bbmail(1)

📦 version 0.9.3, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 NAME 💖

bbmail — mailbox flag for X. yep, that's the whole vibe.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

bbmail [options]

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so bbmail displays the status of a mailbox and warns you when new mail has arrived. it has internal support for mbox and maildir mailboxes. other mailboxes like MH or pop3 can be checked using an external program.

the tool is designed to mimic the look and feel of the Blackbox window manager when used in combination with blackbox — bbmail copies the style from Blackbox. it's giving matching-set energy 🎀

a little picture of an envelope shows if new mail is present. multiple mailboxes can be defined and different envelope colors are used to indicate new mail. aesthetic AND functional, we love to see it.

if the envelope is pressed with left mouse button, a program — for example a mail client — can be started. when the right button is pressed on the envelope a menu shows up. the menu shows all mailboxes and the new mail/total mail of that mail box. so much info, so little space 🫶

another option in the menu is reconfigure, which causes bbmail to reconfigure (reread the config files). iconic little refresh button behaviour, lowkey.

🔥 OPTIONS 🔥

bbmail supports the following command line options:

  • -d displayname, --display displayname — set display to displayname.
  • -c configname, --config configname — read configuration from configname instead of the default.
  • -v, --version — display version number of bbmail.
  • -h, --help — display help on command line options.
  • -g +x+y, --geometry+x+y — set the position of bbmail to x,y. use +x+y to specify the coordinates relative to the upper left corner, use -x-y to specify the coordinates relative to the lower right corner. this option is ignored when the -withdrawn flag is used. (yes, it really says -withdrawn there — we are not touching it. no cap.)
  • -d, --decorated — show bbmail in a normal window with title bar.
  • -w, --withdrawn — put bbmail in the blackbox slit or Windowmaker dock.
  • -s, --shape — don't display the background of bbmail. this only makes sense in combination with the -withdrawn flag.
💀 heads up bestie: -d shows up twice — once for displayname and once for --decorated. that's the manpage, that's canon, we're not "fixing" it.

🎀 CONFIGURATION 🎀

Global configuration: by default the configuration file bbmail.bb can be found in /usr/local/share/bbtools

Local configuration: the default configuration file should be placed in ~/.bbtools/

the following options can be set in the configuration file:

  • bbmail.bevelWidth: width — set the width between text label and edge of tool.
  • bbmail.position: +x+y — set position of bbmail.
  • bbmail.withdrawn: boolean — set to True to put bbmail in the blackbox slit or Windowmaker dock. default set to false.
  • bbmail.shape:boolean — set to True if bbmail shouldn't display its background. this gives a nice effect when withdrawn. default set to false.
  • bbmail.checkDelay: seconds — delay between checks. after delay, mailbox file is checked for change.
  • bbmail.forceCheck.onDelay: seconds — delay between checks. after delay, external program to check mail is executed.
  • bbmail.show.newmail.counter: boolean — set to true if bbmail should show the new mail counter. default set to true.
  • bbmail.show.totalmail.counter: boolean — set to true if bbmail should show the total mail counter. default set to true.
  • bbmail.show.envelope: boolean — set to true if bbmail should show envelope which flags new mail. default set to true.
  • bbmail.numberOf.digits: "value" — set the number of digits of the new mail and total mail labels. default it is set to 2, this makes it fit nicely in the slit. 🧚
  • bbmail.show.onlyAtnewmail: boolean — set to true if bbmail should only show up when new mail has arrived. default set to false.
  • bbmail.raised: boolean — no description given in the original, so we keep it mysterious. it's just... there. 💅
  • bbmail.autoRaise: boolean — same situation, bestie — the manpage is silent, so we stay silent too.
  • bbmail.pressed.runCommand: "command" — the command to run when the envelope is pressed (using the left mouse button). this command is overridden by the newmail command.
  • bbmail.numberOf.mailboxes: "value" — set the number of mailboxes you want to define. if set to 0, the environment variable MAIL is used to find default mailbox.
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.type: value — set the type of mailbox to eother mbox, maildir or other.
    • bbmail.mailbox.*.filename: filename — the filename of the mbox file or the directory of maildir.
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.name: name — name of mailbox, this name is shown in menu.
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.newmail.pressed.runCommand: command — the command to run when new mail is indicated. if this command is not defined, the command defined by bbmail.pressed.runCommand is used.
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.newmail.runCommand: command — the command to run when new mail is received. example: cat mail.wav > /dev/dsp
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.newmail.bell: boolean — if set to true the bell is sound when new mail arrives. 🔔
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.newmail: gradient — set the gradient of the envelope when new mail is present. example: Raised Gradient Vertical Bevel1
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.newmail.color: color — set the "from" color of the envelope when new mail is present.
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.newmail.colorTo: color — set the "to" color of the envelope when new mail is present.
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.newmail.pressed:gradient — set the gradient of the envelope when new mail is present and the envelope is pressed. example: Flat Gradient Vertical Bevel1
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.newmail.textColor: "color" — set the color for the lines in the envelope.
  • bbmail.mailbox.*.newmail.error.textColor: color — set color for the error indication in the envelope.
  • bbmail.menu.justify: justify — set menu text justify to either CentreJustify, LeftJustify or RightJustify.
  • bbmail.menu.bulletStyle: bullet style diamond — set menu bullet style to either diamond. 💎
  • bbmail.menu.bulletPosition: "bulletposition" — set menu bullet position to either left or right.
  • bbmail.menu: gradient — set the gradient of the menu.
  • bbmail.menu.color: "color" — set the "from" color of the menu.
  • bbmail.menu.colorTo: color — set the "to" color of the menu.

🌈 type mbox options 🌈

  • bbmail.mailbox.1.newmail.statusFlag: " status" — set the status flag which in used in the mbox file to indicate mail is read. example for Netscape: X-Mozilla-Status: [89ABCDEF]

💜 type other options 💜

  • bbmail.mailbox.1.mode: mode — mode:
1- unread mail  total mail
2- unread mail  read mail
3- read mail    total mail
4- ignore second value (for both proc and reversed proc)
  • bbmail.mailbox.1.proc: program — the program to run to check for mail, bbmail searches for 2 integers in the output of the program. if none are found an error is reported. example program MH: flist example program fetchmail: fetchmail -c | ~/.bbtools/bbmailparsefm.pl

💀 BUGS 💀

the config file of bbmail doesn't handle spaces after commands very well. 🫠 that's it, that's the whole bug section, bestie. noted, documented, and honestly kind of relatable.

okay and the very last thing — this whole page was written by John Kennis, dated May 14, 2001, for the bbmail(1) manual. so if you got your mail checked and your slit looking cute, that's on him. 🫶✨💖 slay, periodt.

📦 where this page comes from