xref: /freebsd/usr.bin/bintrans/uuencode.format.5 (revision bdcbfde31e8e9b343f113a1956384bdf30d1ed62)
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28.Dd January 12, 1994
29.Dt UUENCODE 5
30.Os
31.Sh NAME
32.Nm uuencode
33.Nd format of an encoded uuencode file
34.Sh DESCRIPTION
35Files output by
36.Xr uuencode 1
37consist of a header line,
38followed by a number of body lines,
39and a trailer line.
40The
41.Xr uudecode 1
42command
43will ignore any lines preceding the header or
44following the trailer.
45Lines preceding a header must not, of course,
46look like a header.
47.Pp
48The header line is distinguished by having the first
496 characters
50.Dq begin\ \&
51(note the trailing space).
52The word
53.Em begin
54is followed by a mode (in octal),
55and a string which names the remote file.
56A space separates the three items in the header line.
57.Pp
58The body consists of a number of lines, each at most 62 characters
59long (including the trailing newline).
60These consist of a character count,
61followed by encoded characters,
62followed by a newline.
63The character count is a single printing character,
64and represents an integer, the number of bytes
65the rest of the line represents.
66Such integers are always in the range from 1 to 45 or 64 and can
67be determined by subtracting the character space (octal 40)
68from the character.
69Character 64 represents a count of zero.
70.Pp
71Groups of 3 bytes are stored in 4 characters, 6 bits per character.
72All characters are always in range from 1 to 64 and are offset by a
73space (octal 40) to make the characters printing.
74Character
7564 represents a count of zero.
76The last line may be shorter than the normal 45 bytes.
77If the size is not a multiple of 3, this fact can be determined
78by the value of the count on the last line.
79Extra null characters will be included to make the character count a multiple
80of 4.
81The body is terminated by a line with a count of zero.
82This line consists of one
83.Tn ASCII
84backquote (octal 140) character.
85.Pp
86The trailer line consists of
87.Dq end
88on a line by itself.
89.Sh SEE ALSO
90.Xr mail 1 ,
91.Xr uucp 1 ,
92.Xr uudecode 1 ,
93.Xr uuencode 1
94.Sh HISTORY
95The
96.Nm
97file format appeared in
98.Bx 4.0 .
99.\" It was named uuencode.5 prior to 4.3
100