uudecode Command

Purpose

Decodes a binary file that was used for transmission using electronic mail.

Syntax

uudecode [ -o OutputFile ] [ InFile ]

Description

The uudecode command reads an encoded file, strips off leading and trailing lines added by mailers, and recreates the original file with the specified mode and name. Decoding a file causes the result to be automatically saved to a file. The file name is identical to the remote file argument originally supplied to the uuencode command unless an output file name is specified with the -o flag.

Flags

Item	Description
-o OutputFile	Specifies the output file name that will be used instead of any pathname contained in the input data. You can direct the output of uudecode to standard output by specifying /dev/stdout as the OutputFile.

Parameters

Item	Description
InFile	Specifies the name of the file to decode.

Example

To decode the file /tmp/con on a local system that was encoded with the follwing command:

uuencode /usr/lib/boot/unix pigmy.goat > /tmp/con

enter:

uudecode /tmp/con

The file pigmy.goat will be identical to the originally encoded file /usr/lib/boot/unix.

Files

Item	Description
/usr/bin/uudecode	Contains the uudecode command.