Running Your .maildelivery File
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NOTE:
for users of the online version of this book:
This section has a lot of examples followed by long explanations.
To avoid jumping between the example and its explanation, it's a good
idea to open a new browser window to show an example.
(Check your browser's menu for a command like
New Web Browser or Open in New Window).
Then, use the original browser to read the explanation while you view
the example in the second browser window.
In most cases, your computer's MTA (see the Section
How UNIX Email Works) has
to be told to read your .maildelivery file.
The list below explains what to do for common transfer agents.
If you aren't sure what MTA is running on your system,
ask your postmaster -- or read your system's online
mhook(1)
manual page; it should have been customized automatically for your
configuration when MH was installed.
-
If your computer uses the sendmail or smail MTAs, make a
file named .forward in your home directory (note the
dot (.)).
Put the line below, including the double quotes
("), in the file:
"| /x/y/lib/mh/slocal -user username"
where /x/y is the start of the path to the
MH library directory where slocal is stored on your computer and
username is your username.
This command sends all your incoming mail through the slocal program.
Your .forward file should be owned and writable only by you.
(Use the command chmod 644 or chmod 600.)
-
If your system runs MMDF II, or (this is unusual!) uses the MH transfer
agent, your .maildelivery file will be run automatically.
Think about creating .maildelivery with a different name, then
renaming it to .maildelivery after you've finished editing it.
-
On systems with MMDF, use these two steps:
-
If you don't have a bin directory in your search path, add it.
(The Section
Setup Before You Make First New Version
explains how.)
-
Use the UNIX ln command to make a link named rcvmail to the
system slocal command.
For example:
% ln /x/y/lib/slocal rcvmail
If slocal and your bin directory are on different
filsystems, a standard hard link won't work.
You'll need to make a symbolic link (the ln -s option).
Your .maildelivery file, and the .forward file or link
explained above, have to be in your home directory on the computer where
your system mailbox file is written.
If your own computer gets its mail from another host with
POP
or by a networked filesystem, check to be sure your
setup is on the right computer.
If you don't have access to that machine, you can still
automate your mail processing with scripts.
See the Sections
Explanation of autoinc
and Processing with at or cron or by Hand.
Here's one more note.
At least some MH systems won't run your .maildelivery file
unless the mode is 644 -- other users can't edit the file.
Even if that isn't required, it's a good idea.
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