VACATION(1)              USER COMMANDS                VACATION(1)

NAME
     vacation - reply to mail automatically

SYNOPSIS
     vacation [ -I ]
     vacation [ -j ] [ -a _a_l_i_a_s ] [ -t_N ] _u_s_e_r_n_a_m_e

DESCRIPTION
     vacation automatically replies to incoming mail.  The  reply
     is  contained  in the file .vacation.msg in your home direc-
     tory. The vacation program run interactively will  create  a
     .vacation.msg  file for you (which you may edit). Type vaca-
     tion 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).

     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 the string -REQUEST@, or if a `Precedence: bulk' or
     `Precedence: junk' line is included in the header.

OPTIONS
     -I   Initialize the .vacation.pag  and  .vacation.dir  files
          and start vacation.

     If the -I flag is not specified,  and  a  _u_s_e_r  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 _a_l_i_a_s
          Indicate that _a_l_i_a_s 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.

Sun Release 4.1   Last change: 25 November 1987                 1

VACATION(1)              USER COMMANDS                VACATION(1)

     -t_N  Change the interval between repeat replies to the  same
          sender.  The default is 1 week.  A trailing s, m, h, d,
          or w scales _N to  seconds,  minutes,  hours,  days,  or
          weeks respectively.

USAGE
     To start vacation, create  a  .forward  file  in  your  home
     directory containing a line of the form:

          \_u_s_e_r_n_a_m_e, "|/usr/ucb/vacation _u_s_e_r_n_a_m_e"

     where _u_s_e_r_n_a_m_e is your login name.

     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 permit you  to
     interactively  turn  vacation  on  or off.  It will create a
     .vacation.msg file for you, or edit an existing  one,  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 present in your home direc-
     tory, it will ask whether you want to remove it and turn off
     vacation.   If  it is not present in your home directory, it
     creates it for you, and automatically performs  a  `vacation
     -I' function, turning on vacation.

FILES
     .forward
     $HOME/.vacation.msg

     A list of senders is kept in  the  files  .vacation.pag  and
     .vacation.dir in your home directory.

SEE ALSO
     vi(1), sendmail(8)

Sun Release 4.1   Last change: 25 November 1987                 2