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Last update: 1997-05-20
9945-2-103
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Topic: mailx escaped commands when stdin is not a terminal
Relevant Sections: 4.40.7
Defect Report:
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Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 16:22:19 -0800
From: [email protected] (ken dawson [contractor])
Dear Standards Board,
I would like to request a formal interpretation on the following
issue concerning the mailx utility in POSIX.2.
In section 4.40.7, the Extended Description of the mailx command, (P342,
L6312-6321), it says:
... When mailx is invoked using the Send Mode synopsis, and standard
input is a terminal, if no subject is specified on the command line
and the asksub variable is set, a prompt for the subject shall be
written. At this point mailx is in input mode. This input mode is
also entered when using one of the Receive Mode synopsis forms and a
reply or new message is composed using reply, Reply, or mail
commands. When the message is typed and the end of the message is
encountered, the message shall be passed to the mail delivery
software. Commands can be entered by beginning a line with the
escape character [by default, tilde (~)] followed by a single command
letter and optional arguments. ...
Does the definition of "input mode", then, necessarily require that stdin
is a terminal? This seems unclear when Receive Mode is involved. That
is to say, does
echo "reply 1\naaaa\n~w repl" | mailx -n -f mbox
produce a mail message sent to the all recipients of the first message in
mbox which contains the message
aaaa
~w repl
or does it mail a message containing
aaaa
and create a copy of this message in the file repl?
To match historic practice of the System V mailx, on which the standard
is based, the sentence on P342, L6315-6317, should be changed to:
This input mode is also entered when using one of the Receive Mode
synopsis forms and a reply or new message is composed using the
reply, Reply, or mail commands, and stdin is a terminal.
Also, a sentence needs to be added after the end of the paragraph ending
on (P342, L6321) which states:
It is unspecified what effect these commands will have if stdin is
not a terminal when a message is entered using either the Send Mode
synopsis, or the Read Mode commands reply, Reply or mail.
I believe that this change to historic practice was not intended. The
rationale for mailx seems to carefully point out the cases where the
standard differs from historic practice, but does not mention this issue.
Interpretation response
------------------------
The standard clearly states the behavior of "input mode" and stdin, and
conforming implementations must conform to this. However, concerns
have been raised about this which are being referred to the sponsor.
Rationale:
None
Forwarded to Interpretations group: Apr 5 1995
Proposed resolution circulated: May 16th
Comments due: June 15th
Finalised: June 16th 1995