1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle T-gnus 6.17 Message Manual
9 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
11 Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
12 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
15 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
16 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
17 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
18 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
19 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
20 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
21 License'' in the Emacs manual.
23 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
24 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
25 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
27 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
28 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
29 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
30 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
36 * Message: (message). Mail and news composition mode that goes with Gnus.
41 @setchapternewpage odd
44 @title T-gnus 6.17 Message Manual
46 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
49 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
57 All message composition from Gnus (both mail and news) takes place in
61 * Interface:: Setting up message buffers.
62 * Commands:: Commands you can execute in message mode buffers.
63 * Variables:: Customizing the message buffers.
64 * Compatibility:: Making Message backwards compatible.
65 * Appendices:: More technical things.
66 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
67 * Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
70 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.17 Message. Message is distributed
71 with the Gnus distribution bearing the same version number as this
78 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message---reply,
79 follow up, forward, cancel---the program (or person) should just put
80 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
81 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
82 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
86 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
87 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
88 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
89 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
90 * Followup:: Following up via news.
91 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
92 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
93 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
94 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
95 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
96 * Mailing Lists:: Send mail to mailing lists.
100 @node New Mail Message
101 @section New Mail Message
104 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
106 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
107 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
108 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
111 @node New News Message
112 @section New News Message
115 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
117 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
118 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
119 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
125 @findex message-reply
126 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
127 reply to the message in the current buffer.
129 @vindex message-reply-to-function
130 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
131 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
132 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
134 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
135 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
138 (setq message-reply-to-function
140 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
141 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
146 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
149 As you can see, this function should return a list. In this case, it
150 returns @code{((To . "Whom"))} if it has an opinion as to what the To
151 header should be. If it does not, it should just return @code{nil}, and
152 the normal methods for determining the To header will be used.
154 Each list element should be a cons, where the @sc{car} should be the
155 name of a header (e.g. @code{Cc}) and the @sc{cdr} should be the header
156 value (e.g. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be
157 inserted into the head of the outgoing mail.
163 @findex message-wide-reply
164 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
165 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
166 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
167 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
169 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
170 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
171 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
172 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
173 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
175 @vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
176 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
177 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
179 @vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
180 If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
181 will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
182 recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
187 @findex message-followup
188 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
189 followup to the message in the current buffer.
191 @vindex message-followup-to-function
192 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
193 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
194 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
195 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
197 @vindex message-use-followup-to
198 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
199 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
200 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
201 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
202 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
206 @section Canceling News
208 @findex message-cancel-news
209 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
212 @vindex message-cancel-message
213 The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
214 the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
218 @vindex message-insert-canlock
220 When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
221 headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
222 only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
223 is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
224 stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
225 automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
226 able to cancel your message. If you want to manage a password yourself,
227 you can put something like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
230 (setq canlock-password "geheimnis"
231 canlock-password-for-verify canlock-password)
234 Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
235 @code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
237 Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
238 this is expected to change in the future.
244 @findex message-supersede
245 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
246 supersede the message in the current buffer.
248 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
249 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
250 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
251 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
252 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|^X-Trace:\\|^X-Complaints-To:\\|@*
253 Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:\\|^NNTP-Posting-Date:\\|^X-Trace:\\|@*
254 ^X-Complaints-To:\\|^Cancel-Lock:\\|^Cancel-Key:\\|^X-Hashcash:\\|@*
255 ^X-Payment:\\|^Approved:}.
262 @findex message-forward
263 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
264 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
268 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
269 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
270 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
272 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
273 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
274 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
275 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
276 passed into each successive function.
278 The provided functions are:
281 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
282 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
283 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
286 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
287 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
290 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
291 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
292 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
293 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
294 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
295 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
297 @item message-forward-as-mime
298 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
299 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
300 included as inline @acronym{MIME} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
301 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
302 non @acronym{MIME}-savvy versions of Gnus would do.
304 @item message-forward-before-signature
305 @vindex message-forward-before-signature
306 If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
314 @findex message-resend
315 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
316 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
318 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
319 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
320 be removed before sending the message.
326 @findex message-bounce
327 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
328 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
329 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
330 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
333 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
334 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
335 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
336 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\|Delivered-To\\):}.
340 @section Mailing Lists
342 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
343 Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
344 followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
345 was created to enable just this. Three example scenarios where this is
350 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
351 sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
352 if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
355 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
356 sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
357 is not subscribed to the list.
360 If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
361 to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
362 discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
363 and very difficult to follow.
367 Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
368 up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
369 sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
372 @c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
373 @c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
376 @c @node Composing with a MFT header
377 @subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
379 The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
380 in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
381 addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
382 way. The following variables would come in handy.
386 @vindex message-subscribed-addresses
387 @item message-subscribed-addresses
388 This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
389 default value is @code{nil}. Example:
391 (setq message-subscribed-addresses
392 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
395 @vindex message-subscribed-regexps
396 @item message-subscribed-regexps
397 This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
398 lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
399 want to achieve the same result as above:
401 (setq message-subscribed-regexps
402 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
405 @vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
406 @item message-subscribed-address-functions
407 This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
408 determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
409 functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
411 There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
412 this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
413 that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
414 the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{Group Parameters, ,Group Parameters,
415 gnus, The Gnus Manual}) group parameter set to a non-@code{nil} value.
416 This is how you would do it.
419 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
420 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
423 @vindex message-subscribed-address-file
424 @item message-subscribed-address-file
425 You might be one organized human freak and have a list of addresses of
426 all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
427 set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
431 You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
432 ``added'' in some way that works :-)
434 Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
435 And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
436 MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
437 MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
438 in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
439 automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
440 per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
441 addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
442 is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
443 address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
444 other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
447 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
449 @findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
450 Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
451 subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
452 is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
453 MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
454 to-address group parameter.) The function
455 @code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
456 handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
457 can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
458 (@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
460 @c @node Honoring an MFT post
461 @subsection Honoring an MFT post
463 @vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
464 When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
465 header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
466 @code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
470 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
471 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
474 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
477 Gnus will prompt you for an action.
481 It is considered good netiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
482 fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
489 * Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
490 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
491 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
492 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
493 * MIME:: @acronym{MIME} considerations.
494 * IDNA:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name considerations.
495 * Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
496 * Various Commands:: Various things.
497 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
498 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
499 * Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
504 @section Buffer Entry
508 You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
509 message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
510 may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
511 which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
512 but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
513 Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
514 takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
515 times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
518 @node Header Commands
519 @section Header Commands
521 @subsection Commands for moving to headers
523 These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
524 exist, it will be inserted.
530 @findex describe-mode
531 Describe the message mode.
535 @findex message-goto-to
536 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
540 @findex message-goto-from
541 Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
542 in the key binding is for Originator.)
546 @findex message-goto-bcc
547 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
551 @findex message-goto-fcc
552 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
556 @findex message-goto-cc
557 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
561 @findex message-goto-subject
562 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
566 @findex message-goto-reply-to
567 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
571 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
572 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
576 @findex message-goto-distribution
577 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
581 @findex message-goto-followup-to
582 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
586 @findex message-goto-keywords
587 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
591 @findex message-goto-summary
592 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
596 @findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
597 This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
598 @samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
599 message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
600 buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
601 1376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
605 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
606 Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
607 (@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
608 unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
609 not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
610 by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
611 own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
612 fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
613 buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
615 If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-@code{nil}, the
616 addresses in the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the
617 @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header.
621 @subsection Commands to change headers
627 @findex message-sort-headers
628 @vindex message-header-format-alist
629 Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
630 (@code{message-sort-headers}).
634 @findex message-insert-to
635 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
636 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
637 (@code{message-insert-to}).
641 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
642 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
643 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
644 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
648 @findex message-to-list-only
649 Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
650 address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
654 @findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
655 Insert a request for a disposition
656 notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
657 This means that if the recipient support RFC 2298 she might send you a
658 notification that she received the message.
660 @item M-x message-insert-importance-high
661 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
662 @findex message-insert-importance-high
664 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
665 deleting headers if necessary.
667 @item M-x message-insert-importance-low
668 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
669 @findex message-insert-importance-low
671 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
672 headers if necessary.
676 @findex message-change-subject
678 Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
679 header and append @samp{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
680 stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
681 (@pxref{Message Headers}).
685 @findex message-cross-post-followup-to
686 @vindex message-cross-post-default
687 @vindex message-cross-post-note-function
690 Set up the @samp{FollowUp-To} header with a target newsgroup for a
691 cross-post, add that target newsgroup to the @samp{Newsgroups} header if
692 it is not a member of @samp{Newsgroups}, and insert a note in the body.
693 If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if this command is
694 called with a prefix-argument, only the @samp{FollowUp-To} header will
695 be set but the the target newsgroup will not be added to the
696 @samp{Newsgroups} header. The function to insert a note is controlled
697 by the @code{message-cross-post-note-function} variable.
701 @findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
702 Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
703 @samp{Bcc} header. (Iff @samp{Cc} header is not present, @samp{Bcc}
704 header will be used instead.)
708 @findex message-insert-wide-reply
709 Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
710 reply even if the message was not made for a wide reply first.
714 @findex message-add-archive-header
715 @vindex message-archive-header
716 @vindex message-archive-note
718 Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
719 The header and the note can be customized using
720 @code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
721 called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
722 want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
734 @findex message-goto-body
735 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
736 (@code{message-goto-body}).
740 @findex message-goto-signature
741 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
745 @findex message-beginning-of-line
746 @vindex message-beginning-of-line
747 If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
748 beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
749 name and the colon.) This behavior can be disabled by toggling
750 the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
762 @findex message-yank-original
763 Yank the message in the buffer @code{gnus-article-copy} into the message
764 buffer. Normally @code{gnus-article-copy} is what you are replying to
765 (@code{message-yank-original}).
769 @findex message-yank-buffer
770 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
771 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
775 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
776 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
777 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
778 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
779 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
784 @findex message-insert-signature
785 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
786 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
790 @findex message-insert-headers
791 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
795 @findex message-mark-inserted-region
796 Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags. See
797 @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
798 When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
799 (@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
803 @findex message-mark-insert-file
804 Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
805 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
806 When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
807 (@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
819 Message is a @acronym{MIME}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
820 doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{MIME} happen---Message will
821 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
822 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
824 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
825 @acronym{MIME} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out.
826 This can be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command, which will prompt for
827 a file name and a @acronym{MIME} type.
829 @vindex mml-dnd-protocol-alist
830 @vindex mml-dnd-attach-options
831 If your Emacs supports drag and drop, you can also drop the file in the
832 Message buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} specifies
833 what kind of action is done when you drop a file into the Message
834 buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-attach-options} controls which
835 @acronym{MIME} options you want to specify when dropping a file. If it
836 is a list, valid members are @code{type}, @code{description} and
837 @code{disposition}. @code{disposition} implies @code{type}. If it is
838 @code{nil}, don't ask for options. If it is @code{t}, ask the user
839 whether or not to specify options.
841 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the @acronym{MML}
842 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
848 @cindex internationalized domain names
849 @cindex non-ascii domain names
851 Message is a @acronym{IDNA}-compliant posting agent. The user
852 generally doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{IDNA}
853 happen---Message will encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in @code{From},
854 @code{To}, and @code{Cc} headers automatically.
856 Until @acronym{IDNA} becomes more well known, Message queries you
857 whether @acronym{IDNA} encoding of the domain name really should
858 occur. Some users might not be aware that domain names can contain
859 non-@acronym{ASCII} now, so this gives them a safety net if they accidently
860 typed a non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name.
862 @vindex message-use-idna
863 The @code{message-use-idna} variable control whether @acronym{IDNA} is
864 used. If the variable is @code{nil} no @acronym{IDNA} encoding will
865 ever happen, if it is set to the symbol @code{ask} the user will be
866 queried, and if set to @code{t} (which is the default if @acronym{IDNA}
867 is fully available) @acronym{IDNA} encoding happens automatically.
869 @findex message-idna-to-ascii-rhs
870 If you want to experiment with the @acronym{IDNA} encoding, you can
871 invoke @kbd{M-x message-idna-to-ascii-rhs RET} in the message buffer
872 to have the non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names encoded while you edit
875 Note that you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU
876 Libidn} installed in order to use this functionality.
888 Using the @acronym{MML} language, Message is able to create digitally
889 signed and digitally encrypted messages. Message (or rather
890 @acronym{MML}) currently support @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991),
891 @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME}. Instructing
892 @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a @acronym{MIME} part is
893 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m
894 c} key map for encryption, as follows.
900 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
902 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
906 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
908 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
912 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
914 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
918 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
920 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
924 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
926 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
930 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
932 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
936 @findex mml-unsecure-message
937 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
941 These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
942 merely insert the proper @acronym{MML} secure tag to instruct the
943 @acronym{MML} engine to perform that operation when the message is
944 actually sent. They may perform other operations too, such as locating
945 and retrieving a @acronym{S/MIME} certificate of the person you wish to
946 send encrypted mail to. When the mml parsing engine converts your
947 @acronym{MML} into a properly encoded @acronym{MIME} message, the secure
948 tag will be replaced with either a part or a multipart tag. If your
949 message contains other mml parts, a multipart tag will be used; if no
950 other parts are present in your message a single part tag will be used.
951 This way, message mode will do the Right Thing (TM) with
952 signed/encrypted multipart messages.
954 Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
955 information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
956 mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
957 sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
958 using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
959 verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
960 whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
961 party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
963 @emph{Note!} Neither @acronym{PGP/MIME} nor @acronym{S/MIME} encrypt/signs
964 RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @acronym{MIME} object. Keep this
965 in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
967 By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the
968 ``signencrypt'' mode, which means the message is both signed and
969 encrypted. If you would like to disable this for a particular
970 message, give the @code{mml-secure-message-encrypt-*} command a prefix
971 argument, e.g., @kbd{C-u C-c C-m c p}.
973 Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
974 least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
975 other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
976 programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
978 @subsection Using S/MIME
980 @emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
981 modern cryptography, @acronym{S/MIME}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
984 The @acronym{S/MIME} support in Message (and @acronym{MML}) require
985 OpenSSL. OpenSSL performs the actual @acronym{S/MIME} sign/encrypt
986 operations. OpenSSL can be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}.
987 OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail
988 addresses from certificates, and it insert a spurious CR character into
989 @acronym{MIME} separators so you may wish to avoid it if you would like
990 to avoid being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by
991 sending @acronym{S/MIME} messages you've probably already lost that
994 To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
995 required. Message (@acronym{MML}) need a certificate for the person to whom you
996 wish to communicate with though. You're asked for this when you type
997 @kbd{C-c C-m c s}. Currently there are two ways to retrieve this
998 certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
999 file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in @acronym{PEM} format.
1000 If you chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the
1001 certificate is stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief,
1002 Message (@acronym{MML}) is the first mail agent in the world to support
1003 retrieving @acronym{S/MIME} certificates from DNS, so you're not
1004 likely to find very many certificates out there. At least there
1005 should be one, stored at the domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP
1006 is a more popular method of distributing certificates, support for it
1007 is planned. (Meanwhile, you can use @code{ldapsearch} from the
1008 command line to retrieve a certificate into a file and use it.)
1010 As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
1011 without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
1012 where your private key and your certificate is stored. @acronym{MML}
1013 uses an Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
1014 contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
1015 @kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
1017 Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
1018 your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
1019 manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
1020 and got a free @acronym{S/MIME} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
1021 net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
1022 PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
1023 certificate in PEM format as follows.
1026 $ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1029 The @file{key+cert.pem} file should be pointed to from the
1030 @code{smime-keys} variable. You should now be able to send signed mail.
1032 @emph{Note!} Your private key is now stored unencrypted in the file,
1033 so take care in handling it. Storing encrypted keys on the disk are
1034 supported, and Gnus will ask you for a passphrase before invoking
1035 OpenSSL. Read the OpenSSL documentation for how to achieve this. If
1036 you use unencrypted keys (e.g., if they are on a secure storage, or if
1037 you are on a secure single user machine) simply press @code{RET} at
1038 the passphrase prompt.
1040 @subsection Using PGP/MIME
1042 @acronym{PGP/MIME} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such
1043 as @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, GNU Privacy Guard}. Pre-OpenPGP
1044 implementations such as PGP 2.x and PGP 5.x are also supported. One
1045 Emacs interface to the PGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG,
1046 pgg, PGG Manual}), is included, but Mailcrypt and Florian Weimer's
1047 @code{gpg.el} are also supported.
1049 @vindex gpg-temp-directory
1050 Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1051 directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions
1054 Creating your own key is described in detail in the documentation of
1055 your PGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1057 If you have imported your old PGP 2.x key into GnuPG, and want to send
1058 signed and encrypted messages to your fellow PGP 2.x users, you'll
1059 discover that the receiver cannot understand what you send. One
1060 solution is to use PGP 2.x instead (i.e., if you use @code{pgg}, set
1061 @code{pgg-default-scheme} to @code{pgp}). If you do want to use
1062 GnuPG, you can use a compatibility script called @code{gpg-2comp}
1064 @uref{http://muppet.faveve.uni-stuttgart.de/~gero/gpg-2comp/}. You
1065 could also convince your fellow PGP 2.x users to convert to GnuPG.
1066 @vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
1067 As a final workaround, you can make the sign and encryption work in
1068 two steps; separately sign, then encrypt a message. If you would like
1069 to change this behavior you can customize the
1070 @code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For example:
1073 (setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" separate)
1075 ("pgpauto" separate)
1076 ("pgpmime" separate)))
1079 This causes to sign and encrypt in two passes, thus generating a
1080 message that can be understood by PGP version 2.
1082 (Refer to @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/pgp2x.html} for more
1083 information about the problem.)
1085 @node Various Commands
1086 @section Various Commands
1092 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1093 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1094 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1095 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1096 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1100 @findex message-elide-region
1101 @vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1102 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1103 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1104 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1109 @findex message-kill-address
1110 Kill the address under point.
1114 @findex message-kill-to-signature
1115 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1116 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1120 @findex message-delete-not-region
1121 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1122 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1126 @findex message-newline-and-reformat
1127 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1132 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1135 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1138 > This is some quoted text.
1142 > And here's more quoted text.
1145 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1149 @findex message-rename-buffer
1150 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1151 prompt for a new buffer name.
1156 @vindex message-tab-body-function
1157 If @code{message-tab-body-function} is non-@code{nil}, execute the
1158 function it specifies. Otherwise use the function bound to @kbd{TAB} in
1159 @code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1170 @findex message-send-and-exit
1171 Send the message and bury the current buffer
1172 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1176 @findex message-send
1177 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1181 @findex message-dont-send
1182 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1186 @findex message-kill-buffer
1187 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}). It will
1188 delete the message frame if it has been created exclusively for the
1189 message buffer. If the option
1190 @code{message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file} is non-@code{nil} and the
1191 backup file has been created for the message buffer, it will also remove
1192 the file after prompting to the user.
1196 @findex message-mimic-kill-buffer
1197 @vindex message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file
1198 This is an imitation for @code{kill-buffer}
1199 (@code{message-mimic-kill-buffer}). It dynamically binds the variable
1200 @code{message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file} to @code{nil} and calls the
1201 function @code{message-kill-buffer}.
1208 @section Mail Aliases
1209 @cindex mail aliases
1212 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
1213 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
1214 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
1215 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
1216 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1218 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1219 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1222 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1223 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1226 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1227 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1228 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1230 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1231 expansions have to be done explicitly.
1237 @findex ispell-message
1239 There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1240 @code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1241 probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1242 and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1243 typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1244 something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1247 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1250 @vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1251 If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1252 controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1255 (setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1256 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1257 (".*" . "default")))
1260 @code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1263 The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1264 your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1267 To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1271 (defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1273 (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1276 @code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1284 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1285 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1286 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1287 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1288 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
1289 * Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1290 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1291 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1292 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1293 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1297 @node Message Headers
1298 @section Message Headers
1300 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
1301 be---it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
1302 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1303 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1304 look sufficiently similar.
1308 @item message-generate-headers-first
1309 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
1310 If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1311 compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1314 (setq message-generate-headers-first
1318 @vindex message-required-headers
1319 The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1320 @code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1321 @code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1324 Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1325 because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1327 @item message-draft-headers
1328 @vindex message-draft-headers
1329 When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1330 with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1331 should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1333 @item message-from-style
1334 @vindex message-from-style
1335 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1340 Just the address---@samp{king@@grassland.com}.
1343 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1346 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1349 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1350 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1351 @code{angles} anyway.
1355 @item message-deletable-headers
1356 @vindex message-deletable-headers
1357 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1358 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1359 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1360 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1361 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1362 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1363 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1364 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1367 @item message-default-headers
1368 @vindex message-default-headers
1369 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1372 @item message-subject-re-regexp
1373 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1377 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1378 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1379 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1380 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1381 to use abominations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1382 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1383 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1384 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1385 just throw away non-compliant mail.
1387 Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1388 responding to a message:
1391 (setq message-subject-re-regexp
1396 "[Aa][Nn][Tt][Ww]\\.?\\|" ; antw
1398 "[Ff][Ww][Dd]?\\|" ; fwd
1399 "[Oo][Dd][Pp]\\|" ; odp
1401 "[Rr][\311\351][Ff]\\.?\\|" ; ref
1404 "\\(\\[[0-9]*\\]\\)"
1411 @item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1412 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1413 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1414 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1415 Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1416 lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1417 @code{ask}, query the user what do do. In this case, the subject is
1418 matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1419 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is @code{t}, always strip the
1420 trailing old subject. In this case,
1421 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1423 @item message-alternative-emails
1424 @vindex message-alternative-emails
1425 Regexp matching alternative email addresses. The first address in the
1426 To, Cc or From headers of the original article matching this variable is
1427 used as the From field of outgoing messages, replacing the default From
1430 For example, if you have two secondary email addresses john@@home.net
1431 and john.doe@@work.com and want to use them in the From field when
1432 composing a reply to a message addressed to one of them, you could set
1433 this variable like this:
1436 (setq message-alternative-emails
1437 (regexp-opt '("john@@home.net" "john.doe@@work.com")))
1440 This variable has precedence over posting styles and anything that runs
1441 off @code{message-setup-hook}.
1443 @item message-allow-no-recipients
1444 @vindex message-allow-no-recipients
1445 Specifies what to do when there are no recipients other than
1446 @code{Gcc} or @code{Fcc}. If it is @code{always}, the posting is
1447 allowed. If it is @code{never}, the posting is not allowed. If it is
1448 @code{ask} (the default), you are prompted.
1450 @item message-hidden-headers
1451 @vindex message-hidden-headers
1452 A regexp, a list of regexps, or a list where the first element is
1453 @code{not} and the rest are regexps. It says which headers to keep
1454 hidden when composing a message.
1457 (setq message-hidden-headers
1458 '(not "From" "Subject" "To" "Cc" "Newsgroups"))
1461 Headers are hidden using narrowing, you can use @kbd{M-x widen} to
1462 expose them in the buffer.
1464 @item message-header-synonyms
1465 @vindex message-header-synonyms
1466 A list of lists of header synonyms. E.g., if this list contains a
1467 member list with elements @code{Cc} and @code{To}, then
1468 @code{message-carefully-insert-headers} will not insert a @code{To}
1469 header when the message is already @code{Cc}ed to the recipient.
1475 @section Mail Headers
1478 @item message-required-mail-headers
1479 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
1480 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
1481 @code{(From Subject Date (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID
1482 (optional . User-Agent))} by default.
1484 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
1485 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
1486 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is@*
1487 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^Xref:\\|^X-Draft-From:\\|@*
1488 ^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1490 @item message-default-mail-headers
1491 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
1492 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1493 buffers that are initialized as mail.
1495 @item message-generate-hashcash
1496 @vindex message-generate-hashcash
1497 Boolean variable that indicate whether @samp{X-Hashcash} headers
1498 should be computed for the message. @xref{Hashcash, ,Hashcash,gnus,
1504 @node Mail Variables
1505 @section Mail Variables
1508 @item message-send-mail-function
1509 @vindex message-send-mail-function
1510 @findex message-send-mail-with-sendmail
1511 @findex message-send-mail-with-mh
1512 @findex message-send-mail-with-qmail
1513 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
1514 @findex smtpmail-send-it
1515 @findex feedmail-send-it
1516 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
1517 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, or @code{smtpmail-send-it}
1518 according to the system. Other valid values include
1519 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
1520 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
1522 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
1523 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
1524 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
1525 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
1526 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
1527 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
1530 @item message-qmail-inject-program
1531 @vindex message-qmail-inject-program
1533 Location of the qmail-inject program.
1535 @item message-qmail-inject-args
1536 @vindex message-qmail-inject-args
1537 Arguments passed to qmail-inject programs.
1538 This should be a list of strings, one string for each argument. It
1539 may also be a function.
1541 For e.g., if you wish to set the envelope sender address so that bounces
1542 go to the right place or to deal with listserv's usage of that address, you
1543 might set this variable to @code{'("-f" "you@@some.where")}.
1545 @item message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1546 @vindex message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1548 Non-@code{nil} means don't add @samp{-f username} to the sendmail
1549 command line. Doing so would be even more evil than leaving it out.
1551 @item message-sendmail-envelope-from
1552 @vindex message-sendmail-envelope-from
1553 When @code{message-sendmail-f-is-evil} is @code{nil}, this specifies
1554 the address to use in the @acronym{SMTP} envelope. If it is
1555 @code{nil}, use @code{user-mail-address}. If it is the symbol
1556 @code{header}, use the @samp{From} header of the message.
1558 @item message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1559 @vindex message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1560 Set this to non-@code{nil} if the system's mailer runs the header and
1561 body together. (This problem exists on SunOS 4 when sendmail is run
1562 in remote mode.) The value should be an expression to test whether
1563 the problem will actually occur.
1565 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
1566 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
1567 @cindex split large message
1568 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial. The lower bound
1569 of message size in characters, beyond which the message should be sent
1570 in several parts. If it is @code{nil}, the size is unlimited.
1576 @section News Headers
1578 @vindex message-required-news-headers
1579 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
1580 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
1581 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
1587 @findex user-full-name
1588 @findex user-mail-address
1589 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
1590 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
1591 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
1592 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
1596 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
1600 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
1601 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
1604 @cindex organization
1605 @vindex message-user-organization
1606 @vindex message-user-organization-file
1607 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
1608 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
1609 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
1610 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
1611 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
1612 parameters and should return a string to be used).
1616 This optional header will be computed by Message.
1620 @vindex message-user-fqdn
1621 @vindex mail-host-address
1622 @vindex user-mail-address
1625 @cindex i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-tickle-me
1626 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
1627 created based on the date, time, user name (for the local part) and the
1628 domain part. For the domain part, message will look (in this order) at
1629 @code{message-user-fqdn}, @code{system-name}, @code{mail-host-address}
1630 and @code{message-user-mail-address} (i.e. @code{user-mail-address})
1631 until a probably valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN) was found.
1635 This optional header will be filled out according to the
1636 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
1639 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
1640 header of the article being replied to.
1644 @vindex message-expires
1645 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
1646 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
1647 be used unless you know what you're doing.
1650 @cindex Distribution
1651 @vindex message-distribution-function
1652 This optional header is filled out according to the
1653 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
1654 much misunderstood header.
1658 @vindex message-user-path
1659 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
1660 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
1661 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
1662 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
1663 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
1664 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
1665 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
1669 @cindex Mime-Version
1670 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The @sc{car} of this cons
1671 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
1672 the @sc{cdr} can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
1673 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
1674 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
1675 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
1676 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
1677 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
1678 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
1680 If the list contains a cons where the @sc{car} of the cons is
1681 @code{optional}, the @sc{cdr} of this cons will only be inserted if it is
1684 If you want to delete an entry from this list, the following Lisp
1685 snippet might be useful. Adjust accordingly if you want to remove
1689 (setq message-required-news-headers
1690 (delq 'Message-ID message-required-news-headers))
1693 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
1697 @item message-syntax-checks
1698 @vindex message-syntax-checks
1699 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
1700 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
1703 (signature . disabled)
1712 Check the subject for commands.
1715 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
1716 @item multiple-headers
1717 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
1720 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
1722 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
1724 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
1727 Check for too long lines.
1729 Check for invalid characters.
1731 Check for excessive size.
1733 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
1735 Check the length of the signature.
1738 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
1739 something only moderators should include.
1741 Check whether the article is empty.
1742 @item invisible-text
1743 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1745 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
1746 @item existing-newsgroups
1747 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1748 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1749 @item valid-newsgroups
1750 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1751 are valid syntactically.
1752 @item repeated-newsgroups
1753 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1754 contains repeated group names.
1755 @item shorten-followup-to
1756 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1757 of groups to post to.
1760 All these conditions are checked by default.
1762 @item message-ignored-news-headers
1763 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1764 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1765 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|@*
1766 ^X-Draft-From:\\|^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1768 @item message-default-news-headers
1769 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1770 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1771 buffers that are initialized as news.
1776 @node News Variables
1777 @section News Variables
1780 @item message-send-news-function
1781 @vindex message-send-news-function
1782 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1783 @code{message-send-news}.
1785 @item message-post-method
1786 @vindex message-post-method
1787 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1788 posting a prepared news message.
1793 @node Insertion Variables
1794 @section Insertion Variables
1797 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
1798 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
1799 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
1800 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
1803 @item message-cite-prefix-regexp
1804 @vindex message-cite-prefix-regexp
1805 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
1807 @item message-citation-line-function
1808 @vindex message-citation-line-function
1809 @cindex attribution line
1810 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
1811 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
1815 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
1818 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
1821 Note that Gnus provides a feature where clicking on `writes:' hides the
1822 cited text. If you change the citation line too much, readers of your
1823 messages will have to adjust their Gnus, too. See the variable
1824 @code{gnus-cite-attribution-suffix}. @xref{Article Highlighting, ,
1825 Article Highlighting, gnus, The Gnus Manual}, for details.
1827 @item message-yank-prefix
1828 @vindex message-yank-prefix
1831 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
1832 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
1833 @dfn{yanking}, and each line you yank will have
1834 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it (except for quoted lines
1835 which use @code{message-yank-cited-prefix} and empty lines which use
1836 @code{message-yank-empty-prefix}). The default is @samp{> }.
1838 @item message-yank-cited-prefix
1839 @vindex message-yank-cited-prefix
1843 When yanking text from an article which contains already cited text,
1844 each line will be prefixed with the contents of this variable. The
1845 default is @samp{>}. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1847 @item message-yank-empty-prefix
1848 @vindex message-yank-empty-prefix
1851 When yanking text from an article, each empty line will be prefixed with
1852 the contents of this variable. The default is @samp{>}. You can set
1853 this variable to an empty string to split the cited text into paragraphs
1854 automatically. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1856 @item message-yank-add-new-references
1857 @vindex message-yank-add-new-references
1859 Non-@code{nil} means new IDs will be added to References field when an
1860 article is yanked by the command @code{message-yank-original}
1861 interactively. If it is a symbol @code{message-id-only}, only an ID
1862 from Message-ID field is used, otherwise IDs extracted from References,
1863 In-Reply-To and Message-ID fields are used.
1865 @item message-list-references-add-position
1866 @vindex message-list-references-add-position
1868 Integer value means position for adding to References field when an
1869 article is yanked by the command @code{message-yank-original}
1872 @item message-indentation-spaces
1873 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
1874 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
1876 @item message-cite-function
1877 @vindex message-cite-function
1878 @findex message-cite-original
1879 @findex sc-cite-original
1880 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
1882 Function for citing an original message. The default is
1883 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
1884 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
1885 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
1886 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
1889 @item message-suspend-font-lock-when-citing
1890 @vindex message-suspend-font-lock-when-citing
1891 If non-@code{nil}, suspend font-lock'ing while citing an original
1892 message. Some lazy demand-driven fontification tools (or Emacs itself)
1893 have a bug that they often miss a buffer to be fontified. It will
1894 mostly occur when Emacs prompts user for any inputs in the minibuffer.
1895 Setting this option to non-@code{nil} may help you to avoid unpleasant
1896 errors even if it is an add-hoc expedient.
1898 @item message-indent-citation-function
1899 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
1900 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
1901 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
1902 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
1903 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
1905 @item message-mark-insert-begin
1906 @vindex message-mark-insert-begin
1907 String to mark the beginning of some inserted text.
1909 @item message-mark-insert-end
1910 @vindex message-mark-insert-end
1911 String to mark the end of some inserted text.
1913 @item message-signature
1914 @vindex message-signature
1915 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
1916 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
1917 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
1918 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
1919 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
1921 @item message-signature-file
1922 @vindex message-signature-file
1923 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
1924 The default is @file{~/.signature}.
1926 @item message-signature-insert-empty-line
1927 @vindex message-signature-insert-empty-line
1928 If @code{t} (the default value) an empty line is inserted before the
1929 signature separator.
1933 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
1934 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
1935 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
1936 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
1937 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
1939 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
1940 Including @acronym{ASCII} graphics is an efficient way to get
1941 everybody to believe that you are silly and have nothing important to
1945 @node Various Message Variables
1946 @section Various Message Variables
1949 @item message-default-charset
1950 @vindex message-default-charset
1952 Symbol naming a @acronym{MIME} charset. Non-@acronym{ASCII} characters
1953 in messages are assumed to be encoded using this charset. The default
1954 is @code{iso-8859-1} on non-@sc{mule} Emacsen; otherwise @code{nil},
1955 which means ask the user. (This variable is used only on non-@sc{mule}
1956 Emacsen.) @xref{Charset Translation, , Charset Translation, emacs-mime,
1957 Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on the @sc{mule}-to-@acronym{MIME}
1958 translation process.
1960 @item message-signature-separator
1961 @vindex message-signature-separator
1962 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1965 @item mail-header-separator
1966 @vindex mail-header-separator
1967 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1968 follows this line--} by default.
1970 @item message-directory
1971 @vindex message-directory
1972 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1973 All other mail file variables are derived from @code{message-directory}.
1975 @item message-auto-save-directory
1976 @vindex message-auto-save-directory
1977 Directory where Message auto-saves buffers if Gnus isn't running. If
1978 @code{nil}, Message won't auto-save. The default is @file{~/Mail/drafts/}.
1980 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1981 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1982 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1983 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1985 @item message-setup-hook
1986 @vindex message-setup-hook
1987 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1988 but before yanked text is inserted.
1990 @item message-header-setup-hook
1991 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
1992 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
1994 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
1995 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
1996 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
1999 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
2000 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
2001 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
2002 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
2003 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
2004 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
2006 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
2007 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
2010 @item message-send-hook
2011 @vindex message-send-hook
2012 Hook run before sending messages.
2014 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
2015 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
2016 @findex message-add-header
2019 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
2020 (defun my-message-add-content ()
2021 (message-add-header "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense")
2022 (message-add-header "X-Whatever: no"))
2025 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
2027 @item message-send-mail-hook
2028 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
2029 Hook run before sending mail messages. This hook is run very late --
2030 just before the message is actually sent as mail.
2032 @item message-send-news-hook
2033 @vindex message-send-news-hook
2034 Hook run before sending news messages. This hook is run very late --
2035 just before the message is actually sent as news.
2037 @item message-sent-hook
2038 @vindex message-sent-hook
2039 Hook run after sending messages.
2041 @item message-cancel-hook
2042 @vindex message-cancel-hook
2043 Hook run when canceling news articles.
2045 @item message-mode-syntax-table
2046 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
2047 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
2049 @item message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2050 @vindex message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2051 If non-@code{nil}, don't strip quoted text from articles that have
2052 @samp{X-No-Archive} set. Even if this variable isn't set, you can
2053 undo the stripping by hitting the @code{undo} keystroke.
2055 @item message-strip-special-text-properties
2056 @vindex message-strip-special-text-properties
2057 Emacs has a number of special text properties which can break message
2058 composing in various ways. If this option is set, message will strip
2059 these properties from the message composition buffer. However, some
2060 packages requires these properties to be present in order to work. If
2061 you use one of these packages, turn this option off, and hope the
2062 message composition doesn't break too bad.
2064 @item message-send-method-alist
2065 @vindex message-send-method-alist
2066 @findex message-mail-p
2067 @findex message-news-p
2068 @findex message-send-via-mail
2069 @findex message-send-via-news
2070 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form:
2073 (@var{type} @var{predicate} @var{function})
2078 A symbol that names the method.
2081 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
2082 message is a message of type @var{type}. The function will be called in
2083 the buffer where the message is.
2086 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
2087 @var{function} is called with one parameter---the prefix.
2093 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
2094 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
2097 The @code{message-news-p} function returns non-@code{nil} if the message
2098 looks like news, and the @code{message-send-via-news} function sends the
2099 message according to the @code{message-send-news-function} variable
2100 (@pxref{News Variables}). The @code{message-mail-p} function returns
2101 non-@code{nil} if the message looks like mail, and the
2102 @code{message-send-via-mail} function sends the message according to the
2103 @code{message-send-mail-function} variable (@pxref{Mail Variables}).
2105 All the elements in this alist will be tried in order, so a message
2106 containing both a valid @samp{Newsgroups} header and a valid @samp{To}
2107 header, for example, will be sent as news, and then as mail.
2112 @node Sending Variables
2113 @section Sending Variables
2117 @item message-fcc-handler-function
2118 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
2119 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
2120 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
2121 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
2123 @item message-courtesy-message
2124 @vindex message-courtesy-message
2125 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
2126 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
2127 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
2128 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
2129 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
2130 an article\\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\\n\\n"}.
2132 @item message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2133 @vindex message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2134 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Fcc copies; if it is
2135 non-@code{nil}, attach local files as external parts.
2137 @item message-interactive
2138 @vindex message-interactive
2139 If non-@code{nil} wait for and display errors when sending a message;
2140 if @code{nil} let the mailer mail back a message to report errors.
2145 @node Message Buffers
2146 @section Message Buffers
2148 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
2149 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
2150 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
2151 message buffers are kept alive.
2154 @item message-generate-new-buffers
2155 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
2156 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
2157 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
2158 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
2159 The function should return the new buffer name.
2161 @item message-use-multi-frames
2162 @vindex message-use-multi-frames
2163 If non-@code{nil}, generate new frames. The default is @code{nil}.
2165 @item message-delete-frame-on-exit
2166 @vindex message-delete-frame-on-exit
2167 The @code{message-delete-frame-on-exit} variable says whether to delete
2168 the frame after sending the message or killing the message buffer. If it
2169 is @code{nil} (which is the default), don't delete the frame. If it is
2170 @code{ask}, ask wheter to delete the frame. If it is @code{t}, always
2173 @item message-max-buffers
2174 @vindex message-max-buffers
2175 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
2176 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
2177 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
2178 will ever be killed.
2180 @item message-send-rename-function
2181 @vindex message-send-rename-function
2182 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
2183 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
2184 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
2185 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
2189 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
2192 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2193 @vindex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2194 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
2196 @item message-kill-buffer-query-function
2197 @vindex message-kill-buffer-query-function
2198 @findex message-kill-buffer
2199 @findex message-mimic-kill-buffer
2200 Function used to prompt user whether to kill the message buffer when the
2201 command @code{message-kill-buffer} or @code{message-mimic-kill-buffer}
2202 is used. It defaults to @code{yes-or-no-p}. You may alter the value to
2203 @code{y-or-n-p}, @code{nnheader-Y-or-n-p}, etc. If it is @code{t}, the
2204 buffer will be killed without query.
2206 @item message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file
2207 @vindex message-kill-buffer-and-remove-file
2208 @findex message-kill-buffer
2209 @findex message-mimic-kill-buffer
2210 If it is non-@code{nil}, remove the backup file if it exists with a
2211 query to the user, after the message buffer is killed. Otherwise the
2212 file won't be removed. It defaults to @code{t}. However, it is treated
2213 as @code{nil} when the command `message-mimic-kill-buffer' is used.
2218 @node Message Actions
2219 @section Message Actions
2221 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
2222 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
2223 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
2226 @vindex message-kill-actions
2227 @vindex message-postpone-actions
2228 @vindex message-exit-actions
2229 @vindex message-send-actions
2230 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
2231 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
2232 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
2233 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
2234 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
2235 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
2236 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
2237 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
2239 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
2240 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
2241 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
2242 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
2246 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
2247 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
2250 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
2251 killed, postponed or exited.
2253 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
2254 @sc{car} is a function and the @sc{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
2255 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
2259 @chapter Compatibility
2260 @cindex compatibility
2262 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
2263 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
2264 into account, you can put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2267 (require 'messcompat)
2270 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
2271 corresponding mail variables.
2278 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
2285 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
2290 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
2291 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
2292 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
2303 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
2304 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
2305 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
2306 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
2310 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
2317 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
2318 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
2319 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
2323 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
2324 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
2335 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
2336 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is