The value assigned to boolean variables can be "ON" or "OFF"
only.
alwaysdelete
Set ON to set the default answer to the "Delete mes-
sages?" prompt to _y_e_s (see the qqqquuuuiiiitttt command in section
7, CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnnddddssss, and the aaaasssskkkk variable below). This default
answer also applies to deletions from the alias system.
The default for aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssssddddeeeelllleeeetttteeee is OFF.
alwayskeep
Set ON to set the default answer to the "Keep unread
mail in incoming mailbox?" prompt to _y_e_s. However, if
you set aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssssssssttttoooorrrreeee OFF or answer _n_o to the "Store read
mail in "received" folder?" prompt, it is presumed that
you also want to keep your unread mail in the incoming
mailbox, so the value of aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyysssskkkkeeeeeeeepppp is ignored in those
cases. See the qqqquuuuiiiitttt command in section 7, CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnnddddssss, and
the aaaasssskkkk and aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssssssssttttoooorrrreeee variables below for more de-
tails. The default for aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyysssskkkkeeeeeeeepppp is ON.
alwaysstore
Set ON to set the default answer to the "Store read
mail in "received" folder?" prompt to _y_e_s (see the qqqquuuuiiiitttt
October 1, 1992 Page 12
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
command in section 7, CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnnddddssss, and the aaaasssskkkk variable
below). The default for aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssssssssttttoooorrrreeee is OFF.
arrow* Sometimes you are forced to use a slow or "dumb" termi-
nal. Set ON to make the current message pointer the
"->" sequence rather than the inverse bar. Note that
this is overridden by the "-a" command line option (see
section 3, CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnndddd LLLLiiiinnnneeee OOOOppppttttiiiioooonnnnssss). The default is OFF.
ask Set OFF to tell Elm that you'd rather not be asked
"Delete messages?" and such each time you quit, resyn-
chronize, change folders, or return from the alias sys-
tem, but that it should just use the values of aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssss----
ddddeeeelllleeeetttteeee, aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssssssssttttoooorrrreeee, and aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyysssskkkkeeeeeeeepppp without prompting.
Note that when you quit EEEEllllmmmm, if you use 'Q' instead of
'q', you will never be questioned, regardless of how
you have aaaasssskkkk set. See the qqqquuuuiiiitttt commands in section 7,
CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnnddddssss, and the aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssssddddeeeelllleeeetttteeee, aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyysssskkkkeeeeeeeepppp, and aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssss----
ssssttttoooorrrreeee variables above for more details. The default
for aaaasssskkkk is ON.
askcc+ Set OFF to allow sending mail without being presented
the "Copies to:" prompt for each message. This still
allows you to explicitly include addresses in the "Cc:"
list via either the header editor or "~c" in the buil-
tin editor (see section 8, UUUUssssiiiinnnngggg EEEEllllmmmm wwwwiiiitttthhhh """"eeeeddddiiiittttoooorrrr ====
nnnnoooonnnneeee""""). The default is ON.
autocopy+ Set ON for Elm to automatically copy the text of each
message replied to into the edit buffer. Otherwise you
will be prompted as to whether you want the message in-
cluded in your reply. See the pppprrrreeeeffffiiiixxxx variable under
SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2 for how copied text is
marked. The default for aaaauuuuttttooooccccooooppppyyyy is OFF.
confirmappend
Set ON to make Elm ask for permission to append mes-
sages to the end of any file that already exists.
Whether the file is a mail folder in the user's mail
directory or an ordinary file makes no difference. The
default is OFF.
confirmcreate
Set ON to make Elm ask for permission before it creates
a new file to store messages in. It makes no differ-
ence whether the new file would be a mail folder in the
user's mail directory or an ordinary file. The default
is OFF.
October 1, 1992 Page 13
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
confirmfiles
This allows you to have some last resort control over
Elm when a message would be appended (by copy, save, or
auto-cc) to an existing file which is not a folder in
your mail directory (see the mmmmaaaaiiiillllddddiiiirrrr variable under
SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2). Set ON to make Elm ask
for permission to append a message to the end of an or-
dinary file, otherwise it silently adds the message to
the end of the specified file whether it is a folder or
not. The default is OFF.
confirmfolders
Set ON to make Elm ask before creating new mail folders
in your mail directory (see the mmmmaaaaiiiillllddddiiiirrrr variable under
SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2), otherwise it silently
creates new mail folders whenever a copy of a message
is going to be stored in a folder that does not already
exist. See the ccccooooppppyyyy, ssssaaaavvvveeeennnnaaaammmmeeee, and ffffoooorrrrcccceeeennnnaaaammmmeeee variables
below for additional information about copying mes-
sages. The default for ccccoooonnnnffffiiiirrrrmmmmffffoooollllddddeeeerrrrssss is OFF.
copy+ Set ON to have silent copies made of all outgoing mail.
Where the copy of the message is saved is determined by
the mmmmaaaaiiiillllddddiiiirrrr and sssseeeennnnttttmmmmaaaaiiiillll string variables and the
ssssaaaavvvveeeennnnaaaammmmeeee and ffffoooorrrrcccceeeennnnaaaammmmeeee boolean variables. Whether a
copy is saved and to which folder can also be set prior
to sending a message - see the ccccooooppppyyyy command of the mail
command sub-menu in section 7, CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnnddddssss, for details.
The default for ccccooooppppyyyy is OFF.
forcename Set ON to force creation of folders for copies of out-
bound mail by the recipient name. For complete details
of how to enable automatic copying of outbound mes-
sages, see the ccccooooppppyyyy and ssssaaaavvvveeeennnnaaaammmmeeee boolean variables.
The default is OFF.
forms Set ON to enable the generation of "forms" type mes-
sages. See the _E_l_m _F_o_r_m_s _M_o_d_e _G_u_i_d_e for further infor-
mation about mail forms.
keepempty The mail system has a habit of deleting folders when
you've removed everything from them. Set ON to
preserve empty folders as zero-length files. Note that
this option does not apply to your incoming mailbox.
The default is OFF.
keypad Set ON to indicate that you have an HP terminal and
want the <_N_E_X_T>, <_P_R_E_V>, <_H_O_M_E> and <_S_H_I_F_T-_H_O_M_E> keys
October 1, 1992 Page 14
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
enabled. The default is OFF.
menu* Set OFF to inhibit the menu display on all screen
displays within Elm. Note that this is overridden by
the "-m" command line option (see section 3, CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnndddd
LLLLiiiinnnneeee OOOOppppttttiiiioooonnnnssss). The default is ON.
metoo Set ON to get a copy of mail you send to a mailing list
you are on, otherwise you do not get a copy of such
messages. The default is OFF.
movepage Set ON to enable commands that move through the folder
by pages (see the '+', '-', <_r_i_g_h_t>, and <_l_e_f_t> keys in
section 7, CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnnddddssss) to move the current message
pointer to the top of that page of messages. Set OFF
to not alter the current message pointer location when
moving through pages. The default is OFF.
names* Set OFF to display the primary recipients' addresses on
your screen with their full names when you send a mes-
sage. Set ON to display only the full names. The de-
fault is ON.
noheader Set ON to not include the headers of messages when
copying a message into the edit buffer for replying or
forwarding (see the aaaauuuuttttooooccccooooppppyyyy variable above). The de-
fault is ON.
pointnew Set ON to cause the current message pointer to point to
the first new message in your incoming mailbox when
started, instead of at message #1 of the index. This
has no effect for other folders since they are not ex-
pected to have "new" mail. The default is ON.
promptafter+
Set ON to display a command prompt rather than the in-
dex screen when exiting from an external pager. This
variable has no effect on the builtin pager. See the
ppppaaaaggggeeeerrrr variable under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2 to
specify which pager to use to read messages.
If your external pager immediately exits when it
reaches the end of the message, you should set pppprrrroooommmmpppp----
ttttaaaafffftttteeeerrrr ON so that the last screen of the displayed mes-
sage is not immediately replaced by the index screen.
If your external pager doesn't exit until you command
it to, you have a choice. If you usually want to see
October 1, 1992 Page 15
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
the index screen before issuing a command, setting this
variable OFF eliminates the extra keystroke needed to
return to the index screen. If you usually don't need
to see the index screen before issuing the next com-
mand, setting it ON allows you to enter your next com-
mand without waiting for the index screen to be
redrawn. The default is ON.
resolve Set ON to move the current message pointer to the next
message on the index when a mail message is "dealt
with" through deleting, undeleting, saving, forwarding,
etc. or set OFF to leave the current message pointer
unchanged. The default is ON.
savename One of the problems with electronic mail systems is
that one tends to get very large, one-dimensional
(flat) files that contain lots of completely unrelated
mail. Elm can use a more intelligent algorithm: for
incoming mail, when you ssssaaaavvvveeee or ccccooooppppyyyy it (see section 7,
CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnnddddssss), the default folder is the login name of the
person who sent you the message (changed by pressing
anything other than <_r_e_t_u_r_n> of course). Similarly,
when sending mail, instead of just blindly saving it to
the sssseeeennnnttttmmmmaaaaiiiillll folder, Elm can save it to a folder that
is the login name of the recipient of the mail. Set
ssssaaaavvvveeeennnnaaaammmmeeee ON to enable this algorithm.
If ffffoooorrrrcccceeeennnnaaaammmmeeee is OFF (see above), the copy is saved to
that folder only if the folder already exists. In
practice, this means that important people that you
communicate with (those that you tend to save mail
from) have folders that are actually _a _r_e_c_o_r_d_e_d _l_o_g _o_f
_t_h_e _d_i_s_c_u_s_s_i_o_n _i_n _b_o_t_h _d_i_r_e_c_t_i_o_n_s and others (random
mailings) are all stuffed in the sssseeeennnnttttmmmmaaaaiiiillll folder for
easy perusal and removal (see the sssseeeennnnttttmmmmaaaaiiiillll variable
under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2). If you always
want to save copies of outgoing messages in separate
folders by recipient login name, you'll want to set
ffffoooorrrrcccceeeennnnaaaammmmeeee ON.
The default for ssssaaaavvvveeeennnnaaaammmmeeee is ON.
sigdashes+
Set ON to tell Elm that you wish to follow the conven-
tion of prefixing your signature with "_n_e_w_l_i_n_e _d_a_s_h
_d_a_s_h _b_l_a_n_k _n_e_w_l_i_n_e". This is placed in your message
before your signature file (see the ssssiiiiggggnnnnaaaattttuuuurrrreeee,
__________
2. When sending to a group, it's saved to the login
name of the first person in the list only.
October 1, 1992 Page 16
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
llllooooccccaaaallllssssiiiiggggnnnnaaaattttuuuurrrreeee, and rrrreeeemmmmooootttteeeessssiiiiggggnnnnaaaattttuuuurrrreeee variables under
SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2). If OFF, the signature
file, if any, is placed at the end of the message
without any prefix. The default is ON.
softkeys Set ON to tell Elm that you have an HP terminal with
the HP 2622 function key protocol and that you'd like
to have the function keys available while in the pro-
gram. The default is OFF.
titles Set ON to have the first line of a message titled with:
Message _N_/_M from _u_s_e_r_n_a_m_e _d_a_t_e at _t_i_m_e
where all the information is extracted from the mes-
sage. This is especially useful if you weed out all
the headers of each message with a large wwwweeeeeeeeddddoooouuuutttt list
(see the wwwweeeeeeeeddddoooouuuutttt variable under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in
section 2). The default is ON.
usetite Set ON to enable use of the _t_e_r_m_c_a_p/_t_e_r_m_i_n_f_o ttttiiii////tttteeee
capabilities. Many terminal emulators require it (not
the least of which is the OpenLook _c_m_d_t_o_o_l). Some ter-
minal emulators clear the screen on tttteeee (some _x_t_e_r_ms).
Set OFF to disable use of ttttiiii////tttteeee. Note that this is
overridden by the "-t" command line option (see section
3, CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnndddd LLLLiiiinnnneeee OOOOppppttttiiiioooonnnnssss). The default is ON.
weed Set ON to have Elm "weed out" certain headers from
displayed messages, that is, not display them. The
wwwweeeeeeeeddddoooouuuutttt variable under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2
allows you to custom define the set of headers you
would like to not have displayed while reading mes-
sages. The default for the wwwweeeeeeeedddd variable is ON.
For a better idea of how this all works, here's a sample
._e_l_m/_e_l_m_r_c file. While looking through it, notice that you can
have lots of comments and blank lines for readability and that
you can also use "shell variables" and the '~' (tilde) metachar-
acter for your home directory, and they are expanded accordingly
when read in by the mailer. Note that this was automatically
saved by the Elm program on the fly from the options screen.
#
# .elm/elmrc - options file for the ELM mail system
#
# Saved automatically by ELM 2.4 for Elm Development Group
#
October 1, 1992 Page 17
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
# For yes/no settings with ?, ON means yes, OFF means no
# where to save calendar entries
calendar = ~/.Agenda
# what editor to use ("none" means simulate Berkeley Mail)
# '%s' can be used as the temporary filename for the outgoing message
editor = none
# the character to use in the builtin editor for entering commands
escape = ~
# the full user name for outbound mail
fullname = Elm Development Group
# where to save received messages to, default file is "=received"
receivedmail = $HOME/Mail/received
# where to save my mail to, default directory is "Mail"
maildir = /users/elmdev/Mail
#directory to hold my temporary files to avoid NFS cross mount problems
tmpdir = /users/elmdev/Mail/tmp
# program to use for displaying messages ('builtin' is recommended)
pager = builtin
# prefix sequence for indenting included message text in outgoing messages...
prefix = >_
# how to print a message ('%s' is the filename)
print = lpr -Plw2 %s
# attribution string for replies ('%s' is the author of original message)
attribution = According to %s:
# where to save copies of outgoing mail to, default file is "=sent"
sentmail = /users/elmdev/Mail/mail.sent
# the shell to use for shell escapes
shell = /bin/csh
# local ".signature" file to append to appropriate messages...
localsignature = localsig
# remote ".signature" file to append to appropriate messages...
remotesignature = remotesig
# do we want dashes above signatures? (News 2.11 compatibility and convention)
sigdashes = ON
# how to sort folders, "Reverse Sent" by default
sortby = Reverse-Received
October 1, 1992 Page 18
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
# should the default be to delete messages we've marked for deletion?
alwaysdelete = ON
# should the default be to store read messages to the "received" folder?
alwaysstore = ON
# should the default be to keep unread messages in the incoming mailbox?
alwayskeep = ON
# should we use the "->" rather than the inverse video bar?
arrow = OFF
# should the message disposition questions be displayed (ON) or
# auto-answered (OFF) with the default answers when we resync or change folders?
ask = ON
# would you like to be asked for Carbon-Copies information each msg?
askcc = ON
# automatically copy message being replied to into buffer?
autocopy = OFF
# threshold for bouncing copies of remote uucp messages...
# zero = disable function.
bounceback = 0
# save a copy of all outbound messages?
copy = ON
# do we want to be able to mail out AT&T Mail Forms?
forms = OFF
# should we keep folders from which all messages are deleted?
keepempty = OFF
# we're running on an HP terminal and want HOME, PREV, NEXT, etc...
keypad = OFF
# should we display the three-line 'mini' menu?
menu = ON
# would you like a copy of a message you send to an alias you are on?
metoo = OFF
# when using the page commands (+ - <NEXT> <PREV>) change the current
# message pointer...?
movepage = ON
# just show the names when expanding aliases?
names = ON
# when messages are copied into the outbound buffer, don't include headers?
noheader = ON
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Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
# start up by pointing to the first new message received, if possible?
pointnew = ON
# prompt for a command after the external pager exits?
promptafter = ON
# emulate the mailx message increment mode (only increment after something
# has been 'done' to a message, either saved or deleted, as opposed to
# simply each time something is touched)?
resolve = ON
# save messages, incoming and outbound, by login name of sender/recipient?
savename = ON
# save outbound messages by login name of sender/recipient even if the
# associated folder doesn't already exist?
forcename = OFF
# are we running on an HP terminal and want HOME, PREV, NEXT, etc...?
# (this implies "keypad=ON" too)
softkeys = OFF
# set the main prompt timeout for resynching...
timeout = 60
# display message title when displaying pages of message?
titles = ON
# are we good at it? 0=beginner, 1=intermediate, 2+ = expert!
The mailer provides a facility for including customized header
lines in the messages you send. If you have an ._e_l_m/_e_l_m_h_e_a_d_e_r_s
file, the mailer will include its contents immediately after the
regular headers of all outbound mail. The mailer supports use
of the backquote convention in this file to run commands and sub-
stitute the commands' output for the backquoted text. Here's a
typical ._e_l_m/_e_l_m_h_e_a_d_e_r_s file:
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
Phone: (415)-555-1234
October 1, 1992 Page 25
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
Operating-System: `uname -srv`
These lines will be inserted after all other header lines in the
message.
7777.... CCCCoooommmmmmmmaaaannnnddddssss
This section discusses each command in the Elm program in more
detail than above, including the prompts the user can expect upon
executing the command, the meaning of different options, etc.
? Help. This command used once puts you in the _h_e_l_p mode,
where any key you press results in a one-line descrip-
tion of the key. Pressing '?' again at this point pro-
duces a summary listing each command available. Press-
ing '.' (period) leaves the help mode and returns you to
the command level.
<space>
Display the current message. <space> is useful for
reading through a mail folder. When issued from the in-
dex screen, it displays the first screen of the current
message. When issued while in the builtin pager, it
pages through the message to the end. When issued at
the end of a message (with either the builtin pager or
an external pager), it displays the first screen of the
next message not marked for deletion.
<return>
Display the current message. <return> behaves somewhat
differently from <space>. When issued while in the
builtin pager, it scrolls the current message forward
one line, and then when issued at the end of a message
(with either the builtin pager or an external pager), it
redisplays the first screen of the the _c_u_r_r_e_n_t message.
The latter is useful in case you have issued a non-pager
command while in the builtin pager and want to restart
the display of the current message.
! Shell. This allows you to send a command to the shell
without leaving the program. Note that it is possible
that the person who installed Elm on your system dis-
abled this feature.
| Pipe. This command allows you to pipe the current mes-
sage or the set of _t_a_g_g_e_d messages through other filters
as you desire. The shell used for the entire command is
October 1, 1992 Page 26
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
either the one specified in your ._e_l_m/_e_l_m_r_c file, or the
default shell (see the sssshhhheeeellllllll variable under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiii----
aaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2).
/ Pattern match. This command, at the command level, al-
lows the user to search through all the _f_r_o_m and _s_u_b_j_e_c_t
lines of the current folder starting at the current mes-
sage and continuing through the end. If the first char-
acter of the pattern is a '/', then Elm tries to match
the specified pattern against _a_n_y line in the folder.
Again, this works from the current message through the
end. Both searches are case insensitive.
- or <left>
Display the previous page of the message index.
+ or <right>
Display the next page of the message index.
<number><return>
Specify new current message. When you type in any di-
git, Elm prompts "Set current to : _n", where _n is the
digit entered. Continue entering the full number and
terminate with <return>. Note that changing the current
message to a message not on the current page of headers
results in a new page being displayed.
< Scan message for calendar entries. A rather novel
feature of the Elm mailer is the ability to automatical-
ly incorporate calendar/agenda information from a mail
message into the user's calendar file. This is done
quite simply; any line that has the pattern
-> _c_a_l_e_n_d_a_r _e_n_t_r_y
is automatically added to the user's ccccaaaalllleeeennnnddddaaaarrrr file when
the '<' command is used (see the ccccaaaalllleeeennnnddddaaaarrrr variable under
SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2).
For example, let's say we had a message with the text:
Regardless of that meeting, here's the seminar
stuff:
-> 8/03 3:00pm: AI Seminar with Ira Goldstein of HP
Labs
then using the '<' command would add the line:
8/03 3:00pm: AI Seminar with Ira Goldstein of HP
October 1, 1992 Page 27
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
Labs
to the user's ccccaaaalllleeeennnnddddaaaarrrr file.
a Alias. The alias system is a way by which more complex
mail addresses can be shortened for the mail user. For
example:
joe, bleu = Joe Bleu = joe@hpfcla.SSO.HP.COM
which allows mail to "joe" or "bleu" with the system ex-
panding the address properly. Obviously, this saves
having to remember complex addresses. A more detailed
discussion can be found in either the section entitled
_T_h_e _A_l_i_a_s _S_y_s_t_e_m in this document or _T_h_e _E_l_m _A_l_i_a_s _S_y_s_-
_t_e_m _U_s_e_r_s _G_u_i_d_e.
b Bounce mail. This "remails" mail to someone else in
such a way as to make the return address the original
sender rather than you. The ffffoooorrrrwwwwaaaarrrrdddd command is similar,
but it makes the return address _y_o_u rather than the ori-
ginal sender.
C Copy to folder. This command copies the current message
or set of tagged messages to a folder. If there is any-
thing in the folder currently the message is appended to
the end, otherwise the folder is created containing only
the newly copied messages. The prompt for this command
is "Copy to folder: ". A response of <return> cancels
the command and returns the user to the command prompt.
The usual filename metacharacters are available, too.
That is, this command expands filenames with '~' (tilde)
to your home directory and '=' to your mmmmaaaaiiiillllddddiiiirrrr directo-
ry, if defined. This command also allows you to use '>'
for your rrrreeeecccceeeeiiiivvvveeeeddddmmmmaaaaiiiillll folder, '<' for your sssseeeennnnttttmmmmaaaaiiiillll
folder, '.' for the last folder you saved or copied a
message to and "@alias" for the default folder for
"alias". If you use a shell wildcard in the file or
folder name, you are given a list of all files or fold-
ers which match the wildcard. Elm uses your shell to
find the names, so whatever wildcards you are used to
will work. Finally, you can also enter '?' at the
prompt to get detailed help.
c Change folder. Specifying this command allows the user
to change the folder that is currently being read. This
is intended for perusal and reply to previously archived
messages. The prompt is "Name of new folder: " and
entering <return> cancels the operation, while entering
a filename causes the program to read that file as the
October 1, 1992 Page 28
Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
new folder, if possible. This command expands filenames
with '~' (tilde) to your home directory and '=' to your
mmmmaaaaiiiillllddddiiiirrrr directory, if defined. This command also allows
you to use '!' as an abbreviation for you incoming mail-
box, '>' for your rrrreeeecccceeeeiiiivvvveeeeddddmmmmaaaaiiiillll folder, '<' for your
sssseeeennnnttttmmmmaaaaiiiillll folder, '.' for the last folder you saved or
copied a message to and "@alias" for the default folder
for "alias". If you use a shell wildcard in the file or
folder name, you are given a list of all files or fold-
ers which match the wildcard. Elm uses your shell to
find the names, so whatever wildcards you are used to
will work. Finally, you can also enter '?' at the
prompt to get detailed help.
d, u Delete and undelete. Neither of these two commands have
any prompts and indicate their action by either adding a
'D' to the current message index entry (indicating dele-
tion pending) or removing the 'D' (indicating that the
message isn't set for deletion).
<control>-D
This command allows you to easily mark for deletion all
messages that have a specific pattern. After
<<<<ccccoooonnnnttttrrrroooollll>>>>----DDDD is pressed, Elm prompts for the string to
match in either the _f_r_o_m or _s_u_b_j_e_c_t lines of the mes-
sages.
<control>-U
This is the direct opposite command to the <<<<ccccoooonnnnttttrrrroooollll>>>>----DDDD
command - all messages that match the specified pattern
have any mark for deletion removed by this command.
e Edit mailbox. This allows you to modify the current
mail file at a single keystroke. This is mostly useful
for editing messages before saving them. Modifying
headers should be done with extreme caution, as they
contain routing information and other vital stuff for
full functionality. This command may be disabled by
whoever configured your Elm installation.
f Forward. Allows the user to forward the current message
to another user. This copies the message into the edit
buffer and allows the user to add their own message too.
The prompt is "Forward to:" and will expand an alias if
entered. See also bbbboooouuuunnnncccceeee, above.
Elm will ask you if you want to edit the message before
sending it. If you answer _y_e_s, Elm will prepend your
prefix string to each line of the message, and let you
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Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
edit the result. If you do not want the prefix string
on each line, answer _n_o; you will have another chance to
edit the message when you get to the "send" menu. See
the pppprrrreeeeffffiiiixxxx variable under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2.
g Group reply. Identical to rrrreeeeppppllllyyyy below, except that the
response is mailed to _a_l_l _r_e_c_i_p_i_e_n_t_s of the original
message except yourself. See the aaaalllltttteeeerrrrnnnnaaaattttiiiivvvveeeessss variable
under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2.
h Display the current message with all headers intact.
When you display a message with other commands, certain
header lines are formatted and others discarded accord-
ing to the wwwweeeeeeeeddddlllliiiisssstttt variable, described under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg
VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2.
i Return to the index screen, when issued in the builtin
pager or at the end of a message with either the builtin
pager or an external pager.
j or <down>, k or <up>
These four keys work similarly to what they would do in
_v_i or any of the other (precious few) screen oriented
programs. The jjjj and <<<<ddddoooowwwwnnnn>>>> keys move the current mes-
sage pointer down to the next message skipping over any
marked deleted (going to the next page if necessary) and
the kkkk and <<<<uuuupppp>>>> keys move the current message pointer
back to the previous message skipping over any marked
deleted (also changing pages if necessary).
J, K These two keys work similarly to their lower case coun-
terparts, except that they don't skip over deleted mes-
sages.
l Limit. This feature allows you to specify a subset of
the existing messages to be dealt with. For example,
let's say we had a folder with four hundred messages in
it, with only four or five different subjects. We could
then limit what we're dealing with by using the lllliiiimmmmiiiitttt
command. Pressing llll would result in the prompt:
Criteria:
to which we could answer "subject _s_t_r_i_n_g", "from _s_t_r_i_n_g"
or "to _s_t_r_i_n_g". In our example, we could use "subject
programming" as a criterion for selection. Once we've
limited our selections, the screen is rewritten with
just the selected messages and the top line changes to
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Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
have a message like:
Folder is "=elm" with 92 shown out of 124 [Elm 2.4]
We can further limit selections by using the lllliiiimmmmiiiitttt op-
tion repeatedly to enter further criteria.
To clear all the criteria and get back to the "regular"
display, simply enter "all" as the limiting criteria.
It should be noted that the selection based on "to"
isn't fully implemented for this version, so it is
recommended that users stay with "subject" and "from" as
the basis for their criteria.
m Mail. Send mail to a specified user. The prompt asso-
ciated with this command is "Send mail to: ". Entering
an alias name results in the full address being rewrit-
ten in parenthesis immediately. This prompt is followed
by "Subject: " which allows the user to title their
note. The final prompt is "Copies to: ", which allows
other people specified to receive "carbon copies" of the
message, but see the aaaasssskkkkcccccccc variable under BBBBoooooooolllleeeeaaaannnn VVVVaaaarrrriiii----
aaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2. Upon entering all three items the
editor is invoked and the message can be composed.
n Next message that is not marked for deletion. Useful
for displaying successive messages in a folder. When
issued from the index screen, it displays the current
message, and when issued while in the builtin pager or
at the end of a message (with either the builtin pager
or an external pager), it displays the first screen of
the next message not marked for deletion.
o Options. This full-screen display allows you to alter
the settings of a number of parameters, including the
current sorting method, the method of printing files,
the calendar file, the save file, and so on. It's
self-documenting (where have you heard _t_h_a_t before?) so
isn't explained in too much detail here. See the ccccoooonnnnffffiiii----
ggggooooppppttttiiiioooonnnnssss variable under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2.
p Print. This allows you to print out the current message
or the tagged messages to a previously defined printer.
See the pppprrrriiiinnnntttt variable under SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section
2.
q Quit. If you in the pager, you are returned to the in-
dex screen. If you are at the index screen, Elm quits
altogether. However, if you have the aaaasssskkkk variable set
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Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
ON, Elm first prompts you for the disposition of the
messages in the current folder. If any messages are
marked for deletion, it asks if you want them deleted.
If the current folder is your incoming mailbox, you are
also asked if read messages should be stored in your rrrreeee----
cccceeeeiiiivvvveeeeddddmmmmaaaaiiiillll folder, and if unread messages should be kept
in the incoming mailbox. The default answers to these
questions are set by the ._e_l_m/_e_l_m_r_c variables aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssss----
ddddeeeelllleeeetttteeee, aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssssssssttttoooorrrreeee, and aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyysssskkkkeeeeeeeepppp (see BBBBoooooooolllleeeeaaaannnn VVVVaaaarrrriiii----
aaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2). However, if you elect to not store
your read messages (i.e. keep them) it is presumed you
want to keep your unread messages, too.
Q Quick quit. This behaves similar to the qqqquuuuiiiitttt command
except that you are never prompted for answers to the
message disposition questions. Elm disposes of messages
according to the values you have set for aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssssddddeeeelllleeeetttteeee,
aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyssssssssttttoooorrrreeee, and aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyysssskkkkeeeeeeeepppp in your ._e_l_m/_e_l_m_r_c file (see
BBBBoooooooolllleeeeaaaannnn VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2).
r Reply. Reply to the sender of the current message. If
the aaaauuuuttttooooccccooooppppyyyy variable is set to OFF in your ._e_l_m/_e_l_m_r_c
file, Elm prompts "Copy message? (y/n)", to which you
can specify whether or not a copy of the source message
is to be copied into the edit buffer. If copied in, all
lines from the message are prepended with the pppprrrreeeeffffiiiixxxx
character sequence specified in your ._e_l_m/_e_l_m_r_c file
(see SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2).
s Save to folder. This command is like the ccccooooppppyyyy command,
except that the saved messages are marked for deletion
and, if you are saving just the current message, the
current message pointer is incremented afterwards (see
the rrrreeeessssoooollllvvvveeee variable under BBBBoooooooolllleeeeaaaannnn VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section
2). This command expands folder names with '~' (tilde)
to your home directory and '=' to your mmmmaaaaiiiillllddddiiiirrrr directo-
ry, if defined. This command also allows you to use '>'
for your rrrreeeecccceeeeiiiivvvveeeeddddmmmmaaaaiiiillll folder, '<' for your sssseeeennnnttttmmmmaaaaiiiillll
folder (see SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2), '.' (period)
for the last folder you saved or copied a message to and
"@alias" for the default folder for "alias".
t Tag. Tag the current message for a later operation.
__________
4. Currently only ccccooooppppyyyy, ppppiiiippppeeee, pppprrrriiiinnnntttt, and ssssaaaavvvveeee support
this.
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T Tag and move to next undeleted message. This command is
like the `Tag' command but also increments the current
message pointer to the next undeleted message.
<control>-T
Tag all messages containing the specified pattern.
Since _t_a_g_g_i_n_g messages can occur on screens other than
the one being viewed, Elm first checks to see if any
messages are currently _t_a_g_g_e_d and ask you if you'd like
to remove those tags. After that, it will, similar to
the <<<<ccccoooonnnnttttrrrroooollll>>>>----DDDD command, prompt for a pattern to match
and then mark all messages that contain the (case insen-
sitive) pattern in either the _f_r_o_m or _s_u_b_j_e_c_t lines.
x Exit. This leaves Elm and discards any changes to the
mailbox. If changes are pending (such as messages
marked for deletion) you are asked to confirm discarding
the changes. If confirmed, no messages are deleted and
the status of all messages is unchanged. That is, any
messages that were new will remain new instead of being
noted as old, and any messages that were read for the
first time will be again noted as unread.
X Exit immediately. This leaves Elm in the quickest pos-
sible manner without even prompting about discarding the
changes to the mailbox. No messages are deleted and the
status of all messages is unchanged. That is, any mes-
sages that were new will remain new instead of being
noted as old, and any messages that were read for the
first time will be again noted as unread.
When you are about to send a message with the ffffoooorrrrwwwwaaaarrrrdddd, mmmmaaaaiiiillll, or
rrrreeeeppppllllyyyy commands (see above), a small menu of the following options
appears:
c Specify the folder for saving a copy of the message.
This allows you to override the ccccooooppppyyyy, ffffoooorrrrcccceeeennnnaaaammmmeeee and
ssssaaaavvvveeeennnnaaaammmmeeee variables from your ._e_l_m/_e_l_m_r_c file (see BBBBoooooooolllleeee----
aaaannnn VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2). It prompts you for the name
of the folder where a copy of the outgoing message is to
be saved. The default displayed is taken from those
three ._e_l_m/_e_l_m_r_c options and can be changed. This com-
mand also allows you to use '>' for your rrrreeeecccceeeeiiiivvvveeeeddddmmmmaaaaiiiillll
folder and '<' for your sssseeeennnnttttmmmmaaaaiiiillll folder (see SSSSttttrrrriiiinnnngggg
VVVVaaaarrrriiiiaaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2), and '=?' to mean "conditionally
save by name" and '=' to mean "unconditionally save by
name". Since you could next enter the eeeeddddiiiitttt hhhheeeeaaaaddddeeeerrrrssss com-
mand and change the recipients of your message, the name
of the folder under the two "save by name" options is
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Elm Reference Guide Version 2.4
not established until you enter the sssseeeennnndddd command. If
you use a shell wildcard in the file or folder name, you
are given a list of all files or folders which match the
wildcard. Elm uses your shell to find the names, so
whatever wildcards you are used to will work. You can
also enter '?' at the prompt to get help about saving.
e Edit message (or form). Entering this command allows
you to edit the text of your message or form.
f Forget. This gets you out of sending a message you
started. If you are in send-only mode, the message is
saved to the file _C_a_n_c_e_l_e_d._m_a_i_l in your home directory.
Otherwise it can be restored at the next ffffoooorrrrwwwwaaaarrrrdddd, mmmmaaaaiiiillll,
or rrrreeeeppppllllyyyy command during the current session of Elm After
issuing one of those commands you will be prompted with
"Recall last kept message?"
h Edit headers. This puts you into the _h_e_a_d_e_r _e_d_i_t_i_n_g
_m_o_d_e, whereby you can edit any of the various headers of
your message. Like the options screen, it's self-
documenting, so it isn't explained in too much detail
here.
i Run _i_s_p_e_l_l (or some other configured spelling correction
program). The outgoing message is run through an in-
teractive spelling correction program if one is avail-
able. The default spelling program is the GNU _i_s_p_e_l_l
program unless changed by the person who installed Elm
on your system.
m Make form. This converts the message you have edited
into a form. See the ffffoooorrrrmmmmssss variable under BBBBoooooooolllleeeeaaaannnn VVVVaaaarrrriiii----
aaaabbbblllleeeessss in section 2 and _T_h_e _E_l_m _F_o_r_m_s _M_o_d_e _G_u_i_d_e for more
details.
s Send. This sends the message as is without any further
