VACATION(1) | General Commands Manual | VACATION(1)

# NAME

`vacation` —
return “I am not here” indication

# SYNOPSIS

`vacation` | `-dIi` [`-f` databasefile] [`-m` messagefile] [`-r` interval] [`-t` interval]

`vacation` | `-dj` [`-a` alias] [`-F` F|R|S] [`-f` databasefile] [`-m` messagefile] [`-s` sender] [`-T` A|D] login

# DESCRIPTION

`vacation` returns a message to the sender of a message telling them that you are currently not reading your mail. The intended use is in a .forward file. For example, your .forward file might have:

    \eric, "|/usr/bin/vacation -a allman eric"

which would send messages to you (assuming your login name was eric) and reply to any messages for “eric” or “allman”.

Available options:

`-a` alias
  Handle messages for alias in the same manner as those received for the user's login name.
`-d`
  Turn debugging on; don't send an actual message, but print it on stdout.
`-f` database_file
  Use the specified database_file prefix and append `.db` to it instead of `$HOME/.vacation.db`.
`-F` F|R|S
  Make `vacation` additionally look in From: (F), Return-Path: (R), or Sender: (S) headers to determine the From: field.
`-i`
`-I`
  Initialize the vacation database files. It should be used before you modify your .forward file.
`-j`
  Do not check if the recipient is present in the `To:` or `Cc:` lines. Usage of this option is strongly discouraged because it will result in `vacation` replying to mailing lists or other inappropriate places (e.g., messages that you have been `Bcc` to).
`-m` message_file
  Use message_file instead of `$HOME/.vacation.msg`.
`-s` sender
  Reply to sender instead of the value read from the message.
`-r` interval
`-t` interval
  Set the reply interval to interval days. If the interval number is followed by `w`, `d`, `h`, `m`, or `s` then the number is interpreted as weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds respectively. The default interval is one week. An interval of “0” means that a reply is sent to each message, and an interval of “`infinite`” (actually, any non-numeric character) will never send more than one reply. It should be noted that intervals of “`0`” are quite dangerous, as it allows mailers to get into “I am on vacation” loops.
`-T` A|D
  Make `vacation` additionally look in Apparently-To: (A) or Delivered-To: (D) headers to determine the To: field.

No message will be sent unless login (or an alias supplied using the `-a` option) is part of either the “To:” or “Cc:” headers of the mail.

No messages from “???-REQUEST”, “Postmaster”, “UUCP”, “MAILER”, or “MAILER-DAEMON” will be replied to (where these strings are case insensitive).

No notification is sent if a “Precedence: bulk” “Precedence: list” “Precedence: junk” line or an “Auto-Submitted:” line with any qualifier except “no” are included in the mail headers. `vacation` will include these headers in its response to avoid auto-responder loops.

The people who have sent you messages are maintained as a db(3) database in the file .vacation.db in your home directory.

`vacation` expects a file .vacation.msg, in your home directory containing a message to be sent back to each sender. It should be an entire message (including headers). If the message contains the string `$SUBJECT` then it will will be replaced with the subject of the original message. For example, it might contain:

    From: eric@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Eric Allman)
    Subject: I am on vacation
    Delivered-By-The-Graces-Of: The Vacation program

    I am on vacation until July 22.
    Your mail regarding "$SUBJECT" will be read when I return.
    If you have something urgent, please contact Keith Bostic
    <bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU>.
    --eric

`vacation` reads the first line from the standard input for a UNIX “From” line to determine the sender. sendmail(1) includes this “From” line automatically.

Fatal errors, such as calling `vacation` with incorrect arguments, or with non-existent login s, are logged in the system log file, using syslog(3).

# FILES

~/.vacation.db
  database file
~/.vacation.msg
  message to send

# SEE ALSO

sendmail(1), syslog(3)

RFC 2076 , RFC 3834

# HISTORY

The `vacation` command appeared in 4.3BSD.

# BUGS

Adding `-T` A or `-T` D should only be done for misconfigured or non-compliant MTAs. Doing so may auto-respond to messages that were not supposed to be replied to.

May 6, 2019 | NetBSD 10.1