1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 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, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
22 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
24 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
25 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
26 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
27 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
28 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
29 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
30 License'' in the Emacs manual.
32 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
33 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
34 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
36 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
37 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
38 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
39 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
45 @title T-gnus 6.15 Message Manual
47 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
50 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
51 Copyright @copyright{} 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
52 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
54 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
55 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
56 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
57 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
58 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
59 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
60 License'' in the Emacs manual.
62 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
63 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
64 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
66 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
67 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
68 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
69 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
78 All message composition from Gnus (both mail and news) takes place in
82 * Interface:: Setting up message buffers.
83 * Commands:: Commands you can execute in message mode buffers.
84 * Variables:: Customizing the message buffers.
85 * Compatibility:: Making Message backwards compatible.
86 * Appendices:: More technical things.
87 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
88 * Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
91 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15 Message. Message is distributed
92 with the Gnus distribution bearing the same version number as this
99 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message -- reply,
100 follow up, forward, cancel -- the program (or person) should just put
101 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
102 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
103 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
107 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
108 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
109 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
110 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
111 * Followup:: Following up via news.
112 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
113 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
114 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
115 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
116 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
117 * Mailing Lists:: Send mail to mailing lists.
121 @node New Mail Message
122 @section New Mail Message
125 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
127 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
128 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
129 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
132 @node New News Message
133 @section New News Message
136 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
138 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
139 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
140 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
146 @findex message-reply
147 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
148 reply to the message in the current buffer.
150 @vindex message-reply-to-function
151 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
152 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
153 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
155 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
156 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
159 (setq message-reply-to-function
161 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
162 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
167 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
170 As you can see, this function should return a string if it has an
171 opinion as to what the To header should be. If it does not, it should
172 just return @code{nil}, and the normal methods for determining the To
175 This function can also return a list. In that case, each list element
176 should be a cons, where the car should be the name of an header
177 (eg. @code{Cc}) and the cdr should be the header value
178 (eg. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be inserted into
179 the head of the outgoing mail.
185 @findex message-wide-reply
186 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
187 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
188 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
189 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
191 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
192 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
193 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
194 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
195 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
197 @vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
198 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
199 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
201 @vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
202 If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
203 will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
204 recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
209 @findex message-followup
210 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
211 followup to the message in the current buffer.
213 @vindex message-followup-to-function
214 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
215 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
216 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
217 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
219 @vindex message-use-followup-to
220 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
221 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
222 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
223 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
224 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
228 @section Canceling News
230 @findex message-cancel-news
231 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
234 @vindex message-cancel-message
235 The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
236 the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
240 @vindex message-insert-canlock
242 When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
243 headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
244 only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
245 is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
246 stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
247 automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
248 able to cancel your message.
250 Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
251 @code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
253 Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
254 this is expected to change in the future.
260 @findex message-supersede
261 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
262 supersede the message in the current buffer.
264 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
265 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
266 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
267 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
268 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:}.
275 @findex message-forward
276 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
277 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
281 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
282 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
283 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
285 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
286 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
287 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
288 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
289 passed into each successive function.
291 The provided functions are:
294 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
295 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
296 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
299 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
300 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
303 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
304 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
305 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
306 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
307 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
308 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
310 @item message-forward-as-mime
311 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
312 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
313 included as inline @sc{mime} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
314 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
315 non @sc{mime}-savvy versions of gnus would do.
317 @item message-forward-before-signature
318 @vindex message-forward-before-signature
319 If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
327 @findex message-resend
328 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
329 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
331 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
332 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
333 be removed before sending the message. The default is
334 @samp{^Return-receipt}.
340 @findex message-bounce
341 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
342 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
343 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
344 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
347 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
348 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
349 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
350 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\):}.
354 @section Mailing Lists
356 Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
357 followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
358 was created to enable just this. Two example scenarios where this is
363 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
364 sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
365 if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
368 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
369 sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
370 is not subscribed to the list.
373 If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
374 to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
375 discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
376 and very difficult to follow.
380 Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
381 up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
382 sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
385 @c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
386 @c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
389 @c @node Composing with a MFT header
390 @subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
392 The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
393 in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
394 addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
395 way. The following variables would come in handy.
399 @vindex message-subscribed-addresses
400 @item message-subscribed-addresses
401 This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
402 default value is @code{nil}. Example:
404 (setq message-subscribed-addresses
405 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
408 @vindex message-subscribed-regexps
409 @item message-subscribed-regexps
410 This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
411 lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
412 want to achieve the same result as above:
414 (setq message-subscribed-regexps
415 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
418 @vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
419 @item message-subscribed-address-functions
420 This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
421 determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
422 functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
424 There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
425 this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
426 that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
427 the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{(gnus)subscribed})
428 group parameter set to a non-nil value. This is how you would do it.
431 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
432 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
435 @vindex message-subscribed-address-file
436 @item message-subscribed-address-file
437 You might be one organised human freak and have a list of addresses of
438 all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
439 set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
443 You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
444 ``added'' in some way that works :-)
446 Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
447 And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
448 MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
449 MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
450 in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
451 automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
452 per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
453 addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
454 is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
455 address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
456 other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
459 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
461 @findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
462 Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
463 subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
464 is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
465 MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
466 to-address group parameter.) The function
467 @code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
468 handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
469 can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
470 (@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
472 @c @node Honoring an MFT post
473 @subsection Honoring an MFT post
475 @vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
476 When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
477 header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
478 @code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
482 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
483 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
486 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
489 Gnus will prompt you for an action.
493 It is considered good nettiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
494 fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
501 * Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
502 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
503 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
504 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
505 * MIME:: @sc{mime} considerations.
506 * Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
507 * Various Commands:: Various things.
508 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
509 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
510 * Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
515 @section Buffer Entry
519 You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
520 message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
521 may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
522 which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
523 but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
524 Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
525 takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
526 times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
529 @node Header Commands
530 @section Header Commands
532 @subsection Commands for moving to headers
534 These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
535 exist, it will be inserted.
541 @findex describe-mode
542 Describe the message mode.
546 @findex message-goto-to
547 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
551 @findex message-goto-from
552 Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
553 in the key binding is for Originator.)
557 @findex message-goto-bcc
558 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
562 @findex message-goto-fcc
563 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
567 @findex message-goto-cc
568 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
572 @findex message-goto-subject
573 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
577 @findex message-goto-reply-to
578 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
582 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
583 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
587 @findex message-goto-distribution
588 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
592 @findex message-goto-followup-to
593 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
597 @findex message-goto-keywords
598 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
602 @findex message-goto-summary
603 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
607 @findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
608 This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
609 @samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
610 message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
611 buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
612 1376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
616 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
617 Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
618 (@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
619 unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
620 not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
621 by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
622 own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
623 fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
624 buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
626 If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-nil, the addresses in
627 the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the @samp{Mail-Followup-To:}
632 @subsection Commands to change headers
638 @findex message-sort-headers
639 @vindex message-header-format-alist
640 Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
641 (@code{message-sort-headers}).
645 @findex message-insert-to
646 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
647 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
648 (@code{message-insert-to}).
652 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
653 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
654 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
655 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
659 @findex message-to-list-only
660 Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
661 address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
665 @findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
666 Insert a request for a disposition
667 notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
668 This means that if the recipient support RFC 2298 she might send you a
669 notification that she received the message.
671 @item M-x message-insert-importance-high
672 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
673 @findex message-insert-importance-high
675 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
676 deleting headers if necessary.
678 @item M-x message-insert-importance-low
679 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
680 @findex message-insert-importance-low
682 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
683 headers if necessary.
687 @findex message-change-subject
689 Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
690 header and append @code{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
691 stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
692 (@pxref{Message Headers}).
696 @findex message-cross-post-followup-to
697 @vindex message-cross-post-default
700 Ask for an additional @samp{Newsgroups} and @samp{FollowUp-To} for a
701 cross-post. @code{message-cross-post-followup-to} mangles
702 @samp{FollowUp-To} and @samp{Newsgroups} header to point to group.
703 If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if called with a
704 prefix-argument @samp{Follow-Up} is set, but the message is not
709 @findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
710 Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
715 @findex message-insert-wide-reply
716 Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
721 @findex message-add-archive-header
722 @vindex message-archive-header
723 @vindex message-archive-note
725 Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
726 The header and the note can be customized using
727 @code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
728 called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
729 want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
741 @findex message-goto-body
742 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
743 (@code{message-goto-body}).
747 @findex message-goto-signature
748 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
752 @findex message-beginning-of-line
753 @vindex message-beginning-of-line
754 If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
755 beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
756 name and the colon.) This behaviour can be disabled by toggling
757 the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
769 @findex message-yank-original
770 Yank the message in the buffer @code{gnus-article-copy} into the message
771 buffer. Normally @code{gnus-article-copy} is what you are replying to
772 (@code{message-yank-original}).
776 @findex message-yank-buffer
777 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
778 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
782 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
783 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
784 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
785 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
786 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
791 @findex message-insert-signature
792 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
793 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
797 @findex message-insert-headers
798 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
802 @findex message-mark-inserted-region
803 Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags.
804 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
808 @findex message-mark-insert-file
809 Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
810 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
822 Message is a @sc{mime}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
823 doesn't have to do anything to make the @sc{mime} happen---Message will
824 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
825 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
827 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
828 @sc{mime} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out. This can
829 be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command, which will prompt for a file
830 name and a @sc{mime} type.
832 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the MML
833 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
846 Using the MML language, Message is able to create digitally signed and
847 digitally encrypted messages. Message (or rather MML) currently
848 support PGP (RFC 1991), @sc{pgp/mime} (RFC 2015/3156) and @sc{s/mime}.
849 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
850 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
851 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
857 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
859 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
863 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
865 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
869 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
871 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
875 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
877 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
881 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
883 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
887 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
889 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
893 @findex mml-unsecure-message
894 Remove security related MML tags from message.
898 These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
899 merely insert the proper MML secure tag to instruct the MML engine to
900 perform that operation when the message is actually sent. They may
901 perform other operations too, such as locating and retrieving a
902 @sc{s/mime} certificate of the person you wish to send encrypted mail
903 to. When the mml parsing engine converts your MML into a properly
904 encoded @sc{mime} message, the secure tag will be replaced with either
905 a part or a multipart tag. If your message contains other mml parts,
906 a multipart tag will be used; if no other parts are present in your
907 message a single part tag will be used. This way, message mode will
908 do the Right Thing (TM) with signed/encrypted multipart messages.
910 @vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
911 By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the "signencrypt"
912 mode. If you would like to disable this for a particular message,
913 give the mml-secure-message-encrypt-* command a prefix argument. (for
914 example, C-u C-c C-m c p). Additionally, by default Gnus will
915 separately sign, then encrypt a message which has the mode
916 signencrypt. If you would like to change this behavior you can
917 customize the @code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For
922 (setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" combined)
924 ("pgpmime" combined)))
927 Will cause Gnus to sign and encrypt in one pass, thus generating a
928 single signed and encrypted part. Note that combined sign and encrypt
929 does not work with all supported OpenPGP implementations (in
930 particular, PGP version 2 do not support this).
932 Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
933 information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
934 mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
935 sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
936 using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
937 verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
938 whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
939 party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
941 @emph{Note!} Neither @sc{pgp/mime} nor @sc{s/mime} encrypt/signs
942 RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @sc{mime} object. Keep this
943 in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
945 Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
946 least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
947 other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
948 programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
950 @subsection Using S/MIME
952 @emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
953 modern cryptography, @sc{s/mime}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
956 The @sc{s/mime} support in Message (and MML) require OpenSSL. OpenSSL
957 perform the actual @sc{s/mime} sign/encrypt operations. OpenSSL can
958 be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later
959 should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail addresses from
960 certificates, and it insert a spurious CR character into @sc{mime}
961 separators so you may wish to avoid it if you would like to avoid
962 being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by sending
963 @sc{s/mime} messages you've probably already lost that contest.)
965 To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
966 required. Message (MML) need a certificate for the person to whom you
967 wish to communicate with though. You're asked for this when you type
968 @kbd{C-c C-m c s}. Currently there are two ways to retrieve this
969 certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
970 file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in PEM format. If you
971 chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the certificate is
972 stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief, Message (MML) is
973 the first mail agent in the world to support retrieving @sc{s/mime}
974 certificates from DNS, so you're not likely to find very many
975 certificates out there. At least there should be one, stored at the
976 domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP is a more popular method of
977 distributing certificates, support for it is planned. (Meanwhile, you
978 can use @code{ldapsearch} from the command line to retrieve a
979 certificate into a file and use it.)
981 As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
982 without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
983 where your private key and your certificate is stored. MML uses an
984 Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
985 contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
986 @kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
988 Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
989 your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
990 manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
991 and got a free @sc{s/mime} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
992 net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
993 PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
994 certificate in PEM format as follows.
997 $ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1000 The @file{key+cert.pem} file should be pointed to from the
1001 @code{smime-keys} variable. You should now be able to send signed mail.
1003 @emph{Note!} Your private key is store unencrypted in the file, so take
1004 care in handling it.
1006 @subsection Using PGP/MIME
1008 @sc{pgp/mime} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such as GNU
1009 Privacy Guard (@uref{http://www.gnupg.org/}). One Emacs interface to
1010 OpenPGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG Manual}), is
1011 included, but Mailcrypt and Florian Weimer's @code{gpg.el} are also
1014 @vindex gpg-temp-directory
1015 Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1016 directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions 0700.
1018 Creating your own OpenPGP key is described in detail in the
1019 documentation of your OpenPGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1021 @node Various Commands
1022 @section Various Commands
1028 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1029 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1030 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1031 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1032 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1036 @findex message-elide-region
1037 @vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1038 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1039 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1040 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1045 @findex message-kill-to-signature
1046 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1047 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1051 @findex message-delete-not-region
1052 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1053 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1057 @findex message-newline-and-reformat
1058 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1063 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1066 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1069 > This is some quoted text.
1073 > And here's more quoted text.
1076 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1080 @findex message-rename-buffer
1081 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1082 prompt for a new buffer name.
1087 @vindex message-tab-body-function
1088 If non-@code{nil} execute the function specified in
1089 @code{message-tab-body-function}. Otherwise use the function bound to
1090 @kbd{TAB} in @code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1101 @findex message-send-and-exit
1102 Send the message and bury the current buffer
1103 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1107 @findex message-send
1108 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1112 @findex message-dont-send
1113 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1117 @findex message-kill-buffer
1118 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}). It will
1119 delete the message frame if it has been created exclusively for the
1120 message buffer. If the option
1121 @code{message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file} is non-@code{nil} and the
1122 backup file has been created for the message buffer, it will also remove
1123 the file after prompting to the user.
1127 @findex message-mimic-kill-buffer
1128 @vindex message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file
1129 This is an imitation for @code{kill-buffer}
1130 (@code{message-mimic-kill-buffer}). It dynamically binds the variable
1131 @code{message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file} to @code{nil} and calls the
1132 function @code{message-kill-buffer}.
1139 @section Mail Aliases
1140 @cindex mail aliases
1143 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
1144 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
1145 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
1146 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
1147 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1149 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1150 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1153 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1154 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1157 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1158 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1159 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1161 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1162 expansions have to be done explicitly.
1168 @findex ispell-message
1170 There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1171 @code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1172 probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1173 and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1174 typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1175 something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1178 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1181 @vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1182 If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1183 controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1186 (setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1187 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1188 (".*" . "default")))
1191 @code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1194 The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1195 your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1198 To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1202 (defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1204 (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1207 @code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1215 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1216 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1217 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1218 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1219 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
1220 * Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1221 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1222 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1223 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1224 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1228 @node Message Headers
1229 @section Message Headers
1231 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
1232 be -- it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
1233 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1234 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1235 look sufficiently similar.
1239 @item message-generate-headers-first
1240 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
1241 If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1242 compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1245 (setq message-generate-headers-first
1249 @vindex message-required-headers
1250 The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1251 @code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1252 @code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1255 Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1256 because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1258 @item message-draft-headers
1259 @vindex message-draft-headers
1260 When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1261 with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1262 should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1264 @item message-from-style
1265 @vindex message-from-style
1266 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1271 Just the address -- @samp{king@@grassland.com}.
1274 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1277 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1280 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1281 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1282 @code{angles} anyway.
1286 @item message-deletable-headers
1287 @vindex message-deletable-headers
1288 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1289 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1290 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1291 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1292 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1293 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1294 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1295 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1298 @item message-default-headers
1299 @vindex message-default-headers
1300 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1303 @item message-subject-re-regexp
1304 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1308 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1309 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1310 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1311 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1312 to use abonimations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1313 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1314 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1315 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1316 just throw away non-compliant mail.
1318 Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1319 responding to a message:
1322 (setq message-subject-re-regexp
1323 "^\\(\\(\\([Rr][Ee]\\|[Ss][Vv]\\|[Aa][Ww]\\): *\\)+\\)")
1326 @item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1327 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1328 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1329 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1330 Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1331 lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1332 @code{ask}, query the user what do do. In this case, the subject is
1333 matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1334 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is t, always strip the
1335 trailing old subject. In this case,
1336 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1338 @item message-alternative-emails
1339 @vindex message-alternative-emails
1340 A regexp to match the alternative email addresses. The first matched
1341 address (not primary one) is used in the @code{From} field.
1343 @item message-allow-no-recipients
1344 @vindex message-allow-no-recipients
1345 Specifies what to do when there are no recipients other than
1346 @code{Gcc} or @code{Fcc}. If it is @code{always}, the posting is
1347 allowed. If it is @code{never}, the posting is not allowed. If it is
1348 @code{ask} (the default), you are prompted.
1354 @section Mail Headers
1357 @item message-required-mail-headers
1358 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
1359 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
1360 @code{(From Date Subject (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID Lines
1361 (optional . User-Agent))} by default.
1363 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
1364 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
1365 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is
1366 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^Xref:\\|^X-Draft-From:}.
1368 @item message-default-mail-headers
1369 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
1370 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1371 buffers that are initialized as mail.
1376 @node Mail Variables
1377 @section Mail Variables
1380 @item message-send-mail-function
1381 @vindex message-send-mail-function
1382 @findex message-send-mail-with-sendmail
1383 @findex message-send-mail-with-mh
1384 @findex message-send-mail-with-qmail
1385 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
1386 @findex smtpmail-send-it
1387 @findex feedmail-send-it
1388 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
1389 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}. Other valid values include
1390 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
1391 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}, @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
1392 @code{feedmail-send-it}.
1394 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
1395 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
1396 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
1397 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
1398 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
1399 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
1402 @item message-qmail-inject-program
1403 @vindex message-qmail-inject-program
1405 Location of the qmail-inject program.
1407 @item message-qmail-inject-args
1408 @vindex message-qmail-inject-args
1409 Arguments passed to qmail-inject programs.
1410 This should be a list of strings, one string for each argument. It
1411 may also be a function.
1413 For e.g., if you wish to set the envelope sender address so that bounces
1414 go to the right place or to deal with listserv's usage of that address, you
1415 might set this variable to @code{'("-f" "you@@some.where")}.
1417 @item message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1418 @vindex message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1420 Non-@code{nil} means don't add @samp{-f username} to the sendmail
1421 command line. Doing so would be even more evil than leaving it out.
1423 @item message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1424 @vindex message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1425 Set this to non-@code{nil} if the system's mailer runs the header and
1426 body together. (This problem exists on Sunos 4 when sendmail is run
1427 in remote mode.) The value should be an expression to test whether
1428 the problem will actually occur.
1430 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
1431 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
1432 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial. The lower bound
1433 of message size in characters, beyond which the message should be sent
1434 in several parts. If it is @code{nil}, the size is unlimited.
1440 @section News Headers
1442 @vindex message-required-news-headers
1443 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
1444 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
1445 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
1451 @findex user-full-name
1452 @findex user-mail-address
1453 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
1454 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
1455 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
1456 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
1460 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
1464 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
1465 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
1468 @cindex organization
1469 @vindex message-user-organization
1470 @vindex message-user-organization-file
1471 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
1472 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
1473 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
1474 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
1475 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
1476 parameters and should return a string to be used).
1480 This optional header will be computed by Message.
1484 @vindex mail-host-address
1487 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
1488 created based on the date, time, user name and system name. Message
1489 will use @code{system-name} to determine the name of the system. If
1490 this isn't a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), Message will use
1491 @code{mail-host-address} as the FQDN of the machine.
1495 This optional header will be filled out according to the
1496 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
1499 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
1500 header of the article being replied to.
1504 @vindex message-expires
1505 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
1506 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
1507 be used unless you know what you're doing.
1510 @cindex Distribution
1511 @vindex message-distribution-function
1512 This optional header is filled out according to the
1513 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
1514 much misunderstood header.
1518 @vindex message-user-path
1519 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
1520 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
1521 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
1522 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
1523 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
1524 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
1525 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
1529 @cindex Mime-Version
1530 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The car of this cons
1531 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
1532 the cdr can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
1533 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
1534 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
1535 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
1536 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
1537 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
1538 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
1540 If the list contains a cons where the car of the cons is
1541 @code{optional}, the cdr of this cons will only be inserted if it is
1544 If you want to delete an entry from this list, the following Lisp
1545 snippet might be useful. Adjust accordingly if you want to remove
1549 (setq message-required-news-headers
1550 (delq 'Message-ID message-required-news-headers))
1553 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
1557 @item message-syntax-checks
1558 @vindex message-syntax-checks
1559 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
1560 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
1563 (signature . disabled)
1572 Check the subject for commands.
1575 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
1576 @item multiple-headers
1577 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
1580 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
1582 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
1584 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
1587 Check for too long lines.
1589 Check for invalid characters.
1591 Check for excessive size.
1593 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
1595 Check the length of the signature.
1598 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
1599 something only moderators should include.
1601 Check whether the article is empty.
1602 @item invisible-text
1603 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1605 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
1606 @item existing-newsgroups
1607 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1608 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1609 @item valid-newsgroups
1610 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1611 are valid syntactically.
1612 @item repeated-newsgroups
1613 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1614 contains repeated group names.
1615 @item shorten-followup-to
1616 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1617 of groups to post to.
1620 All these conditions are checked by default.
1622 @item message-ignored-news-headers
1623 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1624 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1625 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^X-Draft-From:}.
1627 @item message-default-news-headers
1628 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1629 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1630 buffers that are initialized as news.
1635 @node News Variables
1636 @section News Variables
1639 @item message-send-news-function
1640 @vindex message-send-news-function
1641 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1642 @code{message-send-news}.
1644 @item message-post-method
1645 @vindex message-post-method
1646 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1647 posting a prepared news message.
1652 @node Insertion Variables
1653 @section Insertion Variables
1656 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
1657 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
1658 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
1659 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
1662 @item message-cite-prefix-regexp
1663 @vindex message-cite-prefix-regexp
1664 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
1666 @item message-citation-line-function
1667 @vindex message-citation-line-function
1668 @cindex attribution line
1669 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
1670 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
1674 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
1677 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
1680 Note that Gnus provides a feature where clicking on `writes:' hides the
1681 cited text. If you change the citation line too much, readers of your
1682 messages will have to adjust their Gnus, too. See the variable
1683 @code{gnus-cite-attribution-suffix}. @xref{Article Highlighting, ,
1684 Article Highlighting, gnus}, for details.
1686 @item message-yank-prefix
1687 @vindex message-yank-prefix
1690 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
1691 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done
1692 by @dfn{yanking}, and each line you yank will have
1693 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it (except for quoted and
1694 empty lines which uses @code{message-yank-cited-prefix}). The default
1697 @item message-yank-cited-prefix
1698 @vindex message-yank-cited-prefix
1702 When yanking text from a article which contains no text or already
1703 cited text, each line will be prefixed with the contents of this
1704 variable. The default is @samp{>}. See also
1705 @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1707 @item message-yank-add-new-references
1708 @vindex message-yank-add-new-references
1710 Non-@code{nil} means new IDs will be added to References field when an
1711 article is yanked by the command @code{message-yank-original}
1712 interactively. If it is a symbol @code{message-id-only}, only an ID
1713 from Message-ID field is used, otherwise IDs extracted from References,
1714 In-Reply-To and Message-ID fields are used.
1716 @item message-list-references-add-position
1717 @vindex message-list-references-add-position
1719 Integer value means position for adding to References field when an
1720 article is yanked by the command @code{message-yank-original}
1723 @item message-indentation-spaces
1724 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
1725 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
1727 @item message-cite-function
1728 @vindex message-cite-function
1729 @findex message-cite-original
1730 @findex sc-cite-original
1731 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
1733 Function for citing an original message. The default is
1734 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
1735 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
1736 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
1737 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
1740 @item message-suspend-font-lock-when-citing
1741 @vindex message-suspend-font-lock-when-citing
1742 If non-@code{nil}, suspend font-lock'ing while citing an original
1743 message. Some lazy demand-driven fontification tools (or Emacs itself)
1744 have a bug that they often miss a buffer to be fontified. It will
1745 mostly occur when Emacs prompts user for any inputs in the minibuffer.
1746 Setting this option to non-@code{nil} may help you to avoid unpleasant
1747 errors even if it is an add-hoc expedient.
1749 @item message-indent-citation-function
1750 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
1751 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
1752 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
1753 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
1754 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
1756 @item message-mark-insert-begin
1757 @vindex message-mark-insert-begin
1758 String to mark the beginning of some inserted text.
1760 @item message-mark-insert-end
1761 @vindex message-mark-insert-end
1762 String to mark the end of some inserted text.
1764 @item message-signature
1765 @vindex message-signature
1766 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
1767 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
1768 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
1769 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
1770 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
1772 @item message-signature-file
1773 @vindex message-signature-file
1774 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
1775 The default is @file{~/.signature}.
1777 @item message-signature-insert-empty-line
1778 @vindex message-signature-insert-empty-line
1779 If @code{t} (the default value) an empty line is inserted before the
1780 signature separator.
1784 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
1785 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
1786 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
1787 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
1788 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
1790 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
1791 Including ASCII graphics is an efficient way to get everybody to believe
1792 that you are silly and have nothing important to say.
1795 @node Various Message Variables
1796 @section Various Message Variables
1799 @item message-default-charset
1800 @vindex message-default-charset
1802 Symbol naming a @sc{mime} charset. Non-ASCII characters in messages are
1803 assumed to be encoded using this charset. The default is @code{nil},
1804 which means ask the user. (This variable is used only on non-@sc{mule}
1806 @xref{Charset Translation, , Charset Translation, emacs-mime,
1807 Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on the @sc{mule}-to-@sc{mime}
1808 translation process.
1810 @item message-signature-separator
1811 @vindex message-signature-separator
1812 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1815 @item mail-header-separator
1816 @vindex mail-header-separator
1817 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1818 follows this line--} by default.
1820 @item message-directory
1821 @vindex message-directory
1822 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1824 @item message-auto-save-directory
1825 @vindex message-auto-save-directory
1826 Directory where Message auto-saves buffers if Gnus isn't running. If
1827 @code{nil}, Message won't auto-save. The default is @file{~/Mail/drafts/}.
1829 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1830 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1831 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1832 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1834 @item message-setup-hook
1835 @vindex message-setup-hook
1836 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1837 but before yanked text is inserted.
1839 @item message-header-setup-hook
1840 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
1841 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
1843 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
1844 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
1845 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
1848 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
1849 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
1850 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
1851 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
1852 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
1853 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
1855 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
1856 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
1859 @item message-send-hook
1860 @vindex message-send-hook
1861 Hook run before sending messages.
1863 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
1864 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
1865 @findex message-add-header
1868 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
1869 (defun my-message-add-content ()
1870 (message-add-header "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense")
1871 (message-add-header "X-Whatever: no"))
1874 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
1876 @item message-send-mail-hook
1877 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
1878 Hook run before sending mail messages. This hook is run very late --
1879 just before the message is actually sent as mail.
1881 @item message-send-news-hook
1882 @vindex message-send-news-hook
1883 Hook run before sending news messages. This hook is run very late --
1884 just before the message is actually sent as news.
1886 @item message-sent-hook
1887 @vindex message-sent-hook
1888 Hook run after sending messages.
1890 @item message-cancel-hook
1891 @vindex message-cancel-hook
1892 Hook run when cancelling news articles.
1894 @item message-mode-syntax-table
1895 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
1896 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
1898 @item message-strip-special-text-properties
1899 @vindex message-strip-special-text-properties
1900 Emacs has a number of special text properties which can break message
1901 composing in various ways. If this option is set, message will strip
1902 these properties from the message composition buffer. However, some
1903 packages requires these properties to be present in order to work. If
1904 you use one of these packages, turn this option off, and hope the
1905 message composition doesn't break too bad.
1907 @item message-send-method-alist
1908 @vindex message-send-method-alist
1910 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form
1913 (TYPE PREDICATE FUNCTION)
1918 A symbol that names the method.
1921 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
1922 message is a message of type @var{type}.
1925 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
1926 @var{function} is called with one parameter -- the prefix.
1930 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
1931 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
1940 @node Sending Variables
1941 @section Sending Variables
1945 @item message-fcc-handler-function
1946 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
1947 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
1948 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
1949 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
1951 @item message-courtesy-message
1952 @vindex message-courtesy-message
1953 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
1954 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
1955 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
1956 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
1957 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
1958 an article\\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\\n\\n"}.
1960 @item message-fcc-externalize-attachments
1961 @vindex message-fcc-externalize-attachments
1962 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Fcc copies; if it is
1963 non-@code{nil}, attach local files as external parts.
1965 @item message-interactive
1966 @vindex message-interactive
1967 If non-@code{nil} wait for and display errors when sending a message;
1968 if @code{nil} let the mailer mail back a message to report errors.
1973 @node Message Buffers
1974 @section Message Buffers
1976 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
1977 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
1978 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
1979 message buffers are kept alive.
1982 @item message-generate-new-buffers
1983 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
1984 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
1985 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
1986 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
1987 The function should return the new buffer name.
1989 @item message-use-multi-frames
1990 @vindex message-use-multi-frames
1991 If non-@code{nil}, generate new frames. The default is @code{nil}.
1993 @item message-delete-frame-on-exit
1994 @vindex message-delete-frame-on-exit
1995 The @code{message-delete-frame-on-exit} variable says whether to delete
1996 the frame after sending the message or killing the message buffer. If it
1997 is @code{nil} (which is the default), don't delete the frame. If it is
1998 @code{ask}, ask wheter to delete the frame. If it is @code{t}, always
2001 @item message-max-buffers
2002 @vindex message-max-buffers
2003 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
2004 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
2005 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
2006 will ever be killed.
2008 @item message-send-rename-function
2009 @vindex message-send-rename-function
2010 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
2011 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
2012 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
2013 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
2017 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
2020 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2021 @vindex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2022 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
2024 @item message-kill-buffer-query-function
2025 @vindex message-kill-buffer-query-function
2026 @findex message-kill-buffer
2027 @findex message-mimic-kill-buffer
2028 Function used to prompt user whether to kill the message buffer when the
2029 command @code{message-kill-buffer} or @code{message-mimic-kill-buffer}
2030 is used. It defaults to @code{yes-or-no-p}. You may alter the value to
2031 @code{y-or-n-p}, @code{nnheader-Y-or-n-p}, etc. If it is @code{t}, the
2032 buffer will be killed without query.
2034 @item message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file
2035 @vindex message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file
2036 @findex message-kill-buffer
2037 @findex message-mimic-kill-buffer
2038 If it is non-@code{nil}, remove the backup file if it exists with a
2039 query to the user, after the message buffer is killed. Otherwise the
2040 file won't be removed. It defaults to @code{t}. However, it is treated
2041 as @code{nil} when the command `message-mimic-kill-buffer' is used.
2046 @node Message Actions
2047 @section Message Actions
2049 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
2050 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
2051 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
2054 @vindex message-kill-actions
2055 @vindex message-postpone-actions
2056 @vindex message-exit-actions
2057 @vindex message-send-actions
2058 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
2059 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
2060 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
2061 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
2062 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
2063 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
2064 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
2065 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
2067 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
2068 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
2069 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
2070 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
2074 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
2075 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
2078 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
2079 killed, postponed or exited.
2081 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
2082 @code{car} is a function and the @code{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
2083 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
2087 @chapter Compatibility
2088 @cindex compatibility
2090 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
2091 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
2092 into account, you can put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2095 (require 'messcompat)
2098 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
2099 corresponding mail variables.
2106 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
2113 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
2118 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
2119 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
2120 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
2131 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
2132 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
2133 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
2134 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
2138 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
2145 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
2146 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
2147 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
2151 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
2152 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
2163 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
2164 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is