1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle T-gnus 6.17 Message Manual
9 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
11 Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
12 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 1.1 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
44 @title T-gnus 6.17 Message Manual
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 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.17 Message. Message is distributed
71 with the Gnus distribution bearing the same version number as this
78 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message---reply,
79 follow up, forward, cancel---the program (or person) should just put
80 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
81 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
82 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
86 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
87 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
88 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
89 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
90 * Followup:: Following up via news.
91 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
92 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
93 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
94 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
95 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
96 * Mailing Lists:: Send mail to mailing lists.
100 @node New Mail Message
101 @section New Mail Message
104 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
106 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
107 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
108 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
111 @node New News Message
112 @section New News Message
115 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
117 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
118 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
119 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
125 @findex message-reply
126 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
127 reply to the message in the current buffer.
129 @vindex message-reply-to-function
130 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
131 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
132 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
134 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
135 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
138 (setq message-reply-to-function
140 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
141 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
146 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
149 As you can see, this function should return a list. In this case, it
150 returns @code{((To . "Whom"))} if it has an opinion as to what the To
151 header should be. If it does not, it should just return @code{nil}, and
152 the normal methods for determining the To header will be used.
154 Each list element should be a cons, where the @sc{car} should be the
155 name of a header (e.g. @code{Cc}) and the @sc{cdr} should be the header
156 value (e.g. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be
157 inserted into the head of the outgoing mail.
163 @findex message-wide-reply
164 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
165 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
166 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
167 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
169 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
170 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
171 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
172 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
173 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
175 @vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
176 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
177 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
179 @vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
180 If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
181 will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
182 recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
187 @findex message-followup
188 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
189 followup to the message in the current buffer.
191 @vindex message-followup-to-function
192 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
193 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
194 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
195 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
197 @vindex message-use-followup-to
198 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
199 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
200 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
201 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
202 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
206 @section Canceling News
208 @findex message-cancel-news
209 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
212 @vindex message-cancel-message
213 The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
214 the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
218 @vindex message-insert-canlock
220 When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
221 headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
222 only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
223 is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
224 stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
225 automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
226 able to cancel your message. If you want to manage a password yourself,
227 you can put something like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
230 (setq canlock-password "geheimnis"
231 canlock-password-for-verify canlock-password)
234 Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
235 @code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
237 Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
238 this is expected to change in the future.
244 @findex message-supersede
245 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
246 supersede the message in the current buffer.
248 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
249 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
250 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
251 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
252 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:}.
259 @findex message-forward
260 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
261 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
265 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
266 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
267 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
269 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
270 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
271 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
272 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
273 passed into each successive function.
275 The provided functions are:
278 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
279 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
280 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
283 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
284 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
287 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
288 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
289 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
290 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
291 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
292 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
294 @item message-forward-as-mime
295 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
296 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
297 included as inline @acronym{MIME} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
298 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
299 non @acronym{MIME}-savvy versions of Gnus would do.
301 @item message-forward-before-signature
302 @vindex message-forward-before-signature
303 If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
311 @findex message-resend
312 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
313 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
315 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
316 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
317 be removed before sending the message.
323 @findex message-bounce
324 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
325 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
326 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
327 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
330 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
331 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
332 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
333 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\):}.
337 @section Mailing Lists
339 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
340 Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
341 followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
342 was created to enable just this. Two example scenarios where this is
347 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
348 sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
349 if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
352 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
353 sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
354 is not subscribed to the list.
357 If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
358 to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
359 discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
360 and very difficult to follow.
364 Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
365 up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
366 sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
369 @c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
370 @c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
373 @c @node Composing with a MFT header
374 @subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
376 The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
377 in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
378 addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
379 way. The following variables would come in handy.
383 @vindex message-subscribed-addresses
384 @item message-subscribed-addresses
385 This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
386 default value is @code{nil}. Example:
388 (setq message-subscribed-addresses
389 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
392 @vindex message-subscribed-regexps
393 @item message-subscribed-regexps
394 This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
395 lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
396 want to achieve the same result as above:
398 (setq message-subscribed-regexps
399 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
402 @vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
403 @item message-subscribed-address-functions
404 This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
405 determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
406 functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
408 There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
409 this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
410 that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
411 the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{Group Parameters, ,Group Parameters,
412 gnus, The Gnus Manual}) group parameter set to a non-@code{nil} value.
413 This is how you would do it.
416 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
417 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
420 @vindex message-subscribed-address-file
421 @item message-subscribed-address-file
422 You might be one organized human freak and have a list of addresses of
423 all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
424 set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
428 You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
429 ``added'' in some way that works :-)
431 Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
432 And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
433 MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
434 MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
435 in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
436 automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
437 per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
438 addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
439 is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
440 address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
441 other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
444 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
446 @findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
447 Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
448 subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
449 is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
450 MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
451 to-address group parameter.) The function
452 @code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
453 handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
454 can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
455 (@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
457 @c @node Honoring an MFT post
458 @subsection Honoring an MFT post
460 @vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
461 When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
462 header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
463 @code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
467 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
468 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
471 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
474 Gnus will prompt you for an action.
478 It is considered good netiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
479 fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
486 * Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
487 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
488 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
489 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
490 * MIME:: @acronym{MIME} considerations.
491 * IDNA:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name considerations.
492 * Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
493 * Various Commands:: Various things.
494 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
495 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
496 * Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
501 @section Buffer Entry
505 You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
506 message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
507 may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
508 which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
509 but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
510 Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
511 takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
512 times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
515 @node Header Commands
516 @section Header Commands
518 @subsection Commands for moving to headers
520 These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
521 exist, it will be inserted.
527 @findex describe-mode
528 Describe the message mode.
532 @findex message-goto-to
533 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
537 @findex message-goto-from
538 Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
539 in the key binding is for Originator.)
543 @findex message-goto-bcc
544 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
548 @findex message-goto-fcc
549 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
553 @findex message-goto-cc
554 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
558 @findex message-goto-subject
559 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
563 @findex message-goto-reply-to
564 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
568 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
569 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
573 @findex message-goto-distribution
574 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
578 @findex message-goto-followup-to
579 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
583 @findex message-goto-keywords
584 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
588 @findex message-goto-summary
589 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
593 @findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
594 This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
595 @samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
596 message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
597 buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
598 1376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
602 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
603 Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
604 (@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
605 unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
606 not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
607 by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
608 own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
609 fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
610 buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
612 If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-@code{nil}, the
613 addresses in the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the
614 @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header.
618 @subsection Commands to change headers
624 @findex message-sort-headers
625 @vindex message-header-format-alist
626 Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
627 (@code{message-sort-headers}).
631 @findex message-insert-to
632 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
633 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
634 (@code{message-insert-to}).
638 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
639 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
640 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
641 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
645 @findex message-to-list-only
646 Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
647 address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
651 @findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
652 Insert a request for a disposition
653 notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
654 This means that if the recipient support RFC 2298 she might send you a
655 notification that she received the message.
657 @item M-x message-insert-importance-high
658 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
659 @findex message-insert-importance-high
661 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
662 deleting headers if necessary.
664 @item M-x message-insert-importance-low
665 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
666 @findex message-insert-importance-low
668 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
669 headers if necessary.
673 @findex message-change-subject
675 Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
676 header and append @samp{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
677 stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
678 (@pxref{Message Headers}).
682 @findex message-cross-post-followup-to
683 @vindex message-cross-post-default
686 Ask for an additional @samp{Newsgroups} and @samp{FollowUp-To} for a
687 cross-post. @code{message-cross-post-followup-to} mangles
688 @samp{FollowUp-To} and @samp{Newsgroups} header to point to group.
689 If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if called with a
690 prefix-argument @samp{Follow-Up} is set, but the message is not
695 @findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
696 Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
701 @findex message-insert-wide-reply
702 Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
707 @findex message-add-archive-header
708 @vindex message-archive-header
709 @vindex message-archive-note
711 Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
712 The header and the note can be customized using
713 @code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
714 called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
715 want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
727 @findex message-goto-body
728 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
729 (@code{message-goto-body}).
733 @findex message-goto-signature
734 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
738 @findex message-beginning-of-line
739 @vindex message-beginning-of-line
740 If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
741 beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
742 name and the colon.) This behavior can be disabled by toggling
743 the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
755 @findex message-yank-original
756 Yank the message in the buffer @code{gnus-article-copy} into the message
757 buffer. Normally @code{gnus-article-copy} is what you are replying to
758 (@code{message-yank-original}).
762 @findex message-yank-buffer
763 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
764 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
768 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
769 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
770 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
771 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
772 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
777 @findex message-insert-signature
778 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
779 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
783 @findex message-insert-headers
784 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
788 @findex message-mark-inserted-region
789 Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags.
790 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
794 @findex message-mark-insert-file
795 Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
796 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
808 Message is a @acronym{MIME}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
809 doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{MIME} happen---Message will
810 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
811 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
813 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
814 @acronym{MIME} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out.
815 This can be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command, which will prompt for
816 a file name and a @acronym{MIME} type. If your Emacs supports drag
817 and drop, you can also drop the file in the Message buffer.
819 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the @acronym{MML}
820 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
826 @cindex internationalized domain names
827 @cindex non-ascii domain names
829 Message is a @acronym{IDNA}-compliant posting agent. The user
830 generally doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{IDNA}
831 happen---Message will encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in @code{From},
832 @code{To}, and @code{Cc} headers automatically.
834 Until @acronym{IDNA} becomes more well known, Message queries you
835 whether @acronym{IDNA} encoding of the domain name really should
836 occur. Some users might not be aware that domain names can contain
837 non-@acronym{ASCII} now, so this gives them a safety net if they accidently
838 typed a non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name.
840 @vindex message-use-idna
841 The @code{message-use-idna} variable control whether @acronym{IDNA} is
842 used. If the variable is @code{nil} no @acronym{IDNA} encoding will
843 ever happen, if it is set to the symbol @code{ask} the user will be
844 queried (the default), and if set to @code{t} @acronym{IDNA} encoding
845 happens automatically.
847 @findex message-idna-to-ascii-rhs
848 If you want to experiment with the @acronym{IDNA} encoding, you can
849 invoke @kbd{M-x message-idna-to-ascii-rhs RET} in the message buffer
850 to have the non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names encoded while you edit the message.
852 Note that you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU
853 Libidn} installed in order to use this functionality.
865 Using the @acronym{MML} language, Message is able to create digitally
866 signed and digitally encrypted messages. Message (or rather
867 @acronym{MML}) currently support @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991),
868 @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME}. Instructing
869 @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a @acronym{MIME} part is
870 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m
871 c} key map for encryption, as follows.
877 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
879 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
883 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
885 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
889 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
891 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
895 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
897 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
901 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
903 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
907 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
909 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
913 @findex mml-unsecure-message
914 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
918 These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
919 merely insert the proper @acronym{MML} secure tag to instruct the
920 @acronym{MML} engine to perform that operation when the message is
921 actually sent. They may perform other operations too, such as locating
922 and retrieving a @acronym{S/MIME} certificate of the person you wish to
923 send encrypted mail to. When the mml parsing engine converts your
924 @acronym{MML} into a properly encoded @acronym{MIME} message, the secure
925 tag will be replaced with either a part or a multipart tag. If your
926 message contains other mml parts, a multipart tag will be used; if no
927 other parts are present in your message a single part tag will be used.
928 This way, message mode will do the Right Thing (TM) with
929 signed/encrypted multipart messages.
931 Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
932 information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
933 mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
934 sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
935 using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
936 verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
937 whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
938 party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
940 @emph{Note!} Neither @acronym{PGP/MIME} nor @acronym{S/MIME} encrypt/signs
941 RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @acronym{MIME} object. Keep this
942 in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
944 By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the
945 ``signencrypt'' mode, which means the message is both signed and
946 encrypted. If you would like to disable this for a particular
947 message, give the @code{mml-secure-message-encrypt-*} command a prefix
948 argument, e.g., @kbd{C-u C-c C-m c p}.
950 Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
951 least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
952 other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
953 programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
955 @subsection Using S/MIME
957 @emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
958 modern cryptography, @acronym{S/MIME}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
961 The @acronym{S/MIME} support in Message (and @acronym{MML}) require
962 OpenSSL. OpenSSL performs the actual @acronym{S/MIME} sign/encrypt
963 operations. OpenSSL can be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}.
964 OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail
965 addresses from certificates, and it insert a spurious CR character into
966 @acronym{MIME} separators so you may wish to avoid it if you would like
967 to avoid being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by
968 sending @acronym{S/MIME} messages you've probably already lost that
971 To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
972 required. Message (@acronym{MML}) need a certificate for the person to whom you
973 wish to communicate with though. You're asked for this when you type
974 @kbd{C-c C-m c s}. Currently there are two ways to retrieve this
975 certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
976 file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in @acronym{PEM} format.
977 If you chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the
978 certificate is stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief,
979 Message (@acronym{MML}) is the first mail agent in the world to support
980 retrieving @acronym{S/MIME} certificates from DNS, so you're not
981 likely to find very many certificates out there. At least there
982 should be one, stored at the domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP
983 is a more popular method of distributing certificates, support for it
984 is planned. (Meanwhile, you can use @code{ldapsearch} from the
985 command line to retrieve a certificate into a file and use it.)
987 As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
988 without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
989 where your private key and your certificate is stored. @acronym{MML}
990 uses an Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
991 contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
992 @kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
994 Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
995 your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
996 manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
997 and got a free @acronym{S/MIME} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
998 net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
999 PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
1000 certificate in PEM format as follows.
1003 $ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1006 The @file{key+cert.pem} file should be pointed to from the
1007 @code{smime-keys} variable. You should now be able to send signed mail.
1009 @emph{Note!} Your private key is now stored unencrypted in the file,
1010 so take care in handling it. Storing encrypted keys on the disk are
1011 supported, and Gnus will ask you for a passphrase before invoking
1012 OpenSSL. Read the OpenSSL documentation for how to achieve this. If
1013 you use unencrypted keys (e.g., if they are on a secure storage, or if
1014 you are on a secure single user machine) simply press @code{RET} at
1015 the passphrase prompt.
1017 @subsection Using PGP/MIME
1019 @acronym{PGP/MIME} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such
1020 as @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, GNU Privacy Guard}. Pre-OpenPGP
1021 implementations such as PGP 2.x and PGP 5.x are also supported. One
1022 Emacs interface to the PGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG,
1023 pgg, PGG Manual}), is included, but Mailcrypt and Florian Weimer's
1024 @code{gpg.el} are also supported.
1026 @vindex gpg-temp-directory
1027 Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1028 directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions
1031 Creating your own key is described in detail in the documentation of
1032 your PGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1034 If you have imported your old PGP 2.x key into GnuPG, and want to send
1035 signed and encrypted messages to your fellow PGP 2.x users, you'll
1036 discover that the receiver cannot understand what you send. One
1037 solution is to use PGP 2.x instead (i.e., if you use @code{pgg}, set
1038 @code{pgg-default-scheme} to @code{pgp}). If you do want to use
1039 GnuPG, you can use a compatibility script called @code{gpg-2comp}
1041 @uref{http://muppet.faveve.uni-stuttgart.de/~gero/gpg-2comp/}. You
1042 could also convince your fellow PGP 2.x users to convert to GnuPG.
1043 @vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
1044 As a final workaround, you can make the sign and encryption work in
1045 two steps; separately sign, then encrypt a message. If you would like
1046 to change this behavior you can customize the
1047 @code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For example:
1050 (setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" separate)
1052 ("pgpauto" separate)
1053 ("pgpmime" separate)))
1056 This causes to sign and encrypt in two passes, thus generating a
1057 message that can be understood by PGP version 2.
1059 (Refer to @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/pgp2x.html} for more
1060 information about the problem.)
1062 @node Various Commands
1063 @section Various Commands
1069 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1070 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1071 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1072 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1073 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1077 @findex message-elide-region
1078 @vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1079 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1080 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1081 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1086 @findex message-kill-address
1087 Kill the address under point.
1091 @findex message-kill-to-signature
1092 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1093 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1097 @findex message-delete-not-region
1098 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1099 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1103 @findex message-newline-and-reformat
1104 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1109 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1112 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1115 > This is some quoted text.
1119 > And here's more quoted text.
1122 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1126 @findex message-rename-buffer
1127 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1128 prompt for a new buffer name.
1133 @vindex message-tab-body-function
1134 If non-@code{nil} execute the function specified in
1135 @code{message-tab-body-function}. Otherwise use the function bound to
1136 @kbd{TAB} in @code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1147 @findex message-send-and-exit
1148 Send the message and bury the current buffer
1149 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1153 @findex message-send
1154 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1158 @findex message-dont-send
1159 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1163 @findex message-kill-buffer
1164 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}). It will
1165 delete the message frame if it has been created exclusively for the
1166 message buffer. If the option
1167 @code{message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file} is non-@code{nil} and the
1168 backup file has been created for the message buffer, it will also remove
1169 the file after prompting to the user.
1173 @findex message-mimic-kill-buffer
1174 @vindex message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file
1175 This is an imitation for @code{kill-buffer}
1176 (@code{message-mimic-kill-buffer}). It dynamically binds the variable
1177 @code{message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file} to @code{nil} and calls the
1178 function @code{message-kill-buffer}.
1185 @section Mail Aliases
1186 @cindex mail aliases
1189 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
1190 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
1191 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
1192 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
1193 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1195 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1196 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1199 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1200 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1203 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1204 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1205 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1207 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1208 expansions have to be done explicitly.
1214 @findex ispell-message
1216 There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1217 @code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1218 probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1219 and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1220 typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1221 something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1224 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1227 @vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1228 If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1229 controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1232 (setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1233 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1234 (".*" . "default")))
1237 @code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1240 The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1241 your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1244 To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1248 (defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1250 (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1253 @code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1261 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1262 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1263 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1264 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1265 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
1266 * Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1267 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1268 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1269 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1270 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1274 @node Message Headers
1275 @section Message Headers
1277 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
1278 be---it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
1279 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1280 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1281 look sufficiently similar.
1285 @item message-generate-headers-first
1286 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
1287 If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1288 compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1291 (setq message-generate-headers-first
1295 @vindex message-required-headers
1296 The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1297 @code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1298 @code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1301 Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1302 because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1304 @item message-draft-headers
1305 @vindex message-draft-headers
1306 When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1307 with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1308 should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1310 @item message-from-style
1311 @vindex message-from-style
1312 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1317 Just the address---@samp{king@@grassland.com}.
1320 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1323 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1326 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1327 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1328 @code{angles} anyway.
1332 @item message-deletable-headers
1333 @vindex message-deletable-headers
1334 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1335 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1336 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1337 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1338 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1339 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1340 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1341 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1344 @item message-default-headers
1345 @vindex message-default-headers
1346 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1349 @item message-subject-re-regexp
1350 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1354 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1355 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1356 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1357 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1358 to use abominations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1359 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1360 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1361 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1362 just throw away non-compliant mail.
1364 Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1365 responding to a message:
1368 (setq message-subject-re-regexp
1373 "[Aa][Nn][Tt][Ww]\\.?\\|" ; antw
1375 "[Ff][Ww][Dd]?\\|" ; fwd
1376 "[Oo][Dd][Pp]\\|" ; odp
1378 "[Rr][\311\351][Ff]\\.?\\|" ; ref
1381 "\\(\\[[0-9]*\\]\\)"
1388 @item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1389 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1390 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1391 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1392 Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1393 lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1394 @code{ask}, query the user what do do. In this case, the subject is
1395 matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1396 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is @code{t}, always strip the
1397 trailing old subject. In this case,
1398 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1400 @item message-alternative-emails
1401 @vindex message-alternative-emails
1402 A regexp to match the alternative email addresses. The first matched
1403 address (not primary one) is used in the @code{From} field.
1405 @item message-allow-no-recipients
1406 @vindex message-allow-no-recipients
1407 Specifies what to do when there are no recipients other than
1408 @code{Gcc} or @code{Fcc}. If it is @code{always}, the posting is
1409 allowed. If it is @code{never}, the posting is not allowed. If it is
1410 @code{ask} (the default), you are prompted.
1412 @item message-hidden-headers
1413 @vindex message-hidden-headers
1414 A regexp, a list of regexps, or a list where the first element is
1415 @code{not} and the rest are regexps. It says which headers to keep
1416 hidden when composing a message.
1419 (setq message-hidden-headers
1420 '(not "From" "Subject" "To" "Cc" "Newsgroups"))
1423 Headers are hidden using narrowing, you can use @kbd{M-x widen} to
1424 expose them in the buffer.
1426 @item message-header-synonyms
1427 @vindex message-header-synonyms
1428 A list of lists of header synonyms. E.g., if this list contains a
1429 member list with elements @code{Cc} and @code{To}, then
1430 @code{message-carefully-insert-headers} will not insert a @code{To}
1431 header when the message is already @code{Cc}ed to the recipient.
1437 @section Mail Headers
1440 @item message-required-mail-headers
1441 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
1442 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
1443 @code{(From Date Subject (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID Lines
1444 (optional . User-Agent))} by default.
1446 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
1447 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
1448 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is
1449 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^Xref:\\|^X-Draft-From:}.
1451 @item message-default-mail-headers
1452 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
1453 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1454 buffers that are initialized as mail.
1456 @item message-generate-hashcash
1457 @vindex message-generate-hashcash
1458 Boolean variable that indicate whether @samp{X-Hashcash} headers
1459 should be computed for the message. @xref{Hashcash, ,Hashcash,gnus,
1465 @node Mail Variables
1466 @section Mail Variables
1469 @item message-send-mail-function
1470 @vindex message-send-mail-function
1471 @findex message-send-mail-with-sendmail
1472 @findex message-send-mail-with-mh
1473 @findex message-send-mail-with-qmail
1474 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
1475 @findex smtpmail-send-it
1476 @findex feedmail-send-it
1477 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
1478 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, or @code{smtpmail-send-it}
1479 according to the system. Other valid values include
1480 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
1481 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
1483 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
1484 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
1485 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
1486 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
1487 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
1488 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
1491 @item message-qmail-inject-program
1492 @vindex message-qmail-inject-program
1494 Location of the qmail-inject program.
1496 @item message-qmail-inject-args
1497 @vindex message-qmail-inject-args
1498 Arguments passed to qmail-inject programs.
1499 This should be a list of strings, one string for each argument. It
1500 may also be a function.
1502 For e.g., if you wish to set the envelope sender address so that bounces
1503 go to the right place or to deal with listserv's usage of that address, you
1504 might set this variable to @code{'("-f" "you@@some.where")}.
1506 @item message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1507 @vindex message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1509 Non-@code{nil} means don't add @samp{-f username} to the sendmail
1510 command line. Doing so would be even more evil than leaving it out.
1512 @item message-sendmail-envelope-from
1513 @vindex message-sendmail-envelope-from
1514 When @code{message-sendmail-f-is-evil} is @code{nil}, this specifies
1515 the address to use in the @acronym{SMTP} envelope. If it is
1516 @code{nil}, use @code{user-mail-address}. If it is the symbol
1517 @code{header}, use the @samp{From} header of the message.
1519 @item message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1520 @vindex message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1521 Set this to non-@code{nil} if the system's mailer runs the header and
1522 body together. (This problem exists on SunOS 4 when sendmail is run
1523 in remote mode.) The value should be an expression to test whether
1524 the problem will actually occur.
1526 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
1527 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
1528 @cindex split large message
1529 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial. The lower bound
1530 of message size in characters, beyond which the message should be sent
1531 in several parts. If it is @code{nil}, the size is unlimited.
1537 @section News Headers
1539 @vindex message-required-news-headers
1540 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
1541 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
1542 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
1548 @findex user-full-name
1549 @findex user-mail-address
1550 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
1551 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
1552 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
1553 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
1557 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
1561 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
1562 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
1565 @cindex organization
1566 @vindex message-user-organization
1567 @vindex message-user-organization-file
1568 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
1569 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
1570 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
1571 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
1572 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
1573 parameters and should return a string to be used).
1577 This optional header will be computed by Message.
1581 @vindex message-user-fqdn
1582 @vindex mail-host-address
1583 @vindex user-mail-address
1586 @cindex i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-tickle-me
1587 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
1588 created based on the date, time, user name (for the local part) and the
1589 domain part. For the domain part, message will look (in this order) at
1590 @code{message-user-fqdn}, @code{system-name}, @code{mail-host-address}
1591 and @code{message-user-mail-address} (i.e. @code{user-mail-address})
1592 until a probably valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN) was found.
1596 This optional header will be filled out according to the
1597 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
1600 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
1601 header of the article being replied to.
1605 @vindex message-expires
1606 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
1607 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
1608 be used unless you know what you're doing.
1611 @cindex Distribution
1612 @vindex message-distribution-function
1613 This optional header is filled out according to the
1614 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
1615 much misunderstood header.
1619 @vindex message-user-path
1620 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
1621 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
1622 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
1623 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
1624 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
1625 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
1626 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
1630 @cindex Mime-Version
1631 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The @sc{car} of this cons
1632 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
1633 the @sc{cdr} can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
1634 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
1635 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
1636 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
1637 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
1638 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
1639 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
1641 If the list contains a cons where the @sc{car} of the cons is
1642 @code{optional}, the @sc{cdr} of this cons will only be inserted if it is
1645 If you want to delete an entry from this list, the following Lisp
1646 snippet might be useful. Adjust accordingly if you want to remove
1650 (setq message-required-news-headers
1651 (delq 'Message-ID message-required-news-headers))
1654 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
1658 @item message-syntax-checks
1659 @vindex message-syntax-checks
1660 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
1661 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
1664 (signature . disabled)
1673 Check the subject for commands.
1676 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
1677 @item multiple-headers
1678 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
1681 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
1683 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
1685 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
1688 Check for too long lines.
1690 Check for invalid characters.
1692 Check for excessive size.
1694 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
1696 Check the length of the signature.
1699 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
1700 something only moderators should include.
1702 Check whether the article is empty.
1703 @item invisible-text
1704 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1706 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
1707 @item existing-newsgroups
1708 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1709 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1710 @item valid-newsgroups
1711 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1712 are valid syntactically.
1713 @item repeated-newsgroups
1714 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1715 contains repeated group names.
1716 @item shorten-followup-to
1717 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1718 of groups to post to.
1721 All these conditions are checked by default.
1723 @item message-ignored-news-headers
1724 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1725 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1726 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^X-Draft-From:}.
1728 @item message-default-news-headers
1729 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1730 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1731 buffers that are initialized as news.
1736 @node News Variables
1737 @section News Variables
1740 @item message-send-news-function
1741 @vindex message-send-news-function
1742 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1743 @code{message-send-news}.
1745 @item message-post-method
1746 @vindex message-post-method
1747 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1748 posting a prepared news message.
1753 @node Insertion Variables
1754 @section Insertion Variables
1757 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
1758 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
1759 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
1760 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
1763 @item message-cite-prefix-regexp
1764 @vindex message-cite-prefix-regexp
1765 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
1767 @item message-citation-line-function
1768 @vindex message-citation-line-function
1769 @cindex attribution line
1770 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
1771 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
1775 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
1778 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
1781 Note that Gnus provides a feature where clicking on `writes:' hides the
1782 cited text. If you change the citation line too much, readers of your
1783 messages will have to adjust their Gnus, too. See the variable
1784 @code{gnus-cite-attribution-suffix}. @xref{Article Highlighting, ,
1785 Article Highlighting, gnus, The Gnus Manual}, for details.
1787 @item message-yank-prefix
1788 @vindex message-yank-prefix
1791 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
1792 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
1793 @dfn{yanking}, and each line you yank will have
1794 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it (except for quoted lines
1795 which use @code{message-yank-cited-prefix} and empty lines which use
1796 @code{message-yank-empty-prefix}). The default is @samp{> }.
1798 @item message-yank-cited-prefix
1799 @vindex message-yank-cited-prefix
1803 When yanking text from an article which contains already cited text,
1804 each line will be prefixed with the contents of this variable. The
1805 default is @samp{>}. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1807 @item message-yank-empty-prefix
1808 @vindex message-yank-empty-prefix
1811 When yanking text from an article, each empty line will be prefixed with
1812 the contents of this variable. The default is @samp{>}. You can set
1813 this variable to an empty string to split the cited text into paragraphs
1814 automatically. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1816 @item message-yank-add-new-references
1817 @vindex message-yank-add-new-references
1819 Non-@code{nil} means new IDs will be added to References field when an
1820 article is yanked by the command @code{message-yank-original}
1821 interactively. If it is a symbol @code{message-id-only}, only an ID
1822 from Message-ID field is used, otherwise IDs extracted from References,
1823 In-Reply-To and Message-ID fields are used.
1825 @item message-list-references-add-position
1826 @vindex message-list-references-add-position
1828 Integer value means position for adding to References field when an
1829 article is yanked by the command @code{message-yank-original}
1832 @item message-indentation-spaces
1833 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
1834 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
1836 @item message-cite-function
1837 @vindex message-cite-function
1838 @findex message-cite-original
1839 @findex sc-cite-original
1840 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
1842 Function for citing an original message. The default is
1843 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
1844 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
1845 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
1846 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
1849 @item message-suspend-font-lock-when-citing
1850 @vindex message-suspend-font-lock-when-citing
1851 If non-@code{nil}, suspend font-lock'ing while citing an original
1852 message. Some lazy demand-driven fontification tools (or Emacs itself)
1853 have a bug that they often miss a buffer to be fontified. It will
1854 mostly occur when Emacs prompts user for any inputs in the minibuffer.
1855 Setting this option to non-@code{nil} may help you to avoid unpleasant
1856 errors even if it is an add-hoc expedient.
1858 @item message-indent-citation-function
1859 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
1860 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
1861 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
1862 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
1863 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
1865 @item message-mark-insert-begin
1866 @vindex message-mark-insert-begin
1867 String to mark the beginning of some inserted text.
1869 @item message-mark-insert-end
1870 @vindex message-mark-insert-end
1871 String to mark the end of some inserted text.
1873 @item message-signature
1874 @vindex message-signature
1875 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
1876 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
1877 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
1878 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
1879 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
1881 @item message-signature-file
1882 @vindex message-signature-file
1883 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
1884 The default is @file{~/.signature}.
1886 @item message-signature-insert-empty-line
1887 @vindex message-signature-insert-empty-line
1888 If @code{t} (the default value) an empty line is inserted before the
1889 signature separator.
1893 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
1894 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
1895 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
1896 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
1897 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
1899 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
1900 Including @acronym{ASCII} graphics is an efficient way to get
1901 everybody to believe that you are silly and have nothing important to
1905 @node Various Message Variables
1906 @section Various Message Variables
1909 @item message-default-charset
1910 @vindex message-default-charset
1912 Symbol naming a @acronym{MIME} charset. Non-@acronym{ASCII}
1913 characters in messages are assumed to be encoded using this charset.
1914 The default is @code{nil}, which means ask the user. (This variable
1915 is used only on non-@sc{mule} Emacsen. @xref{Charset Translation, ,
1916 Charset Translation, emacs-mime, Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on
1917 the @sc{mule}-to-@acronym{MIME} translation process.
1919 @item message-signature-separator
1920 @vindex message-signature-separator
1921 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1924 @item mail-header-separator
1925 @vindex mail-header-separator
1926 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1927 follows this line--} by default.
1929 @item message-directory
1930 @vindex message-directory
1931 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1932 All other mail file variables are derived from @code{message-directory}.
1934 @item message-auto-save-directory
1935 @vindex message-auto-save-directory
1936 Directory where Message auto-saves buffers if Gnus isn't running. If
1937 @code{nil}, Message won't auto-save. The default is @file{~/Mail/drafts/}.
1939 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1940 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1941 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1942 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1944 @item message-setup-hook
1945 @vindex message-setup-hook
1946 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1947 but before yanked text is inserted.
1949 @item message-header-setup-hook
1950 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
1951 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
1953 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
1954 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
1955 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
1958 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
1959 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
1960 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
1961 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
1962 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
1963 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
1965 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
1966 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
1969 @item message-send-hook
1970 @vindex message-send-hook
1971 Hook run before sending messages.
1973 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
1974 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
1975 @findex message-add-header
1978 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
1979 (defun my-message-add-content ()
1980 (message-add-header "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense")
1981 (message-add-header "X-Whatever: no"))
1984 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
1986 @item message-send-mail-hook
1987 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
1988 Hook run before sending mail messages. This hook is run very late --
1989 just before the message is actually sent as mail.
1991 @item message-send-news-hook
1992 @vindex message-send-news-hook
1993 Hook run before sending news messages. This hook is run very late --
1994 just before the message is actually sent as news.
1996 @item message-sent-hook
1997 @vindex message-sent-hook
1998 Hook run after sending messages.
2000 @item message-cancel-hook
2001 @vindex message-cancel-hook
2002 Hook run when canceling news articles.
2004 @item message-mode-syntax-table
2005 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
2006 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
2008 @item message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2009 @vindex message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2010 If non-@code{nil}, don't strip quoted text from articles that have
2011 @samp{X-No-Archive} set. Even if this variable isn't set, you can
2012 undo the stripping by hitting the @code{undo} keystroke.
2014 @item message-strip-special-text-properties
2015 @vindex message-strip-special-text-properties
2016 Emacs has a number of special text properties which can break message
2017 composing in various ways. If this option is set, message will strip
2018 these properties from the message composition buffer. However, some
2019 packages requires these properties to be present in order to work. If
2020 you use one of these packages, turn this option off, and hope the
2021 message composition doesn't break too bad.
2023 @item message-send-method-alist
2024 @vindex message-send-method-alist
2026 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form
2029 (@var{type} @var{predicate} @var{function})
2034 A symbol that names the method.
2037 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
2038 message is a message of type @var{type}.
2041 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
2042 @var{function} is called with one parameter---the prefix.
2046 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
2047 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
2055 @node Sending Variables
2056 @section Sending Variables
2060 @item message-fcc-handler-function
2061 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
2062 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
2063 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
2064 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
2066 @item message-courtesy-message
2067 @vindex message-courtesy-message
2068 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
2069 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
2070 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
2071 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
2072 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
2073 an article\\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\\n\\n"}.
2075 @item message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2076 @vindex message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2077 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Fcc copies; if it is
2078 non-@code{nil}, attach local files as external parts.
2080 @item message-interactive
2081 @vindex message-interactive
2082 If non-@code{nil} wait for and display errors when sending a message;
2083 if @code{nil} let the mailer mail back a message to report errors.
2088 @node Message Buffers
2089 @section Message Buffers
2091 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
2092 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
2093 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
2094 message buffers are kept alive.
2097 @item message-generate-new-buffers
2098 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
2099 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
2100 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
2101 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
2102 The function should return the new buffer name.
2104 @item message-use-multi-frames
2105 @vindex message-use-multi-frames
2106 If non-@code{nil}, generate new frames. The default is @code{nil}.
2108 @item message-delete-frame-on-exit
2109 @vindex message-delete-frame-on-exit
2110 The @code{message-delete-frame-on-exit} variable says whether to delete
2111 the frame after sending the message or killing the message buffer. If it
2112 is @code{nil} (which is the default), don't delete the frame. If it is
2113 @code{ask}, ask wheter to delete the frame. If it is @code{t}, always
2116 @item message-max-buffers
2117 @vindex message-max-buffers
2118 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
2119 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
2120 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
2121 will ever be killed.
2123 @item message-send-rename-function
2124 @vindex message-send-rename-function
2125 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
2126 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
2127 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
2128 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
2132 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
2135 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2136 @vindex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2137 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
2139 @item message-kill-buffer-query-function
2140 @vindex message-kill-buffer-query-function
2141 @findex message-kill-buffer
2142 @findex message-mimic-kill-buffer
2143 Function used to prompt user whether to kill the message buffer when the
2144 command @code{message-kill-buffer} or @code{message-mimic-kill-buffer}
2145 is used. It defaults to @code{yes-or-no-p}. You may alter the value to
2146 @code{y-or-n-p}, @code{nnheader-Y-or-n-p}, etc. If it is @code{t}, the
2147 buffer will be killed without query.
2149 @item message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file
2150 @vindex message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file
2151 @findex message-kill-buffer
2152 @findex message-mimic-kill-buffer
2153 If it is non-@code{nil}, remove the backup file if it exists with a
2154 query to the user, after the message buffer is killed. Otherwise the
2155 file won't be removed. It defaults to @code{t}. However, it is treated
2156 as @code{nil} when the command `message-mimic-kill-buffer' is used.
2161 @node Message Actions
2162 @section Message Actions
2164 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
2165 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
2166 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
2169 @vindex message-kill-actions
2170 @vindex message-postpone-actions
2171 @vindex message-exit-actions
2172 @vindex message-send-actions
2173 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
2174 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
2175 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
2176 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
2177 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
2178 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
2179 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
2180 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
2182 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
2183 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
2184 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
2185 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
2189 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
2190 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
2193 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
2194 killed, postponed or exited.
2196 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
2197 @sc{car} is a function and the @sc{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
2198 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
2202 @chapter Compatibility
2203 @cindex compatibility
2205 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
2206 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
2207 into account, you can put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2210 (require 'messcompat)
2213 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
2214 corresponding mail variables.
2221 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
2228 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
2233 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
2234 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
2235 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
2246 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
2247 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
2248 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
2249 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
2253 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
2260 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
2261 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
2262 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
2266 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
2267 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
2278 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
2279 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is