This is ../info/emacs, produced by makeinfo version 4.0f from
emacs.texi.
This is the Fourteenth edition of the `GNU Emacs Manual', updated
for Emacs version 21.2.
INFO-DIR-SECTION Emacs
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Emacs: (emacs). The extensible self-documenting text editor.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
Published by the Free Software Foundation 59 Temple Place, Suite 330
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Copyright (C)
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Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
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Invariant Sections being "The GNU Manifesto", "Distribution" and "GNU
GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE", 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."
(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."
File: emacs, Node: Mail Mode Misc, Prev: Citing Mail, Up: Mail Mode
Mail Mode Miscellany
--------------------
`C-c C-t'
Move to the beginning of the message body text (`mail-text').
`C-c C-w'
Insert the file `~/.signature' at the end of the message text
(`mail-signature').
`C-c C-i FILE <RET>'
Insert the contents of FILE at the end of the outgoing message
(`mail-attach-file').
`M-x ispell-message'
Perform spelling correction on the message text, but not on
citations from other messages.
`C-c C-t' (`mail-text') moves point to just after the header
separator line--that is, to the beginning of the message body text.
`C-c C-w' (`mail-signature') adds a standard piece of text at the
end of the message to say more about who you are. The text comes from
the file `~/.signature' in your home directory. To insert your
signature automatically, set the variable `mail-signature' to `t';
after that, starting a mail message automatically inserts the contents
of your `~/.signature' file. If you want to omit your signature from a
particular message, delete it from the buffer before you send the
message.
You can also set `mail-signature' to a string; then that string is
inserted automatically as your signature when you start editing a
message to send. If you set it to some other Lisp expression, the
expression is evaluated each time, and its value (which should be a
string) specifies the signature.
You can do spelling correction on the message text you have written
with the command `M-x ispell-message'. If you have yanked an incoming
message into the outgoing draft, this command skips what was yanked,
but it checks the text that you yourself inserted. (It looks for
indentation or `mail-yank-prefix' to distinguish the cited lines from
your input.) *Note Spelling::.
To include a file in the outgoing message, you can use `C-x i', the
usual command to insert a file in the current buffer. But it is often
more convenient to use a special command, `C-c C-i'
(`mail-attach-file'). This command inserts the file contents at the
end of the buffer, after your signature if any, with a delimiter line
that includes the file name.
Turning on Mail mode (which `C-x m' does automatically) runs the
normal hooks `text-mode-hook' and `mail-mode-hook'. Initializing a new
outgoing message runs the normal hook `mail-setup-hook'; if you want to
add special fields to your mail header or make other changes to the
appearance of the mail buffer, use that hook. *Note Hooks::.
The main difference between these hooks is just when they are
invoked. Whenever you type `M-x mail', `mail-mode-hook' runs as soon
as the `*mail*' buffer is created. Then the `mail-setup' function
inserts the default contents of the buffer. After these default
contents are inserted, `mail-setup-hook' runs.
File: emacs, Node: Mail Amusements, Next: Mail Methods, Prev: Mail Mode, Up: Sending Mail
Mail Amusements
===============
`M-x spook' adds a line of randomly chosen keywords to an outgoing
mail message. The keywords are chosen from a list of words that suggest
you are discussing something subversive.
The idea behind this feature is the suspicion that the NSA(1) snoops
on all electronic mail messages that contain keywords suggesting they
might find them interesting. (The NSA says they don't, but that's what
they _would_ say.) The idea is that if lots of people add suspicious
words to their messages, the NSA will get so busy with spurious input
that they will have to give up reading it all.
Here's how to insert spook keywords automatically whenever you start
entering an outgoing message:
(add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'spook)
Whether or not this confuses the NSA, it at least amuses people.
You can use the `fortune' program to put a "fortune cookie" message
into outgoing mail. To do this, add `fortune-to-signature' to
`mail-setup-hook':
(add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'fortune-to-signature)
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) The US National Security Agency.
File: emacs, Node: Mail Methods, Prev: Mail Amusements, Up: Sending Mail
Mail-Composition Methods
========================
In this chapter we have described the usual Emacs mode for editing
and sending mail--Mail mode. Emacs has alternative facilities for
editing and sending mail, including MH-E and Message mode, not
documented in this manual. *Note MH-E: (mh-e)MH-E. *Note Message:
(message)Message. You can choose any of them as your preferred method.
The commands `C-x m', `C-x 4 m' and `C-x 5 m' use whichever agent you
have specified, as do various other Emacs commands and facilities that
send mail.
To specify your mail-composition method, customize the variable
`mail-user-agent'. Currently legitimate values include
`sendmail-user-agent' (Mail mode), `mh-e-user-agent',
`message-user-agent' and `gnus-user-agent'.
If you select a different mail-composition method, the information
in this chapter about the `*mail*' buffer and Mail mode does not apply;
the other methods use a different format of text in a different buffer,
and their commands are different as well.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail, Next: Dired, Prev: Sending Mail, Up: Top
Reading Mail with Rmail
***********************
Rmail is an Emacs subsystem for reading and disposing of mail that
you receive. Rmail stores mail messages in files called Rmail files.
Reading the message in an Rmail file is done in a special major mode,
Rmail mode, which redefines most letters to run commands for managing
mail. The command `rmail-mode' is used to switch into Rmail mode, and
it runs the hook `rmail-mode-hook' as usual, but don't run this command
by hand; it can't do a reasonable job unless the buffer is visiting a
proper Rmail file.
* Menu:
* Basic: Rmail Basics. Basic concepts of Rmail, and simple use.
* Scroll: Rmail Scrolling. Scrolling through a message.
* Motion: Rmail Motion. Moving to another message.
* Deletion: Rmail Deletion. Deleting and expunging messages.
* Inbox: Rmail Inbox. How mail gets into the Rmail file.
* Files: Rmail Files. Using multiple Rmail files.
* Output: Rmail Output. Copying message out to files.
* Labels: Rmail Labels. Classifying messages by labeling them.
* Attrs: Rmail Attributes. Certain standard labels, called attributes.
* Reply: Rmail Reply. Sending replies to messages you are viewing.
* Summary: Rmail Summary. Summaries show brief info on many messages.
* Sort: Rmail Sorting. Sorting messages in Rmail.
* Display: Rmail Display. How Rmail displays a message; customization.
* Coding: Rmail Coding. How Rmail handles decoding character sets.
* Editing: Rmail Editing. Editing message text and headers in Rmail.
* Digest: Rmail Digest. Extracting the messages from a digest message.
* Out of Rmail:: Converting an Rmail file to mailbox format.
* Rot13: Rmail Rot13. Reading messages encoded in the rot13 code.
* Movemail: Movemail. More details of fetching new mail.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Basics, Next: Rmail Scrolling, Up: Rmail
Basic Concepts of Rmail
=======================
Using Rmail in the simplest fashion, you have one Rmail file
`~/RMAIL' in which all of your mail is saved. It is called your
"primary Rmail file". The command `M-x rmail' reads your primary Rmail
file, merges new mail in from your inboxes, displays the first message
you haven't read yet, and lets you begin reading. The variable
`rmail-file-name' specifies the name of the primary Rmail file.
Rmail uses narrowing to hide all but one message in the Rmail file.
The message that is shown is called the "current message". Rmail
mode's special commands can do such things as delete the current
message, copy it into another file, send a reply, or move to another
message. You can also create multiple Rmail files and use Rmail to move
messages between them.
Within the Rmail file, messages are normally arranged sequentially in
order of receipt; you can specify other ways to sort them. Messages are
assigned consecutive integers as their "message numbers". The number
of the current message is displayed in Rmail's mode line, followed by
the total number of messages in the file. You can move to a message by
specifying its message number with the `j' key (*note Rmail Motion::).
Following the usual conventions of Emacs, changes in an Rmail file
become permanent only when the file is saved. You can save it with `s'
(`rmail-expunge-and-save'), which also expunges deleted messages from
the file first (*note Rmail Deletion::). To save the file without
expunging, use `C-x C-s'. Rmail also saves the Rmail file after
merging new mail from an inbox file (*note Rmail Inbox::).
You can exit Rmail with `q' (`rmail-quit'); this expunges and saves
the Rmail file and then switches to another buffer. But there is no
need to "exit" formally. If you switch from Rmail to editing in other
buffers, and never happen to switch back, you have exited. (The Rmail
command `b', `rmail-bury', does this for you.) Just make sure to save
the Rmail file eventually (like any other file you have changed). `C-x
s' is a good enough way to do this (*note Saving::).
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Scrolling, Next: Rmail Motion, Prev: Rmail Basics, Up: Rmail
Scrolling Within a Message
==========================
When Rmail displays a message that does not fit on the screen, you
must scroll through it to read the rest. You could do this with `C-v',
`M-v' and `M-<', but in Rmail scrolling is so frequent that it deserves
to be easier to type.
`<SPC>'
Scroll forward (`scroll-up').
`<DEL>'
Scroll backward (`scroll-down').
`.'
Scroll to start of message (`rmail-beginning-of-message').
Since the most common thing to do while reading a message is to
scroll through it by screenfuls, Rmail makes <SPC> and <DEL> synonyms of
`C-v' (`scroll-up') and `M-v' (`scroll-down')
The command `.' (`rmail-beginning-of-message') scrolls back to the
beginning of the selected message. This is not quite the same as `M-<':
for one thing, it does not set the mark; for another, it resets the
buffer boundaries to the current message if you have changed them.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Motion, Next: Rmail Deletion, Prev: Rmail Scrolling, Up: Rmail
Moving Among Messages
=====================
The most basic thing to do with a message is to read it. The way to
do this in Rmail is to make the message current. The usual practice is
to move sequentially through the file, since this is the order of
receipt of messages. When you enter Rmail, you are positioned at the
first message that you have not yet made current (that is, the first one
that has the `unseen' attribute; *note Rmail Attributes::). Move
forward to see the other new messages; move backward to re-examine old
messages.
`n'
Move to the next nondeleted message, skipping any intervening
deleted messages (`rmail-next-undeleted-message').
`p'
Move to the previous nondeleted message
(`rmail-previous-undeleted-message').
`M-n'
Move to the next message, including deleted messages
(`rmail-next-message').
`M-p'
Move to the previous message, including deleted messages
(`rmail-previous-message').
`j'
Move to the first message. With argument N, move to message
number N (`rmail-show-message').
`>'
Move to the last message (`rmail-last-message').
`<'
Move to the first message (`rmail-first-message').
`M-s REGEXP <RET>'
Move to the next message containing a match for REGEXP
(`rmail-search').
`- M-s REGEXP <RET>'
Move to the previous message containing a match for REGEXP.
`n' and `p' are the usual way of moving among messages in Rmail.
They move through the messages sequentially, but skip over deleted
messages, which is usually what you want to do. Their command
definitions are named `rmail-next-undeleted-message' and
`rmail-previous-undeleted-message'. If you do not want to skip deleted
messages--for example, if you want to move to a message to undelete
it--use the variants `M-n' and `M-p' (`rmail-next-message' and
`rmail-previous-message'). A numeric argument to any of these commands
serves as a repeat count.
In Rmail, you can specify a numeric argument by typing just the
digits. You don't need to type `C-u' first.
The `M-s' (`rmail-search') command is Rmail's version of search.
The usual incremental search command `C-s' works in Rmail, but it
searches only within the current message. The purpose of `M-s' is to
search for another message. It reads a regular expression (*note
Regexps::) nonincrementally, then searches starting at the beginning of
the following message for a match. It then selects that message. If
REGEXP is empty, `M-s' reuses the regexp used the previous time.
To search backward in the file for another message, give `M-s' a
negative argument. In Rmail you can do this with `- M-s'.
It is also possible to search for a message based on labels. *Note
Rmail Labels::.
To move to a message specified by absolute message number, use `j'
(`rmail-show-message') with the message number as argument. With no
argument, `j' selects the first message. `<' (`rmail-first-message')
also selects the first message. `>' (`rmail-last-message') selects the
last message.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Deletion, Next: Rmail Inbox, Prev: Rmail Motion, Up: Rmail
Deleting Messages
=================
When you no longer need to keep a message, you can "delete" it. This
flags it as ignorable, and some Rmail commands pretend it is no longer
present; but it still has its place in the Rmail file, and still has its
message number.
"Expunging" the Rmail file actually removes the deleted messages.
The remaining messages are renumbered consecutively. Expunging is the
only action that changes the message number of any message, except for
undigestifying (*note Rmail Digest::).
`d'
Delete the current message, and move to the next nondeleted message
(`rmail-delete-forward').
`C-d'
Delete the current message, and move to the previous nondeleted
message (`rmail-delete-backward').
`u'
Undelete the current message, or move back to a deleted message and
undelete it (`rmail-undelete-previous-message').
`x'
Expunge the Rmail file (`rmail-expunge').
There are two Rmail commands for deleting messages. Both delete the
current message and select another message. `d'
(`rmail-delete-forward') moves to the following message, skipping
messages already deleted, while `C-d' (`rmail-delete-backward') moves
to the previous nondeleted message. If there is no nondeleted message
to move to in the specified direction, the message that was just
deleted remains current. A numeric argument to either command reverses
the direction of motion after deletion.
Whenever Rmail deletes a message, it runs the hook
`rmail-delete-message-hook'. When the hook functions are invoked, the
message has been marked deleted, but it is still the current message in
the Rmail buffer.
To make all the deleted messages finally vanish from the Rmail file,
type `x' (`rmail-expunge'). Until you do this, you can still
"undelete" the deleted messages. The undeletion command, `u'
(`rmail-undelete-previous-message'), is designed to cancel the effect
of a `d' command in most cases. It undeletes the current message if
the current message is deleted. Otherwise it moves backward to
previous messages until a deleted message is found, and undeletes that
message.
You can usually undo a `d' with a `u' because the `u' moves back to
and undeletes the message that the `d' deleted. But this does not work
when the `d' skips a few already-deleted messages that follow the
message being deleted; then the `u' command undeletes the last of the
messages that were skipped. There is no clean way to avoid this
problem. However, by repeating the `u' command, you can eventually get
back to the message that you intend to undelete. You can also select a
particular deleted message with the `M-p' command, then type `u' to
undelete it.
A deleted message has the `deleted' attribute, and as a result
`deleted' appears in the mode line when the current message is deleted.
In fact, deleting or undeleting a message is nothing more than adding
or removing this attribute. *Note Rmail Attributes::.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Inbox, Next: Rmail Files, Prev: Rmail Deletion, Up: Rmail
Rmail Files and Inboxes
=======================
The operating system places incoming mail for you in a file that we
call your "inbox". When you start up Rmail, it runs a C program called
`movemail' to copy the new messages from your inbox into your primary
Rmail file, which also contains other messages saved from previous
Rmail sessions. It is in this file that you actually read the mail
with Rmail. This operation is called "getting new mail". You can get
new mail at any time in Rmail by typing `g'.
The variable `rmail-primary-inbox-list' contains a list of the files
which are inboxes for your primary Rmail file. If you don't set this
variable explicitly, it is initialized from the `MAIL' environment
variable, or, as a last resort, set to `nil', which means to use the
default inbox. The default inbox is `/var/mail/USERNAME',
`/usr/spool/mail/USERNAME', or `/usr/mail/USERNAME', depending on your
operating system.
To see what the default is on your system, use `C-h v
rmail-primary-inbox <RET>'. You can specify the inbox file(s) for any
Rmail file with the command `set-rmail-inbox-list'; see *Note Rmail
Files::.
There are two reasons for having separate Rmail files and inboxes.
1. The inbox file format varies between operating systems and
according to the other mail software in use. Only one part of
Rmail needs to know about the alternatives, and it need only
understand how to convert all of them to Rmail's own format.
2. It is very cumbersome to access an inbox file without danger of
losing mail, because it is necessary to interlock with mail
delivery. Moreover, different operating systems use different
interlocking techniques. The strategy of moving mail out of the
inbox once and for all into a separate Rmail file avoids the need
for interlocking in all the rest of Rmail, since only Rmail
operates on the Rmail file.
Rmail was written to use Babyl format as its internal format. Since
then, we have recognized that the usual inbox format on Unix and GNU
systems is adequate for the job, and we plan to change Rmail to use that
as its internal format. However, the Rmail file will still be separate
from the inbox file, even on systems where their format is the same.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Files, Next: Rmail Output, Prev: Rmail Inbox, Up: Rmail
Multiple Rmail Files
====================
Rmail operates by default on your "primary Rmail file", which is
named `~/RMAIL' and receives your incoming mail from your system inbox
file. But you can also have other Rmail files and edit them with
Rmail. These files can receive mail through their own inboxes, or you
can move messages into them with explicit Rmail commands (*note Rmail
Output::).
`i FILE <RET>'
Read FILE into Emacs and run Rmail on it (`rmail-input').
`M-x set-rmail-inbox-list <RET> FILES <RET>'
Specify inbox file names for current Rmail file to get mail from.
`g'
Merge new mail from current Rmail file's inboxes
(`rmail-get-new-mail').
`C-u g FILE <RET>'
Merge new mail from inbox file FILE.
To run Rmail on a file other than your primary Rmail file, you may
use the `i' (`rmail-input') command in Rmail. This visits the file in
Rmail mode. You can use `M-x rmail-input' even when not in Rmail.
The file you read with `i' should normally be a valid Rmail file.
If it is not, Rmail tries to decompose it into a stream of messages in
various known formats. If it succeeds, it converts the whole file to an
Rmail file. If you specify a file name that doesn't exist, `i'
initializes a new buffer for creating a new Rmail file.
You can also select an Rmail file from a menu. Choose first the menu
bar Classify item, then from the Classify menu choose the Input Rmail
File item; then choose the Rmail file you want. The variables
`rmail-secondary-file-directory' and `rmail-secondary-file-regexp'
specify which files to offer in the menu: the first variable says which
directory to find them in; the second says which files in that
directory to offer (all those that match the regular expression).
These variables also apply to choosing a file for output (*note Rmail
Output::).
Each Rmail file can contain a list of inbox file names; you can
specify this list with `M-x set-rmail-inbox-list <RET> FILES <RET>'.
The argument can contain any number of file names, separated by commas.
It can also be empty, which specifies that this file should have no
inboxes. Once a list of inboxes is specified, the Rmail file remembers
it permanently until you specify a different list.
As a special exception, if your primary Rmail file does not specify
any inbox files, it uses your standard system inbox.
The `g' command (`rmail-get-new-mail') merges mail into the current
Rmail file from its specified inboxes. If the Rmail file has no
inboxes, `g' does nothing. The command `M-x rmail' also merges new
mail into your primary Rmail file.
To merge mail from a file that is not the usual inbox, give the `g'
key a numeric argument, as in `C-u g'. Then it reads a file name and
merges mail from that file. The inbox file is not deleted or changed
in any way when `g' with an argument is used. This is, therefore, a
general way of merging one file of messages into another.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Output, Next: Rmail Labels, Prev: Rmail Files, Up: Rmail
Copying Messages Out to Files
=============================
These commands copy messages from an Rmail file into another file.
`o FILE <RET>'
Append a copy of the current message to the file FILE, using Rmail
file format by default (`rmail-output-to-rmail-file').
`C-o FILE <RET>'
Append a copy of the current message to the file FILE, using
system inbox file format by default (`rmail-output').
`w FILE <RET>'
Output just the message body to the file FILE, taking the default
file name from the message `Subject' header.
The commands `o' and `C-o' copy the current message into a specified
file. This file may be an Rmail file or it may be in system inbox
format; the output commands ascertain the file's format and write the
copied message in that format.
The `o' and `C-o' commands differ in two ways: each has its own
separate default file name, and each specifies a choice of format to
use when the file does not already exist. The `o' command uses Rmail
format when it creates a new file, while `C-o' uses system inbox format
for a new file. The default file name for `o' is the file name used
last with `o', and the default file name for `C-o' is the file name
used last with `C-o'.
If the output file is an Rmail file currently visited in an Emacs
buffer, the output commands copy the message into that buffer. It is
up to you to save the buffer eventually in its file.
Sometimes you may receive a message whose body holds the contents of
a file. You can save the body to a file (excluding the message header)
with the `w' command (`rmail-output-body-to-file'). Often these
messages contain the intended file name in the `Subject' field, so the
`w' command uses the `Subject' field as the default for the output file
name. However, the file name is read using the minibuffer, so you can
specify a different name if you wish.
You can also output a message to an Rmail file chosen with a menu.
Choose first the menu bar Classify item, then from the Classify menu
choose the Output Rmail File menu item; then choose the Rmail file you
want. This outputs the current message to that file, like the `o'
command. The variables `rmail-secondary-file-directory' and
`rmail-secondary-file-regexp' specify which files to offer in the menu:
the first variable says which directory to find them in; the second
says which files in that directory to offer (all those that match the
regular expression).
Copying a message gives the original copy of the message the `filed'
attribute, so that `filed' appears in the mode line when such a message
is current. If you like to keep just a single copy of every mail
message, set the variable `rmail-delete-after-output' to `t'; then the
`o' and `C-o' commands delete the original message after copying it.
(You can undelete the original afterward if you wish.)
Copying messages into files in system inbox format uses the header
fields that are displayed in Rmail at the time. Thus, if you use the
`t' command to view the entire header and then copy the message, the
entire header is copied. *Note Rmail Display::.
The variable `rmail-output-file-alist' lets you specify intelligent
defaults for the output file, based on the contents of the current
message. The value should be a list whose elements have this form:
(REGEXP . NAME-EXP)
If there's a match for REGEXP in the current message, then the default
file name for output is NAME-EXP. If multiple elements match the
message, the first matching element decides the default file name. The
subexpression NAME-EXP may be a string constant giving the file name to
use, or more generally it may be any Lisp expression that returns a
file name as a string. `rmail-output-file-alist' applies to both `o'
and `C-o'.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Labels, Next: Rmail Attributes, Prev: Rmail Output, Up: Rmail
Labels
======
Each message can have various "labels" assigned to it as a means of
classification. Each label has a name; different names are different
labels. Any given label is either present or absent on a particular
message. A few label names have standard meanings and are given to
messages automatically by Rmail when appropriate; these special labels
are called "attributes". (*Note Rmail Attributes::.) All other labels
are assigned only by users.
`a LABEL <RET>'
Assign the label LABEL to the current message (`rmail-add-label').
`k LABEL <RET>'
Remove the label LABEL from the current message
(`rmail-kill-label').
`C-M-n LABELS <RET>'
Move to the next message that has one of the labels LABELS
(`rmail-next-labeled-message').
`C-M-p LABELS <RET>'
Move to the previous message that has one of the labels LABELS
(`rmail-previous-labeled-message').
`C-M-l LABELS <RET>'
Make a summary of all messages containing any of the labels LABELS
(`rmail-summary-by-labels').
The `a' (`rmail-add-label') and `k' (`rmail-kill-label') commands
allow you to assign or remove any label on the current message. If the
LABEL argument is empty, it means to assign or remove the same label
most recently assigned or removed.
Once you have given messages labels to classify them as you wish,
there are two ways to use the labels: in moving and in summaries.
The command `C-M-n LABELS <RET>' (`rmail-next-labeled-message')
moves to the next message that has one of the labels LABELS. The
argument LABELS specifies one or more label names, separated by commas.
`C-M-p' (`rmail-previous-labeled-message') is similar, but moves
backwards to previous messages. A numeric argument to either command
serves as a repeat count.
The command `C-M-l LABELS <RET>' (`rmail-summary-by-labels')
displays a summary containing only the messages that have at least one
of a specified set of labels. The argument LABELS is one or more label
names, separated by commas. *Note Rmail Summary::, for information on
summaries.
If the LABELS argument to `C-M-n', `C-M-p' or `C-M-l' is empty, it
means to use the last set of labels specified for any of these commands.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Attributes, Next: Rmail Reply, Prev: Rmail Labels, Up: Rmail
Rmail Attributes
================
Some labels such as `deleted' and `filed' have built-in meanings and
are assigned to or removed from messages automatically at appropriate
times; these labels are called "attributes". Here is a list of Rmail
attributes:
`unseen'
Means the message has never been current. Assigned to messages
when they come from an inbox file, and removed when a message is
made current. When you start Rmail, it initially shows the first
message that has this attribute.
`deleted'
Means the message is deleted. Assigned by deletion commands and
removed by undeletion commands (*note Rmail Deletion::).
`filed'
Means the message has been copied to some other file. Assigned by
the file output commands (*note Rmail Files::).
`answered'
Means you have mailed an answer to the message. Assigned by the
`r' command (`rmail-reply'). *Note Rmail Reply::.
`forwarded'
Means you have forwarded the message. Assigned by the `f' command
(`rmail-forward'). *Note Rmail Reply::.
`edited'
Means you have edited the text of the message within Rmail. *Note
Rmail Editing::.
`resent'
Means you have resent the message. Assigned by the command `M-x
rmail-resend'. *Note Rmail Reply::.
All other labels are assigned or removed only by the user, and have
no standard meaning.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Reply, Next: Rmail Summary, Prev: Rmail Attributes, Up: Rmail
Sending Replies
===============
Rmail has several commands that use Mail mode to send outgoing mail.
*Note Sending Mail::, for information on using Mail mode, including
certain features meant to work with Rmail. What this section documents
are the special commands of Rmail for entering Mail mode. Note that the
usual keys for sending mail--`C-x m', `C-x 4 m', and `C-x 5 m'--are
available in Rmail mode and work just as they usually do.
`m'
Send a message (`rmail-mail').
`c'
Continue editing the already started outgoing message
(`rmail-continue').
`r'
Send a reply to the current Rmail message (`rmail-reply').
`f'
Forward the current message to other users (`rmail-forward').
`C-u f'
Resend the current message to other users (`rmail-resend').
`M-m'
Try sending a bounced message a second time
(`rmail-retry-failure').
The most common reason to send a message while in Rmail is to reply
to the message you are reading. To do this, type `r' (`rmail-reply').
This displays the `*mail*' buffer in another window, much like `C-x 4
m', but preinitializes the `Subject', `To', `CC' and `In-reply-to'
header fields based on the message you are replying to. The `To' field
starts out as the address of the person who sent the message you
received, and the `CC' field starts out with all the other recipients
of that message.
You can exclude certain recipients from being placed automatically in
the `CC', using the variable `rmail-dont-reply-to-names'. Its value
should be a regular expression (as a string); any recipient that the
regular expression matches, is excluded from the `CC' field. The
default value matches your own name, and any name starting with
`info-'. (Those names are excluded because there is a convention of
using them for large mailing lists to broadcast announcements.)
To omit the `CC' field completely for a particular reply, enter the
reply command with a numeric argument: `C-u r' or `1 r'.
Once the `*mail*' buffer has been initialized, editing and sending
the mail goes as usual (*note Sending Mail::). You can edit the
presupplied header fields if they are not right for you. You can also
use the commands of Mail mode (*note Mail Mode::), including `C-c C-y'
which yanks in the message that you are replying to. You can switch to
the Rmail buffer, select a different message there, switch back, and
yank the new current message.
Sometimes a message does not reach its destination. Mailers usually
send the failed message back to you, enclosed in a "failure message".
The Rmail command `M-m' (`rmail-retry-failure') prepares to send the
same message a second time: it sets up a `*mail*' buffer with the same
text and header fields as before. If you type `C-c C-c' right away,
you send the message again exactly the same as the first time.
Alternatively, you can edit the text or headers and then send it. The
variable `rmail-retry-ignored-headers', in the same format as
`rmail-ignored-headers' (*note Rmail Display::), controls which headers
are stripped from the failed message when retrying it.
Another frequent reason to send mail in Rmail is to "forward" the
current message to other users. `f' (`rmail-forward') makes this easy
by preinitializing the `*mail*' buffer with the current message as the
text, and a subject designating a forwarded message. All you have to
do is fill in the recipients and send. When you forward a message,
recipients get a message which is "from" you, and which has the
original message in its contents.
Forwarding a message encloses it between two delimiter lines. It
also modifies every line that starts with a dash, by inserting `- ' at
the start of the line. When you receive a forwarded message, if it
contains something besides ordinary text--for example, program source
code--you might find it useful to undo that transformation. You can do
this by selecting the forwarded message and typing `M-x
unforward-rmail-message'. This command extracts the original forwarded
message, deleting the inserted `- ' strings, and inserts it into the
Rmail file as a separate message immediately following the current one.
"Resending" is an alternative similar to forwarding; the difference
is that resending sends a message that is "from" the original sender,
just as it reached you--with a few added header fields `Resent-From'
and `Resent-To' to indicate that it came via you. To resend a message
in Rmail, use `C-u f'. (`f' runs `rmail-forward', which is programmed
to invoke `rmail-resend' if you provide a numeric argument.)
The `m' (`rmail-mail') command is used to start editing an outgoing
message that is not a reply. It leaves the header fields empty. Its
only difference from `C-x 4 m' is that it makes the Rmail buffer
accessible for `C-c C-y', just as `r' does. Thus, `m' can be used to
reply to or forward a message; it can do anything `r' or `f' can do.
The `c' (`rmail-continue') command resumes editing the `*mail*'
buffer, to finish editing an outgoing message you were already
composing, or to alter a message you have sent.
If you set the variable `rmail-mail-new-frame' to a non-`nil' value,
then all the Rmail commands to start sending a message create a new
frame to edit it in. This frame is deleted when you send the message,
or when you use the `Cancel' item in the `Mail' menu.
All the Rmail commands to send a message use the mail-composition
method that you have chosen (*note Mail Methods::).
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Summary, Next: Rmail Sorting, Prev: Rmail Reply, Up: Rmail
Summaries
=========
A "summary" is a buffer containing one line per message to give you
an overview of the mail in an Rmail file. Each line shows the message
number and date, the sender, the line count, the labels, and the
subject. Moving point in the summary buffer selects messages as you
move to their summary lines. Almost all Rmail commands are valid in
the summary buffer also; when used there, they apply to the message
described by the current line of the summary.
A summary buffer applies to a single Rmail file only; if you are
editing multiple Rmail files, each one can have its own summary buffer.
The summary buffer name is made by appending `-summary' to the Rmail
buffer's name. Normally only one summary buffer is displayed at a time.
* Menu:
* Rmail Make Summary:: Making various sorts of summaries.
* Rmail Summary Edit:: Manipulating messages from the summary.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Make Summary, Next: Rmail Summary Edit, Up: Rmail Summary
Making Summaries
----------------
Here are the commands to create a summary for the current Rmail file.
Once the Rmail file has a summary buffer, changes in the Rmail file
(such as deleting or expunging messages, and getting new mail)
automatically update the summary.
`h'
`C-M-h'
Summarize all messages (`rmail-summary').
`l LABELS <RET>'
`C-M-l LABELS <RET>'
Summarize messages that have one or more of the specified labels
(`rmail-summary-by-labels').
`C-M-r RCPTS <RET>'
Summarize messages that have one or more of the specified
recipients (`rmail-summary-by-recipients').
`C-M-t TOPIC <RET>'
Summarize messages that have a match for the specified regexp
TOPIC in their subjects (`rmail-summary-by-topic').
`C-M-s REGEXP'
Summarize messages whose headers and the subject line match the
specified regular expression REGEXP (`rmail-summary-by-regexp').
The `h' or `C-M-h' (`rmail-summary') command fills the summary buffer
for the current Rmail file with a summary of all the messages in the
file. It then displays and selects the summary buffer in another
window.
`C-M-l LABELS <RET>' (`rmail-summary-by-labels') makes a partial
summary mentioning only the messages that have one or more of the
labels LABELS. LABELS should contain label names separated by commas.
`C-M-r RCPTS <RET>' (`rmail-summary-by-recipients') makes a partial
summary mentioning only the messages that have one or more of the
recipients RCPTS. RCPTS should contain mailing addresses separated by
commas.
`C-M-t TOPIC <RET>' (`rmail-summary-by-topic') makes a partial
summary mentioning only the messages whose subjects have a match for
the regular expression TOPIC.
`C-M-s REGEXP <RET>' (`rmail-summary-by-regexp') makes a partial
summary which mentions only the messages whose headers (including the
date and the subject lines) match the regular expression REGEXP.
Note that there is only one summary buffer for any Rmail file;
making one kind of summary discards any previously made summary.
The variable `rmail-summary-window-size' says how many lines to use
for the summary window. The variable `rmail-summary-line-count-flag'
controls whether the summary line for a message should include the line
count of the message.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Summary Edit, Prev: Rmail Make Summary, Up: Rmail Summary
Editing in Summaries
--------------------
You can use the Rmail summary buffer to do almost anything you can do
in the Rmail buffer itself. In fact, once you have a summary buffer,
there's no need to switch back to the Rmail buffer.
You can select and display various messages in the Rmail buffer, from
the summary buffer, just by moving point in the summary buffer to
different lines. It doesn't matter what Emacs command you use to move
point; whichever line point is on at the end of the command, that
message is selected in the Rmail buffer.
Almost all Rmail commands work in the summary buffer as well as in
the Rmail buffer. Thus, `d' in the summary buffer deletes the current
message, `u' undeletes, and `x' expunges. `o' and `C-o' output the
current message to a file; `r' starts a reply to it. You can scroll
the current message while remaining in the summary buffer using <SPC>
and <DEL>.
The Rmail commands to move between messages also work in the summary
buffer, but with a twist: they move through the set of messages included
in the summary. They also ensure the Rmail buffer appears on the screen
(unlike cursor motion commands, which update the contents of the Rmail
buffer but don't display it in a window unless it already appears).
Here is a list of these commands:
`n'
Move to next line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select its
message.
`p'
Move to previous line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select
its message.
`M-n'
Move to next line and select its message.
`M-p'
Move to previous line and select its message.
`>'
Move to the last line, and select its message.
`<'
Move to the first line, and select its message.
`M-s PATTERN <RET>'
Search through messages for PATTERN starting with the current
message; select the message found, and move point in the summary
buffer to that message's line.
Deletion, undeletion, and getting new mail, and even selection of a
different message all update the summary buffer when you do them in the
Rmail buffer. If the variable `rmail-redisplay-summary' is non-`nil',
these actions also bring the summary buffer back onto the screen.
When you are finished using the summary, type `Q'
(`rmail-summary-wipe') to delete the summary buffer's window. You can
also exit Rmail while in the summary: `q' (`rmail-summary-quit')
deletes the summary window, then exits from Rmail by saving the Rmail
file and switching to another buffer.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Sorting, Next: Rmail Display, Prev: Rmail Summary, Up: Rmail
Sorting the Rmail File
======================
`M-x rmail-sort-by-date'
Sort messages of current Rmail file by date.
`M-x rmail-sort-by-subject'
Sort messages of current Rmail file by subject.
`M-x rmail-sort-by-author'
Sort messages of current Rmail file by author's name.
`M-x rmail-sort-by-recipient'
Sort messages of current Rmail file by recipient's names.
`M-x rmail-sort-by-correspondent'
Sort messages of current Rmail file by the name of the other
correspondent.
`M-x rmail-sort-by-lines'
Sort messages of current Rmail file by size (number of lines).
`M-x rmail-sort-by-keywords <RET> LABELS <RET>'
Sort messages of current Rmail file by labels. The argument
LABELS should be a comma-separated list of labels. The order of
these labels specifies the order of messages; messages with the
first label come first, messages with the second label come
second, and so on. Messages which have none of these labels come
last.
The Rmail sort commands perform a _stable sort_: if there is no
reason to prefer either one of two messages, their order remains
unchanged. You can use this to sort by more than one criterion. For
example, if you use `rmail-sort-by-date' and then
`rmail-sort-by-author', messages from the same author appear in order
by date.
With a numeric argument, all these commands reverse the order of
comparison. This means they sort messages from newest to oldest, from
biggest to smallest, or in reverse alphabetical order.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Display, Next: Rmail Coding, Prev: Rmail Sorting, Up: Rmail
Display of Messages
===================
Rmail reformats the header of each message before displaying it for
the first time. Reformatting hides uninteresting header fields to
reduce clutter. You can use the `t' command to show the entire header
or to repeat the header reformatting operation.
`t'
Toggle display of complete header (`rmail-toggle-header').
Reformatting the header involves deleting most header fields, on the
grounds that they are not interesting. The variable
`rmail-ignored-headers' holds a regular expression that specifies which
header fields to hide in this way--if it matches the beginning of a
header field, that whole field is hidden.
Rmail saves the complete original header before reformatting; to see
it, use the `t' command (`rmail-toggle-header'). This discards the
reformatted headers of the current message and displays it with the
original header. Repeating `t' reformats the message again. Selecting
the message again also reformats.
One consequence of this is that if you edit the reformatted header
(using `e'; *note Rmail Editing::), subsequent use of `t' will discard
your edits. On the other hand, if you use `e' after `t', to edit the
original (unreformatted) header, those changes are permanent.
When the `t' command has a prefix argument, a positive argument
means to show the reformatted header, and a zero or negative argument
means to show the full header.
When the terminal supports multiple fonts or colors, Rmail
highlights certain header fields that are especially interesting--by
default, the `From' and `Subject' fields. The variable
`rmail-highlighted-headers' holds a regular expression that specifies
the header fields to highlight; if it matches the beginning of a header
field, that whole field is highlighted.
If you specify unusual colors for your text foreground and
background, the colors used for highlighting may not go well with them.
If so, specify different colors for the face `rmail-highlight-face'.
*Note Faces::, for how to do this. To turn off highlighting entirely
in Rmail, set `rmail-highlighted-headers' to `nil'.
You can highlight and activate URLs in incoming messages by adding
the function `goto-address' to the hook `rmail-show-message-hook'.
Then you can browse these URLs by clicking on them with `Mouse-2' or by
moving to one and typing `C-c <RET>'. *Note Activating URLs:
Goto-address.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Coding, Next: Rmail Editing, Prev: Rmail Display, Up: Rmail
Rmail and Coding Systems
========================
Rmail automatically decodes messages which contain non-ASCII
characters, just as Emacs does with files you visit and with subprocess
output. Rmail uses the standard `charset=CHARSET' header in the
message, if any, to determine how the message was encoded by the
sender. It maps CHARSET into the corresponding Emacs coding system
(*note Coding Systems::), and uses that coding system to decode message
text. If the message header doesn't have the `charset' specification,
or if CHARSET is not recognized, Rmail chooses the coding system with
the usual Emacs heuristics and defaults (*note Recognize Coding::).
Occasionally, a message is decoded incorrectly, either because Emacs
guessed the wrong coding system in the absence of the `charset'
specification, or because the specification was inaccurate. For
example, a misconfigured mailer could send a message with a
`charset=iso-8859-1' header when the message is actually encoded in
`koi8-r'. When you see the message text garbled, or some of its
characters displayed as empty boxes, this may have happened.
You can correct the problem by decoding the message again using the
right coding system, if you can figure out or guess which one is right.
To do this, invoke the `M-x rmail-redecode-body' command. It reads
the name of a coding system, encodes the message body using whichever
coding system was used to decode it before, then redecodes it using the
coding system you specified. If you specified the right coding system,
the result should be readable.
Decoding and encoding using the wrong coding system is lossless for
most encodings, in particular with 8-bit encodings such as iso-8859 or
koi8. So, if the initial attempt to redecode the message didn't result
in a legible text, you can try other coding systems until you succeed.
With some coding systems, notably those from the iso-2022 family,
information can be lost in decoding, so that encoding the message again
won't bring back the original incoming text. In such a case,
`rmail-redecode-body' cannot work. However, the problems that call for
use of `rmail-redecode-body' rarely occur with those coding systems.
So in practice the command works when you need it.
File: emacs, Node: Rmail Editing, Next: Rmail Digest, Prev: Rmail Coding, Up: Rmail
Editing Within a Message
========================
Most of the usual Emacs commands are available in Rmail mode, though
a few, such as `C-M-n' and `C-M-h', are redefined by Rmail for other
purposes. However, the Rmail buffer is normally read only, and most of
the letters are redefined as Rmail commands. If you want to edit the
text of a message, you must use the Rmail command `e'.
`e'
Edit the current message as ordinary text.
The `e' command (`rmail-edit-current-message') switches from Rmail
mode into Rmail Edit mode, another major mode which is nearly the same
as Text mode. The mode line indicates this change.
In Rmail Edit mode, letters insert themselves as usual and the Rmail
commands are not available. When you are finished editing the message
and are ready to go back to Rmail, type `C-c C-c', which switches back
to Rmail mode. Alternatively, you can return to Rmail mode but cancel
all the editing that you have done, by typing `C-c C-]'.
Entering Rmail Edit mode runs the hook `text-mode-hook'; then it
runs the hook `rmail-edit-mode-hook' (*note Hooks::). It adds the
attribute `edited' to the message. It also displays the full headers
of the message, so that you can edit the headers as well as the body of
the message, and your changes in the headers will be permanent.