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This page displays the COHERENT manpage for uuencode [Encode a binary file for transmission].
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uuencode -- Command Encode a binary file for transmission uuencode [ source ] file_label [ < source ] > output uuencode prepares a file for transmission to a remote destination via uucp. It takes binary input and produces an encoded version, consisting of printable ASCII characters, on standard output, which may be redirected or piped to uucp. If source is not specified, uuencode reads the standard input and writes to the standard output. If, however, source is specified, uuencode its permissions into the uuencode'd file. file_label is the name that uudecode gives to the file when it is decoded. uuencode is chiefly used for mail. You cannot mail a binary file, but you can mail a uuencode'd binary. The standard way to mail a binary is to compress it, uunecode it, split it into pieces less than 50 kilobytes each, then mail each piece. The format of the encoded file is as follows: 1. A header line starting with the characters begin followed by a space. This is followed by the mode of the file in octal and the name of the output file specified on the command line. (For details, see the Lexicon entry for chmod). These last two fields are also separated by a space. The mode and the system name can be changed by directing the output into a file and editing it. 2. The body of the file, consisting of a number of lines, each no more than 62 characters long, including a newline character. Each line starts with a character count written as a single ASCII character, representing an integer value from 0 (octal 40) to 63 (octal 135) giving the number of characters in the rest of the line. This is followed by the encoded characters and a newline. The last line of the body is a line consisting of an ASCII space (octal 40). 3. A trailer, which consists of the string end on a line by itself. The encoding is done by taking three bytes and storing them in four characters, six bits per character. Each six bits is converted to a printable character by adding 0x20 to it. Example Consider the file tmp, which consists of the line: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. To record it in file tmp.send, type: uuencode tmp < tmp > tmp.send The output is: begin 644 tmp M5&AE('%U:6-K(&)R;W=N(&9O>"!J=6UP<R!O=F5R('1H92!L87IY(&1O9RX* end Note that the third line consists of a space followed by a newline. See Also commands, UUCP, uucp, uudecode Notes uuencode expands a file by more than one third, which thus increases transmission time. This can be a factor when sending large files.