vacation (1)

NAME

       vacation - reply to mail automatically

SYNOPSIS

       vacation [ -I | -i ]
       vacation [ -j ] [ -a alias ] [ -tN ] [ -r ] [ -?  ] username

DESCRIPTION

       vacation  automatically  replies  to  incoming mail.  The reply is con-
       tained 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  `Sub-
       ject:'  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 follow-
       ing  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, con-
       verting  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     Initialize the .vacation.db file and start vacation.

       If the -I 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:

              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.

       -?     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  .vaca-
       tion.msg file for you, using the editor specified by the VISUAL or EDI-
       TOR 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 direc-
       tory.

SEE ALSO

       vi(1), sendmail(8)

AUTHOR

       vacation is Copyright (c) 1983 by Eric P. Allman, University of  Berke-
       ley,    California,   and   Copyright   (c)   1993   by   Harald   Milz
       (hm@seneca.ix.de). Tiny patches 1998 by Mark Seuffert (moak@pirate.de).
       Now maintained by Sean Rima (thecivvie@softhome.net)

3rd Berkeley Distribution         March 2000                       vacation(1)