mailx(1) mailx(1)
NAME
mailx - interactive message processing system
SYNOPSIS
mailx [options] [name . . .]
DESCRIPTION
The command mailx provides a comfortable, flexible environment
for sending and receiving messages electronically. When
reading mail, mailx provides commands to facilitate saving,
deleting, and responding to messages. When sending mail,
mailx allows editing, reviewing and other modification of the
message as it is entered. mailx processes supplementary code
set characters according to the locale specified in the
LC_CTYPE environment variable [see LANG on environ(5)].
Many of the remote features of mailx work only if the Basic
Networking Utilities are installed on your system.
Incoming mail is stored in a standard file for each user,
called the mailbox for that user. When mailx is called to
read messages, the mailbox is the default place to find them.
As messages are read, they are marked to be moved to a
secondary file for storage, unless specific action is taken,
so that the messages need not be seen again. This secondary
file is called the mbox and is normally located in the user's
HOME directory [see MBOX (ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES) for a
description of this file]. Messages can be saved in other
secondary files named by the user. Messages remain in a
secondary file until forcibly removed.
mailx supports the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
(MIME) standard in two ways: it supports the creation of
multipart and text/enriched messages, and supports the reading
of MIME messages by automatically invoking the metamail
program when necessary.
The user can access a secondary file by using the -f option of
the mailx command. Messages in the secondary file can then be
read or otherwise processed using the same COMMANDS as in the
primary mailbox. This gives rise to the notion of a current
mailbox.
On the command line, options start with a dash (-) and any
other arguments are taken to be destinations (recipients). If
no recipients are specified, mailx attempts to read messages
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from the mailbox. Command-line options are:
-B Unbuffer both input and output.
-d Turn on debugging output.
-e Test for presence of mail. mailx prints nothing
and exits with a successful return code if there
is mail to read.
-f [file] Read messages from file instead of mailbox. If
no file is specified, the mbox is used.
-F Record the message in a file named after the
first recipient. Overrides the record variable,
if set (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
-h number The number of network ``hops'' made so far.
This is provided for network software to avoid
infinite delivery loops. This option and its
argument is passed to the delivery program.
-H Print header summary only.
-i Ignore interrupts. See also ignore (ENVIRONMENT
VARIABLES).
-I Include the newsgroup and Article-Id: header
lines when printing mail messages. (If present,
the Message-Id: header will be saved instead of
the Article-Id: header.) This option requires
the -f option to be specified.
-n Do not initialize from the system default
mailx.rc file.
-N Do not print initial header summary.
-r address Use address as the return address when invoking
the delivery program. All tilde commands are
disabled. This option and its argument is
passed to the delivery program.
-s subject Set the Subject header field to subject.
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-T file Message-Id: (or Article-Id:) header lines are
recorded in file after the message is read.
This option will also set the -I option.
-t Read the To:, Cc: and Bcc: headers found on
standard input to determine the list of
recipients.
-u user Read user's mailbox. This is only effective if
user's mailbox is not read protected.
-U Convert uucp style addresses to internet
standards. Overrides the conv environment
variable.
-V Print the mailx version number and exit.
-~ Enable tilde escape commands when input is not
coming from a terminal.
When reading mail, mailx is in command mode. A header summary
of the first several messages is displayed, followed by a
prompt indicating mailx can accept regular commands (see
COMMANDS below). When sending mail, mailx is in input mode.
If no subject is specified on the command line, a prompt for
the subject is printed. As the message is typed, mailx reads
the message and store it in a temporary file. When input is
coming from a terminal (or the -~ option has been used),
commands may be entered by beginning a line with the tilde (~)
escape character followed by a single command letter and
optional arguments. See TILDE ESCAPES for a summary of these
commands.
Only one invocation of mailx is permitted to modify the
mailbox at a time; other invocations are permitted to read the
mail but will not update the mailbox.
At any time, the behavior of mailx is governed by a set of
environment variables. These are flags and valued parameters
which are set and cleared via the set and unset commands. See
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES below for a summary of these parameters.
Recipients listed on the command line may be of three types:
login names, shell commands, or alias groups. Login names may
be any network address, including mixed network addressing.
If mail is found to be undeliverable, an attempt is made to
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return it to the sender's mailbox.
If the recipient name begins with a pipe symbol ( | ), the
rest of the name is taken to be a shell command to pipe the
message through. This provides an automatic interface with
any program that reads the standard input, such as lp(1) for
recording outgoing mail on paper. Alias groups are set by the
alias command (see COMMANDS below) and are lists of recipients
of any type.
Regular commands are of the form
[command] [msglist] [arguments]
If no command is specified in command mode, next is assumed.
In input mode, commands are recognized by the escape
character, and lines not treated as commands are taken as
input for the message.
Each message is assigned a sequential number, and there is at
any time the notion of a current message, marked by a right
angle bracket (>) in the header summary. Many commands take
an optional list of messages (msglist) to operate on. The
default for msglist is the current message. Applying a
command on a message makes the message the current message.
Applying a command on a list of messages makes the last
message on the list the current message. When deleting a
message, the message after the deleted message becomes the
current message. If the deleted message is the last message,
the message before the deleted message becomes the current
message.
A msglist is a list of message identifiers separated by
spaces, which may include:
n Message number n.
. The current message.
^ The first undeleted message.
$ The last message.
* All messages.
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n-m An inclusive range of message numbers.
user All messages from user.
/string All messages with string in the subject line (case
ignored).
:c All messages of type c, where c is one of:
d deleted messages
n new messages
o old messages
r read messages
s saved messages
u unread messages
Note that the context of the command determines
whether this type of message specification makes
sense.
Other arguments are usually arbitrary strings whose usage
depends on the command involved. File names, where expected,
are expanded via the normal shell conventions [see sh(1)].
Special characters are recognized by certain commands and are
documented with the commands below.
At start-up time, mailx tries to execute commands from the
optional system-wide file (/etc/mail/mailx.rc) to initialize
certain parameters, then from a private start-up file
($HOME/.mailrc) for personalized variables. With the
exceptions noted below, regular commands are legal inside
start-up files. The most common use of a start-up file is to
set up initial display options and alias lists. The following
commands are not legal in the start-up file: !, bedit,
bvisual, Copy, edit, followup, Followup, hold, mail, preserve,
reply, Reply, shell, and visual. An error in the start-up
file causes the remaining lines in the file to be ignored.
The .mailrc file is optional, and must be constructed locally.
Commands
The following is a complete list of mailx commands:
# comment
Null command (comment). This may be useful in .mailrc
files.
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= Print the current message number.
? Prints a summary of commands, paged through the command
specified by the PAGER variable. The default command is
pg -e; see pg(1) and ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES.
alias alias name . . .
group alias name . . .
Declare an alias for the given names. The names are
substituted when alias is used as a recipient. Useful
in the .mailrc file. See also the unalias command.
alternates name . . .
Declares a list of alternate names for your login. When
responding to a message, these names are removed from
the list of recipients for the response. With no
arguments, alternates prints the current list of
alternate names. See also allnet (ENVIRONMENT
VARIABLES).
Bprint [msglist]
Equivalent to Print, except that non-text content may
also be printed.
bprint [msglist]
Equivalent to print, except that non-text content may
also be printed.
btop [msglist]
Equivalent to top, except that non-text content may also
be printed.
bedit [msglist]
Equivalent to edit, except that non-text content may
also be edited.
bvisual [msglist]
Equivalent to visual, except that non-text content may
also be edited.
cd [directory]
chdir [directory]
Change directory. If directory is not specified, $HOME
is used.
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copy [file]
copy [msglist] file
Copy messages to the file without marking the messages
as saved. Otherwise equivalent to the save command.
Copy [msglist]
Save the specified messages in a file whose name is
derived from the author of the message to be saved,
without marking the messages as saved. Otherwise
equivalent to the Save command.
delete [msglist]
Delete messages from the mailbox. If autoprint is set,
the next message after the last one deleted is printed
(see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
discard [header-field . . .]
ignore [header-field . . .]
Note: ignore/discard has been superseded by retain; if
both a retained header list and an ignored header list
exist, the ignored header list will be ignored.
Suppresses printing of the specified header fields when
displaying messages on the screen. Examples of header
fields to ignore are status and cc. The fields are
included when the message is saved. The Print and Type
commands override this command. If no header is
specified, the current list of header fields being
ignored will be printed. See also the undiscard and
unignore commands.
dp [msglist]
dt [msglist]
Delete the specified messages from the mailbox and print
the next message after the last one deleted. It is
roughly equivalent to a delete command followed by a
print command. If the last undeleted message is
deleted, and the reversedp variable is not set, it is
equivalent to a delete command. If the reversedp
variable is set, the next undeleted message from the end
is printed.
echo string . . .
Echo the given strings [like echo(1)].
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edit [msglist]
Edit the given messages. The messages are placed in a
temporary file and the EDITOR variable is used to get
the name of the editor (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
Default editor is ed(1).
exit
xit Exit from mailx, without changing the mailbox. No
messages are saved in the mbox (see also quit).
file [file]
folder [file]
Quit from the current file of messages and read in the
specified file. Several special characters are
recognized when used as file names, with the following
substitutions:
% the current mailbox.
%user the mailbox for user.
# the previous file.
& the current mbox.
Default file is the current mailbox.
If no file is specified, the current file name is
printed.
folders
Print the names of the files in the directory set by the
folder variable (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
followup [message]
followupall [message]
Respond to a message, recording the response in a file
whose name is derived from the author of the message.
Overrides the record variable, if set. The followupall
command is not affected by the flipf variable (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES). See also the Followup, Save,
and Copy commands and outfolder (ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
Followup [msglist]
Followupall [message]
Respond to the first message in the msglist, sending the
message to the author of each message in the msglist.
The subject line is taken from the first message and the
response is recorded in a file whose name is derived
from the author of the first message. The Followupall
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command is not affected by the flipf variable (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES). See also the followup, Save,
and Copy commands and outfolder (ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
forward [msglist] [name]
Forward [msglist] [name . . .]
Forward a message to the specified users. The message
is treated as if it were read. If no message list is
given, the current message is forwarded. With forward,
the subject line is taken from the first message. The
forwarded message is surrounded with the forwardbegin,
forwardprefix and forwardend strings (or their
defaults).
from [msglist]
Prints the header summary for the specified messages.
group alias name . . .
alias alias name . . .
Declare an alias for the given names. The names are
substituted when alias is used as a recipient. Useful
in the .mailrc file. See also the unalias command.
headers [message]
Prints the page of headers which includes the message
specified. The screen variable sets the number of
headers per page (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES). See also
the z command.
Headers [message]
Prints the headers which would be printed by the headers
command, printing one line per header field. This
command is typically used by other programs, not a user.
help Prints a summary of commands.
hold [msglist]
preserve [msglist]
Holds the specified messages in the mailbox.
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if s | r | t
mail-commands
else
mail-commands
endif Conditional execution, where s executes following mail-
commands, up to an else or endif, if the program is in
send mode, r causes the mail-commands to be executed
only in receive mode, and t causes the mail-commands to
be executed only if the input is coming from a terminal.
Useful in the .mailrc file.
ignore [header-field . . .]
discard [header-field . . .]
Note: ignore/discard has been superseded by retain; if
both a retained header list and an ignored header list
exist, the ignored header list will be ignored.
Suppresses printing of the specified header fields when
displaying messages on the screen. Examples of header
fields to ignore are status and cc. All fields are
included when the message is saved. The Print and Type
commands override this command. If no header is
specified, the current list of header fields being
ignored will be printed. See also the undiscard and
unignore commands.
inc
newmail
Incorporate new mail messages that arrive while you are
reading the system mailbox. The new messages are added
to the message list in the current mail session. This
command does not commit changes made during the session,
and prior messages are not renumbered. If newmail
(ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES) is specified, new mail will be
looked for before each prompt.
list Prints all commands available. No explanation is given.
mail name . . .
mailall name . . .
Mail a message to the specified users. The mailall
command is not affected by the flipm variable (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
Mail name
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Mailrecord name
Mail a message to the specified user and record a copy
of it in a file named after that user. The Mailrecord
command is not affected by the flipm variable (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
mbox [msglist]
Arrange for the given messages to end up in the standard
mbox save file when mailx terminates normally. See MBOX
(ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES) for a description of this file.
See also the exit and quit commands.
New[msglist]
Unread [msglist]
unread [msglist]
Mark each message as not having been read. Each message
in msglist will be treated as if it had never been seen
before.
newmail
inc Incorporate new mail messages that arrive while you are
reading the system mailbox. The new messages are added
to the message list in the current mail session. This
command does not commit changes made during the session,
and prior messages are not renumbered. If newmail
(ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES) is specified, new mail will be
looked for before each prompt.
next [message]
Go to next message matching message. A msglist may be
specified, but in this case the first valid message in
the list is the only one used. This is useful for
jumping to the next message from a specific user, since
the name would be taken as a command in the absence of a
real command. See the discussion of msglists above for
a description of possible message specifications.
Pipe [msglist] [shell-command]
Pipe the message through the given shell-command,
suppressing the fields specified by the ignore command.
The message is treated as if it were read. If no
arguments are given, the current message is piped
through the command specified by the value of the cmd
variable. If the page variable is set, a form feed
character is inserted after each message (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
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pipe [msglist] [shell-command]
| [msglist] [shell-command]
Pipe the message through the given shell-command. The
message is treated as if it were read. If no arguments
are given, the current message is piped through the
command specified by the value of the cmd variable. If
the page variable is set, a form feed character is
inserted after each message (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
preserve [msglist]
hold [msglist]
Preserve the specified messages in the mailbox.
Print [msglist]
Type [msglist]
Print the specified messages on the screen, including
all header fields. Overrides suppression of fields by
the ignore command.
print [msglist]
type [msglist]
bprint [msglist]
Print the specified messages. If crt is set, the
messages longer than the number of lines specified by
the crt variable are paged through the command specified
by the PAGER variable. The default command is pg -e
(see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES). Unless it is suppressed by
the ignore command, the pseudo-header field Message: is
printed before each message.
If the mail message is in Multi-Purpose Internet Message
Extensions (MIME) format and contains something other
than a text message, or contains text in character set
other than that associated with your current locale, the
message will be piped to the metamail program for
parsing. (If the variable $NOMETAMAIL is set, metamail
will not be invoked. The metamail command used can be
changed using the variable metamail_cmd. See
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES.) The character set associated
with your current locale may be overridden by using the
variable $MM_CHARSET (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
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quit Exit from mailx, storing messages that were read in mbox
and unread messages in the mailbox. Messages that have
been explicitly saved in a file are deleted.
Reply [msglist]
Respond [msglist]
replysender [message]
Send a response to the author of each message in the
msglist. The subject line is taken from the first
message. If record is set to a file name, the response
is saved at the end of that file (see ENVIRONMENT
VARIABLES). The Replysender command is not affected by
the flipr variable (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
reply [message]
respond [message]
replyall [message]
respondall [message]
Reply to the specified message, including all other
recipients of the message. If record is set to a file
name, the response is saved at the end of that file (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES). The replyall/respondall command
is not affected by the flipr variable (see ENVIRONMENT
VARIABLES).
retain header-field . . .
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. Examples of header
fields to retain are from, to, cc, bcc and subject. 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.
See also the unretain command.
Save [msglist]
Save the specified messages in a file whose name is
derived from the author of the first message. The name
of the file is taken to be the author's name with all
network addressing stripped off. See also the Copy,
followup, and Followup commands and outfolder
(ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
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save [file]
save [msglist] file
Save the specified messages in the given file. The file
is created if it does not exist. The file defaults to
mbox. The message is deleted from the mailbox when
mailx terminates unless keepsave is set (see also
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES and the exit and quit commands).
set
set name
set name=string
set name=number
Define a variable called name. The variable may be
given a null, string, or numeric value. Set by itself
prints all internally defined variables and their
values. (Variables imported from the execution
environment, i.e., a shell variable, will not be shown.)
See ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES for detailed descriptions of
the mailx variables.
shell [shell-command]
![shell-command]
Escape to the shell. If no command is specified, invoke
an interactive shell [see also SHELL (ENVIRONMENT
VARIABLES)]. See SHELL (ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
showheaders [msglist] header . . .
Show the given headers for the given message list. If
no message list is given, the current message is
examined. This command is typically used by other
programs, not a user.
size [msglist]
Print the size in characters of the specified messages.
source file
Read commands from the given file and return to command
mode.
top [msglist]
Print the top few lines of the specified messages. If
the toplines variable is set, it is taken as the number
of lines to print (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES). The
default is 5.
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touch [msglist]
Touch the specified messages. If any message in msglist
is not specifically saved in a file, it is placed in the
mbox, or the file specified in the MBOX environment
variable, upon normal termination. See exit and quit.
Type [msglist]
Print [msglist]
Print the specified messages on the screen, including
all header fields. Overrides suppression of fields by
the ignore command.
type [msglist]
print [msglist]
Print the specified messages. If crt is set, the
messages longer than the number of lines specified by
the crt variable are paged through the command specified
by the PAGER variable. The default command is pg -e
(see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
unalias alias . . .
Remove an alias for the given names (see alias). 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 [msglist]
Restore the specified deleted messages. Will only
restore messages deleted in the current mail session.
If autoprint is set, the last message of those restored
is printed (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
undiscard header-field . . .
unignore header-field . . .
Remove the specified header fields from the list being
ignored (see ignore).
Unread [msglist]
unread [msglist]
New[msglist]
Mark each message as not having been read. Each message
in msglist will be treated as if it had never been seen
before.
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unretain header-field . . .
Remove the specified header fields from the list being
retained (see retain).
unset name . . .
Causes the specified variables to be erased. If the
variable was imported from the execution environment
(that is, a shell variable) then it cannot be erased.
version
Prints the current version.
visual [msglist]
Edit the given messages with a screen editor. The
messages are placed in a temporary file and the VISUAL
variable is used to get the name of the editor (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
write [msglist] file
Write the given messages on the specified file, minus
the header and trailing blank line. Otherwise
equivalent to the save command.
xit
exit Exit from mailx, without changing the mailbox. No
messages are saved in the mbox (see also quit).
z[+ | -]
Scroll the header display forward or backward one
screen-full. The number of headers displayed is set by
the screen variable (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
TILDE ESCAPES
The following commands may be entered only from input mode
when standard input is coming from a terminal, by beginning a
line with the tilde escape character (~). See escape
(ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES) for changing this special character.
~!shell-command
Escape to the shell.
~. Simulate end of file (terminate message input).
~:mail-command
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~_mail-command
Perform the command-level request.
~? Print a summary of tilde escapes, paged through the
command specified by the PAGER variable. The default
command is pg -e (see ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
~?+ Show 8-bit mode mapping. A table is presented on the
screen showing how characters would look with the 8th-
bit turned on (see ~*+ and ~*- below).
~A Insert the autograph string Sign into the message (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
~a Insert the autograph string sign into the message (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
~bnames . . .
Add the names to the blind carbon copy (Bcc) list. This
is like the carbon copy (Cc) list, except that the names
in the Bcc list are not shown in the header of the mail
message.
~cnames . . .
Add the names to the carbon copy (Cc) list.
~d Read in the dead.letter file. See DEAD (ENVIRONMENT
VARIABLES) for a description of this file.
~e Invoke the editor on the partial message. See also
EDITOR (ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
~f[msglist]
Forward the specified messages, or the current message
being read if no msglist is given. Valid only when
sending a message while reading mail. The messages are
inserted into the message without alteration, as opposed
to the ~m escape. This command escape will insert
message headers into the message with field selection
affected by the discard, ignore and retain commands.
See also forwardbracket, forwardprefix, forwardbegin and
forwardend (ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
~F[msglist]
This will be the equivalent of the ~f command, except
that all headers will be included in the message,
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regardless of previous discard, ignore and retain
commands. Valid only when sending a message while
reading mail.
~h Prompt for the message header lines: Subject, To, Cc,
and Bcc lists. If the field is displayed with an
initial value, you may edit the text as if you had just
typed it by backspacing over it and retyping.
~istring
Insert the value of the named variable into the text of
the message. For example, ~A is equivalent to
``~i Sign.'' Environment variables set and exported in
the shell are also accessible by ~i.
~m[msglist]
Insert the specified messages, or the current message
being read if no msglist is given, into the letter,
shifting the new text to the right one tab stop. If
indentprefix (ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES) is specified, that
string will be used instead of a single tab stop. Valid
only when sending a message while reading mail. This
command escape will insert message headers into the
message with field selection affected by the discard,
ignore and retain commands.
~M[msglist]
This will be the equivalent of the ~m command, except
that all headers will be included in the message,
regardless of previous discard, ignore and retain
commands. Valid only when sending a message while
reading mail.
~p Print the message being entered. If crt is set, the
message is paged through the command specified by the
PAGER variable. The default command is pg -e (see
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES).
~q
~Q Quit from input mode by simulating an interrupt. If the
body of the message is not empty, the partial message is
saved in dead.letter. See DEAD (ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES)
for a description of this file.
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~R Mark the message for return receipt. This inserts a
Default-Options header with the /receipt value. If the
recipient system supports this option, a return receipt
will be received.
~rfile
~<file
~<!shell-command
Read in the specified file. If the argument begins with
an exclamation point (!), the rest of the string is
taken as an arbitrary shell command and is executed,
with the standard output inserted into the message.
~sstring . . .
Set the subject line to string.
~tnames . . .
Add the given names to the To list.
~Tb Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
toggle bold mode (turn bold on or off).
~Tf Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
toggle fixed mode (turn fixed mode on or off).
~Ti Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
toggle italic mode (turn italic/reverse-video on or
off).
~Tj Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
alter Justification, in particular:.
~Tjl Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
make subsequent text flush-left.
~Tjc Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
center subsequent text.
~Tjr Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
make subsequent text flush-right.
~Tn Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
force newline (hard line break).
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~Tu Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
toggle underline mode (turn underline on or off).
~Tv Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
toggle nofill (verbatim) mode (turn nofill on or off).
~T> Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
indent left margin.
~T>R Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
unindent right margin.
~T>s Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
increase smaller text.
~T>l Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
increase larger text.
~T< Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
unindent left margin.
~T<R Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
indent right margin.
~T>s Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
decrease smaller text.
~T>l Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
decrease larger text.
~TQ Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
toggle quotation (excerpt) mode.
~Tz Convert existing text to the MIME type text/enriched and
add the contents of ~/.signature as a text/enriched
nofill signature.
~v Invoke a screen editor on the partial message. The name
of the editor is specified by VISUAL (ENVIRONMENT
VARIABLES).
~wfile
Write the message text into the given file, without the
header.
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~x Exit as with ~q, but do not save the message in the
dead.letter file.
~|shell-command
~** Convert the message to a MIME multipart message and add
non-text data (pictures, sounds, etc.) as a new MIME
part.
~*Z Convert the message to a MIME multipart message and add
the contents of ~/.SIGNATURE as a NON-TEXT (MIME-format)
signature. The file must contain proper MIME headers
and a body.
~*+ Enter 8-bit mode for the easy entry of non-ASCII
characters. All characters on a subsequent lines will
have the 8th-bit added before being stored in the
message.
~*- Leave 8-bit mode (return to ASCII).
~*^ Toggle ``Upside-down'' (right-to-left) mode. All
characters on a subsequent lines will be reversed before
being stored in the message.
~*S Toggle Semitic mode (both right-to-left AND eight-bit
modes are toggled).
~^shell-command
Pipe the body of the message through the given shell-
command. If the shell-command returns a successful exit
status, the output of the command replaces the message.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
The following are environment variables taken from the
execution environment and are not alterable within mailx.
HOME=directory
The user's home directory.
MAIL=file
The name of the initial mailbox file to read. The
default is the standard system mailbox
/var/mail/username.
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MAILRC=file
The name of the start-up file. Default is
$HOME/.mailrc.
The following variables are internal mailx variables. They
may be imported from the execution environment or set via the
set command at any time. The unset command may be used to
erase variables set using the set command.
add_date
A Date: header is created on all outgoing messages.
Enabled by default.
add_headers
Additional headers to be added to outgoing messages.
This may be used to create headers such as Organization:
or Reply-To:. The character sequences \t and \n will be
converted into tab and newline, respectively. Care
should be taken to ensure that the headers are properly
formed Name: Value headers.
allnet
All network names whose user name component (login name)
match are treated as identical. This will be the last
component of a bang-style address, or the first
component of a domain-style address. This causes the
msglist message specifications to behave similarly. If
allnet is set to uucp, then the system name must match
as well. Default is noallnet. See also the alternates
command and the metoo variable.
append
Upon termination, append messages to the end of the mbox
file instead of prepending them. Default is noappend.
askatend
If set, the prompts for Cc and Bcc lists will be
performed after the message has been entered instead of
after the Subject is entered. See also askcc and
askbcc.
askcc Prompt for the Cc list after the Subject is entered.
Default is noaskcc. See also askatend.
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askbcc
Prompt for the Bcc list after the Subject is entered.
Default is noaskbcc. See also askatend.
asksub
Prompt for subject if it is not specified on the command
line with the -s option. Enabled by default.
autoedit
Automatically edit a message, as in ~e, after prompting
for the subject, To list, Cc list and Bcc list. The
variable autoedit is looked for after the variable
autovedit. Default is noautoedit.
autoprint
Enable automatic printing of messages after delete and
undelete commands. Default is noautoprint.
autosign=string
The specified signature string is automatically appended
to the body of each message that is sent. The value is
echoed to the screen as it is appended. No default [see
also ~i (TILDE ESCAPES)].
autoSign=string
The specified signature string is automatically appended
to the body of each message that is sent. No default.
The variable inserted into the text of a message when
the ~A command is given. No default [see also ~i (TILDE
ESCAPES)].
autovedit
Automatically edit a message, as in ~v, after prompting
for the subject, To list, Cc list and Bcc list. The
variable autovedit is looked for before the variable
autoedit. Default is noautovedit.
bang Enable the special-casing of exclamation points (!) in
shell escape command lines as in vi(1). Default is
nobang.
cmd=shell-command
Set the default command for the pipe command. No
default value.
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binaryokay
Non-text messages will be permitted to be printed with
the print, Print, type, Type, top and Top commands, and
editted with the edit and visual commands.
conv=conversion
Convert uucp addresses to the address style specified by
conversion, which can be either of the following:
internet
uucp(1C) address paths (bang-style) are converted
into domain-style. For example, the address
mach1!mach2!user becomes user@mach2.UUCP. This
requires a mail delivery program conforming to the
RFC822 standard for electronic mail addressing.
The default /bin/mail is such a program. This is
optional because some information is necessarily
lost (for example, the route it got here via) and
if the host in not in the routing tables, the mail
cannot be delivered.
optimize
Remove cycles and loops in uucp(1C) address paths
(typically generated by the reply command). For
example, the address mach1!mach2!mach1!user
becomes mach1!user and mach1!mach1!user becomes
mach1!user. No rerouting is performed as mailx
has no knowledge of UUCP routes or connections.
Conversion is disabled by default. See also the -U
command-line option.
crt=number
Pipe messages having more than number lines through the
command specified by the value of the PAGER variable [pg
-e by default]. Disabled by default. If number is left
off, it will default to 0, meaning that all messages
will be passed through the pager.
DEAD=file
The name of the file in which to save partial letters in
case of untimely interrupt. Default is
$HOME/dead.letter.
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debug Enable verbose diagnostics for debugging. Messages are
not delivered. Default is nodebug.
dot Take a period on a line by itself during input from a
terminal as end-of-file. Default is nodot.
editheaders
Include message headers in the text to be edited by the
~e and ~v commands. Enabled by default.
EDITOR=shell-command
The command to run when the bedit , edit or ~e command
is used. Default is ed(1).
escape=c
Substitute c for the ~ escape character. Takes effect
with next message sent.
flipf Swap the meanings of the Followup and the followup
commands.
flipm Swap the meanings of the Mail and the mail commands.
flipr Swap the meanings of the Reply (Respond) and the reply
(respond) commands.
folder=directory
The directory for saving standard mail files. User-
specified file names beginning with a plus (+) are
expanded by preceding the file name with this directory
name to obtain the real file name. If directory does
not start with a slash (/), $HOME is prepended to it.
In order to use the plus (+) construct on a mailx
command line, folder must be an exported sh environment
variable. There is no default for the folder variable.
See also outfolder below.
forwardbegin=string
Use the specified string above the text of forwarding
messages. See the forward and Forward commands.
Default is
---- begin forwarded message ---- .
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forwardbracket
Use the forwardbegin, forwardprefix and forwardend
strings (or their defaults) with the ~f and ~F commands
as well as the forward and Forward commands.
forwardend=string
Use the specified string after the text of forwarded
messages. See the forward and Forward commands.
Default is
---- end of forwarded message ---- .
forwardprefix=string
Use the specified string instead of the two characters
``> '' when forwarding messages. See the forward and
Forward commands.
from A From: header is created on all outgoing messages, and
the Reply-To: or From: headers will be examined to
determine the return address when replying to a message.
(These headers will only be treated as valid if they
contain a domain-style address.) Enabled by default.
header
Enable printing of the header summary when entering
mailx. Enabled by default.
hold Preserve all messages that are read in the mailbox
instead of putting them in the standard mbox save file.
Default is nohold.
ignore
Ignore interrupts while entering messages. Handy for
noisy dial-up lines. Default is noignore.
ignoreeof
Ignore end-of-file during message input. Input must be
terminated by a period (.) on a line by itself (if dot
is enabled) or by the ~. command. Default is
noignoreeof. See also dot above.
indentprefix=string
Use the specified string instead of a single tab
character when inserting messages into a letter. See
the ~m command.
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iprompt=string
While in input mode, the specified string is displayed
as a prompt for each line of input.
keep When the mailbox is empty, truncate it to zero length
instead of removing it. Disabled by default.
keepsave
Keep messages that have been saved in other files in the
mailbox instead of deleting them. Default is
nokeepsave.
LC_MESSAGES=localename
Both the user messages and the legal strings for
confirmation prompts are determined by this variable.
The LANG, and LC_ALL variables also have an effect, see
LANG in environ(5) for details.
LISTER=shell-command
The command (and options) to use when listing the
contents of the folder directory. The default is ls(1).
MAILX_HEAD=string
The specified string is included at the beginning of the
body of each message that is sent.
MAILX_TAIL=string
The specified string is included at the end of the body
of each message that is sent.
MBOX=file
The name of the file to save messages which have been
read. The xit command overrides this function, as does
saving the message explicitly in another file. Default
is $HOME/mbox. If $HOME/mbox is a directory, then
$HOME/mbox/mbox will be used instead. This permits
$HOME/mbox to be a Multi-Level Directory, which is
useful if the Enhanced Security Utilities are installed.
Consequently, multiple versions of mbox will be
maintained automatically, one for each security level at
which mail is saved.
metamail_cmd
The command to use for printing MIME messages. Default
is metamail -m mailx. If paging is enabled with the crt
variable, the -p option will be added to the command.
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Also added will be a filename holding the message.
metoo If your login appears as a recipient when responding or
when doing alias expansion of more than one name, do not
delete it from the list. Default is nometoo.
mime-intro
When a multi-part MIME message is created, a short blurb
is placed before the first section which indicates that
the message is in MIME format. This message will not be
visible to people reading the message with a MIME-
compatible mail reader. You may change the blurb by
setting the mime-intro variable. (The sequences \n and
\t will be expanded into newlines and tabs,
respectively.)
mprefix=string
Use the specified string instead of a single tab
character when inserting messages into a letter. (Note:
This variable is being replaced by the indentprefix
string.)
mustbang
All mail addresses are forced into bang format.
netprecedence
When mailx compares addresses for allnet and metoo
processing, as well as removing duplicates, the
addresses are normalized into an internal format before
comparison. In order to do this, the relative
precedences of the various networking characters must be
taken into consideration. The netprecedence variable
consists of a list of networking characters, each
followed by the letter l or r, depending on if that
networking character is left associative or right
associative, respectively. The default is ``@r!l%r''.
newmail
Look for new mail before each prompt. Enabled by
default.
no When used as a prefix to a variable name, has the effect
of unsetting the variable, just like using the unset
command.
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NOMETAMAIL
If set, a Multi-Purpose Internet Message Extensions
(MIME) message will not be passed through the program
metamail.
onehop
When responding to a message that was originally sent to
several recipients, the other recipient addresses are
normally forced to be relative to the originating
author's machine for the response. This flag disables
alteration of the recipients' addresses, improving
efficiency in a network where all machines can send
directly to all other machines (that is, one hop away).
outfolder
Causes the files used to record outgoing messages to be
located in the directory specified by the folder
variable unless the path name is absolute. Default is
nooutfolder. See folder above, record below, and the
Save, Copy, followup, and Followup commands.
page Used with the pipe command to insert a form feed after
each message sent through the pipe. Default is nopage.
PAGER=shell-command
The command to use as a filter for paginating output.
This can also be used to specify the options to be used.
If not set, the default is pg -e. If set to an empty
string, the default is cat(1).
postmark=string
The specified string is included in the comment field of
the From: header of messages that you send. The string
is usually set to your name. See from and translate.
If the string includes an @, it will be used for the
entire From: header.
prompt=string
Set the command mode prompt to string. Default is
``? ''.
quiet Refrain from printing the opening message and version
when entering mailx. Default is noquiet.
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record=file
Record all outgoing mail in file. Disabled by default.
See also outfolder above. If you have the record and
outfolder variables set but the folder variable not set,
messages are saved in +file instead of file.
reversedp
When using the dt or dp commands, if the last undeleted
message is deleted, the next undeleted message from the
end is printed.
save Enable saving of messages in dead.letter on interrupt or
delivery error. See DEAD for a description of this
file. Enabled by default.
screen=number
Sets the number of lines in a screen-full of headers for
the headers command. It must be a positive number.
sendmail=shell-command
Alternate command for delivering messages. Default is
/usr/bin/rmail.
sendwait
Wait for background mailer to finish before returning.
Default is nosendwait.
SHELL=shell-command
The name of a preferred command interpreter. Typically
inherited from the environment, the shell is normally
the one you always use. Otherwise defaults to sh(1).
showto
When displaying the header summary and the message is
from you, print the recipient's name instead of the
author's name.
sign=string
The string inserted into the text of a message when the
~a (autograph) command is given. No default [see also
~i (TILDE ESCAPES)].
Sign=string
The string inserted into the text of a message when the
~A command is given. No default [see also ~i (TILDE
ESCAPES)].
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toplines=number
The number of lines of header to print with the top
command. Default is 5.
translate=shell-command
The name of a command used to translate mail addresses.
The program will receive mail addresses as arguments.
The program should produce, on standard output, lines
containing the following data, in this order:
The postmark for the sender (see the postmark).
Translated mail addresses, one per line, corresponding
to the program's arguments. Each translated address
will replace the corresponding address in the mail
message being sent.
A line containing only y or n . If the line contains y
, the user will be asked to confirm that the message
should be sent.
The translate program will be invoked for each mail
message sent. If the program exists with a non-zero
exit status, or fails to produce enough output, the
message will not be sent.
VISUAL=shell-command
The name of a preferred screen editor. Default is
vi(1).
FILES
$HOME/.mailrc personal start-up file
$HOME/mbox secondary storage file
$HOME/dead.letter
undeliverable messages file
/var/mail/* post office directory
/usr/share/lib/mailx/locale/mailx.help*
help message files
/etc/mail/mailx.rc
optional global start-up file
/tmp/R[emqsx]* temporary files
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/usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES/uxemail
language-specific message file [See LANG on
environ(5).]
/var/mail/:readlocks
directory for locks while reading mail.
REFERENCES
ed(1), ls(1), mail(1), metamail(1), mailcap(4), pg(1),
vacation(1), vi(1)
NOTICES
The -h and -r options can be used only if mailx is using a
delivery program other than /usr/bin/rmail.
Where shell-command is shown as valid, arguments are not
always allowed. Experimentation is recommended.
Internal variables imported from the execution environment
cannot be unset.
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