mesches@sunybcs.UUCP (Scott Mesches) (08/04/86)
CHECKMAIL(1) Local UNIX Programmer's Manual CHECKMAIL(1)
NAME
checkmail - check the status of your and others mail
SYNOPSIS
checkmail [ -q ] [ user ... ]
DESCRIPTION
checkmail tells whether you have, mail (old mail), new mail,
no mail, or no mailbox on the machine it is executed on.
By default, checkmail only reports the status of your mail-
box, it returns a status of one if you have new mail and
zero otherwise. If you specify a list of users, it tells
you the state of their mailbox(s).
If you have a .hushlogin file, it defeats mail checking on
login. This program can then be used to re-instate this. It
can also check your mail on login, and if you have new mail
start up a mail job in the background with the following in
your .login file.
checkmail
if ($status != 0) then
mail &
endif
with the -q option, checkmail is quiet, has no output but
still sets the status flag.
BUGS
biff if the user is logged in and they have biff set to y,
the status returned will be that of old mail.
from If the user executes the command "from" it will also
appear as old mail.
SEE ALSO
chtim(1), stat(2), biff(1), from(1)
AUTHOR
Scott Mesches
# This is a shell archive. Remove anything before this line, then
# unpack it by saving it in a file and typing "sh file". (Files
# unpacked will be owned by you and have default permissions.)
#
# This archive contains:
# checkmail.1 checkmail.c
echo x - checkmail.1
sed -e 's/^X//' > "checkmail.1" << '//E*O*F checkmail.1//'
X.TH CHECKMAIL 1 "15 July 1986" "" "Local UNIX Programmer's Manual"
X.SH NAME
Xcheckmail \- check the status of your and others mail
X.SH SYNOPSIS
X.B checkmail
X[
X-q
X] [
Xuser ...
X]
X.SH DESCRIPTION
Xcheckmail tells whether you have, mail (old mail), new mail, no mail,
Xor no mailbox on the machine it is executed on.
X.PP
XBy default,
X.I checkmail
Xonly reports the status of your mailbox, it returns a status of one
Xif you have
X.I "new mail"
Xand zero otherwise.
XIf you specify a list of users, it tells you
Xthe state of their mailbox(s).
X.PP
XIf you have a .hushlogin file, it defeats mail checking on login.
XThis program can then be used to re-instate this. It can also check
Xyour mail on login, and if you have new mail start up a mail job
Xin the background with the following in your
X.I .login
Xfile.
X
X.nf
X checkmail
X if ($status != 0) then
X mail &
X endif
X.fi
X.PP
Xwith the -q option, checkmail is quiet, has no output but still
Xsets the status flag.
X.SH BUGS
X.I biff
Xif the user is logged in and they have biff set to y, the status
Xreturned will be that of old mail.
X.PP
X.I from
XIf the user executes the command "from" it will also appear as old mail.
X.SH "SEE ALSO"
Xchtim(1), stat(2), biff(1), from(1)
X.SH AUTHOR
XScott Mesches
//E*O*F checkmail.1//
echo x - checkmail.c
sed -e 's/^X//' > "checkmail.c" << '//E*O*F checkmail.c//'
X#ifndef lint
Xstatic char *sccsid = "@(#)checkmail.c 1.4 (Scott Mesches) 7/18/86";
X#endif
X
X/*
X * checkmail -- Mail checker for me and other folks.
X * Returns a status of one for new mail, zero otherwise.
X * -q option supresses output and only affects status.
X * Usage: checkmail [ -q ] [ name... ]
X */
X
X#include <stdio.h>
X#include <pwd.h>
X#include <sys/types.h>
X#include <sys/stat.h>
X
X#define MAILDIR "/usr/spool/mail"
X#define TRUE 1
X#define FALSE 0
X
Xmain (argc, argv)
Xint argc;
Xchar *argv[];
X{
X int i, qflag = FALSE;
X struct passwd *getpwuid (), *pwd;
X
X if (argc == 1) {
X if ((pwd = getpwuid (getuid ())) == NULL) {
X perror (*argv);
X exit (1);
X }
X printf ("You have ");
X exit (status (pwd -> pw_name,qflag));
X }
X else {
X if (*argv[1] == '-') {
X if (!strcmp("-q",argv[1])) {
X qflag = TRUE;
X if ((pwd = getpwuid (getuid ())) == NULL) {
X perror (*argv);
X exit (1);
X }
X (void)status (pwd -> pw_name,qflag);
X }
X else
X fprintf(stderr,"Usage: %s [ -q ] [ user ... ]\n", argv[0]);
X }
X else
X for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
X printf ("%s has ", argv[i]);
X (void)status (argv[i],qflag);
X }
X }
X}
X
Xstatus (name,flag)
Xchar *name;
Xint flag;
X{
X char path[1024];
X struct stat st;
X
X (void) sprintf (path, "%s/%s", MAILDIR, name);
X if (stat (path, &st)) {
X if (flag == FALSE)
X printf ("no mailbox.\n");
X return (0);
X }
X if (st.st_size == 0) {
X if (flag == FALSE)
X printf ("no mail.\n");
X }
X else
X if (st.st_mtime > st.st_atime) {
X if (flag == FALSE)
X printf ("new mail.\n");
X return (1);
X }
X else
X if (flag == FALSE)
X printf ("mail.\n");
X return(0);
X}
//E*O*F checkmail.c//
exit 0tim@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Maroney) (08/15/86)
It's been a while since I mentioned this trick I worked up a cuple of years
ago, so I thought I'd distribute it again:
The problem is that most of us have mailboxes which have back mail in them,
so the login message "You have mail." tells us nothing. Scanning the
mailbox takes too long on login. What we really want to know is whether
mail arrived while we were logged out.
A few commands in the .login and .logout scripts suffices to do this easily,
quickly, and efficiently. (This version is for csh; I'm sure a similar
approach would work for sh, but I don't feel like researching that silly old
thing...) The approach is that at logout you touch an empty file in your
home directory, and at login compare the date of the file to the date of
your mailbox. If the date on the mailbox is newer, then new mail has
arrived, and the login script so informs you.
Here is the line in the .logout file, where the name of the empty file is
".m" in the home directory:
touch ~/.m
And here are the commands in the .login file:
set m=`ls -t $mail .m`
if ($m[1] == /usr/spool/mail/tim) then
echo Read your mail, why don\'t you\?
endif
To start up the system, you will have to create the .m file in your home
directory; the easiest way is probably "cat > .m" followed by an end of
file.
--
Tim Maroney, Electronic Village Idiot
{ihnp4,sun,well,ptsfa,lll-crg,frog}!hoptoad!tim (uucp)
hoptoad!tim@lll-crg (arpa)
Give me food, or give me slack (or kill me).shop@uwmcsd1.UUCP (Thomas Krueger) (08/15/86)
> To start up the system, you will have to create the .m file in your home > directory; the easiest way is probably "cat > .m" followed by an end of > file. > -- > Tim Maroney, Electronic Village Idiot > {ihnp4,sun,well,ptsfa,lll-crg,frog}!hoptoad!tim (uucp) > hoptoad!tim@lll-crg (arpa) > > Give me food, or give me slack (or kill me). Another coupla ways is to cp /dev/null .m , or on Berkeley systems, touch will create the zero length file to begin with. - Tom -- Thomas Krueger ...ihnp4!uwmcsd1!shop or University of Wisconsin Milwaukee uwmcsd1!shop@rsch.wisc.EDU Computing Services Electronics Shop 3200 N. Cramer St. (414) 963-5172 Milwaukee Wi 53211
msb@dciem.UUCP (Mark Brader) (08/19/86)
> > To start up the system, you will have to create the .m file ... > Another coupla ways is to cp /dev/null .m , or ... Not safely portable. On some versions of UNIX (V7 at least), cp copies the mode as well as the contents, without regard to your umask, so you end up with .m world-writable. Of course, for sh users, >.m is simplest. Mark Brader
cjp@vax135.UUCP (Charles Poirier) (08/19/86)
> ... you will have to create the .m file in your home > directory; the easiest way is probably "cat > .m" followed by an end of > file. > Tim Maroney, Electronic Village Idiot If one isn't using that silly csh, one can simply do "> .m" to create .m. (Aren't I picky today! Btw I just spent 10 min. not finding .logout for ksh.)
nonh@utzoo.UUCP (Chris Robertson) (08/24/86)
In article <1256@uwmcsd1.UUCP> shop@uwmcsd1.UUCP (Thomas Krueger) writes: >> Tim Maroney writes: >> ... the easiest way [to get an empty file] is probably "cat > .m" >> followed by an end of file. > >Another coupla ways is to cp /dev/null .m , or on Berkeley systems, touch >will create the zero length file to begin with. > Try using ": > file" -- the file is guaranteed empty, and it works for any shell I know of. -- Christine Robertson {linus, decvax, ihnp4}!utzoo!{nonh, toram!chris} Cat, n. - lapwarmer with built-in buzzer.
rbj@icst-cmr (Root Boy Jim) (09/02/86)
Bill Silvert suggests using the ".mailrc" file to keep track of the last time you checked for mail programmatically. Neat suggestion. Well...this is not a real good technique since evil things can happen when the user decides to edit their `.mailrc' file. Oops, didn't think of that. Instead, I recommend people using "newmail" or "wnewmail" from the Elm Mail System package, available through your local mod.sources site :-) Ah! You say, How often do people touch their .mailrc file? You'd be suprised...IF I were using a mailer that used a .mailrc file I'd be changing it weekly - since I have a LOT of aliases and am constantly changing them as people move, as new routes turn out to be better, and as I find new people worth keeping track of... True, but if you're playing with your .mailrc you must have just read mail, or are just about to read it. In any case, it doesn't matter. -- Dave Taylor unbiased author of the Elm Mail System (Root Boy) Jim Cottrell <rbj@icst-cmr.arpa> He is the MELBA-BEING...the ANGEL CAKE...XEROX him...XEROX him --