NAME

dbformmail - write a shell script that will send e-mail to many people

SYNOPSIS

dbformmail [-m MECHANISM] format_file.txt

DESCRIPTION

Read a ``form mail'' message from the file FORMAT_FILE.TXT, filling in underscore-preceded column-names with data. Output a shell script which will send each message through some mail transport MECHANISM.

Do not use this program for evil or I will have to come over and have words with you.

Note that this program does NOT actually SEND the mail. It writes a shell script that will send the mail for you. I recommend you save it to a file, check it (one last time!), then run it with sh.

Unlike most Fsdb programs, this program does not output a FSDB file.

OPTIONS

-m MECHANISM

Select the mail-sending mechanism: Mail, sendmail, mh. Defaults to "Mail".

Mail uses a Berkeley-style /usr/bin/Mail. Sendmail invokes /usr/bin/sendmail. Mh writes messages into the current directory, treating it as an mh-style mailbox (one message per file, with filesnames as sequential integrates).

This module also supports the standard fsdb options:

-d

Enable debugging output.

-i or --input InputSource

Read from InputSource, typically a file name, or - for standard input, or (if in Perl) a IO::Handle, Fsdb::IO or Fsdb::BoundedQueue objects.

-o or --output OutputDestination

Write to OutputDestination, typically a file name, or - for standard output, or (if in Perl) a IO::Handle, Fsdb::IO or Fsdb::BoundedQueue objects.

--autorun or --noautorun

By default, programs process automatically, but Fsdb::Filter objects in Perl do not run until you invoke the run() method. The --(no)autorun option controls that behavior within Perl.

--help

Show help.

--man

Show full manual.

SAMPLE USAGE

Input:

    #fsdb account passwd uid gid fullname homedir shell
    johnh * 2274 134 John_Heidemann /home/johnh /bin/bash
    greg * 2275 134 Greg_Johnson /home/greg /bin/bash
    root * 0 0 Root /root /bin/bash
    # this is a simple database

Sample form (in the file form.txt):

    To: _account
    From: the sysadmin <root>
    Subject: time to change your password

    Please change your password regularly.
    Doesn't this message make you feel safer?

Command:

    cat DATA/passwd.fsdb | dbformmail form.txt >outgoing.sh

Output (in outgoing.sh):

    #!/bin/sh
    sendmail 'johnh' <<'END'
    To: johnh
    From: the sysadmin <root>
    Subject: time to change your password
    
    Please change your password regularly.
    Doesn't this message make you feel safer?

    END
    sendmail 'greg' <<'END'
    (etc.)

And to send the mail, run

    sh outgoing.sh

SEE ALSO

Fsdb.

CLASS FUNCTIONS

new

    $filter = new Fsdb::Filter::dbformmail(@arguments);

Create a new dbformmail object, taking command-line arguments.

set_defaults

    $filter->set_defaults();

Internal: set up defaults.

parse_options

    $filter->parse_options(@ARGV);

Internal: parse command-line arguments.

setup

    $filter->setup();

Internal: setup, parse headers.

run

    $filter->run();

Internal: run over each rows.

finish

    $filter->finish();

Internal: write trailer, but no trailer for us.

AUTHOR and COPYRIGHT

Copyright (C) 1991-2018 by John Heidemann <johnh@isi.edu>

This program is distributed under terms of the GNU general public license, version 2. See the file COPYING with the distribution for details.

cpanm Fsdb

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install Fsdb