1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
3 @setfilename ../info/message
4 @settitle Message Manual
9 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
11 Copyright @copyright{} 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
12 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
15 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
16 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
17 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
18 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
19 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
20 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
21 License'' in the Emacs manual.
23 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
24 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
25 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
27 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
28 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
29 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
30 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
36 * Message: (message). Mail and news composition mode that goes with Gnus.
41 @setchapternewpage odd
46 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
49 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
57 All message composition from Gnus (both mail and news) takes place in
61 * Interface:: Setting up message buffers.
62 * Commands:: Commands you can execute in message mode buffers.
63 * Variables:: Customizing the message buffers.
64 * Compatibility:: Making Message backwards compatible.
65 * Appendices:: More technical things.
66 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
67 * Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
70 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following lines:
71 Message is distributed with Gnus. The Gnus distribution
73 corresponding to this manual is Gnus v5.11.
79 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message -- reply,
80 follow up, forward, cancel -- the program (or person) should just put
81 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
82 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
83 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
87 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
88 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
89 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
90 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
91 * Followup:: Following up via news.
92 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
93 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
94 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
95 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
96 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
97 * Mailing Lists:: Send mail to mailing lists.
100 You can customize the Message Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
101 customize-apropos RET message-tool-bar}. This feature is only available
104 @node New Mail Message
105 @section New Mail Message
108 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
110 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
111 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
112 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
115 @node New News Message
116 @section New News Message
119 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
121 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
122 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
123 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
129 @findex message-reply
130 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
131 reply to the message in the current buffer.
133 @vindex message-reply-to-function
134 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
135 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
136 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
138 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
139 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
142 (setq message-reply-to-function
144 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
145 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
150 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
153 As you can see, this function should return a list. In this case, it
154 returns @code{((To . "Whom"))} if it has an opinion as to what the To
155 header should be. If it does not, it should just return @code{nil}, and
156 the normal methods for determining the To header will be used.
158 Each list element should be a cons, where the @sc{car} should be the
159 name of a header (e.g. @code{Cc}) and the @sc{cdr} should be the header
160 value (e.g. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be
161 inserted into the head of the outgoing mail.
167 @findex message-wide-reply
168 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
169 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
170 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
171 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
173 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
174 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
175 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
176 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
177 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
179 @vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
180 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
181 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
183 @vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
184 If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
185 will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
186 recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
191 @findex message-followup
192 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
193 followup to the message in the current buffer.
195 @vindex message-followup-to-function
196 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
197 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
198 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
199 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
201 @vindex message-use-followup-to
202 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
203 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
204 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
205 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
206 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
210 @section Canceling News
212 @findex message-cancel-news
213 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
216 @vindex message-cancel-message
217 The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
218 the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
222 @vindex message-insert-canlock
224 When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
225 headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
226 only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
227 is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
228 stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
229 automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
230 able to cancel your message. If you want to manage a password yourself,
231 you can put something like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
234 (setq canlock-password "geheimnis"
235 canlock-password-for-verify canlock-password)
238 Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
239 @code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
241 Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
242 this is expected to change in the future.
248 @findex message-supersede
249 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
250 supersede the message in the current buffer.
252 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
253 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
254 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
255 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
256 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|^X-Trace:\\|^X-Complaints-To:\\|@*
257 Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:\\|^NNTP-Posting-Date:\\|^X-Trace:\\|@*
258 ^X-Complaints-To:\\|^Cancel-Lock:\\|^Cancel-Key:\\|^X-Hashcash:\\|@*
266 @findex message-forward
267 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
268 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
272 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
273 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
274 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
276 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
277 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
278 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
279 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
280 passed into each successive function.
282 The provided functions are:
285 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
286 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
287 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
290 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
291 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
294 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
295 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
296 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
297 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
298 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
299 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
301 @item message-forward-as-mime
302 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
303 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
304 included as inline @acronym{MIME} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
305 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
306 non @acronym{MIME}-savvy versions of Gnus would do.
308 @item message-forward-before-signature
309 @vindex message-forward-before-signature
310 If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
318 @findex message-resend
319 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
320 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
322 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
323 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
324 be removed before sending the message.
330 @findex message-bounce
331 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
332 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
333 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
334 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
337 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
338 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
339 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
340 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\|Delivered-To\\):}.
344 @section Mailing Lists
346 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
347 Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
348 followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
349 was created to enable just this. Three example scenarios where this is
354 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
355 sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
356 if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
359 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
360 sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
361 is not subscribed to the list.
364 If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
365 to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
366 discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
367 and very difficult to follow.
371 Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
372 up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
373 sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
376 @c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
377 @c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
380 @c @node Composing with a MFT header
381 @subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
383 The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
384 in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
385 addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
386 way. The following variables would come in handy.
390 @vindex message-subscribed-addresses
391 @item message-subscribed-addresses
392 This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
393 default value is @code{nil}. Example:
395 (setq message-subscribed-addresses
396 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
399 @vindex message-subscribed-regexps
400 @item message-subscribed-regexps
401 This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
402 lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
403 want to achieve the same result as above:
405 (setq message-subscribed-regexps
406 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
409 @vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
410 @item message-subscribed-address-functions
411 This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
412 determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
413 functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
415 There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
416 this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
417 that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
418 the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{Group Parameters, ,Group Parameters,
419 gnus, The Gnus Manual}) group parameter set to a non-@code{nil} value.
420 This is how you would do it.
423 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
424 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
427 @vindex message-subscribed-address-file
428 @item message-subscribed-address-file
429 You might be one organized human freak and have a list of addresses of
430 all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
431 set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
435 You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
436 ``added'' in some way that works :-)
438 Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
439 And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
440 MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
441 MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
442 in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
443 automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
444 per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
445 addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
446 is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
447 address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
448 other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
451 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
453 @findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
454 Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
455 subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
456 is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
457 MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
458 to-address group parameter.) The function
459 @code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
460 handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
461 can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
462 (@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
464 @c @node Honoring an MFT post
465 @subsection Honoring an MFT post
467 @vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
468 When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
469 header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
470 @code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
474 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
475 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
478 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
481 Gnus will prompt you for an action.
485 It is considered good netiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
486 fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
493 * Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
494 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
495 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
496 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
497 * MIME:: @acronym{MIME} considerations.
498 * IDNA:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name considerations.
499 * Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
500 * Various Commands:: Various things.
501 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
502 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
503 * Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
508 @section Buffer Entry
512 You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
513 message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
514 may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
515 which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
516 but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
517 Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
518 takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
519 times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
522 @node Header Commands
523 @section Header Commands
525 @subsection Commands for moving to headers
527 These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
528 exist, it will be inserted.
534 @findex describe-mode
535 Describe the message mode.
539 @findex message-goto-to
540 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
544 @findex message-goto-from
545 Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
546 in the key binding is for Originator.)
550 @findex message-goto-bcc
551 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
555 @findex message-goto-fcc
556 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
560 @findex message-goto-cc
561 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
565 @findex message-goto-subject
566 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
570 @findex message-goto-reply-to
571 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
575 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
576 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
580 @findex message-goto-distribution
581 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
585 @findex message-goto-followup-to
586 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
590 @findex message-goto-keywords
591 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
595 @findex message-goto-summary
596 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
600 @findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
601 This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
602 @samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
603 message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
604 buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
605 1376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
609 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
610 Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
611 (@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
612 unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
613 not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
614 by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
615 own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
616 fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
617 buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
619 If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-@code{nil}, the
620 addresses in the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the
621 @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header.
625 @subsection Commands to change headers
631 @findex message-sort-headers
632 @vindex message-header-format-alist
633 Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
634 (@code{message-sort-headers}).
638 @findex message-insert-to
639 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
640 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
641 (@code{message-insert-to}).
645 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
646 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
647 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
648 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
652 @findex message-to-list-only
653 Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
654 address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
658 @findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
659 Insert a request for a disposition
660 notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
661 This means that if the recipient support RFC 2298 she might send you a
662 notification that she received the message.
664 @item M-x message-insert-importance-high
665 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
666 @findex message-insert-importance-high
668 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
669 deleting headers if necessary.
671 @item M-x message-insert-importance-low
672 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
673 @findex message-insert-importance-low
675 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
676 headers if necessary.
680 @findex message-change-subject
682 Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
683 header and append @samp{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
684 stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
685 (@pxref{Message Headers}).
689 @findex message-cross-post-followup-to
690 @vindex message-cross-post-default
691 @vindex message-cross-post-note-function
694 Set up the @samp{FollowUp-To} header with a target newsgroup for a
695 cross-post, add that target newsgroup to the @samp{Newsgroups} header if
696 it is not a member of @samp{Newsgroups}, and insert a note in the body.
697 If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if this command is
698 called with a prefix-argument, only the @samp{FollowUp-To} header will
699 be set but the target newsgroup will not be added to the
700 @samp{Newsgroups} header. The function to insert a note is controlled
701 by the @code{message-cross-post-note-function} variable.
705 @findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
706 Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
707 @samp{Bcc} header. (Iff @samp{Cc} header is not present, @samp{Bcc}
708 header will be used instead.)
712 @findex message-insert-wide-reply
713 Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
714 reply even if the message was not made for a wide reply first.
718 @findex message-add-archive-header
719 @vindex message-archive-header
720 @vindex message-archive-note
722 Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
723 The header and the note can be customized using
724 @code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
725 called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
726 want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
738 @findex message-goto-body
739 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
740 (@code{message-goto-body}).
744 @findex message-goto-signature
745 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
749 @findex message-beginning-of-line
750 @vindex message-beginning-of-line
751 If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
752 beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
753 name and the colon.) This behavior can be disabled by toggling
754 the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
766 @findex message-yank-original
767 Yank the message that's being replied to into the message buffer
768 (@code{message-yank-original}).
772 @findex message-yank-buffer
773 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
774 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
778 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
779 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
780 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
781 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
782 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
787 @findex message-insert-signature
788 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
789 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
793 @findex message-insert-headers
794 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
798 @findex message-mark-inserted-region
799 Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags.
800 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
804 @findex message-mark-insert-file
805 Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
806 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
818 Message is a @acronym{MIME}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
819 doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{MIME} happen---Message will
820 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
821 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
825 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
826 @acronym{MIME} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out.
827 This can be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command (@kbd{M-x mml-attach}),
828 which will prompt for a file name and a @acronym{MIME} type.
830 @vindex mml-dnd-protocol-alist
831 @vindex mml-dnd-attach-options
832 If your Emacs supports drag and drop, you can also drop the file in the
833 Message buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} specifies
834 what kind of action is done when you drop a file into the Message
835 buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-attach-options} controls which
836 @acronym{MIME} options you want to specify when dropping a file. If it
837 is 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
840 whether or not to specify options.
842 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the @acronym{MML}
843 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
849 @cindex internationalized domain names
850 @cindex non-ascii domain names
852 Message is a @acronym{IDNA}-compliant posting agent. The user
853 generally doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{IDNA}
854 happen---Message will encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in @code{From},
855 @code{To}, and @code{Cc} headers automatically.
857 Until @acronym{IDNA} becomes more well known, Message queries you
858 whether @acronym{IDNA} encoding of the domain name really should
859 occur. Some users might not be aware that domain names can contain
860 non-@acronym{ASCII} now, so this gives them a safety net if they accidently
861 typed a non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name.
863 @vindex message-use-idna
864 The @code{message-use-idna} variable control whether @acronym{IDNA} is
865 used. If the variable is @code{nil} no @acronym{IDNA} encoding will
866 ever happen, if it is set to the symbol @code{ask} the user will be
867 queried, and if set to @code{t} (which is the default if @acronym{IDNA}
868 is fully available) @acronym{IDNA} encoding happens automatically.
870 @findex message-idna-to-ascii-rhs
871 If you want to experiment with the @acronym{IDNA} encoding, you can
872 invoke @kbd{M-x message-idna-to-ascii-rhs RET} in the message buffer
873 to have the non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names encoded while you edit
876 Note that you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU
877 Libidn} installed in order to use this functionality.
889 Using the @acronym{MML} language, Message is able to create digitally
890 signed 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}.
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
901 @node Signing and encryption
902 @subsection Signing and encrypting commands
904 Instructing @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
906 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
911 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
913 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
917 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
919 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
923 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
925 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
929 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
931 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
935 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
937 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
941 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
943 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
947 @findex mml-unsecure-message
948 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
952 These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
953 merely insert the proper @acronym{MML} secure tag to instruct the
954 @acronym{MML} engine to perform that operation when the message is
955 actually sent. They may perform other operations too, such as locating
956 and retrieving a @acronym{S/MIME} certificate of the person you wish to
957 send encrypted mail to. When the mml parsing engine converts your
958 @acronym{MML} into a properly encoded @acronym{MIME} message, the secure
959 tag will be replaced with either a part or a multipart tag. If your
960 message contains other mml parts, a multipart tag will be used; if no
961 other parts are present in your message a single part tag will be used.
962 This way, message mode will do the Right Thing (TM) with
963 signed/encrypted multipart messages.
965 Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
966 information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
967 mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
968 sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
969 using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
970 verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
971 whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
972 party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
974 @emph{Note!} Neither @acronym{PGP/MIME} nor @acronym{S/MIME} encrypt/signs
975 RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @acronym{MIME} object. Keep this
976 in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
978 By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the
979 ``signencrypt'' mode, which means the message is both signed and
980 encrypted. If you would like to disable this for a particular
981 message, give the @code{mml-secure-message-encrypt-*} command a prefix
982 argument, e.g., @kbd{C-u C-c C-m c p}.
984 Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
985 least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
986 other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
987 programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
990 @subsection Using S/MIME
992 @emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
993 modern cryptography, @acronym{S/MIME}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
996 The @acronym{S/MIME} support in Message (and @acronym{MML}) require
997 OpenSSL. OpenSSL performs the actual @acronym{S/MIME} sign/encrypt
998 operations. OpenSSL can be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}.
999 OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail
1000 addresses 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
1002 to avoid being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by
1003 sending @acronym{S/MIME} messages you've probably already lost that
1006 To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
1007 required. Message (@acronym{MML}) need a certificate for the person to whom you
1008 wish 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
1010 certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
1011 file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in @acronym{PEM} format.
1012 If you chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the
1013 certificate is stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief,
1014 Message (@acronym{MML}) is the first mail agent in the world to support
1015 retrieving @acronym{S/MIME} certificates from DNS, so you're not
1016 likely to find very many certificates out there. At least there
1017 should be one, stored at the domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP
1018 is a more popular method of distributing certificates, support for it
1019 is planned. (Meanwhile, you can use @code{ldapsearch} from the
1020 command line to retrieve a certificate into a file and use it.)
1022 As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
1023 without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
1024 where your private key and your certificate is stored. @acronym{MML}
1025 uses an Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
1026 contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
1027 @kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
1029 Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
1030 your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
1031 manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
1032 and got a free @acronym{S/MIME} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
1033 net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
1034 PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
1035 certificate in PEM format as follows.
1038 $ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1041 The @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.
1044 @emph{Note!} Your private key is now stored unencrypted in the file,
1045 so take care in handling it. Storing encrypted keys on the disk are
1046 supported, and Gnus will ask you for a passphrase before invoking
1047 OpenSSL. Read the OpenSSL documentation for how to achieve this. If
1048 you use unencrypted keys (e.g., if they are on a secure storage, or if
1049 you are on a secure single user machine) simply press @code{RET} at
1050 the passphrase prompt.
1052 @node Using PGP/MIME
1053 @subsection Using PGP/MIME
1055 @acronym{PGP/MIME} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such
1056 as @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, GNU Privacy Guard}. Pre-OpenPGP
1057 implementations such as PGP 2.x and PGP 5.x are also supported. One
1058 Emacs interface to the PGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG,
1059 pgg, PGG Manual}), is included, but Mailcrypt and Florian Weimer's
1060 @code{gpg.el} are also supported. @xref{PGP Compatibility}.
1063 Message internally calls GnuPG (the @command{gpg} command) to perform
1064 data encryption, and in certain cases (decrypting or signing for
1065 example), @command{gpg} requires user's passphrase. Currently the
1066 recommended way to supply your passphrase to @command{gpg} is to use the
1067 @command{gpg-agent} program.
1069 To use @command{gpg-agent} in Emacs, you need to run the following
1070 command from the shell before starting Emacs.
1073 eval `gpg-agent --daemon`
1076 This will invoke @command{gpg-agent} and set the environment variable
1077 @code{GPG_AGENT_INFO} to allow @command{gpg} to communicate with it.
1078 It might be good idea to put this command in your @file{.xsession} or
1079 @file{.bash_profile}. @xref{Invoking GPG-AGENT, , , gnupg, Using the
1082 Once your @command{gpg-agent} is set up, it will ask you for a
1083 passphrase as needed for @command{gpg}. Under the X Window System,
1084 you will see a new passphrase input dialog appear. The dialog is
1085 provided by PIN Entry (the @command{pinentry} command), and as of
1086 version 0.7.2, @command{pinentry} cannot cooperate with Emacs on a
1087 single tty. So, if you are using a text console, you may need to put
1088 a passphrase into gpg-agent's cache beforehand. The following command
1092 gpg --use-agent --sign < /dev/null > /dev/null
1095 The Lisp variable @code{pgg-gpg-use-agent} controls whether to use
1096 @command{gpg-agent}. See also @xref{Caching passphrase, , , pgg, The
1100 @node PGP Compatibility
1101 @subsection Compatibility with older implementations
1103 @vindex gpg-temp-directory
1104 Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1105 directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions
1108 Creating your own key is described in detail in the documentation of
1109 your PGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1111 If you have imported your old PGP 2.x key into GnuPG, and want to send
1112 signed and encrypted messages to your fellow PGP 2.x users, you'll
1113 discover that the receiver cannot understand what you send. One
1114 solution 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
1116 GnuPG, you can use a compatibility script called @code{gpg-2comp}
1118 @uref{http://muppet.faveve.uni-stuttgart.de/~gero/gpg-2comp/}. You
1119 could also convince your fellow PGP 2.x users to convert to GnuPG.
1120 @vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
1121 As a final workaround, you can make the sign and encryption work in
1122 two steps; separately sign, then encrypt a message. If you would like
1123 to change this behavior you can customize the
1124 @code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For example:
1127 (setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" separate)
1129 ("pgpauto" separate)
1130 ("pgpmime" separate)))
1133 This causes to sign and encrypt in two passes, thus generating a
1134 message that can be understood by PGP version 2.
1136 (Refer to @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/pgp2x.html} for more
1137 information about the problem.)
1139 @node Various Commands
1140 @section Various Commands
1146 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1147 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1148 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1149 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1150 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1154 @findex message-elide-region
1155 @vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1156 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1157 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1158 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1163 @findex message-kill-to-signature
1164 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1165 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1169 @findex message-delete-not-region
1170 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1171 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1175 @findex message-newline-and-reformat
1176 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1181 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1184 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1187 > This is some quoted text.
1191 > And here's more quoted text.
1194 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1198 @findex message-rename-buffer
1199 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1200 prompt for a new buffer name.
1205 @vindex message-tab-body-function
1206 If @code{message-tab-body-function} is non-@code{nil}, execute the
1207 function it specifies. Otherwise use the function bound to @kbd{TAB} in
1208 @code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1219 @findex message-send-and-exit
1220 Send the message and bury the current buffer
1221 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1225 @findex message-send
1226 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1230 @findex message-dont-send
1231 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1235 @findex message-kill-buffer
1236 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
1243 @section Mail Aliases
1244 @cindex mail aliases
1247 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
1248 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
1249 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
1250 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
1251 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1253 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1254 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1257 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1258 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1261 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1262 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1263 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1265 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1266 expansions have to be done explicitly.
1272 @findex ispell-message
1274 There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1275 @code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1276 probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1277 and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1278 typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1279 something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1282 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1285 @vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1286 If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1287 controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1290 (setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1291 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1292 (".*" . "default")))
1295 @code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1298 The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1299 your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1302 To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1306 (defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1308 (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1311 @code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1319 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1320 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1321 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1322 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1323 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
1324 * Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1325 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1326 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1327 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1328 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1332 @node Message Headers
1333 @section Message Headers
1335 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
1336 be -- it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
1337 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1338 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1339 look sufficiently similar.
1343 @item message-generate-headers-first
1344 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
1345 If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1346 compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1349 (setq message-generate-headers-first
1353 @vindex message-required-headers
1354 The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1355 @code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1356 @code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1359 Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1360 because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1362 @item message-draft-headers
1363 @vindex message-draft-headers
1364 When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1365 with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1366 should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1368 @item message-from-style
1369 @vindex message-from-style
1370 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1375 Just the address -- @samp{king@@grassland.com}.
1378 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1381 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1384 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1385 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1386 @code{angles} anyway.
1390 @item message-deletable-headers
1391 @vindex message-deletable-headers
1392 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1393 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1394 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1395 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1396 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1397 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1398 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1399 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1402 @item message-default-headers
1403 @vindex message-default-headers
1404 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1407 @item message-subject-re-regexp
1408 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1412 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1413 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1414 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1415 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1416 to use abominations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1417 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1418 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1419 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1420 just throw away non-compliant mail.
1422 Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1423 responding to a message:
1426 (setq message-subject-re-regexp
1431 "[Aa][Nn][Tt][Ww]\\.?\\|" ; antw
1433 "[Ff][Ww][Dd]?\\|" ; fwd
1434 "[Oo][Dd][Pp]\\|" ; odp
1436 "[Rr][\311\351][Ff]\\.?\\|" ; ref
1439 "\\(\\[[0-9]*\\]\\)"
1446 @item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1447 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1448 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1449 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1450 Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1451 lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1452 @code{ask}, query the user what do do. In this case, the subject is
1453 matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1454 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is @code{t}, always strip the
1455 trailing old subject. In this case,
1456 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1458 @item message-alternative-emails
1459 @vindex message-alternative-emails
1460 Regexp matching alternative email addresses. The first address in the
1461 To, Cc or From headers of the original article matching this variable is
1462 used as the From field of outgoing messages, replacing the default From
1465 For example, if you have two secondary email addresses john@@home.net
1466 and john.doe@@work.com and want to use them in the From field when
1467 composing a reply to a message addressed to one of them, you could set
1468 this variable like this:
1471 (setq message-alternative-emails
1472 (regexp-opt '("john@@home.net" "john.doe@@work.com")))
1475 This variable has precedence over posting styles and anything that runs
1476 off @code{message-setup-hook}.
1478 @item message-allow-no-recipients
1479 @vindex message-allow-no-recipients
1480 Specifies what to do when there are no recipients other than
1481 @code{Gcc} or @code{Fcc}. If it is @code{always}, the posting is
1482 allowed. If it is @code{never}, the posting is not allowed. If it is
1483 @code{ask} (the default), you are prompted.
1485 @item message-hidden-headers
1486 @vindex message-hidden-headers
1487 A regexp, a list of regexps, or a list where the first element is
1488 @code{not} and the rest are regexps. It says which headers to keep
1489 hidden when composing a message.
1492 (setq message-hidden-headers
1493 '(not "From" "Subject" "To" "Cc" "Newsgroups"))
1496 @item message-header-synonyms
1497 @vindex message-header-synonyms
1498 A list of lists of header synonyms. E.g., if this list contains a
1499 member list with elements @code{Cc} and @code{To}, then
1500 @code{message-carefully-insert-headers} will not insert a @code{To}
1501 header when the message is already @code{Cc}ed to the recipient.
1507 @section Mail Headers
1510 @item message-required-mail-headers
1511 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
1512 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
1513 @code{(From Subject Date (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID
1514 (optional . User-Agent))} by default.
1516 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
1517 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
1518 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is@*
1519 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^Xref:\\|^X-Draft-From:\\|@*
1520 ^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1522 @item message-default-mail-headers
1523 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
1524 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1525 buffers that are initialized as mail.
1530 @node Mail Variables
1531 @section Mail Variables
1534 @item message-send-mail-function
1535 @vindex message-send-mail-function
1536 @findex message-send-mail-with-sendmail
1537 @findex message-send-mail-with-mh
1538 @findex message-send-mail-with-qmail
1539 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
1540 @findex smtpmail-send-it
1541 @findex feedmail-send-it
1542 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
1543 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}. Other valid values include
1544 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
1545 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}, @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
1546 @code{feedmail-send-it}.
1548 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
1549 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
1550 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
1551 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
1552 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
1553 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
1556 @item message-qmail-inject-program
1557 @vindex message-qmail-inject-program
1559 Location of the qmail-inject program.
1561 @item message-qmail-inject-args
1562 @vindex message-qmail-inject-args
1563 Arguments passed to qmail-inject programs.
1564 This should be a list of strings, one string for each argument. It
1565 may also be a function.
1567 For e.g., if you wish to set the envelope sender address so that bounces
1568 go to the right place or to deal with listserv's usage of that address, you
1569 might set this variable to @code{'("-f" "you@@some.where")}.
1571 @item message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1572 @vindex message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1574 Non-@code{nil} means don't add @samp{-f username} to the sendmail
1575 command line. Doing so would be even more evil than leaving it out.
1577 @item message-sendmail-envelope-from
1578 @vindex message-sendmail-envelope-from
1579 When @code{message-sendmail-f-is-evil} is @code{nil}, this specifies
1580 the address to use in the @acronym{SMTP} envelope. If it is
1581 @code{nil}, use @code{user-mail-address}. If it is the symbol
1582 @code{header}, use the @samp{From} header of the message.
1584 @item message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1585 @vindex message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1586 Set this to non-@code{nil} if the system's mailer runs the header and
1587 body together. (This problem exists on SunOS 4 when sendmail is run
1588 in remote mode.) The value should be an expression to test whether
1589 the problem will actually occur.
1591 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
1592 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
1593 @cindex split large message
1594 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial. The lower bound
1595 of message size in characters, beyond which the message should be sent
1596 in several parts. If it is @code{nil}, the size is unlimited.
1602 @section News Headers
1604 @vindex message-required-news-headers
1605 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
1606 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
1607 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
1613 @findex user-full-name
1614 @findex user-mail-address
1615 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
1616 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
1617 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
1618 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
1622 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
1626 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
1627 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
1630 @cindex organization
1631 @vindex message-user-organization
1632 @vindex message-user-organization-file
1633 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
1634 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
1635 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
1636 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
1637 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
1638 parameters and should return a string to be used).
1642 This optional header will be computed by Message.
1646 @vindex message-user-fqdn
1647 @vindex mail-host-address
1648 @vindex user-mail-address
1651 @cindex i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-tickle-me
1652 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
1653 created based on the date, time, user name (for the local part) and the
1654 domain part. For the domain part, message will look (in this order) at
1655 @code{message-user-fqdn}, @code{system-name}, @code{mail-host-address}
1656 and @code{message-user-mail-address} (i.e. @code{user-mail-address})
1657 until a probably valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN) was found.
1661 This optional header will be filled out according to the
1662 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
1665 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
1666 header of the article being replied to.
1670 @vindex message-expires
1671 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
1672 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
1673 be used unless you know what you're doing.
1676 @cindex Distribution
1677 @vindex message-distribution-function
1678 This optional header is filled out according to the
1679 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
1680 much misunderstood header.
1684 @vindex message-user-path
1685 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
1686 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
1687 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
1688 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
1689 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
1690 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
1691 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
1695 @cindex Mime-Version
1696 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The @sc{car} of this cons
1697 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
1698 the @sc{cdr} can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
1699 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
1700 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
1701 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
1702 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
1703 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
1704 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
1706 If the list contains a cons where the @sc{car} of the cons is
1707 @code{optional}, the @sc{cdr} of this cons will only be inserted if it is
1710 If you want to delete an entry from this list, the following Lisp
1711 snippet might be useful. Adjust accordingly if you want to remove
1715 (setq message-required-news-headers
1716 (delq 'Message-ID message-required-news-headers))
1719 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
1723 @item message-syntax-checks
1724 @vindex message-syntax-checks
1725 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
1726 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
1729 (signature . disabled)
1739 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
1740 something only moderators should include.
1741 @item continuation-headers
1742 Check whether there are continuation header lines that don't begin with
1745 Check for invalid characters.
1747 Check whether the article is empty.
1748 @item existing-newsgroups
1749 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1750 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1752 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
1753 @item illegible-text
1754 Check whether there is any non-printable character in the body.
1755 @item invisible-text
1756 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1757 @item long-header-lines
1758 Check for too long header lines.
1761 Check for too long lines in the body.
1763 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks syntactically ok.
1764 @item multiple-headers
1765 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
1767 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
1769 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} header exists and is not empty.
1771 Check whether text follows last quoted portion.
1772 @item repeated-newsgroups
1773 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1774 contains repeated group names.
1776 Check whether the @code{Reply-To} header looks ok.
1779 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
1782 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
1784 Check whether the domain part of the @code{Message-ID} header looks ok.
1785 @item shorten-followup-to
1786 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1787 of groups to post to.
1789 Check the length of the signature.
1791 Check for excessive size.
1793 Check whether the @code{Subject} header exists and is not empty.
1795 Check the subject for commands.
1796 @item valid-newsgroups
1797 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1798 are valid syntactically.
1801 All these conditions are checked by default, except for @code{sender}
1802 for which the check is disabled by default if
1803 @code{message-insert-canlock} is non-@code{nil} (@pxref{Canceling News}).
1805 @item message-ignored-news-headers
1806 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1807 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1808 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|@*
1809 ^X-Draft-From:\\|^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1811 @item message-default-news-headers
1812 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1813 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1814 buffers that are initialized as news.
1819 @node News Variables
1820 @section News Variables
1823 @item message-send-news-function
1824 @vindex message-send-news-function
1825 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1826 @code{message-send-news}.
1828 @item message-post-method
1829 @vindex message-post-method
1830 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1831 posting a prepared news message.
1836 @node Insertion Variables
1837 @section Insertion Variables
1840 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
1841 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
1842 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
1843 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
1846 @item message-cite-prefix-regexp
1847 @vindex message-cite-prefix-regexp
1848 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
1850 @item message-citation-line-function
1851 @vindex message-citation-line-function
1852 @cindex attribution line
1853 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
1854 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
1858 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
1861 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
1864 Note that Gnus provides a feature where clicking on `writes:' hides the
1865 cited text. If you change the citation line too much, readers of your
1866 messages will have to adjust their Gnus, too. See the variable
1867 @code{gnus-cite-attribution-suffix}. @xref{Article Highlighting, ,
1868 Article Highlighting, gnus, The Gnus Manual}, for details.
1870 @item message-yank-prefix
1871 @vindex message-yank-prefix
1874 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
1875 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done
1876 by @dfn{yanking}, and each line you yank will have
1877 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it (except for quoted and
1878 empty lines which uses @code{message-yank-cited-prefix}). The default
1881 @item message-yank-cited-prefix
1882 @vindex message-yank-cited-prefix
1886 When yanking text from an article which contains no text or already
1887 cited text, each line will be prefixed with the contents of this
1888 variable. The default is @samp{>}. See also
1889 @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1891 @item message-indentation-spaces
1892 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
1893 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
1895 @item message-cite-function
1896 @vindex message-cite-function
1897 @findex message-cite-original
1898 @findex sc-cite-original
1899 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
1901 Function for citing an original message. The default is
1902 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
1903 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
1904 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
1905 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
1908 @item message-indent-citation-function
1909 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
1910 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
1911 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
1912 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
1913 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
1915 @item message-mark-insert-begin
1916 @vindex message-mark-insert-begin
1917 String to mark the beginning of some inserted text.
1919 @item message-mark-insert-end
1920 @vindex message-mark-insert-end
1921 String to mark the end of some inserted text.
1923 @item message-signature
1924 @vindex message-signature
1925 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
1926 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
1927 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
1928 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
1929 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
1931 @item message-signature-file
1932 @vindex message-signature-file
1933 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
1934 The default is @file{~/.signature}.
1936 @item message-signature-insert-empty-line
1937 @vindex message-signature-insert-empty-line
1938 If @code{t} (the default value) an empty line is inserted before the
1939 signature separator.
1943 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
1944 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
1945 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
1946 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
1947 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
1949 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
1950 Including @acronym{ASCII} graphics is an efficient way to get
1951 everybody to believe that you are silly and have nothing important to
1955 @node Various Message Variables
1956 @section Various Message Variables
1959 @item message-default-charset
1960 @vindex message-default-charset
1962 Symbol naming a @acronym{MIME} charset. Non-@acronym{ASCII} characters
1963 in messages are assumed to be encoded using this charset. The default
1964 is @code{iso-8859-1} on non-@sc{mule} Emacsen; otherwise @code{nil},
1965 which means ask the user. (This variable is used only on non-@sc{mule}
1966 Emacsen.) @xref{Charset Translation, , Charset Translation, emacs-mime,
1967 Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on the @sc{mule}-to-@acronym{MIME}
1968 translation process.
1970 @item message-signature-separator
1971 @vindex message-signature-separator
1972 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1975 @item mail-header-separator
1976 @vindex mail-header-separator
1977 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1978 follows this line--} by default.
1980 @item message-directory
1981 @vindex message-directory
1982 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1983 All other mail file variables are derived from @code{message-directory}.
1985 @item message-auto-save-directory
1986 @vindex message-auto-save-directory
1987 Directory where Message auto-saves buffers if Gnus isn't running. If
1988 @code{nil}, Message won't auto-save. The default is @file{~/Mail/drafts/}.
1990 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1991 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1992 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1993 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1995 @item message-setup-hook
1996 @vindex message-setup-hook
1997 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1998 but before yanked text is inserted.
2000 @item message-header-setup-hook
2001 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
2002 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
2004 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
2005 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
2006 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
2009 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
2010 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
2011 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
2012 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
2013 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
2014 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
2016 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
2017 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
2020 @item message-send-hook
2021 @vindex message-send-hook
2022 Hook run before sending messages.
2024 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
2025 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
2026 @findex message-add-header
2029 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
2030 (defun my-message-add-content ()
2031 (message-add-header "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense")
2032 (message-add-header "X-Whatever: no"))
2035 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
2037 @item message-send-mail-hook
2038 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
2039 Hook run before sending mail messages. This hook is run very late --
2040 just before the message is actually sent as mail.
2042 @item message-send-news-hook
2043 @vindex message-send-news-hook
2044 Hook run before sending news messages. This hook is run very late --
2045 just before the message is actually sent as news.
2047 @item message-sent-hook
2048 @vindex message-sent-hook
2049 Hook run after sending messages.
2051 @item message-cancel-hook
2052 @vindex message-cancel-hook
2053 Hook run when canceling news articles.
2055 @item message-mode-syntax-table
2056 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
2057 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
2059 @item message-strip-special-text-properties
2060 @vindex message-strip-special-text-properties
2061 Emacs has a number of special text properties which can break message
2062 composing in various ways. If this option is set, message will strip
2063 these properties from the message composition buffer. However, some
2064 packages requires these properties to be present in order to work. If
2065 you use one of these packages, turn this option off, and hope the
2066 message composition doesn't break too bad.
2068 @item message-send-method-alist
2069 @vindex message-send-method-alist
2070 @findex message-mail-p
2071 @findex message-news-p
2072 @findex message-send-via-mail
2073 @findex message-send-via-news
2074 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form:
2077 (@var{type} @var{predicate} @var{function})
2082 A symbol that names the method.
2085 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
2086 message is a message of type @var{type}. The function will be called in
2087 the buffer where the message is.
2090 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
2091 @var{function} is called with one parameter -- the prefix.
2097 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
2098 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
2101 The @code{message-news-p} function returns non-@code{nil} if the message
2102 looks like news, and the @code{message-send-via-news} function sends the
2103 message according to the @code{message-send-news-function} variable
2104 (@pxref{News Variables}). The @code{message-mail-p} function returns
2105 non-@code{nil} if the message looks like mail, and the
2106 @code{message-send-via-mail} function sends the message according to the
2107 @code{message-send-mail-function} variable (@pxref{Mail Variables}).
2109 All the elements in this alist will be tried in order, so a message
2110 containing both a valid @samp{Newsgroups} header and a valid @samp{To}
2111 header, for example, will be sent as news, and then as mail.
2116 @node Sending Variables
2117 @section Sending Variables
2121 @item message-fcc-handler-function
2122 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
2123 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
2124 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
2125 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
2127 @item message-courtesy-message
2128 @vindex message-courtesy-message
2129 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
2130 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
2131 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
2132 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
2133 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
2134 an article\\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\\n\\n"}.
2136 @item message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2137 @vindex message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2138 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Fcc copies; if it is
2139 non-@code{nil}, attach local files as external parts.
2141 @item message-interactive
2142 @vindex message-interactive
2143 If non-@code{nil} wait for and display errors when sending a message;
2144 if @code{nil} let the mailer mail back a message to report errors.
2149 @node Message Buffers
2150 @section Message Buffers
2152 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
2153 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
2154 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
2155 message buffers are kept alive.
2158 @item message-generate-new-buffers
2159 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
2160 Controls whether to create a new message buffer to compose a message.
2161 Valid values include:
2165 Generate the buffer name in the Message way (e.g., *mail*, *news*, *mail
2166 to whom*, *news on group*, etc.) and continue editing in the existing
2167 buffer of that name. If there is no such buffer, it will be newly
2172 Create the new buffer with the name generated in the Message way. This
2176 Similar to @code{unique} but the buffer name begins with "*unsent ".
2179 Similar to @code{nil} but the buffer name is simpler like *mail
2184 If this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The
2185 type, the To address and the group name (any of these may be
2186 @code{nil}). The function should return the new buffer name.
2189 The default value is @code{unique}.
2191 @item message-max-buffers
2192 @vindex message-max-buffers
2193 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
2194 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
2195 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
2196 will ever be killed.
2198 @item message-send-rename-function
2199 @vindex message-send-rename-function
2200 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
2201 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
2202 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
2203 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
2207 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
2210 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2211 @findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2212 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
2217 @node Message Actions
2218 @section Message Actions
2220 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
2221 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
2222 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
2225 @vindex message-kill-actions
2226 @vindex message-postpone-actions
2227 @vindex message-exit-actions
2228 @vindex message-send-actions
2229 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
2230 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
2231 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
2232 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
2233 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
2234 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
2235 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
2236 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
2238 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
2239 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
2240 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
2241 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
2245 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
2246 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
2249 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
2250 killed, postponed or exited.
2252 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
2253 @sc{car} is a function and the @sc{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
2254 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
2258 @chapter Compatibility
2259 @cindex compatibility
2261 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
2262 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
2263 into account, you can put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2266 (require 'messcompat)
2269 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
2270 corresponding mail variables.
2277 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
2284 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
2289 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
2290 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
2291 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
2302 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
2303 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
2304 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
2305 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
2309 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
2316 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
2317 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
2318 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
2322 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
2323 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
2334 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
2335 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is
2357 arch-tag: 16ab76af-a281-4e34-aed6-5624569f7601