NAME

uuencode − format of an encoded uuencode file

DESCRIPTION

Files output by uuencode(1C) consist of a header line, followed by a number of body lines, and a trailer line.  uudecode (see uuencode(1C)) will ignore any lines preceding the header or following the trailer.  Lines preceding a header must not, of course, look like a header. 

The header line is distinguished by having the first 6 characters ‘begin ’.  The word begin is followed by a mode (in octal), and a string which names the remote file.  Spaces separate the three items in the header line. 

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 0 to 63 and can be determined by subtracting the character space (octal 40) from the character. 

Groups of 3 bytes are stored in 4 characters, 6 bits per character.  All are offset by a SPACE to make the characters printing.  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 garbage 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 SPACE. 

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

SEE ALSO

mail(1), uuencode(1C), uucp(1C), uusend(1C)

Sun Release 4.0  —  Last change: 19 October 1987