What is Elm?

Note: The software discussed here is no longer in common use at Indiana University, and UITS may no longer be able to verify the document's accuracy. The UITS Support Center may no longer have the manuals and other materials required to support this software adequately.

Note: Elm is not available on any UITS systems.

Elm is a menu-driven email utility for Unix.

Elm organizes your messages into three directories, or folders: incoming, received, and sent. When you first invoke Elm, it displays a directory of the new, unread messages waiting in your incoming folder. As you read messages, they are marked for transfer to the received folder.

You can create other Elm folders to organize your messages as you see fit. When you press  s  to save a selected message to a new folder, Elm suggests a new folder name based on the message's return address.

You can try Elm yourself by logging into a Unix host and entering: elm First-time users may be asked to approve the creation of certain Elm-related directories. Press  y  to accept the new directories.

When Elm displays a directory of incoming messages, you can:

• Read: Use the arrow keys to highlight the message you want to read, then press Enter.
  
  
• Reply: To reply to a displayed/highlighted message, press  r .
  
  
• Forward: To forward a displayed/highlighted message, press  f .
  
  
• Delete: To delete a displayed/highlighted message, press  d . This marks the message for deletion. When you exit Elm or the current Elm folder, Elm asks you to confirm the deletion.
  
  
• Send: From any Elm menu, press  m . Elm prompts you for subject and address information. Your editor will start and you can compose your message. When you are finished, save and exit the editor. Then press  s  to send your message.

Also see:

• In Elm, how do I change my default editor?
• Where can I obtain some documentation about the Unix Mailer Elm?
• In Elm, how do I create mail address aliases?
• In Unix, how do I attach a signature file to mail messages or newsgroup postings?
• In Elm, after I've read a message, how do I make that message appear to be unread?
• In Elm, how do I get an attribution line, such as "Quoting John Doe:" preceding quoted text within a mail message?
• In Elm, how do I save a message without deleting it?
• In Elm, how do I mark a message I'm sending as urgent?
• In Elm, how do I display all the headers of a message?
• What are some equivalent commands in the electronic mail programs Berkeley mail, Pine, and Elm?
• In Elm, how do I encrypt mail?
• In Elm or Berkeley mail, how do I send a file?
• In Elm, can I change incoming messages to show senders' usernames rather than their personal or full names?
• With Elm, how do I create a mail distribution list?
• With Elm, how do I change the ">" sign used for quoting replies?
• In Elm, how do I change the sorting order of my mail?
• In Elm, how do I include the headers of messages I am replying to?
• How do I use the vi text editor?
• In Elm, how can I print messages to my local printer like Pine can?
• At IU, how do I forward my email?