UUENCODE(5)               OpenBSD Programmer's Manual              UUENCODE(5)

NAME
     uuencode - format of an encoded uuencode file

DESCRIPTION
     Files output by uuencode(1) consist of a header line, followed by a num-
     ber of body lines, and a trailer line.  The uudecode(1) command will ig-
     nore any lines preceding the header or following the trailer.  Lines pre-
     ceding a header must not, of course, look like a header.

     The header line is distinguished by having the first 6 characters
     ``begin '' (note the trailing space).  The word begin is followed by a
     mode (in octal), and a string which names the remote file.  A space sepa-
     rates 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 num-
     ber 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 char-
     acter 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 ` (opening single quote) character.

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

SEE ALSO
     mail(1), uucp(1), uudecode(1), uuencode(1)

HISTORY
     The uuencode file format appeared in 4.0BSD.

OpenBSD 3.0                    January 12, 1994                              1
