This is ../info/mh-e, produced by makeinfo version 4.0 from mh-e.texi.
INFO-DIR-SECTION Emacs
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* MH-E: (mh-e). Emacs interface to the MH mail system.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
This is Edition 1.3, last updated 18 February 2001, of `mh-e, The
Emacs Interface to MH', for mh-e, Version 5.0.2.
Copyright 1995, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being "A GNU Manual",
and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License" in
the Emacs manual.
(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: "You have freedom to copy and
modify this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development."
This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
File: mh-e, Node: Organizing, Next: Printing, Prev: Deleting, Up: Moving Mail
Organizing Your Mail with Folders
---------------------------------
mh-e has analogies for each of the MH `folder' and `refile'
commands. To refile a message in another folder, use the `o'
(`mh-refile-msg') (mnemonic: "output") command. You are prompted for
the folder name.
If you are refiling several messages into the same folder, you can
use the `!' (`mh-refile-or-write-again') command to repeat the last
refile or write (see the description of `C-o' in *Note Files and
Pipes::). Or, place the messages into a sequence (*Note Sequences::)
and specify a prefix argument to `o', in which case you'll be prompted
for the name of the sequence (for example, `C-u o search RET').
If you wish to copy a message to another folder, you can use the `c'
(`mh-copy-msg') command (see the `-link' argument to `refile'(1)). You
are prompted for a folder, and you can specify a prefix argument if you
want to copy a sequence into another folder. In this case, you are
then prompted for the sequence. Note that unlike the `o' command, the
copy takes place immediately. The original copy remains in the current
folder.
When you want to read the messages that you have refiled into
folders, use the `M-f' (`mh-visit-folder') command to visit the folder.
You are prompted for the folder name.
Other commands you can perform on folders include: `M-l'
(`mh-list-folders'), to list all the folders in your mail directory;
`M-k' (`mh-kill-folder'), to remove a folder; `M-x mh-sort-folder', to
sort the messages by date (see `sortm'(1) to see how to sort by other
criteria); `M-p' (`mh-pack-folder'), to pack a folder, removing gaps
from the numbering sequence; and `M-r' (`mh-rescan-folder'), to rescan
the folder, which is useful to grab all messages in your `+inbox' after
processing your new mail for the first time. If you don't want to
rescan the entire folder, give `M-r' or `M-p' a prefix argument and
you'll be prompted for a range of messages to display (for instance,
`C-u M-r last:50 RET').
File: mh-e, Node: Printing, Next: Files and Pipes, Prev: Organizing, Up: Moving Mail
Printing Your Mail
------------------
Printing mail is simple. Enter `l' (`mh-print-msg') (for line
printer or lpr). The message is formatted with `mhl' and printed with
the `lpr' command. You can print all the messages in a sequence by
specifying a prefix argument, in which case you are prompted for the
name of the sequence (as in `C-u l frombob RET').
File: mh-e, Node: Files and Pipes, Next: Finishing Up, Prev: Printing, Up: Moving Mail
Files and Pipes
---------------
mh-e does offer a couple of commands that are not a part of MH. The
first one, `C-o' (`mh-write-msg-to-file'), writes a message to a file
(think of the `o' as in "output"). You are prompted for the filename.
If the file already exists, the message is appended to it. You can
also write the message to the file without the header by specifying a
prefix argument (such as `C-u C-o /tmp/foobar RET'). Subsequent writes
to the same file can be made with the `!' command.
You can also pipe the message through a Unix shell command with the
`|' (`mh-pipe-msg') command. You are prompted for the Unix command
through which you wish to run your message. If you give an argument to
this command, the message header is included in the text passed to the
command (the contrived example `C-u | lpr' would be done with the `l'
command instead).
If the message is a shell archive `shar' or has been run through
`uuencode' use `M-n' (`mh-store-msg') to extract the body of the
message. The default directory for extraction is the current
directory, and you have a chance to specify a different extraction
directory. The next time you use this command, the default directory is
the last directory you used.
File: mh-e, Node: Finishing Up, Prev: Files and Pipes, Up: Moving Mail
Finishing Up
------------
If you've deleted a message or refiled it, but changed your mind, you
can cancel the action before you've executed it. Use `u' (`mh-undo')
to undo a refile on or deletion of a single message. You can also undo
refiles and deletes for messages that belong to a given sequence by
specifying a prefix argument. You'll be prompted for the name of the
sequence (as in `C-u u frombob RET'). Alternatively, you can use `M-u'
(`mh-undo-folder') to undo all refiles or deletes in the current folder.
If you've marked messages to be deleted or refiled and you want to go
ahead and delete or refile the messages, use `x'
(`mh-execute-commands'). Many mh-e commands that may affect the
numbering of the messages (such as `M-r' or `M-p') will ask if you want
to process refiles or deletes first and then either run `x' for you or
undo the pending refiles and deletes, which are lost.
When you want to quit using mh-e and go back to editing, you can use
the `q' (`mh-quit') command. This buries the buffers of the current
mh-e folder and restores the buffers that were present when you first
ran `M-x mh-rmail'. You can later restore your mh-e session by
selecting the `+inbox' buffer or by running `M-x mh-rmail' again.
File: mh-e, Node: Searching, Next: Sequences, Prev: Moving Mail, Up: Using mh-e
Searching Through Messages
==========================
You can search a folder for messages to or from a particular person
or about a particular subject. In fact, you can also search for
messages containing selected strings in any arbitrary header field or
any string found within the messages. Use the `M-s'
(`mh-search-folder') command. You are first prompted for the name of
the folder to search and then placed in the following buffer in MH-Pick
mode:
From: #
To:
Cc:
Date:
Subject:
--------
--**-Emacs: pick-pattern (MH-Pick)------All--------------------------
Pick window
Edit this template by entering your search criteria in an appropriate
header field that is already there, or create a new field yourself. If
the string you're looking for could be anywhere in a message, then place
the string underneath the row of dashes. The `M-s' command uses the MH
command `pick' to do the real work, so read `pick'(1) to find out more
about how to enter the criteria.
There are no semantics associated with the search criteria--they are
simply treated as strings. Case is ignored when all lowercase is used,
and regular expressions (a la `ed') are available. It is all right to
specify several search criteria. What happens then is that a logical
_and_ of the various fields is performed. If you prefer a logical _or_
operation, run `M-s' multiple times.
As an example, let's say that we want to find messages from Ginnean
about horseback riding in the Kosciusko National Park (Australia) during
January, 1994. Normally we would start with a broad search and narrow
it down if necessary to produce a manageable amount of data, but we'll
cut to the chase and create a fairly restrictive set of criteria as
follows:
From: ginnean
To:
Cc:
Date: Jan 1994
Subject: horse.*kosciusko
--------
As with MH-Letter mode, MH-Pick provides commands like `C-c C-f C-t'
to help you fill in the blanks.
`C-c C-f C-t'
Move to `To:' header field (`mh-to-field').
`C-c C-f C-c'
Move to `cc:' header field (`mh-to-field').
`C-c C-f C-s'
Move to `Subject:' header field (`mh-to-field').
`C-c C-f C-f'
Move to `From:' header field (`mh-to-field').
`C-c C-f C-b'
Move to `Bcc:' header field (`mh-to-field').
`C-c C-f C-f'
Move to `Fcc:' header field (`mh-to-field').
`C-c C-f C-d'
Move to `Dcc:' header field (`mh-to-field').
`C-c C-c'
Execute the search (`mh-do-pick-search').
To perform the search, type `C-c C-c' (`mh-do-pick-search'). The
selected messages are placed in the search sequence, which you can use
later in forwarding (*note Forwarding::), printing (*note Printing::),
or narrowing your field of view (*note Sequences::). Subsequent
searches are appended to the search sequence. If, however, you wish to
start with a clean slate, first delete the search sequence (how to do
this is discussed in *Note Sequences::).
If you're searching in a folder that is already displayed in a
MH-Folder buffer, only those messages contained in the buffer are used
for the search. Therefore, if you want to search in all messages,
first kill the folder's buffer with `C-x k' or scan the entire folder
with `M-r'.
File: mh-e, Node: Sequences, Next: Miscellaneous, Prev: Searching, Up: Using mh-e
Using Sequences
===============
For the whole scoop on MH sequences, refer to `mh-sequence'(5). As
you've read, several of the mh-e commands can operate on a sequence,
which is a shorthand for a range or group of messages. For example, you
might want to forward several messages to a friend or colleague. Here's
how to manipulate sequences.
`%'
Put message in a sequence (`mh-put-msg-in-seq').
`?'
Display sequences that message belongs to (`mh-msg-is-in-seq').
`M-q'
List all sequences in folder (`mh-list-sequences').
`M-%'
Remove message from sequence (`mh-delete-msg-from-seq').
`M-#'
Delete sequence (`mh-delete-seq').
`C-x n'
Restrict display to messages in sequence (`mh-narrow-to-seq').
`C-x w'
Remove restriction; display all messages (`mh-widen').
`M-x mh-update-sequences'
Push mh-e's state out to MH.
To place a message in a sequence, use `%' (`mh-put-msg-in-seq') to
do it manually, or use the MH command `pick' or the mh-e version of
`pick' (*Note Searching::) which create a sequence automatically. Give
`%' a prefix argument and you can add all the messages in one sequence
to another sequence (for example, `C-u % SourceSequence RET').
Once you've placed some messages in a sequence, you may wish to
narrow the field of view to just those messages in the sequence you've
created. To do this, use `C-x n' (`mh-narrow-to-seq'). You are
prompted for the name of the sequence. What this does is show only
those messages that are in the selected sequence in the MH-Folder
buffer. In addition, it limits further mh-e searches to just those
messages. When you want to widen the view to all your messages again,
use `C-x w' (`mh-widen').
You can see which sequences a message is in with the `?'
(`mh-msg-is-in-seq') command. Or, you can list all sequences in a
selected folder (default is current folder) with `M-q'
(`mh-list-sequences').
If you want to remove a message from a sequence, use `M-%'
(`mh-delete-msg-from-seq'), and if you want to delete an entire
sequence, use `M-#' (`mh-delete-seq'). In the latter case you are
prompted for the sequence to delete. Note that this deletes only the
sequence, not the messages in the sequence. If you want to delete the
messages, use `C-u d' (see *Note Deleting:: above).
Two sequences are maintained internally by mh-e and pushed out to MH
when you type either the `x' or `q' command. They are the sequence
specified by your `Unseen-Sequence:' profile entry and cur. However,
you can also just update MH's state with the command `M-x
mh-update-sequences'. See *Note Customizing Viewing:: for an example
of how this command might be used.
With the exceptions of `C-x n' and `C-x w', the underlying MH
command dealing with sequences is `mark'.
File: mh-e, Node: Miscellaneous, Prev: Sequences, Up: Using mh-e
Miscellaneous Commands
======================
One other command worth noting is `M-x mh-version'. You can compare
the version this command prints to the latest release (*note Getting
mh-e::). The output of `M-x mh-version' should always be included with
any bug report you submit (*note Bug Reports::).
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing mh-e, Next: Odds and Ends, Prev: Using mh-e, Up: Top
Customizing mh-e
****************
Until now, we've talked about the mh-e commands as they work "out of
the box." Of course, it is also possible to reconfigure mh-e to fit
the needs of even the most demanding user. The following sections
describe all of the customization variables, show the defaults, and
make recommendations for customization. The outline of this chapter is
identical to that of *Note Using mh-e::, to make it easier to find the
variables you'd need to modify to affect a particular command.
However, when customizing your mail environment, first try to change
what you want in MH, and only change mh-e if changing MH is not
possible. That way you will get the same behavior inside and outside
GNU Emacs. Note that mh-e does not provide hooks for customizations
that can be done in MH; this omission is intentional.
Many string or integer variables are easy enough to modify using
Emacs Lisp. Any such modifications should be placed in a file called
`.emacs' in your home directory (that is, `~/.emacs'). For example, to
modify the variable that controls printing, you could add:
(setq mh-lpr-command-format "nenscript -G -r -2 -i'%s'")
*Note Customizing Printing:: talks more about this variable.
Variables can also hold Boolean values. In Emacs Lisp, the Boolean
values are `nil', which means false, and `t', which means true.
Usually, variables are turned off by setting their value to `nil', as in
(setq mh-bury-show-buffer nil)
which keeps the MH-Show buffer at the top of the buffer stack. To
turn a variable on, you use
(setq mh-bury-show-buffer t)
which places the MH-Show buffer at the bottom of the buffer stack.
However, the text says to turn on a variable by setting it to a
_non-`nil'_ value, because sometimes values other than `t' are
meaningful (for example, see `mhl-formfile', described in *Note
Customizing Viewing::). Other variables, such as hooks, involve a
little more Emacs Lisp programming expertise.
You can also "preview" the effects of changing variables before
committing the changes to `~/.emacs'. Variables can be changed in the
current Emacs session by using `M-x set-variable'.
In general, "commands" in this text refer to Emacs Lisp functions.
Programs outside of Emacs are specifically called MH commands, shell
commands, or Unix commands.
I hope I've included enough examples here to get you well on your
way. If you want to explore Emacs Lisp further, a programming manual
does exist, (1) and you can look at the code itself for examples. Look
in the Emacs Lisp directory on your system (such as
`/usr/local/lib/emacs/lisp') and find all the `mh-*.el' files there.
When calling mh-e and other Emacs Lisp functions directly from Emacs
Lisp code, you'll need to know the correct arguments. Use the online
help for this. For example, try `C-h f mh-execute-commands RET'. If
you write your own functions, please do not prefix your symbols
(variables and functions) with `mh-'. This prefix is reserved for the
mh-e package. To avoid conflicts with existing mh-e symbols, use a
prefix like `my-' or your initials.
* Menu:
* Customizing Reading::
* Customizing Sending::
* Customizing Draft Editing::
* Customizing Moving Mail::
* Customizing Searching::
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) Perhaps you can find the online version of *Note The GNU Emacs
Lisp Reference Manual: (elisp)Top. If not, you can order a printed
manual, which has the desirable side-effect of helping to support the
Free Software Foundation which made all this great software available.
You can find an order form by running `C-h C-d', or you can request an
order form from gnu@gnu.org.
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Reading, Next: Customizing Sending, Prev: Customizing mh-e, Up: Customizing mh-e
Reading Your Mail
=================
I'll start out by including a function that I use as a front end to
mh-e. (1) It toggles between your working window configuration, which
may be quite involved--windows filled with source, compilation output,
man pages, and other documentation--and your mh-e window configuration.
Like the rest of the customization described in this chapter, simply
add the following code to `~/.emacs'. Don't be intimidated by the size
of this example; most customizations are only one line.
Starting mh-e
(defvar my-mh-screen-saved nil
"Set to non-`nil' when mh-e window configuration shown.")
(defvar my-normal-screen nil "Normal window configuration.")
(defvar my-mh-screen nil "mh-e window configuration.")
(defun my-mh-rmail (&optional arg)
"Toggle between mh-e and normal screen configurations.
With non-`nil' or prefix argument, inc mailbox as well
when going into mail."
(interactive "P") ; user callable function, P=prefix arg
(setq my-mh-screen-saved ; save state
(cond
;; Bring up mh-e screen if arg or normal window configuration.
;; If arg or +inbox buffer doesn't exist, run mh-rmail.
((or arg (null my-mh-screen-saved))
(setq my-normal-screen (current-window-configuration))
(if (or arg (null (get-buffer "+inbox")))
(mh-rmail)
(set-window-configuration my-mh-screen))
t) ; set my-mh-screen-saved to `t'
;; Otherwise, save mh-e screen and restore normal screen.
(t
(setq my-mh-screen (current-window-configuration))
(set-window-configuration my-normal-screen)
nil)))) ; set my-mh-screen-saved to nil
(global-set-key "\C-x\r" 'my-mh-rmail) ; call with C-x RET
If you type an argument (`C-u') or if `my-mh-screen-saved' is `nil'
(meaning a non-mh-e window configuration), the current window
configuration is saved, either +inbox is displayed or `mh-rmail' is
run, and the mh-e window configuration is shown. Otherwise, the mh-e
window configuration is saved and the original configuration is
displayed.
Now to configure mh-e. The following table lists general mh-e
variables and variables that are used while reading mail.
`mh-progs'
Directory containing MH programs (default: dynamic).
`mh-lib'
Directory containing MH support files and programs (default:
dynamic).
`mh-do-not-confirm'
Don't confirm on non-reversible commands (default: `nil').
`mh-summary-height'
Number of scan lines to show (includes mode line) (default: 4).
`mh-folder-mode-hook'
Functions to run in MH-Folder mode (default: `nil').
`mh-clean-message-header'
Remove extraneous headers (default: `nil').
`mh-invisible-headers'
Headers to hide (default: `"^Received: \\| ^Message-Id: \\|
^Remailed-\\| ^Via: \\| ^Mail-from: \\| ^Return-Path: \\|
^In-Reply-To: \\| ^Resent-"').
`mh-visible-headers'
Headers to display (default: `nil').
`mhl-formfile'
Format file for `mhl' (default: `nil').
`mh-show-hook'
Functions to run when showing message (default: `nil').
`mh-show-mode-hook'
Functions to run when showing message (default: `nil').
`mh-bury-show-buffer'
Leave show buffer at bottom of stack (default: `t').
`mh-show-buffer-mode-line-buffer-id'
Name of show buffer in mode line (default: `"{show-%s} %d"').
The two variables `mh-progs' and `mh-lib' are used to tell mh-e
where the MH programs and supporting files are kept, respectively.
mh-e does try to figure out where they are kept for itself by looking in
common places and in the user's `PATH' environment variable, but if it
cannot find the directories, or finds the wrong ones, you should set
these variables. The name of the directory should be placed in double
quotes, and there should be a trailing slash (`/'). See the example in
*Note Getting Started::.
If you never make mistakes, and you do not like confirmations for
your actions, you can set `mh-do-not-confirm' to a non-`nil' value to
disable confirmation for unrecoverable commands such as `M-k'
(`mh-kill-folder') and `M-u' (`mh-undo-folder'). Here's how you set
boolean values:
(setq mh-do-not-confirm t)
The variable `mh-summary-height' controls the number of scan lines
displayed in the MH-Folder window, including the mode line. The
default value of 4 means that 3 scan lines are displayed. Here's how
you set numerical values:
(setq mh-summary-height 2) ; only show the current scan line
Normally the buffer for displaying messages is buried at the bottom
at the buffer stack. You may wish to disable this feature by setting
`mh-bury-show-buffer' to `nil'. One advantage of not burying the show
buffer is that one can delete the show buffer more easily in an
electric buffer list because of its proximity to its associated
MH-Folder buffer. Try running `M-x electric-buffer-list' to see what I
mean.
The hook `mh-folder-mode-hook' is called when a new folder is
created with MH-Folder mode. This could be used to set your own key
bindings, for example:
Create additional key bindings via mh-folder-mode-hook
(defvar my-mh-init-done nil "Non-`nil' when one-time mh-e settings made.")
(defun my-mh-folder-mode-hook ()
"Hook to set key bindings in MH-Folder mode."
(if (not my-mh-init-done) ; only need to bind the keys once
(progn
(local-set-key "/" 'search-msg)
(local-set-key "b" 'mh-burst-digest) ; better use of `b'
(setq my-mh-init-done t))))
;;; Emacs 19
(add-hook 'mh-folder-mode-hook 'my-mh-folder-mode-hook)
;;; Emacs 18
;;; (setq mh-folder-mode-hook (cons 'my-mh-folder-mode-hook
;;; mh-folder-mode-hook))
(defun search-msg ()
"Search for a regexp in the current message."
(interactive) ; user function
(save-window-excursion
(other-window 1) ; go to next window
(isearch-forward-regexp))) ; string search; hit return (ESC
; in Emacs 18) when done
* Menu:
* Customizing Viewing::
* Customizing Moving Around::
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) Stephen Gildea's favorite binding is `(global-set-key "\C-cr"
'mh-rmail)'.
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Viewing, Next: Customizing Moving Around, Prev: Customizing Reading, Up: Customizing Reading
Viewing Your Mail
-----------------
Several variables control what displayed messages look like.
Normally messages are delivered with a handful of uninteresting header
fields. You can make them go away by setting `mh-clean-message-header'
to a non-`nil' value. The header can then be cleaned up in two ways.
By default, the header fields in `mh-invisible-headers' are removed.
On the other hand, you could set `mh-visible-headers' to the fields
that you would like to see. If this variable is set,
`mh-invisible-headers' is ignored. I suggest that you not set
`mh-visible-headers' since if you use this variable, you might miss a
lot of header fields that you'd rather not miss. As an example of how
to set a string variable, `mh-visible-headers' can be set to show a
minimum set of header fields (see (*Note Syntax of Regular Expressions:
(emacs)Regexps, for a description of the special characters in this
string):
(setq mh-visible-headers "^From: \\|^Subject: \\|^Date: ")
Normally mh-e takes care of displaying messages itself (rather than
calling an MH program to do the work). If you'd rather have `mhl'
display the message (within mh-e), set the variable `mhl-formfile' to a
non-`nil' value. You can set this variable either to `t' to use the
default format file or to a filename if you have your own format file
(`mhl'(1) tells you how to write one). When writing your own format
file, use a nonzero value for `overflowoffset' to ensure the header is
RFC 822 compliant and parsable by mh-e. `mhl' is always used for
printing and forwarding; in this case, the value of `mhl-formfile' is
consulted if it is a filename.
Two hooks can be used to control how messages are displayed. The
first hook, `mh-show-mode-hook', is called early on in the process of
displaying of messages. It is used to perform some actions on the
contents of messages, such as highlighting the header fields. If you're
running Emacs 19 under the X Window System, the following example will
highlight the `From:' and `Subject:' header fields. This is a very
nice feature indeed.
Emphasize header fields in different fonts via mh-show-mode-hook
(defvar my-mh-keywords
'(("^From: \\(.*\\)" 1 'bold t)
("^Subject: \\(.*\\)" 1 'highlight t))
"mh-e additions for font-lock-keywords.")
(defun my-mh-show-mode-hook ()
"Hook to turn on and customize fonts."
(font-lock-add-keywords nil my-mh-keywords))
(add-hook 'mh-show-mode-hook 'my-mh-show-mode-hook))
The second hook, `mh-show-hook', is the last thing called after
messages are displayed. It's used to affect the behavior of mh-e in
general or when `mh-show-mode-hook' is too early. For example, if you
wanted to keep mh-e in sync with MH, you could use `mh-show-hook' as
follows:
(add-hook 'mh-show-hook 'mh-update-sequences)
The function `mh-update-sequences' is documented in *Note Finishing
Up::. For those who like to modify their mode lines, use
`mh-show-buffer-mode-line-buffer-id' to modify the mode line in the
MH-Show buffers. Place the two escape strings `%s' and `%d', which
will display the folder name and the message number, respectively,
somewhere in the string in that order. The default value of
`"{show-%s} %d"' yields a mode line of
-----{show-+inbox} 4 (MH-Show)--Bot--------------------------------
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Moving Around, Prev: Customizing Viewing, Up: Customizing Reading
Moving Around
-------------
When you use `t' (`mh-toggle-showing') to toggle between show mode
and scan mode, the MH-Show buffer is hidden and the MH-Folder buffer is
left alone. Setting `mh-recenter-summary-p' to a non-`nil' value
causes the toggle to display as many scan lines as possible, with the
cursor at the middle. The effect of `mh-recenter-summary-p' is rather
useful, but it can be annoying on a slow network connection.
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Sending, Next: Customizing Draft Editing, Prev: Customizing Reading, Up: Customizing mh-e
Sending Mail
============
You may wish to start off by adding the following useful key
bindings to your `.emacs' file:
(global-set-key "\C-xm" 'mh-smail)
(global-set-key "\C-x4m" 'mh-smail-other-window)
In addition, several variables are useful when sending mail or
replying to mail. They are summarized in the following table.
`mh-comp-formfile'
Format file for drafts (default: `"components"').
`mh-repl-formfile'
Format file for replies (default: `"replcomps"').
`mh-letter-mode-hook'
Functions to run in MH-Letter mode (default: `nil').
`mh-compose-letter-function'
Functions to run when starting a new draft (default: `nil').
`mh-reply-default-reply-to'
Whom reply goes to (default: `nil').
`mh-forward-subject-format'
Format string for forwarded message subject (default: `"%s: %s"').
`mh-redist-full-contents'
`send' requires entire message (default: `nil').
`mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers'
Remove these header fields from re-edited draft. The default is:
"^Date:\\| ^Received:\\| ^Message-Id:\\| ^From:\\|
^Sender:\\| ^Delivery-Date:\\| ^Return-Path:".
Since mh-e does not use `comp' to create the initial draft, you need
to set `mh-comp-formfile' to the name of your components file if it
isn't `components'. This is the name of the file that contains the
form for composing messages. If it does not contain an absolute
pathname, mh-e searches for the file first in your MH directory and
then in the system MH library directory (such as `/usr/local/lib/mh').
Replies, on the other hand, are built using `repl'. You can change the
location of the field file from the default of `replcomps' by modifying
`mh-repl-formfile'.
Two hooks are provided to run commands on your freshly created draft.
The first hook, `mh-letter-mode-hook', allows you to do some processing
before editing a letter. For example, you may wish to modify the
header after `repl' has done its work, or you may have a complicated
`components' file and need to tell mh-e where the cursor should go.
Here's an example of how you would use this hook--all of the other
hooks are set in this fashion as well.
Prepare draft for editing via mh-letter-mode-hook
(defvar letter-mode-init-done nil
"Non-`nil' when one-time mh-e settings have made.")
(defun my-mh-letter-mode-hook ()
"Hook to prepare letter for editing."
(if (not letter-mode-init-done) ; only need to bind the keys once
(progn
(local-set-key "\C-ctb" 'add-enriched-text)
(local-set-key "\C-cti" 'add-enriched-text)
(local-set-key "\C-ctf" 'add-enriched-text)
(local-set-key "\C-cts" 'add-enriched-text)
(local-set-key "\C-ctB" 'add-enriched-text)
(local-set-key "\C-ctu" 'add-enriched-text)
(local-set-key "\C-ctc" 'add-enriched-text)
(setq letter-mode-init-done t)))
(setq fill-prefix " ") ; I find indented text easier to read
(save-excursion
(goto-char (point-max)) ; go to end of message to
(mh-insert-signature))) ; insert signature
(add-hook 'mh-letter-mode-hook 'my-mh-letter-mode-hook)
The function, `add-enriched-text' is defined in the example in *Note
Customizing Editing MIME::.
The second hook, a function really, is `mh-compose-letter-function'.
Like `mh-letter-mode-hook', it is called just before editing a new
message; however, it is the last function called before you edit your
message. The consequence of this is that you can write a function to
write and send the message for you. This function is passed three
arguments: the contents of the `To:', `Subject:', and `cc:' header
fields.
* Menu:
* Customizing Replying::
* Customizing Forwarding::
* Customizing Redistributing::
* Customizing Old Drafts::
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Replying, Next: Customizing Forwarding, Prev: Customizing Sending, Up: Customizing Sending
Replying to Mail
----------------
If you find that most of the time that you specify `cc' when you
reply to a message, set `mh-reply-default-reply-to' to `cc'. This
variable is normally set to `nil' so that you are prompted for the
recipient of a reply. It can be set to one of `from', `to', or `cc';
you are then no longer prompted for the recipient(s) of your reply.
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Forwarding, Next: Customizing Redistributing, Prev: Customizing Replying, Up: Customizing Sending
Forwarding Mail
---------------
When forwarding a message, the format of the `Subject:' header field
can be modified by the variable `mh-forward-subject-format'. This
variable is a string which includes two escapes (`%s'). The first `%s'
is replaced with the sender of the original message, and the second one
is replaced with the original `Subject:'. The default value of `"%s:
%s"' takes a message with the header:
To: Bill Wohler <wohler@newt.com>
Subject: Re: 49er football
From: Greg DesBrisay <gd@cellnet.com>
and creates a subject header field of:
Subject: Greg DesBrisay: Re: 49er football
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Redistributing, Next: Customizing Old Drafts, Prev: Customizing Forwarding, Up: Customizing Sending
Redistributing Your Mail
------------------------
The variable `mh-redist-full-contents' must be set to non-`nil' if
`dist' requires the whole letter for redistribution, which is the case
if `send' is compiled with the BERK (1) option (which many people
abhor). If you find that MH will not allow you to redistribute a
message that has been redistributed before, this variable should be set
to `nil'.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) To see which options your copy of MH was compiled with, use `M-x
mh-version' (*Note Miscellaneous::).
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Old Drafts, Prev: Customizing Redistributing, Up: Customizing Sending
Editing Old Drafts and Bounced Messages
---------------------------------------
The header fields specified by `mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers' are
removed from an old draft that has been recreated with `M-e'
(`mh-extract-rejected-mail') or `M-a' (`mh-edit-again'). If when you
edit an old draft with these commands you find that there are header
fields that you don't want included, you can append them to this
variable. For example,
(setq mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers
(concat mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers "\\|^Some-Field:"))
This appends the regular expression `\\|^Some-Field:' to the
variable (*note Syntax of Regular Expressions: (emacs)Regexps.). The
`\\|' means _or_, and the `^' (caret) matches the beginning of the
line. This is done to be very specific about which fields match. The
literal `:' is appended for the same reason.
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Draft Editing, Next: Customizing Moving Mail, Prev: Customizing Sending, Up: Customizing mh-e
Editing a Draft
===============
There are several variables used during the draft editing phase.
Examples include changing the name of the file that holds your signature
or telling mh-e about new multimedia types. They are:
`mh-yank-from-start-of-msg'
How to yank when region not set (default: `t').
`mh-ins-buf-prefix'
Indent for yanked messages (default: `"> "').
`mail-citation-hook'
Functions to run on yanked messages (default: `nil').
`mh-delete-yanked-msg-window'
Delete message window on yank (default: `nil').
`mh-mime-content-types'
List of valid content types (default: `'(("text/plain")
("text/richtext") ("multipart/mixed") ("multipart/alternative")
("multipart/digest") ("multipart/parallel") ("message/rfc822")
("message/partial") ("message/external-body")
("application/octet-stream") ("application/postscript")
("image/jpeg") ("image/gif") ("audio/basic") ("video/mpeg"))').
`mh-mhn-args'
Additional arguments for `mhn' (default: `nil').
`mh-signature-file-name'
File containing signature (default: `"~/.signature"').
`mh-before-send-letter-hook'
Functions to run before sending draft (default: `nil').
`mh-send-prog'
MH program used to send messages (default: `"send"').
* Menu:
* Customizing Editing Textual::
* Customizing Editing MIME::
* Customizing Sending Message::
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Editing Textual, Next: Customizing Editing MIME, Prev: Customizing Draft Editing, Up: Customizing Draft Editing
Editing Textual Messages
------------------------
The following two sections include variables that customize the way
you edit a draft. The discussion here applies to editing multimedia
messages as well.
* Menu:
* Customizing Inserting Letter::
* Customizing Signature::
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Inserting Letter, Next: Customizing Signature, Prev: Customizing Editing Textual, Up: Customizing Editing Textual
Inserting letter to which you're replying
.........................................
To control how much of the message to which you are replying is
yanked by `C-c C-y' (`mh-yank-cur-msg') into your reply, modify
`mh-yank-from-start-of-msg'. The default value of `t' means that the
entire message is copied. If it is set to `'body' (don't forget the
apostrophe), then only the message body is copied. If it is set to
`nil', only the part of the message following point (the current cursor
position in the message's buffer) is copied. In any case, this
variable is ignored if a region is set in the message you are replying
to. The string contained in `mh-ins-buf-prefix' is inserted before
each line of a message that is inserted into a draft with `C-c C-y'
(`mh-yank-cur-msg'). I suggest that you not modify this variable. The
default value of `"> "' is the default string for many mailers and news
readers: messages are far easier to read if several included messages
have all been indented by the same string. The variable
`mail-citation-hook' is `nil' by default, which means that when a
message is inserted into the letter, each line is prefixed by
`mh-ins-buf-prefix'. Otherwise, it can be set to a function that
modifies an included citation. (1) If you like to yank all the text
from the message you're replying to in one go, set
`mh-delete-yanked-msg-window' to non-`nil' to delete the window
containing the original message after yanking it to make more room on
your screen for your reply.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) _Supercite_ is an example of a full-bodied, full-featured
citation package. It is in Emacs versions 19.15 and later, and can be
found via anonymous `ftp' on `archive.cis.ohio-state.edu' in
`/pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/packages/sc3.1.tar.Z'
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Signature, Prev: Customizing Inserting Letter, Up: Customizing Editing Textual
Inserting your signature
........................
You can change the name of the file inserted with `C-c C-s'
(`mh-insert-signature') by changing `mh-signature-file-name' (default:
`"~/.signature"').
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Editing MIME, Next: Customizing Sending Message, Prev: Customizing Editing Textual, Up: Customizing Draft Editing
Editing Multimedia Messages
---------------------------
The variable `mh-mime-content-types' contains a list of the
currently valid content types. They are listed in the table in *Note
Customizing Draft Editing::. If you encounter a new content type, you
can add it like this:
(setq mh-mime-content-types (append mh-mime-content-types
'(("NEW/TYPE"))))
Emacs macros can be used to insert enriched text directives like
`<bold>'. The following code will make, for example, `C-c t b' insert
the `<bold>' directive.
Emacs macros for entering enriched text
(defvar enriched-text-types '(("b" . "bold") ("i" . "italic")
("f" . "fixed") ("s" . "smaller")
("B" . "bigger") ("u" . "underline")
("c" . "center"))
"Alist of (final-character . directive) choices for add-enriched-text.
Additional types can be found in RFC 1563.")
(defun add-enriched-text (begin end)
"Add enriched text directives around region.
The directive used comes from the list enriched-text-types and is
specified by the last keystroke of the command. When called from Lisp,
arguments are BEGIN and END."
(interactive "r")
;; Set type to the directive indicated by the last keystroke.
(let ((type (cdr (assoc (char-to-string (logior last-input-char ?`))
enriched-text-types))))
(save-restriction ; restores state from narrow-to-region
(narrow-to-region begin end) ; narrow view to region
(goto-char (point-min)) ; move to beginning of text
(insert "<" type ">") ; insert beginning directive
(goto-char (point-max)) ; move to end of text
(insert "</" type ">")))) ; insert terminating directive
To use the function `add-enriched-text', first create key bindings
for it (*note Customizing Sending::). Then, set the mark with `C-@' or
`C-SPC', type in the text to be highlighted, and type `C-c t b'. This
adds `<bold>' where you set the mark and adds `</bold>' at the location
of your cursor, giving you something like: `You should be
<bold>very</bold>'. You may also be interested in investigating
`sgml-mode'.
* Menu:
* Customizing Sending MIME::
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Sending MIME, Prev: Customizing Editing MIME, Up: Customizing Editing MIME
Readying multimedia messages for sending
........................................
If you wish to pass additional arguments to `mhn' to affect how it
builds your message, use the variable `mh-mhn-args'. For example, you
can build a consistency check into the message by setting `mh-mhn-args'
to `-check'. The recipient of your message can then run `mhn -check'
on the message--`mhn' will complain if the message has been corrupted
on the way. The `C-c C-e' (`mh-mhn-edit') command only consults this
variable when given a prefix argument.
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Sending Message, Prev: Customizing Editing MIME, Up: Customizing Draft Editing
Sending a Message
-----------------
If you want to check your spelling in your message before sending,
use `mh-before-send-letter-hook' like this:
Spell-check message via mh-before-send-letter-hook
(add-hook 'mh-before-send-letter-hook 'ispell-message)
In case the MH `send' program is installed under a different name,
use `mh-send-prog' to tell mh-e the name.
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Moving Mail, Next: Customizing Searching, Prev: Customizing Draft Editing, Up: Customizing mh-e
Moving Your Mail Around
=======================
If you change the name of some of the MH programs or have your own
printing programs, the following variables can help you. They are
described in detail in the subsequent sections.
`mh-inc-prog'
Program to incorporate mail (default: `"inc"').
`mh-inc-folder-hook'
Functions to run when incorporating mail (default: `nil').
`mh-delete-msg-hook'
Functions to run when deleting messages (default: `nil').
`mh-print-background'
Print in foreground or background (default: `nil').
`mh-lpr-command-format'
Command used to print (default: `"lpr -J '%s'"').
`mh-default-folder-for-message-function'
Function to generate a default folder (default: `nil').
`mh-auto-folder-collect'
Collect folder names in background at startup (default: `t').
`mh-recursive-folders'
Collect nested folders (default: `nil').
`mh-refile-msg-hook'
Functions to run when refiling message (default: `nil').
`mh-store-default-directory'
Default directory for storing files created by `uuencode' or `shar'
(default: `nil').
`mh-sortm-args'
Additional arguments for `sortm' (default: `nil').
`mh-scan-prog'
Program to scan messages (default: `"scan"').
`mh-before-quit-hook'
Functions to run before quitting (default: `nil'). See also
`mh-quit-hook'.
`mh-quit-hook'
Functions to run after quitting (default: `nil'). See also
`mh-before-quit-hook'.
* Menu:
* Customizing Incorporating::
* Customizing Deleting::
* Customizing Organizing::
* Customizing Printing::
* Customizing Files and Pipes::
* Customizing Finishing Up::
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Incorporating, Next: Customizing Deleting, Prev: Customizing Moving Mail, Up: Customizing Moving Mail
Incorporating Your Mail
-----------------------
The name of the program that incorporates new mail is stored in
`mh-inc-prog'; it is `"inc"' by default. This program generates a
one-line summary for each of the new messages. Unless it is an
absolute pathname, the file is assumed to be in the `mh-progs'
directory. You may also link a file to `inc' that uses a different
format (see `mh-profile'(5)). You'll then need to modify several
variables appropriately; see `mh-scan-prog' below. You can set the
hook `mh-inc-folder-hook', which is called after new mail is
incorporated by the `i' (`mh-inc-folder') command. A good use of this
hook is to rescan the whole folder either after running `M-x mh-rmail'
the first time or when you've changed the message numbers from outside
of mh-e.
Rescan folder after incorporating new mail via mh-inc-folder-hook
(defun my-mh-inc-folder-hook ()
"Hook to rescan folder after incorporating mail."
(if (buffer-modified-p) ; if outstanding refiles and deletes,
(mh-execute-commands)) ; carry them out
(mh-rescan-folder) ; synchronize with +inbox
(mh-show)) ; show the current message
(add-hook 'mh-inc-folder-hook 'my-mh-inc-folder-hook)
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Deleting, Next: Customizing Organizing, Prev: Customizing Incorporating, Up: Customizing Moving Mail
Deleting Your Mail
------------------
The hook `mh-delete-msg-hook' is called after you mark a message for
deletion. For example, the current maintainer of mh-e used this once
when he kept statistics on his mail usage.
File: mh-e, Node: Customizing Organizing, Next: Customizing Printing, Prev: Customizing Deleting, Up: Customizing Moving Mail
Organizing Your Mail with Folders
---------------------------------
By default, operations on folders work only one level at a time. Set
`mh-recursive-folders' to non-`nil' to operate on all folders. This
mostly means that you'll be able to see all your folders when you press
<TAB> when prompted for a folder name. The variable
`mh-auto-folder-collect' is normally turned on to generate a list of
folder names in the background as soon as mh-e is loaded. Otherwise,
the list is generated when you need a folder name the first time (as
with `o' (`mh-refile-msg')). If you have a lot of folders and you have
`mh-recursive-folders' set, this could take a while, which is why it's
nice to do the folder collection in the background.
The function `mh-default-folder-for-message-function' is used by `o'
(`mh-refile-msg') and `C-c C-f C-f' (`mh-to-fcc') to generate a default
folder. The generated folder name should be a string with a `+' before
it. For each of my correspondents, I use the same name for both an
alias and a folder. So, I wrote a function that takes the address in
the `From:' header field, finds it in my alias file, and returns the
alias, which is used as a default folder name. This is the most
complicated example given here, and it demonstrates several features of
Emacs Lisp programming. You should be able to drop this into
`~/.emacs', however. If you use this to store messages in a subfolder
of your Mail directory, you can modify the line that starts `(format
+%s...' and insert your subfolder after the folder symbol `+'.
Creating useful default folder for refiling via mh-default-folder-for-message-function
(defun my-mh-folder-from-address ()
"Determine folder name from address.
Takes the address in the From: header field, and returns its
corresponding alias from the user's personal aliases file. Returns
`nil' if the address was not found."
(require 'rfc822) ; for the rfc822 functions
(search-forward-regexp "^From: \\(.*\\)") ; grab header field contents
(save-excursion ; save state
(let ((addr (car (rfc822-addresses ; get address
(buffer-substring (match-beginning 1)
(match-end 1)))))
(buffer (get-buffer-create " *temp*")) ; set local variables
folder)
(set-buffer buffer) ; jump to temporary buffer
(unwind-protect ; run kill-buffer when done
(progn ; function grouping construct
(insert-file-contents (expand-file-name "aliases"
mh-user-path))
(goto-char (point-min)) ; grab aliases file and go to start
(setq folder
;; Search for the given address, even commented-out
;; addresses are found!
;; The function search-forward-regexp sets values that
;; are later used by match-beginning and match-end.
(if (search-forward-regexp (format "^;*\\(.*\\):.*%s"
addr) nil t)
;; NOTE WELL: this is what the return value looks
;; like. You can modify the format string to match
;; your own Mail hierarchy.
(format "+%s" (buffer-substring
(match-beginning 1)
(match-end 1))))))
(kill-buffer buffer)) ; get rid of our temporary buffer
folder))) ; function's return value
(setq mh-default-folder-for-message-function 'my-mh-folder-from-address)
The hook `mh-refile-msg-hook' is called after a message is marked to
be refiled.
The variable `mh-sortm-args' holds extra arguments to pass on to the
`sortm' command. Note: this variable is only consulted when a prefix
argument is given to `M-x mh-sort-folder'. It is used to override any
arguments given in a `sortm:' entry in your MH profile
(`~/.mh_profile').
* Menu:
* Customizing Scan Line Formats::