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ELMALIAS(1L)					     ELMALIAS(1L)

NAME
       elmalias - expand and display Elm address aliases

SYNOPSIS
       elmalias [ -adenrsuvV ] [ -f format ] [ name  ... ]

       $lib/prlong [ options ... ] < file

DESCRIPTION
       Elmalias	 allows you to examine information about aliases.
       The alias databases are consulted for  each  name  on  the
       command	line, and the alias value is displayed, one value
       per line of output.  If name is not a known alias, then it
       is  displayed  unchanged.  If no name is given on the com
       mand line then all alias values in the databases are  dis
       played.	 All  of these actions are default behaviors that
       may be modified by command line options.

       There are two possible alias  databases,	 a  user-specific
       alias  file  (usually in $HOME/.elm/aliases) and a system-
       wide alias file (usually	 in  $lib/aliases).   By  default
       both  files are searched, first the user-specific file and
       then the system-wide file.  If  an  alias  file	does  not
       exist  then elmalias silently ignores it and continues on.
       The -s and -u command line options (discussed shortly) can
       restrict what files are files searched.

       There  are  two types of aliases, Person aliases and Group
       aliases.	 A Person alias expands to an individual  address
       and  a  Group  alias contains a list of addresses, some of
       which may be aliases.  By default, elmalias  displays  the
       defined	value  of  an  alias, regardless of type.  The -e
       command line option (discussed shortly) fully expands  out
       Group aliases.

       The default output produced is just the ``Address'' infor
       mation for each name on the command  line.   A  number  of
       command	line  options  (discussed shortly) may be used to
       select different output information or specify a format of
       your choosing.  The following information is maintained in
       the alias databases, and may be accessed by  the	 elmalias
       utility:

	     Alias (the alias name)
	     Last Name
	     Name (the user's full name)
	     Comment (not displayed in mail headers)
	     Address (the alias value)
	     Type (Person, Group, or Unknown)

       When the name specified on the command line is not a known
       alias, both the ``Alias'' and ``Address'' information will
       display as the name, the ``Type'' information will display

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ELMALIAS(1L)					     ELMALIAS(1L)

       as ``Unknown'', and all other items will be blank.

       The available command line options are:

       -a     Selects  an   alternative	  output   format.    The
	      ``Alias''	 information  is displayed in addition to
	      and preceding the usual ``Address'' information.

       -d     Turns debugging on. Has no effect	 unless	 elmalias
	      was compiled with debugging enabled.

       -e     Tells elmalias to fully expand group aliases.  This
	      option can be used only when names are given on the
	      command line.

       -f     The  output  produced will be in the specified for_
	      mat.   Format  specifications  will  be	discussed
	      shortly.

       -n     Selects an alternative output format.  The ``Name''
	      information, if it exists, is displayed in addition
	      to and following the usual ``Address'' information.
	      The ``Name'' will be enclosed in parenthesis.

       -r     If a specified name does not correspond to a  known
	      alias then elmalias will display a message and exit
	      with a nonzero status.

       -s     Normally elmalias examines both  the  user-specific
	      and  system-wide alias files.  This option requests
	      that elmalias use the system-wide alias  file,  and
	      unless  the  -u  option is also specified the user-
	      specific alias file will be ignored.

       -u     Normally elmalias examines both  the  user-specific
	      and  system-wide alias files.  This option requests
	      that elmalias use the user-specific alias file, and
	      unless  the -s option is also specified the system-
	      wide alias file will be ignored.

       -v     Selects  a  verbose  output   format.    Both   the
	      ``Alias'' and the ``Name'' information will be dis
	      played in addition to the ``Address''  information.
	      The   ``Alias''	information   will   precede  the
	      ``Address'' information, and the ``Name''	 informa
	      tion will be enclosed in parenthesis and follow it.
	      If there is no ``Name'' information for this  alias
	      then that portion of the output will be ignored.

       -V     Selects  a  very verbose, multi-line output format.
	      Displays all available information on aliases.

       The output produced by elmalias is fully customizable with

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ELMALIAS(1L)					     ELMALIAS(1L)

       the -f option.  The format string uses a syntax similar to
       date(1) (System V version) and printf(3).   The	following
       field descriptors may be used in format specifications:

	    %a	 Alias (the alias name)
	    %l	 Last Name
	    %n	 Name (the user's full name)
	    %c	 Comment (not displayed in mail headers)
	    %v	 Address (the alias value)
	    %t	 Type (Person, Group, or Unknown)

       Field  widths  in  a  [-][m][.n] format (again, similar to
       printf(3)) may also  be	used.	For  example,  "%-20.20a"
       means  print the ``Alias'' information left justified in a
       field twenty characters long, with the value truncated  to
       twenty characters.

       The  following special character sequences are also recog
       nized in format specifications:

	    \b	 A backspace.
	    \f	 A formfeed.
	    \n	 A newline.
	    \r	 A return.
	    \t	 A tab.
	    \c	 Literal character ``c''.

       There is a very simplistic conditional  evaluation  mecha
       nism  that may be used in format specifications.	 The con
       ditional text should be surrounded by question marks,  and
       a  single  character  that specifies the condition immedi
       ately follows the  first	 question  mark.   The	condition
       characters correspond to the ``%'' field specifier charac
       ters, and the condition is true if the corresponding alias
       information  is defined and nonempty.  For example, if you
       want to display the  ``Name''  information  surrounded  by
       parenthesis,  but omit it if the information is not avail
       able, you may use ``?n(%n)?'' in the format specification.

       The  command line switches that select an alternative for
       mat correspond to the following format specifiers.

	    default   "%v"
	    -a	 "%-20.20a %v"
	    -n	 "%v?n (%n)?"
	    -v	 "%-20.20a %v?n (%n)?"
	    -V	 "Alias:\t\t%a\n\
		   Address:\t%v\n\
		   Type:\t\t%t\n\
		 ?n  Name:\t\t%n\n?\
		 ?l  Last Name:\t%l\n?\
		 ?c  Comment:\t%c\n?"

USENET Community Trust	 Elm Version 2.5			3

ELMALIAS(1L)					     ELMALIAS(1L)

       The prlong utility formats long amounts of  data,  folding
       across multiple lines.  It is useful to reformat output of
       elmalias.  Prlong reads data from its standard input,  one
       line  at a time, and tries to place as much information as
       possible on each	 output	 line.	 A  field  seperator,  by
       default a single space, seperates each input record in the
       output lines.  Every output line is preceded by	a  leader
       field.	By default the leader of the first output line is
       an empty string, and the leader for all subsequent  output
       lines  is  a single tab.	 prlong will never split an input
       record.	If an input record  exceeds  the  maximum  output
       line  length,  it will appear unmodified on an output line
       all by itself.

       The following options may be used  to  modify  the  prlong
       behavior.

       -w width	   Constrains  output  lines  to width columns in
		   length (not counting an appended newline char
		   acter).  The default is 78 columns.	The width
		   calculation assumes that tabstops occur  every
		   eight spaces.

       -f string   Seperates each input record with the indicated
		   string when	displayed  to  the  output.   The
		   default is a single space.

       -1 string   Specifies the leader string used for the first
		   line of output.  (This  option  is  the  digit
		   ``one''.)  The default is an empty string.

       -l string   Specifies the leader string for all subsequent
		   lines of output.  (This option is a lower-case
		   ``ell''.) The default is a single tab.

EXAMPLES
       Consider an aliases.text file that contains:

	    friends = List of Friends = tom, dick, harry
	    tom = Tom Smith = sleepy!tom
	    dick = Dick Jones = dopey!dick
	    harry = = grumpy!harry

       Below  are shown some example commands and the output pro
       duced.

	    $ elmalias friends
	    tom,dick,harry
	    $ elmalias mike
	    mike
	    $ elmalias -r mike
	    elmalias: "mike" is not a known alias
	    $ elmalias -n friends
	    tom,dick,harry (List of Friends)

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ELMALIAS(1L)					     ELMALIAS(1L)

	    $ elmalias -a friends
	    friends		 tom,dick,harry
	    $ elmalias -V friends
	    Alias:	    friends
	      Address:	    tom,dick,harry
	      Type:	    Group
	      Name:	    List of Friends
	      Last Name:    List of Friends
	    $ elmalias -e friends
	    tom@sleepy.acme.com
	    dick@dopey.acme.com
	    harry@grumpy.acme.com
	    $ elmalias -ve friends
	    tom			 tom@sleepy.acme.com (Tom Smith)
	    dick		 dick@dopey.acme.com (Dick Jones)
	    harry		 harry@grumpy.acme.com
	    $ elmalias -f "alias %a is \"%v\" ?n(%n)?" -e friends
	    alias tom is "tom@sleepy.acme.com" (Tom Smith)
	    alias dick is "dick@dopey.acme.com" (Dick Jones)
	    alias harry is "harry@grumpy.acme.com"
	    $ elmalias -en friends | /usr/lib/elm/prlong -w40
	    tom@sleepy.acme.com (Tom Smith)
		    dick@dopey.acme.com (Dick Jones)
		    harry@grumpy.acme.com
	    $ elmalias -en friends | /usr/lib/elm/prlong -1 "To: " -f ", " -w40
	    To: tom@sleepy.acme.com (Tom Smith),
		    dick@dopey.acme.com (Dick Jones),
		    harry@grumpy.acme.com

The checkalias(1L) and listalias(1L) scripts distributed with the
Elm  package  provide further examples of the elmalias and prlong
utilities.

AUTHOR
       Elm Development Group

SEE ALSO
       checkalias(1L), elm(1L), listalias(1L), newalias(1L)

BUGS
       There is no centralized, comprehensive  interface  to  the
       Elm  2.4	 alias	system, so every program in the Elm suite
       that uses aliases implements  its  own  interfaces.   It's
       possible	 for  inconsistencies  to  creep  in between what
       elmalias says and what some Elm utility does.  If you find
       an inconsistency please report it to us!

       Boy, there sure are a lot of command line switches in this
       thing.

       Note that the precedence of aliases is user file then sys
       tem  file.  This means that a user can 'overload' an alias
       by having one defined in the system file also  defined  in

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ELMALIAS(1L)					     ELMALIAS(1L)

       theirs.	 This  shouldn't turn out to be a problem, but is
       something for the system administrator  to  keep	 in  mind
       when creating the system alias file.

BUG REPORTS TO
       Bill Pemberton  flash@virginia.edu

COPYRIGHTS
       Copyright 1993-1995 by The USENET Community Trust

USENET Community Trust	 Elm Version 2.5			6

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