NAME

mailtool - OpenWindows interface for the mail program

SYNOPSIS

mailtool [ −Mx ] [ −Mi interval ] [ generic-tool-arguments ]

AVAILABILITY

This command is available with the OpenWindows  environment.  For information about installing OpenWindows, refer to the OpenWindows Installation and Start-Up Guide. 

DESCRIPTION

mailtool is the standard OpenWindows interface to mail(1).  It provides a menu-driven facility for reading, storing, composing, and sending mail messages.  Scrollable windows allow easy access to mailbox and mail folders. 

The full editing capabilities of textedit(1) are available for modifying and composing mail messages as well as text fields within command panels. 

OPTIONS

-Mx Expert mode.  Do not ask for confirmation after potentially damaging mail commands.  This has the same effect as setting the expert variable. 

-Mi interval
Check for new mail every interval seconds.  This has the same effect as specifying a value for the interval variable. 

generic tool arguments
mailtool accepts the generic tool arguments described in xview(1). 

USAGE

mailtool operates through the use of a set of command panel buttons, message windows, menus, and other components that conform to the OPEN LOOK Graphical User Interface Functional Specification.  Mail messages are edited using the menus and commands of the textedit program. For more information about the general usage of OPEN LOOK software applications, see the OpenWindows User’s Guide.  For more information about textedit conventions, see the textedit(1) man page.  Command Panel Buttons The mailtool command panel is located near the top of the main window, under the window header. Select a command panel button to reveal the menu for that button. 

File

Open

InTray Used to read mail from the user’s system mail file into mailtool. 

Mail File Opens the mail file specified in the Mail File text field in the command panel. 

Move into Mail File
Moves all selected messages from the current mail file to the file named in the Mail File text field in the command panel.  If the file exists, the messages are appended. 

Copy into Mail File
Copies all selected messages from the current mail file to the file named in the Mail File text field in the command panel.  If the file exists, the messages are appended.  Unlike Move into Mail File, the messages are not deleted from the InTray. 

Print

Sends copies of all the selected mail items to your default printer.  If there are no selected items, mailtool sends copies of those items you are currently viewing. 

Save Changes
Causes all the deletions and changes you have made to the mail file to become permanent and opens your InTray for any new mail. 

View

Messages Displays messages you have selected. 

Abbreciated Header
Strips unnecessary header fields from the messages you view. Specify these fields by setting the ignore variable in your .mailrc file. 

Full Header
Displays the currently selected messages with all of the message header fields.

Previous Displays previous messages in your mailbox. 

Next Determines the message following the last one displayed and displays it.  The message is chosen from all the messages in the current mail file. 

Sort By

Time and Date
Sorts the messages in the mail folder by chronological order.

Sender Sorts the messages in the mail folder alphabetically by sender. 

Subject Sorts the messages in the mail folder alphabetically by subject. 

Edit

Cut Deletes the selected mail messages, placing copies in the Clipboard. 

Copy Copies the selected mail messages, placing copies in the Clipboard. 

Delete Deletes the selected mail messages, without placing copies in the Clipboard.  If no mail messages are selected, the messages currently being viewed are deleted. 

Undelete

Last Restores the last message deleted to your mail header display.  This may be done until all messages deleted since the last commit are restored.  This option also restores messages deleted through cut and move commands. 

From list Causes a command frame to appear that contains a list box with all the mail items that have been deleted since the last commit operation.  You can select any number of these, and press the button on the command frame.  All the selected items will be returned to the mail header window. 

Find

Sender: Enter text that is in the Subject field of the message you want.  Capitalization is ignored. 

Subject: Enter text that is in the From field (mail address) of the message you want.  Capitalization is ignored. 

Find Forward
After entering text for Sender: or Subject: or both, click SELECT on Find Forward to locate the next message that matches the text. 

Find Backward
After entering text for Sender: or Subject: or both, click SELECT on Find Backward to locate the previous message that matches the text. 

Select All After entering text for Sender: or Subject: or both, click SELECT on Select All to select all messages that match the text. 

Properties
Displays the Mail Tool: Properties window.  The various categories of properties you can modify are displayed in a pop-up menu from the Display abbreviated menu button. 

Mail Arrival Properties

Check for Mail Every:
Specifies in seconds how often Mail Tool checks for new mail. 

Signal New Mail With:
Specifies how many beeps or flashes or both that are used to notify you of the arrival of new mail.

Automatically Display Headers:
Specifies whether headers are displayed automatically or not.

Apply When this button is selected, any changes you have specified are made. 

Reset When this button is selected, any changes you have made in the window are deleted. 

Composition Header Properties

Compose with Subject Line:
Specifies whether a Subject: line appears in the Composition window. 

Cc Line: Specifies whether a Cc: line appears in the Composition window. 

Bcc Line: Specifies whether a Bcc: line appears in the Composition window. 

Custom Fields
Allows you to specify a list of header fields in addition to To:, Subject:, Cc:, and Bcc:. 

Add After
Field is inserted into list after the selection point.

Add Before
Field is inserted into list before the selection point.

Delete
Deletes the selected field from the list.

Field Specifies the name of a custom field.  The scrolling box displays all custom field names. 

Apply When this button is selected, any changes you have specified are made. 

Reset When this button is selected, any changes you have made in the window are deleted. 

Template Properties
Allows you to specify template files that you have created. These files can be included in mail messages.

Templates
Use the following to specify when the template is to be used. One must be selected.

Add After
File is inserted into list after the selection point.

Add Before
File is inserted into list before the selection point.

Delete
Deletes the file from the list.

Name: Specifies the template name. 

File: Specifies the location of the template. 

Apply When this button is selected, any changes you have specified are made. 

Reset When this button is selected, any changes you have made in the window are deleted. 

General Properties

Default Header Pane Height:
Specifies the number of lines for the header pane.

Default Header Pane Width:
Specified the width of the header pane in columns.

Default Message Pane Height:
Specifies the number of lines for the message pane.

Print Script:
Script executed when File -> Print is selected. 

Mail File Directory:
Specifies the name of the mail directory.

Ask For Confirmations:
Specifies whether Mail Tool asks for confirmations. 

Apply When this button is selected, any changes you have specified are made. 

Reset When this button is selected, any changes you have made in the window are deleted. 

Compose >
This panel button allows users to create new mail to be sent, reply to existing messages with or without including the current message, and to forward messages as needed.

New Opens a composition window without the message headers being filled in.  If an unused mail message window currently exists on the screen, it will be brought forward to be used and no new window is created.  If an unused mail message window current exists and is fully displayed on the screen, there will be no change in the display. 

Reply > Opens a composition window with the message headers filled in appropriately and allows you to write and deliver your response.  If an unused mail message window current exists on the screen, it will be brought forward to be used and no new window is created.  If an unused mail message window current exists and is fully displayed on the screen, there will be no change in the display.  Options to this submenu are described below:

To Sender:
Opens a composition window. In the window, the address field contains the originator’s address for the selected message.

To All: Opens a composition window.  In the window, the address field contains addresses for the person who sent the selected message as well as all the people that the selected message was sent to. 

To sender, include:
Opens a composition window. In the window, the address field contains the originator’s address for the selected message. The window also contains the selected message in the body of the new message.

To All, Include:
Opens a composition window. In the window, the address field contains addresses for the person who sent the selected message as well as all the people that the selected message was sent to. The window also contains the selected message in the body of the new message.

Forward >
Forwards the currently selected message. Opens a composition window with the currently selected message included in the new message body.

Vacation Lets you compose a message that is automatically delivered in response to incoming messages.  Use this when you can’t read your mail for a period of time and want Mail Tool to respond to messages for you. 

The Composition Window This window has its own control panel with the following buttons.

Include

Bracketed
Pastes the currently selected messages into the body of the message you are composing. The included messages are bracketed with special lines.

Indented Pastes the currently selected messages into the body of the message you are composing.  Each line of the included message is indented, using the standard indentation string. 

Templates
Displays file names of templates.

Deliver

Quit Window
Mails the message you have composed and then dismisses the compose window.

Close Window
Mails the message you have composed and then closes the compose window to an icon.

Clear Window
Mails the message and then clears the compose window to prepare it for re-use.

Leave Message Intact
Mails the message and leaves the message in the compose window.

Headers >
Selecting an option affects the header of the mail message.

Add/Delete Cc:
Adds or deletes the Cc: line from the message you are composing.

Add/Delete Bcc:
Adds or deletes the Bcc: line from the message you are composing.

Delete Subject
Adds or deletes the Subject: line from the message you are composing.

Add Custom >
Add a custom header field already created in the Properties window. 

Delete Custom >
Delete a custom header field already created.

Name Finder
Displays a pop-up window that lets you ask for the mailing addresses of individuals in the NIS database. 

Name: Type the requested name. 

Sounds Like
Looks for names that sound like the one you entered. The first letter must match exactly.

Find Click SELECT to start the search. 

Clear Clears the contents of the compose window. 

Mailtool Variables In addition to the variables recognized by mail(1), mailtool recognizes those listed below.  They can be set by editing your .mailrc file.  Unless otherwise noted, the default for the following variables is off.  Some of these variables can be set using the Properties menu. 

allowreversescan
When set, allows you to step through messages in latest-first, oldest-first order if you choose. The next message depends on the order of travel.

askbcc Prompt for the Bcc: field when composing or replying. 

bell The number of times to ring the bell when new mail arrives.  The default is 0. 

editmessagewindow
Request confirmation before the first editing operation to a message in the message window (as opposed to composing a reply). The default is not to request confirmation of the first edit.

expert Set expert mode in which no confirmation are requested. 

filemenu A list of files from which to initialize the Mail File: menu.  These can be absolute path names, path names relative to the working directory for mailtool (typically your home directory), or filenames prefixed with a + , which are taken as relative to the directory specified in the folder variable (see mail (1)). 

filemenusize
Specifies the maximum size of the .File: menu. 

flash The number of times to flash the window or icon when new mail arrives.  The default is 0. 

headerlines
The number of lines in header window. The default is 10.

retrieveinterval
The interval in seconds to check for new mail.  The default is 300.

moveinputfocus
Move the input focus into the composition window for Compose and Reply.  This only works for click-to-type. 

popuplines
The number of lines in pop-up message composition window. The default is 30.

printmail The command to use to print a message.  The default is lpr -p. 

trash The name of trash bin, which may be accessed just lke any other folder.  If set, all deleted messages are moved to the trash bin.  The trash bin is emptied when you commit changes. 

suppressautoretrieve
Does not automatically retrieve new mail messages. Default is to automatically retrieve new mail.

additionalfields:
A list of header fields to access via the Add Custom field in the Header menu. 

templates A list of name:path pairs to access via the Include > Templates menu.  name appears in the menu; path is the file included when name is selected. 

toolcols Default width of windows in columns.  Default is 80. 

FILES

/var/spool/mail/∗
System mailboxes

~/.mailrc Start-up file for mail and mailtool. 

~/.mailtool-init
Contains manu default and layout information. Generated by selecting Save Workspace in the root menu. 

SEE ALSO

binmail(1), mail(1), textedit(1), aliases(5), newaliases(8), sendmail(8)
 
OpenWindows User’s Guide
 

Sun Release 4.0  —  Last change: 11 June 1990