insert old messages
~m Insert old messages
mailx commands in send mode (tilde commands) must start with an escape
symbol in column one. The default escape symbol is a tilde (~), but
this can be redefined with the mailx variable escape.
Tilde commands are not permitted in a command file.
!shellcommand
Passes the specified shellcommand to the command interpreter
specified in the SHELL variable (by default) for execution. If
SHELL is not set, /bin/sh will be invoked.
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You can use the mailx variable SHELL to specify a different com-
mand interpreter.
~. Terminates message input and sends the message.
If you are working via rlogin on a remote computer, this tilde
command will be interpreted as an instruction to clear down the
connection, with the result that the remote session will be ter-
minated immediately. Here are some possible solutions:
- redefine the escape symbol with the mailx variable escape
- set the mailx variable dot, so that you can terminate input
simply with a dot in column one
- terminate input with <CTRL-D>
~:mailx-read-command
~mailx-read-command
Executes the specified mailx read-mode command.
You must have invoked mailx in read mode (and then switched to
send mode with a mailx command such as mail). Otherwise, mailx
will only execute commands that have nothing to do with the pro-
cessing of a mailbox (e.g. set or exit).
The underscore in the second format is mandatory.
? Displays a summary of all tilde commands.
~a (autograph) Inserts the value of the mailx variable sign in the
message.
~A (autograph) Inserts the value of the mailx variable Sign in the
message.
This enables you to define an alternate sign-off string, for
example.
~b name ...
(blind carbon copy) Adds one or more names to the blind carbon
copy (Bcc) list. The Bcc list contains the names of additional
recipients of the message. These names are not included in the
header.
~c name ...
(carbon copy) Adds one or more names to the carbon copy (Cc)
list. The Cc list contains the names of additional recipients.
These names are included as part of the header information (the
Cc entry).
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~d (dead letter) Reads the contents of the file $HOME/dead.letter
into the message. This file contains messages which mailx could
not send or which you aborted with q.
~e (e - editor) Invokes the editor specified by the variable EDITOR
(default editor: ed) and loads the partial message. Input of the
partial message may be continued after the editing session.
~f [msglist]
(file) Inserts the specified messages, without alteration, into
the message text.
This command is only executed if mailx was invoked in read mode
(Format 1).
~F [msglist]
works like ~f, but inserts always the whole message header.
discard, ignore und retain will be ignored.
~h (header) Prompts successively for the following information:
To: Recipient
Subject: Subject of the message
Cc: Carbon copy list containing additional recipients of
the message; the names in this list appear in the Cc
field of the header
Bcc: Blind carbon copy list. Like Cc, except that the names
do not appear in the header
The fields are displayed with existing values (if any), which you
can edit as if you had just entered them.
~i variable
Inserts the value of the named variable into the message text.
The named variable can be a mailx variable or an environment
variable.
~m [msglist]
(move) Inserts the indicated messages into the text. The contents
of the indentprefix variable are inserted in front of each line.
This command is executed only if mailx was invoked in read mode
(Format 1).
~M [msglist]
works like ~f, but inserts always the whole message header.
discard, ignore und retain will be ignored.
~p (print) Displays the message being entered.
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~q Quits input mode by simulating an interrupt. The input text is
not aborted but saved in the $HOME/dead.letter file. This tilde
command has the same effect as the <DEL> key except that it can-
not be suppressed with the ignore variable.
~r file
~r !shellcommand
~< file
~<! shellcommand
(read) Inserts the contents of file or the output of
shellcommand into the message text.
~s string ...
(subject) Sets the Subject field of the header to the specified
string. Multiple blank-separated strings do not need to be
quoted.
~t recipient ...
(to) Adds the indicated names of one or more recipients to the
"To" field of the header. Multiple names must be separated by
blanks.
~v (vi editor) Invokes the screen editor identified by the variable
VISUAL (default editor: vi) and loads the partially entered mes-
sage. Input of the edited message can be continued on completion
of the editing session.
~w file
(write) Copies the partially entered message, without the header,
into the specified file.
~x Exits, aborting the message being entered. The partially entered
message is neither sent nor saved.
~| shellcommand
Pipes the current text of the message to the standard input of
shellcommand.
If the shell command returns an exit status of 0, the current
text is replaced by the output of the command.
By default the command parameter will be passed to the command
interpreter specified in the SHELL variable. If SHELL is not set,
/bin/sh will be invoked.
Functionality in send mode
When you call mailx, it first processes startup files. These files may
be used to initialize mailx variables, for example (see mailx command
and startup files).
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Then, unless you use the -s option to specify a message subject, mailx
displays:
Subject:
and expects you to enter the subject of the message. This line, which
may consist of up to 1024 characters, is written by mailx into the
Subject: field of the message header. If the subject is too long,
mailx will print the message mail: ERROR signal 10, and the mail will
not be delivered.
mailx will now be in send mode, which means that you can enter your
message text. All mailx tilde commands are permitted during text
input. They must start in column 1. Once you have sent off a tilde
command with <RETURN>, mailx redisplays the whole of the command you
have entered in the same line, followed by the string (continue) when
it has finished executing the command. If you use one of the commands
for inserting text into your message text (such as ~a), mailx will not
echo the text on the screen. You can view the original text and the
inserted text with the ~p command.
mailx stores the input text in a temporary file in the /tmp directory.
The command . or the <CTRL-D> key signals the end of input.
Tilde commands in read mode
Some tilde commands only offer their full functionality if you call
mailx in read mode (Format 1) and temporarily switch from there to
send mode. The commands in question are: ~ and ~: (execute mailx com-
mand) and ~f, ~F, ~m and ~M (insert old messages).
The read commands you can use to switch temporarily to send mode so as
to send or reply to a message are followup, Followup, mail, Mail,
reply, Reply, respond and Respond.
mailx command and startup files
Command files
Command files are files that contain mailx commands. Each mailx com-
mand must be entered in a separate line. You can execute command files
by using the source command during a mailx session, or you can use
them as startup files (see below).
Tilde commands are not permitted in command files, and nor are the
commands !, edit, followup, Followup, mail, Mail, reply, Reply,
respond, Respond, shell, and visual.
The copy, Copy, hold and preserve commands are permitted, but then any
subsequent commands which are intended to operate on a message list
will be ignored.
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If an error occurs in a command file, mailx ignores all subsequent
commands in the file.
An error also occurs if a message list refers to a non-existent mes-
sage (see Example 2).
Startup files
Startup files are command files that mailx processes every time it is
invoked, unless you call it in read mode using the -e option.
mailx first processes the global startup file /etc/mail/mail.rc, fol-
lowed by the private startup file $HOME/.mailrc, provided such files
exist.
You can redefine the path name of the private startup file with the
MAILRC variable.
Variables
mailx utilizes environment variables, mailx variables and freely
defined variables.
All variables can be imported, and during a mailx session they can be
set and reassigned with the set command and deleted with unset. mailx
variables, i.e. all variables consisting of lowercase letters only,
can only be set within mailx (e.g. in startup files). Contents of
shell variables with the same names are not inherited by mailx vari-
ables.
If you use set to reassign an imported variable, the new value applies
until you change it again, delete it or end your mailx session.
The mailx command echo always references the original value of an
imported variable.
asksub, header and save are enabled by default.
Of the variables which can be assigned values, the following have
default values:
- conv= (disabled, no conversion)
- DEAD=$HOME/dead.letter
- EDITOR=ed
- escape=
- MBOX=$HOME/mbox
- LISTER=ls
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- PAGER=more
- prompt=?
- screen=20
- sendmail=/bin/rmail
- SHELL=/bin/sh
- toplines=5
- VISUAL=vi
The references to Associated commands in the following list relate to
the mailx commands particularly affected by the setting or deletion of
the variable in question.
mailx variables
allnet
mailx treats all network names ending with matching login names
as identical. Addresses in the form
...computername!computername!loginname
are treated as network names.
See also the metoo variable.
Default value: The variable is not set.
append
Appends messages saved in the user-specific mailbox ($HOME/mbox
by default) to the end of the file.
Associated commands: copy, Copy, file, folder, mbox, next, print,
Print, type, Type, quit, touch
Default value: The variable is not set.
ask
asksub
Causes mailx to prompt for the subject when invoked (also refer
to option -s).
Associated commands: ~h, ~s
Default value: The variable is set.
askbcc
mailx prompts for the Bcc list after the subject is entered.
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Associated commands: ~c, ~h
Default value: The variable is not set.
askcc
mailx prompts for the Cc list after the subject is entered.
Associated commands: ~c, ~h
Default value: The variable is not set.
autoprint
Displays the next message after the delete command, and the
restored message after the undelete command.
Default value: The variable is not set.
bang A ! within a shellcommand in !shellcommand or ~!shellcommand
will be replaced by the last shellcommand which was invoked by
this way.
Default value: The variable is not set.
cmd=shellcommand
Sets the default command used by pipe and | to the specified
shellcommand (only used if no command is specified in pipe).
Default value: None.
conv=conversion
The only conversion available is internet. mailx then converts
UUCP addresses to internet addresses (also refer to option -U).
Associated commands: alias, alternates, followup, Followup, mail,
Mail, reply, Reply, respond, Respond, ~b, ~c, ~h, ~t
Default value: no conversion
crt=number
Pipes message output having more than number lines through the
command specified by the PAGER variable (PAGER=more by default).
Associated commands: dp, dt, next, print, Print, type, Type, ~p
Default value: The variable is not set.
debug
Enables diagnostics for debugging. If you set this variable, mail
will not be delivered.
Default value: The variable is not set.
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dot Causes a line consisting solely of a dot in column one to ter-
minate input (instead of the command ~.).
Default value: The variable is not set.
escape=c
Substitutes c for the tilde escape symbol.
Default value: ~
flipr
The effects of the commands reply, respond, Reply and Respond are
exchanged.
Associated commands: reply, respond, Reply, Respond.
Default value: The variable is not set.
folder=directory
If both folder and outfolder are set, reply texts with the
followup and Followup commands will be recorded in directory, not
in the current directory. If directory does not begin with a
slash, mailx sets the directory name to $HOME/directory.
You can also use the form +filename to reference these record
files in any mailx command which accepts file names. mailx will
then expand the name by prepending directory.
Default value: The variable is not set.
header
Causes the header summary, the current mailx version string and
the number of messages to be displayed when mailx is invoked.
Default value: The variable is set.
hold Preserves read messages in the default mailbox instead of putting
them in the user-specific mailbox file (also refer to MBOX vari-
able).
Associated commands: copy, hold, mbox, next, preserve, print,
Print, quit, touch, type, Type
Default value: The variable is not set.
ignore
Ignores the SIGINT signal during message input.
Associated commands: followup, Followup, mail, Mail, reply,
Reply, respond, Respond, ~q (<DEL>)
Default value: The variable is not set.
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ignoreeof
The end-of-file signal (EOF, <CTRL-D> key) is to be ignored dur-
ing message input (also refer to the dot variable).
Associated commands: followup, Followup, mail, Mail, reply,
Reply, respond, Respond, ~.
Default value: The variable is not set.
indentprefix=string
During the insertion of a message into a text each line of the
message begins with string.
Associated commands: ~m, ~M
Default value: Tab character.
keep The default mailbox should not be deleted when it is empty.
Default value: The variable is not set.
keepsave
Messages that are marked as saved (S) in the header are not to be
deleted from the default mailbox.
Associated commands: save, Save, write
Default value: The variable is not set.
metoo
If your own login name appears in the list of recipients ("To"
list), it is not deleted from the list. See also the mailx com-
mand alias and the allnet variable.
Associated commands: alias, alternates, followup, group, reply,
respond, ~h
Default value: The variable is not set.
onehop
When you reply to a message which has been sent to multiple reci-
pients, mailx abandons its usual practice of constructing all
recipients' addresses relative to the originating author's
machine. This improves efficiency when all network sites have
direct access to one another.
Associated commands: followup, Followup, reply, Reply, respond,
Respond
Default value: The variable is not set.
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outfolder
If both outfolder and folder are set, reply files with the
followup and Followup commands will be stored in the directory
defined by folder (also refer to record variable).
If only outfolder (or only folder) is set, reply files will be
stored in the current directory.
Default value: The variable is not set.
page Causes a form feed character (FF = CTRL-L = X'0C') to be inserted
after each message routed through a pipe or | command.
Default value: The variable is not set.
prompt=string
Sets the input prompt for mailx read-mode commands to string.
Default value: ?
quiet
Suppresses the display of the opening message and version iden-
tifier when mailx is invoked.
Default value: The variable is not set.
record=file
Records all outgoing mail in the named file. The file is extended
if it already exists.
Associated commands: mail, Mail, reply, Reply, respond, Respond,
~.
Default value: The variable is not set.
save Saves messages that could not be sent, e.g. due to an error or an
interrupt from <DEL> during input. These messages are saved in
the file specified by the DEAD variable.
Associated commands: followup, Followup, mail, Mail, reply,
Reply, respond, Respond, ~d, ~q (<DEL>)
Default value: The variable is set.
screen=number
mailx displays number header lines.
Associated commands: header, z+, z-
Default value: Dependent on the terminal type specified by TERM,
usually 20.
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sendmail=shellcommand
mailx uses shellcommand to send messages.
Associated commands: followup, Followup, mail, Mail, reply,
Reply, respond, Respond, ~.
Default value: /bin/rmail
sendwait
After a read command, waits for the background mailer to finish
before returning control to the user.
Associated commands: followup, Followup, mail, Mail, reply,
Reply, respond, Respond
Default value: The variable is not set.
showto
If you send a message and include yourself among the recipients,
the name of the first recipient in the recipient list ("To" list)
will appear in the header list displayed, not your login name.
Associated commands: from, headers, z+, z-
Default value: The variable is not set.
sign=string
Defines an autograph string to be inserted into the text of a
message.
Associated commands: ~a, ~i
Default value: The variable is not set.
Sign=string
Defines an (additional) autograph string to be inserted into the
text of a message.
Associated commands: ~A, ~i
Default value: The variable is not set.
toplines=number
mailx displays number lines from the message header.
Associated commands: top
Default value: 5
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Environment variables
DEAD=file
The named file is used by mailx to save messages that could not
be sent, e.g. due to an error or an interrupt during input. This
file is extended if it already exists.
Associated commands: followup, Followup, mail, Mail, reply,
Reply, respond, Respond, ~d, ~q (<DEL>)
Default value: $HOME/dead.letter
EDITOR=shellcommand
In a mailx session, message texts can be edited with the editor
named as shellcommand (also refer to variable VISUAL).
Default value: ed
HOME=directory
Home directory.
Specifies the default directory in which mailx creates or
searches for the files dead.letter, mbox, .mailrc, and the files
used to record outgoing messages (see the commands followup,
Followup and ~f, ~F).
LISTER=shellcommand
Uses shellcommand to list files in the folder directory.
Associated commands: folders
Default value: ls
MBOX=file
file designates the user-specific mailbox in which mailx is to
save read messages before removing them. Each additional message
extends the file (also refer to the hold variable).
Associated commands: copy, hold, mbox, next, preserve, print,
Print, quit, save, touch, type, Type
Default value: $HOME/mbox
MAILRC=file
file defines the name of the private startup file (default:
$HOME/.mailrc; see mailx command and startup files).
PAGER=shellcommand
Uses the specified shellcommand for the paging of output that
exceeds the number of lines defined in the crt variable.
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Associated commands: dp, dt, next, print, Print, type, Type, ~p
Default value: more
SHELL=shellcommand
Defines the command interpreter used by mailx to execute Reliant
UNIX commands.
Associated commands: !, shell
Default value: /bin/sh
TERM Contains information about the terminal type. The TERM variable
will be evaluated if the mailx variable screen is not set.
USER The USER variable tells mailx the login name of the user, to
enable it to identify the default mailbox etc.
VISUAL=shellcommand
In a mailx session, message texts can be edited with the editor
named as shellcommand.
Associated commands: visual, ~v
Default value: vi
NOTE ON ERROR MESSAGES
mailx's error messages are largely self-explanatory.
LOCALE
The LCMESSAGES environment variable governs the language in which
message texts are displayed.
LCTYPE governs character classes and character conversion (shifting).
LCCOLLATE governs the collating sequence.
The LCTIME environment variable governs the format of date and time
strings.
If LCMESSAGES, LCCTYPE, LCCOLLATE or LCTIME is undefined or is
defined as the null string, it defaults to the value of LANG. If LANG
is likewise undefined or null, the system acts as if it were not
internationalized.
The LCALL environment variable governs the entire locale. LCALL
takes precedence over all the other environment variables which affect
internationalization.
If any of the locale variables has an invalid value, the system acts
as if none of the variables were set.
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EXAMPLES
Example 1
Replying to a message
User "marvin" receives the message you have mail, so he calls mailx
without options. He sees a few lines of text and some header lines,
has all his messages displayed one after the other (using <RETURN>,
for example) and finally replies to the fourth message. The text of
his reply is to be recorded in the current directory (followup or fo).
While in send mode, he changes the Subject entry assigned automati-
cally by mailx (~s) and inserts his sign-off string, as defined in his
sign variable, at the end of the text (~a). Before sending his letter
(~.), he has it redisplayed (~p) and then quits mailx with xit or x so
as to retain all his messages in the mailbox.
mailx
mailx version 4.0 Type ? for help
"var/mail/marvin": 4 messages 4 new
>N 1 arthur Fri Sep 6 9:21 13/373 betelgeuse
N 2 frodo Fri Sep 6 12:00 13/365 sysadm
N 3 peter Mon Sep 16 10:01 9/232 qed
N 4 benny Tue Sep 17 16:43 21/593 Project S
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fo benny
To: <benny>
Subject: Re: Project S
~s Final report on P S~s Final report on P S
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~p~p
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Message contains:
To: <benny>
Subject: Final report on P S
Hi there, Ben!
Thanks for the minutes. What I really need is the final report
itself, and not just Real Soon Now, but tomorrow at the latest.
I need a printed version, not just a file.
Regards,
(-: marvin :-)
(continue)
~.
? x
Held 4 messages in /var/mail/marvin
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mailx(1) mailx(1)
$
Example 2
Example of a startup file
The following startup file sets variables and prints all messages from
winnie (with lpr) when mailx is invoked in read mode.
# Processing variables
set page crt=24 cmd=lpr VISUAL
set sign="\n\tFord Prefect\n\tSales Division\n\tDetroit"
# Sender: Network system administrator
alias sys root@orlando root@annapolis root@chicago
# Prints specific mail
if r
pipe winnie lpr
from winnie
endif
Note that mailx terminates the script if any command cannot be exe-
cuted. This might be the case here with the pipe command if no mes-
sages from winnie were present. In other words, mailx then would not
execute the from command (or any others that might follow).
FILES
/etc/mail/mail.rc
Global startup file
$HOME/.mailrc
Private startup file
/var/mail/$USER
The default mailbox that is searched by mailx for incoming mes-
sages.
$HOME/mbox
User-specific mailbox in which mailx saves messages that have
been read.
$HOME/dead.letter
File that is used by mailx to save messages that could not be
sent, e.g. due to an error or an interrupt with the <DEL> key
during input. If the file already exists, it is overwritten.
./loginname
Files created in the current directory with names derived from a
login name. These files are created by mailx in response to the
following commands:
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mailx(1) mailx(1)
Copy, followup, Followup, Save.
You can also select some other directory instead of the current
directory (see the mailx variables folder and outfolder).
/tmp/R[emsxz]*
Temporary files.
/tmp/Rz$$
Temporary file used by the commands edit, visual, e, and v. $$ is
the process ID of the mailx process.
/usr/share/lib/mailx/mailx.help*
Help message files.
SEE ALSO
ed(1), ls(1), mail(1), more(1), sh(1).
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