---
name: "melon"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "melon"
version: "1.6-4"
release: "Debian 3.1 (Sarge)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/melon"
---

# melon(1)

configurable email notifier, xbiff replacement

## NAME

melon - configurable email notifier, xbiff replacement

## SYNOPSIS

**melon** \[*command*\] \[*options*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**Melon** is a simple utility that notifies user for newly received emails, through a nice couple of configurable icons. In short, it is an **xbiff** replacement.

When a mailbox has received new emails, the icon changes and an acoustic warning is played.  It supports multiple mailboxes handling, acoustic warnings or execution of external application on request. Since **Melon**'s check is based on the change time of a file, you can monitor every kind of files with it, not just mailboxes.

**Melon** is also able to check normal mailboxes. Then, the status flag of each message is check.

## COMMANDS

The following commands are supported.

- **open**

  **Melon** executes the program defined as mailer command in the **Melon** configuration

- **reset**

  Currently running process rereads configuration file and all mailboxes are reset to inactive.

- **stop**

  Stops **Melon**.

## OPTIONS

The following command line options are supported.

- \-v

  Shows version and paths.

- \-h

  Prints a short help.

- \-p

  Normally, melon saves its pid on the file  *~/.melon/melon.pid* at start time. In this way, you are able to perform some action    using a preexistent melon instance (see "Control Commands" for  more information). The  **-p** switch allows multiple instances of   melon to be executed simultaneously, loosing however the use of control commands.

- \-g, -geometry

  Give the coordinates of the melon icon in the standard X way:

-

  melon -g -0-0

-

  to get **Melon** at the bottom right corner of the screen or

-

  melon -g -0+0

-

  to get it at the top right corner of the screen.

## FILES

*~/.melon/melon.pid*

Contains the process ID of the currently running **Melon**.

*~/.melon/melon.cfg*

Configuration file of **Melon**.

*/usr/share/melon/au*

Audio root.

*/usr/share/melon/voc*

Audio root.

*/usr/share/melon/pix*

Pixmap root.

## BUGS

Be aware that the current release of **Melon** only supports one running task at the time. The PID of a running task is usually stored in  *.melon/melon.pid* in the users home directory. **Melon** cannot be started if this file exists. If **Melon** is shutdown cleanly, it removes this file. The switch **-p** overrides this behaviour but has the drawback that the commands do no longer work.

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written by Philipp Frauenfelder \<pfrauenf@debian.org\>, for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others) because the original program does not have a manual page.