term% cat index.txt MAIL(1) General Commands Manual MAIL(1)
NAME
mail - send or receive mail
SYNOPSIS
mail [ -r ] [ -p ] [ -m ] [ -f file ]
mail person ...
mail -n
DESCRIPTION
Mail with no argument prints a user's mail, message-by-message, in
last-in, first-out order, prompting between messages. The options are:
-r Print mail in first-in, first-out order.
-p Print entire mailbox without pause between messages.
-m Only print messages explicitly requested by the user.
-f file
Use file, e.g. `mbox', as if it were the mailbox.
After printing a prompt mail reads a line from the standard input to
direct disposition of the message. Commands are of the form `[range]
command [arguments]'. The command is applied to each message in the
specified range. The optional range can be:
. current message
+ next message
- previous message
a number
the correspondingly numbered message
number1,number2
the range of messages between number1 and number2 inclusive
The commands are:
d Mark message for deletion on exiting mail.
u remove mark for deletion.
h Print the disposition, size in characters, and header line for
each message in the mailbox.
p Print message.
s [ file ] ...
Save the message in the named files (`mbox' default, in HOME di‐
rectory if known, see environ(5)).
m [ person ] ...
Mail the message to the named persons (yourself by default).
r Reply to the sender of the last message printed.
EOT (control-D)
Put unexamined mail back in the mailbox and stop.
q Same as EOT.
x Exit, without changing the mailbox file.
!command
Escape to the Shell to do command.
? Print a command summary.
= Print the number of the current message.
An interrupt stops the printing of the current letter.
When persons are named, mail takes the standard input up to an end-of-
file, or to a line consisting of a single `.'. and adds it to each
person's mailbox. The message is automatically postmarked with the
sender's name and date. Lines that look like postmarks are prefixed
with `>'.
Person is usually a login name. To denote a recipient on a remote sys‐
tem, a network name must be used instead of a simple login name; see
uucp(1), mail(7).
If a person's mailbox contains the sole line
Forward to name
the mail is sent to name instead of person. Name may be a list of
names.
If a person's mailbox contains the sole line
Pipe to command
the mail is piped to command instead of being appended to person's
mailbox. The command is run with the user and group id of the mail‐
box's owner.
Each user owns his own mailbox, which is by default generally readable
but not writable. Mail does not delete an empty mailbox nor change its
mode, so a user may make it unreadable if desired.
Option -n causes notice to be given on your terminal whenever mail is
delivered to your mail box. The option is reversed at each occurrence.
See also sysmon(9.1) and the MAIL variable of sh(1).
When a user logs in he is informed of the presence of mail.
FILES
/usr/spool/mail/mail.log mail log file
/usr/spool/mail/* mailboxes
/etc/passwd to identify sender and locate persons
mbox saved mail
/tmp/ma* temp file
$HOME/dead.letter unmailable text
/usr/lib/upas/printmail the program to peruse the mail
uux(1)
SEE ALSO
xsend(1), write(1), sysmon(9.1), uucp(1), mail(7), upas(8)
BUGS
Option -n doesn't work in a mux(9.1) layer.
MAIL(1)