how to configure exim for autoreplying single email account

Question

I am facing issue with exim configuration for setting auto-reply for single user email account. Currently, my exim configuration for autoreply is as follows and it causes autoreply emails to be sent to all users account instead of one:

In Routers Configuration section:

uservacation:
  driver = redirect
  allow_filter
  hide_child_in_errmsg
  ignore_eacces
  ignore_enotdir
  reply_transport = vacation_reply
  no_verify
  require_files = /var/spool/exim/.vacation.msg
  file = /var/spool/exim/.vacation.msg
  user = exim
  group = exim
  unseen

In Transport Configuration section:

vacation_reply:
  driver = autoreply

Can anyone guide me on how to configure exim auto-reply for a single email account?

Wouter Verhelst · Answer 1 · 2018-09-26T15:46:03.097

require_files = /var/spool/exim/.vacation.msg

This means that the router will decline if that file does not exist. If it does exist, it will accept the message and handle it.

file = /var/spool/exim/.vacation.msg

This is an argument to the transport, and tells it which file to use for the autoreply.

Since you're using a system-wide autoreply message, you have a global on/off switch with a global message. Clearly you don't want that.

Instead, do this:

uservacation:
  driver = redirect
  check_local_user
  allow_filter
  hide_child_in_errmsg
  ignore_eacces
  ignore_enotdir
  reply_transport = vacation_reply
  no_verify
  require_files = $home/.vacation.msg
  file = $home/.vacation.msg
  unseen

That is, drop the user= and group= configuration options, add the check_local_user one, and use $home/.vacation.msg as the file containing users' vacation messages.

This way, users can create a file ~/.vacation.msg to create an autoreply, and they can remove it if they autoreply is no longer required.

You may also want to add the once configuration to your vacation_reply transport, so that if someone sends three emails to a person who is on vacation in short succession, they only get one vacation message. See the documentation on the autoreply transport for details on how to do that.

how to configure exim for autoreplying single email account

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