Mutt - Changing 'from' on the fly

The application reads a Progress Database and sends email updates.  The program loops through various tables.  When it hits criteria the requires an email to be sent, a temporary content file is generated, a pdf file for attachment is built, "To" and "From" email address info is selected and a command line command is created.  The program then executes the command in the Operating System.  This currently works without the "From" email address functionality.  

I would like to be able to add the "From" email address to the command line when I build the command line for execution.  Creating a temporary muttrc file when I create the email body temporary file is a possibility.

Hi,

I believe when using 'mutt' there is no way (except with muttrc) to achieve what you want.

However, on most systems the standard "mail" or "mailx" client accepts the "-r address"  flag, to set the  return  address.

Maybe you could use "mail" instead of "mutt"?

wmp

I have not had success using "mail", "mailx", or executing "sendmail" with parameters when sending attachments.  I have found that not all email clients like uuencoding attachments.  

"mpack" and "mutt" have worked well for me sending email with attachments from the command line with the exception of specifying the "from" email address.  

Can "send_hook" be used from the command line?  If so, can anyone show be an example?

Thanks.

Venerable mencode (mime encode) could be used with almost any client... uuencode is a very old beast, by now... and all you really would need is telnet(!) on port 25... if you wanted to be nice, perhaps wrap it in an expect script and "build your own client";-). Seriously, it isn't that hard:).
If you control the (E)SMTP conversation, you control both envelope sender detail and any From: or Reply-To: message headers. If one is fairly conversant in perl, or even php, doing this in a script, using some nice prebuilt modules like Net::SMTP or Mail_factory is fairly easy too, removing the need for expect...

As you've noted, many, if not most, email clients have a lot of builtin "assumptions", that rather trip you up. So avoidning them altogether might be best.
A simplistic example of how to use telnet can be found at: http://wiki.mailscanner.info/doku.php?id=documentation:test_troubleshoot:mta:connexion ... I typed this up a while back to exemplify how to test ones MTA for simple things/errors, but it workswell to exemplify what you might need. All you need is to put your constructed RFC5322 (replaces RFC2822) formatted message (headers and body) in the DATA section, and use the correct sender/recipient details in the MAIL FROM:<> and CPT TO:<> lines;-). Since you would be talking to your own MTA, you needn't bother constructing the Message-ID: and such, since your MTA very likely will insert them for you.

Cheers
-- Glenn

Please expand on how I would use "Venerable mencode (mime encode)" to encode an attachment file.  I am familiar with using uuencode.  

Thanks.

I have increased the point value for this question.  I realize it is not as simple as I first thought.

Sorry, my keyboard lost an "m" there:-). It should read mmencode, also known as mimencode, from the old metamail package... Very old, but not as old/ugly as uuencode;-). Perhaps more likely that youwould have the slightly newer mewencode. It'd basically create correct MIME encoded files for you to use as attachments in your constructed mails, or at least the constituent parts. Whatever youdo, you'll need create a file (or pipe a suitable "stream") that comply tothe RFCs  for how an email message should be formatted, and it is here that the MIME encoder would help... Sure, you can keep on doing it the uuencode way, but MIME has been around a while now... And have largely replaced uuencoded messages, for good reasons;-).

Come to think of it, there is a wonderful little tool that Jef Poskanzer wrote a few years back that you would surely love. Iyäs called "mini_sendmail" and is a sendmail replacement (the sendmail command, as used to submit mail straight to the MTA... You could use that too, I suppose:). It has a "-f <from>" flag that would fit your bill nicely. The thing you'd need do is:
Construct the message file,
cat message-file | mini_sendmail -f <sender> <recipient(s)>
done:-).

Now, for the construction, you would need at least:
From:
To:
Subject:

UU or MIME encoded file
.

Nte that the final dot is important. It signals the end-of-message and should be a single "." on a line by itself. You can lie to your hears content in the To: and From: headers, but it wouldn't be wise (spam filters might object)... best is to keep them the same as the envelope sender/recipients (that you specify on the commandline).
mini_sendmail uses SMTP directly, in contrast to the sendmail command, and hence work in chroot jails. It depends on your MTA, or the server you tell it to connect to, to accept your mails...
I suppose one could futz with the sendmail command as well, but that might get a bit hairy (especially if you have sendmail (the MTA, not the command;-)).

Cheers
-- Glenn