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MAIL(1) UNIX Reference Manual MAIL(1)
N\bNA\bAM\bME\bE
m\bma\bai\bil\bl - send and receive mail
S\bSY\bYN\bNO\bOP\bPS\bSI\bIS\bS
m\bma\bai\bil\bl [-\b-i\biI\bIn\bnv\bv] [-\b-s\bs _\bs_\bu_\bb_\bj_\be_\bc_\bt] [-\b-c\bc _\bc_\bc-_\ba_\bd_\bd_\br] [-\b-b\bb _\bb_\bc_\bc-_\ba_\bd_\bd_\br] _\bt_\bo-_\ba_\bd_\bd_\br...
m\bma\bai\bil\bl [-\b-i\biI\bIn\bnN\bNv\bv] -\b-f\bf [_\bn_\ba_\bm_\be]
m\bma\bai\bil\bl [-\b-i\biI\bIn\bnN\bNv\bv] [-\b-u\bu _\bu_\bs_\be_\br]
I\bIN\bNT\bTR\bRO\bOD\bDU\bUC\bCT\bTI\bIO\bON\bN
M\bMa\bai\bil\bl is a intelligent mail processing system, which has a command syntax
reminiscent of ed(1) with lines replaced by messages.
-\b-v\bv Verbose mode. The details of delivery are displayed on the users
terminal.
-\b-i\bi Ignore tty interrupt signals. This is particularly useful when us-
ing m\bma\bai\bil\bl on noisy phone lines.
-\b-I\bI Forces mail to run in interactive mode even when input isn't a ter-
minal. In particular, the `~\b~' special character when sending mail
is only active in interactive mode.
-\b-n\bn Inhibits reading /_\bu_\bs_\br/_\bs_\bh_\ba_\br_\be/_\bm_\bi_\bs_\bc/_\bM_\ba_\bi_\bl._\br_\bc upon startup.
-\b-N\bN Inhibits the initial display of message headers when reading mail
or editing a mail folder.
-\b-s\bs Specify subject on command line (only the first argument after the
-\b-s\bs flag is used as a subject; be careful to quote subjects contain-
ing spaces.)
-\b-c\bc Send carbon copies to _\bl_\bi_\bs_\bt of users.
-\b-b\bb Send blind carbon copies to _\bl_\bi_\bs_\bt. List should be a comma-separated
list of names.
-\b-f\bf Read in the contents of your _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx (or the specified file) for pro-
cessing; when you _\bq_\bu_\bi_\bt, m\bma\bai\bil\bl writes undeleted messages back to this
file.
-\b-u\bu Is equivalent to:
mail -f /var/spool/mail/user
S\bSe\ben\bnd\bdi\bin\bng\bg m\bma\bai\bil\bl
To send a message to one or more people, m\bma\bai\bil\bl can be invoked with argu-
ments which are the names of people to whom the mail will be sent. You
are then expected to type in your message, followed by an `control-D' at
the beginning of a line. The section below _\bR_\be_\bp_\bl_\by_\bi_\bn_\bg _\bt_\bo _\bo_\br _\bo_\br_\bi_\bg_\bi_\bn_\ba_\bt_\bi_\bn_\bg
_\bm_\ba_\bi_\bl, describes some features of m\bma\bai\bil\bl available to help you compose your
letter.
R\bRe\bea\bad\bdi\bin\bng\bg m\bma\bai\bil\bl
In normal usage m\bma\bai\bil\bl is given no arguments and checks your mail out of
the post office, then prints out a one line header of each message found.
The current message is initially the first message (numbered 1) and can
be printed using the p\bpr\bri\bin\bnt\bt command (which can be abbreviated (p\bp)). You
can move among the messages much as you move between lines in ed(1), with
the commands `+\b+' and `-\b-' moving backwards and forwards, and simple
numbers.
D\bDi\bis\bsp\bpo\bos\bsi\bin\bng\bg o\bof\bf m\bma\bai\bil\bl.\b.
After examining a message you can d\bde\bel\ble\bet\bte\be (d\bd) the message or r\bre\bep\bpl\bly\by (r\br) to
it. Deletion causes the m\bma\bai\bil\bl program to forget about the message. This
is not irreversible; the message can be u\bun\bnd\bde\bel\ble\bet\bte\bed\bd (u\bu) by giving its
number, or the m\bma\bai\bil\bl session can be aborted by giving the e\bex\bxi\bit\bt (x\bx)
command. Deleted messages will, however, usually disappear never to be
seen again.
S\bSp\bpe\bec\bci\bif\bfy\byi\bin\bng\bg m\bme\bes\bss\bsa\bag\bge\bes\bs
Commands such as p\bpr\bri\bin\bnt\bt and d\bde\bel\ble\bet\bte\be can be given a list of message numbers
as arguments to apply to a number of messages at once. Thus ``delete 1
2'' deletes messages 1 and 2, while ``delete 1-5'' deletes messages 1
through 5. The special name `*' addresses all messages, and `$' ad-
dresses the last message; thus the command t\bto\bop\bp which prints the first few
lines of a message could be used in ``top *'' to print the first few
lines of all messages.
R\bRe\bep\bpl\bly\byi\bin\bng\bg t\bto\bo o\bor\br o\bor\bri\big\bgi\bin\bna\bat\bti\bin\bng\bg m\bma\bai\bil\bl.\b.
You can use the r\bre\bep\bpl\bly\by command to set up a response to a message, sending
it back to the person who it was from. Text you then type in, up to an
end-of-file, defines the contents of the message. While you are compos-
ing a message, m\bma\bai\bil\bl treats lines beginning with the character `~\b~' spe-
cially. For instance, typing `~\b~m\bm' (alone on a line) will place a copy of
the current message into the response right shifting it by a tabstop (see
_\bi_\bn_\bd_\be_\bn_\bt_\bp_\br_\be_\bf_\bi_\bx variable, below). Other escapes will set up subject fields,
add and delete recipients to the message and allow you to escape to an
editor to revise the message or to a shell to run some commands. (These
options are given in the summary below.)
E\bEn\bnd\bdi\bin\bng\bg a\ba m\bma\bai\bil\bl p\bpr\bro\boc\bce\bes\bss\bsi\bin\bng\bg s\bse\bes\bss\bsi\bio\bon\bn.\b.
You can end a m\bma\bai\bil\bl session with the q\bqu\bui\bit\bt (q\bq) command. Messages which
have been examined go to your _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx file unless they have been deleted in
which case they are discarded. Unexamined messages go back to the post
office. (See the -\b-f\bf option above).
P\bPe\ber\brs\bso\bon\bna\bal\bl a\ban\bnd\bd s\bsy\bys\bst\bte\bem\bmw\bwi\bid\bde\be d\bdi\bis\bst\btr\bri\bib\bbu\but\bti\bio\bon\bn l\bli\bis\bst\bts\bs.\b.
It is also possible to create a personal distribution lists so that, for
instance, you can send mail to ``cohorts'' and have it go to a group of
people. Such lists can be defined by placing a line like
alias cohorts bill ozalp jkf mark kridle@ucbcory
in the file ._\bm_\ba_\bi_\bl_\br_\bc in your home directory. The current list of such
aliases can be displayed with the a\bal\bli\bia\bas\bs command in m\bma\bai\bil\bl. System wide
distribution lists can be created by editing /_\be_\bt_\bc/_\ba_\bl_\bi_\ba_\bs_\be_\bs, see aliases(5)
and sendmail(8); these are kept in a different syntax. In mail you send,
personal aliases will be expanded in mail sent to others so that they
will be able to r\bre\bep\bpl\bly\by to the recipients. System wide a\bal\bli\bia\bas\bse\bes\bs are not ex-
panded when the mail is sent, but any reply returned to the machine will
have the system wide alias expanded as all mail goes through sendmail.
N\bNe\bet\btw\bwo\bor\brk\bk m\bma\bai\bil\bl (\b(A\bAR\bRP\bPA\bA,\b, U\bUU\bUC\bCP\bP,\b, B\bBe\ber\brk\bkn\bne\bet\bt)\b)
See mailaddr(7) for a description of network addresses.
M\bMa\bai\bil\bl has a number of options which can be set in the ._\bm_\ba_\bi_\bl_\br_\bc file to
alter its behavior; thus ``set askcc'' enables the _\ba_\bs_\bk_\bc_\bc feature. (These
options are summarized below.)
S\bSU\bUM\bMM\bMA\bAR\bRY\bY
(Adapted from the `Mail Reference Manual')
Each command is typed on a line by itself, and may take arguments follow-
ing the command word. The command need not be typed in its entirety -
the first command which matches the typed prefix is used. For commands
which take message lists as arguments, if no message list is given, then
the next message forward which satisfies the command's requirements is
used. If there are no messages forward of the current message, the
search proceeds backwards, and if there are no good messages at all, m\bma\bai\bil\bl
types ``No applicable messages'' and aborts the command.
-\b- Print out the preceding message. If given a numeric argument
_\bn, goes to the _\bn'th previous message and prints it.
?\b? Prints a brief summary of commands.
!\b! Executes the shell (see sh(1) and csh(1)) command which fol-
lows.
P\bPr\bri\bin\bnt\bt (P\bP) Like p\bpr\bri\bin\bnt\bt but also prints out ignored header fields. See
also p\bpr\bri\bin\bnt\bt, i\big\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be and r\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn.
R\bRe\bep\bpl\bly\by (R\bR) Reply to originator. Does not reply to other recipients of
the original message.
T\bTy\byp\bpe\be (T\bT) Identical to the P\bPr\bri\bin\bnt\bt command.
a\bal\bli\bia\bas\bs (a\ba) With no arguments, prints out all currently-defined
aliases. With one argument, prints out that alias. With more
than one argument, creates a new alias or changes an old one.
a\bal\blt\bte\ber\brn\bna\bat\bte\bes\bs
(a\bal\blt\bt) The a\bal\blt\bte\ber\brn\bna\bat\bte\bes\bs command is useful if you have accounts on
several machines. It can be used to inform m\bma\bai\bil\bl that the list-
ed addresses are really you. When you r\bre\bep\bpl\bly\by to messages, m\bma\bai\bil\bl
will not send a copy of the message to any of the addresses
listed on the a\bal\blt\bte\ber\brn\bna\bat\bte\bes\bs list. If the a\bal\blt\bte\ber\brn\bna\bat\bte\bes\bs command is
given with no argument, the current set of alternate names is
displayed.
c\bch\bhd\bdi\bir\br (c\bc) Changes the user's working directory to that specified, if
given. If no directory is given, then changes to the user's
login directory.
c\bco\bop\bpy\by (c\bco\bo) The c\bco\bop\bpy\by command does the same thing that s\bsa\bav\bve\be does, ex-
cept that it does not mark the messages it is used on for dele-
tion when you quit.
d\bde\bel\ble\bet\bte\be (d\bd) Takes a list of messages as argument and marks them all as
deleted. Deleted messages will not be saved in _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx, nor will
they be available for most other commands.
d\bdp\bp (also d\bdt\bt) Deletes the current message and prints the next mes-
sage. If there is no next message, m\bma\bai\bil\bl says ``at EOF.''
e\bed\bdi\bit\bt (e\be) Takes a list of messages and points the text editor at each
one in turn. On return from the editor, the message is read
back in.
e\bex\bxi\bit\bt (e\bex\bx or x\bx) Effects an immediate return to the Shell without
modifying the user's system mailbox, his _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx file, or his edit
file in -\b-f\bf.
f\bfi\bil\ble\be (f\bfi\bi) The same as f\bfo\bol\bld\bde\ber\br.
f\bfo\bol\bld\bde\ber\brs\bs List the names of the folders in your folder directory.
f\bfo\bol\bld\bde\ber\br (f\bfo\bo) The f\bfo\bol\bld\bde\ber\br command switches to a new mail file or folder.
With no arguments, it tells you which file you are currently
reading. If you give it an argument, it will write out changes
(such as deletions) you have made in the current file and read
in the new file. Some special conventions are recognized for
the name. # means the previous file, % means your system mail-
box, %user means user's system mailbox, & means your _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx file,
and +folder means a file in your folder directory.
f\bfr\bro\bom\bm (f\bf) Takes a list of messages and prints their message headers.
h\bhe\bea\bad\bde\ber\brs\bs (h\bh) Lists the current range of headers, which is an 18-message
group. If a `+' argument is given, then the next 18-message
group is printed, and if a `-' argument is given, the previous
18-message group is printed.
h\bhe\bel\blp\bp A synonym for ?\b?
h\bho\bol\bld\bd (h\bho\bo, also p\bpr\bre\bes\bse\ber\brv\bve\be) Takes a message list and marks each message
therein to be saved in the user's system mailbox instead of in
_\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx. Does not override the d\bde\bel\ble\bet\bte\be command.
i\big\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be N\bN.\b.B\bB.\b.:\b: I\bIg\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be has been superseded by r\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn.
Add the list of header fields named to the _\bi_\bg_\bn_\bo_\br_\be_\bd _\bl_\bi_\bs_\bt Header
fields in the ignore list are not printed on your terminal when
you print a message. This command is very handy for suppression
of certain machine-generated header fields. The T\bTy\byp\bpe\be and P\bPr\bri\bin\bnt\bt
commands can be used to print a message in its entirety, in-
cluding ignored fields. If i\big\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be is executed with no argu-
ments, it lists the current set of ignored fields.
m\bma\bai\bil\bl (m\bm) Takes as argument login names and distribution group names
and sends mail to those people.
m\bmb\bbo\box\bx Indicate that a list of messages be sent to m\bmb\bbo\box\bx in your home
directory when you quit. This is the default action for mes-
sages if you do _\bn_\bo_\bt have the h\bho\bol\bld\bd option set.
n\bne\bex\bxt\bt (n\bn like +\b+ or CR) Goes to the next message in sequence and types
it. With an argument list, types the next matching message.
p\bpr\bre\bes\bse\ber\brv\bve\be
(p\bpr\bre\be) A synonym for h\bho\bol\bld\bd.
p\bpr\bri\bin\bnt\bt (p\bp) Takes a message list and types out each message on the
user's terminal.
q\bqu\bui\bit\bt (q\bq) Terminates the session, saving all undeleted, unsaved
messages in the user's _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx file in his login directory,
preserving all messages marked with h\bho\bol\bld\bd or p\bpr\bre\bes\bse\ber\brv\bve\be or never
referenced in his system mailbox, and removing all other mes-
sages from his system mailbox. If new mail has arrived during
the session, the message ``You have new mail'' is given. If
given while editing a mailbox file with the -\b-f\bf flag, then the
edit file is rewritten. A return to the Shell is effected, un-
less the rewrite of edit file fails, in which case the user can
escape with the e\bex\bxi\bit\bt command.
r\bre\bep\bpl\bly\by (r\br) Takes a message list and sends mail to the sender and all
recipients of the specified message. The default message must
not be deleted.
r\bre\bes\bsp\bpo\bon\bnd\bd A synonym for r\bre\bep\bpl\bly\by.
r\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn Add the list of header fields named to the _\br_\be_\bt_\ba_\bi_\bn_\be_\bd _\bl_\bi_\bs_\bt Only
the header fields in the retain list are shown on your terminal
when you print a message. All other header fields are
suppressed. The T\bTy\byp\bpe\be and P\bPr\bri\bin\bnt\bt commands can be used to print a
message in its entirety. If r\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn is executed with no argu-
ments, it lists the current set of retained fields.
s\bsa\bav\bve\be (s\bs) Takes a message list and a filename and appends each
message in turn to the end of the file. The filename in
quotes, followed by the line count and character count is
echoed on the user's terminal.
s\bse\bet\bt (s\bse\be) With no arguments, prints all variable values. Otherwise,
sets option. Arguments are of the form _\bo_\bp_\bt_\bi_\bo_\bn=_\bv_\ba_\bl_\bu_\be (no space
before or after =) or _\bo_\bp_\bt_\bi_\bo_\bn. Quotation marks may be placed
around any part of the assignment statement to quote blanks or
tabs, i.e. ``set indentprefix="->"''
s\bsa\bav\bve\bei\big\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be
S\bSa\bav\bve\bei\big\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be is to s\bsa\bav\bve\be what i\big\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be is to p\bpr\bri\bin\bnt\bt and t\bty\byp\bpe\be. Header
fields thus marked are filtered out when saving a message by
s\bsa\bav\bve\be or when automatically saving to _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx.
s\bsa\bav\bve\ber\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn
S\bSa\bav\bve\ber\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn is to s\bsa\bav\bve\be what r\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn is to p\bpr\bri\bin\bnt\bt and t\bty\byp\bpe\be. Header
fields thus marked are the only ones saved with a message when
saving by s\bsa\bav\bve\be or when automatically saving to _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx.
S\bSa\bav\bve\ber\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn overrides s\bsa\bav\bve\bei\big\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be.
s\bsh\bhe\bel\bll\bl (s\bsh\bh) Invokes an interactive version of the shell.
s\bsi\biz\bze\be Takes a message list and prints out the size in characters of
each message.
s\bso\bou\bur\brc\bce\be The command reads commands from a file.
t\bto\bop\bp Takes a message list and prints the top few lines of each. The
number of lines printed is controlled by the variable t\bto\bop\bpl\bli\bin\bne\bes\bs
and defaults to five.
t\bty\byp\bpe\be (t\bt) A synonym for p\bpr\bri\bin\bnt\bt.
u\bun\bna\bal\bli\bia\bas\bs Takes a list of names defined by a\bal\bli\bia\bas\bs commands and discards
the remembered groups of users. The group names no longer have
any significance.
u\bun\bnd\bde\bel\ble\bet\bte\be
(u\bu) Takes a message list and marks each message as n\bno\bot\bt being
deleted.
u\bun\bnr\bre\bea\bad\bd (U\bU) Takes a message list and marks each message as n\bno\bot\bt having
been read.
u\bun\bns\bse\bet\bt Takes a list of option names and discards their remembered
values; the inverse of s\bse\bet\bt.
v\bvi\bis\bsu\bua\bal\bl (v\bv) Takes a message list and invokes the display editor on each
message.
w\bwr\bri\bit\bte\be (w\bw) Similar to s\bsa\bav\bve\be, except that o\bon\bnl\bly\by the message body (_\bw_\bi_\bt_\bh_\bo_\bu_\bt
the header) is saved. Extremely useful for such tasks as
sending and receiving source program text over the message
system.
x\bxi\bit\bt (x\bx) A synonym for e\bex\bxi\bit\bt.
z\bz M\bMa\bai\bil\bl presents message headers in windowfuls as described under
the h\bhe\bea\bad\bde\ber\brs\bs command. You can move m\bma\bai\bil\bl's attention forward to
the next window with the z\bz command. Also, you can move to the
previous window by using z\bz-\b-.
T\bTi\bil\bld\bde\be/\b/E\bEs\bsc\bca\bap\bpe\bes\bs
Here is a summary of the tilde escapes, which are used when composing
messages to perform special functions. Tilde escapes are only recognized
at the beginning of lines. The name ``_\bt_\bi_\bl_\bd_\be _\be_\bs_\bc_\ba_\bp_\be'' is somewhat of a
misnomer since the actual escape character can be set by the option
e\bes\bsc\bca\bap\bpe\be.
~\b~!\b!_\bc_\bo_\bm_\bm_\ba_\bn_\bd
Execute the indicated shell command, then return to the message.
~\b~b\bb_\bn_\ba_\bm_\be ...
Add the given names to the list of carbon copy recipients but do
not make the names visible in the Cc: line ("blind" carbon copy).
~\b~c\bc_\bn_\ba_\bm_\be ...
Add the given names to the list of carbon copy recipients.
~\b~d\bd Read the file ``_\bd_\be_\ba_\bd._\bl_\be_\bt_\bt_\be_\br'' from your home directory into the
message.
~\b~e\be Invoke the text editor on the message collected so far. After the
editing session is finished, you may continue appending text to the
message.
~\b~f\bf_\bm_\be_\bs_\bs_\ba_\bg_\be_\bs
Read the named messages into the message being sent. If no
messages are specified, read in the current message. Message
headers currently being ignored (by the i\big\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be or r\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn command)
are not included.
~\b~F\bF_\bm_\be_\bs_\bs_\ba_\bg_\be_\bs
Identical to ~\b~f\bf, except all message headers are included.
~\b~h\bh Edit the message header fields by typing each one in turn and al-
lowing the user to append text to the end or modify the field by
using the current terminal erase and kill characters.
~\b~m\bm_\bm_\be_\bs_\bs_\ba_\bg_\be_\bs
Read the named messages into the message being sent, indented by a
tab or by the value of _\bi_\bn_\bd_\be_\bn_\bt_\bp_\br_\be_\bf_\bi_\bx. If no messages are specified,
read the current message. Message headers currently being ignored
(by the i\big\bgn\bno\bor\bre\be or r\bre\bet\bta\bai\bin\bn command) are not included.
~\b~M\bM_\bm_\be_\bs_\bs_\ba_\bg_\be_\bs
Identical to ~\b~m\bm, except all message headers are included.
~\b~p\bp Print out the message collected so far, prefaced by the message
header fields.
~\b~q\bq Abort the message being sent, copying the message to
``_\bd_\be_\ba_\bd._\bl_\be_\bt_\bt_\be_\br'' in your home directory if s\bsa\bav\bve\be is set.
~\b~r\br_\bf_\bi_\bl_\be_\bn_\ba_\bm_\be
Read the named file into the message.
~\b~s\bs_\bs_\bt_\br_\bi_\bn_\bg
Cause the named string to become the current subject field.
~\b~t\bt_\bn_\ba_\bm_\be ...
Add the given names to the direct recipient list.
~\b~v\bv Invoke an alternate editor (defined by the VISUAL option) on the
message collected so far. Usually, the alternate editor will be a
screen editor. After you quit the editor, you may resume appending
text to the end of your message.
~\b~w\bw_\bf_\bi_\bl_\be_\bn_\ba_\bm_\be
Write the message onto the named file.
~\b~|\b|_\bc_\bo_\bm_\bm_\ba_\bn_\bd
Pipe the message through the command as a filter. If the command
gives no output or terminates abnormally, retain the original text
of the message. The command fmt(1) is often used as c\bco\bom\bmm\bma\ban\bnd\bd to re-
justify the message.
~\b~:\b:_\bm_\ba_\bi_\bl-_\bc_\bo_\bm_\bm_\ba_\bn_\bd
Execute the given mail command. Not all commands, however, are
allowed.
~\b~~\b~_\bs_\bt_\br_\bi_\bn_\bg
Insert the string of text in the message prefaced by a single ~.
If you have changed the escape character, then you should double
that character in order to send it.
M\bMa\bai\bil\bl O\bOp\bpt\bti\bio\bon\bns\bs
Options are controlled via s\bse\bet\bt and u\bun\bns\bse\bet\bt commands. Options may be either
binary, in which case it is only significant to see whether they are set
or not; or string, in which case the actual value is of interest. The
binary options include the following:
_\ba_\bp_\bp_\be_\bn_\bd Causes messages saved in _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx to be appended to the end rath-
er than prepended. This should always be set (perhaps in
/_\bu_\bs_\br/_\bs_\bh_\ba_\br_\be/_\bm_\bi_\bs_\bc/_\bM_\ba_\bi_\bl._\br_\bc).
_\ba_\bs_\bk Causes m\bma\bai\bil\bl to prompt you for the subject of each message you
send. If you respond with simply a newline, no subject field
will be sent.
_\ba_\bs_\bk_\bc_\bc Causes you to be prompted for additional carbon copy reci-
pients at the end of each message. Responding with a newline
indicates your satisfaction with the current list.
_\ba_\bu_\bt_\bo_\bp_\br_\bi_\bn_\bt Causes the d\bde\bel\ble\bet\bte\be command to behave like d\bdp\bp - thus, after
deleting a message, the next one will be typed automatically.
_\bd_\be_\bb_\bu_\bg Setting the binary option _\bd_\be_\bb_\bu_\bg is the same as specifying -\b-d\bd
on the command line and causes m\bma\bai\bil\bl to output all sorts of
information useful for debugging m\bma\bai\bil\bl.
_\bd_\bo_\bt The binary option _\bd_\bo_\bt causes m\bma\bai\bil\bl to interpret a period alone
on a line as the terminator of a message you are sending.
_\bh_\bo_\bl_\bd This option is used to hold messages in the system mailbox by
default.
_\bi_\bg_\bn_\bo_\br_\be Causes interrupt signals from your terminal to be ignored and
echoed as @'s.
_\bi_\bg_\bn_\bo_\br_\be_\be_\bo_\bf An option related to _\bd_\bo_\bt is _\bi_\bg_\bn_\bo_\br_\be_\be_\bo_\bf which makes m\bma\bai\bil\bl refuse
to accept a control-d as the end of a message. _\bI_\bg_\bn_\bo_\br_\be_\be_\bo_\bf
also applies to m\bma\bai\bil\bl command mode.
_\bm_\be_\bt_\bo_\bo Usually, when a group is expanded that contains the sender,
the sender is removed from the expansion. Setting this op-
tion causes the sender to be included in the group.
_\bn_\bo_\bh_\be_\ba_\bd_\be_\br Setting the option _\bn_\bo_\bh_\be_\ba_\bd_\be_\br is the same as giving the -\b-N\bN flag
on the command line.
_\bn_\bo_\bs_\ba_\bv_\be Normally, when you abort a message with two RUBOUT (erase or
delete) m\bma\bai\bil\bl copies the partial letter to the file
``_\bd_\be_\ba_\bd._\bl_\be_\bt_\bt_\be_\br'' in your home directory. Setting the binary
option _\bn_\bo_\bs_\ba_\bv_\be prevents this.
_\bR_\be_\bp_\bl_\by_\ba_\bl_\bl Reverses the sense of r\bre\bep\bpl\bly\by and R\bRe\bep\bpl\bly\by commands.
_\bq_\bu_\bi_\be_\bt Suppresses the printing of the version when first invoked.
_\bv_\be_\br_\bb_\bo_\bs_\be Setting the option _\bv_\be_\br_\bb_\bo_\bs_\be is the same as using the -\b-v\bv flag
on the command line. When mail runs in verbose mode, the ac-
tual delivery of messages is displayed on he users terminal.
O\bOp\bpt\bti\bio\bon\bn S\bSt\btr\bri\bin\bng\bg V\bVa\bal\blu\bue\bes\bs
_\bE_\bD_\bI_\bT_\bO_\bR Pathname of the text editor to use in the e\bed\bdi\bit\bt command and ~\b~e\be
escape. If not defined, then a default editor is used.
_\bL_\bI_\bS_\bT_\bE_\bR Pathname of the directory lister to use in the f\bfo\bol\bld\bde\ber\brs\bs com-
mand. Default is /_\bb_\bi_\bn/_\bl_\bs.
_\bP_\bA_\bG_\bE_\bR Pathname of the program to use in the m\bmo\bor\bre\be command or when
c\bcr\brt\bt variable is set. The default paginator more(1) is used
if this option is not defined.
_\bS_\bH_\bE_\bL_\bL Pathname of the shell to use in the !\b! command and the ~\b~!\b!
escape. A default shell is used if this option is not de-
fined.
_\bV_\bI_\bS_\bU_\bA_\bL Pathname of the text editor to use in the v\bvi\bis\bsu\bua\bal\bl command and
~\b~v\bv escape.
_\bc_\br_\bt The valued option _\bc_\br_\bt is used as a threshold to determine how
long a message must be before _\bP_\bA_\bG_\bE_\bR is used to read it. If
_\bc_\br_\bt is set without a value, then the height of the terminal
screen stored in the system is used to compute the threshold
(see stty(1)).
_\be_\bs_\bc_\ba_\bp_\be If defined, the first character of this option gives the
character to use in the place of ~ to denote escapes.
_\bf_\bo_\bl_\bd_\be_\br The name of the directory to use for storing folders of mes-
sages. If this name begins with a `/', m\bma\bai\bil\bl considers it to
be an absolute pathname; otherwise, the folder directory is
found relative to your home directory.
_\bM_\bB_\bO_\bX The name of the _\bm_\bb_\bo_\bx file. It can be the name of a folder.
The default is ``mbox'' in the user's home directory.
_\br_\be_\bc_\bo_\br_\bd If defined, gives the pathname of the file used to record all
outgoing mail. If not defined, then outgoing mail is not so
saved.
_\bi_\bn_\bd_\be_\bn_\bt_\bp_\br_\be_\bf_\bi_\bx
String used by the ``~m'' tilde escape for indenting mes-
sages, in place of the normal tab character (^I). Be sure to
quote the value if it contains spaces or tabs.
_\bt_\bo_\bp_\bl_\bi_\bn_\be_\bs If defined, gives the number of lines of a message to be
printed out with the t\bto\bop\bp command; normally, the first five
lines are printed.
E\bEN\bNV\bVI\bIR\bRO\bON\bNM\bME\bEN\bNT\bT
M\bMa\bai\bil\bl utilizes the HOME and USER environment variables.
F\bFI\bIL\bLE\bES\bS
/_\bv_\ba_\br/_\bs_\bp_\bo_\bo_\bl/_\bm_\ba_\bi_\bl/* post office
~/mbox your old mail
~/.mailrc file giving initial mail commands
/_\bt_\bm_\bp/_\bR* temporary files
/_\bu_\bs_\br/_\bs_\bh_\ba_\br_\be/_\bm_\bi_\bs_\bc/_\bM_\ba_\bi_\bl._\bh_\be_\bl_\bp* help files
/_\bu_\bs_\br/_\bs_\bh_\ba_\br_\be/_\bm_\bi_\bs_\bc/_\bM_\ba_\bi_\bl._\br_\bc system initialization file
S\bSE\bEE\bE A\bAL\bLS\bSO\bO
binmail(1), fmt(1), newaliases(1), vacation(1), aliases(5), mailaddr(7),
sendmail(8) and _\bT_\bh_\be _\bM_\ba_\bi_\bl _\bR_\be_\bf_\be_\br_\be_\bn_\bc_\be _\bM_\ba_\bn_\bu_\ba_\bl.
H\bHI\bIS\bST\bTO\bOR\bRY\bY
A m\bma\bai\bil\bl command appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX. This man page is derived
from _\bT_\bh_\be _\bM_\ba_\bi_\bl _\bR_\be_\bf_\be_\br_\be_\bn_\bc_\be _\bM_\ba_\bn_\bu_\ba_\bl originally written by Kurt Shoens.
B\bBU\bUG\bGS\bS
There are some flags that are not documented here. Most are not useful to
the general user.
Usually, m\bma\bai\bil\bl is just a link to M\bMa\bai\bil\bl, which can be confusing.
Continuous source code history from original PDP-7 UNIX to FreeBSD 2, the first fully unencumbered FreeBSD release.