INFODOC ID: 18540
STATUS: Issued

SYNOPSIS: How do I send MIME encoded messages from the command line?
DETAIL DESCRIPTION:

I want to send MIME encoded email via the command. How do I do that?

There are no command line programs to do this in Solaris.

There is a freeware product called Metamail from Bellcore that can 
do the job from the command line. It can be found at:
	ftp://thumper.bellcore.com:/pub/nsb/

Or you can use the following Bourne shell script.  (This is not a supported 
script from Sun.  It might work or it might not.  Use at your own risk.)

Read through the following script before executing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Begin Script~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#!/bin/sh
#****************************************************************************
#** Sun Microsystems Inc.                                                  **
#** File:        mail_file						   **
#** Type:        Bourne Shell                                              **
#** Purpose:     Command used to send an email, passing the named file as  **
#**		 an OWN V3 Mailtool "Attachment". 			   **
#**                                                                        **
#**              This file takes the following 4 parameters:               **
#**                                                                        **
#**                     1 - TO         	  (ex: joe.jones@sybase.com)       **
#**                     2 - SUBJECT       (ex: "Here's your file")         **
#**                     3 - MESSAGE_FILE  (ex: /tmp/message_file)	   **
#**                     4 - ATTACH_FILE   (ex: /tmp/attach_file)           **
#**                                                                        **
#****************************************************************************


TO=$1
SUBJECT=$2
MESSAGE_FILE=$3
ATTACH_FILE=$4


#---------------------------------------------------------------------
# Function:	build_header_text()
# Description:	Creates a "Text" attachment out of the passed MESSAGE file.
# Returns:	Sets $TotalLines to the total number of lines so far,
#		and cat's the header text into /tmp/$$-x.
#---------------------------------------------------------------------

build_header_text () {

# Get the text message length, etc.
LinesValue=`wc -l $MESSAGE_FILE  | nawk '{ print $1 }'`
LengthValue=`wc -c $MESSAGE_FILE | nawk '{ print $1 }'`
TotalLines=`echo "$LinesValue 5 + p" | dc`
TotalLength=LengthValue

# Copy the correct header information into the output file
echo "----------"                         >> /tmp/$$-x
echo "X-Sun-Data-Type: text"              >> /tmp/$$-x
echo "X-Sun-Data-Description: text"       >> /tmp/$$-x
echo "X-Sun-Data-Name: text"              >> /tmp/$$-x
echo "X-Sun-Content-Lines: "$LinesValue   >> /tmp/$$-x
echo "X-Sun-Content-Length: "$LengthValue >> /tmp/$$-x
echo ""                                   >> /tmp/$$-x
cat $MESSAGE_FILE                         >> /tmp/$$-x
echo "----------"                         >> /tmp/$$-x

} # end build_header_text



#---------------------------------------------------------------------
# Function:	determine_file_type()
# Description:	Figures out whether this is a Postscript, Cshell, 
# 		Bourne shell, or Text file.  
# Returns:	Sets $FileType to a value suitable for using in the 
#		header of an Attachment.
#---------------------------------------------------------------------

determine_file_type () {

# Get the first line of the Attachment file
FirstLine=`cat $ATTACH_FILE | nawk '{ if (NR == 1) print $1, $2; }'`

# Determine the type of file it is
if echo $FirstLine | grep "PS" > /dev/null
then
   FileType="postscript-file"
elif echo $FirstLine | grep "/bin/csh" > /dev/null
then
   FileType="cshell-script"
elif echo $FirstLine | grep "/bin/sh" > /dev/null
then
   FileType="shell-script"
else
   FileType="text"
fi

} # end determine_file_type



#---------------------------------------------------------------------
# Function:	append_file()
# Description:	Appends file to end of work file.
# Returns:	Increments $TotalLines by the number of lines in file.
#		Appends file itself to /tmp/$$-x.
#---------------------------------------------------------------------

append_file () {

determine_file_type

LinesValue=`wc -l $ATTACH_FILE | nawk '{ print $1 }'`
LengthValue=`wc -c $ATTACH_FILE | nawk '{ print $1 }'`
TotalLines=`echo "$TotalLines $LinesValue + p" | dc`

SHORTNAME=`basename $ATTACH_FILE`; export SHORTNAME

echo "X-Sun-Data-Type: $FileType" 		>> /tmp/$$-x
echo "X-Sun-Data-Name: "$SHORTNAME 		>> /tmp/$$-x
echo "X-Sun-Content-Lines: "$LinesValue 	>> /tmp/$$-x
echo "X-Sun-Content-Length: "$LengthValue	>> /tmp/$$-x
echo "" 					>> /tmp/$$-x
cat $ATTACH_FILE 				>> /tmp/$$-x

}



#---------------------------------------------------------------------
# Function:	assemble_enchilada()
# Description:	Builds a file from the subject lines, total
#               length, and concatenated attachments.
# Returns:	Creates /tmp/$$-outbound file.
#---------------------------------------------------------------------

assemble_enchilada () {

echo "To: " $TO 			>  /tmp/$$-outbound
echo "Subject: "$SUBJECT 		>> /tmp/$$-outbound
echo "Content-Type: X-sun-attachment" 	>> /tmp/$$-outbound
echo "X-Lines: "$TotalLines 		>> /tmp/$$-outbound
echo "" 				>> /tmp/$$-outbound
cat /tmp/$$-x 				>> /tmp/$$-outbound

}



#---------------------------------------------------------------------
# Main program execution
#---------------------------------------------------------------------

build_header_text
append_file
assemble_enchilada

cat /tmp/$$-outbound  | /usr/lib/sendmail -t 

rm -f /tmp/$$-*



~~~~~~~~~~End Script~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


INTERNAL SUMMARY:

Sendmail 8.8.8 from SUN has some MIME capable features, but in
general cannot "make" MIME messages to be sent out.

File name as of 2 Mar 99 is -> mm2.7.tar.Z

SUBMITTER: SWATANAB, Mar 16 1999  9:55AM
PRODUCT AREA: Gen. Network
PRODUCT: Mail
SUNOS RELEASE: n/a
HARDWARE: n/a