1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle T-gnus 6.14 Message Manual
10 * Message: (message). Mail and news composition mode that goes with Gnus.
15 @setchapternewpage odd
19 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
21 Copyright (C) 1996,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
24 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
25 are preserved on all copies.
28 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
29 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
30 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
31 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
34 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
35 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
36 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
37 permission notice identical to this one.
39 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
40 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
46 @title T-gnus 6.14 Message Manual
48 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
51 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
52 Copyright @copyright{} 1996,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
54 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
55 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
56 are preserved on all copies.
58 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
59 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
60 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
61 permission notice identical to this one.
63 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
64 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
74 All message composition from Gnus (both mail and news) takes place in
78 * Interface:: Setting up message buffers.
79 * Commands:: Commands you can execute in message mode buffers.
80 * Variables:: Customizing the message buffers.
81 * Compatibility:: Making Message backwards compatible.
82 * Appendices:: More technical things.
83 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
84 * Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
87 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.14 Message. Message is
88 distributed with the Gnus distribution bearing the same version number
95 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message -- reply,
96 follow up, forward, cancel -- the program (or person) should just put
97 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
98 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
99 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
103 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
104 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
105 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
106 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
107 * Followup:: Following up via news.
108 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
109 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
110 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
111 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
112 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
116 @node New Mail Message
117 @section New Mail Message
120 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
122 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
123 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
124 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
127 @node New News Message
128 @section New News Message
131 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
133 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
134 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
135 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
141 @findex message-reply
142 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
143 reply to the message in the current buffer.
145 @vindex message-reply-to-function
146 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
147 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
148 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
150 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
151 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
154 (setq message-reply-to-function
156 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
157 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
162 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
165 As you can see, this function should return a string if it has an
166 opinion as to what the To header should be. If it does not, it should
167 just return @code{nil}, and the normal methods for determining the To
170 This function can also return a list. In that case, each list element
171 should be a cons, where the car should be the name of an header
172 (eg. @code{Cc}) and the cdr should be the header value
173 (eg. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be inserted into
174 the head of the outgoing mail.
180 @findex message-wide-reply
181 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
182 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
183 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
184 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
186 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
187 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
188 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
189 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
190 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
192 @findex message-dont-reply-to-names
193 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
194 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
200 @findex message-followup
201 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
202 followup to the message in the current buffer.
204 @vindex message-followup-to-function
205 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
206 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
207 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
208 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
210 @vindex message-use-followup-to
211 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
212 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
213 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
214 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
215 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
219 @section Canceling News
221 @findex message-cancel-news
222 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
229 @findex message-supersede
230 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
231 supersede the message in the current buffer.
233 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
234 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
235 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
236 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
237 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:}.
244 @findex message-forward
245 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
246 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
250 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
251 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
252 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
254 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
255 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
256 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
257 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
258 passed into each successive function.
260 The provided functions are:
263 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
264 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
265 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
268 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
269 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
272 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
273 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
274 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
275 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
276 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
277 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
279 @item message-forward-as-mime
280 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
281 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
282 included as inline MIME RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
283 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
284 non MIME-savvy versions of gnus would do.
291 @findex message-resend
292 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
293 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
295 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
296 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
297 be removed before sending the message. The default is
298 @samp{^Return-receipt}.
304 @findex message-bounce
305 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
306 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
307 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
308 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
311 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
312 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
313 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
314 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\):}.
321 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving to headers.
322 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
323 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
324 * MIME:: @sc{mime} considerations.
325 * Various Commands:: Various things.
326 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
327 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
331 @node Header Commands
332 @section Header Commands
334 All these commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't exist,
341 @findex message-goto-to
342 Describe the message mode.
346 @findex message-goto-to
347 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
351 @findex message-goto-bcc
352 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
356 @findex message-goto-fcc
357 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
361 @findex message-goto-cc
362 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
366 @findex message-goto-subject
367 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
371 @findex message-goto-reply-to
372 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
376 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
377 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
381 @findex message-goto-distribution
382 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
386 @findex message-goto-followup-to
387 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
391 @findex message-goto-keywords
392 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
396 @findex message-goto-summary
397 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
408 @findex message-goto-body
409 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
410 (@code{message-goto-body}).
414 @findex message-goto-signature
415 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
427 @findex message-yank-original
428 Yank the message in the buffer @code{gnus-article-copy} into the message
429 buffer. Normally @code{gnus-article-copy} is what you are replying to
430 (@code{message-yank-original}).
434 @findex message-yank-buffer
435 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
436 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
440 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
441 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
442 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
443 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
444 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
449 @findex message-insert-signature
450 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
451 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
455 @findex message-insert-headers
456 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
461 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
462 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
463 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
464 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
467 @item message-citation-line-function
468 @vindex message-citation-line-function
469 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
470 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
474 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
477 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
480 @item message-yank-prefix
481 @vindex message-yank-prefix
484 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
485 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
486 @dfn{yanking}, and each quoted line you yank will have
487 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it. The default is @samp{> }.
489 @item message-yank-add-new-references
490 @vindex message-yank-add-new-references
492 Non-@code{nil} means new IDs will be added to References field when an
493 article is yanked by the command @code{message-yank-original}
494 interactively. If it is a symbol @code{message-id-only}, only an ID
495 from Message-ID field is used, otherwise IDs extracted from References,
496 In-Reply-To and Message-ID fields are used.
498 @item message-list-references-add-position
499 @vindex message-list-references-add-position
501 Integer value means position for adding to References field when an
502 article is yanked by the command @code{message-yank-original}
505 @item message-indentation-spaces
506 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
507 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
509 @item message-cite-function
510 @vindex message-cite-function
511 @findex message-cite-original
512 @findex sc-cite-original
513 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
515 Function for citing an original message. The default is
516 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
517 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
518 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
519 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
522 @item message-indent-citation-function
523 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
524 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
525 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
526 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
527 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
529 @item message-signature
530 @vindex message-signature
531 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
532 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
533 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
534 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
535 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
537 @item message-signature-file
538 @vindex message-signature-file
539 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
540 The default is @samp{~/.signature}.
544 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
545 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
546 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
547 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
548 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
550 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
551 Including ASCII graphics is an efficient way to get everybody to believe
552 that you are silly and have nothing important to say.
562 Message is a @sc{mime}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
563 doesn't have to do anything to make the @sc{mime} happen---Message will
564 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
565 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
567 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
568 @sc{mime} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out. This can
569 be done with the @code{C-c C-a} command, which will prompt for a file
570 name and a @sc{mime} type.
572 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the MML
573 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
577 @node Various Commands
578 @section Various Commands
584 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
585 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
586 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
587 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
588 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
592 @findex message-elide-region
593 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
594 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
595 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
600 @findex message-kill-to-signature
601 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
602 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
606 @findex message-delete-not-region
607 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
608 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
612 @kindex message-newline-and-reformat
613 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
618 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
621 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
624 > This is some quoted text.
628 > And here's more quoted text.
631 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
635 @findex message-insert-to
636 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
637 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
638 (@code{message-insert-to}).
642 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
643 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
644 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
645 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
649 @findex message-rename-buffer
650 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
651 prompt for a new buffer name.
662 @findex message-send-and-exit
663 Send the message and bury the current buffer
664 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
669 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
673 @findex message-dont-send
674 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
678 @findex message-kill-buffer
679 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
686 @section Mail Aliases
690 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
691 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
692 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
693 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
694 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
696 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
697 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
700 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
701 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
704 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
705 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
706 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
708 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
709 expansions have to be done explicitly.
717 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
718 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
719 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
720 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
721 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
722 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
723 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
724 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
725 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
729 @node Message Headers
730 @section Message Headers
732 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
733 be -- it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
734 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
735 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
736 look sufficiently similar.
740 @item message-generate-headers-first
741 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
742 If non-@code{nil}, generate all headers before starting to compose the
745 @item message-from-style
746 @vindex message-from-style
747 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
752 Just the address -- @samp{king@@grassland.com}.
755 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
758 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
761 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
762 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
763 @code{angles} anyway.
767 @item message-deletable-headers
768 @vindex message-deletable-headers
769 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
770 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
771 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
772 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
773 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
774 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
775 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
776 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
779 @item message-default-headers
780 @vindex message-default-headers
781 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
784 @item message-subject-re-regexp
785 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
786 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
787 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but in
788 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
789 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
790 to use abonimations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
791 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
792 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
793 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
794 just throw away non-compliant mail.
800 @section Mail Headers
803 @item message-required-mail-headers
804 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
805 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
806 @code{(From Date Subject (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID Lines
807 (optional . X-Mailer))} by default.
809 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
810 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
811 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is
812 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:}.
814 @item message-default-mail-headers
815 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
816 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
817 buffers that are initialized as mail.
823 @section Mail Variables
826 @item message-send-mail-function
827 @vindex message-send-mail-function
828 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
829 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}. If you prefer using MH
830 instead, set this variable to @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}.
832 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
833 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
834 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
835 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
836 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
837 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
844 @section News Headers
846 @vindex message-required-news-headers
847 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
848 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
849 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
855 @findex user-full-name
856 @findex user-mail-address
857 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
858 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
859 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
860 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
864 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
868 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
869 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
873 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
874 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
875 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
876 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
877 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
878 parameters and should return a string to be used).
882 This optional header will be computed by Message.
886 @vindex mail-host-address
889 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
890 created based on the date, time, user name and system name. Message
891 will use @code{system-name} to determine the name of the system. If
892 this isn't a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), Message will use
893 @code{mail-host-address} as the FQDN of the machine.
897 This optional header will be filled out according to the
898 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
901 This optional header will be filled out according to the
902 @code{message-mailer} local variable, unless there already is an
903 @code{X-Newsreader} header present.
906 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
907 header of the article being replied to.
911 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
912 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
913 be used unless you know what you're doing.
917 This optional header is filled out according to the
918 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
919 much misunderstood header.
923 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
924 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
925 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
926 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
927 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
928 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
929 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
934 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The car of this cons
935 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
936 the cdr can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
937 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
938 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
939 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
940 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
941 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
942 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
944 If the list contains a cons where the car of the cons is
945 @code{optional}, the cdr of this cons will only be inserted if it is
948 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
952 @item message-syntax-checks
953 @vindex message-syntax-checks
954 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
955 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
958 (signature . disabled)
967 Check the subject for commands.
970 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
971 @item multiple-headers
972 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
975 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
977 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
979 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
982 Check for too long lines.
984 Check for invalid characters.
986 Check for excessive size.
988 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
990 Check the length of the signature.
993 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
994 something only moderators should include.
996 Check whether the article is empty.
998 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1000 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
1001 @item existing-newsgroups
1002 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1003 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1004 @item valid-newsgroups
1005 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1006 are valid syntactically.
1007 @item repeated-newsgroups
1008 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1009 contains repeated group names.
1010 @item shorten-followup-to
1011 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1012 of groups to post to.
1015 All these conditions are checked by default.
1017 @item message-ignored-news-headers
1018 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1019 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1020 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:}.
1022 @item message-default-news-headers
1023 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1024 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1025 buffers that are initialized as news.
1030 @node News Variables
1031 @section News Variables
1034 @item message-send-news-function
1035 @vindex message-send-news-function
1036 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1037 @code{message-send-news}.
1039 @item message-post-method
1040 @vindex message-post-method
1041 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1042 posting a prepared news message.
1047 @node Various Message Variables
1048 @section Various Message Variables
1051 @item message-default-charset
1052 @vindex message-default-charset
1054 Symbol naming a @sc{mime} charset. Non-ASCII characters in messages are
1055 assumed to be encoded using this charset. The default is @code{nil},
1056 which means ask the user. (This variable is used only on non-@sc{mule}
1058 @xref{Charset Translation, , Charset Translation, emacs-mime,
1059 Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on the @sc{mule}-to-@sc{mime}
1060 translation process.
1062 @item message-signature-separator
1063 @vindex message-signature-separator
1064 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1067 @item mail-header-separator
1068 @vindex mail-header-separator
1069 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1070 follows this line--} by default.
1072 @item message-directory
1073 @vindex message-directory
1074 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1076 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1077 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1078 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1079 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1081 @item message-setup-hook
1082 @vindex message-setup-hook
1083 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1084 but before yanked text is inserted.
1086 @item message-header-setup-hook
1087 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
1088 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
1090 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
1091 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
1092 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
1095 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
1096 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
1097 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
1098 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
1099 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
1100 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
1102 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
1103 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
1106 @item message-send-hook
1107 @vindex message-send-hook
1108 Hook run before sending messages.
1110 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
1111 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
1112 @findex message-add-header
1115 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
1116 (defun my-message-add-content ()
1118 "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense"
1122 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
1124 @item message-send-mail-hook
1125 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
1126 Hook run before sending mail messages.
1128 @item message-send-news-hook
1129 @vindex message-send-news-hook
1130 Hook run before sending news messages.
1132 @item message-sent-hook
1133 @vindex message-sent-hook
1134 Hook run after sending messages.
1136 @item message-mode-syntax-table
1137 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
1138 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
1140 @item message-send-method-alist
1141 @vindex message-send-method-alist
1143 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form
1146 (TYPE PREDICATE FUNCTION)
1151 A symbol that names the method.
1154 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
1155 message is a message of type @var{type}.
1158 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
1159 @var{function} is called with one parameter -- the prefix.
1163 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
1164 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
1173 @node Sending Variables
1174 @section Sending Variables
1178 @item message-fcc-handler-function
1179 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
1180 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
1181 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
1182 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
1184 @item message-courtesy-message
1185 @vindex message-courtesy-message
1186 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
1187 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
1188 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
1189 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
1190 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
1191 an article\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\n\n"}.
1196 @node Message Buffers
1197 @section Message Buffers
1199 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
1200 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
1201 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
1202 message buffers are kept alive.
1205 @item message-generate-new-buffers
1206 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
1207 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
1208 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
1209 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
1210 The function should return the new buffer name.
1212 @item message-use-multi-frames
1213 @vindex message-use-multi-frames
1214 If non-@code{nil}, generate new frames. The default is @code{nil}.
1216 @item message-delete-frame-on-exit
1217 @vindex message-delete-frame-on-exit
1218 The @code{message-delete-frame-on-exit} variable says whether to delete
1219 the frame after sending the message or killing the message buffer. If it
1220 is @code{nil} (which is the default), don't delete the frame. If it is
1221 @code{ask}, ask wheter to delete the frame. If it is @code{t}, always
1224 @item message-max-buffers
1225 @vindex message-max-buffers
1226 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
1227 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
1228 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
1229 will ever be killed.
1231 @item message-send-rename-function
1232 @vindex message-send-rename-function
1233 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
1234 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
1235 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
1236 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
1240 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
1243 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
1244 @findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
1245 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
1250 @node Message Actions
1251 @section Message Actions
1253 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
1254 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
1255 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
1258 @vindex message-kill-actions
1259 @vindex message-postpone-actions
1260 @vindex message-exit-actions
1261 @vindex message-send-actions
1262 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
1263 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
1264 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
1265 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
1266 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
1267 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
1268 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
1269 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
1271 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
1272 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
1273 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
1274 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
1278 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
1279 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
1282 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
1283 killed, postponed or exited.
1285 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
1286 @code{car} is a function and the @code{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
1287 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
1291 @chapter Compatibility
1292 @cindex compatibility
1294 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
1295 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
1296 into account, you can put the following in your @code{.emacs} file:
1299 (require 'messcompat)
1302 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
1303 corresponding mail variables.
1310 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
1317 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
1322 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
1323 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
1324 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
1335 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
1336 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
1337 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
1338 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
1342 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
1349 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
1350 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
1351 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
1355 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
1356 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
1367 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
1368 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is