NAME

mailtool − window- and mouse-based interface for mail

SYNOPSIS

mailtool [ −x ] [ −i seconds ]

DESCRIPTION

mailtool is a standard tool provided with the SunView environment. 

mailtool manages your mail in much the same manner as mail, but provides a more convenient and powerful user interface.  Scrollable windows allow easy access to your mailbox and mail folders. Software "buttons" make the most frequently used commands readily available. Less used commands are accessable from menus and keyboard accelerators are provided for the more experienced user.  The full editing capabilities of textedit(1) and the SunView selection service are available for modifying and composing mail.  In addition, the behavior of mailtool may be customized by setting parameters with defaultsedit(1).  Users who are not familiar with the mail program should read Mail and Messages: Beginner’s Guide.  For more information on mailtool, text editing, and use of the selection service see Windows and Window-Based Tools: Beginner’s Guide. 

OPTIONS

−xexpert mode – don’t ask for confirmation after potentially damaging mail commands; off by default

−i seconds
interval - check for new mail every seconds seconds - default is 300 (5 minutes)

mailtool also accepts all of the generic tool arguments discussed in suntools(1). 

SUBWINDOWS

mailtool consists of four scrollable subwindows.  From top to bottom they are:

headera read-only text subwindow which lists the header information (From: and Subject: and so on) for mail messages in the current folder or system mailbox

commanda panel subwindow with software buttons corresponding to the most frequently used mail commands, and two text items for directory and file names

messagea text subwindow that allows reading and the editing of messages that you have received

compositiona text subwindow in which to compose and reply to messages (this subwindow appears only when composing or replying)

COMMAND BUTTONS

All buttons except next and undelete operate on the currently selected message.  To select a message, make a selection anywhere on the line in the header subwindow corresponding to the desired message.  This is accomplished by positioning the cursor anywhere on the line, and clicking the select mouse button (the leftmost one). 

The  set of command buttons in the command panel is as follows. 

abortquit the tool without modifying your system mailbox

cdchange to the directory specified in the Directory: text field

cancelabort the message being composed in the composition subwindow

commitcommit changes to your system mailbox or the current folder

composeopen the composition subwindow to compose (or forward - see below) a message

copycopy the selected message to the file or folder specified in the File: text field

deliversend the message being composed in the composition subwindow

deletedelete the selected message

donecommit changes, close the tool, and read new mail on next open

foldercommit changes and switch to the file or folder specified in the File: text field

new mailcommit changes and reread the system mailbox to see new mail

nextshow the next message in the message subwindow

preservehold the selected message in the system mailbox after the next commit

printprint the selected message on a hardcopy printer

quitcommit changes and quit the tool

replyopen the composition subwindow to reply to the selected message

savesave the selected message in the file or folder specified in the File: text field

showshow the selected message in the message subwindow

undeleteundelete the most recently deleted message(s) - this may be used repeatedly

.mailrcsource your ~/.mailrc file and thereby aquire the current option settings

COMMAND MENUS

All buttons in the command panel have menus behind them.  Depress the right mouse button over a command button to see its menu.  Variations on a button command or related commands in mailtool have been grouped on these menus.  For example, the reply buttton has menu items that reply to all recipients of the original message, reply including the original message, and reply to all recipients including the message.  The compose button has the function forward grouped with it.  All menus have corresponding keyboard acclerators - i.e. you may hold down a key while clicking the left mouse button to achieve the same effect without popping-up the menu.  Two keys are used: SHIFT and CTRL.  In general, if a command has an "inverse" function like reversed direction, the SHIFT key is used, and CTRL is used to "strengthen" a command or invoke a related function.  When a menu has actions corresponding to all four combinations of SHIFT and CTRL, the order of the menu items is as follows:
                simply clicking on the command button,
                holding SHIFT while clicking on the button,
                holding CTRL while clicking on the button,
                holding both SHIFT and CTRL when clicking on the button. 

With this organization of commands, the keyboard accelerators for these command menu items may be quickly learned. Simply browse the button menus to discover what additional commands are available. 

There are two special file menus in the command panel.  The menu behind the folder button will show you all your folders.  The menu behind the File: text field holds the most recently used file (and folder) names.  Selecting a name from these menus replaces the contents of the File: item just as if you typed the name.  This name is used for the save, copy, and folder commands.  Folder names are of the form +folder and are relative to the directory specified by the mail’s folder variable.  Filenames typed into the File: field are relative to the directory specified in the Directory: field. 

To switch to a folder, select it from one of the file menus or type directly into the File: text field, and press the folder button.  To return to your system mailbox, use the new mail button. 

MAIL VARIABLES

mailtool interprets several variables in addition to those of mail.  All can be set in your .mailrc file by using defaultsedit(1). 

allowreversescan
allows you to work through your mailbox in the reverse, as well as forward, directions.  This will affect which message is next – if the sense of direction is reverse then the message displayed by next is actually the previous one. 

autoprintdisplay the next message when the current message is deleted or saved

bellnumber of times to ring the bell when new mail arrives

cmdlinesnumber of lines in command panel

expertsets expert mode - no confirmations required (same as the -x flag)

filemenulist of files to initialize the File: menu, (e.g. "+mbox +trash")

filemenusizespecifies the maximum size of the File: menu

flashnumber of times to flash the window or icon when new mail arrives

headerlinesnumber of lines in header subwindow

intervalinterval in seconds to check for new mail (same as the -i flag)

maillinesnumber of lines in mail message subwindow

msgpercentpercent of the message subwindow to remain visible during a reply or compose

printmailthe command to use when printing mail — the default is lpr -p. 

trashname of trash bin (if set to "+trash", this may be accessed like any other folder)

If the trash variable is set, all deleted messages will be moved to the trash bin.  You can look at the trash bin as with any other folder by typing its name to the File: item and hitting the folder button.  The trash bin is emptied when you hit done. 

In addition, you can make your .mailrc conditionally set mail variables depending on whether it is running in the tty environment or the window environment.  The command if t  tests if you are in the tty environment.  For example:
 
        if t
        else
                set autoprint
                cd
        endif
  will set the variable autoprint and change to your home directory when mail is started in the SunView environment. 

FILES

/usr/spool/mail/∗       post office
~/.mailrc                  file giving initial mail commands

SEE ALSO

binmail(1), defaultsedit(1), mail(1), suntools(1), textedit(1)
aliases(5), mailaddr(7), newaliases(8), sendmail(8)
Mail and Messages: Beginner’s Guide,
Windows and Window-Based Tools: Beginner’s Guide

BUGS

If mail receives an error then mailtool may hang and you must kill it. 

New mail status is only approximate, therefore the presence of new mail is not always accurately reflected in the icon image and tool namestripe. 

If you press done and immediately interact with another window, a few interactions may be lost while mailtool is becoming iconic. 

Sun Release 3.2  —  Last change: 1 May 1986