New version: 1.8.2b

released 2 December 1998

[ links for downloading ] [ New features ]

Blat is now coordinated by Tim Charron and Gilles Vollant, see their web page for up to date information.

What is Blat?

Blat is a Public Domain (generous aren't we?) Windows NT console utility that sends the contents of a file in an e-mail message using the SMTP protocol. Blat can send plain ASCII text files or binary files encoded in base64 or uuencode.

What is Blat useful for?

Blat is useful for creating scripts where mail has to be sent automatically (CGI scripts, result of automated backups, etc.)

What do you need to use Blat?

To use Blat you must first download it, install it and then make sure that you have access to a SMTP server via TCP-IP.

Are there binaries of Blat for the Alpha, MIPS or PowerPC based computers?

At the moment there are binaries for the DEC Alpha. However,because Blat comes with source code, you are free to compile it under MIPS or PowerPC.

Does Blat run under Windows 95?

While we did not design Blat for and never ran it under Windows 95. We are told that it runs well in that environment.

We provide absolutly no support for this, but then we also do not provide support for Blat under NT...

And does Blat run under Windows 98?

We do not know and are really couldn't care less!

Examples of Blat usage

Being freeware with source code included in the distribution, we cannot provide any support for your usage of Blat. But here are some examples of how to use Blat, kindly provided by other users of the program:

• CGI/PERL: BlahBlah
• CGI/PERL: a simpler script by Greg Elin
• Batch file for scheduled FTP transfer: FTPagent

Downloading Blat

Please download Blat from the site nearest to you.

Be aware that the Alpha version is for the Alpha family of processors (this is not a development version) and it will not work on Intel based computers!

• Europe
  • Home of Blat (UK):
    FTP: version 1.8.2b (intel), version 1.8.2b (Alpha)
    HTTP: version 1.8.2b (intel), version 1.8.2b (Alpha)
• North America
  • Tim Charron's site: version 1.8.2b (intel)

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  Installing Blat

  If you are upgrading from version 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 or 1.5, simply copy Blat.exe over the old one. You may as well delete gensock.dll if no other program needs it - Blat 1.7 does no longer need this DLL

  If you are upgrading from Blat 1.1 or 1.0 (phew!) or you never used Blat before you must follow these steps:

  1. Copy the file Blat.exe to your \WINNT\SYSTEM32 directory, or to any other directory in your path.
  2. Run Blat -install yourhost.site.blah.blah youruserid@site.blah.blah, where yourhost.site.blah.blah is the address of your SMTP server and youruserid@site.blah.blah is the default From: address.

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  What is new in this version of Blat?

  Blat version 1.8.0 is a merge of 2 different source trees which started diverging at version 1.5. If you're upgrading from the prior "official" release (1.7), then changes include:

  • Use of "-attach *.ZIP" to send multiple files
  • Use of 'profiles' to store server/userid/password/port in the registry for multiple profiles.
  • Multiple retries
  • Numerous other changes described in the documentation
  If you're upgrading from 1.7.9, previously available from Tim Charron's Blat page, then changes include:
  • gwinsock.dll/gensock.dll are no longer needed
  • UUencoding of the main file is possible
  • Graceful termination of connection to smtp server
  • hostname <hst> option to select the hostname used to send the message
  • Ability to specify port using "server:port" style names.

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  NOTE: Blat is not supported software. Correspondence about problems with Blat usage to the authors may never be answered.

  Blat was written by Pedro Mendes, Mark Neal, Tim Charron and Gilles Vollant.

  This page © Copyright 1996-1998 by Pedro Mendes and Mark Neal