UUENCODE(5)

🎀 uuencode(5) — the encoded uuencode file format, bestie

Hiiii, this is the uuencode(5) page from the File Formats Manual, and we're about to make this file format make sense. It's giving classic Unix but make it cute. 💖

🌸 NAME

uuencode — format of an encoded uuencode file

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

Okay so files output by uuencode(1) literally consist of a header line, followed by a number of body lines, and a trailer line. The uudecode(1) command will ignore any lines preceding the header or following the trailer.

Lines preceding a header must not, of course, look like a header.

Noted, bestie. No fake headers sneaking in. 💅

🫶 The header line

The header line is distinguished by having the first 6 characters begin — note the trailing space, it matters. The word begin is followed by a mode (in octal), and a string which names the remote file. A space separates the three items in the header line. Slay, simple.

🦋 The body

The body consists of a number of lines, each at most 62 characters long (including the trailing newline). These consist of a character count, followed by encoded characters, followed by a newline.

The character count is a single printing character, and represents an integer, the number of bytes the rest of the line represents. Such integers are always in the range from 1 to 45 or 64 and can be determined by subtracting the character space (octal 40) from the character. Character 64 represents a count of zero.

Groups of 3 bytes are stored in 4 characters, 6 bits per character. All characters are always in range from 1 to 64 and are offset by a space (octal 40) to make the characters printing. Character 64 represents a count of zero. The last line may be shorter than the normal 45 bytes. If the size is not a multiple of 3, this fact can be determined by the value of the count on the last line. Extra null characters will be included to make the character count a multiple of 4.

The body is terminated by a line with a count of zero. This line consists of one ASCII backquote (octal 140) character. Iconic little weirdo. 🫶

🎀 The trailer line

The trailer line consists of end on a line by itself. Periodt.

👀 SEE ALSO

• mail(1)
• uucp(1)
• uudecode(1)
• uuencode(1)

💜 HISTORY

The uuencode file format appeared in 4.0BSD.

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That's the whole page, bestie. Footer vibes: source/version Debian; date January 12, 1994. Stay encoded and iconic 💅✨