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vacation - reply to mail automatically
SYNOPSIS
vacation [ -I | -i | -l ] [ -F ]
vacation [ -j ] [ -a alias ] [ -f file ] [ -tN ] [ -r ] [ -? ] username
DESCRIPTION
vacation automatically replies to incoming mail. The reply is contained in the file .vacation.msg in your home
directory. The vacation program run interactively will create and/or edit a .vacation.msg file in your home
directory. The old .vacation.msg will be backed up to .vacation.old file. Type vacation with no arguments. (See
USAGE below.)
For example, the message created by vacation is:
Subject: away from my mail
From: smith (via the vacation program)
I will not be reading my mail for a while. Your
mail regarding "$SUBJECT" will be
read when I return.
The .vacation.msg file should include a header with at least a `Subject:' line (it should not contain a `To:'
line and need not contain a `From:' line, since these are generated automatically).
The fields `From', `From:' and `Reply-To:' are evaluated in the following order: If there is a `Reply-To:', and
the option -r is given, then its entry is accepted. Otherwise, the entry of the `From:' field is taken. Should
this entry lack a complete domain address (e.g. user@site instead of user@site.domain), vacation evaluates the
`From' field, converting the contained UUCP bang path into a domain style address. If this fails too, vacation
gives up.
If the string $SUBJECT appears in the .vacation.msg file, it is replaced with the subject of the original message
when the reply is sent.
No message is sent if the `To:' or the `Cc:' line does not list the user to whom the original message was sent or
one of a number of aliases for them, if the initial From line includes one of the strings -request@, postmaster,
uucp, mailer-daemon, mailer or -relay or if a `Precedence: bulk' or `Precedence: junk' or `Precedence: list' line
is included in the header. The search for special senders is made case-independant.
OPTIONS
-I Or -i initialize the .vacation.db file and start vacation. This should only be used on the command line,
not in the .forward file.
-F Force creation of .vacation.db even if the $HOME directory is identified as a NFS file system.
-l List the content of the vacation database file including the address and the associated time of the last
auto-response to that address. This should only be used on the command line, not in the .forward file.
If the -I, -i or -l flag is not specified, and a user argument is given, vacation reads the first line from the
standard input (for a `From:' line, no colon). If absent, it produces an error message. The following options
may be specified:
-a alias
Indicate that alias is one of the valid aliases for the user running vacation, so that mail addressed to
that alias generates a reply.
-j Do not check whether the recipient appears in the `To:' or the `Cc:' line. Reply always.
-tN Change the interval between repeat replies to the same sender. N is the number of days between replies.
Default is one week.
-r If there is a `Reply-To:' header, send the automatic reply to the address given there. Otherwise, use the
`From:' entry.
-f <file>
use a different message file than the default, .vacation.msg . The path to this file is relative to the
home directory of the user.
-? issue short usage line.
USAGE
The vacation, create a .forward file in your home directory containing a line of the form:
\username, "|/usr/bin/vacation username"
where username is your login name. The original .forward will be backed up to .forward.old file.
Then type in the command:
vacation -I
To stop vacation, remove the .forward file, or move it to a new name.
If vacation is run with no arguments, it will create a new .vacation.msg file for you, using the editor specified
by the VISUAL or EDITOR environment variable, or vi(1) if neither of those environment variables are set. If a
.forward file is not present in your home directory, it creates it for you, and automatically performs a `vaca-
tion -I' function, turning on vacation.
FILES
$HOME/.forward
$HOME/.vacation.msg
A list of senders is kept in the file .vacation.db in your home directory.
RELATED
vi(1), sendmail(8)
CATEGORY