NAME

       uuencode - format of an encoded uuencode file

DESCRIPTION

       Files  output  by uuencode(1) consist of a header line, followed by a number of body lines, and a trailer
       line.  The uudecode(1) command 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 5 characters be begin followed by a space, or else a
       hyphen and either base64 or encoded or both (also separated with a hyphen).  The base64 option  says  the
       file  has  been  encoded  using  base64.   The  encoded  option says the output file name has been base64
       encoded.  It is never encoded with traditional uuencoding.  This is a GNU extension.  These are  followed
       by  a  mode  (in  octal), and a string which names the remote file.  The mode is separated from the begin
       clause and the file name by a single space character.

   Traditional uuencoding
       The traditional uuencoded file body consists of a number of  lines,  each  at  most  62  characters  long
       (including  the  trailing  newline).  These  consist of a character count letter, followed by the 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.

   base64 encoding
       base64 encoded files follow the specified format for the body, but also include a begin-base64 header and
       a trailer line of four = characters.

EXAMPLES

            begin-base64-encoded 644 VE9ETw==
       This introduces a base64 encoded file named, TODO with that name encoded using base64 encoding.

            begin-encoded 644 5$]$3P``
       This  introduces  an encoded file named, TODO with that name encoded using uuencoding.  The encoding is a
       lot less friendly.  Please prefer base64 encoding.

CONFORMING TO

       IEEE Std 1003.1, plus extensions

       The -encoded suffix to the begin header line is a GNU extension.  Recipients must have the  GNU  uudecode
       program to decode them.

SEE ALSO

       uuencode(1), uudecode(1), base64(1GNU)

HISTORY

       The uuencode file format appeared in BSD 4.0 .

                                                                                                     UUENCODE(5)