---
name: "wnewmail"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "elm-me+"
version: "2.4pl25ME+66-1"
release: "Debian 2.2 (Potato)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/newmail"
---

# wnewmail(1)

programs to asynchronously notify of new mail

Part of [newmail(1)](/newmail/1.md).

## NAME

newmail,wnewmail - programs to asynchronously notify of new mail

## SYNOPSIS

**newmail** **\[-d\]** **\[-i *interval*\]** **\[-w\]** *file-spec* {*file-spec*...}\
 **wnewmail** **\[-d\]** **\[-i *interval*\]** **\[-w\]** *file-spec* {*file-spec*...}

## DESCRIPTION

*Newmail* is a program to allow monitoring of mailboxes in an intelligent fashion.  It is based loosely on *[biff(1)](/biff/1.md)* and the version of *newmail* that was distributed with **Elm 1.7**.

The basic operation is that the program will check the list of specified mailboxes each *interval* seconds and will list any new mail that has arrived in any of the mailboxes, indicating the sender name, and the subject of the message.

Each entry displayed can be in a number of different formats depending on the mode of the program, the number of folders being monitored, and the status of the message.  If you're  running it as a *window* (e.g. \`\`-w'' or invoked as *wnewmail*) then the output will be similar to:

```
   sender name - subject of message
   Priority: sender name - subject of message
```

where \<sender name\> is either the name of the person sending it, if available (the ARPA 'From:' line) or some other brief indication of origin.   If you are the sender, \<sender name\> will be replaced by "to \<recipient name\>".  If there is no subject, the message "\<no subject\>" will appear on the screen.

Folders are indicated by having the folder name appear first on the output line, as in:

```
   folder: sender name - subject of message
```

If you're running *newmail* without the windows option, then the output is more suitable for popping up on an otherwise active screen, and will be formatted:

```
   >> New mail from sender name - subject of message
   >> Priority mail from sender name - subject of message
```

Again, with folder names indicated as a prefix.

The flags available are:

- **-d**

  This will turn on the debugging, verbose output mode.  It is not recommended that you use this option unless you're interested in actually debugging the program.

- **-i *interval***

  This will change the frequency that the program checks the folders to the interval specified, in seconds.  The default interval for the program is 60 seconds.  *Note: if you change the interval* *to less than 10 seconds, the program will warn you that it isn't* *recommended.*

- **-w**

  Use of the \`\`-w'' flag will simulate having the program run from within a window (e.g. the more succinct output format, and so on).  Most likely, rather than using this option you should be simply invoking *wnewmail* instead.

*File specs* are made up of two components, the *folder name* and the *prefix string*, the latter of which can always be omitted. The format is *foldername=prefixstring*, and you can specify folders by full name, by simply the name of the user whose mailbox should be  monitored, or by the standard **Elm**  metacharacters to specify your folder  directory (e.g. \`\`+'', \`\`='', or \`\`%'').

Folders that cannot be opened due to permission mismatches will cause the program to immediately abort.  On the other hand, files that do not exist will continue to be checked every *interval* seconds, so some care should be  exercised when invoking the program.

The program will run until you log out or explicitly kill it, and can internally reset  itself if any of the folders shrink in size and  then grow again.

The default folder to monitor is always your incoming mailbox.

## EXAMPLES

Some example invocations:

```
	$ newmail
```

will check your incoming mailbox every 60 seconds.

```
	$ newmail  -i  15  joe  root
```

will monitor the incoming mailboxes for \`\`joe'' and \`\`root'', checking every 15 seconds for new mail.

```
	$ newmail  "mary=Mary"  +postmaster=POBOX
```

will monitor the incoming mailbox for user \`\`mary'', prefixing all messages with the string \`\`Mary'', and the folder in  the users *maildir* directory called \`\`postmaster'',  prefixing all of those messages with \`\`POBOX''.

You can also have more complex monitoring too, for example:

```
	$ newmail  -i  30  $LOGNAME=me  ${LOGNAME}su=myroot   /tmp/mbox
```

will check every 30 seconds for the users mailbox, a mailbox that is the users login-name with \`\`su'' appended (e.g. \`\`joe'' would become \`\`joesu'') and the file /tmp/mbox, prefixing new mail for each with \`\`me'', \`\`myroot'' and \`\`mbox'' respectively.

## AUTHOR

Elm Development Group

## SEE ALSO

notify in [sh(1)](/sh/1.md) or [csh(1)](/csh/1.md)

## BUG REPORTS TO

Syd Weinstein	elm@DSI.COM	(dsinc!elm)

## COPYRIGHTS

Copyright 1988-1992 by The USENET Community Trust\
 Derived from Elm 2.0,  Copyright 1986, 1987 by Dave Taylor