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[bpt/emacs.git] / doc / misc / message.texi
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1\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
2
db78a8cb 3@setfilename ../../info/message
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4@settitle Message Manual
5@synindex fn cp
6@synindex vr cp
7@synindex pg cp
8@copying
9This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
10
11Copyright @copyright{} 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
d82cf70b 122004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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13
14@quotation
15Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
16under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
17any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
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18Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual'',
19and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
20is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
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22(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
23modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
24developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
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25@end quotation
26@end copying
27
28@dircategory Emacs
29@direntry
30* Message: (message). Mail and news composition mode that goes with Gnus.
31@end direntry
32@iftex
33@finalout
34@end iftex
35@setchapternewpage odd
36
37@titlepage
38@title Message Manual
39
40@author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
41@page
42
43@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
44@insertcopying
45@end titlepage
46@page
47
48@node Top
49@top Message
50
51All message composition from Gnus (both mail and news) takes place in
52Message mode buffers.
53
54@menu
55* Interface:: Setting up message buffers.
56* Commands:: Commands you can execute in message mode buffers.
57* Variables:: Customizing the message buffers.
58* Compatibility:: Making Message backwards compatible.
59* Appendices:: More technical things.
60* GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
61* Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
62* Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
63@end menu
64
65@c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following lines:
66Message is distributed with Gnus. The Gnus distribution
67@c
c7ff939a 68corresponding to this manual is Gnus v5.13
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69
70
71@node Interface
72@chapter Interface
73
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74When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message---reply,
75follow up, forward, cancel---the program (or person) should just put
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76point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
77@code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
78appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
79sending it.
80
81@menu
82* New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
83* New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
84* Reply:: Replying via mail.
85* Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
86* Followup:: Following up via news.
87* Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
88* Superseding:: Superseding a message.
89* Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
90* Resending:: Resending a mail message.
91* Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
92* Mailing Lists:: Send mail to mailing lists.
93@end menu
94
95You can customize the Message Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
96customize-apropos RET message-tool-bar}. This feature is only available
97in Emacs.
98
99@node New Mail Message
100@section New Mail Message
101
102@findex message-mail
103The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
104
105Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
106@code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
107are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
108
109
110@node New News Message
111@section New News Message
112
113@findex message-news
114The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
115
116This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
117as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
118header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
119
120
121@node Reply
122@section Reply
123
124@findex message-reply
125The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
126reply to the message in the current buffer.
127
128@vindex message-reply-to-function
129Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
130(@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
131by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
132
133If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
134@code{From}, you could do something like this:
135
136@lisp
137(setq message-reply-to-function
138 (lambda ()
139 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
140 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
141 (t
142 nil))))
143@end lisp
144
145This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
146being replied to.
147
148As you can see, this function should return a list. In this case, it
149returns @code{((To . "Whom"))} if it has an opinion as to what the To
150header should be. If it does not, it should just return @code{nil}, and
151the normal methods for determining the To header will be used.
152
153Each list element should be a cons, where the @sc{car} should be the
154name of a header (e.g. @code{Cc}) and the @sc{cdr} should be the header
155value (e.g. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be
156inserted into the head of the outgoing mail.
157
158
159@node Wide Reply
160@section Wide Reply
161
162@findex message-wide-reply
163The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
164reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
165reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
166(or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
167
168@vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
169Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
170but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
171@code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
172@code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
173
174@vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
175Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
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176expression (or list of regular expressions) will be removed from the
177@code{Cc} header. A value of @code{nil} means exclude your name only.
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178
179@vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
180If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
181will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
182recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
183
184@node Followup
185@section Followup
186
187@findex message-followup
188The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
189followup to the message in the current buffer.
190
191@vindex message-followup-to-function
192Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
193but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
194@code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
195@code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
196
197@vindex message-use-followup-to
198The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
199@code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
200If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
201value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
202it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
203
204
205@node Canceling News
206@section Canceling News
207
208@findex message-cancel-news
209The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
210current buffer.
211
212@vindex message-cancel-message
213The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
214the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
215article.}.
216
217@cindex Cancel Locks
218@vindex message-insert-canlock
219@cindex canlock
220When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
221headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
222only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
223is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
224stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
225automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
226able to cancel your message. If you want to manage a password yourself,
227you can put something like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
228
229@lisp
230(setq canlock-password "geheimnis"
231 canlock-password-for-verify canlock-password)
232@end lisp
233
234Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
235@code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
236
237Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
238this is expected to change in the future.
239
240
241@node Superseding
242@section Superseding
243
244@findex message-supersede
245The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
246supersede the message in the current buffer.
247
248@vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
249Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
250removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
251@samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
252^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|^X-Trace:\\|^X-Complaints-To:\\|@*
253Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:\\|^NNTP-Posting-Date:\\|^X-Trace:\\|@*
254^X-Complaints-To:\\|^Cancel-Lock:\\|^Cancel-Key:\\|^X-Hashcash:\\|@*
01c52d31 255^X-Payment:\\|^Approved:}.
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256
257
258
259@node Forwarding
260@section Forwarding
261
262@findex message-forward
263The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
264the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
265news.
266
267@table @code
268@item message-forward-ignored-headers
269@vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
270All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
271
272@item message-make-forward-subject-function
273@vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
274A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
275forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
276passed into each successive function.
277
278The provided functions are:
279
280@table @code
281@item message-forward-subject-author-subject
282@findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
283Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
284subject.
285
286@item message-forward-subject-fwd
287Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
288@end table
289
290@item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
291@vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
292If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
293the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
294@samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
295constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
296
297@item message-forward-as-mime
298@vindex message-forward-as-mime
299If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
300included as inline @acronym{MIME} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
301messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
302non @acronym{MIME}-savvy versions of Gnus would do.
303
304@item message-forward-before-signature
305@vindex message-forward-before-signature
306If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
307
308@end table
309
310
311@node Resending
312@section Resending
313
314@findex message-resend
315The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
316and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
317
318@vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
319Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
320be removed before sending the message.
321
322
323@node Bouncing
324@section Bouncing
325
326@findex message-bounce
327The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
328bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
329information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
330out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
331undeliverable.
332
333@vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
334Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
335will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
336@samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\|Delivered-To\\):}.
337
338
339@node Mailing Lists
340@section Mailing Lists
341
342@cindex Mail-Followup-To
343Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
344followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
345was created to enable just this. Three example scenarios where this is
346useful:
347
348@itemize @bullet
349@item
350A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
351sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
352if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
353
354@item
355A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
356sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
357is not subscribed to the list.
358
359@item
360If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
361to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
362discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
363and very difficult to follow.
364
365@end itemize
366
367Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
368up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
369sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
370
371@c @menu
372@c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
373@c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
374@c @end menu
375
376@c @node Composing with a MFT header
377@subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
378
379The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
380in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
381addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
382way. The following variables would come in handy.
383
384@table @code
385
386@vindex message-subscribed-addresses
387@item message-subscribed-addresses
388This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
389default value is @code{nil}. Example:
390@lisp
391(setq message-subscribed-addresses
392 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
393@end lisp
394
395@vindex message-subscribed-regexps
396@item message-subscribed-regexps
397This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
398lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
399want to achieve the same result as above:
400@lisp
401(setq message-subscribed-regexps
402 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
403@end lisp
404
405@vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
406@item message-subscribed-address-functions
407This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
408determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
409functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
410
411There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
412this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
413that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
414the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{Group Parameters, ,Group Parameters,
415gnus, The Gnus Manual}) group parameter set to a non-@code{nil} value.
416This is how you would do it.
417
418@lisp
419(setq message-subscribed-address-functions
420 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
421@end lisp
422
423@vindex message-subscribed-address-file
424@item message-subscribed-address-file
425You might be one organized human freak and have a list of addresses of
426all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
427set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
428
429@end table
430
431You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
432``added'' in some way that works :-)
433
434Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
435And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
436MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
437MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
438in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
439automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
440per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
441addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
442is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
443address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
444other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
445
446@kindex C-c C-f C-a
447@findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
448@kindex C-c C-f C-m
449@findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
450Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
451subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
452is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
453MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
454to-address group parameter.) The function
455@code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
456handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
457can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
458(@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
459
460@c @node Honoring an MFT post
461@subsection Honoring an MFT post
462
463@vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
464When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
465header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
466@code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
467
468@table @code
469@item use
470 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
471 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
472
473@item nil
474 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
475
476@item ask
477Gnus will prompt you for an action.
478
479@end table
480
481It is considered good netiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
482fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
483better than you do.
484
485@node Commands
486@chapter Commands
487
488@menu
489* Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
490* Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
491* Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
492* Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
493* MIME:: @acronym{MIME} considerations.
494* IDNA:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name considerations.
495* Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
496* Various Commands:: Various things.
497* Sending:: Actually sending the message.
498* Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
499* Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
500@end menu
501
502
503@node Buffer Entry
504@section Buffer Entry
505@cindex undo
506@kindex C-_
507
508You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
509message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
510may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
511which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
512but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
513Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
514takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
515times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
516
517
518@node Header Commands
519@section Header Commands
520
521@subsection Commands for moving to headers
522
523These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
524exist, it will be inserted.
525
526@table @kbd
527
528@item C-c ?
529@kindex C-c ?
530@findex describe-mode
531Describe the message mode.
532
533@item C-c C-f C-t
534@kindex C-c C-f C-t
535@findex message-goto-to
536Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
537
538@item C-c C-f C-o
539@kindex C-c C-f C-o
540@findex message-goto-from
541Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
542in the key binding is for Originator.)
543
544@item C-c C-f C-b
545@kindex C-c C-f C-b
546@findex message-goto-bcc
547Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
548
549@item C-c C-f C-f
550@kindex C-c C-f C-f
551@findex message-goto-fcc
552Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
553
554@item C-c C-f C-c
555@kindex C-c C-f C-c
556@findex message-goto-cc
557Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
558
559@item C-c C-f C-s
560@kindex C-c C-f C-s
561@findex message-goto-subject
562Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
563
564@item C-c C-f C-r
565@kindex C-c C-f C-r
566@findex message-goto-reply-to
567Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
568
569@item C-c C-f C-n
570@kindex C-c C-f C-n
571@findex message-goto-newsgroups
572Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
573
574@item C-c C-f C-d
575@kindex C-c C-f C-d
576@findex message-goto-distribution
577Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
578
579@item C-c C-f C-o
580@kindex C-c C-f C-o
581@findex message-goto-followup-to
582Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
583
584@item C-c C-f C-k
585@kindex C-c C-f C-k
586@findex message-goto-keywords
587Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
588
589@item C-c C-f C-u
590@kindex C-c C-f C-u
591@findex message-goto-summary
592Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
593
594@item C-c C-f C-i
595@kindex C-c C-f C-i
596@findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
597This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
598@samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
599message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
600buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
6011376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
602
603@item C-c C-f C-a
604@kindex C-c C-f C-a
605@findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
606Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
607(@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
608unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
609not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
610by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
611own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
612fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
613buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
614
615If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-@code{nil}, the
616addresses in the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the
617@samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header.
618
619@end table
620
621@subsection Commands to change headers
622
623@table @kbd
624
625@item C-c C-o
626@kindex C-c C-o
627@findex message-sort-headers
628@vindex message-header-format-alist
629Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
630(@code{message-sort-headers}).
631
632@item C-c C-t
633@kindex C-c C-t
634@findex message-insert-to
635Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
636@code{From} header of the message you're following up
637(@code{message-insert-to}).
638
639@item C-c C-n
640@kindex C-c C-n
641@findex message-insert-newsgroups
642Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
643or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
644(@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
645
646@item C-c C-l
647@kindex C-c C-l
648@findex message-to-list-only
649Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
650address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
651
652@item C-c M-n
653@kindex C-c M-n
654@findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
655Insert a request for a disposition
656notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
657This means that if the recipient support RFC 2298 she might send you a
658notification that she received the message.
659
660@item M-x message-insert-importance-high
661@kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
662@findex message-insert-importance-high
663@cindex Importance
664Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
665deleting headers if necessary.
666
667@item M-x message-insert-importance-low
668@kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
669@findex message-insert-importance-low
670@cindex Importance
671Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
672headers if necessary.
673
674@item C-c C-f s
675@kindex C-c C-f s
676@findex message-change-subject
677@cindex Subject
678Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
679header and append @samp{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
680stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
681(@pxref{Message Headers}).
682
683@item C-c C-f x
684@kindex C-c C-f x
685@findex message-cross-post-followup-to
686@vindex message-cross-post-default
687@vindex message-cross-post-note-function
688@cindex X-Post
689@cindex cross-post
690Set up the @samp{FollowUp-To} header with a target newsgroup for a
691cross-post, add that target newsgroup to the @samp{Newsgroups} header if
692it is not a member of @samp{Newsgroups}, and insert a note in the body.
693If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if this command is
694called with a prefix-argument, only the @samp{FollowUp-To} header will
695be set but the target newsgroup will not be added to the
696@samp{Newsgroups} header. The function to insert a note is controlled
697by the @code{message-cross-post-note-function} variable.
698
699@item C-c C-f t
700@kindex C-c C-f t
701@findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
702Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
703@samp{Bcc} header. (Iff @samp{Cc} header is not present, @samp{Bcc}
704header will be used instead.)
705
706@item C-c C-f w
707@kindex C-c C-f w
708@findex message-insert-wide-reply
709Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
710reply even if the message was not made for a wide reply first.
711
712@item C-c C-f a
713@kindex C-c C-f a
714@findex message-add-archive-header
715@vindex message-archive-header
716@vindex message-archive-note
717@cindex X-No-Archive
718Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
719The header and the note can be customized using
720@code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
721called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
722want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
723@code{nil}.
724
725@end table
726
727
728@node Movement
729@section Movement
730
731@table @kbd
732@item C-c C-b
733@kindex C-c C-b
734@findex message-goto-body
735Move to the beginning of the body of the message
736(@code{message-goto-body}).
737
738@item C-c C-i
739@kindex C-c C-i
740@findex message-goto-signature
741Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
742
743@item C-a
744@kindex C-a
745@findex message-beginning-of-line
746@vindex message-beginning-of-line
747If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
748beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
749name and the colon.) This behavior can be disabled by toggling
750the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
751
752@end table
753
754
755@node Insertion
756@section Insertion
757
758@table @kbd
759
760@item C-c C-y
761@kindex C-c C-y
762@findex message-yank-original
763Yank the message that's being replied to into the message buffer
764(@code{message-yank-original}).
765
766@item C-c C-M-y
767@kindex C-c C-M-y
768@findex message-yank-buffer
769Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
770message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
771
772@item C-c C-q
773@kindex C-c C-q
774@findex message-fill-yanked-message
775Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
776Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
777strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
778just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
779all right.
780
781@item C-c C-w
782@kindex C-c C-w
783@findex message-insert-signature
784Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
785(@code{message-insert-signature}).
786
787@item C-c M-h
788@kindex C-c M-h
789@findex message-insert-headers
790Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
791
792@item C-c M-m
793@kindex C-c M-m
794@findex message-mark-inserted-region
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795Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags. See
796@code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
797When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
798(@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
4009494e
GM
799
800@item C-c M-f
801@kindex C-c M-f
802@findex message-mark-insert-file
803Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
804See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
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805When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
806(@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
4009494e
GM
807
808@end table
809
810
811@node MIME
812@section MIME
813@cindex MML
814@cindex MIME
815@cindex multipart
816@cindex attachment
817
818Message is a @acronym{MIME}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
819doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{MIME} happen---Message will
820automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
821@code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
822
823@findex mml-attach-file
824@kindex C-c C-a
825The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
826@acronym{MIME} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out.
827This can be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command (@kbd{M-x mml-attach-file}),
828which will prompt for a file name and a @acronym{MIME} type.
829
830@vindex mml-dnd-protocol-alist
831@vindex mml-dnd-attach-options
832If your Emacs supports drag and drop, you can also drop the file in the
833Message buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} specifies
834what kind of action is done when you drop a file into the Message
835buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-attach-options} controls which
836@acronym{MIME} options you want to specify when dropping a file. If it
837is a list, valid members are @code{type}, @code{description} and
838@code{disposition}. @code{disposition} implies @code{type}. If it is
839@code{nil}, don't ask for options. If it is @code{t}, ask the user
840whether or not to specify options.
841
842You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the @acronym{MML}
843language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
844Manual}).
845
846@node IDNA
847@section IDNA
848@cindex IDNA
849@cindex internationalized domain names
850@cindex non-ascii domain names
851
852Message is a @acronym{IDNA}-compliant posting agent. The user
853generally doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{IDNA}
854happen---Message will encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in @code{From},
855@code{To}, and @code{Cc} headers automatically.
856
857Until @acronym{IDNA} becomes more well known, Message queries you
858whether @acronym{IDNA} encoding of the domain name really should
859occur. Some users might not be aware that domain names can contain
860non-@acronym{ASCII} now, so this gives them a safety net if they accidently
861typed a non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name.
862
863@vindex message-use-idna
864The @code{message-use-idna} variable control whether @acronym{IDNA} is
865used. If the variable is @code{nil} no @acronym{IDNA} encoding will
866ever happen, if it is set to the symbol @code{ask} the user will be
867queried, and if set to @code{t} (which is the default if @acronym{IDNA}
868is fully available) @acronym{IDNA} encoding happens automatically.
869
870@findex message-idna-to-ascii-rhs
871If you want to experiment with the @acronym{IDNA} encoding, you can
872invoke @kbd{M-x message-idna-to-ascii-rhs RET} in the message buffer
873to have the non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names encoded while you edit
874the message.
875
876Note that you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU
877Libidn} installed in order to use this functionality.
878
879@node Security
880@section Security
881@cindex Security
882@cindex S/MIME
883@cindex PGP
884@cindex PGP/MIME
885@cindex sign
886@cindex encrypt
887@cindex secure
888
889Using the @acronym{MML} language, Message is able to create digitally
890signed and digitally encrypted messages. Message (or rather
891@acronym{MML}) currently support @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991),
892@acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME}.
893
894@menu
895* Signing and encryption:: Signing and encrypting commands.
896* Using S/MIME:: Using S/MIME
897* Using PGP/MIME:: Using PGP/MIME
898* PGP Compatibility:: Compatibility with older implementations
899@end menu
900
901@node Signing and encryption
902@subsection Signing and encrypting commands
903
904Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
905@acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
906signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
907@table @kbd
908
909@item C-c C-m s s
910@kindex C-c C-m s s
911@findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
912
913Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
914
915@item C-c C-m s o
916@kindex C-c C-m s o
917@findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
918
919Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
920
921@item C-c C-m s p
922@kindex C-c C-m s p
923@findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
924
925Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
926
927@item C-c C-m c s
928@kindex C-c C-m c s
929@findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
930
931Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
932
933@item C-c C-m c o
934@kindex C-c C-m c o
935@findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
936
937Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
938
939@item C-c C-m c p
940@kindex C-c C-m c p
941@findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
942
943Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
944
945@item C-c C-m C-n
946@kindex C-c C-m C-n
947@findex mml-unsecure-message
948Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
949
950@end table
951
952These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
953merely insert the proper @acronym{MML} secure tag to instruct the
954@acronym{MML} engine to perform that operation when the message is
955actually sent. They may perform other operations too, such as locating
956and retrieving a @acronym{S/MIME} certificate of the person you wish to
957send encrypted mail to. When the mml parsing engine converts your
958@acronym{MML} into a properly encoded @acronym{MIME} message, the secure
959tag will be replaced with either a part or a multipart tag. If your
960message contains other mml parts, a multipart tag will be used; if no
961other parts are present in your message a single part tag will be used.
962This way, message mode will do the Right Thing (TM) with
963signed/encrypted multipart messages.
964
965Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
966information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
967mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
968sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
969using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
970verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
971whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
972party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
973
974@emph{Note!} Neither @acronym{PGP/MIME} nor @acronym{S/MIME} encrypt/signs
975RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @acronym{MIME} object. Keep this
976in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
977
978By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the
979``signencrypt'' mode, which means the message is both signed and
980encrypted. If you would like to disable this for a particular
981message, give the @code{mml-secure-message-encrypt-*} command a prefix
982argument, e.g., @kbd{C-u C-c C-m c p}.
983
984Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
985least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
986other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
987programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
988
989@node Using S/MIME
990@subsection Using S/MIME
991
992@emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
993modern cryptography, @acronym{S/MIME}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
994so on.
995
996The @acronym{S/MIME} support in Message (and @acronym{MML}) require
997OpenSSL. OpenSSL performs the actual @acronym{S/MIME} sign/encrypt
998operations. OpenSSL can be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}.
999OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail
1000addresses from certificates, and it insert a spurious CR character into
1001@acronym{MIME} separators so you may wish to avoid it if you would like
1002to avoid being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by
1003sending @acronym{S/MIME} messages you've probably already lost that
1004contest.)
1005
1006To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
1007required. Message (@acronym{MML}) need a certificate for the person to whom you
1008wish to communicate with though. You're asked for this when you type
1009@kbd{C-c C-m c s}. Currently there are two ways to retrieve this
1010certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
1011file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in @acronym{PEM} format.
1012If you chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the
1013certificate is stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief,
1014Message (@acronym{MML}) is the first mail agent in the world to support
1015retrieving @acronym{S/MIME} certificates from DNS, so you're not
1016likely to find very many certificates out there. At least there
1017should be one, stored at the domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP
1018is a more popular method of distributing certificates, support for it
1019is planned. (Meanwhile, you can use @code{ldapsearch} from the
1020command line to retrieve a certificate into a file and use it.)
1021
1022As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
1023without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
1024where your private key and your certificate is stored. @acronym{MML}
1025uses an Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
1026contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
1027@kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
1028
1029Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
1030your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
1031manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
1032and got a free @acronym{S/MIME} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
1033net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
1034PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
1035certificate in PEM format as follows.
1036
1037@example
1038$ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1039@end example
1040
1041The @file{key+cert.pem} file should be pointed to from the
1042@code{smime-keys} variable. You should now be able to send signed mail.
1043
1044@emph{Note!} Your private key is now stored unencrypted in the file,
1045so take care in handling it. Storing encrypted keys on the disk are
1046supported, and Gnus will ask you for a passphrase before invoking
1047OpenSSL. Read the OpenSSL documentation for how to achieve this. If
1048you use unencrypted keys (e.g., if they are on a secure storage, or if
1049you are on a secure single user machine) simply press @code{RET} at
1050the passphrase prompt.
1051
1052@node Using PGP/MIME
1053@subsection Using PGP/MIME
1054
1055@acronym{PGP/MIME} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such
1056as @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, GNU Privacy Guard}. Pre-OpenPGP
1057implementations such as PGP 2.x and PGP 5.x are also supported. One
1058Emacs interface to the PGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG,
1059pgg, PGG Manual}), is included, but Mailcrypt and Florian Weimer's
1060@code{gpg.el} are also supported. @xref{PGP Compatibility}.
1061
1062@cindex gpg-agent
1063Message internally calls GnuPG (the @command{gpg} command) to perform
1064data encryption, and in certain cases (decrypting or signing for
1065example), @command{gpg} requires user's passphrase. Currently the
1066recommended way to supply your passphrase to @command{gpg} is to use the
1067@command{gpg-agent} program.
1068
1069To use @command{gpg-agent} in Emacs, you need to run the following
1070command from the shell before starting Emacs.
1071
1072@example
1073eval `gpg-agent --daemon`
1074@end example
1075
1076This will invoke @command{gpg-agent} and set the environment variable
1077@code{GPG_AGENT_INFO} to allow @command{gpg} to communicate with it.
1078It might be good idea to put this command in your @file{.xsession} or
1079@file{.bash_profile}. @xref{Invoking GPG-AGENT, , , gnupg, Using the
1080GNU Privacy Guard}.
1081
1082Once your @command{gpg-agent} is set up, it will ask you for a
1083passphrase as needed for @command{gpg}. Under the X Window System,
1084you will see a new passphrase input dialog appear. The dialog is
1085provided by PIN Entry (the @command{pinentry} command), and as of
1086version 0.7.2, @command{pinentry} cannot cooperate with Emacs on a
1087single tty. So, if you are using a text console, you may need to put
1088a passphrase into gpg-agent's cache beforehand. The following command
1089does the trick.
1090
1091@example
1092gpg --use-agent --sign < /dev/null > /dev/null
1093@end example
1094
1095The Lisp variable @code{pgg-gpg-use-agent} controls whether to use
1096@command{gpg-agent}. See also @xref{Caching passphrase, , , pgg, The
1097PGG Manual}.
1098
1099
1100@node PGP Compatibility
1101@subsection Compatibility with older implementations
1102
1103@vindex gpg-temp-directory
1104Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1105directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions
11060700.
1107
1108Creating your own key is described in detail in the documentation of
1109your PGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1110
1111If you have imported your old PGP 2.x key into GnuPG, and want to send
1112signed and encrypted messages to your fellow PGP 2.x users, you'll
1113discover that the receiver cannot understand what you send. One
1114solution is to use PGP 2.x instead (i.e., if you use @code{pgg}, set
1115@code{pgg-default-scheme} to @code{pgp}). If you do want to use
1116GnuPG, you can use a compatibility script called @code{gpg-2comp}
1117available from
1118@uref{http://muppet.faveve.uni-stuttgart.de/~gero/gpg-2comp/}. You
1119could also convince your fellow PGP 2.x users to convert to GnuPG.
1120@vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
1121As a final workaround, you can make the sign and encryption work in
1122two steps; separately sign, then encrypt a message. If you would like
1123to change this behavior you can customize the
1124@code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For example:
1125
1126@lisp
1127(setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" separate)
1128 ("pgp" separate)
1129 ("pgpauto" separate)
1130 ("pgpmime" separate)))
1131@end lisp
1132
1133This causes to sign and encrypt in two passes, thus generating a
1134message that can be understood by PGP version 2.
1135
1136(Refer to @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/pgp2x.html} for more
1137information about the problem.)
1138
1139@node Various Commands
1140@section Various Commands
1141
1142@table @kbd
1143
1144@item C-c C-r
1145@kindex C-c C-r
1146@findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1147Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1148(@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1149rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1150many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1151
1152@item C-c C-e
1153@kindex C-c C-e
1154@findex message-elide-region
1155@vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1156Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1157The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1158@code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1159(@samp{[...]}).
1160
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1161@item C-c M-k
1162@kindex C-c M-k
1163@findex message-kill-address
1164Kill the address under point.
1165
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GM
1166@item C-c C-z
1167@kindex C-c C-z
1168@findex message-kill-to-signature
1169Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1170end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1171
1172@item C-c C-v
1173@kindex C-c C-v
1174@findex message-delete-not-region
1175Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1176(@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1177
1178@item M-RET
1179@kindex M-RET
1180@findex message-newline-and-reformat
1181Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1182
1183Here's an example:
1184
1185@example
1186> This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1187@end example
1188
1189If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1190
1191@example
1192> This is some quoted text.
1193
1194*
1195
1196> And here's more quoted text.
1197@end example
1198
1199@samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1200
1201@item C-c M-r
1202@kindex C-c M-r
1203@findex message-rename-buffer
1204Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1205prompt for a new buffer name.
1206
1207@item TAB
1208@kindex TAB
1209@findex message-tab
1210@vindex message-tab-body-function
1211If @code{message-tab-body-function} is non-@code{nil}, execute the
1212function it specifies. Otherwise use the function bound to @kbd{TAB} in
1213@code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1214
1215@end table
1216
1217
1218@node Sending
1219@section Sending
1220
1221@table @kbd
1222@item C-c C-c
1223@kindex C-c C-c
1224@findex message-send-and-exit
1225Send the message and bury the current buffer
1226(@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1227
1228@item C-c C-s
1229@kindex C-c C-s
1230@findex message-send
1231Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1232
1233@item C-c C-d
1234@kindex C-c C-d
1235@findex message-dont-send
1236Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1237
1238@item C-c C-k
1239@kindex C-c C-k
1240@findex message-kill-buffer
1241Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
1242
1243@end table
1244
1245
1246
1247@node Mail Aliases
1248@section Mail Aliases
1249@cindex mail aliases
1250@cindex aliases
01c52d31
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1251@cindex completion
1252@cindex ecomplete
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1253
1254@vindex message-mail-alias-type
1255The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
01c52d31
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1256alias expansion to use. Currently two forms are supported:
1257@code{mailabbrev} and @code{ecomplete}. If this variable is
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1258@code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1259
1260@code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1261@file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1262
1263@example
1264alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1265alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1266@end example
1267
1268After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1269be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1270on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1271
1272No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1273expansions have to be done explicitly.
1274
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1275If you're using @code{ecomplete}, all addresses from @code{To} and
1276@code{Cc} headers will automatically be put into the
1277@file{~/.ecompleterc} file. When you enter text in the @code{To} and
1278@code{Cc} headers, @code{ecomplete} will check out the values stored
1279there and ``electrically'' say what completions are possible. To
1280choose one of these completions, use the @kbd{M-n} command to move
1281down to the list. Use @kbd{M-n} and @kbd{M-p} to move down and up the
1282list, and @kbd{RET} to choose a completion.
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1283
1284@node Spelling
1285@section Spelling
1286@cindex spelling
1287@findex ispell-message
1288
1289There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1290@code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1291probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1292and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1293typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1294something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1295
1296@lisp
1297(add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1298@end lisp
1299
1300@vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1301If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1302controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1303
1304@lisp
1305(setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1306 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1307 (".*" . "default")))
1308@end lisp
1309
1310@code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1311installed.
1312
1313The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1314your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1315various ways.
1316
1317To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1318@file{.emacs} file:
1319
1320@lisp
1321(defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1322 (flyspell-mode 1))
1323(add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1324@end lisp
1325
1326@code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1327installed.
1328
1329
1330@node Variables
1331@chapter Variables
1332
1333@menu
1334* Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1335* Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1336* Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1337* News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1338* News Variables:: Other news variables.
1339* Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1340* Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1341* Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1342* Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1343* Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1344@end menu
1345
1346
1347@node Message Headers
1348@section Message Headers
1349
1350Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
01c52d31 1351be---it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
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1352messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1353mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1354look sufficiently similar.
1355
1356@table @code
1357
1358@item message-generate-headers-first
1359@vindex message-generate-headers-first
1360If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1361compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1362
1363@lisp
1364(setq message-generate-headers-first
1365 '(References))
1366@end lisp
1367
1368@vindex message-required-headers
1369The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1370@code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1371@code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1372required.
1373
1374Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1375because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1376
1377@item message-draft-headers
1378@vindex message-draft-headers
1379When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1380with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1381should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1382
1383@item message-from-style
1384@vindex message-from-style
1385Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1386values:
1387
1388@table @code
1389@item nil
01c52d31 1390Just the address---@samp{king@@grassland.com}.
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1391
1392@item parens
1393@samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1394
1395@item angles
1396@samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1397
1398@item default
1399Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1400@code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1401@code{angles} anyway.
1402
1403@end table
1404
1405@item message-deletable-headers
1406@vindex message-deletable-headers
1407Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1408deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1409to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1410to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1411ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1412generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1413this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1414prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1415Allegedly.
1416
1417@item message-default-headers
1418@vindex message-default-headers
1419This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1420buffers.
1421
1422@item message-subject-re-regexp
1423@vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1424@cindex Aw
1425@cindex Sv
1426@cindex Re
1427Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1428is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1429Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1430failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1431to use abominations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1432(``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1433have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1434set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1435just throw away non-compliant mail.
1436
1437Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1438responding to a message:
1439
1440@lisp
1441(setq message-subject-re-regexp
1442 (concat
1443 "^[ \t]*"
1444 "\\("
1445 "\\("
1446 "[Aa][Nn][Tt][Ww]\\.?\\|" ; antw
1447 "[Aa][Ww]\\|" ; aw
1448 "[Ff][Ww][Dd]?\\|" ; fwd
1449 "[Oo][Dd][Pp]\\|" ; odp
1450 "[Rr][Ee]\\|" ; re
1451 "[Rr][\311\351][Ff]\\.?\\|" ; ref
1452 "[Ss][Vv]" ; sv
1453 "\\)"
1454 "\\(\\[[0-9]*\\]\\)"
1455 "*:[ \t]*"
1456 "\\)"
1457 "*[ \t]*"
1458 ))
1459@end lisp
1460
1461@item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1462@vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1463@vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1464@vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1465Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1466lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1467@code{ask}, query the user what to do. In this case, the subject is
1468matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1469@code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is @code{t}, always strip the
1470trailing old subject. In this case,
1471@code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1472
1473@item message-alternative-emails
1474@vindex message-alternative-emails
1475Regexp matching alternative email addresses. The first address in the
1476To, Cc or From headers of the original article matching this variable is
1477used as the From field of outgoing messages, replacing the default From
1478value.
1479
1480For example, if you have two secondary email addresses john@@home.net
1481and john.doe@@work.com and want to use them in the From field when
1482composing a reply to a message addressed to one of them, you could set
1483this variable like this:
1484
1485@lisp
1486(setq message-alternative-emails
1487 (regexp-opt '("john@@home.net" "john.doe@@work.com")))
1488@end lisp
1489
1490This variable has precedence over posting styles and anything that runs
1491off @code{message-setup-hook}.
1492
1493@item message-allow-no-recipients
1494@vindex message-allow-no-recipients
1495Specifies what to do when there are no recipients other than
1496@code{Gcc} or @code{Fcc}. If it is @code{always}, the posting is
1497allowed. If it is @code{never}, the posting is not allowed. If it is
1498@code{ask} (the default), you are prompted.
1499
1500@item message-hidden-headers
1501@vindex message-hidden-headers
1502A regexp, a list of regexps, or a list where the first element is
1503@code{not} and the rest are regexps. It says which headers to keep
1504hidden when composing a message.
1505
1506@lisp
1507(setq message-hidden-headers
1508 '(not "From" "Subject" "To" "Cc" "Newsgroups"))
1509@end lisp
1510
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1511Headers are hidden using narrowing, you can use @kbd{M-x widen} to
1512expose them in the buffer.
1513
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1514@item message-header-synonyms
1515@vindex message-header-synonyms
1516A list of lists of header synonyms. E.g., if this list contains a
1517member list with elements @code{Cc} and @code{To}, then
1518@code{message-carefully-insert-headers} will not insert a @code{To}
1519header when the message is already @code{Cc}ed to the recipient.
1520
1521@end table
1522
1523
1524@node Mail Headers
1525@section Mail Headers
1526
1527@table @code
1528@item message-required-mail-headers
1529@vindex message-required-mail-headers
1530@xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
1531@code{(From Subject Date (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID
1532(optional . User-Agent))} by default.
1533
1534@item message-ignored-mail-headers
1535@vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
1536Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is@*
1537@samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^Xref:\\|^X-Draft-From:\\|@*
1538^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1539
1540@item message-default-mail-headers
1541@vindex message-default-mail-headers
1542This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1543buffers that are initialized as mail.
1544
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1545@item message-generate-hashcash
1546@vindex message-generate-hashcash
1547Variable that indicates whether @samp{X-Hashcash} headers
1548should be computed for the message. @xref{Hashcash, ,Hashcash,gnus,
1549The Gnus Manual}. If @code{opportunistic}, only generate the headers
1550when it doesn't lead to the user having to wait.
1551
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1552@end table
1553
1554
1555@node Mail Variables
1556@section Mail Variables
1557
1558@table @code
1559@item message-send-mail-function
1560@vindex message-send-mail-function
d82cf70b 1561@findex message-send-mail-function
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1562@findex message-send-mail-with-sendmail
1563@findex message-send-mail-with-mh
1564@findex message-send-mail-with-qmail
1565@findex message-smtpmail-send-it
1566@findex smtpmail-send-it
1567@findex feedmail-send-it
d82cf70b 1568@findex message-send-mail-with-mailclient
4009494e 1569Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
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1570@code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, or @code{smtpmail-send-it}
1571according to the system. Other valid values include
d82cf70b 1572@code{message-send-mail-with-mailclient},
4009494e 1573@code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
01c52d31 1574@code{message-smtpmail-send-it} and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
4009494e 1575
d82cf70b
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1576The function
1577@code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail} pipes your article to the
1578@code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and sending. When your local
1579system is not configured for sending mail using @code{sendmail}, and you
1580have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP} server, you can set
1581@code{message-send-mail-function} to @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make
1582sure to setup the @code{smtpmail} package correctly. An example:
1583
1584@lisp
1585(setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
1586 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
1587@end lisp
1588
1589To the thing similar to this, there is
1590@code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
1591requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
1592@xref{POP before SMTP, , POP before SMTP, gnus, The Gnus Manual}.
1593
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1594@item message-mh-deletable-headers
1595@vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
1596Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
1597headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
1598the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
1599messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
1600headers.
1601
1602@item message-qmail-inject-program
1603@vindex message-qmail-inject-program
1604@cindex qmail
1605Location of the qmail-inject program.
1606
1607@item message-qmail-inject-args
1608@vindex message-qmail-inject-args
1609Arguments passed to qmail-inject programs.
1610This should be a list of strings, one string for each argument. It
1611may also be a function.
1612
1613For e.g., if you wish to set the envelope sender address so that bounces
1614go to the right place or to deal with listserv's usage of that address, you
1615might set this variable to @code{'("-f" "you@@some.where")}.
1616
1617@item message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1618@vindex message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1619@cindex sendmail
1620Non-@code{nil} means don't add @samp{-f username} to the sendmail
1621command line. Doing so would be even more evil than leaving it out.
1622
1623@item message-sendmail-envelope-from
1624@vindex message-sendmail-envelope-from
1625When @code{message-sendmail-f-is-evil} is @code{nil}, this specifies
1626the address to use in the @acronym{SMTP} envelope. If it is
1627@code{nil}, use @code{user-mail-address}. If it is the symbol
1628@code{header}, use the @samp{From} header of the message.
1629
1630@item message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1631@vindex message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1632Set this to non-@code{nil} if the system's mailer runs the header and
1633body together. (This problem exists on SunOS 4 when sendmail is run
1634in remote mode.) The value should be an expression to test whether
1635the problem will actually occur.
1636
1637@item message-send-mail-partially-limit
1638@vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
1639@cindex split large message
1640The limitation of messages sent as message/partial. The lower bound
1641of message size in characters, beyond which the message should be sent
1642in several parts. If it is @code{nil}, the size is unlimited.
1643
1644@end table
1645
1646
1647@node News Headers
1648@section News Headers
1649
1650@vindex message-required-news-headers
1651@code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
1652headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
1653impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
1654
1655@table @code
1656
1657@item From
1658@cindex From
1659@findex user-full-name
1660@findex user-mail-address
1661This required header will be filled out with the result of the
1662@code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
1663@code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
1664@code{user-mail-address} variables.
1665
1666@item Subject
1667@cindex Subject
1668This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
1669
1670@item Newsgroups
1671@cindex Newsgroups
1672This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
1673to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
1674
1675@item Organization
1676@cindex organization
1677@vindex message-user-organization
1678@vindex message-user-organization-file
1679This optional header will be filled out depending on the
1680@code{message-user-organization} variable.
1681@code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
1682@code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
1683will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
1684parameters and should return a string to be used).
1685
1686@item Lines
1687@cindex Lines
1688This optional header will be computed by Message.
1689
1690@item Message-ID
1691@cindex Message-ID
1692@vindex message-user-fqdn
1693@vindex mail-host-address
1694@vindex user-mail-address
1695@findex system-name
1696@cindex Sun
1697@cindex i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-tickle-me
1698This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
1699created based on the date, time, user name (for the local part) and the
1700domain part. For the domain part, message will look (in this order) at
1701@code{message-user-fqdn}, @code{system-name}, @code{mail-host-address}
1702and @code{message-user-mail-address} (i.e. @code{user-mail-address})
1703until a probably valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN) was found.
1704
1705@item User-Agent
1706@cindex User-Agent
1707This optional header will be filled out according to the
1708@code{message-newsreader} local variable.
1709
1710@item In-Reply-To
1711This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
1712header of the article being replied to.
1713
1714@item Expires
1715@cindex Expires
1716@vindex message-expires
1717This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
1718@code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
1719be used unless you know what you're doing.
1720
1721@item Distribution
1722@cindex Distribution
1723@vindex message-distribution-function
1724This optional header is filled out according to the
1725@code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
1726much misunderstood header.
1727
1728@item Path
1729@cindex path
1730@vindex message-user-path
1731This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
1732However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
1733present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
1734@code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
1735as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
1736a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
1737unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
1738@end table
1739
1740@findex yow
1741@cindex Mime-Version
1742In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The @sc{car} of this cons
1743should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
1744the @sc{cdr} can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
1745this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
1746return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
1747@code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
1748into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
1749something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
1750@code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
1751
1752If the list contains a cons where the @sc{car} of the cons is
1753@code{optional}, the @sc{cdr} of this cons will only be inserted if it is
1754non-@code{nil}.
1755
1756If you want to delete an entry from this list, the following Lisp
1757snippet might be useful. Adjust accordingly if you want to remove
1758another element.
1759
1760@lisp
1761(setq message-required-news-headers
1762 (delq 'Message-ID message-required-news-headers))
1763@end lisp
1764
1765Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
1766
1767@table @code
1768
1769@item message-syntax-checks
1770@vindex message-syntax-checks
1771Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
1772To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
1773
1774@lisp
1775(signature . disabled)
1776@end lisp
1777
1778to this list.
1779
1780Valid checks are:
1781
1782@table @code
1783@item approved
1784@cindex approved
1785Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
1786something only moderators should include.
1787@item continuation-headers
1788Check whether there are continuation header lines that don't begin with
1789whitespace.
1790@item control-chars
1791Check for invalid characters.
1792@item empty
1793Check whether the article is empty.
1794@item existing-newsgroups
1795Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1796@code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1797@item from
1798Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
1799@item illegible-text
1800Check whether there is any non-printable character in the body.
1801@item invisible-text
1802Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1803@item long-header-lines
1804Check for too long header lines.
1805@item long-lines
1806@cindex long lines
1807Check for too long lines in the body.
1808@item message-id
1809Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks syntactically ok.
1810@item multiple-headers
1811Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
1812@item new-text
1813Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
1814@item newsgroups
1815Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} header exists and is not empty.
1816@item quoting-style
1817Check whether text follows last quoted portion.
1818@item repeated-newsgroups
1819Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1820contains repeated group names.
1821@item reply-to
1822Check whether the @code{Reply-To} header looks ok.
1823@item sender
1824@cindex Sender
1825Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
1826@item sendsys
1827@cindex sendsys
1828Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
1829@item shoot
1830Check whether the domain part of the @code{Message-ID} header looks ok.
1831@item shorten-followup-to
1832Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1833of groups to post to.
1834@item signature
1835Check the length of the signature.
1836@item size
1837Check for excessive size.
1838@item subject
1839Check whether the @code{Subject} header exists and is not empty.
1840@item subject-cmsg
1841Check the subject for commands.
1842@item valid-newsgroups
1843Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1844are valid syntactically.
1845@end table
1846
1847All these conditions are checked by default, except for @code{sender}
1848for which the check is disabled by default if
1849@code{message-insert-canlock} is non-@code{nil} (@pxref{Canceling News}).
1850
1851@item message-ignored-news-headers
1852@vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1853Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1854@samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|@*
1855^X-Draft-From:\\|^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1856
1857@item message-default-news-headers
1858@vindex message-default-news-headers
1859This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1860buffers that are initialized as news.
1861
1862@end table
1863
1864
1865@node News Variables
1866@section News Variables
1867
1868@table @code
1869@item message-send-news-function
1870@vindex message-send-news-function
1871Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1872@code{message-send-news}.
1873
1874@item message-post-method
1875@vindex message-post-method
1876Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1877posting a prepared news message.
1878
1879@end table
1880
1881
1882@node Insertion Variables
1883@section Insertion Variables
1884
1885@table @code
1886@item message-ignored-cited-headers
1887@vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
1888All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
1889messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
1890removed.
1891
1892@item message-cite-prefix-regexp
1893@vindex message-cite-prefix-regexp
1894Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
1895
1896@item message-citation-line-function
1897@vindex message-citation-line-function
1898@cindex attribution line
1899Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
1900@code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
1901that look like:
1902
1903@example
1904Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
1905@end example
1906
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1907@c FIXME: Add `message-insert-formated-citation-line' and
1908@c `message-citation-line-format'
1909
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1910Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
1911function is called.
1912
1913Note that Gnus provides a feature where clicking on `writes:' hides the
1914cited text. If you change the citation line too much, readers of your
1915messages will have to adjust their Gnus, too. See the variable
1916@code{gnus-cite-attribution-suffix}. @xref{Article Highlighting, ,
1917Article Highlighting, gnus, The Gnus Manual}, for details.
1918
1919@item message-yank-prefix
1920@vindex message-yank-prefix
1921@cindex yanking
1922@cindex quoting
1923When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
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1924to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
1925@dfn{yanking}, and each line you yank will have
1926@code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it (except for quoted lines
1927which use @code{message-yank-cited-prefix} and empty lines which use
1928@code{message-yank-empty-prefix}). The default is @samp{> }.
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1929
1930@item message-yank-cited-prefix
1931@vindex message-yank-cited-prefix
1932@cindex yanking
1933@cindex cited
1934@cindex quoting
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1935When yanking text from an article which contains already cited text,
1936each line will be prefixed with the contents of this variable. The
1937default is @samp{>}. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1938
1939@item message-yank-empty-prefix
1940@vindex message-yank-empty-prefix
1941@cindex yanking
1942@cindex quoting
1943When yanking text from an article, each empty line will be prefixed with
1944the contents of this variable. The default is @samp{>}. You can set
1945this variable to an empty string to split the cited text into paragraphs
1946automatically. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
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1947
1948@item message-indentation-spaces
1949@vindex message-indentation-spaces
1950Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
1951
1952@item message-cite-function
1953@vindex message-cite-function
1954@findex message-cite-original
1955@findex sc-cite-original
1956@findex message-cite-original-without-signature
1957@cindex Supercite
1958Function for citing an original message. The default is
1959@code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
1960and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
1961@code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
1962the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
1963Supercite.
1964
1965@item message-indent-citation-function
1966@vindex message-indent-citation-function
1967Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
1968This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
1969citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
1970should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
1971
1972@item message-mark-insert-begin
1973@vindex message-mark-insert-begin
1974String to mark the beginning of some inserted text.
1975
1976@item message-mark-insert-end
1977@vindex message-mark-insert-end
1978String to mark the end of some inserted text.
1979
1980@item message-signature
1981@vindex message-signature
1982String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
1983(which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
1984inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
1985used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
1986If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
1987
1988@item message-signature-file
1989@vindex message-signature-file
1990File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
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1991If a path is specified, the value of
1992@code{message-signature-directory} is ignored, even if set.
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1993The default is @file{~/.signature}.
1994
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1995@item message-signature-directory
1996@vindex message-signature-directory
1997Name of directory containing signature files. Comes in handy if you
1998have many such files, handled via Gnus posting styles for instance.
1999If @code{nil} (the default), @code{message-signature-file} is expected
2000to specify the directory if needed.
2001
2002
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2003@item message-signature-insert-empty-line
2004@vindex message-signature-insert-empty-line
2005If @code{t} (the default value) an empty line is inserted before the
2006signature separator.
2007
2008@end table
2009
2010Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
2011characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
2012easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
2013signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
2014that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
2015
2016Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
2017Including @acronym{ASCII} graphics is an efficient way to get
2018everybody to believe that you are silly and have nothing important to
2019say.
2020
2021
2022@node Various Message Variables
2023@section Various Message Variables
2024
2025@table @code
2026@item message-default-charset
2027@vindex message-default-charset
2028@cindex charset
2029Symbol naming a @acronym{MIME} charset. Non-@acronym{ASCII} characters
2030in messages are assumed to be encoded using this charset. The default
2031is @code{iso-8859-1} on non-@sc{mule} Emacsen; otherwise @code{nil},
2032which means ask the user. (This variable is used only on non-@sc{mule}
2033Emacsen.) @xref{Charset Translation, , Charset Translation, emacs-mime,
2034Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on the @sc{mule}-to-@acronym{MIME}
2035translation process.
2036
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2037@item message-fill-column
2038@vindex message-fill-column
2039@cindex auto-fill
2040Local value for the column beyond which automatic line-wrapping should
2041happen for message buffers. If non-nil (the default), also turn on
2042auto-fill in message buffers.
2043
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2044@item message-signature-separator
2045@vindex message-signature-separator
2046Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
2047default.
2048
2049@item mail-header-separator
2050@vindex mail-header-separator
2051String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
2052follows this line--} by default.
2053
2054@item message-directory
2055@vindex message-directory
2056Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
2057All other mail file variables are derived from @code{message-directory}.
2058
2059@item message-auto-save-directory
2060@vindex message-auto-save-directory
2061Directory where Message auto-saves buffers if Gnus isn't running. If
2062@code{nil}, Message won't auto-save. The default is @file{~/Mail/drafts/}.
2063
2064@item message-signature-setup-hook
2065@vindex message-signature-setup-hook
2066Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
2067headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
2068
2069@item message-setup-hook
2070@vindex message-setup-hook
2071Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
2072but before yanked text is inserted.
2073
2074@item message-header-setup-hook
2075@vindex message-header-setup-hook
2076Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
2077
2078For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
2079@samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
2080you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
2081
2082@lisp
2083(defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
2084 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
2085 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
2086 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
2087 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
2088 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
2089
2090(add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
2091 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
2092@end lisp
2093
2094@item message-send-hook
2095@vindex message-send-hook
2096Hook run before sending messages.
2097
2098If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
2099@code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
2100@findex message-add-header
2101
2102@lisp
2103(add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
2104(defun my-message-add-content ()
2105 (message-add-header "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense")
2106 (message-add-header "X-Whatever: no"))
2107@end lisp
2108
2109This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
2110
2111@item message-send-mail-hook
2112@vindex message-send-mail-hook
2113Hook run before sending mail messages. This hook is run very late --
2114just before the message is actually sent as mail.
2115
2116@item message-send-news-hook
2117@vindex message-send-news-hook
2118Hook run before sending news messages. This hook is run very late --
2119just before the message is actually sent as news.
2120
2121@item message-sent-hook
2122@vindex message-sent-hook
2123Hook run after sending messages.
2124
2125@item message-cancel-hook
2126@vindex message-cancel-hook
2127Hook run when canceling news articles.
2128
2129@item message-mode-syntax-table
2130@vindex message-mode-syntax-table
2131Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
2132
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2133@item message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2134@vindex message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2135If non-@code{nil}, don't strip quoted text from articles that have
2136@samp{X-No-Archive} set. Even if this variable isn't set, you can
2137undo the stripping by hitting the @code{undo} keystroke.
2138
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2139@item message-strip-special-text-properties
2140@vindex message-strip-special-text-properties
2141Emacs has a number of special text properties which can break message
2142composing in various ways. If this option is set, message will strip
2143these properties from the message composition buffer. However, some
2144packages requires these properties to be present in order to work. If
2145you use one of these packages, turn this option off, and hope the
2146message composition doesn't break too bad.
2147
2148@item message-send-method-alist
2149@vindex message-send-method-alist
2150@findex message-mail-p
2151@findex message-news-p
2152@findex message-send-via-mail
2153@findex message-send-via-news
2154Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form:
2155
2156@lisp
2157(@var{type} @var{predicate} @var{function})
2158@end lisp
2159
2160@table @var
2161@item type
2162A symbol that names the method.
2163
2164@item predicate
2165A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
2166message is a message of type @var{type}. The function will be called in
2167the buffer where the message is.
2168
2169@item function
2170A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
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2172@end table
2173
2174The default is:
2175
2176@lisp
2177((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
2178 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
2179@end lisp
2180
2181The @code{message-news-p} function returns non-@code{nil} if the message
2182looks like news, and the @code{message-send-via-news} function sends the
2183message according to the @code{message-send-news-function} variable
2184(@pxref{News Variables}). The @code{message-mail-p} function returns
2185non-@code{nil} if the message looks like mail, and the
2186@code{message-send-via-mail} function sends the message according to the
2187@code{message-send-mail-function} variable (@pxref{Mail Variables}).
2188
2189All the elements in this alist will be tried in order, so a message
2190containing both a valid @samp{Newsgroups} header and a valid @samp{To}
2191header, for example, will be sent as news, and then as mail.
2192@end table
2193
2194
2195
2196@node Sending Variables
2197@section Sending Variables
2198
2199@table @code
2200
2201@item message-fcc-handler-function
2202@vindex message-fcc-handler-function
2203A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
2204called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
2205function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
2206
2207@item message-courtesy-message
2208@vindex message-courtesy-message
2209When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
2210the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
2211newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
2212this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
2213The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
2214an article\\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\\n\\n"}.
2215
2216@item message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2217@vindex message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2218If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Fcc copies; if it is
2219non-@code{nil}, attach local files as external parts.
2220
2221@item message-interactive
2222@vindex message-interactive
2223If non-@code{nil} wait for and display errors when sending a message;
2224if @code{nil} let the mailer mail back a message to report errors.
2225
2226@end table
2227
2228
2229@node Message Buffers
2230@section Message Buffers
2231
2232Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
2233request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
2234normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
2235message buffers are kept alive.
2236
2237@table @code
2238@item message-generate-new-buffers
2239@vindex message-generate-new-buffers
2240Controls whether to create a new message buffer to compose a message.
2241Valid values include:
2242
2243@table @code
2244@item nil
2245Generate the buffer name in the Message way (e.g., *mail*, *news*, *mail
2246to whom*, *news on group*, etc.) and continue editing in the existing
2247buffer of that name. If there is no such buffer, it will be newly
2248created.
2249
2250@item unique
2251@item t
2252Create the new buffer with the name generated in the Message way. This
2253is the default.
2254
2255@item unsent
2256Similar to @code{unique} but the buffer name begins with "*unsent ".
2257
2258@item standard
2259Similar to @code{nil} but the buffer name is simpler like *mail
2260message*.
2261@end table
2262@table @var
2263@item function
2264If this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The
2265type, the To address and the group name (any of these may be
2266@code{nil}). The function should return the new buffer name.
2267@end table
2268
2269The default value is @code{unique}.
2270
2271@item message-max-buffers
2272@vindex message-max-buffers
2273This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
2274more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
2275default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
2276will ever be killed.
2277
2278@item message-send-rename-function
2279@vindex message-send-rename-function
2280After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
2281@samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
2282like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
2283manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
2284say:
2285
2286@lisp
2287(setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
2288@end lisp
2289
2290@item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2291@findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2292If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
2293
2294@end table
2295
2296
2297@node Message Actions
2298@section Message Actions
2299
2300When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
2301to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
2302return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
2303replied.
2304
2305@vindex message-kill-actions
2306@vindex message-postpone-actions
2307@vindex message-exit-actions
2308@vindex message-send-actions
2309The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
2310common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
2311possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
2312C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
2313and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
2314have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
2315@code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
2316@code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
2317
2318Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
2319@code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
2320added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
2321to. Here's an example from Gnus:
2322
2323@lisp
2324 (message-add-action
2325 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
2326 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
2327@end lisp
2328
2329This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
2330killed, postponed or exited.
2331
2332An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
2333@sc{car} is a function and the @sc{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
2334a form to be @code{eval}ed.
2335
2336
2337@node Compatibility
2338@chapter Compatibility
2339@cindex compatibility
2340
2341Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
2342variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
2343into account, you can put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2344
2345@lisp
2346(require 'messcompat)
2347@end lisp
2348
2349This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
2350corresponding mail variables.
2351
2352
2353@node Appendices
2354@chapter Appendices
2355
2356@menu
2357* Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
2358@end menu
2359
2360
2361@node Responses
2362@section Responses
2363
2364To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
2365by default.
2366
2367@table @dfn
2368@item reply
2369A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
2370sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
2371determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
2372consulted, in turn:
2373
2374@table @code
2375@item Reply-To
2376
2377@item From
2378@end table
2379
2380
2381@item wide reply
2382A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
2383mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
2384following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
2385@code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
2386
2387@table @code
2388@item From
2389(unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
2390
2391@item Cc
2392
2393@item To
2394@end table
2395
2396If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
2397in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
2398that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
2399
2400
2401@item followup
2402A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
2403(listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
2404sent:
2405
2406@table @code
2407
2408@item Followup-To
2409
2410@item Newsgroups
2411
2412@end table
2413
2414If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
2415basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is
2416@samp{never}.
2417
2418@end table
2419
2420
2421@node GNU Free Documentation License
2422@chapter GNU Free Documentation License
2423@include doclicense.texi
2424
2425@node Index
2426@chapter Index
2427@printindex cp
2428
2429@node Key Index
2430@chapter Key Index
2431@printindex ky
2432
2433@summarycontents
2434@contents
2435@bye
2436
2437@c End:
2438
2439@ignore
2440 arch-tag: 16ab76af-a281-4e34-aed6-5624569f7601
2441@end ignore