---
name: "sendfiles"
section: "1mh"
platform: "linux"
package: "nmh"
version: "1.8-3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/sendfiles/1mh"
---

# sendfiles(1mh)

send multiple files by MIME message with nmh

## NAME

sendfiles - send multiple files by MIME message with nmh

## SYNOPSIS

**sendfiles** \[**-help**\] \[**-version**\] \[**-compress** *bzip2* \| *compress* \| *gzip* \| *lzma* \| *none*\]\
 \[**-from** *sender*\]\
 **-to** *recipient* **-subject** *subject* \|  *recipient* *subject*\
 *file/directory1* \[*file/directory2* ...\]

## DESCRIPTION

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

**sendfiles** will archive the files and directories you name with the **tar** command, and then mail the compressed archive to the “recipient” with the given “subject”.

The **-to** switch specifies the recipient.  The **-subject** switch specifies the subject.  Alternatively, these two required values can be provided without their corresponding switch names.

The **-from** switch can, and should, be used to specify the sender's mailbox (name and email address).  Alternatively, the **PERSON** environment variable can be used for the same purpose. If neither is used, **sendfiles** will supply a “From:” header field using the sender's local mailbox, see *localmbox* in [*mh-format*(5)](/mh-format/5.md).

The **-compress** command line switch can be used to override the run-time determination of the compression program by **sendfiles**. **-compress** *none* (alternatively, **-none**) disables compression.

### Extracting the Received Files

When the message is received, invoke **mhstore** once for the received message.  The default is for **mhstore** to write the archive to a file where you can subsequently uncompress and untar it.  For instance:

```
$ 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 -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), [*mh-format*(5)](/mh-format/5.md)

*Proposed Standard for Message Encapsulation* (RFC 934)

## DEFAULTS

```
`-delay 0'
`-from localmbox'
```

## CONTEXT

None