HP-UX Mailing Services Administrator's Guide (B2355-91064)

CAUTION: Do not use two separate mail programs simultaneously to access the same
mail file. This may cause unpredictable results.
The elm Utility
The elm utility is based on the public domain elm program. An electronic mail for
UNIX, elm is a Mail User Agent (MUA) system designed to run with Sendmail or with
any other UNIX MTA configured on your system.
The elm program is a screen-oriented mail processing system that includes the following
features:
• An industry-wide MIME standard for nontext mails
• A special forms message and form reply mechanism
• An easy-to-use alias system for individuals and groups
elm operates in three principal modes:
• Interactive mode – Executes as an interactive mail interface program.
• Message mode – Sends a single interactive message to a list of mail addresses –
from the command prompt.
• File mode – Sends a file or command output to a list of mail addresses from the
command line or by using redirection.
When elm operates in any of these modes, elm honors the values set in the
$HOME/.elm/elmrc initialization file, elm alias database, and the system elm alias
database.
How elm Works
elm’s screen-oriented mail processing interface displays all the options necessary to
send and compose messages on the screen. You can select the most appropriate option
based on your requirement.
When invoked, elm first displays the main or message menu. elm reads customized
variables from the $HOME/.elm/elmrc file to initialize the parameters. The main
menu displays index entries for the messages in your inbox or selected mail folder.
Among other options, you can read, print, reply to, and forward these messages, as
well as initiate new mail messages to other users. Some commands use a series of
prompts to complete their action. You can use the Ctrl-D keys to cancel their operations.
For a detailed description of all the commands used to edit and send mail messages,
type man 1M elm at the HP-UX prompt.
The elm Configuration File
The elm configuration file, $HOME/.elm/elmrc, defines the initial values for the elm
configuration variables. You can create the configuration file by choosing the o option
18 Mailing Services Overview