ARCHIVED: In Pine, how do I attach a file to an email message?

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Attaching a file to an email message in Pine involves two separate processes: transferring the file from your personal computer to your email account and attaching the file to the message.

Transferring the file to your email account

Assuming your computer has an Internet connection, you can use a file transfer program to transfer the file. The steps required to copy the file from your personal computer to your email account will vary depending on your particular transfer program, but a general outline of the process is as follows:

Start your file transfer program. This may be an FTP client such as Fetch or Hummingbird FTP, or an SFTP client such as MacSFTP or SSH Secure Shell.
Connect to your email account, using the same username and password you normally use.
The FTP or SFTP program will place you in your home directory, and list the files there.
If the file you want to attach is a binary file, in some programs, you must specify "binary" in your settings.
Select the file you want to copy from your personal computer, and tell the transfer program to upload the file to your email account.
Exit the program.

Note: Some versions of Pine cannot attach files that have a space in the filename. For example, if you are trying to attach a file named technical resume, you need to rename the file technical_resume or technicalresume. Rename the file either on your personal computer before transferring it, or after you have transferred it to your account.

For more specific information about uploading files to your account, see the Knowledge Base ARCHIVED: file transfer menu.

Attaching the file to a mail message in Pine

If you are sending a plain text document:

Compose a message as you normally do.
With the cursor in the body of the message, press Ctrl-r to attach a file and Ctrl-t to see a list of files in your home directory.
Using the arrow keys, select the file you want to send.
Press Enter, and the file will be included in the body of the message.

If you are sending a file that is anything other than plain text (e.g., a graphic, or a formatted file from a program such as WordPerfect or Word):

Compose a message as you normally do.
While the cursor is still highlighting the headers, press Ctrl-j to attach a file, then Ctrl-t to see a list of files in your home directory. Alternatively, you can move the cursor to the "Attchmnt:" header and press Ctrl-t to go to the list of files.
Using the arrow keys, select the file you want to send.
Press Enter to attach the file. You will be prompted for a comment to put in the message. It is a good idea to use this comment to tell the recipient what kind of file the attachment is (e.g., BinHex WordPerfect for the Mac).
Press Ctrl-x to send the message.