Starting mail
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Command Description ----------------------------------------------------------------------- mail invoke mail program mail -e test for presence of mail; exit if none mail -f myfolder read messages from a mail folder mail -s "report" joe < status send file to another person
Commands available at the mail prompt
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Command Abbreviation Description
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! ! execute UNIX system command
alias a create personal mailing list
Alias A find out who belongs to a mailing list
delete d delete message(s)
dp dp delete current message and print the next
edit e edit existing message
exit x exit mail without updating the folder
folder fold switch folders
forward fo forward message (indented) to another
person
Forward F forward message (not indented)
headers h display headers of messages in the mailbox
help hel display usage of available commands
hold ho keep messages in system mailbox
list l display available commands
lpr lp send messages to the printer
mail m create message
print p display non-deleted messages
quit q update folder and quit mail
reply r send reply to author only
Reply R send reply to everyone in ``To'' list
save s save message(s) to folder
set se set mail variable
shell sh start subshell
undelete u restore deleted message(s)
unset uns unset mail variable
visual v edit existing message using vi
write w write message(s) to file
Commands available while composing a message
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Command Description
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~! execute a shell command
~? list commands
~a include your signature
~b change ``Bcc'' list
~c change ``Cc'' list
~d read in dead.letter file
~h change header
~m number read in a message (indented)
~M number read in a message (not indented)
~q abort current message (saved as
dead.letter)
~r filename read in a file
~s change ``Subject''
~t add names to ``To'' list
~v edit message using vi
Variables used with the set command
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Variable Description
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askcc prompt for carbon copy recipients
asksub prompt for ``Subject'' line
chron show message headers in
chronological order, most recent
last
mchron show message headers in reverse
chronological order, most recent
first
dot ``.'' at start of line means end-
of-file
folder="myfolder" directory myfolder holds your mail
folders
hold keep messages in system mailbox
when you quit
crt=22 page 22 lines at a time
PAGER=/usr/bin/page display messages using page
prompt="mail: " change prompt to ``mail: ''
quiet stop mail displaying its starting
message
screen=10 display 10 headers at a time
sign="That's all, folks" assign your signature, included
using ~a
VISUAL=/usr/bin/vedit edit messages using vedit