---
name: "sendfiles"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "nmh"
version: "1.5-release-0.2"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/sendfiles"
---

# sendfiles(1)

send multiple files via a MIME message

## NAME

sendfiles - send multiple files via a MIME message

## SYNOPSIS

**sendfiles** \[**delay**\] *mailpath* *subject* *file1* \[*file2* ...\]

## DESCRIPTION

The shell script **sendfiles**, is used to send a collection of files and directories via electronic mail.

sendfiles mailpath “subject” files ...

**sendfiles** will archive the files and directories you name with the **tar** command, and then mail the compressed archive to the “mailpath” with the given “subject”. The archive will be automatically split up into as many messages as necessary in order to get past most mailers.

Sometimes you want **sendfiles** to pause after posting a partial message.  This is usually the case when you are running **sendmail** and expect to generate a lot of partial messages.  If the first argument given to **sendfiles** starts with a dash, then it is interpreted as the number of seconds to pause in between postings, e.g.,

sendfiles -30 mailpath “subject” files ...

will pause 30 seconds in between each posting.

### Extracting the Received Files

When these messages are received, invoke **mhstore** once for the list of messages.  The default is for **mhstore** to store the combined parts as a new message in the current folder, although this can be changed using storage formatting strings.  You can then use **mhlist** to find out what's inside; possibly followed by **mhstore** again to write the archive to a file where you can subsequently uncompress and untar it.  For instance:

```
% mhlist 5-8
 msg part  type/subtype             size description
   5       message/partial           47K part 1 of 4
   6       message/partial           47K part 2 of 4
   7       message/partial           47K part 3 of 4
   8       message/partial           18K part 4 of 4
% mhstore 5-8
reassembling partials 5,6,7,8 to folder inbox as message 9
% mhlist -verbose 9
 msg part  type/subtype             size description
   9       application/octet-stream 118K
             (extract with uncompress | tar xvpf -)
             type=tar
             conversions=compress
% mhstore 9
% uncompress < 9.tar.Z | tar xvpf -
```

Alternately, by using the **-auto** switch, **mhstore** will automatically do the extraction for you:

```
% mhlist 5-8
 msg part  type/subtype             size description
   5       message/partial           47K part 1 of 4
   6       message/partial           47K part 2 of 4
   7       message/partial           47K part 3 of 4
   8       message/partial           18K part 4 of 4
% mhstore 5-8
reassembling partials 5,6,7,8 to folder inbox as message 9
% mhlist -verbose 9
 msg part  type/subtype             size description
   9       application/octet-stream 118K
             (extract with uncompress | tar xvpf -)
             type=tar
             conversions=compress
% mhstore -auto 9
-- tar listing appears here as files are extracted
```

As the second **tar** listing is generated, the files are extracted. A prudent user will never put **-auto** in the *.mh\_profile* file.  The correct procedure is to first use **mhlist** to find out what will be extracted.  Then **mhstore** can be invoked with **-auto** to perform the extraction.

## FILES

```
^$HOME/.mh_profile~^The user profile
```

## PROFILE COMPONENTS

```
^Path:~^To determine the user's nmh directory
^Current-Folder:~^To find the default current folder
```

## SEE ALSO

[mhbuild(1)](/mhbuild/1.md), [mhlist(1)](/mhlist/1.md), [mhshow(1)](/mhshow/1.md), [mhstore(1)](/mhstore/1.md).  *Proposed Standard for Message Encapsulation* (RFC-934)

## DEFAULTS

```
`-noverbose'
```

## CONTEXT

None