1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985,86,87,93,94,95,97,2000,2001, 2003
3 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Sending Mail, Rmail, Picture, Top
11 To send a message in Emacs, you start by typing a command (@kbd{C-x m})
12 to select and initialize the @samp{*mail*} buffer. Then you edit the text
13 and headers of the message in this buffer, and type another command
14 (@kbd{C-c C-s} or @kbd{C-c C-c}) to send the message.
18 Begin composing a message to send (@code{compose-mail}).
20 Likewise, but display the message in another window
21 (@code{compose-mail-other-window}).
23 Likewise, but make a new frame (@code{compose-mail-other-frame}).
25 In Mail mode, send the message (@code{mail-send}).
27 Send the message and bury the mail buffer (@code{mail-send-and-exit}).
33 @findex compose-mail-other-window
35 @findex compose-mail-other-frame
36 The command @kbd{C-x m} (@code{compose-mail}) selects a buffer named
37 @samp{*mail*} and initializes it with the skeleton of an outgoing
38 message. @kbd{C-x 4 m} (@code{compose-mail-other-window}) selects the
39 @samp{*mail*} buffer in a different window, leaving the previous current
40 buffer visible. @kbd{C-x 5 m} (@code{compose-mail-other-frame}) creates
41 a new frame to select the @samp{*mail*} buffer.
43 Because the mail-composition buffer is an ordinary Emacs buffer, you can
44 switch to other buffers while in the middle of composing mail, and switch
45 back later (or never). If you use the @kbd{C-x m} command again when you
46 have been composing another message but have not sent it, you are asked to
47 confirm before the old message is erased. If you answer @kbd{n}, the
48 @samp{*mail*} buffer is left selected with its old contents, so you can
49 finish the old message and send it. @kbd{C-u C-x m} is another way to do
50 this. Sending the message marks the @samp{*mail*} buffer ``unmodified,''
51 which avoids the need for confirmation when @kbd{C-x m} is next used.
53 If you are composing a message in the @samp{*mail*} buffer and want to
54 send another message before finishing the first, rename the
55 @samp{*mail*} buffer using @kbd{M-x rename-uniquely} (@pxref{Misc
56 Buffer}). Then you can use @kbd{C-x m} or its variants described above
57 to make a new @samp{*mail*} buffer. Once you've done that, you can work
58 with each mail buffer independently.
60 @vindex mail-default-directory
61 The variable @code{mail-default-directory} controls the default
62 directory for mail buffers, and also says where to put their auto-save
66 @c Commented out because it is not user-oriented;
67 @c it doesn't say how to do some job. -- rms.
68 @cindex directory servers
71 @cindex names and addresses
72 There is an interface to directory servers using various protocols such
73 as LDAP or the CCSO white pages directory system (PH/QI), described in a
74 separate manual. It may be useful for looking up names and addresses.
75 @xref{Top,,EUDC, eudc, EUDC Manual}.
79 * Format: Mail Format. Format of the mail being composed.
80 * Headers: Mail Headers. Details of permitted mail header fields.
81 * Aliases: Mail Aliases. Abbreviating and grouping mail addresses.
82 * Mode: Mail Mode. Special commands for editing mail being composed.
83 * Amuse: Mail Amusements. Distracting the NSA; adding fortune messages.
84 * Methods: Mail Methods. Using alternative mail-composition methods.
88 @section The Format of the Mail Buffer
90 In addition to the @dfn{text} or @dfn{body}, a message has @dfn{header
91 fields} which say who sent it, when, to whom, why, and so on. Some
92 header fields, such as @samp{Date} and @samp{Sender}, are created
93 automatically when you send the message. Others, such as the recipient
94 names, must be specified by you in order to send the message properly.
96 Mail mode provides a few commands to help you edit some header fields,
97 and some are preinitialized in the buffer automatically at times. You can
98 insert and edit header fields using ordinary editing commands.
100 The line in the buffer that says
103 --text follows this line--
107 is a special delimiter that separates the headers you have specified from
108 the text. Whatever follows this line is the text of the message; the
109 headers precede it. The delimiter line itself does not appear in the
110 message actually sent. The text used for the delimiter line is controlled
111 by the variable @code{mail-header-separator}.
113 Here is an example of what the headers and text in the mail buffer
118 CC: lungfish@@spam.org, byob@@spam.org
119 Subject: The Emacs Manual
120 --Text follows this line--
121 Please ignore this message.
125 @section Mail Header Fields
126 @cindex headers (of mail message)
128 A header field in the mail buffer starts with a field name at the
129 beginning of a line, terminated by a colon. Upper and lower case are
130 equivalent in field names (and in mailing addresses also). After the
131 colon and optional whitespace comes the contents of the field.
133 You can use any name you like for a header field, but normally people
134 use only standard field names with accepted meanings. Here is a table
135 of fields commonly used in outgoing messages.
139 This field contains the mailing addresses to which the message is
140 addressed. If you list more than one address, use commas, not spaces,
144 The contents of the @samp{Subject} field should be a piece of text
145 that says what the message is about. The reason @samp{Subject} fields
146 are useful is that most mail-reading programs can provide a summary of
147 messages, listing the subject of each message but not its text.
150 This field contains additional mailing addresses to send the message to,
151 like @samp{To} except that these readers should not regard the message
155 This field contains additional mailing addresses to send the message to,
156 which should not appear in the header of the message actually sent.
157 Copies sent this way are called @dfn{blind carbon copies}.
159 @vindex mail-self-blind
160 @cindex copy of every outgoing message
161 To send a blind carbon copy of every outgoing message to yourself, set
162 the variable @code{mail-self-blind} to @code{t}. To send a blind carbon
163 copy of every message to some other @var{address}, set the variable
164 @code{mail-default-headers} to @code{"Bcc: @var{address}\n"}.
167 This field contains the name of one file and directs Emacs to append a
168 copy of the message to that file when you send the message. If the file
169 is in Rmail format, Emacs writes the message in Rmail format; otherwise,
170 Emacs writes the message in system mail file format. To specify
171 more than one file, use several @samp{FCC} fields, with one file
174 @vindex mail-archive-file-name
175 To put a fixed file name in the @samp{FCC} field each time you start
176 editing an outgoing message, set the variable
177 @code{mail-archive-file-name} to that file name. Unless you remove the
178 @samp{FCC} field before sending, the message will be written into that
179 file when it is sent.
182 Use the @samp{From} field to say who you are, when the account you are
183 using to send the mail is not your own. The contents of the @samp{From}
184 field should be a valid mailing address, since replies will normally go
185 there. If you don't specify the @samp{From} field yourself, Emacs uses
186 the value of @code{user-mail-address} as the default.
189 Use this field to direct replies to a different address. Most
190 mail-reading programs (including Rmail) automatically send replies to
191 the @samp{Reply-to} address in preference to the @samp{From} address.
192 By adding a @samp{Reply-to} field to your header, you can work around
193 any problems your @samp{From} address may cause for replies.
195 @cindex @env{REPLYTO} environment variable
196 @vindex mail-default-reply-to
197 To put a fixed @samp{Reply-to} address into every outgoing message, set
198 the variable @code{mail-default-reply-to} to that address (as a string).
199 Then @code{mail} initializes the message with a @samp{Reply-to} field as
200 specified. You can delete or alter that header field before you send
201 the message, if you wish. When Emacs starts up, if the environment
202 variable @env{REPLYTO} is set, @code{mail-default-reply-to} is
203 initialized from that environment variable.
206 This field contains a piece of text describing the message you are
207 replying to. Some mail systems can use this information to correlate
208 related pieces of mail. Normally this field is filled in by Rmail
209 when you reply to a message in Rmail, and you never need to
210 think about it (@pxref{Rmail}).
213 This field lists the message IDs of related previous messages. Rmail
214 sets up this field automatically when you reply to a message.
217 The @samp{To}, @samp{CC}, and @samp{BCC} header fields can appear
218 any number of times, and each such header field can contain multiple
219 addresses, separated by commas. This way, you can specify any number
220 of places to send the message. These fields can also have
221 continuation lines: one or more lines starting with whitespace,
222 following the starting line of the field, are considered part of the
223 field. Here's an example of a @samp{To} field with a continuation
228 To: foo@@here.net, this@@there.net,
229 me@@gnu.cambridge.mass.usa.earth.spiral3281
233 @vindex mail-from-style
234 When you send the message, if you didn't write a @samp{From} field
235 yourself, Emacs puts in one for you. The variable
236 @code{mail-from-style} controls the format:
240 Use just the email address, as in @samp{king@@grassland.com}.
242 Use both email address and full name, as in @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis
245 Use both email address and full name, as in @samp{Elvis Parsley
246 <king@@grassland.com>}.
248 Allow the system to insert the @samp{From} field.
251 @vindex mail-default-headers
252 You can direct Emacs to insert certain default headers into the
253 outgoing message by setting the variable @code{mail-default-headers}
254 to a string. Then @code{C-x m} inserts this string into the message
255 headers. If the default header fields are not appropriate for a
256 particular message, edit them as appropriate before sending the
260 @section Mail Aliases
262 @cindex @file{.mailrc} file
265 You can define @dfn{mail aliases} in a file named @file{~/.mailrc}.
266 These are short mnemonic names which stand for mail addresses or groups of
267 mail addresses. Like many other mail programs, Emacs expands aliases
268 when they occur in the @samp{To}, @samp{From}, @samp{CC}, @samp{BCC}, and
269 @samp{Reply-to} fields, plus their @samp{Resent-} variants.
271 To define an alias in @file{~/.mailrc}, write a line in the following
275 alias @var{shortaddress} @var{fulladdresses}
279 Here @var{fulladdresses} stands for one or more mail addresses for
280 @var{shortaddress} to expand into. Separate multiple addresses with
281 spaces; if an address contains a space, quote the whole address with a
282 pair of double-quotes.
284 For instance, to make @code{maingnu} stand for
285 @code{gnu@@gnu.org} plus a local address of your own, put in
289 alias maingnu gnu@@gnu.org local-gnu
292 Emacs also recognizes include commands in @samp{.mailrc} files.
296 source @var{filename}
300 The file @file{~/.mailrc} is used primarily by other mail-reading
301 programs; it can contain various other commands. Emacs ignores
302 everything in it except for alias definitions and include commands.
304 @findex define-mail-alias
305 Another way to define a mail alias, within Emacs alone, is with the
306 @code{define-mail-alias} command. It prompts for the alias and then the
307 full address. You can use it to define aliases in your @file{.emacs}
311 (define-mail-alias "maingnu" "gnu@@gnu.org")
315 @code{define-mail-alias} records aliases by adding them to a
316 variable named @code{mail-aliases}. If you are comfortable with
317 manipulating Lisp lists, you can set @code{mail-aliases} directly. The
318 initial value of @code{mail-aliases} is @code{t}, which means that
319 Emacs should read @file{.mailrc} to get the proper value.
321 @vindex mail-personal-alias-file
322 You can specify a different file name to use instead of
323 @file{~/.mailrc} by setting the variable
324 @code{mail-personal-alias-file}.
326 @findex expand-mail-aliases
327 Normally, Emacs expands aliases when you send the message. You do not
328 need to expand mail aliases before sending the message, but you can
329 expand them if you want to see where the mail will actually go. To do
330 this, use the command @kbd{M-x expand-mail-aliases}; it expands all mail
331 aliases currently present in the mail headers that hold addresses.
333 If you like, you can have mail aliases expand as abbrevs, as soon as
334 you type them in (@pxref{Abbrevs}). To enable this feature, execute the
338 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'mail-abbrevs-setup)
342 @findex define-mail-abbrev
344 This can go in your @file{.emacs} file. @xref{Hooks}. If you use this
345 feature, you must use @code{define-mail-abbrev} instead of
346 @code{define-mail-alias}; the latter does not work with this package.
347 Note that the mail abbreviation package uses the variable
348 @code{mail-abbrevs} instead of @code{mail-aliases}, and that all alias
349 names are converted to lower case.
351 @kindex C-c C-a @r{(Mail mode)}
352 @findex mail-interactive-insert-alias
353 The mail abbreviation package also provides the @kbd{C-c C-a}
354 (@code{mail-interactive-insert-alias}) command, which reads an alias
355 name (with completion) and inserts its definition at point. This is
356 useful when editing the message text itself or a header field such as
357 @samp{Subject} in which Emacs does not normally expand aliases.
359 Note that abbrevs expand only if you insert a word-separator character
360 afterward. However, you can rebind @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{M->} to cause
361 expansion as well. Here's how to do that:
364 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook
366 (substitute-key-definition
367 'next-line 'mail-abbrev-next-line
368 mail-mode-map global-map)
369 (substitute-key-definition
370 'end-of-buffer 'mail-abbrev-end-of-buffer
371 mail-mode-map global-map)))
379 The major mode used in the mail buffer is Mail mode, which is much
380 like Text mode except that various special commands are provided on the
381 @kbd{C-c} prefix. These commands all have to do specifically with
382 editing or sending the message. In addition, Mail mode defines the
383 character @samp{%} as a word separator; this is helpful for using the
384 word commands to edit mail addresses.
386 Mail mode is normally used in buffers set up automatically by the
387 @code{mail} command and related commands. However, you can also switch
388 to Mail mode in a file-visiting buffer. This is a useful thing to do if
389 you have saved the text of a draft message in a file.
392 * Mail Sending:: Commands to send the message.
393 * Header Editing:: Commands to move to header fields and edit them.
394 * Citing Mail:: Copying all or part of a message you are replying to.
395 * Mail Mode Misc:: Spell checking, signatures, etc.
399 @subsection Mail Sending
401 Mail mode has two commands for sending the message you have been
406 Send the message, and leave the mail buffer selected (@code{mail-send}).
408 Send the message, and select some other buffer (@code{mail-send-and-exit}).
411 @kindex C-c C-s @r{(Mail mode)}
412 @kindex C-c C-c @r{(Mail mode)}
414 @findex mail-send-and-exit
415 @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{mail-send}) sends the message and marks the mail
416 buffer unmodified, but leaves that buffer selected so that you can
417 modify the message (perhaps with new recipients) and send it again.
418 @kbd{C-c C-c} (@code{mail-send-and-exit}) sends and then deletes the
419 window or switches to another buffer. It puts the mail buffer at the
420 lowest priority for reselection by default, since you are finished with
421 using it. This is the usual way to send the message.
423 In a file-visiting buffer, sending the message does not clear the
424 modified flag, because only saving the file should do that. As a
425 result, you don't get a warning if you try to send the same message
428 @c This is indexed in mule.texi, node "Recognize Coding".
429 @c @vindex sendmail-coding-system
430 When you send a message that contains non-ASCII characters, they need
431 to be encoded with a coding system (@pxref{Coding Systems}). Usually
432 the coding system is specified automatically by your chosen language
433 environment (@pxref{Language Environments}). You can explicitly specify
434 the coding system for outgoing mail by setting the variable
435 @code{sendmail-coding-system} (@pxref{Recognize Coding}).
437 If the coding system thus determined does not handle the characters in
438 a particular message, Emacs asks you to select the coding system to use,
439 showing a list of possible coding systems.
444 @vindex send-mail-function
445 The variable @code{send-mail-function} controls how the default mail
446 user agent sends mail. It should be set to a function. The default
447 is @code{sendmail-send-it}, which delivers mail using the Sendmail
448 installation on the local host. To send mail through a SMTP server,
449 set it to @code{smtpmail-send-it} and set up the Emacs SMTP library
450 (@pxref{Sending mail via SMTP,,,smtpmail}). A third option is
451 @code{feedmail-send-it}, see the commentary section of the
452 @file{feedmail.el} package for more information.
455 @subsection Mail Header Editing
457 Mail mode provides special commands to move to particular header
458 fields and to complete addresses in headers.
462 Move to the @samp{To} header field, creating one if there is none
465 Move to the @samp{Subject} header field, creating one if there is
466 none (@code{mail-subject}).
468 Move to the @samp{CC} header field, creating one if there is none
471 Move to the @samp{BCC} header field, creating one if there is none
474 Move to the @samp{FCC} header field, creating one if there is none
477 Complete a mailing address (@code{mail-complete}).
480 @kindex C-c C-f C-t @r{(Mail mode)}
482 @kindex C-c C-f C-s @r{(Mail mode)}
484 @kindex C-c C-f C-c @r{(Mail mode)}
486 @kindex C-c C-f C-b @r{(Mail mode)}
488 @kindex C-c C-f C-f @r{(Mail mode)}
490 There are five commands to move point to particular header fields, all
491 based on the prefix @kbd{C-c C-f} (@samp{C-f} is for ``field''). They
492 are listed in the table above. If the field in question does not exist,
493 these commands create one. We provide special motion commands for these
494 particular fields because they are the fields users most often want to
497 @findex mail-complete
498 @kindex M-TAB @r{(Mail mode)}
499 While editing a header field that contains mailing addresses, such as
500 @samp{To:}, @samp{CC:} and @samp{BCC:}, you can complete a mailing
501 address by typing @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} (@code{mail-complete}). It inserts
502 the full name corresponding to the address, if it can determine the full
503 name. The variable @code{mail-complete-style} controls whether to insert
504 the full name, and what style to use, as in @code{mail-from-style}
505 (@pxref{Mail Headers}).
507 For completion purposes, the valid mailing addresses are taken to be
508 the local users' names plus your personal mail aliases. You can
509 specify additional sources of valid addresses; look at the customization
510 group @samp{mailalias} to see the options for this
511 (@pxref{Customization Groups}).
513 If you type @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} in the body of the message,
514 @code{mail-complete} invokes @code{ispell-complete-word}, as in Text
518 @subsection Citing Mail
521 Mail mode also has commands for yanking or @dfn{citing} all or part of
522 a message that you are replying to. These commands are active only when
523 you started sending a message using an Rmail command.
527 Yank the selected message from Rmail (@code{mail-yank-original}).
529 Yank the region from the Rmail buffer (@code{mail-yank-region}).
531 Fill each paragraph cited from another message
532 (@code{mail-fill-yanked-message}).
535 @kindex C-c C-y @r{(Mail mode)}
536 @findex mail-yank-original
537 When mail sending is invoked from the Rmail mail reader using an Rmail
538 command, @kbd{C-c C-y} can be used inside the mail buffer to insert
539 the text of the message you are replying to. Normally it indents each line
540 of that message three spaces and eliminates most header fields. A numeric
541 argument specifies the number of spaces to indent. An argument of just
542 @kbd{C-u} says not to indent at all and not to eliminate anything.
543 @kbd{C-c C-y} always uses the current message from the Rmail buffer,
544 so you can insert several old messages by selecting one in Rmail,
545 switching to @samp{*mail*} and yanking it, then switching back to
546 Rmail to select another.
548 @vindex mail-yank-prefix
549 You can specify the text for @kbd{C-c C-y} to insert at the beginning
550 of each line: set @code{mail-yank-prefix} to the desired string. (A
551 value of @code{nil} means to use indentation; this is the default.)
552 However, @kbd{C-u C-c C-y} never adds anything at the beginning of the
553 inserted lines, regardless of the value of @code{mail-yank-prefix}.
555 @kindex C-c C-r @r{(Mail mode)}
556 @findex mail-yank-region
557 To yank just a part of an incoming message, set the region in Rmail to
558 the part you want; then go to the @samp{*Mail*} message and type
559 @kbd{C-c C-r} (@code{mail-yank-region}). Each line that is copied is
560 indented or prefixed according to @code{mail-yank-prefix}.
562 @kindex C-c C-q @r{(Mail mode)}
563 @findex mail-fill-yanked-message
564 After using @kbd{C-c C-y} or @kbd{C-c C-r}, you can type @kbd{C-c C-q}
565 (@code{mail-fill-yanked-message}) to fill the paragraphs of the yanked
566 old message or messages. One use of @kbd{C-c C-q} fills all such
567 paragraphs, each one individually. To fill a single paragraph of the
568 quoted message, use @kbd{M-q}. If filling does not automatically
569 handle the type of citation prefix you use, try setting the fill prefix
570 explicitly. @xref{Filling}.
573 @subsection Mail Mode Miscellany
577 Move to the beginning of the message body text (@code{mail-text}).
579 Insert the file @file{~/.signature} at the end of the message text
580 (@code{mail-signature}).
581 @item C-c C-i @var{file} @key{RET}
582 Insert the contents of @var{file} at the end of the outgoing message
583 (@code{mail-attach-file}).
584 @item M-x ispell-message
585 Perform spelling correction on the message text, but not on citations from
589 @kindex C-c C-t @r{(Mail mode)}
591 @kbd{C-c C-t} (@code{mail-text}) moves point to just after the header
592 separator line---that is, to the beginning of the message body text.
594 @kindex C-c C-w @r{(Mail mode)}
595 @findex mail-signature
596 @vindex mail-signature
597 @kbd{C-c C-w} (@code{mail-signature}) adds a standard piece of text at
598 the end of the message to say more about who you are. The text comes
599 from the file @file{~/.signature} in your home directory. To insert
600 your signature automatically, set the variable @code{mail-signature} to
601 @code{t}; after that, starting a mail message automatically inserts the
602 contents of your @file{~/.signature} file. If you want to omit your
603 signature from a particular message, delete it from the buffer before
604 you send the message.
606 You can also set @code{mail-signature} to a string; then that string
607 is inserted automatically as your signature when you start editing a
608 message to send. If you set it to some other Lisp expression, the
609 expression is evaluated each time, and its value (which should be a
610 string) specifies the signature.
612 @findex ispell-message
613 You can do spelling correction on the message text you have written
614 with the command @kbd{M-x ispell-message}. If you have yanked an
615 incoming message into the outgoing draft, this command skips what was
616 yanked, but it checks the text that you yourself inserted. (It looks
617 for indentation or @code{mail-yank-prefix} to distinguish the cited
618 lines from your input.) @xref{Spelling}.
620 @kindex C-c C-i @r{(Mail mode)}
621 @findex mail-attach-file
622 To include a file in the outgoing message, you can use @kbd{C-x i},
623 the usual command to insert a file in the current buffer. But it is
624 often more convenient to use a special command, @kbd{C-c C-i}
625 (@code{mail-attach-file}). This command inserts the file contents at
626 the end of the buffer, after your signature if any, with a delimiter
627 line that includes the file name.
629 @vindex mail-mode-hook
630 @vindex mail-setup-hook
631 Turning on Mail mode (which @kbd{C-x m} does automatically) runs the
632 normal hooks @code{text-mode-hook} and @code{mail-mode-hook}.
633 Initializing a new outgoing message runs the normal hook
634 @code{mail-setup-hook}; if you want to add special fields to your mail
635 header or make other changes to the appearance of the mail buffer, use
636 that hook. @xref{Hooks}.
638 The main difference between these hooks is just when they are
639 invoked. Whenever you type @kbd{M-x mail}, @code{mail-mode-hook} runs
640 as soon as the @samp{*mail*} buffer is created. Then the
641 @code{mail-setup} function inserts the default contents of the buffer.
642 After these default contents are inserted, @code{mail-setup-hook} runs.
644 @node Mail Amusements
645 @section Mail Amusements
649 @kbd{M-x spook} adds a line of randomly chosen keywords to an outgoing
650 mail message. The keywords are chosen from a list of words that suggest
651 you are discussing something subversive.
653 The idea behind this feature is the suspicion that the
654 NSA@footnote{The US National Security Agency.} snoops on
655 all electronic mail messages that contain keywords suggesting they might
656 find them interesting. (The NSA says they don't, but that's what they
657 @emph{would} say.) The idea is that if lots of people add suspicious
658 words to their messages, the NSA will get so busy with spurious input
659 that they will have to give up reading it all.
661 Here's how to insert spook keywords automatically whenever you start
662 entering an outgoing message:
665 (add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'spook)
668 Whether or not this confuses the NSA, it at least amuses people.
670 @findex fortune-to-signature
671 @cindex fortune cookies
672 You can use the @code{fortune} program to put a ``fortune cookie''
673 message into outgoing mail. To do this, add
674 @code{fortune-to-signature} to @code{mail-setup-hook}:
677 (add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'fortune-to-signature)
681 @section Mail-Composition Methods
682 @cindex mail-composition methods
684 @cindex MH mail interface
685 @cindex Message mode for sending mail
686 In this chapter we have described the usual Emacs mode for editing
687 and sending mail---Mail mode. Emacs has alternative facilities for
688 editing and sending mail, including
689 MH-E and Message mode, not documented in this manual.
690 @xref{MH-E,,,mh-e, The Emacs Interface to MH}. @xref{Message,,,message,
691 Message Manual}. You can choose any of them as your preferred method.
692 The commands @code{C-x m}, @code{C-x 4 m} and @code{C-x 5 m} use
693 whichever agent you have specified, as do various other Emacs commands
694 and facilities that send mail.
696 @vindex mail-user-agent
697 To specify your mail-composition method, customize the variable
698 @code{mail-user-agent}. Currently legitimate values include
699 @code{sendmail-user-agent} (Mail mode), @code{mh-e-user-agent},
700 @code{message-user-agent} and @code{gnus-user-agent}.
702 If you select a different mail-composition method, the information
703 in this chapter about the @samp{*mail*} buffer and Mail mode does not
704 apply; the other methods use a different format of text in a different
705 buffer, and their commands are different as well.