elm(1)

Set arrow=ON. Use the arrow (->) instead of the inverse bar to mark the current item in the various indexes. This overrides the setting of the arrow boolean variable (see the ELM CONFIGURATION section).

Check alias. Check the aliases in alias-list against your personal elm alias database and the system elm alias database. The results are written to standard output. Errors are reported first, in the form:

Successes are reported in a header-entry format, with group aliases replaced by their members, in the form:

If there is no fullname, the " (fullname) " portion is omitted.

Folder file. Read mail from the folder file rather than from the incoming mailbox. A folder file is in the standard mail file format, as created by the mail system or saved by elm itself.

Help. Display an annotated list of command-line options.

Set softkeys=OFF. Disable the use of softkeys (HP 2622 function keys). This overrides the setting of the softkeys boolean variable (see the ELM CONFIGURATION section).

Set keypad=OFF and softkeys=OFF. Disable the use of softkeys and arrow cursor keys. If your terminal does not have the HP 2622 function key protocols, this option is required. This overrides the settings of the keypad and softkeys boolean variables (see the ELM CONFIGURATION section).

Set menu=OFF. Do not display the command menus on several Interactive Mode screens. This overrides the setting of the menu boolean variable (see the ELM CONFIGURATION section).

Subject. Specify the subject for a File Mode or Message Mode message.

Set usetite=OFF. Do not use the termcap ti/te and terminfo cup cursor-positioning entries. This overrides the setting of the usetite boolean variable (see the ELM CONFIGURATION section).

Verbose transmission. Pass outbound messages to the sendmail mail transport agent using the -v option (see sendmail(1M)).

Version. Print out the elm version information. This displays the version number and the compilation features that were specified or omitted.

Zero. Do not enter elm if there is no mail in the incoming mailbox.

A blank-separated list of one or more mail addresses, your elm user aliases, or elm system aliases.

A blank-separated list of one or more of your elm user aliases or elm system aliases.

A space or a tab character, sometimes known as linear white space.

The body of a message. See message.

See configuration variable.

A boolean, numeric, or string variable that defines default behavior in the elm mail system. See the ELM CONFIGURATION section.

The source file, /var/mail/.elm/aliases.text, for the elm system alias database.

The source file , $HOME/.elm/aliases.text, for a user's own elm alias database.

A file, $HOME/.elm/elmheaders, where a user can specify special header entries that are included in all outbound messages.

A file, $HOME/.elm/elmrc, that defines the initial values for elm configuration variables.

A global variable set in the shell that called elm. See the EXTERNAL INFLUENCES section.

A file that contains mail messages in the format created by sendmail or elm.

The first and last name of a user, as extracted from an alias text file or from the /etc/passwd file.

The header of a message. See message.

An entry in the header portion of a message, sometimes called a header field.

The mailbox where you receive your mail, usually /var/mail/loginname.

The directory, defined by the maildir string variable, where a user normally stores mail messages in folders.

The program that sends and receives mail messages to and from other systems. On HP-UX systems, the MTA is sendmail (see sendmail(1M)).

A file that contains information on how to compose and display mail messages that are not just seven- and eight-bit ASCII characters.

A system program that processes nontext mail messages.

In a folder, a sequence of text lines comprised of a message delimiter, a header, and a body. The message delimiter is a line in the form:

The header starts after the message delimiter and ends with the first null line. The body begins at the null line and ends at the next message delimiter. A body can have subsections, called attachments or body parts, which have are comprised of a boundary delimiter, a header, and a body. This process can be recursive. See the METAMAIL CONFIGURATION section for more details.

See configuration variable.

The alias database, /etc/mail/aliases, that is used by the sendmail MTA to direct local mail.

A file that is appended to your outbound messages, usually containing information about yourself. You can have two signature files, one for messages to your local machine and one for other messages. See the localsignature and remotesignature string variables.

See configuration variable.

Usually the login or mailbox name of someone you send mail to.

See configuration variable and environment variable.

Shell Escape. Send command to the shell defined by the shell string variable without leaving elm.

Display all known information about the current message.

Resynchronize the messages without leaving elm. If there are any messages marked for deletion, you are asked if you want to delete them. If any messages are deleted or any status flags have changed, the messages are written back to the mailbox file. All tags are removed.

Display the computed return address of the current message.

Set the current message pointer to the last message.

Display the next message index page, when applicable.

Display the previous message index page, when applicable.

Pattern match. Search for pattern in the from and subject fields of the current message index. The search starts at the current message and wraps around to the beginning of the index. The current message pointer is set to the first message that matches. Uppercase and lowercase are treated as equivalent.

Pattern match. Search for pattern through all the lines of the current folder. The search starts at the current message and wraps around to the beginning of the folder. The current message pointer is set to the first message that matches. Uppercase and lowercase are treated as equivalent.

Calendar. Scan message for calendar entries and add them to your calendar file. A calendar entry is defined as a line whose first nonblank characters are ->, as in:

The delimiter -> and surrounding blanks are removed before the entry is added to the calendar file. Resultant blank lines are ignored. You can define the calendar file name in your elmrc file or with the Options Menu.

Set the current message pointer to the first message.

Save in folder. Same as the Message Menu s (save) command.

Help on key. Display a one-line description of what each key does. ? displays a summary listing for each command available. A period (.) returns you to the Message Menu.

Display a summary of the messages indexed on the current screen.

Pipe the current message or the set of tagged messages through other filters as desired. Use the shell defined by the shell string variable.

New current message. Change the current message pointer to the one indexed as n. If the message is not on the current page of headers, the appropriate page displayed.

Read current message. The screen is cleared and the current message is displayed by the pager defined by the pager string variable.

Alias. Switch to the Alias Menu.

Bounce mail. This is similar to forwarding a message, except that you do not edit the message and the return address is set to the original sender's address, rather than to your address.

Change folder. This command is used to change the file whose messages are displayed on the Message Menu. You are asked for a file name. The file must be in message format; otherwise, elm aborts. You can use the customary wildcards for your shell, as well as the following special names:

Copy message. Save the current message or the set of tagged messages to a folder. You are prompted for a file name with a default value. The default value is a file in the maildir directory with the user name of the sender of the first message in the set being saved. Any tags are cleared. Unlike the > and s commands, the messages are not marked for deletion and the current message pointer is not moved.

Delete. Mark the current message for deletion. See also Ctrl-D, u, and Ctrl-U.

Delete. Mark all messages for deletion that contain a specified pattern in the From: and Subject: header entries. See also d, u, and Ctrl-U.

Edit. Allows you to physically edit the current mail folder using the editor defined by the editor string variable. When you exit from your editor, elm resynchronizes your mail folder (see the $ command).

Forward the current message. You are asked if you want to edit the outbound message. If you answer y, the characters defined by the prefix string variable are prefixed to each line of the message and the editor defined by the editor string variable will be invoked to allow you to edit the message. If you answer n, the characters are not prefixed and the editor will not be invoked. In either case, you are prompted for To: recipients, allowed to edit the Subject: header entry, and, if the askcc boolean variable is ON, you are prompted for Cc: recipients.

If the userlevel numeric variable is 1 (intermediate) or 2 (expert), and there was a previous sent or forgotten message in this session, you are asked if you would like to

If you answer y, the previous message is returned to the send buffer. If you answer n, the current message is copied into the send buffer and your signature file (if any) is appended.

Then the editor is invoked if you chose to edit the outbound message (above). When you leave the editor, or if it was not invoked, the Send Menu is displayed.

Group reply. The reply is automatically sent To: the sender of the message, with Cc: to all the original To: and Cc: recipients. Otherwise, the action is the same as for the r command.

Same as Return, except that the message is displayed with all headers.

Move down. Move the current message pointer down to the next message.

Move down. Move the current message pointer down to the next undeleted message.

Move up. Move the current message pointer up to the previous message.

Move up. Move the current message pointer up to the previous undeleted message.

Limit the displayed messages to those that contain certain string values. You are prompted with Enter criteria:. To set, add to, or clear the limiting criteria, type one of:

You can add limiting criteria by repeating the l command.

Redraw the screen.

Mail. Send mail to one or more addresses. You are prompted for To: recipients, a Subject: and, if the askcc boolean variable is ON, Cc: recipients.

If the userlevel numeric variable is 1 (intermediate) or 2 (expert), and there was a previous sent or forgotten message in this session, you are asked if you would like to

If you answer y, the previous message is returned to the send buffer. If you answer n, the signature file (if any) is copied into the send buffer.

Then, the editor defined by the editor string variable is invoked. After you exit from your editor, the Send Menu is displayed.

Next message. Advances the current message pointer to the next message, and displays that message as for the Return command.

Options. Invokes the Options Menu, permitting you to change certain configuration options. The changeable options are defined by the configoptions string variable.

Print. Print the current message or the set of tagged messages using the command defined by the print string variable. The current message pointer does not move. Tagged messages remain tagged.

Quit. Gracefully terminate, performing message cleanup according to defined personal preferences. You can choose to actually delete messages marked for deletion. For your incoming mailbox, you can choose to keep undeleted mail in the mailbox or move it to the received folder defined by the receivedmail string variable.

If the ask boolean variable is ON, you may be asked the following questions. The actions described are all performed after you have answered all the relevant questions.

If the ask boolean variable is OFF, the answers to the questions (which are not displayed) are taken automatically from the values of the alwaysdelete, alwaysstore, and alwayskeep boolean variables, respectively.

Quick quit. This is equivalent to executing the q command with the ask boolean variable set to OFF.

Reply to the sender of the current message. If the autocopy boolean variable is OFF, you are asked if the source message should be copied into the edit buffer. If it is ON, the message is copied automatically. If copied in, all lines from the message are preceded by the prefix string defined by the prefix string variable. The To: header is set to the sender of the message (or the address in the Reply-To: header, if one was set), the Subject: is set to the subject of the message, preceded by Re:, and presented for you to edit. If the askcc boolean variable is ON, you are prompted for Cc: recipients. Then, the editor defined by the editor string variable is invoked. After you exit from your editor, the Send Menu is displayed.

Save in folder (same as >). Save the current message or the set of tagged messages to a folder. You are prompted for a file name with a default value. The default value is a file in the maildir directory with the login name of the sender of the first message in the set being saved. Any tags are cleared and the messages are marked for deletion. The current message pointer is moved to the first undeleted message after the last saved message.

Tag toggle. Tag the current message for a later operation and move the current message pointer to the next undeleted message. The operation can be one of |, C, p, and s.

Or, remove the tag from a tagged message. See also the Ctrl-T command.

Tag toggle. Tag the current message for a later operation and remain at the current message. The operation can be one of |, C, p, and s.

Or, remove the tag from a tagged message. See also the Ctrl-T command.

Tag all messages containing the specified pattern. Or remove the tags from all tagged messages.

If any messages are currently tagged, you are asked if the tags should be removed. Answer y to remove the old tags; answer n to keep them. In either case, you are prompted for a string to match in either the From: or Subject: line of each message. All messages that match the criterion are tagged. If you enter a null string (carriage-return alone), no more messages are tagged.

Undelete. Remove the deletion mark from the current message. See also d, Ctrl-D, and Ctrl-U.

Undelete. Remove any deletion mark from all messages that contain a specified pattern in the From: and Subject: header entries. See also d, Ctrl-D, and u.

View attachments. Invoke the Attachment View Menu for the current message.

Exit. Exit without changing the mailbox. If changes are pending, such as deletions, you are asked if they can be abandoned. If you answer y, the changes are abandoned and the program terminates. If you answer n the exit is abandoned and you return to the Message Menu command prompt.

Exit immediately without changing the mailbox. All pending changes are abandoned.

A three-character status field, described in the Message Status subsection.

The ordinal message index number.

The month from the last Date: header entry, or from the From message header.

The day from the last Date: header entry, or from the From message header.

Either the sender name from the last From: header entry or from the From message header.

The number of lines in the message.

The subject description from the first Subject: header entry, truncated to fit your screen.

Execute the shell command, if one is given (as in ~!ls), or start an interactive shell, using the shell defined by the shell string variable.

Execute the shell command and place the output of the command into the editor buffer. For example, "~< who " inserts the output of the who command in your message.

Print a brief help menu.

Start a line with a single tilde (~) character.

Prompt for changes to the Blind-Carbon-Copy (Bcc:) list.

Prompt for changes to the Carbon-Copy (Cc:) list.

Invoke the editor defined for the easyeditor string variable on the message, if possible.

Add the specified list of messages or the current message. This uses readmail which means that all readmail options are available (see readmail(1)).

Prompt for changes to all the available headers (To:, Cc:, Bcc:, and Subject:).

Same as ~f, but each line is prefixed with the current prefix. See the prefix string variable.

Prompt for the name of an editor to use on the message.

Print out the message as typed in so far.

Include (read in) the contents of the specified file.

Prompt for changes to the Subject: line.

Prompt for changes to the To: list.

Invoke the editor defined for the visualeditor string variable on the message, if possible.

Resynchronize your alias text file and your alias database by rebuilding the database from the text file by running newalias. Aliases marked for deletion are removed, tagged aliases are untagged, and new and changed aliases are recognized. The alias screen is updated to reflect these changes.

Display the next alias index page, when applicable.

Display the previous alias index page, when applicable.

Pattern match. Search for pattern in the alias and user name fields of the alias list. The search starts at the current alias and wraps around to the beginning of the alias list. The current alias pointer is set to the first alias that matches. Uppercase and lowercase are treated as equivalent.

Pattern match. Search for pattern through all the fields of the alias list (alias, user name, comment, and address). The search starts at the current alias and wraps around to the beginning of the alias list. The current alias pointer is set to the first alias that matches. Uppercase and lowercase are treated as equivalent. /pattern Pattern match. This command allows you to search through all the alias and username entries in the alias list, starting at the current alias and continuing through the end. If the first character of the pattern is a /, then the comment and the fully expanded address fields are also included in the search. The search is case-insensitive. This allows you to find a specific alias in a situation where there are a large number of aliases.

Help on key. Display a one-line description of what each key does. ? displays a summary listing for each command available. A period (.) returns you to the Alias Menu.

Alias current message. This allows you to create an alias that has the return address of the current message as the address field of the alias. It prompts for a unique alias name and allows you to edit the comment and address fields.

Change the current user alias. The old values of the alias fields are used as the defaults in the prompts for the new values. You cannot change the alias name. If the alias name is one of a multiple-alias record, it is removed from that record and stored as a separate record. The old alias is marked N. Changes are effective after the next alias resynchronization.

Mark the current user alias for deletion. The deletions are made when you exit from the Alias Menu with an q, r, or i command or you resynchronize your alias database with the $ command. (You cannot delete a system alias in this way.)

Delete user aliases with a specified search pattern.

Edit your aliases.text file, using the editor defined in the editor string variable. Your aliases are resynchronized when you finish editing (see the $ command).

Display a fully expanded alias. The currently selected alias is fully expanded and displayed.

See the Alias Menu q and Q commands.

Move down. Move the current alias pointer down to the next alias.

Move down. Move the current alias pointer down to the next undeleted alias.

Move up. Move the current alias pointer up to the previous alias.

Move up. Move the current alias pointer up to the previous undeleted alias.

Limit the displayed aliases to certain types or those that contain certain string values. You are prompted with Enter criteria:. To set, add to, or clear the limiting criteria, type one of:

You can add limiting criteria by repeating the l command.

Redraw the screen.

Mail to the current alias or to the set of tagged aliases. The corresponding expanded addresses are placed in the To: header entry, and processing continues as for the Message Menu m (mail) command. The tags are cleared.

Make a user alias. elm prompts for a unique alias name, then for an address. The information provided is added to your individual alias_text file ($HOME/.elm/aliases.text), then added to the database.

Exit. Return to the Message Menu. If aliases are marked for deletion, you are asked if you want to delete them. The alias index pointer is retained. If the alias text file was changed, the database is resynchronized.

Exit. Return to the Message Menu. If aliases are marked for deletion, the mark is retained and the alias is not deleted. The alias index pointer is retained. If the alias text file was changed, the database is resynchronized.

See the Alias Menu q and Q commands.

Tag the current alias for a later operation and move the current alias pointer to the next undeleted alias. The operation can be one of c, m, or n.

Or, remove the tag from a tagged alias. See also the Ctrl-T command.

Tag. Tag the current alias for a later operation and remain at the current alias. The operation can be one of c, m, or n.

Or, remove the tag from a tagged alias. See also the Ctrl-T command.

Tag all aliases containing a specified pattern for a later operation. The operation can be one of c, m, or n. Or remove the tags from all tagged aliases.

If any aliases are currently tagged, you are asked if the tags should be removed. Answer y to remove the old tags; answer n to keep them. In either case, you are prompted for a string to match in either the alias name or user name fields of each alias. All aliases that match the criterion are tagged. If you enter a null string (carriage-return alone) no more aliases are tagged.

Undelete. Remove the deletion mark from the current alias. See also d, Ctrl-D, and Ctrl-U.

Undelete. Remove any deletion mark from all messages that contain a specified pattern in the From: and Subject: header entries. See also d, Ctrl-D, and u.

View. Display the address-list for the current alias.

Exit from the alias menu without processing any deletions. Aliases marked for deletion are unmarked and newalias is not run, even if alias additions have been made.

A two-character status field. The first character can be:

The second character can be:

The index number of the alias.

The full name for the alias, as it will be used in an expanded address. It has the form:

Comment, from the alias database.

Type of alias. This is Person for an alias with a single address or Group for an alias with two or more addresses.

If present, the entry is from the elm system alias database. If absent, the entry is from your personal alias database.

The alias name. If the record has multiple alias names, there is one index entry per name.

Description. The value is placed in a Content-Description: body-part header entry. The default is the file name.

Content-Transfer-Encoding. This is the method by which the file is encoded to allow it to pass through various Mail Transport Agents. The choices are:

The value is placed in a Content-Transfer-Encoding: body-part header entry. The default is 7bit.

File name. The name of the file to be attached. elm examines the file and sets the values of Content-Transfer-Encoding, Content-Disposition, and Content-Type accordingly.

Content-Disposition. The value is placed in a Content-Disposition: body-part header entry. The default is attachment; filename=filename.

Content-Type. The type of the file and supporting parameters, in the form:

The type can be one of application, audio, image, message, text, or video, as defined in RFC 1521. Although multipart is also a valid type, you cannot specify it directly; elm provides it as necessary and handles messages that contain it. The value is placed in a Content-Type: body-part header entry. The default is:

Some common entries are described below. See the METAMAIL CONFIGURATION section for additional information.

Add attachments. Call the Attachment Configuration Menu and prompt for a file name.

Delete an attachment.

Edit an attachment. Call the editor associated with the attachment if it is editable.

Move the current attachment pointer down to the next attachment.

Move the current attachment pointer up to the previous attachment.

Redraw the screen.

Modify the attributes of an attachment. Call the Attachment Configuration Menu.

Print an attachment. See the Message Menu p (print) command.

Quit. Return to the Send Menu.

Save an attachment. See the Message Menu C (copy) command.

Display the current attachment.

Move the current attachment pointer down to the next attachment.

Move the current attachment pointer up to the previous attachment.

Redraw the screen.

Print the attachment. See the Message Menu p (print) command.

Quit. Return to the previous attachment level or the Message Menu.

Save the attachment. The attachment is saved in the form it was received, as with the Message Menu s (save) command.

View the subattachment list, if any.

The index number of the attachment.

The name of the attached file.

The size of the attachment in bytes, computed from the file or the message.

The type and subtype of the attachment. This value is placed or found in a Content-Type: header.

The encoding type. This value is placed or found in a Content-Transfer-Encoding: header.

Return to Send Menu.

Shell. Execute command with the shell defined by the shell string variable.

Action: header. Enter any string. If this entry is present in a received message, elm displays an A in the Permanent Status column of the Message Index.

Bcc: header. Enter a list of aliases and actual addresses. Aliases are expanded and shown as addresses and user names.

Cc: header. Enter a list of aliases and actual addresses. Aliases are expanded and shown as addresses and user names.

Domainize. Convert non-Internet addresses to Internet format. The UUCP ! format (host.domain!user ) becomes the Internet @ format (user@host.domain ). If .domain is omitted, it defaults to .uucp.

Expires: header. Enter any numeric value from 1 to 56 (8 weeks). If this entry is present in a received message, elm displays an E in the Variable Status column of the Message Index when the computed date has passed.

In-Reply-To: header. Enter a string.

Precedence: header. Enter a precedence name. If the precedences string variable is set and nonnull, the name must be one defined by the variable. If the name is associated with a priority, and the Priority: header is null, the priority value is inserted in the Priority: header. If precedences is null or not set, you can enter any value.

If the precedence name matches one defined in the sendmail configuration file /etc/mail/sendmail.cf, the transmission priority is modified accordingly. If there is no match, the priority is not changed.

Priority: header. Enter a string. If this entry is present in a received message, elm displays a U in the Permanent Status column of the Message Index

Reply-To: header. Enter a personal alias or a single address. If it is present, elm and other mailers use this header instead of the From: header when choosing the address for a reply (Message Menu r (reply) command).

Subject: header. Enter a string.

To: header. Enter a list of aliases and actual addresses. Aliases are expanded and shown as addresses and user names.

User-defined header. Define your own header entry in the form:

header-name: must not contain blanks. You can use this command to create a Sensitivity: header entry, as described in the Message Status subsection, or a different header, but only one. See the HEADER FILE section for another way to include user-defined header entries.

The arrow string variable. *

The prefix string variable.

The calendar string variable. *

The pager string variable. *

The editor string variable. *

The maildir string variable. *

The copy boolean variable.

The alteditor string variable.

The promptafter boolean variable.

The aliassortby string variable.

The menu boolean variable. *

The names boolean variable. *

The sentmail string variable. *

The print string variable. *

The autocopy boolean variable.

The sortby string variable. *

The easyeditor string variable.

The userlevel numeric variable. *

The visualeditor string variable. *

The askcc boolean variable.

The fullname string variable. *

The sigdashes boolean variable.

Save the current configuration values in your configuration file, $HOME/.elm/elmrc. If the file does not exist, it is created. This is a convenient way to make an configuration file that you can edit directly, as well as with the Options Menu.

Return to the Message Menu.

Return to the Message Menu.

Exit immediately from elm without changing the mailbox. All pending changes are abandoned.

Shell. Execute a shell command. See the Message Menu ! (shell) command.

Attachments. Invoke the Attachments Send Menu.

Copy. Copy to a file. See the Message Menu C (copy) command.

Edit. Invoke your editor, as defined by the alteditor string variable, to revise the message.

Forget. Do not send the message. At user levels 1 and 2, the message may be returned to the send buffer when you execute a subsequent Message Menu f, g, m, or r command or the Alias Menu m command.

Edit the header entries. Invoke the Header Menu.

Make form. Convert the message to the forms message format. See the FORMS MESSAGES section. This command is only available if the forms boolean variable is ON and the userlevel numeric variable is either 1 or 2.

Send. Send the message.

The sort order for the alias index in the Alias Menu. The recognized values are:

Prefix the value with reverse- to reverse the sort order. The default is name.

The name of the editor to use for messages that have initial text (a copied message in a reply, a signature in any outbound message, etc.). when the editor string variable is set to none or builtin. The default is the value of the EDITOR environment variable, if set and nonnull, or /usr/bin/vi otherwise. See also the editor string variable.

A list of other machine and user name combinations that you receive forwarded mail from. elm uses this information when a group reply is being processed to ensure that a reply message is not sent to a user and/or machine address that would simply forward the reply message back to you. The default is none.

Attribution string for replies. When you reply to a message and include the message in the reply, this string is placed at the top of the message. The characters %s are replaced by the full name of the author of the original message. The default is none. For example:

The name of your calendar file. This is used in conjunction with the Message Menu < (calendar) command, which scans messages for calendar entries. The default is $HOME//calendar.

The name of the character set used with the MIME Content-Type: header for the text/plain type. It can be any Internet-defined character set name that is a superset of US-ASCII. The default is US-ASCII. For example,

A list of Internet-defined character sets that are supersets of US-ASCII, so that messages with charset=US-ASCII can be displayed without the help of metamail. The default is a string containing the following values:

A string of options that can be configured on the Options Menu. Specify the options as a single letter each, in the order they should be displayed. The default is "^_cdefsopyv_am_un ". The defaults are marked below with an *.

The option characters include:

The name of the character set supported by the display. This is independent of the charset string variable. This is also copied to the MM_CHARSET environment variable when metamail is called. The default is US-ASCII.

The name of the editor for the ~e command of the built-in editor. See also the editor string variable. The default is none.

The name of the editor to use when creating new mail. The default is the value of the EDITOR environment variable, if set and nonnull, or /usr/bin/vi otherwise.

You can use none or builtin to specify the built-in editor. The built-in editor is available for all outbound mail that does not already have text in the send buffer (no forwarded message, no copied message in a reply, no signature in any outbound message, etc.). If there is text in the send buffer and builtin is specified, the editor defined by the alteditor variable is used instead.

See also the alteditor, easyeditor, and visualeditor string variables.

The escape character used in the built-in editor. The default is tilde (~).

The permissions of the mail folders or the aliases.text file (created by the user using elm) can be configured by setting the value of folderperms in the $HOME/.elm/elmrc file. elm takes 0640 as the default permission, if no value or an invalid value is set by the elm user. elm mandates read-write permissions for the owner. Hence, if the value of folderperms in elmrc file does not grant read-write permissions to the owner, the default value is taken for setting the permissions.

The name the mailer will use when sending mail from you. The default is the full name portion (everything up to the first comma) of the pw_gecos field from your entry in the /etc/passwd file. This field can be set with the chfn command (see chfn(1), finger(1), and passwd(4)).

A signature file that is automatically appended to outbound mail to the local host before the editor is invoked. This usually contains personal data about the sender. See also the remotesignature string variable. The default is none.

All the addresses in the To: header must be apparently for the local host. Local addresses are those that, after any elm alias conversion, do not contain a domain name. That is, they have only a user name (for example, santaclaus) or a user name and the local host name (for example, santaclaus@northpole).

santaclaus@northpole.arcticsea.org is considered to be a remote address, even if it points to the local host. A user name that is readdressed by the sendmail system alias list is treated as local if it matches the preceding criteria.

Your mail directory, where you usually store your folders for received and outbound mail. The default is $HOME//Mail.

In elm, you can use the = metacharacter to specify this directory. For example, if you save a message to file =/archive, the = is expanded to the current value of maildir. (The slash (/) is optional.)

When you start elm, if the directory specified by maildir does not exist, you are asked if you want to create it. If you answer y (yes), the directory is created, with access permissions set to 700.

The program to display each message. The default is the value of the PAGER environment variable, if set and nonnull, or the built-in pager, builtin+, otherwise.

The built-in pager, builtin+, also allows you to execute some Message Menu commands while you are viewing the message and it has some simple forward and backward scrolling commands. While it is active, enter ? for a list of commands. An alternative is the more utility.

A list of precedence values that you can place in a Precedence: header entry in outbound mail, using the Header Menu. Each precedence value can be optionally paired with a priority value that is automatically placed in a Priority: header entry, causing the received message to be marked as urgent. The default is none.

The HP-UX mail transport agent, sendmail, recognizes this header. If the precedence value is defined by a P control line in the sendmail configuration file, /etc/mail/sendmail.cf, the transmission priority of the message is adjusted accordingly. See sendmail(1M).

The format of the entry is

precedence is a precedence name. The default list defined in /etc/mail/sendmail.cf is:

priority is an arbitrary string that is placed in a Priority: header entry.

The prefix for an included line in an outbound message. When you reply to a message or forward a message to another person, you can optionally include the original message. This prefix marks the included line. The default is >_ (the _ is interpreted as a space character).

The command to run when the p (print) command is executed from various menus. There are two possible formats for this string: If the string contains the special variable %s, the variable is replaced by the name of a temporary file that contains the messages, and the command is executed by the shell defined by the shell string variable. If the string does not contain %s, the temporary file name is appended to it, and the command is executed. The default is

The file where the received messages will be saved. The default is =received, the file received in the directory defined by maildir.

A signature file that is automatically appended to all outbound mail to remote hosts before the editor is invoked. This usually contains personal data about the sender. See also the localsignature string variable. The default is none.

If any of the addresses in the To: header entry are not local, as described for the localsignature string variable, the remote signature file is attached.

The character set to be used to save a message in a folder. Possible values are JIS, SJIS, and EUC. If a value is not specified, the message will be saved according to your locale (given by the LC_TYPE and/or LANG environmental variables). This option is applicable only for the Japanese locale. The default is none. See also the jisconversion boolean variable.

The file where copies of outbound mail can be saved. One possibility is your incoming mailbox, /var/mail/loginname. The default is =sent, the file sent in the directory defined by maildir.

See the copy boolean variable for further details.

The shell to use for ! escapes and other such operations. The default is the value of the SHELL environment variable, if set and nonnull, or /usr/bin/ksh otherwise.

The way to sort the index of the current folder. The choices are:

You can prefix these values with reverse- to reverse the order of the sort. The value can be modified on the Options Menu. The default is reverse-sent.

Type of encoding to put into the MIME Content-Transfer-Encoding: header entry. The choices are 7bit or 8bit. The default is 7bit.

Where to create temporary files. The default is the value of the TMPDIR environment variable, if set and nonnull, or to /tmp/ otherwise.

Name of the editor to use for the ~v command of the built-in editor. The default is the value of the VISUAL environment variable, if set and nonnull, or /usr/bin/vi otherwise.

A list of header-entry initial strings that you don't want to see when you are reading mail. This list is made effective by setting the weed boolean variable to ON.

The list can continue for as many lines as desired, as long as the continued lines all have leading blanks. To include blanks in a string, enclose it in quotation marks (" ). The strings you specify are normally appended to the default list, which is:

There are two special values:

The default value of weedout is *end-of-user-headers*.

The underscore (_) character can be used to specify a space.

Note that From weeds out both From and From:. If, for example, you want to weed out From but not From:, specify *clear-weed-list* followed by From_ and any other headers that you don't want to see.

Threshold for returning copies of remote UUCP messages. If the destination host is greater than the specified number of hops (gateways) from your local host, the destination host sends you a copy of the message when it is received. If the value is 0, this feature is disabled. The default is 0.

Determines if the built-in pager should be used on some messages, even if you usually use an external pager, defined in the pager string variable. There are two ways of defining whether the built-in pager should be used.

If you set the value to 0, the message will always be sent through the external pager. The default is -3.

This enables you to send raw 8-bit or binary data when the mail transfer agent doesn't support the 8BITMIME and the -B8BITMIME options. The default is 0.

The possible values are:

The value by which the Reading in folder, message: counter is incremented while reading a new folder. If you set this value to a number larger than one, it will speed up the time it takes to read a large folder when you are using a slow terminal. The default is 1.

The time in seconds that elm will wait after displaying a diagnostic message before erasing it. The value can be 0 or a positive integer. The default is 2.

The interval, in seconds, after which elm rechecks the incoming mailbox for new mail. The default is 600 (10 minutes).

The relative level of your user sophistication. Acceptable values are:

Level 1 or 2 is required if you want to send a forms message.

If ON, the default answer of the Message Menu q (quit) prompt

is set to y (yes). If OFF, the default answer is set to n (no). The default is OFF. See the Message Menu q command.

If ON, the default answer of the Message Menu q (quit) prompt

is set to y (yes). If OFF, the default answer is set to n (no). The default is ON. See the Message Menu q command.

If ON, the default answer of the Message Menu q (quit) prompt

is set to y (yes). If OFF, the default answer is set to n (no). The default is OFF. See the Message Menu q command.

If ON, use an arrow (->) to mark the current item in a menu index. If OFF, use an inverse bar. If the program is invoked with the -a command line option, arrow is set to ON. The default is OFF.

If ON, you are asked the questions

(as appropriate) each time you leave the program with the Message Menu q (quit) command. See that command for details of the process. If OFF, or if you use the Message Menu Q command, elm uses the values defined by the alwaysdelete, alwaysstore, and alwayskeep boolean variables, respectively, without prompting. The default is ON.

If ON, elm prompts you for "carbon copies" with the prompt Copies To: each time you send, forward, or reply to a message. If OFF, the prompt is omitted. In either case, you can still explicitly include Cc: addresses with the ~c command in the built-in editor, or with the Header Menu commands. The default is ON.

If ON, elm automatically copies the text of the message you are replying to into the edit buffer. If OFF, elm prompts you with Copy message?. The default is OFF.

If ON, you are asked to confirm before messages are appended to an existing file, whether it is a file in your mail directory or a file in another directory. If OFF, see confirmappend and confirmfiles Operation below. The default is OFF.

If ON, you are asked to confirm before a new file is created. whether it is a file in your mail directory or a file in another directory. If OFF, see confirmcreate and confirmfolders Operation below. The default is OFF.

If ON, you are asked to confirm before messages are appended to an existing file that is not in your mail directory. This does not affect files in your mail directory. If OFF, see confirmappend and confirmfiles Operation below. The default is OFF.

If ON, you are asked to confirm before a new file is created in your mail directory. This does not affect files in other directories. If OFF, see confirmcreate and confirmfolders Operation below. The default is OFF.

If ON, save silent copies of all outbound mail on the outbound step. If OFF, do not save copies. The default is OFF.

If ON, and the savename boolean variable is ON, elm first tries to save it to a file named as defined by savename. If the file exists, the message is saved. If the file does not exist, but the forcename boolean variable is ON, the file is created and the message is saved. If forcename=OFF, the message is saved to the file defined by the sentmail string variable. If savename=OFF, the message is saved to the file defined by the sentmail string variable.

If ON, create the folder when saving outbound messages by the login name of the recipient, even if the folder doesn't already exist. If OFF, do not create the folder. The default is OFF.

See the copy boolean variable for further details.

If ON, and the userlevel numeric variable is 1 or 2, you can create a forms message. The Send Menu m (make form) command converts your message into a forms message. If OFF, you cannot. The default is ON.

If ON, convert outbound mail to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) before sending it. If OFF, do not convert it. This option is applicable only to the Japanese locales, ja_JP.SJIS and ja_JP.eucJP. The default is OFF. savecharset string variable.

If ON, keep folders from which all the messages are deleted. If OFF, delete empty folders. The default is OFF.

If ON, enable the HP 2622 terminal cursor keys. If OFF, disable the cursor keys. If the program is invoked with the -K command line option, keypad is set to OFF. See also the softkeys boolean variable. The default is ON.

If OFF, this inhibits the menu display on all program screen displays. If ON, the menus are displayed. If the program is invoked with the -m command line option, menu is set to OFF. The default is ON.

If ON, you are sent a copy of the message that you send to an alias that includes your name also. If OFF, the copy is not sent. The default is OFF.

If ON, a forwarded message is sent as an attachment. If OFF, a forwarded message is sent as part of the main message. The default is ON.

If ON, commands that move through the mailbox by pages (the + and - commands) also move the current index pointer to the top of the new page of messages. If OFF, moving through the pages does not alter the current message pointer location. The default is ON.

If ON, show only the user names when expanding the To: aliases for an outbound message. If OFF , show the entire expanded addresses. The default is ON.

If ON, don't do RFC 1522 encoding for header values that contain 8-bit or multibyte characters. If OFF, do the encoding. The default is OFF.

If ON, do not include the headers of messages when copying a message into a file buffer for replying to or forwarding. If OFF, copy all headers. The default is ON.

If ON, do not include headers when copying a message into a file buffer for forwarding. If OFF, copy all headers. For forwarding, this option overrides the setting of noheader. The default is OFF.

If ON, use the value of the pager variable to display MIME multipart messages with unknown subparts or with unknown subtypes. If OFF, call metamail to view multipart messages. The default is OFF.

If ON, automatically point to the first new message in your message index at start-up. If OFF, point to the first message. In either case, if the start-up folder is not your incoming mailbox, or if there are no new messages, point to the first message. The default is ON.

If ON, prompt for a command after the external pager exits. If OFF, return to the calling menu. The default is ON.

If ON, move the pointer to the next message in the index, after deleting, undeleting, saving, or forwarding a message. If OFF, keep the pointer at the current message. The default is ON.

If ON, and you are saving a message, elm constructs a suggested file name in your maildir directory from the user name of the person who sent the message, in the form =username. If OFF, no file name is suggested.

If ON, and you are sending a message that will be saved, elm constructs a file name based on the user name of the first entry in the To: list, in the same form as above. If OFF, no file name is constructed. See the copy boolean variable for further details.

The default is ON.

If ON, insert two dashes above the signature text, included from a local or remote signature file. This is a common convention. If OFF, omit the dashes. The default is ON.

If ON, enable the HP 2622 terminal function-key protocol. If OFF, disable the function-key protocol. If the program is invoked with the -k or -K command line option, softkeys is set to OFF. See also the keypad boolean variable. The default is OFF.

If ON, title a displayed message with a line in the form:

sendername, date, and time are extracted from the message headers in the manner described in Message Index. This is useful if you have suppressed the relevant header entries with the weedout list. If OFF, the message is not titled. The default is ON.

If ON, use the termcap ti/te and terminfo cup cursor-positioning entries (see terminfo(4)). If OFF, do not use those entries. If the program is invoked with the -t command line option, usetite is set to OFF. The default is ON.

If ON, do not display the headers defined by weedout variable when displaying a message for reading. If OFF, display all headers. The default is ON.

Your home (login) directory.

If set and nonnull, provides a default value for the alteditor and editor string variables.

If set and nonnull, determines the language in which messages are displayed. The default is C. See environ(5).

If set, defines the search path for mailcap files used by metamail. The default is

If set and nonnull, provides a default value for the pager string variable.

If set and nonnull, provides a default value for the shell string variable.

If set and nonnull, provides a default value for the tmpdir string variable.

If set and nonnull, provides a default value for the visualeditor string variable.