1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Message Manual
9 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
11 Copyright @copyright{} 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
12 2004, 2005, 2006 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
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 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following lines:
71 Message is distributed with Gnus. The Gnus distribution
73 corresponding to this manual is No Gnus v0.4.
79 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message---reply,
80 follow up, forward, cancel---the program (or person) should just put
81 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
82 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
83 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
87 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
88 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
89 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
90 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
91 * Followup:: Following up via news.
92 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
93 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
94 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
95 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
96 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
97 * Mailing Lists:: Send mail to mailing lists.
100 You can customize the Message Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
101 customize-apropos RET message-tool-bar}. This feature is only available
104 @node New Mail Message
105 @section New Mail Message
108 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
110 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
111 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
112 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
115 @node New News Message
116 @section New News Message
119 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
121 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
122 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
123 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
129 @findex message-reply
130 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
131 reply to the message in the current buffer.
133 @vindex message-reply-to-function
134 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
135 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
136 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
138 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
139 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
142 (setq message-reply-to-function
144 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
145 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
150 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
153 As you can see, this function should return a list. In this case, it
154 returns @code{((To . "Whom"))} if it has an opinion as to what the To
155 header should be. If it does not, it should just return @code{nil}, and
156 the normal methods for determining the To header will be used.
158 Each list element should be a cons, where the @sc{car} should be the
159 name of a header (e.g. @code{Cc}) and the @sc{cdr} should be the header
160 value (e.g. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be
161 inserted into the head of the outgoing mail.
167 @findex message-wide-reply
168 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
169 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
170 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
171 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
173 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
174 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
175 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
176 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
177 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
179 @vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
180 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
181 expression (or list of regular expressions) will be removed from the
182 @code{Cc} header. A value of @code{nil} means exclude your name only.
184 @vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
185 If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
186 will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
187 recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
192 @findex message-followup
193 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
194 followup to the message in the current buffer.
196 @vindex message-followup-to-function
197 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
198 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
199 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
200 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
202 @vindex message-use-followup-to
203 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
204 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
205 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
206 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
207 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
211 @section Canceling News
213 @findex message-cancel-news
214 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
217 @vindex message-cancel-message
218 The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
219 the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
223 @vindex message-insert-canlock
225 When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
226 headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
227 only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
228 is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
229 stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
230 automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
231 able to cancel your message. If you want to manage a password yourself,
232 you can put something like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
235 (setq canlock-password "geheimnis"
236 canlock-password-for-verify canlock-password)
239 Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
240 @code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
242 Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
243 this is expected to change in the future.
249 @findex message-supersede
250 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
251 supersede the message in the current buffer.
253 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
254 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
255 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
256 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
257 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|^X-Trace:\\|^X-Complaints-To:\\|@*
258 Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:\\|^NNTP-Posting-Date:\\|^X-Trace:\\|@*
259 ^X-Complaints-To:\\|^Cancel-Lock:\\|^Cancel-Key:\\|^X-Hashcash:\\|@*
260 ^X-Payment:\\|^Approved:}.
267 @findex message-forward
268 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
269 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
273 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
274 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
275 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
277 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
278 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
279 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
280 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
281 passed into each successive function.
283 The provided functions are:
286 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
287 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
288 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
291 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
292 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
295 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
296 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
297 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
298 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
299 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
300 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
302 @item message-forward-as-mime
303 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
304 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
305 included as inline @acronym{MIME} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
306 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
307 non @acronym{MIME}-savvy versions of Gnus would do.
309 @item message-forward-before-signature
310 @vindex message-forward-before-signature
311 If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
319 @findex message-resend
320 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
321 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
323 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
324 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
325 be removed before sending the message.
331 @findex message-bounce
332 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
333 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
334 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
335 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
338 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
339 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
340 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
341 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\|Delivered-To\\):}.
345 @section Mailing Lists
347 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
348 Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
349 followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
350 was created to enable just this. Three example scenarios where this is
355 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
356 sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
357 if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
360 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
361 sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
362 is not subscribed to the list.
365 If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
366 to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
367 discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
368 and very difficult to follow.
372 Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
373 up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
374 sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
377 @c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
378 @c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
381 @c @node Composing with a MFT header
382 @subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
384 The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
385 in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
386 addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
387 way. The following variables would come in handy.
391 @vindex message-subscribed-addresses
392 @item message-subscribed-addresses
393 This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
394 default value is @code{nil}. Example:
396 (setq message-subscribed-addresses
397 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
400 @vindex message-subscribed-regexps
401 @item message-subscribed-regexps
402 This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
403 lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
404 want to achieve the same result as above:
406 (setq message-subscribed-regexps
407 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
410 @vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
411 @item message-subscribed-address-functions
412 This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
413 determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
414 functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
416 There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
417 this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
418 that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
419 the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{Group Parameters, ,Group Parameters,
420 gnus, The Gnus Manual}) group parameter set to a non-@code{nil} value.
421 This is how you would do it.
424 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
425 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
428 @vindex message-subscribed-address-file
429 @item message-subscribed-address-file
430 You might be one organized human freak and have a list of addresses of
431 all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
432 set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
436 You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
437 ``added'' in some way that works :-)
439 Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
440 And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
441 MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
442 MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
443 in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
444 automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
445 per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
446 addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
447 is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
448 address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
449 other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
452 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
454 @findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
455 Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
456 subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
457 is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
458 MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
459 to-address group parameter.) The function
460 @code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
461 handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
462 can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
463 (@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
465 @c @node Honoring an MFT post
466 @subsection Honoring an MFT post
468 @vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
469 When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
470 header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
471 @code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
475 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
476 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
479 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
482 Gnus will prompt you for an action.
486 It is considered good netiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
487 fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
494 * Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
495 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
496 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
497 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
498 * MIME:: @acronym{MIME} considerations.
499 * IDNA:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name considerations.
500 * Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
501 * Various Commands:: Various things.
502 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
503 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
504 * Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
509 @section Buffer Entry
513 You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
514 message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
515 may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
516 which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
517 but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
518 Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
519 takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
520 times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
523 @node Header Commands
524 @section Header Commands
526 @subsection Commands for moving to headers
528 These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
529 exist, it will be inserted.
535 @findex describe-mode
536 Describe the message mode.
540 @findex message-goto-to
541 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
545 @findex message-goto-from
546 Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
547 in the key binding is for Originator.)
551 @findex message-goto-bcc
552 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
556 @findex message-goto-fcc
557 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
561 @findex message-goto-cc
562 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
566 @findex message-goto-subject
567 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
571 @findex message-goto-reply-to
572 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
576 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
577 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
581 @findex message-goto-distribution
582 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
586 @findex message-goto-followup-to
587 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
591 @findex message-goto-keywords
592 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
596 @findex message-goto-summary
597 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
601 @findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
602 This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
603 @samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
604 message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
605 buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
606 1376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
610 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
611 Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
612 (@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
613 unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
614 not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
615 by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
616 own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
617 fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
618 buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
620 If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-@code{nil}, the
621 addresses in the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the
622 @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header.
626 @subsection Commands to change headers
632 @findex message-sort-headers
633 @vindex message-header-format-alist
634 Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
635 (@code{message-sort-headers}).
639 @findex message-insert-to
640 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
641 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
642 (@code{message-insert-to}).
646 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
647 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
648 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
649 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
653 @findex message-to-list-only
654 Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
655 address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
659 @findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
660 Insert a request for a disposition
661 notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
662 This means that if the recipient support RFC 2298 she might send you a
663 notification that she received the message.
665 @item M-x message-insert-importance-high
666 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
667 @findex message-insert-importance-high
669 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
670 deleting headers if necessary.
672 @item M-x message-insert-importance-low
673 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
674 @findex message-insert-importance-low
676 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
677 headers if necessary.
681 @findex message-change-subject
683 Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
684 header and append @samp{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
685 stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
686 (@pxref{Message Headers}).
690 @findex message-cross-post-followup-to
691 @vindex message-cross-post-default
692 @vindex message-cross-post-note-function
695 Set up the @samp{FollowUp-To} header with a target newsgroup for a
696 cross-post, add that target newsgroup to the @samp{Newsgroups} header if
697 it is not a member of @samp{Newsgroups}, and insert a note in the body.
698 If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if this command is
699 called with a prefix-argument, only the @samp{FollowUp-To} header will
700 be set but the target newsgroup will not be added to the
701 @samp{Newsgroups} header. The function to insert a note is controlled
702 by the @code{message-cross-post-note-function} variable.
706 @findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
707 Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
708 @samp{Bcc} header. (Iff @samp{Cc} header is not present, @samp{Bcc}
709 header will be used instead.)
713 @findex message-insert-wide-reply
714 Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
715 reply even if the message was not made for a wide reply first.
719 @findex message-add-archive-header
720 @vindex message-archive-header
721 @vindex message-archive-note
723 Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
724 The header and the note can be customized using
725 @code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
726 called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
727 want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
739 @findex message-goto-body
740 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
741 (@code{message-goto-body}).
745 @findex message-goto-signature
746 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
750 @findex message-beginning-of-line
751 @vindex message-beginning-of-line
752 If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
753 beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
754 name and the colon.) This behavior can be disabled by toggling
755 the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
767 @findex message-yank-original
768 Yank the message that's being replied to into the message buffer
769 (@code{message-yank-original}).
773 @findex message-yank-buffer
774 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
775 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
779 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
780 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
781 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
782 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
783 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
788 @findex message-insert-signature
789 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
790 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
794 @findex message-insert-headers
795 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
799 @findex message-mark-inserted-region
800 Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags. See
801 @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
802 When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
803 (@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
807 @findex message-mark-insert-file
808 Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
809 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
810 When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
811 (@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
823 Message is a @acronym{MIME}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
824 doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{MIME} happen---Message will
825 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
826 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
830 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
831 @acronym{MIME} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out.
832 This can be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command (@kbd{M-x mml-attach}),
833 which will prompt for a file name and a @acronym{MIME} type.
835 @vindex mml-dnd-protocol-alist
836 @vindex mml-dnd-attach-options
837 If your Emacs supports drag and drop, you can also drop the file in the
838 Message buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} specifies
839 what kind of action is done when you drop a file into the Message
840 buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-attach-options} controls which
841 @acronym{MIME} options you want to specify when dropping a file. If it
842 is a list, valid members are @code{type}, @code{description} and
843 @code{disposition}. @code{disposition} implies @code{type}. If it is
844 @code{nil}, don't ask for options. If it is @code{t}, ask the user
845 whether or not to specify options.
847 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the @acronym{MML}
848 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
854 @cindex internationalized domain names
855 @cindex non-ascii domain names
857 Message is a @acronym{IDNA}-compliant posting agent. The user
858 generally doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{IDNA}
859 happen---Message will encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in @code{From},
860 @code{To}, and @code{Cc} headers automatically.
862 Until @acronym{IDNA} becomes more well known, Message queries you
863 whether @acronym{IDNA} encoding of the domain name really should
864 occur. Some users might not be aware that domain names can contain
865 non-@acronym{ASCII} now, so this gives them a safety net if they accidently
866 typed a non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name.
868 @vindex message-use-idna
869 The @code{message-use-idna} variable control whether @acronym{IDNA} is
870 used. If the variable is @code{nil} no @acronym{IDNA} encoding will
871 ever happen, if it is set to the symbol @code{ask} the user will be
872 queried, and if set to @code{t} (which is the default if @acronym{IDNA}
873 is fully available) @acronym{IDNA} encoding happens automatically.
875 @findex message-idna-to-ascii-rhs
876 If you want to experiment with the @acronym{IDNA} encoding, you can
877 invoke @kbd{M-x message-idna-to-ascii-rhs RET} in the message buffer
878 to have the non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names encoded while you edit
881 Note that you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU
882 Libidn} installed in order to use this functionality.
894 Using the @acronym{MML} language, Message is able to create digitally
895 signed and digitally encrypted messages. Message (or rather
896 @acronym{MML}) currently support @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991),
897 @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME}.
900 * Signing and encryption:: Signing and encrypting commands.
901 * Using S/MIME:: Using S/MIME
902 * Using PGP/MIME:: Using PGP/MIME
903 * PGP Compatibility:: Compatibility with older implementations
906 @node Signing and encryption
907 @subsection Signing and encrypting commands
909 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
910 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
911 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
916 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
918 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
922 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
924 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
928 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
930 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
934 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
936 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
940 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
942 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
946 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
948 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
952 @findex mml-unsecure-message
953 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
957 These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
958 merely insert the proper @acronym{MML} secure tag to instruct the
959 @acronym{MML} engine to perform that operation when the message is
960 actually sent. They may perform other operations too, such as locating
961 and retrieving a @acronym{S/MIME} certificate of the person you wish to
962 send encrypted mail to. When the mml parsing engine converts your
963 @acronym{MML} into a properly encoded @acronym{MIME} message, the secure
964 tag will be replaced with either a part or a multipart tag. If your
965 message contains other mml parts, a multipart tag will be used; if no
966 other parts are present in your message a single part tag will be used.
967 This way, message mode will do the Right Thing (TM) with
968 signed/encrypted multipart messages.
970 Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
971 information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
972 mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
973 sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
974 using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
975 verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
976 whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
977 party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
979 @emph{Note!} Neither @acronym{PGP/MIME} nor @acronym{S/MIME} encrypt/signs
980 RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @acronym{MIME} object. Keep this
981 in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
983 By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the
984 ``signencrypt'' mode, which means the message is both signed and
985 encrypted. If you would like to disable this for a particular
986 message, give the @code{mml-secure-message-encrypt-*} command a prefix
987 argument, e.g., @kbd{C-u C-c C-m c p}.
989 Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
990 least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
991 other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
992 programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
995 @subsection Using S/MIME
997 @emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
998 modern cryptography, @acronym{S/MIME}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
1001 The @acronym{S/MIME} support in Message (and @acronym{MML}) require
1002 OpenSSL. OpenSSL performs the actual @acronym{S/MIME} sign/encrypt
1003 operations. OpenSSL can be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}.
1004 OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail
1005 addresses from certificates, and it insert a spurious CR character into
1006 @acronym{MIME} separators so you may wish to avoid it if you would like
1007 to avoid being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by
1008 sending @acronym{S/MIME} messages you've probably already lost that
1011 To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
1012 required. Message (@acronym{MML}) need a certificate for the person to whom you
1013 wish to communicate with though. You're asked for this when you type
1014 @kbd{C-c C-m c s}. Currently there are two ways to retrieve this
1015 certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
1016 file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in @acronym{PEM} format.
1017 If you chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the
1018 certificate is stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief,
1019 Message (@acronym{MML}) is the first mail agent in the world to support
1020 retrieving @acronym{S/MIME} certificates from DNS, so you're not
1021 likely to find very many certificates out there. At least there
1022 should be one, stored at the domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP
1023 is a more popular method of distributing certificates, support for it
1024 is planned. (Meanwhile, you can use @code{ldapsearch} from the
1025 command line to retrieve a certificate into a file and use it.)
1027 As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
1028 without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
1029 where your private key and your certificate is stored. @acronym{MML}
1030 uses an Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
1031 contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
1032 @kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
1034 Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
1035 your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
1036 manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
1037 and got a free @acronym{S/MIME} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
1038 net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
1039 PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
1040 certificate in PEM format as follows.
1043 $ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1046 The @file{key+cert.pem} file should be pointed to from the
1047 @code{smime-keys} variable. You should now be able to send signed mail.
1049 @emph{Note!} Your private key is now stored unencrypted in the file,
1050 so take care in handling it. Storing encrypted keys on the disk are
1051 supported, and Gnus will ask you for a passphrase before invoking
1052 OpenSSL. Read the OpenSSL documentation for how to achieve this. If
1053 you use unencrypted keys (e.g., if they are on a secure storage, or if
1054 you are on a secure single user machine) simply press @code{RET} at
1055 the passphrase prompt.
1057 @node Using PGP/MIME
1058 @subsection Using PGP/MIME
1060 @acronym{PGP/MIME} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such
1061 as @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, GNU Privacy Guard}. Pre-OpenPGP
1062 implementations such as PGP 2.x and PGP 5.x are also supported. One
1063 Emacs interface to the PGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG,
1064 pgg, PGG Manual}), is included, but Mailcrypt and Florian Weimer's
1065 @code{gpg.el} are also supported. @xref{PGP Compatibility}.
1068 Message internally calls GnuPG (the @command{gpg} command) to perform
1069 data encryption, and in certain cases (decrypting or signing for
1070 example), @command{gpg} requires user's passphrase. Currently the
1071 recommended way to supply your passphrase to @command{gpg} is to use the
1072 @command{gpg-agent} program.
1074 To use @command{gpg-agent} in Emacs, you need to run the following
1075 command from the shell before starting Emacs.
1078 eval `gpg-agent --daemon`
1081 This will invoke @command{gpg-agent} and set the environment variable
1082 @code{GPG_AGENT_INFO} to allow @command{gpg} to communicate with it.
1083 It might be good idea to put this command in your @file{.xsession} or
1084 @file{.bash_profile}. @xref{Invoking GPG-AGENT, , , gnupg, Using the
1087 Once your @command{gpg-agent} is set up, it will ask you for a
1088 passphrase as needed for @command{gpg}. Under the X Window System,
1089 you will see a new passphrase input dialog appear. The dialog is
1090 provided by PIN Entry (the @command{pinentry} command), and as of
1091 version 0.7.2, @command{pinentry} cannot cooperate with Emacs on a
1092 single tty. So, if you are using a text console, you may need to put
1093 a passphrase into gpg-agent's cache beforehand. The following command
1097 gpg --use-agent --sign < /dev/null > /dev/null
1100 The Lisp variable @code{pgg-gpg-use-agent} controls whether to use
1101 @command{gpg-agent}. See also @xref{Caching passphrase, , , pgg, The
1105 @node PGP Compatibility
1106 @subsection Compatibility with older implementations
1108 @vindex gpg-temp-directory
1109 Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1110 directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions
1113 Creating your own key is described in detail in the documentation of
1114 your PGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1116 If you have imported your old PGP 2.x key into GnuPG, and want to send
1117 signed and encrypted messages to your fellow PGP 2.x users, you'll
1118 discover that the receiver cannot understand what you send. One
1119 solution is to use PGP 2.x instead (i.e., if you use @code{pgg}, set
1120 @code{pgg-default-scheme} to @code{pgp}). If you do want to use
1121 GnuPG, you can use a compatibility script called @code{gpg-2comp}
1123 @uref{http://muppet.faveve.uni-stuttgart.de/~gero/gpg-2comp/}. You
1124 could also convince your fellow PGP 2.x users to convert to GnuPG.
1125 @vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
1126 As a final workaround, you can make the sign and encryption work in
1127 two steps; separately sign, then encrypt a message. If you would like
1128 to change this behavior you can customize the
1129 @code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For example:
1132 (setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" separate)
1134 ("pgpauto" separate)
1135 ("pgpmime" separate)))
1138 This causes to sign and encrypt in two passes, thus generating a
1139 message that can be understood by PGP version 2.
1141 (Refer to @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/pgp2x.html} for more
1142 information about the problem.)
1144 @node Various Commands
1145 @section Various Commands
1151 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1152 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1153 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1154 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1155 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1159 @findex message-elide-region
1160 @vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1161 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1162 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1163 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1168 @findex message-kill-address
1169 Kill the address under point.
1173 @findex message-kill-to-signature
1174 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1175 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1179 @findex message-delete-not-region
1180 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1181 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1185 @findex message-newline-and-reformat
1186 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1191 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1194 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1197 > This is some quoted text.
1201 > And here's more quoted text.
1204 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1208 @findex message-rename-buffer
1209 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1210 prompt for a new buffer name.
1215 @vindex message-tab-body-function
1216 If @code{message-tab-body-function} is non-@code{nil}, execute the
1217 function it specifies. Otherwise use the function bound to @kbd{TAB} in
1218 @code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1229 @findex message-send-and-exit
1230 Send the message and bury the current buffer
1231 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1235 @findex message-send
1236 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1240 @findex message-dont-send
1241 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1245 @findex message-kill-buffer
1246 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
1253 @section Mail Aliases
1254 @cindex mail aliases
1259 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
1260 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
1261 alias expansion to use. Currently two forms are supported:
1262 @code{mailabbrev} and @code{ecomplete}. If this variable is
1263 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1265 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1266 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1269 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1270 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1273 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1274 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1275 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1277 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1278 expansions have to be done explicitly.
1280 If you're using @code{ecomplete}, all addresses from @code{To} and
1281 @code{Cc} headers will automatically be put into the
1282 @file{~/.ecompleterc} file. When you enter text in the @code{To} and
1283 @code{Cc} headers, @code{ecomplete} will check out the values stored
1284 there and ``electrically'' say what completions are possible. To
1285 choose one of these completions, use the @kbd{M-n} command to move
1286 down to the list. Use @kbd{M-n} and @kbd{M-p} to move down and up the
1287 list, and @kbd{RET} to choose a completion.
1292 @findex ispell-message
1294 There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1295 @code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1296 probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1297 and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1298 typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1299 something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1302 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1305 @vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1306 If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1307 controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1310 (setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1311 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1312 (".*" . "default")))
1315 @code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1318 The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1319 your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1322 To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1326 (defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1328 (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1331 @code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1339 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1340 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1341 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1342 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1343 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
1344 * Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1345 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1346 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1347 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1348 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1352 @node Message Headers
1353 @section Message Headers
1355 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
1356 be---it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
1357 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1358 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1359 look sufficiently similar.
1363 @item message-generate-headers-first
1364 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
1365 If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1366 compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1369 (setq message-generate-headers-first
1373 @vindex message-required-headers
1374 The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1375 @code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1376 @code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1379 Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1380 because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1382 @item message-draft-headers
1383 @vindex message-draft-headers
1384 When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1385 with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1386 should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1388 @item message-from-style
1389 @vindex message-from-style
1390 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1395 Just the address---@samp{king@@grassland.com}.
1398 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1401 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1404 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1405 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1406 @code{angles} anyway.
1410 @item message-deletable-headers
1411 @vindex message-deletable-headers
1412 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1413 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1414 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1415 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1416 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1417 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1418 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1419 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1422 @item message-default-headers
1423 @vindex message-default-headers
1424 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1427 @item message-subject-re-regexp
1428 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1432 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1433 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1434 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1435 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1436 to use abominations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1437 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1438 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1439 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1440 just throw away non-compliant mail.
1442 Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1443 responding to a message:
1446 (setq message-subject-re-regexp
1451 "[Aa][Nn][Tt][Ww]\\.?\\|" ; antw
1453 "[Ff][Ww][Dd]?\\|" ; fwd
1454 "[Oo][Dd][Pp]\\|" ; odp
1456 "[Rr][\311\351][Ff]\\.?\\|" ; ref
1459 "\\(\\[[0-9]*\\]\\)"
1466 @item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1467 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1468 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1469 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1470 Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1471 lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1472 @code{ask}, query the user what do do. In this case, the subject is
1473 matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1474 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is @code{t}, always strip the
1475 trailing old subject. In this case,
1476 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1478 @item message-alternative-emails
1479 @vindex message-alternative-emails
1480 Regexp matching alternative email addresses. The first address in the
1481 To, Cc or From headers of the original article matching this variable is
1482 used as the From field of outgoing messages, replacing the default From
1485 For example, if you have two secondary email addresses john@@home.net
1486 and john.doe@@work.com and want to use them in the From field when
1487 composing a reply to a message addressed to one of them, you could set
1488 this variable like this:
1491 (setq message-alternative-emails
1492 (regexp-opt '("john@@home.net" "john.doe@@work.com")))
1495 This variable has precedence over posting styles and anything that runs
1496 off @code{message-setup-hook}.
1498 @item message-allow-no-recipients
1499 @vindex message-allow-no-recipients
1500 Specifies what to do when there are no recipients other than
1501 @code{Gcc} or @code{Fcc}. If it is @code{always}, the posting is
1502 allowed. If it is @code{never}, the posting is not allowed. If it is
1503 @code{ask} (the default), you are prompted.
1505 @item message-hidden-headers
1506 @vindex message-hidden-headers
1507 A regexp, a list of regexps, or a list where the first element is
1508 @code{not} and the rest are regexps. It says which headers to keep
1509 hidden when composing a message.
1512 (setq message-hidden-headers
1513 '(not "From" "Subject" "To" "Cc" "Newsgroups"))
1516 Headers are hidden using narrowing, you can use @kbd{M-x widen} to
1517 expose them in the buffer.
1519 @item message-header-synonyms
1520 @vindex message-header-synonyms
1521 A list of lists of header synonyms. E.g., if this list contains a
1522 member list with elements @code{Cc} and @code{To}, then
1523 @code{message-carefully-insert-headers} will not insert a @code{To}
1524 header when the message is already @code{Cc}ed to the recipient.
1530 @section Mail Headers
1533 @item message-required-mail-headers
1534 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
1535 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
1536 @code{(From Subject Date (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID
1537 (optional . User-Agent))} by default.
1539 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
1540 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
1541 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is@*
1542 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^Xref:\\|^X-Draft-From:\\|@*
1543 ^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1545 @item message-default-mail-headers
1546 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
1547 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1548 buffers that are initialized as mail.
1550 @item message-generate-hashcash
1551 @vindex message-generate-hashcash
1552 Variable that indicates whether @samp{X-Hashcash} headers
1553 should be computed for the message. @xref{Hashcash, ,Hashcash,gnus,
1554 The Gnus Manual}. If @code{opportunistic}, only generate the headers
1555 when it doesn't lead to the user having to wait.
1560 @node Mail Variables
1561 @section Mail Variables
1564 @item message-send-mail-function
1565 @vindex message-send-mail-function
1566 @findex message-send-mail-with-sendmail
1567 @findex message-send-mail-with-mh
1568 @findex message-send-mail-with-qmail
1569 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
1570 @findex smtpmail-send-it
1571 @findex feedmail-send-it
1572 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
1573 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, or @code{smtpmail-send-it}
1574 according to the system. Other valid values include
1575 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
1576 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
1578 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
1579 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
1580 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
1581 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
1582 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
1583 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
1586 @item message-qmail-inject-program
1587 @vindex message-qmail-inject-program
1589 Location of the qmail-inject program.
1591 @item message-qmail-inject-args
1592 @vindex message-qmail-inject-args
1593 Arguments passed to qmail-inject programs.
1594 This should be a list of strings, one string for each argument. It
1595 may also be a function.
1597 For e.g., if you wish to set the envelope sender address so that bounces
1598 go to the right place or to deal with listserv's usage of that address, you
1599 might set this variable to @code{'("-f" "you@@some.where")}.
1601 @item message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1602 @vindex message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1604 Non-@code{nil} means don't add @samp{-f username} to the sendmail
1605 command line. Doing so would be even more evil than leaving it out.
1607 @item message-sendmail-envelope-from
1608 @vindex message-sendmail-envelope-from
1609 When @code{message-sendmail-f-is-evil} is @code{nil}, this specifies
1610 the address to use in the @acronym{SMTP} envelope. If it is
1611 @code{nil}, use @code{user-mail-address}. If it is the symbol
1612 @code{header}, use the @samp{From} header of the message.
1614 @item message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1615 @vindex message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1616 Set this to non-@code{nil} if the system's mailer runs the header and
1617 body together. (This problem exists on SunOS 4 when sendmail is run
1618 in remote mode.) The value should be an expression to test whether
1619 the problem will actually occur.
1621 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
1622 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
1623 @cindex split large message
1624 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial. The lower bound
1625 of message size in characters, beyond which the message should be sent
1626 in several parts. If it is @code{nil}, the size is unlimited.
1632 @section News Headers
1634 @vindex message-required-news-headers
1635 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
1636 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
1637 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
1643 @findex user-full-name
1644 @findex user-mail-address
1645 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
1646 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
1647 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
1648 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
1652 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
1656 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
1657 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
1660 @cindex organization
1661 @vindex message-user-organization
1662 @vindex message-user-organization-file
1663 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
1664 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
1665 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
1666 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
1667 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
1668 parameters and should return a string to be used).
1672 This optional header will be computed by Message.
1676 @vindex message-user-fqdn
1677 @vindex mail-host-address
1678 @vindex user-mail-address
1681 @cindex i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-tickle-me
1682 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
1683 created based on the date, time, user name (for the local part) and the
1684 domain part. For the domain part, message will look (in this order) at
1685 @code{message-user-fqdn}, @code{system-name}, @code{mail-host-address}
1686 and @code{message-user-mail-address} (i.e. @code{user-mail-address})
1687 until a probably valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN) was found.
1691 This optional header will be filled out according to the
1692 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
1695 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
1696 header of the article being replied to.
1700 @vindex message-expires
1701 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
1702 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
1703 be used unless you know what you're doing.
1706 @cindex Distribution
1707 @vindex message-distribution-function
1708 This optional header is filled out according to the
1709 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
1710 much misunderstood header.
1714 @vindex message-user-path
1715 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
1716 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
1717 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
1718 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
1719 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
1720 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
1721 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
1725 @cindex Mime-Version
1726 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The @sc{car} of this cons
1727 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
1728 the @sc{cdr} can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
1729 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
1730 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
1731 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
1732 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
1733 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
1734 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
1736 If the list contains a cons where the @sc{car} of the cons is
1737 @code{optional}, the @sc{cdr} of this cons will only be inserted if it is
1740 If you want to delete an entry from this list, the following Lisp
1741 snippet might be useful. Adjust accordingly if you want to remove
1745 (setq message-required-news-headers
1746 (delq 'Message-ID message-required-news-headers))
1749 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
1753 @item message-syntax-checks
1754 @vindex message-syntax-checks
1755 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
1756 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
1759 (signature . disabled)
1769 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
1770 something only moderators should include.
1771 @item continuation-headers
1772 Check whether there are continuation header lines that don't begin with
1775 Check for invalid characters.
1777 Check whether the article is empty.
1778 @item existing-newsgroups
1779 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1780 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1782 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
1783 @item illegible-text
1784 Check whether there is any non-printable character in the body.
1785 @item invisible-text
1786 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1787 @item long-header-lines
1788 Check for too long header lines.
1791 Check for too long lines in the body.
1793 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks syntactically ok.
1794 @item multiple-headers
1795 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
1797 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
1799 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} header exists and is not empty.
1801 Check whether text follows last quoted portion.
1802 @item repeated-newsgroups
1803 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1804 contains repeated group names.
1806 Check whether the @code{Reply-To} header looks ok.
1809 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
1812 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
1814 Check whether the domain part of the @code{Message-ID} header looks ok.
1815 @item shorten-followup-to
1816 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1817 of groups to post to.
1819 Check the length of the signature.
1821 Check for excessive size.
1823 Check whether the @code{Subject} header exists and is not empty.
1825 Check the subject for commands.
1826 @item valid-newsgroups
1827 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1828 are valid syntactically.
1831 All these conditions are checked by default, except for @code{sender}
1832 for which the check is disabled by default if
1833 @code{message-insert-canlock} is non-@code{nil} (@pxref{Canceling News}).
1835 @item message-ignored-news-headers
1836 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1837 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1838 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|@*
1839 ^X-Draft-From:\\|^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1841 @item message-default-news-headers
1842 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1843 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1844 buffers that are initialized as news.
1849 @node News Variables
1850 @section News Variables
1853 @item message-send-news-function
1854 @vindex message-send-news-function
1855 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1856 @code{message-send-news}.
1858 @item message-post-method
1859 @vindex message-post-method
1860 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1861 posting a prepared news message.
1866 @node Insertion Variables
1867 @section Insertion Variables
1870 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
1871 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
1872 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
1873 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
1876 @item message-cite-prefix-regexp
1877 @vindex message-cite-prefix-regexp
1878 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
1880 @item message-citation-line-function
1881 @vindex message-citation-line-function
1882 @cindex attribution line
1883 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
1884 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
1888 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
1891 @c FIXME: Add `message-insert-formated-citation-line' and
1892 @c `message-citation-line-format'
1894 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
1897 Note that Gnus provides a feature where clicking on `writes:' hides the
1898 cited text. If you change the citation line too much, readers of your
1899 messages will have to adjust their Gnus, too. See the variable
1900 @code{gnus-cite-attribution-suffix}. @xref{Article Highlighting, ,
1901 Article Highlighting, gnus, The Gnus Manual}, for details.
1903 @item message-yank-prefix
1904 @vindex message-yank-prefix
1907 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
1908 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
1909 @dfn{yanking}, and each line you yank will have
1910 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it (except for quoted lines
1911 which use @code{message-yank-cited-prefix} and empty lines which use
1912 @code{message-yank-empty-prefix}). The default is @samp{> }.
1914 @item message-yank-cited-prefix
1915 @vindex message-yank-cited-prefix
1919 When yanking text from an article which contains already cited text,
1920 each line will be prefixed with the contents of this variable. The
1921 default is @samp{>}. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1923 @item message-yank-empty-prefix
1924 @vindex message-yank-empty-prefix
1927 When yanking text from an article, each empty line will be prefixed with
1928 the contents of this variable. The default is @samp{>}. You can set
1929 this variable to an empty string to split the cited text into paragraphs
1930 automatically. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1932 @item message-indentation-spaces
1933 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
1934 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
1936 @item message-cite-function
1937 @vindex message-cite-function
1938 @findex message-cite-original
1939 @findex sc-cite-original
1940 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
1942 Function for citing an original message. The default is
1943 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
1944 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
1945 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
1946 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
1949 @item message-indent-citation-function
1950 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
1951 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
1952 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
1953 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
1954 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
1956 @item message-mark-insert-begin
1957 @vindex message-mark-insert-begin
1958 String to mark the beginning of some inserted text.
1960 @item message-mark-insert-end
1961 @vindex message-mark-insert-end
1962 String to mark the end of some inserted text.
1964 @item message-signature
1965 @vindex message-signature
1966 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
1967 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
1968 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
1969 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
1970 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
1972 @item message-signature-file
1973 @vindex message-signature-file
1974 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
1975 The default is @file{~/.signature}.
1977 @item message-signature-insert-empty-line
1978 @vindex message-signature-insert-empty-line
1979 If @code{t} (the default value) an empty line is inserted before the
1980 signature separator.
1984 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
1985 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
1986 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
1987 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
1988 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
1990 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
1991 Including @acronym{ASCII} graphics is an efficient way to get
1992 everybody to believe that you are silly and have nothing important to
1996 @node Various Message Variables
1997 @section Various Message Variables
2000 @item message-default-charset
2001 @vindex message-default-charset
2003 Symbol naming a @acronym{MIME} charset. Non-@acronym{ASCII} characters
2004 in messages are assumed to be encoded using this charset. The default
2005 is @code{iso-8859-1} on non-@sc{mule} Emacsen; otherwise @code{nil},
2006 which means ask the user. (This variable is used only on non-@sc{mule}
2007 Emacsen.) @xref{Charset Translation, , Charset Translation, emacs-mime,
2008 Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on the @sc{mule}-to-@acronym{MIME}
2009 translation process.
2011 @item message-signature-separator
2012 @vindex message-signature-separator
2013 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
2016 @item mail-header-separator
2017 @vindex mail-header-separator
2018 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
2019 follows this line--} by default.
2021 @item message-directory
2022 @vindex message-directory
2023 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
2024 All other mail file variables are derived from @code{message-directory}.
2026 @item message-auto-save-directory
2027 @vindex message-auto-save-directory
2028 Directory where Message auto-saves buffers if Gnus isn't running. If
2029 @code{nil}, Message won't auto-save. The default is @file{~/Mail/drafts/}.
2031 @item message-signature-setup-hook
2032 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
2033 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
2034 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
2036 @item message-setup-hook
2037 @vindex message-setup-hook
2038 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
2039 but before yanked text is inserted.
2041 @item message-header-setup-hook
2042 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
2043 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
2045 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
2046 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
2047 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
2050 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
2051 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
2052 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
2053 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
2054 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
2055 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
2057 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
2058 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
2061 @item message-send-hook
2062 @vindex message-send-hook
2063 Hook run before sending messages.
2065 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
2066 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
2067 @findex message-add-header
2070 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
2071 (defun my-message-add-content ()
2072 (message-add-header "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense")
2073 (message-add-header "X-Whatever: no"))
2076 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
2078 @item message-send-mail-hook
2079 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
2080 Hook run before sending mail messages. This hook is run very late --
2081 just before the message is actually sent as mail.
2083 @item message-send-news-hook
2084 @vindex message-send-news-hook
2085 Hook run before sending news messages. This hook is run very late --
2086 just before the message is actually sent as news.
2088 @item message-sent-hook
2089 @vindex message-sent-hook
2090 Hook run after sending messages.
2092 @item message-cancel-hook
2093 @vindex message-cancel-hook
2094 Hook run when canceling news articles.
2096 @item message-mode-syntax-table
2097 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
2098 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
2100 @item message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2101 @vindex message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2102 If non-@code{nil}, don't strip quoted text from articles that have
2103 @samp{X-No-Archive} set. Even if this variable isn't set, you can
2104 undo the stripping by hitting the @code{undo} keystroke.
2106 @item message-strip-special-text-properties
2107 @vindex message-strip-special-text-properties
2108 Emacs has a number of special text properties which can break message
2109 composing in various ways. If this option is set, message will strip
2110 these properties from the message composition buffer. However, some
2111 packages requires these properties to be present in order to work. If
2112 you use one of these packages, turn this option off, and hope the
2113 message composition doesn't break too bad.
2115 @item message-send-method-alist
2116 @vindex message-send-method-alist
2117 @findex message-mail-p
2118 @findex message-news-p
2119 @findex message-send-via-mail
2120 @findex message-send-via-news
2121 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form:
2124 (@var{type} @var{predicate} @var{function})
2129 A symbol that names the method.
2132 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
2133 message is a message of type @var{type}. The function will be called in
2134 the buffer where the message is.
2137 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
2138 @var{function} is called with one parameter---the prefix.
2144 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
2145 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
2148 The @code{message-news-p} function returns non-@code{nil} if the message
2149 looks like news, and the @code{message-send-via-news} function sends the
2150 message according to the @code{message-send-news-function} variable
2151 (@pxref{News Variables}). The @code{message-mail-p} function returns
2152 non-@code{nil} if the message looks like mail, and the
2153 @code{message-send-via-mail} function sends the message according to the
2154 @code{message-send-mail-function} variable (@pxref{Mail Variables}).
2156 All the elements in this alist will be tried in order, so a message
2157 containing both a valid @samp{Newsgroups} header and a valid @samp{To}
2158 header, for example, will be sent as news, and then as mail.
2163 @node Sending Variables
2164 @section Sending Variables
2168 @item message-fcc-handler-function
2169 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
2170 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
2171 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
2172 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
2174 @item message-courtesy-message
2175 @vindex message-courtesy-message
2176 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
2177 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
2178 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
2179 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
2180 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
2181 an article\\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\\n\\n"}.
2183 @item message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2184 @vindex message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2185 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Fcc copies; if it is
2186 non-@code{nil}, attach local files as external parts.
2188 @item message-interactive
2189 @vindex message-interactive
2190 If non-@code{nil} wait for and display errors when sending a message;
2191 if @code{nil} let the mailer mail back a message to report errors.
2196 @node Message Buffers
2197 @section Message Buffers
2199 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
2200 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
2201 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
2202 message buffers are kept alive.
2205 @item message-generate-new-buffers
2206 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
2207 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
2208 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
2209 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
2210 The function should return the new buffer name.
2212 @item message-max-buffers
2213 @vindex message-max-buffers
2214 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
2215 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
2216 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
2217 will ever be killed.
2219 @item message-send-rename-function
2220 @vindex message-send-rename-function
2221 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
2222 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
2223 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
2224 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
2228 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
2231 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2232 @findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2233 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
2238 @node Message Actions
2239 @section Message Actions
2241 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
2242 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
2243 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
2246 @vindex message-kill-actions
2247 @vindex message-postpone-actions
2248 @vindex message-exit-actions
2249 @vindex message-send-actions
2250 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
2251 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
2252 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
2253 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
2254 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
2255 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
2256 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
2257 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
2259 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
2260 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
2261 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
2262 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
2266 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
2267 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
2270 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
2271 killed, postponed or exited.
2273 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
2274 @sc{car} is a function and the @sc{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
2275 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
2279 @chapter Compatibility
2280 @cindex compatibility
2282 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
2283 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
2284 into account, you can put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2287 (require 'messcompat)
2290 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
2291 corresponding mail variables.
2298 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
2305 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
2310 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
2311 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
2312 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
2323 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
2324 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
2325 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
2326 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
2330 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
2337 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
2338 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
2339 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
2343 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
2344 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
2355 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
2356 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is
2378 arch-tag: 16ab76af-a281-4e34-aed6-5624569f7601