1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle T-gnus 6.13 Message Manual
9 @c * Message: (message). Mail and news composition mode that goes with Gnus.
14 @setchapternewpage odd
18 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
20 Copyright (C) 1996,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
23 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
24 are preserved on all copies.
27 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
28 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
29 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
30 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
33 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
34 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
35 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
36 permission notice identical to this one.
38 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
39 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
45 @title T-gnus 6.13 Message Manual
47 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
50 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
51 Copyright @copyright{} 1996,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
53 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
54 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
55 are preserved on all copies.
57 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
58 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
59 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
60 permission notice identical to this one.
62 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
63 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
73 All message composition from Gnus (both mail and news) takes place in
77 * Interface:: Setting up message buffers.
78 * Commands:: Commands you can execute in message mode buffers.
79 * Variables:: Customizing the message buffers.
80 * Compatibility:: Making Message backwards compatible.
81 * Appendices:: More technical things.
82 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
83 * Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
86 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.13 Message. Message is
87 distributed with the Gnus distribution bearing the same version number
94 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message -- reply,
95 follow up, forward, cancel -- the program (or person) should just put
96 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
97 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
98 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
102 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
103 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
104 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
105 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
106 * Followup:: Following up via news.
107 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
108 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
109 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
110 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
111 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
115 @node New Mail Message
116 @section New Mail Message
119 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
121 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
122 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
123 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
126 @node New News Message
127 @section New News Message
130 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
132 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
133 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
134 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
140 @findex message-reply
141 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
142 reply to the message in the current buffer.
144 @vindex message-reply-to-function
145 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
146 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
147 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
149 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
150 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
153 (setq message-reply-to-function
155 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
156 (mail-fetch-field "sender"))
161 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
164 As you can see, this function should return a string if it has an
165 opinion as to what the To header should be. If it does not, it should
166 just return @code{nil}, and the normal methods for determining the To
169 This function can also return a list. In that case, each list element
170 should be a cons, where the car should be the name of an header
171 (eg. @code{Cc}) and the cdr should be the header value
172 (eg. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be inserted into
173 the head of the outgoing mail.
179 @findex message-wide-reply
180 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
181 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
182 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
183 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
185 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
186 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
187 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
188 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
189 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
191 @findex message-dont-reply-to-names
192 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
193 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
199 @findex message-followup
200 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
201 followup to the message in the current buffer.
203 @vindex message-followup-to-function
204 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
205 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
206 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
207 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
209 @vindex message-use-followup-to
210 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
211 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
212 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
213 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
214 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
218 @section Canceling News
220 @findex message-cancel-news
221 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
228 @findex message-supersede
229 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
230 supersede the message in the current buffer.
232 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
233 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
234 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
235 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
236 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:}.
243 @findex message-forward
244 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
245 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
249 @item message-ignored-forward-headers
250 @vindex message-ignored-forward-headers
251 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
253 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
254 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
255 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
256 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
257 passed into each successive function.
259 The provided functions are:
262 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
263 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
264 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
267 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
268 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
271 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
272 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
273 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
274 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
275 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
276 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
284 @findex message-resend
285 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
286 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
288 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
289 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
290 be removed before sending the message. The default is
291 @samp{^Return-receipt}.
297 @findex message-bounce
298 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
299 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
300 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
301 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
304 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
305 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
306 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
307 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\):}.
314 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving to headers.
315 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
316 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
317 * MIME:: @sc{mime} considerations.
318 * Various Commands:: Various things.
319 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
320 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
324 @node Header Commands
325 @section Header Commands
327 All these commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't exist,
334 @findex message-goto-to
335 Describe the message mode.
339 @findex message-goto-to
340 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
344 @findex message-goto-bcc
345 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
349 @findex message-goto-fcc
350 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
354 @findex message-goto-cc
355 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
359 @findex message-goto-subject
360 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
364 @findex message-goto-reply-to
365 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
369 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
370 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
374 @findex message-goto-distribution
375 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
379 @findex message-goto-followup-to
380 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
384 @findex message-goto-keywords
385 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
389 @findex message-goto-summary
390 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
401 @findex message-goto-body
402 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
403 (@code{message-goto-body}).
407 @findex message-goto-signature
408 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
420 @findex message-yank-original
421 Yank the message in the buffer @code{gnus-article-copy} into the message
422 buffer. Normally @code{gnus-article-copy} is what you are replying to
423 (@code{message-yank-original}).
427 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
428 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
429 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
430 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
431 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
436 @findex message-insert-signature
437 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
438 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
442 @findex message-insert-headers
443 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
448 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
449 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
450 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
451 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
454 @item message-citation-line-function
455 @vindex message-citation-line-function
456 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
457 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
461 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
464 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
467 @item message-yank-prefix
468 @vindex message-yank-prefix
471 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
472 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
473 @dfn{yanking}, and each quoted line you yank will have
474 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it. The default is @samp{> }.
476 @item message-indentation-spaces
477 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
478 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
480 @item message-cite-function
481 @vindex message-cite-function
482 @findex message-cite-original
483 @findex sc-cite-original
484 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
486 Function for citing an original message. The default is
487 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
488 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
489 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
490 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
493 @item message-indent-citation-function
494 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
495 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
496 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
497 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
498 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
500 @item message-signature
501 @vindex message-signature
502 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
503 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
504 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
505 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
506 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
508 @item message-signature-file
509 @vindex message-signature-file
510 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
511 The default is @samp{~/.signature}.
515 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
516 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
517 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
518 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
519 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
521 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
522 Including ASCII graphics is an efficient way to get everybody to believe
523 that you are silly and have nothing important to say.
533 Message is a @sc{mime}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
534 doesn't have to do anything to make the @sc{mime} happen---Message will
535 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
536 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
538 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
539 @sc{mime} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out. This can
540 be done with the @code{C-c C-a} command, which will prompt for a file
541 name and a @sc{mime} type.
543 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the MML
544 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
548 @node Various Commands
549 @section Various Commands
555 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
556 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
557 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
558 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
559 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
563 @findex message-elide-region
564 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
565 The text is killed and an ellipsis (@samp{[...]}) will be inserted in
570 @findex message-kill-to-signature
571 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
572 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
576 @findex message-delete-not-region
577 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
578 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
582 @kindex message-newline-and-reformat
583 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
588 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
591 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
594 > This is some quoted text.
598 > And here's more quoted text.
601 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
605 @findex message-insert-to
606 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
607 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
608 (@code{message-insert-to}).
612 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
613 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
614 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
615 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
619 @findex message-rename-buffer
620 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
621 prompt for a new buffer name.
632 @findex message-send-and-exit
633 Send the message and bury the current buffer
634 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
639 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
643 @findex message-dont-send
644 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
648 @findex message-kill-buffer
649 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
656 @section Mail Aliases
660 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
661 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
662 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
663 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
664 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
666 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
667 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
670 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
671 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
674 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
675 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
676 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
678 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
679 expansions have to be done explicitly.
687 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
688 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
689 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
690 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
691 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
692 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
693 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
694 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
695 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
699 @node Message Headers
700 @section Message Headers
702 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
703 be -- it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
704 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
705 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
706 look sufficiently similar.
710 @item message-generate-headers-first
711 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
712 If non-@code{nil}, generate all headers before starting to compose the
715 @item message-from-style
716 @vindex message-from-style
717 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
722 Just the address -- @samp{king@@grassland.com}.
725 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
728 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
731 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
732 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
733 @code{angles} anyway.
737 @item message-deletable-headers
738 @vindex message-deletable-headers
739 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
740 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
741 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
742 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
743 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
744 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
745 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
746 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
749 @item message-default-headers
750 @vindex message-default-headers
751 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
754 @item message-subject-re-regexp
755 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
756 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
757 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but in
758 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
759 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
760 to use abonimations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
761 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
762 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
763 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
764 just throw away non-compliant mail.
770 @section Mail Headers
773 @item message-required-mail-headers
774 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
775 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
776 @code{(From Date Subject (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID Lines
777 (optional . X-Mailer))} by default.
779 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
780 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
781 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is
782 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:}.
784 @item message-default-mail-headers
785 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
786 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
787 buffers that are initialized as mail.
793 @section Mail Variables
796 @item message-send-mail-function
797 @vindex message-send-mail-function
798 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
799 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}. If you prefer using MH
800 instead, set this variable to @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}.
802 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
803 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
804 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
805 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
806 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
807 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
814 @section News Headers
816 @vindex message-required-news-headers
817 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
818 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
819 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
825 @findex user-full-name
826 @findex user-mail-address
827 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
828 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
829 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
830 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
834 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
838 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
839 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
843 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
844 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
845 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
846 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
847 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
848 parameters and should return a string to be used).
852 This optional header will be computed by Message.
856 @vindex mail-host-address
859 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
860 created based on the date, time, user name and system name. Message will
861 use @code{mail-host-address} as the fully qualified domain name (FQDN)
862 of the machine if that variable is defined. If not, it will use
863 @code{system-name}, which doesn't report a FQDN on some machines --
868 This optional header will be filled out according to the
869 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
872 This optional header will be filled out according to the
873 @code{message-mailer} local variable, unless there already is an
874 @code{X-Newsreader} header present.
877 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
878 header of the article being replied to.
882 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
883 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
884 be used unless you know what you're doing.
888 This optional header is filled out according to the
889 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
890 much misunderstood header.
894 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
895 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
896 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
897 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
898 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
899 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
900 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
905 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The car of this cons
906 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
907 the cdr can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
908 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
909 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
910 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
911 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
912 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
913 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
915 If the list contains a cons where the car of the cons is
916 @code{optional}, the cdr of this cons will only be inserted if it is
919 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
923 @item message-syntax-checks
924 @vindex message-syntax-checks
925 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
926 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
929 (signature . disabled)
938 Check the subject for commands.
941 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
942 @item multiple-headers
943 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
946 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
948 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
950 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
953 Check for too long lines.
955 Check for invalid characters.
957 Check for excessive size.
959 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
961 Check the length of the signature.
964 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
965 something only moderators should include.
967 Check whether the article is empty.
969 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
971 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
972 @item existing-newsgroups
973 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
974 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
975 @item valid-newsgroups
976 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
977 are valid syntactically.
978 @item repeated-newsgroups
979 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
980 contains repeated group names.
981 @item shorten-followup-to
982 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
983 of groups to post to.
986 All these conditions are checked by default.
988 @item message-ignored-news-headers
989 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
990 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
991 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:}.
993 @item message-default-news-headers
994 @vindex message-default-news-headers
995 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
996 buffers that are initialized as news.
1001 @node News Variables
1002 @section News Variables
1005 @item message-send-news-function
1006 @vindex message-send-news-function
1007 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1008 @code{message-send-news}.
1010 @item message-post-method
1011 @vindex message-post-method
1012 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1013 posting a prepared news message.
1018 @node Various Message Variables
1019 @section Various Message Variables
1022 @item message-signature-separator
1023 @vindex message-signature-separator
1024 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1027 @item mail-header-separator
1028 @vindex mail-header-separator
1029 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1030 follows this line--} by default.
1032 @item message-directory
1033 @vindex message-directory
1034 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1036 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1037 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1038 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1039 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1041 @item message-setup-hook
1042 @vindex message-setup-hook
1043 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1044 but before yanked text is inserted.
1046 @item message-header-setup-hook
1047 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
1048 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
1050 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
1051 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
1052 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
1055 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
1056 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
1057 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
1058 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
1059 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
1060 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
1062 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
1063 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
1066 @item message-send-hook
1067 @vindex message-send-hook
1068 Hook run before sending messages.
1070 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
1071 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
1072 @findex message-add-header
1075 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
1076 (defun my-message-add-content ()
1078 "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense"
1082 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
1084 @item message-send-mail-hook
1085 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
1086 Hook run before sending mail messages.
1088 @item message-send-news-hook
1089 @vindex message-send-news-hook
1090 Hook run before sending news messages.
1092 @item message-sent-hook
1093 @vindex message-sent-hook
1094 Hook run after sending messages.
1096 @item message-mode-syntax-table
1097 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
1098 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
1100 @item message-send-method-alist
1101 @vindex message-send-method-alist
1103 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form
1106 (TYPE PREDICATE FUNCTION)
1111 A symbol that names the method.
1114 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
1115 message is a message of type @var{type}.
1118 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
1119 @var{function} is called with one parameter -- the prefix.
1123 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
1124 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
1133 @node Sending Variables
1134 @section Sending Variables
1138 @item message-fcc-handler-function
1139 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
1140 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
1141 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
1142 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
1144 @item message-courtesy-message
1145 @vindex message-courtesy-message
1146 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
1147 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
1148 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
1149 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
1150 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
1151 an article\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\n\n"}.
1156 @node Message Buffers
1157 @section Message Buffers
1159 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
1160 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
1161 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
1162 message buffers are kept alive.
1165 @item message-generate-new-buffers
1166 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
1167 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
1168 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
1169 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
1170 The function should return the new buffer name.
1172 @item message-use-multi-frames
1173 @vindex message-use-multi-frames
1174 If non-@code{nil}, generate new frames. The default is @code{nil}.
1176 @item message-delete-frame-on-exit
1177 @vindex message-delete-frame-on-exit
1178 The @code{message-delete-frame-on-exit} variable says whether to delete
1179 the frame after sending the message or killing the message buffer. If it
1180 is @code{nil} (which is the default), don't delete the frame. If it is
1181 @code{ask}, ask wheter to delete the frame. If it is @code{t}, always
1184 @item message-max-buffers
1185 @vindex message-max-buffers
1186 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
1187 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
1188 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
1189 will ever be killed.
1191 @item message-send-rename-function
1192 @vindex message-send-rename-function
1193 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
1194 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
1195 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
1196 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
1200 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
1203 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
1204 @findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
1205 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
1210 @node Message Actions
1211 @section Message Actions
1213 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
1214 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
1215 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
1218 @vindex message-kill-actions
1219 @vindex message-postpone-actions
1220 @vindex message-exit-actions
1221 @vindex message-send-actions
1222 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
1223 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
1224 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
1225 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
1226 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
1227 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
1228 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
1229 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
1231 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
1232 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
1233 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
1234 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
1238 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
1239 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
1242 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
1243 killed, postponed or exited.
1245 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
1246 @code{car} is a function and the @code{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
1247 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
1251 @chapter Compatibility
1252 @cindex compatibility
1254 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
1255 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
1256 into account, you can put the following in your @code{.emacs} file:
1259 (require 'messcompat)
1262 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
1263 corresponding mail variables.
1270 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
1277 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
1282 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
1283 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
1284 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
1295 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
1296 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
1297 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
1298 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
1302 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
1309 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
1310 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
1311 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
1315 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
1316 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
1327 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
1328 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is