NAME

vacation − reply to mail automatically

SYNOPSIS

vacation −I
vacation [ −tN ] user

DESCRIPTION

vacation automatically replies to incoming mail.  The reply is contained in the file .vacation.msg, that you create in your home directory (or the file /usr/lib/vacation.def by default). 

This file should include a header with at least a “Subject:” line (it should not include a “From:” or a “To:” line).  For example:

Subject: I am on vacation
 I am on vacation until July 22.  If you have something urgent,
please contact Joe Jones (jones@sun).
--john

No message is sent if the initial “From” line includes the string “-REQUEST@” or if a “Precedence: bulk” or “Precedence: junk” line is included in the header. 

USAGE

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

\name, "|/usr/ucb/vacation name"

where name is your login name. 

Then type in the command

vacation −I

To stop vacation, remove the .forward file, or move it to a new name. 

OPTIONS

−I initialize the .vacation.pag and .vacation.dir files and start vacation.

If the −I flag is not specified, vacation reads the first line from the standard input (for a “From” line, no colon).  If absent, it produces an error message. 

−tN Change the interval between repeat replies to the same sender.  The default is 1 week.  A trailing s, m, h, d, or w scales N to seconds, minutes, hours, days, or weeks respectively. 

FILES

A list of senders is kept in the files .vacation.pag and .vacation.dir in your home directory. 

SEE ALSO

sendmail(8)

Sun Release 3.4  —  Last change: 12 February 1987