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- Subject: v18i084: Elm mail system, release 2.2, Part05/24
- Newsgroups: comp.sources.unix
- Sender: sources
- Approved: rsalz@uunet.UU.NET
-
- Submitted-by: dsinc!syd@uunet.UU.NET (Syd Weinstein)
- Posting-number: Volume 18, Issue 84
- Archive-name: elm2.2/part05
-
- #!/bin/sh
- # this is part 5 of a multipart archive
- # do not concatenate these parts, unpack them in order with /bin/sh
- # file doc/Ref.guide continued
- #
- CurArch=5
- if test ! -r s2_seq_.tmp
- then echo "Please unpack part 1 first!"
- exit 1; fi
- ( read Scheck
- if test "$Scheck" != $CurArch
- then echo "Please unpack part $Scheck next!"
- exit 1;
- else exit 0; fi
- ) < s2_seq_.tmp || exit 1
- echo "x - Continuing file doc/Ref.guide"
- sed 's/^X//' << 'SHAR_EOF' >> doc/Ref.guide
- Xthan returned directly to the index screen.
- XIf the external pager you are using exits when it reaches end of file
- X(i.e. end of the message), you should have this flag ON,
- Xotherwise the last screen of the displayed message will not be held
- Xbut instead be immediately replaced by the index screen.
- XIf the external pager you are using does not exit until you command it to exit,
- Xyou have a choice.
- XIf you usually want to see the index screen before issuing a command,
- Xhaving the flag OFF will cut down out the extra keystroke needed to return
- Xto the index screen.
- XIf you usually don't need to see the index screen to before issuing the
- Xnext command,
- Xhaving the flag ON will allow you to proceed with your next command without
- Xhaving to wait for the redrawing of the index screen.
- X(The default is ON.)
- X
- X.lp pointnew 1.0i
- XIf this is turned on, the mailer will be automatically
- Xpointing to the first new message in your folder when started, instead
- Xof at message #1. This will only be effective for the incoming mailbox since
- Xother folders are not expected to have `new' mail. (The default is ON.)
- X
- X.lp resolve 1.0i
- XThis is a boolean flag that defines the behaviour of the
- Xprogram for such actions as deletion, saving a message
- Xand so on. Specifically, with this option enabled, as
- Xsoon as mail is `dealt with' the program moves you to the
- Xnext message in the folder, with deletion, undeletion,
- Xsaving a message and forwarding a message all being treated as
- Xdealing with email in this manner.
- X(The default is ON.)
- X
- X.lp savename 1.0i
- XOne of the problems with electronic mail systems is that one
- Xtends to get very large, one-dimensional (flat) files that
- Xcontain lots of completely unrelated mail. If this option
- Xis turned on, \f2elm\f1 will use a more intelligent
- Xalgorithm \(em on incoming mail, when you \f2save\f1 or \f2copy\f1 it,
- Xthe default mailbox to save to (changeable by pressing anything other than
- X<return> of course) is a folder that is the \f2login name\f1 of the
- Xperson who sent you the message. Similarly, when sending mail out,
- Xinstead of just blindly saving it to the \f2sentmail\f1 folder, \f2elm\f1
- Xwill save it to a folder that is the login name of the
- Xperson who is to receive the mail\s-2\u2\d\s0.
- X.fn
- X2. When sending to a group, it's saved to the first person in the
- Xlist only.
- X.ef
- X
- XIn practice, this means that important people that you communicate
- Xwith (those that you tend to save mail from) have folders that are
- Xactually \f2a recorded log of the discussion in both directions\f1
- Xand those others (random mailings) are all stuffed in the \f2sentmail\f1
- Xfolder for easy perusal and removal. (The default is ON.)
- X
- X.lp softkeys 1.0i
- XIf on, this tells \f2elm\f1 that you have an HP terminal with the
- XHP 2622 function key protocol and that you'd like to have them available
- Xwhile in the program. (The default is OFF.)
- X
- X.lp titles 1.0i
- XThis flag allows you to have the first line of a message
- Xtitled with:
- X.sp
- X.ft CW
- X.ps 9
- X.nf
- X.tl ' Message \f2N/M\fP from \f2username\fP''\f2date\fP at \f2time\f1 '
- X.fi
- X.ps 10
- X.ft 1
- X.sp
- Xwhere all the information has been previously extracted
- Xfrom the message.
- XThis is especially useful if you weed out all the headers of each
- Xmessage with a large `weedout' list...
- X(The default is ON.)
- X
- X.lp warnings 1.0i
- XThe mailer likes to warn you when you send mail to a machine that cannot
- Xbe directly accessed. In some situations, however, the system is set up so
- Xthat mail is automatically forwarded to another machine that might then
- Xhave better connections. Setting this flag will allow you to effectively
- Xshut off all the warning messages. (The default is ON.)
- X
- X.lp weed 1.0i
- XThis is a boolean flag that, in combination with the
- X``weedout'' list, allows you to custom define the set of
- Xheaders you would like to not have displayed while reading
- Xmessages.
- X(The default is ON.)
- X.in 0
- X.sp
- XOne more thing: the format for each of the lines is:
- X.nf
- X.ft CW
- X.ti .5i
- Xvariable = value\f1
- X.fi
- Xand for boolean variables, \f2value\f1 can be `ON' or `OFF' only.
- X.sp
- XFor a better idea of how this all works, here's
- Xmy \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file.
- XWhile looking through it, notice that you can have lots of comments
- Xand blank lines for readability and that you can also use `shell
- Xvariables' and the `~' metacharacter for your home directory,
- Xand they are expanded accordingly when read in by the mailer.
- X(Note that this was automatically saved by the \f2elm\f1 program
- Xon the fly from the o)ptions screen)
- X.ft CW
- X.nf
- X #
- X # .elm/elmrc - options file for the ELM mail system
- X #
- X # Saved automatically by ELM 2.2 for Dave Taylor
- X #
- X
- X # For yes/no settings with ?, ON means yes, OFF means no
- X
- X # where to save calendar entries
- X calendar = ~/.Agenda
- X
- X # what editor to use ("none" means simulate Berkeley Mail)
- X editor = none
- X
- X # the character to use in the builtin editor for entering commands
- X escape = ~
- X
- X # the full user name for outbound mail
- X fullname = Dave Taylor
- X
- X # where to save received messages to, default file is "=received"
- X receivedmail = $HOME/Mail/received
- X
- X # where to save my mail to, default directory is "Mail"
- X maildir = /users/taylor/Mail
- X
- X # program to use for displaying messages ('builtin' is recommended)
- X pager = builtin
- X
- X # prefix sequence for indenting included message text in outgoing messages...
- X prefix = >_
- X
- X # how to print a message ('%s' is the filename)
- X print = lpr -Plw2 %s
- X
- X # where to save copies of outgoing mail to, default file is "=sent"
- X sentmail = /users/taylor/Mail/mail.sent
- X
- X # the shell to use for shell escapes
- X shell = /bin/csh
- X
- X # local ".signature" file to append to appropriate messages...
- X localsignature = localsig
- X
- X # remote ".signature" file to append to appropriate messages...
- X remotesignature = remotesig
- X
- X # how to sort folders, "Mailbox" by default
- X sortby = Reverse-Received
- X
- X # should the default be to delete messages we've marked for deletion?
- X alwaysdelete = ON
- X
- X # should the default be to store read messages to the "received" folder?
- X alwaysstore = ON
- X
- X # should the default be to keep unread messages in the incoming mailbox?
- X alwayskeep = ON
- X
- X # should we use the "->" rather than the inverse video bar?
- X arrow = OFF
- X
- X # should the message disposition questions be displayed(ON) or
- X # auto-answered(OFF) with the default answers when we resync or change folders?
- X ask = ON
- X
- X # would you like to be asked for Carbon-Copies information each msg?
- X askcc = ON
- X
- X # automatically copy message being replied to into buffer?
- X autocopy = OFF
- X
- X # threshold for bouncing copies of remote uucp messages...
- X # zero = disable function.
- X bounceback = 0
- X
- X # save a copy of all outbound messages?
- X copy = ON
- X
- X # do we want to be able to mail out AT&T Mail Forms?
- X forms = OFF
- X
- X # should we keep folders from which all messages are deleted?
- X keepempty = OFF
- X
- X # we're running on an HP terminal and want HOME, PREV, NEXT, etc...
- X keypad = OFF
- X
- X # should we display the three-line 'mini' menu?
- X menu = ON
- X
- X # when using the page commands (+ - <NEXT> <PREV>) change the current
- X # message pointer...?
- X movepage = ON
- X
- X # just show the names when expanding aliases?
- X names = ON
- X
- X # when messages are copied into the outbound buffer, don't include headers?
- X noheader = ON
- X
- X # start up by pointing to the first new message received, if possible?
- X pointnew = ON
- X
- X # prompt for a command after the external pager exits?
- X promptafter = ON
- X
- X # emulate the mailx message increment mode (only increment after something
- X # has been 'done' to a message, either saved or deleted, as opposed to
- X # simply each time something is touched)?
- X resolve = ON
- X
- X # save messages, incoming and outbound, by login name of sender/recipient?
- X savename = ON
- X
- X # are we running on an HP terminal and want HOME, PREV, NEXT, etc...?
- X # (this implies "keypad=ON" too)
- X softkeys = OFF
- X
- X # set the main prompt timeout for resynching...
- X timeout = 60
- X
- X # display message title when displaying pages of message?
- X titles = ON
- X
- X # are we good at it? 0=beginner, 1=intermediate, 2+ = expert!
- X userlevel = 2
- X
- X # tell us about addresses to machines we can't directly get to?
- X warnings = OFF
- X
- X # enable the weedout list to be read?
- X weed = ON
- X
- X # what headers I DON'T want to see, ever.
- X weedout = "Path:" "Via:" "Sent:" "Date" "Status:" "Original" "Phase"
- X "Subject:" "Fruit" "Sun" "Lat" "Buzzword" "Return" "Posted"
- X "Telephone" "Postal-Address" "Origin" "X-Sent-By-Nmail-V" "Resent"
- X "X-Location" "Source" "Mood" "Neuron" "Libido" "To:" "X-Mailer:"
- X "Full-Name:" "X-HPMAIL" "Cc:" "cc:" "Mmdf" "Network-" "Really-"
- X "Sender:" "Post" "Message-" "Relay-" "Article-" "Lines:"
- X "Approved:" "Xref:" "Organization:" "*end-of-user-headers*"
- X
- X # alternative addresses that I could receive mail from (usually a
- X # forwarding mailbox) and don't want to have listed...
- X alternatives = hplabs!taylor hpldat!taylor taylor@hplabs taylor%hpldat
- X.fi
- X.br
- X.ne 5
- X.sp
- X.hn 1 The Command Line Options
- X
- XThere are a number of command line options to the \f2elm\f1
- Xprogram, with only one that needs to be remembered: ``-?''or ``-h'' for help.
- X
- XThe flags are:
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'-a 66p
- XArrow. This allows you to have the ``->'' arrow pointer
- Xrather than the inverse bar. This can also be set in
- Xthe \f2.elm/elmrc\f1
- Xfile \(em check the boolean variable \f2arrow\f1).
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'-c 66p
- XCheck only. This is useful for expanding aliases
- Xwithout sending any mail. The invocation is similar to
- Xinvoking \f2elm\f1 in send-only mode:
- X.ft CW
- Xelm -c\f2 list-of-aliases\f1
- X
- X.lp "\h'24p'-d \f2n\f1" 66p
- XSet debug level to \f2n\f1. Useful for debugging the \f2elm\f1
- Xprogram, this option will create a file in your home
- Xdirectory called \f2ELM:debug.info\f1, then
- Xoutput a running log of what is going on with
- Xthe program. Level \f2n\f1 can be 1 through 11,
- Xwhere the higher numbers generate more output.
- XThis option might be disabled by the the person who configured
- X\f2elm\f1 for your system.
- X
- X.lp "\h'24p'-f \f2folder\f1" 66p
- XFolder. Read specified folder rather than the default incoming mailbox.
- XNote that you can use the same metacharacters (e.g. `=') as when
- Xyou \f2change folders\f1 from within the program. You can also use the
- Xsame abbreviatory symbols (`!', `>' and `<'),
- Xbut remember to ``single quote'' them
- Xin case they have special meaning in the shell you use.
- X
- X.lp "\h'24p'-h or -?" 66p
- XHelp. Gives a short list of all these options and exits.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'-k 66p
- XKeypad \(em This option, when used, lets the \f2elm\f1 program
- Xknow that you're on an HP terminal, and it can then interpret
- Xthe <PREV>, <NEXT> and <HOME>/<SHIFT>-<HOME> keys accordingly. If you
- Xare not on an HP terminal, it is recommended that you do
- XNOT use this option. (See the \f2keypad\f1 option in
- Xthe \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 section.)
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'-K 66p
- XKeypad + softkeys. The \f2elm\f1 mailer can
- Xuse the HP softkeys as an alternative form of
- Xinput. If you specify this option be sure that you're on
- Xan HP terminal that can accept the standard 2622 terminal
- Xescape sequences! (See the \f2softkeys\f1 option in
- Xthe \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 section for more information.)
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'-m 66p
- XInhibit display of the 3-line menu when using the mailer. This,
- Xof course, gives you three more message headers per page instead.
- X(See also the
- X.ft CW
- Xmenu\f1 option in
- Xthe \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 section.)
- X
- X.lp "\h'24p'-s \f2subject\f1" 66p
- XIn send-only and batch mode, this is how to indicate the subject of the
- Xresulting message. Please see the section on ``Non-Interactive
- XUses of Elm'' in \f2The Elm Users Guide\f1 for more information.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'-z 66p
- XZero. This causes the mailer not to be started if you don't
- Xhave any mail. This emulates the behaviour of programs
- Xlike \f2Berkeley Mail\f1.
- X
- X.in 0
- XAll the above flags default to reasonable options, so there is
- Xusually no need to use them. Furthermore, the most used flags
- Xare available through the \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file. See above.
- X.br
- X.ne 5
- X.sp
- X.hn 1 Special Outgoing Mail Processing
- X
- XThere are a few extra features that the mailer offers on
- Xoutgoing mail that are worthy of mention:
- X
- XThe first, and probably the most exciting feature\s-2\u3\d\s0, is the
- X.fn
- X3. Unfortunately, at many non-US sites, it's quite probable that
- Xyou won't be able to use this feature since you won't have
- Xthe \f2crypt()\f1 library available due to licensing restrictions.
- X.ef
- Xability to send \f2encrypted\f1 mail! To do this is
- Xextremely simple: You need merely to have two key lines
- X.ft CW
- X[encode]\f1 and
- X.ft CW
- X[clear]\f1 in the message body.
- X
- XConsider the following outgoing message:
- X.nf
- X.ps 9
- X.in .5i
- X.ft CW
- XJoe,
- XRemember that talk we had about Amy? Well, I talked to my manager
- Xabout it and he said...
- Xuhh...better encrypt this...the usual `key'...
- X[encode]
- XHe said that Amy was having family problems and that it had been
- Xaffecting her work.
- XGiven this, I went and talked to her, and told her I was sorry for
- Xgetting angry. She said that she understood.
- XWe're friends again!!
- X[clear]
- XExciting stuff, eh?
- X\h'3i'Mike
- X.ps 10
- X.ft 1
- X.in 0
- X.fi
- XWhile this is obviously quite readable while being typed into
- Xthe editor, as soon as the message is confirmed as wanting
- Xto be sent, the \f2elm\f1 mailer prompts with:
- X.nf
- X.ft CW
- X.ps 9
- X.ti .5i
- XEnter encryption key: @
- X.ps 10
- X.ft 1
- X.fi
- Xand accepts a key (a series of 8 or less characters) without
- Xechoing them to the screen. After entry, it will ask for the
- Xsame key again to confirm it, then *poof* it will encrypt and
- Xsend the mail.
- X
- XIf you have the \f2copy\f1 option enabled, the program will save
- Xyour copy of the message encrypted too. (This is to ensure
- Xthe privacy and security of your mail archive, too.)
- X
- XIf the mailer doesn't ask for the encryption key, it's because
- Xyou don't have the
- X.ft CW
- X[encode]\f1 entered as the first 8 characters
- Xof the line. It MUST be so for this to work!!
- X
- XOn the other end, a person receiving this mail (they must also
- Xbe using \f2elm\f1 to receive it, since this mailer has a
- Xunique encryption program) will be reading the
- Xmessage and then suddenly be prompted:
- X.nf
- X.ft CW
- X.ps 9
- X.ti .5i
- XEnter decryption key: @
- X.ft 1
- X.ps 10
- X.fi
- Xand will again be asked to re-enter it to confirm.
- XThe program will then on-the-fly decrypt the mail
- Xand display each line as it is decoded. The
- X.ft CW
- X[clear]\f1
- Xline signifies that the block to encrypt is done.
- X
- XNote that it is not possible currently to \f2pipe\f1 or \f2print\f1
- Xencrypted mail.
- X.sp 2
- XThe other option on outgoing mail is the ability to
- Xspecify what section of the message you want to have
- Xarchived (assuming \f2copy\f1 is enabled) and what section
- Xyou don't. This is most useful for sending out source
- Xfile listings and so on.
- X
- XTo indicate the end of the section that should be
- Xsaved in the archive, you need merely to have the
- Xline
- X.nf
- X.ft CW
- X.ti .5i
- X[nosave]
- X.ft 1
- Xor
- X.ft CW
- X.ti .5i
- X[no save]
- X.ft 1
- X.fi
- Xappear by itself on a line. This will be removed from
- Xthe outgoing mail, and will indicate the last line of
- Xthe message in the saved mail.
- XOther than this, the saved mail is identical to the outgoing mail.
- X.br
- X.ne 5
- X.sp
- X.hn 1 Customized header lines
- X
- XThe mailer provides a facility for including customized
- Xheader lines in the messages you send.
- XIf you have an \f2.elm/elmheaders\f1 file,
- Xthe mailer will include its contents
- Ximmediately after the regular headers of all outbound mail.
- XThe mailer supports use of the backquote convention in this file.
- XHere's a typical \f2.elm/elmheaders\f1 file.
- X.ft CW
- X.nf
- X Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
- X Phone: (415)-555-1234
- X Operating System: `uname -srv`
- X.fi
- X.ft 1
- XThese lines will appear after all other header lines in the message.
- X.br
- X.ne 5
- X.sp
- X.hn 1 Commands
- X.sp
- X
- XThis section will discuss each command in the \f2elm\f1
- Xprogram in more detail than above, including the
- Xprompts the user can expect upon executing the
- Xcommand, the meaning of different options, etc.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'? 66p
- XHelp. This command used once puts you in the \f2help\f1
- Xmode, where any key you press will result in a one-line description
- Xof the key. Pressed again at this point will produce a two page
- Xsummary listing each command available.
- X<escape> or `.' will leave the help mode and return you to the
- Xmain menu level.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'<space> 66p
- XDisplay the current message.
- X<space> is useful for reading through a mail folder.
- XWhen issued from the index screen,
- Xit will display the first screen of the current message;
- Xand then when issued while in the builtin pager,
- Xit will page through the message to the end;
- Xand then when issued at the end of a message
- X(with either the builtin pager or an external pager),
- Xit will display the first screen of the next message not marked for deletion.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'<return> 66p
- XDisplay the current message.
- X<return> behaves somewhat differently from <space>.
- XWhen issued while in the builtin pager,
- Xit will scroll the current message forward one line,
- Xand then when issued at the end of a message
- X(with either the builtin pager or an external pager),
- Xit will redisplay the first screen of the the \f2current\fP message.
- XThe latter is useful in case you have issued a non-pager
- Xcommand while in the builtin pager and want to restart the display
- Xof the current message.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'! 66p
- XShell. This allows you to send a command to the shell without
- Xleaving the program.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'| 66p
- XPipe. This command allows you to pipe the current message
- Xor the set of \f2tagged\f1 messages
- Xthrough other filters as you desire. The shell used for
- Xthe entire command will be either the one specified in
- Xyour \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file, or the default shell (see above).
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'\/ 66p
- XPattern match. This command, on the top level, allows the
- Xuser to search through all the \f2from\f1 and \f2subject\f1 lines of
- Xthe current folder starting at the current message and
- Xcontinuing through the end. If the first character of the
- Xpattern is a `/', then the program will try to match the
- Xspecified pattern against \f2any\f1 line in the folder. Again,
- Xthis works from one after the current message through the
- Xend. Both searches are case insensitive.
- X
- X.lp "\h'24p'- or <left>" 66p
- XDisplay the next page of the message index.
- X
- X.lp "\h'24p'+ or <right>" 66p
- XDisplay the previous page of the message index.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'<number><return> 66p
- XSpecify new current message. When you type in any digit key \f2elm\f1 will
- Xprompt ``Set current to : n'', where `n' is
- Xthe digit entered. Enter the full number
- Xand terminate with <return>. Note that changing the
- Xcurrent message to a message not on the
- Xcurrent page of headers will result in a new page
- Xbeing displayed.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'< 66p
- XScan message for calendar entries. A rather novel feature of
- Xthe \f2elm\f1 mailer is the ability to automatically incorporate
- Xcalendar/agenda information from a mail message into the users
- Xcalendar file. This is done quite simply; any line that has
- Xthe pattern
- X
- X.ti +.5i
- X-> \f2calendar entry\f1
- X
- Xwill be automatically added to the users \f2calendar\f1 file (see
- Xthe \f2calendar\f1 option of the \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file) if the `<'
- Xcommand is used.
- X.sp
- XFor example, let's say we had a message with the text:
- X
- X.ft CW
- X.ps 9
- X.ti +.5i
- XRegardless of that meeting, here's the seminar stuff:
- X.br
- X.ti +.5i
- X-> 8/03 3:00pm: AI Seminar with Ira Goldstein of HP Labs
- X.ft 1
- X.ps 10
- X
- Xthen using the `<' command would add the line:
- X
- X.ft CW
- X.ps 9
- X.ti +.5i
- X8/03 3:00pm: AI Seminar with Ira Goldstein of HP Labs
- X.ps 10
- X.ft 1
- X
- Xto the users \f2calendar\f1 file.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'a 66p
- XAlias. The alias system is a way by which more complex mail addresses
- Xcan be shortened for the mail user. For example:
- X.nf
- X.ps 9
- X.ft CW
- X.ti +.5i
- Xjoe, bleu = Joe Bleu = joe@hpfcla.SSO.HP.COM
- X.ft 1
- X.ps 10
- X.fi
- Xwhich allows mail to `joe' or `bleu' with the system expanding
- Xthe address properly. As is obvious, this not only saves remembering
- Xcomplex addresses, it also allows the address to be optimized to
- Xgo through the minimum number of machines without anyone having to
- Xbe informed of the change. A more detailed discussion can
- Xbe found in either the section entitled \f2The Alias System\f1 in
- Xthis document or \f2The Elm Alias System Users Guide\f1.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'b 66p
- XBounce mail. This ``remails'' mail to someone else in such a
- Xway as to make the return address the original sender rather
- Xthan you (as opposed to the \f2forward\f1 command, which makes
- Xthe return address \f2you\f1 rather than the original sender)
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'C 66p
- XCopy to folder. This command copies the current message or set of
- Xtagged messages to
- Xa folder. If there is anything in the folder currently the
- Xmessage or messages are appended to the end, otherwise the folder is created
- Xcontaining only the newly copied message. The prompt for this command
- Xis `Copy to folder: '. A response of <return> cancels the command
- Xand returns the user to the system prompt. The usual filename
- Xmetacharacters are available, too. That is, this command expands filenames
- Xwith `~' being your home directory and `=' being your
- X\f2maildir\f1 directory, if defined. This command also allows you to
- Xuse `>' for your \f2receivedmail\f1 folder and
- X`<' for your \f2sentmail\f1 folder. You can also enter `?' at the prompt
- Xto list the names of your folders.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'c 66p
- XChange folder. Specifying this command allows the user to change
- Xthe folder that is currently being read. This is intended
- Xfor perusal and reply to previously archived messages.
- XThe prompt is `Name of new folder: ' and entering <return>
- Xcancels the operation, while entering a filename causes the program
- Xto read that file as the new folder,
- Xif possible. This command expands filenames
- Xwith `~' being your home directory and `=' being your
- X\f2maildir\f1 directory, if defined. This command also allows you to
- Xuse `!' as an abbreviation for you incoming mailbox,
- X`>' for your \f2receivedmail\f1 folder, and
- X`<' for your \f2sentmail\f1 folder. You can also enter `?' at the prompt
- Xto list the names of your folders.
- X
- X.lp "\h'24p'd, u" 66p
- XDelete and Undelete. Neither of these two commands have any prompts
- Xand indicate their action by either adding a `D' to the current
- Xmessage index entry (indicating deletion pending) or removing
- Xthe `D' (indicating that the message isn't set for deletion).
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'<control>-D 66p
- XThis command allows you to easily mark for deletion all messages
- Xthat have a specific pattern. After <control>-D is pressed,
- Xthe program will prompt for the string to match (currently it
- Xonly matches either the \f2from\f1 or \f2subject\f1 lines of
- Xthe message).
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'<control>-U 66p
- XThis is the direct opposite command to the previous \(em all messages
- Xthat match the specified pattern can have any mark for deletion
- Xremoved by using this command.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'e 66p
- XEdit mailbox. This allows you to modify the current mail file at
- Xa single keystroke. This is mostly useful for editing down messages
- Xbefore saving them. Modifying headers should be done with extreme
- Xcaution, as they contain routing information and other vital stuff
- Xfor full functionality.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'f 66p
- XForward. Allows the user to forward the current message to another user.
- XThis copies the message into the edit
- Xbuffer and allows the user to add their own message too.
- XThe prompt is `Forward to:' and will expand an alias if
- Xentered. (See \f2bounce\f1 above, too.)
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'g 66p
- XGroup reply. Identical to \f2reply\f1 below, except that the
- Xresponse is mailed to \f2all recipients\f1 of the original
- Xmessage (except yourself \(em see the \f2alternatives\f1
- Xoption for your \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file above).
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'h 66p
- XDisplay the current message with all headers intact.
- XWhen you display a message with other commands,
- Xcertain header lines are formatted and others discarded (according
- Xto the \f2weedlist\fP parameter in your elmrc file).
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'i 66p
- XReturn to the index screen,
- Xwhen issued in the builtin pager or at the end of a message (with
- Xeither the builtin pager or an external pager).
- X
- X.lp "\h'24p'j or <down>, k or <up>" 66p
- XThese four keys work similarly to what they would do in \f2vi\f1 or
- Xany of the other (precious few) screen oriented
- Xprograms. The `j' and <down> keys move
- Xthe current message pointer down to the next message skipping
- Xover any marked deleted (going to
- Xthe next page if needed) and the `k' and <up> keys move the current
- Xmessage pointer back to the previous message skipping
- Xover any marked deleted (also changing pages if needed)
- X
- X.lp "\h'24p'J, K" 66p
- XThese two keys work similarly to their lower case counterparts,
- Xexcept that they don't skip over deleted messages.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'l 66p
- XLimit. This feature allows you to specify a subset of the existing
- Xmessages to be dealt with. For example, let's say we had a folder with
- Xfour hundred messages in it, about four or five different subjects. We
- Xcould then limit what we're dealing with by using the \f2limit\f1
- Xcommand. Pressing `l' would result in the prompt:
- X.nf
- X.ft CW
- X.ti +.5i
- XCriteria:
- X.ft 1
- X.fi
- Xto which we could answer
- X.ft CW
- Xsubject \f2string\f1,
- X.ft CW
- Xfrom \f2string\f1 or
- X.ft CW
- Xto \f2string\f1. In our example, we could use
- X.ft CW
- Xsubject programming\f1
- Xas a criteria for selection. Once we've limited our selections down,
- Xthe screen will be rewritten with just the selected messages
- Xand the top line will change to have a message
- Xlike:
- X.nf
- X.ft CW
- X.ps 9
- X.tl '' Folder is "=elm" with 92 shown out of 124 [Elm 2.2]'
- X.ps 10
- X.ft 1
- X.fi
- XWe can further limit selections by entering further criteria, each
- Xtime using the \f2limit\f1 option again.
- X
- XTo clear all the criteria and get back to the `regular' display, simply
- Xenter \f2all\f1 as the limiting criteria. It should be noted that the
- Xselection based on ``to'' isn't fully implemented for this version, so
- Xit is recommended that users stay with ``subject'' and ``from'' as the
- Xbasis for their criteria.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'm 66p
- XMail. Send mail to a specified user. The prompt that is associated
- Xwith this command is `Send mail to :'. Entering an alias name results
- Xin the full address being rewritten in parenthesis immediately. This
- Xprompt is followed by `Subject:' which allows the user to title their
- Xnote. The final field is `Copies to: ', which allows other people
- Xspecified to receive "carbon copies" of the message. (See the \f2askcc\f1
- Xoption of the \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file above.) Upon entering all three items the
- Xeditor is invoked and the message can be composed.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'n 66p
- XNext message that is not marked deleted:
- Xuseful for displaying successive messages in a folder.
- XWhen issued from the index screen, it displays the current message,
- Xand then when issued while in the builtin pager or at the end of a message
- X(with either the builtin pager or an external pager),
- Xit will display the first screen of the next message not marked for deletion.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'o 66p
- XOptions. This full-screen display allows you to alter the settings
- Xof a number of parameters, including the current sorting method,
- Xthe method of printing files, the calendar file, the save file, and
- Xso on. It's self-documenting (where have you heard \f2that\f1
- Xbefore?) so isn't explained in too much detail here.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'p 66p
- XPrint. This allows you to print out the current
- Xmessage or the tagged messages to a previously defined printer. (See
- Xthe section on the \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 discussing the \f2print\f1 variable.)
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'q 66p
- XQuit. If you in the pager, you are returned to the index screen. If you are
- Xon the index screen, \f2elm\f1 quits altogether,
- Xbut first prompts you for the disposition of the messages in
- Xthe current folder. If any messages are marked for deletion,
- Xit will ask if you want them deleted. If the current folder is your
- Xincoming mailbox, you will also be
- Xasked if read messages should be stored in your \f2receivedmail\f1 folder,
- Xand if unread messages should be kept in the incoming mailbox.
- XThe default answers to these questions are set by the \f2.elm/elmrc\f1
- Xoptions \f2alwaysdelete\fP, \f2alwaysstore\fP, and \f2alwayskeep\fP.
- XHowever, if you elect to not store your read messages (i.e. keep them)
- Xit is presumed you want to keep your unread messages, too.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'Q 66p
- XQuick quit. This behaves similar to the `q' command except that
- Xyou are not prompted for answers to the message disposition questions.
- X\f2Elm\f1 will dispose of messages according to the values you
- Xhave set for \f2alwaysdelete\f1, \f2alwaysstore\f1, and \f2alwayskeep\f1
- Xin your \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'r 66p
- XReply. Reply to the sender of the current message. If
- Xthe \f2autocopy\f1 flag is OFF in your \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file, the program will
- Xprompt ``Copy message? (y/n)'' to which the user can specify
- Xwhether a copy of the source message is to be copied into the edit
- Xbuffer, or not. If copied in, all lines from the message are
- Xprepended with the \f2prefix\f1 character sequence specified in
- Xyour \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p's 66p
- XSave to folder. This command is like the `copy' command, except
- Xthat the saved messages are marked for deletion, and that if you are
- Xsaving just the current message, the current message pointer is
- Xincremented afterwards (see the \f2resolve\f1 option in the \f2.elm/elmrc\f1
- Xfile above). This command expands folder names
- Xwith `~' being your home directory and `=' being your
- X\f2maildir\f1 directory, if defined. This command also allows you to
- Xuse `>' for your \f2receivedmail\f1 folder and
- X`<' for your \f2sentmail\f1 folder.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p't 66p
- XTag.
- X.fn
- X4. Currently only \f2pipe\f1, \f2print\f1, and \f2save\f1 support this.
- X.ef
- XTag the current message for a later operation\s-2\u4\d\s0.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'<control>-T 66p
- XTag all messages containing the specified pattern. Since \f2tagging\f1
- Xmessages can occur on screens other than the one being viewed, the
- X\f2elm\f1 system will first check to see if any messages are currently
- X\f2tagged\f1 and ask you if you'd like to remove those tags. After
- Xthat, it will, similar to the \f2<control>-D\f1 function, prompt for
- Xa pattern to match and then mark for deletion all messages that contain
- Xthe (case insensitive) pattern in either the \f2from\f1 or \f2subject\f1
- Xlines.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'x 66p
- XExit. This leaves \f2elm\f1 in the quickest possible manner
- Xwithout making any changes to your folder. No
- Xmessages are deleted and the statuses of messages are unchanged. That is,
- Xany messages that were new will remain new instead of being noted as old,
- Xand any messages that were read for the first time
- Xwill be again noted as unread.
- X
- X.in 0
- X.sp
- XWhen you are about to send of a message under the \f2forward\f1, \f2mail\f1,
- Xor \f2reply\f1 commands (see above), a small menu of the following
- Xoptions appears:
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'c 66p
- XSpecify folder for saving copy to. This allows you to override the
- X\f2copy\f1 and \f2savename\f1 options of your \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file. It
- Xprompts you for the name of the folder were a copy of the outgoing message
- Xis to be saved. The default displayed is taken from those two \f2.elm/elmrc\f1
- Xoptions and can be changed. This command also allows you to
- Xuse `>' for your \f2receivedmail\f1 folder and
- X`<' for your \f2sentmail\f1 folder, and `=' to mean ``save by name''. (See the
- Xthe \f2savename\f1 option above). (Since you could next enter
- Xthe \f2edit headers\f1 command and change the recipients
- Xof your message, the name of the folder under the
- X``save by name'' option is established later when you enter the \f2send\f1
- Xcommand.) You can also enter `?' at the prompt
- Xto list the names of your folders.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'f 66p
- XForget. This gets you out of sending a message you started. If you are
- Xin send-only mode, the message is saved to the file \f2Cancelled.mail\f1
- Xin your home directory. Otherwise
- Xit can be restored at the next \f2forward\f1, \f2mail\f1,
- Xor \f2reply\f1 command during the current session of \f2elm\f1. After
- Xissuing one of those commands you will be prompted with ``Recall last
- Xkept message?''
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'e 66p
- XEdit message (or form). Entering this command will allow you to edit
- Xthe text of your message or form.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'h 66p
- XEdit headers. This puts you into the \f2header editing mode\f1, whereby
- Xyou can edit to any of the various headers of your message. Like
- Xthe options screen, it's self-documenting, so it isn't explained in too much
- Xdetail here.
- X
- X.lp \h'24p'm 66p
- XMake form. This converts the message you have edited into a form. (See
- X\f2The Elm Forms Mode Guide\f1 for more details.)
- X
- X.lp \h'24p's 66p
- XSend. This sends the message as is without any further ado.
- X.in 0
- X.br
- X.ne 5
- X.sp
- X.hn 1 "Using Elm with ``editor = none''"
- X.sp
- XThe \f2Elm\f1 program also supports a builtin editor for simple message
- Xcomposition that is very (very) similar to the simple line
- Xeditor available from the \f2Berkeley Mail\f1 system.
- X
- XTo access it, you need merely to specify ``\f2editor=none\f1'' in
- Xyour \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file.
- XWith that, any messages to be composed
- Xthat don't already have text in the buffer (e.g. no reply with
- Xthe text included, etc), will use this editor.
- X.sp
- XFrom the builtin editor, the following options are available for use.
- XEach command here is prefixed with a `~'.
- XYou can specify a different ``escape'' character in your \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file,
- Xif you desire (see above).
- X.sp
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~? .5i
- XPrint a brief help menu.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~b .5i
- XChange the Blind-Carbon-Copy list.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~c .5i
- XChange the Carbon-Copy list.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~e .5i
- XInvoke the Emacs editor on the message, if possible.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~f .5i
- Xadd the specified list of messages, or current.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~h .5i
- XChange all the available headers (To, Cc, Bcc, and Subject)
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~m .5i
- Xsame as `~f', but with the current `prefix'.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~o .5i
- XInvoke a user specified editor on the message.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~p .5i
- Xprint out the message as typed in so far.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~r .5i
- XInclude (read in) the contents of the specified file.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~s .5i
- XChange the Subject line.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~t .5i
- XChange the To list.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~v .5i
- XInvoke the Vi visual editor on the message.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~< .5i
- Xexecute the specified unix command, entering the output
- Xof the command into the editor buffer upon completion.
- X(for example ``~< who'' will include the output of
- Xthe \f2who\f1 command in your message)
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~! .5i
- Xexecute a unix command if one is given (as in ``~!ls'') or
- Xgive the user a shell (either from their shell setting in
- Xtheir \f2.elm/elmrc\f1 file or the default).
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'~~ .5i
- XAdd a line prefixed by a single `~' character.
- X.in 0
- X.sp
- XA useful note is that the `~f' and `~m' commands invoke the \f2readmsg\f1
- Xcommand, so you can pass parameters along too. For example, if we
- Xwanted to include a message from Joe, without any headers, prefixed,
- Xwe could use:
- X.nf
- X.ti .5i
- X~m -n Joe
- X.fi
- Xto accomplish the task.
- X
- XTo learn more about how they work, try 'em!
- X.br
- X.ne 5
- X.sp
- X.hn 1 The Alias System
- X.sp
- XAs mentioned previously, there exists in the \f2elm\f1
- Xsystem a set of aliases that associate
- Xan arbitrary word (such as a persons name) to a complex address or group.
- XThe advantages are readily apparent; rather than
- Xremembering an address of the form:
- X.nf
- X.ps 9
- X.ft CW
- X.ti .5i
- Xhost1!host2! ... !hostN!user
- X.ft 1
- X.ps 10
- X.fi
- Xthe user merely has to remember a single word.
- X
- XTwo alias tables are available for a each
- Xuser within \f2elm\f1,
- Xnamely the system alias file and the user's alias file. The
- Xsystem alias file is created and maintained (by the system administrator)
- Xby editing the
- Xfile \f2SYSTEM_ALIASES\f1 as defined in the `sysdefs.h' file
- X(see \f2The Elm Configuration Guide\f1) and as described
- Xin the documentation with the \f2newalias\f1 command,
- Xthen running the \f2newalias\f1 program.
- X
- XAn individual user can also have an alias file which works
- Xin conjunction with the system aliases. To do this, they
- Xneed merely to peruse the documentation for the \f2newalias\f1
- Xcommand and create a file as indicated therein. After
- Xexecuting the program, the aliases will be available
- Xfor using from within \f2elm\f1.
- X.sp
- XPlease refer to \f2The Elm Alias Users Guide\f1 for more helpful
- Xhints and so on.
- X.sp 2
- XWithin \f2elm\f1,
- Xhowever, the alias system acts as an entirely different program, with
- Xit's own commands and own mini-menu. The menu replaces the
- Xstandard mini-menu with:
- X.sp
- X.sd
- X.nf
- X.ps 9
- X.ft CW
- X.ce
- X--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- X.sp
- X.ce
- XAlias commands
- X.sp
- X.ce 2
- Xa)lias current message, d)elete an alias, check a p)erson or s)ystem,
- Xl)ist existing aliases, m)ake new alias or r)eturn
- X.sp 2
- XAlias: @
- X.ce
- X--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- X.sp
- X.ps 10
- X.ft 1
- X.ed
- X.fi
- X
- XThe commands are:
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'a .5i
- XAlias current message.
- XThis allows the user to create an alias that has the
- Xreturn address of the current message as the address field of
- Xthe alias. It prompts for a unique alias name. Important
- Xnote: when you alias an address in this fashion, the mailer
- Xwill try to minimize the amount it needs to store by
- Xiteratively comparing machine names in the path with the
- Xmachines in the pathalias database. Once it finds an entry
- Xthe address will be saved at that point. For further
- Xinformation, please see \f2The Elm Alias System Users Guide\f1.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'd .5i
- XDelete an existing alias.
- XThis allows the user to delete an alias the user has previously made.
- XIt prompts for the alias name, and displays the alias information, if
- Xfound, and then prompts for confirmation to delete.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'l .5i
- XList all existing aliases.
- XThis simply lists all the aliases you have previously made.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'm .5i
- XMake user alias. This will prompt for a unique alias name and
- Xthen for an address. The information provided will be added
- Xto your individual aliases.text file (\f2$HOME/.elm/aliases.text\f1) and
- Xthen added to the database.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'p .5i
- XCheck personal alias. This is a simple way of checking what is in the alias
- Xdatabase \(em it prompts for an alias name, and returns the address
- Xassociated with that name or the error message `alias not found'
- Xas appropriate.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p'r .5i
- XReturn. Return to the main level of the \f2elm\f1 program.
- X
- X.lp \h'16p's .5i
- XCheck system alias. If you're not sure that your machine can talk
- Xto another machine, you can use this command to either find the
- Xappropriate route or find that you're correct in your suspicions
- Xand it is indeed unknown!
- X.in 0
- X.br
- X.ne 5
- X.sp
- X.hn 1 While We're Talking Aliases...
- X
- XAnother feature worthy of discussion, since it's been getting
- Xlots of veiled references throughout this document, is the
- Xhost-path file. This is implemented using the uucp pathalias
- Xdatabase, with a file containing lines with the format:
- X.nf
- X.ti .5i
- X\f2hostname\f1 \f2address\fC!%s\f1
- X or
- X.ti .5i
- X\f2hostname\f1 \fC%s@\f2hostname\f1
- X.fi
- XThe actual details of the file are located in
- X\f2The Alias System Users Guide\f1.
- X
- XAnyway, to use them is quite simple...when specifying the address
- Xof someone, you can either have an alias for them already, reply
- Xto their message, or use the system alias feature!
- X
- XEnough hype, right? Okay...to use this feature, you specify an
- Xaddress by either "machine!person" ignoring if your specific
- Xmachine can talk directly to the machine specified, or, if you
- Xprefer the Internet addressing scheme, "person@machine". When
- Xyou enter the address as specified, the mailer will quickly
- Xsearch through the pathalias database file and expand the
- Xspecified address to be a legitimate routing address.
- X
- XWhat's really nice about this is that the address that we're
- Xgoing to send to can be either on ARPA, CSNET, BITNET, uucp,
- Xor any other network. The method of specifying the basic
- Xaddress is the same regardless!
- X
- XFor example, mail to me could be sent as either "hplabs!taylor"
- Xor "taylor@hplabs". \f2elm\f1 will expand them
- Xboth in the same manner and include a ``route'' to the
- Xmachine \f2hplabs\f1, if needed.
- X
- XFor those sites with the domains database installed, you can
- Xalso mail to users on domain based systems by simply specifying
- Xtheir name, the machine they receive mail on and a full domain
- Xspecification.
- X
- XFor example, say you have a friend Maurice who reads mail
- Xon \s9JOEVAX\s10 in the Mailnet world. You could mail to him by using
- Xthe address "Maurice@\s9JOEVAX.MAILNET\s10" and your system will
- Xexpand the address correctly.
- X.br
- X.ne 5
- X.sp
- X.hn 1 Expert Mail Users and Debugging the Mailer
- X
- XThere are some additional facilities available in the \f2elm\f1
- Xmailer for those people who are knowledgeable about
- Xmail protocols, or trying to debug/track down a problem.
- X
- XThe `h' \f2headers\f1 command at the outermost level of the mailer
- Xwill display the current message ignoring the current
- Xsetting of the `weed' option. This is most useful
- Xfor answering questions of the form "I wonder what
- Xthis guy put in his header?" and such. This command
- Xdoes not show up on the mini-menu because it is somewhat
- Xesoteric, but it does appear on the `?' help screen (can
- Xyou find it there, though?).
- X
- XThe `@' command at the outermost level of the mailer
- Xwill output a screen of debugging information,
- Xincluding the number of lines and
- Xoffsets of each of the messages in the current mailbox.
- X
- XThe `#' command at the outermost level of the mailer
- Xwill display the entire stored `record structure' for
- Xthe current message.
- X
- XThe `%' command
- Xwill display the full computed return address of the
- Xcurrent message.
- X
- XStarting up \f2elm\f1 with the "-d" debug option will create a file called
- X\f2ELM:debug.info\f1 in your home directory and contain a wealth of useful
- Xinformation (to me, at least!) to aid in tracking down
- Xwhat errors are occurring and why.
- X.sp
- X
- XIf there are any problems with the mailer, please try
- Xto recreate the error with the debug option enabled
- Xand set to the highest level (11) before sending defect reports my way.
- X.sp 3
- XOne final note: all error names reported by the program
- Xare documented in the AT&T System V Interface Definition Reference
- XManual in \f2errno\f1(2).
- SHAR_EOF
- echo "File doc/Ref.guide is complete"
- chmod 0444 doc/Ref.guide || echo "restore of doc/Ref.guide fails"
- echo "x - extracting doc/Users.guide (Text)"
- sed 's/^X//' << 'SHAR_EOF' > doc/Users.guide &&
- X\" @(#)$Id: Users.guide,v 2.15 89/03/31 10:18:55 syd Exp $
- X\"
- X\" Users guide to the ELM mail system.
- X\" format with:
- X\" 'tbl Users.guide | troff tmac.n - > Users.fmtd'
- X\"
- X\" Elm is now in the public trust. Bug reports, comments, suggestions, flames
- X\" etc. should go to:
- X\" Syd Weinstein elm@dsinc.UUCP (dsinc!elm)
- X\"
- X\" (C) Copyright 1986, 1987 Dave Taylor
- X\" (C) Copyright 1988, 1989 Usenet Community Trust
- X\"
- X\" $Log: Users.guide,v $
- X\" Revision 2.15 89/03/31 10:18:55 syd
- X\" Release 2.2 checkin
- X\"
- X\" Revision 2.14 89/03/29 10:08:24 syd
- X\"
- X.tm I trust we've run this through "tbl" first...
- X\" Define the big box macro for troff
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- X\" This will keep the nroff version of the title page on one sheet.
- X.if t .sp |3.0i
- X.ce 99
- X.ps 20
- X.ss 18
- X.vs 12
- X\f3The Elm Users Guide\f1
- X.sp 2
- X.ps 12
- X\f2A painless introduction to electronic mail
- Xusing the \f3Elm\fP mail system\f1
- X.sp 5
- XDave Taylor
- X.sp
- XHewlett-Packard Laboratories
- X1501 Page Mill Road
- XPalo Alto CA
- X94304
- X.sp
- Xemail: taylor\s10@\s12hplabs.HP.COM or hplabs!taylor
- X.sp 2
- X>>> Elm is now in the public trust. Bug reports, comments, etc. to: <<<
- X.sp
- XSyd Weinstein
- XDatacomp Systems, Inc.
- X3837 Byron Road
- XHuntingdon Valley, PA 19006-2320
- X.sp
- Xemail: elm\s-1@\s+1dsinc.UUCP or dsinc\s-1!\s+1elm
- X.ps 8
- X.if t .vs 9
- X.sp 4
- X\f3ABSTRACT\f1
- X.ce 0
- X.sp
- X.in +1i
- X.ll -1i
- XWhile various Unix utilities have been designed to
- Xtake advantage of the CRT screen
- X(rather than line-oriented systems)
- Xelectronic mail systems haven't ``caught the wave''.
- XThis document
- Xpresents \f2Elm\f1, a sophisticated
- Xfull-screen mail system for interactive use.
- X\f2Elm\f1 offers all the features of
- X\f2/bin/mail\f1, \f2Berkeley Mail\f1, \f2uumail\f1, \f2NMail\f1 and
- Xthe AT&T Mail family of Unix mailers (namely \f2PMX/TERM\f1) in a
- Xunified and intuitive fashion.
- X.ll +1i
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- X.if t .sp 3
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- X.ps 18
- X.if t .vs 12
- X\f3\(co\f1\s12 Copyright 1986, 1987 by Dave Taylor
- X.ps 18
- X\f3\(co\f1\s12 Copyright 1988, 1989 by The USENET Community Trust
- X.ps 10
- X.bp 1
- X.ce 99
- X.ps 14
- X\f3Elm Users Guide\f1
- X.ds h0 "Elm Users Guide
- X.ds h1
- X.ds h2 "Version 2.2
- X.ds f0
- X.ds f1 "Page %
- X.ps 10
- X.sp
- X(Version 2.2)
- X.sp 2
- XDave Taylor
- XHewlett-Packard Laboratories
- X1501 Page Mill Road
- XPalo Alto CA
- X94304
- X.sp
- Xemail: taylor\s-1@\s+1hplabs.HP.COM or hplabs\s-1!\s+1taylor
- X.sp 2
- X>>> Elm is now in the public trust. Bug reports, comments, etc. to: <<<
- X.sp
- XSyd Weinstein
- XDatacomp Systems, Inc.
- X3837 Byron Road
- XHuntingdon Valley, PA 19006-2320
- X.sp
- Xemail: elm\s-1@\s+1dsinc.UUCP or dsinc\s-1!\s+1elm
- X.sp 2
- XApril 1, 1989
- X.ce 0
- X.sp 3
- X.hn 1 Introduction
- X
- XThe
- X.ux
- Xoperating system was originally written on a small PDP machine,
- Xto work with teletypewriters. Consequently, all the original software for
- Xthe operating system was written with a `tty' in mind;
- Xwith line oriented interfaces, rather than screen oriented.
- X
- XGradually this began to change, and, with the addition of the Berkeley \f2vi\f1
- Xvisual shell to the \f2ed\f1
- Xline editor, the trend began to be brought to the attention of
- XUnix systems designers.
- XAnd yet, this transition has seemed
- Xtoo subtle for many software engineers,
- Xand so precious few Unix programs are available
- Xdesigned to exploit the entire CRT screen.
- X
- XConsequently, after becoming more and more disenchanted
- Xwith the existing electronic mail facilities (\f2binmail\f1
- Xand \f2Berkeley Mail\f1)
- XI decided to undertake creating my own system.
- XOnce the ball was rolling it became quite
- Xdifficult not to keep enhancing it, especially as I
- Xbecame more and more familiar with various different mail
- Xsystems, but the result, I hope, is a solid, unified interface
- Xto electronic mail suitable for almost any environment.
- X
- XOne thing that sets \f3The Elm Mail System\f1 off from
- Xother packages is that it
- Xcomes with an extensive documentation set, including;
- X\f2The Elm Users Guide\f1, which you're holding,
- X\f2The Elm Reference Guide\f1,
- X\f2The Elm Alias Users Guide\f1,
- X\f2The Elm Filter System Users Guide\f1,
- X\f2The Elm Forms Mode Guide\f1,
- Xand \f2The Elm Configuration Guide\f1.
- XThe names of each indicate
- Xwhat they discuss (not unreasonably).
- X
- XThis particular document contains;
- Xthis introduction, a tutorial session with the mailer, a
- Xdiscussion of non-interactive uses of \f3Elm\f1,
- Xa brief foray into the \f3Elm\f1 utilities,
- Xand finally, credits and references.
- X
- X\f2The Elm Reference Guide\f1 contains a
- Xmuch more indepth discussion of all the possible options
- Xavailable within the \f3Elm\f1 environment, including
- Xthe ``.elm/elmrc'' file,
- Xthe available outbound mail processing features,
- Xa section for expert users, suggestions
- Xon debugging strange installations, and
- Xmany other useful topics.
- X
- X\f2The Elm Alias Users Guide\f1 is the place
- Xto go to learn about the format of the
- X``.elm/aliases.text''
- Xfile and the associated data files, to learn how
- Xto create and use path route aliases and domain
- Xbased alias routing, system aliases, and other
- Xrelated topics.
- X
- XOne of the more innovative features of \f3Elm\f1 is
- Xthe ability to transmit and receive ``forms'' (as
- Xdefined by the AT&T Mail system). To learn about
- Xhow to create and reply to forms you should refer
- Xto \f2The Elm Forms Mode Guide\f1.
- X
- XIf you find yourself getting too much mail delivered in
- Xyour mailbox, you might be a good candidate for the
- X\f2filter\f1 program. To learn more about what
- Xthis program is and how to use it please
- Xconsult \f2The Elm Filter System Users Guide\f1.
- X
- XFinally, if you're working with the actual source code
- Xand are interested in what all the locally configured
- Xoptions are and mean, please see
- X\f2The Elm Configuration Guide\f1. It is
- Xstrongly suggested that all system administrators
- Xand people installing the system print out the
- Xlocal ``sysdefs.h'' file and have it handy while
- Xreading the configuration guide.
- X
- XThe recommended order of learning the \f3Elm\f1
- Xsystem is to skim this guide until you feel
- Xconfident enough to start up the program. Once
- SHAR_EOF
- echo "End of part 5"
- echo "File doc/Users.guide is continued in part 6"
- echo "6" > s2_seq_.tmp
- exit 0
-
-