1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Message Manual
9 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
11 Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
12 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 1.1 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 This manual corresponds to Message v5.10.6. Message is distributed
71 with the Gnus distribution bearing the same version number as this
78 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message---reply,
79 follow up, forward, cancel---the program (or person) should just put
80 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
81 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
82 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
86 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
87 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
88 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
89 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
90 * Followup:: Following up via news.
91 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
92 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
93 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
94 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
95 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
96 * Mailing Lists:: Send mail to mailing lists.
100 @node New Mail Message
101 @section New Mail Message
104 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
106 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
107 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
108 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
111 @node New News Message
112 @section New News Message
115 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
117 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
118 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
119 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
125 @findex message-reply
126 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
127 reply to the message in the current buffer.
129 @vindex message-reply-to-function
130 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
131 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
132 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
134 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
135 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
138 (setq message-reply-to-function
140 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
141 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
146 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
149 As you can see, this function should return a string if it has an
150 opinion as to what the To header should be. If it does not, it should
151 just return @code{nil}, and the normal methods for determining the To
154 This function can also return a list. In that case, each list element
155 should be a cons, where the @sc{car} should be the name of a header
156 (e.g. @code{Cc}) and the @sc{cdr} should be the header value
157 (e.g. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be inserted into
158 the head of the outgoing mail.
164 @findex message-wide-reply
165 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
166 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
167 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
168 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
170 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
171 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
172 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
173 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
174 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
176 @vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
177 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
178 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
180 @vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
181 If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
182 will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
183 recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
188 @findex message-followup
189 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
190 followup to the message in the current buffer.
192 @vindex message-followup-to-function
193 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
194 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
195 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
196 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
198 @vindex message-use-followup-to
199 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
200 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
201 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
202 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
203 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
207 @section Canceling News
209 @findex message-cancel-news
210 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
213 @vindex message-cancel-message
214 The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
215 the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
219 @vindex message-insert-canlock
221 When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
222 headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
223 only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
224 is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
225 stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
226 automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
227 able to cancel your message. If you want to manage a password yourself,
228 you can put something like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
231 (setq canlock-password "geheimnis"
232 canlock-password-for-verify canlock-password)
235 Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
236 @code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
238 Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
239 this is expected to change in the future.
245 @findex message-supersede
246 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
247 supersede the message in the current buffer.
249 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
250 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
251 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
252 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
253 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:}.
260 @findex message-forward
261 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
262 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
266 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
267 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
268 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
270 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
271 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
272 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
273 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
274 passed into each successive function.
276 The provided functions are:
279 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
280 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
281 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
284 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
285 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
288 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
289 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
290 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
291 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
292 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
293 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
295 @item message-forward-as-mime
296 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
297 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
298 included as inline @acronym{MIME} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
299 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
300 non @acronym{MIME}-savvy versions of Gnus would do.
302 @item message-forward-before-signature
303 @vindex message-forward-before-signature
304 If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
312 @findex message-resend
313 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
314 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
316 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
317 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
318 be removed before sending the message.
324 @findex message-bounce
325 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
326 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
327 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
328 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
331 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
332 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
333 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
334 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\):}.
338 @section Mailing Lists
340 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
341 Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
342 followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
343 was created to enable just this. Two example scenarios where this is
348 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
349 sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
350 if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
353 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
354 sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
355 is not subscribed to the list.
358 If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
359 to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
360 discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
361 and very difficult to follow.
365 Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
366 up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
367 sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
370 @c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
371 @c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
374 @c @node Composing with a MFT header
375 @subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
377 The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
378 in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
379 addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
380 way. The following variables would come in handy.
384 @vindex message-subscribed-addresses
385 @item message-subscribed-addresses
386 This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
387 default value is @code{nil}. Example:
389 (setq message-subscribed-addresses
390 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
393 @vindex message-subscribed-regexps
394 @item message-subscribed-regexps
395 This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
396 lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
397 want to achieve the same result as above:
399 (setq message-subscribed-regexps
400 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
403 @vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
404 @item message-subscribed-address-functions
405 This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
406 determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
407 functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
409 There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
410 this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
411 that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
412 the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{Group Parameters, ,Group Parameters,
413 gnus, The Gnus Manual}) group parameter set to a non-@code{nil} value.
414 This is how you would do it.
417 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
418 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
421 @vindex message-subscribed-address-file
422 @item message-subscribed-address-file
423 You might be one organised human freak and have a list of addresses of
424 all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
425 set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
429 You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
430 ``added'' in some way that works :-)
432 Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
433 And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
434 MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
435 MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
436 in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
437 automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
438 per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
439 addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
440 is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
441 address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
442 other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
445 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
447 @findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
448 Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
449 subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
450 is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
451 MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
452 to-address group parameter.) The function
453 @code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
454 handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
455 can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
456 (@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
458 @c @node Honoring an MFT post
459 @subsection Honoring an MFT post
461 @vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
462 When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
463 header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
464 @code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
468 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
469 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
472 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
475 Gnus will prompt you for an action.
479 It is considered good netiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
480 fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
487 * Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
488 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
489 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
490 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
491 * MIME:: @acronym{MIME} considerations.
492 * IDNA:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name considerations.
493 * Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
494 * Various Commands:: Various things.
495 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
496 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
497 * Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
502 @section Buffer Entry
506 You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
507 message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
508 may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
509 which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
510 but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
511 Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
512 takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
513 times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
516 @node Header Commands
517 @section Header Commands
519 @subsection Commands for moving to headers
521 These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
522 exist, it will be inserted.
528 @findex describe-mode
529 Describe the message mode.
533 @findex message-goto-to
534 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
538 @findex message-goto-from
539 Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
540 in the key binding is for Originator.)
544 @findex message-goto-bcc
545 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
549 @findex message-goto-fcc
550 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
554 @findex message-goto-cc
555 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
559 @findex message-goto-subject
560 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
564 @findex message-goto-reply-to
565 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
569 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
570 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
574 @findex message-goto-distribution
575 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
579 @findex message-goto-followup-to
580 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
584 @findex message-goto-keywords
585 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
589 @findex message-goto-summary
590 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
594 @findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
595 This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
596 @samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
597 message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
598 buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
599 1376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
603 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
604 Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
605 (@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
606 unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
607 not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
608 by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
609 own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
610 fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
611 buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
613 If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-@code{nil}, the
614 addresses in the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the
615 @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header.
619 @subsection Commands to change headers
625 @findex message-sort-headers
626 @vindex message-header-format-alist
627 Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
628 (@code{message-sort-headers}).
632 @findex message-insert-to
633 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
634 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
635 (@code{message-insert-to}).
639 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
640 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
641 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
642 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
646 @findex message-to-list-only
647 Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
648 address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
652 @findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
653 Insert a request for a disposition
654 notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
655 This means that if the recipient support RFC 2298 she might send you a
656 notification that she received the message.
658 @item M-x message-insert-importance-high
659 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
660 @findex message-insert-importance-high
662 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
663 deleting headers if necessary.
665 @item M-x message-insert-importance-low
666 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
667 @findex message-insert-importance-low
669 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
670 headers if necessary.
674 @findex message-change-subject
676 Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
677 header and append @samp{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
678 stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
679 (@pxref{Message Headers}).
683 @findex message-cross-post-followup-to
684 @vindex message-cross-post-default
687 Ask for an additional @samp{Newsgroups} and @samp{FollowUp-To} for a
688 cross-post. @code{message-cross-post-followup-to} mangles
689 @samp{FollowUp-To} and @samp{Newsgroups} header to point to group.
690 If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if called with a
691 prefix-argument @samp{Follow-Up} is set, but the message is not
696 @findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
697 Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
702 @findex message-insert-wide-reply
703 Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
708 @findex message-add-archive-header
709 @vindex message-archive-header
710 @vindex message-archive-note
712 Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
713 The header and the note can be customized using
714 @code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
715 called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
716 want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
728 @findex message-goto-body
729 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
730 (@code{message-goto-body}).
734 @findex message-goto-signature
735 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
739 @findex message-beginning-of-line
740 @vindex message-beginning-of-line
741 If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
742 beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
743 name and the colon.) This behaviour can be disabled by toggling
744 the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
756 @findex message-yank-original
757 Yank the message that's being replied to into the message buffer
758 (@code{message-yank-original}).
762 @findex message-yank-buffer
763 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
764 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
768 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
769 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
770 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
771 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
772 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
777 @findex message-insert-signature
778 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
779 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
783 @findex message-insert-headers
784 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
788 @findex message-mark-inserted-region
789 Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags.
790 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
794 @findex message-mark-insert-file
795 Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
796 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
808 Message is a @acronym{MIME}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
809 doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{MIME} happen---Message will
810 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
811 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
813 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
814 @acronym{MIME} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out.
815 This can be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command, which will prompt for
816 a file name and a @acronym{MIME} type. If your Emacs supports drag
817 and drop, you can also drop the file in the Message buffer.
819 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the @acronym{MML}
820 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
826 @cindex internationalized domain names
827 @cindex non-ascii domain names
829 Message is a @acronym{IDNA}-compliant posting agent. The user
830 generally doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{IDNA}
831 happen---Message will encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in @code{From},
832 @code{To}, and @code{Cc} headers automatically.
834 Until @acronym{IDNA} becomes more well known, Message queries you
835 whether @acronym{IDNA} encoding of the domain name really should
836 occur. Some users might not be aware that domain names can contain
837 non-@acronym{ASCII} now, so this gives them a safety net if they accidently
838 typed a non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name.
840 @vindex message-use-idna
841 The @code{message-use-idna} variable control whether @acronym{IDNA} is
842 used. If the variable is @code{nil} no @acronym{IDNA} encoding will
843 ever happen, if it is set to the symbol @code{ask} the user will be
844 queried (the default), and if set to @code{t} @acronym{IDNA} encoding
845 happens automatically.
847 @findex message-idna-to-ascii-rhs
848 If you want to experiment with the @acronym{IDNA} encoding, you can
849 invoke @kbd{M-x message-idna-to-ascii-rhs RET} in the message buffer
850 to have the non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names encoded while you edit the message.
852 Note that you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU
853 Libidn} installed in order to use this functionality.
865 Using the @acronym{MML} language, Message is able to create digitally
866 signed and digitally encrypted messages. Message (or rather
867 @acronym{MML}) currently support @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991),
868 @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME}. Instructing
869 @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a @acronym{MIME} part is
870 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m
871 c} key map for encryption, as follows.
877 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
879 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
883 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
885 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
889 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
891 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
895 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
897 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
901 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
903 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
907 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
909 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
913 @findex mml-unsecure-message
914 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
918 These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
919 merely insert the proper @acronym{MML} secure tag to instruct the
920 @acronym{MML} engine to perform that operation when the message is
921 actually sent. They may perform other operations too, such as locating
922 and retrieving a @acronym{S/MIME} certificate of the person you wish to
923 send encrypted mail to. When the mml parsing engine converts your
924 @acronym{MML} into a properly encoded @acronym{MIME} message, the secure
925 tag will be replaced with either a part or a multipart tag. If your
926 message contains other mml parts, a multipart tag will be used; if no
927 other parts are present in your message a single part tag will be used.
928 This way, message mode will do the Right Thing (TM) with
929 signed/encrypted multipart messages.
931 Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
932 information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
933 mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
934 sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
935 using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
936 verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
937 whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
938 party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
940 @emph{Note!} Neither @acronym{PGP/MIME} nor @acronym{S/MIME} encrypt/signs
941 RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @acronym{MIME} object. Keep this
942 in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
944 By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the
945 ``signencrypt'' mode, which means the message is both signed and
946 encrypted. If you would like to disable this for a particular
947 message, give the @code{mml-secure-message-encrypt-*} command a prefix
948 argument, e.g., @kbd{C-u C-c C-m c p}.
950 Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
951 least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
952 other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
953 programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
955 @subsection Using S/MIME
957 @emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
958 modern cryptography, @acronym{S/MIME}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
961 The @acronym{S/MIME} support in Message (and @acronym{MML}) require
962 OpenSSL. OpenSSL performs the actual @acronym{S/MIME} sign/encrypt
963 operations. OpenSSL can be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}.
964 OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail
965 addresses from certificates, and it insert a spurious CR character into
966 @acronym{MIME} separators so you may wish to avoid it if you would like
967 to avoid being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by
968 sending @acronym{S/MIME} messages you've probably already lost that
971 To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
972 required. Message (@acronym{MML}) need a certificate for the person to whom you
973 wish to communicate with though. You're asked for this when you type
974 @kbd{C-c C-m c s}. Currently there are two ways to retrieve this
975 certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
976 file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in @acronym{PEM} format.
977 If you chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the
978 certificate is stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief,
979 Message (@acronym{MML}) is the first mail agent in the world to support
980 retrieving @acronym{S/MIME} certificates from DNS, so you're not
981 likely to find very many certificates out there. At least there
982 should be one, stored at the domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP
983 is a more popular method of distributing certificates, support for it
984 is planned. (Meanwhile, you can use @code{ldapsearch} from the
985 command line to retrieve a certificate into a file and use it.)
987 As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
988 without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
989 where your private key and your certificate is stored. @acronym{MML}
990 uses an Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
991 contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
992 @kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
994 Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
995 your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
996 manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
997 and got a free @acronym{S/MIME} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
998 net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
999 PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
1000 certificate in PEM format as follows.
1003 $ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1006 The @file{key+cert.pem} file should be pointed to from the
1007 @code{smime-keys} variable. You should now be able to send signed mail.
1009 @emph{Note!} Your private key is now stored unencrypted in the file,
1010 so take care in handling it. Storing encrypted keys on the disk are
1011 supported, and Gnus will ask you for a passphrase before invoking
1012 OpenSSL. Read the OpenSSL documentation for how to achieve this. If
1013 you use unencrypted keys (e.g., if they are on a secure storage, or if
1014 you are on a secure single user machine) simply press @code{RET} at
1015 the passphrase prompt.
1017 @subsection Using PGP/MIME
1019 @acronym{PGP/MIME} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such
1020 as @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, GNU Privacy Guard}. Pre-OpenPGP
1021 implementations such as PGP 2.x and PGP 5.x are also supported. One
1022 Emacs interface to the PGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG,
1023 pgg, PGG Manual}), is included, but Mailcrypt and Florian Weimer's
1024 @code{gpg.el} are also supported.
1026 @vindex gpg-temp-directory
1027 Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1028 directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions
1031 Creating your own key is described in detail in the documentation of
1032 your PGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1034 If you have imported your old PGP 2.x key into GnuPG, and want to send
1035 signed and encrypted messages to your fellow PGP 2.x users, you'll
1036 discover that the receiver cannot understand what you send. One
1037 solution is to use PGP 2.x instead (i.e., if you use @code{pgg}, set
1038 @code{pgg-default-scheme} to @code{pgp}). If you do want to use
1039 GnuPG, you can use a compatibility script called @code{gpg-2comp}
1041 @uref{http://muppet.faveve.uni-stuttgart.de/~gero/gpg-2comp/}. You
1042 could also convince your fellow PGP 2.x users to convert to GnuPG.
1043 @vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
1044 As a final workaround, you can make the sign and encryption work in
1045 two steps; separately sign, then encrypt a message. If you would like
1046 to change this behavior you can customize the
1047 @code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For example:
1050 (setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" separate)
1052 ("pgpauto" separate)
1053 ("pgpmime" separate)))
1056 This causes to sign and encrypt in two passes, thus generating a
1057 message that can be understood by PGP version 2.
1059 (Refer to @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/pgp2x.html} for more
1060 information about the problem.)
1062 @node Various Commands
1063 @section Various Commands
1069 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1070 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1071 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1072 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1073 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1077 @findex message-elide-region
1078 @vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1079 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1080 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1081 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1086 @findex message-kill-address
1087 Kill the address under point.
1091 @findex message-kill-to-signature
1092 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1093 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1097 @findex message-delete-not-region
1098 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1099 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1103 @findex message-newline-and-reformat
1104 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1109 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1112 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1115 > This is some quoted text.
1119 > And here's more quoted text.
1122 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1126 @findex message-rename-buffer
1127 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1128 prompt for a new buffer name.
1133 @vindex message-tab-body-function
1134 If non-@code{nil} execute the function specified in
1135 @code{message-tab-body-function}. Otherwise use the function bound to
1136 @kbd{TAB} in @code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1147 @findex message-send-and-exit
1148 Send the message and bury the current buffer
1149 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1153 @findex message-send
1154 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1158 @findex message-dont-send
1159 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1163 @findex message-kill-buffer
1164 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
1171 @section Mail Aliases
1172 @cindex mail aliases
1175 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
1176 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
1177 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
1178 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
1179 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1181 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1182 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1185 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1186 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1189 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1190 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1191 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1193 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1194 expansions have to be done explicitly.
1200 @findex ispell-message
1202 There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1203 @code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1204 probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1205 and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1206 typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1207 something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1210 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1213 @vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1214 If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1215 controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1218 (setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1219 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1220 (".*" . "default")))
1223 @code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1226 The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1227 your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1230 To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1234 (defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1236 (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1239 @code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1247 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1248 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1249 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1250 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1251 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
1252 * Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1253 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1254 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1255 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1256 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1260 @node Message Headers
1261 @section Message Headers
1263 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
1264 be---it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
1265 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1266 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1267 look sufficiently similar.
1271 @item message-generate-headers-first
1272 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
1273 If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1274 compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1277 (setq message-generate-headers-first
1281 @vindex message-required-headers
1282 The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1283 @code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1284 @code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1287 Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1288 because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1290 @item message-draft-headers
1291 @vindex message-draft-headers
1292 When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1293 with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1294 should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1296 @item message-from-style
1297 @vindex message-from-style
1298 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1303 Just the address---@samp{king@@grassland.com}.
1306 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1309 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1312 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1313 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1314 @code{angles} anyway.
1318 @item message-deletable-headers
1319 @vindex message-deletable-headers
1320 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1321 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1322 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1323 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1324 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1325 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1326 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1327 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1330 @item message-default-headers
1331 @vindex message-default-headers
1332 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1335 @item message-subject-re-regexp
1336 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1340 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1341 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1342 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1343 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1344 to use abominations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1345 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1346 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1347 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1348 just throw away non-compliant mail.
1350 Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1351 responding to a message:
1354 (setq message-subject-re-regexp
1359 "[Aa][Nn][Tt][Ww]\\.?\\|" ; antw
1361 "[Ff][Ww][Dd]?\\|" ; fwd
1362 "[Oo][Dd][Pp]\\|" ; odp
1364 "[Rr][\311\351][Ff]\\.?\\|" ; ref
1367 "\\(\\[[0-9]*\\]\\)"
1374 @item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1375 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1376 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1377 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1378 Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1379 lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1380 @code{ask}, query the user what do do. In this case, the subject is
1381 matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1382 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is t, always strip the
1383 trailing old subject. In this case,
1384 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1386 @item message-alternative-emails
1387 @vindex message-alternative-emails
1388 A regexp to match the alternative email addresses. The first matched
1389 address (not primary one) is used in the @code{From} field.
1391 @item message-allow-no-recipients
1392 @vindex message-allow-no-recipients
1393 Specifies what to do when there are no recipients other than
1394 @code{Gcc} or @code{Fcc}. If it is @code{always}, the posting is
1395 allowed. If it is @code{never}, the posting is not allowed. If it is
1396 @code{ask} (the default), you are prompted.
1398 @item message-hidden-headers
1399 @vindex message-hidden-headers
1400 A regexp, a list of regexps, or a list where the first element is
1401 @code{not} and the rest are regexps. It says which headers to keep
1402 hidden when composing a message.
1405 (setq message-hidden-headers
1406 '(not "From" "Subject" "To" "Cc" "Newsgroups"))
1409 @item message-header-synonyms
1410 @vindex message-header-synonyms
1411 A list of lists of header synonyms. E.g., if this list contains a
1412 member list with elements @code{Cc} and @code{To}, then
1413 @code{message-carefully-insert-headers} will not insert a @code{To}
1414 header when the message is already @code{Cc}ed to the recipient.
1420 @section Mail Headers
1423 @item message-required-mail-headers
1424 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
1425 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
1426 @code{(From Date Subject (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID Lines
1427 (optional . User-Agent))} by default.
1429 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
1430 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
1431 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is
1432 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^Xref:\\|^X-Draft-From:}.
1434 @item message-default-mail-headers
1435 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
1436 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1437 buffers that are initialized as mail.
1439 @item message-generate-hashcash
1440 @vindex message-generate-hashcash
1441 Boolean variable that indicate whether @samp{X-Hashcash} headers
1442 should be computed for the message. @xref{Hashcash, ,Hashcash,gnus,
1448 @node Mail Variables
1449 @section Mail Variables
1452 @item message-send-mail-function
1453 @vindex message-send-mail-function
1454 @findex message-send-mail-with-sendmail
1455 @findex message-send-mail-with-mh
1456 @findex message-send-mail-with-qmail
1457 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
1458 @findex smtpmail-send-it
1459 @findex feedmail-send-it
1460 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
1461 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}. Other valid values include
1462 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
1463 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}, @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
1464 @code{feedmail-send-it}.
1466 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
1467 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
1468 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
1469 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
1470 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
1471 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
1474 @item message-qmail-inject-program
1475 @vindex message-qmail-inject-program
1477 Location of the qmail-inject program.
1479 @item message-qmail-inject-args
1480 @vindex message-qmail-inject-args
1481 Arguments passed to qmail-inject programs.
1482 This should be a list of strings, one string for each argument. It
1483 may also be a function.
1485 For e.g., if you wish to set the envelope sender address so that bounces
1486 go to the right place or to deal with listserv's usage of that address, you
1487 might set this variable to @code{'("-f" "you@@some.where")}.
1489 @item message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1490 @vindex message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1492 Non-@code{nil} means don't add @samp{-f username} to the sendmail
1493 command line. Doing so would be even more evil than leaving it out.
1495 @item message-sendmail-envelope-from
1496 @vindex message-sendmail-envelope-from
1497 When @code{message-sendmail-f-is-evil} is @code{nil}, this specifies
1498 the address to use in the @acronym{SMTP} envelope. If it is
1499 @code{nil}, use @code{user-mail-address}. If it is the symbol
1500 @code{header}, use the @samp{From} header of the message.
1502 @item message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1503 @vindex message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1504 Set this to non-@code{nil} if the system's mailer runs the header and
1505 body together. (This problem exists on SunOS 4 when sendmail is run
1506 in remote mode.) The value should be an expression to test whether
1507 the problem will actually occur.
1509 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
1510 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
1511 @cindex split large message
1512 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial. The lower bound
1513 of message size in characters, beyond which the message should be sent
1514 in several parts. If it is @code{nil}, the size is unlimited.
1520 @section News Headers
1522 @vindex message-required-news-headers
1523 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
1524 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
1525 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
1531 @findex user-full-name
1532 @findex user-mail-address
1533 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
1534 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
1535 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
1536 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
1540 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
1544 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
1545 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
1548 @cindex organization
1549 @vindex message-user-organization
1550 @vindex message-user-organization-file
1551 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
1552 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
1553 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
1554 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
1555 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
1556 parameters and should return a string to be used).
1560 This optional header will be computed by Message.
1564 @vindex message-user-fqdn
1565 @vindex mail-host-address
1566 @vindex user-mail-address
1569 @cindex i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-tickle-me
1570 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
1571 created based on the date, time, user name (for the local part) and the
1572 domain part. For the domain part, message will look (in this order) at
1573 @code{message-user-fqdn}, @code{system-name}, @code{mail-host-address}
1574 and @code{message-user-mail-address} (i.e. @code{user-mail-address})
1575 until a probably valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN) was found.
1579 This optional header will be filled out according to the
1580 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
1583 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
1584 header of the article being replied to.
1588 @vindex message-expires
1589 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
1590 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
1591 be used unless you know what you're doing.
1594 @cindex Distribution
1595 @vindex message-distribution-function
1596 This optional header is filled out according to the
1597 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
1598 much misunderstood header.
1602 @vindex message-user-path
1603 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
1604 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
1605 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
1606 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
1607 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
1608 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
1609 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
1613 @cindex Mime-Version
1614 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The @sc{car} of this cons
1615 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
1616 the @sc{cdr} can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
1617 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
1618 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
1619 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
1620 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
1621 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
1622 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
1624 If the list contains a cons where the @sc{car} of the cons is
1625 @code{optional}, the @sc{cdr} of this cons will only be inserted if it is
1628 If you want to delete an entry from this list, the following Lisp
1629 snippet might be useful. Adjust accordingly if you want to remove
1633 (setq message-required-news-headers
1634 (delq 'Message-ID message-required-news-headers))
1637 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
1641 @item message-syntax-checks
1642 @vindex message-syntax-checks
1643 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
1644 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
1647 (signature . disabled)
1656 Check the subject for commands.
1659 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
1660 @item multiple-headers
1661 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
1664 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
1666 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
1668 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
1671 Check for too long lines.
1673 Check for invalid characters.
1675 Check for excessive size.
1677 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
1679 Check the length of the signature.
1682 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
1683 something only moderators should include.
1685 Check whether the article is empty.
1686 @item invisible-text
1687 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1689 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
1690 @item existing-newsgroups
1691 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1692 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1693 @item valid-newsgroups
1694 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1695 are valid syntactically.
1696 @item repeated-newsgroups
1697 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1698 contains repeated group names.
1699 @item shorten-followup-to
1700 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1701 of groups to post to.
1704 All these conditions are checked by default.
1706 @item message-ignored-news-headers
1707 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1708 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1709 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^X-Draft-From:}.
1711 @item message-default-news-headers
1712 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1713 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1714 buffers that are initialized as news.
1719 @node News Variables
1720 @section News Variables
1723 @item message-send-news-function
1724 @vindex message-send-news-function
1725 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1726 @code{message-send-news}.
1728 @item message-post-method
1729 @vindex message-post-method
1730 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1731 posting a prepared news message.
1736 @node Insertion Variables
1737 @section Insertion Variables
1740 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
1741 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
1742 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
1743 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
1746 @item message-cite-prefix-regexp
1747 @vindex message-cite-prefix-regexp
1748 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
1750 @item message-citation-line-function
1751 @vindex message-citation-line-function
1752 @cindex attribution line
1753 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
1754 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
1758 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
1761 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
1764 Note that Gnus provides a feature where clicking on `writes:' hides the
1765 cited text. If you change the citation line too much, readers of your
1766 messages will have to adjust their Gnus, too. See the variable
1767 @code{gnus-cite-attribution-suffix}. @xref{Article Highlighting, ,
1768 Article Highlighting, gnus, The Gnus Manual}, for details.
1770 @item message-yank-prefix
1771 @vindex message-yank-prefix
1774 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
1775 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done
1776 by @dfn{yanking}, and each line you yank will have
1777 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it (except for quoted and
1778 empty lines which uses @code{message-yank-cited-prefix}). The default
1781 @item message-yank-cited-prefix
1782 @vindex message-yank-cited-prefix
1786 When yanking text from an article which contains no text or already
1787 cited text, each line will be prefixed with the contents of this
1788 variable. The default is @samp{>}. See also
1789 @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1791 @item message-indentation-spaces
1792 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
1793 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
1795 @item message-cite-function
1796 @vindex message-cite-function
1797 @findex message-cite-original
1798 @findex sc-cite-original
1799 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
1801 Function for citing an original message. The default is
1802 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
1803 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
1804 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
1805 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
1808 @item message-indent-citation-function
1809 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
1810 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
1811 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
1812 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
1813 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
1815 @item message-mark-insert-begin
1816 @vindex message-mark-insert-begin
1817 String to mark the beginning of some inserted text.
1819 @item message-mark-insert-end
1820 @vindex message-mark-insert-end
1821 String to mark the end of some inserted text.
1823 @item message-signature
1824 @vindex message-signature
1825 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
1826 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
1827 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
1828 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
1829 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
1831 @item message-signature-file
1832 @vindex message-signature-file
1833 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
1834 The default is @file{~/.signature}.
1836 @item message-signature-insert-empty-line
1837 @vindex message-signature-insert-empty-line
1838 If @code{t} (the default value) an empty line is inserted before the
1839 signature separator.
1843 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
1844 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
1845 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
1846 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
1847 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
1849 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
1850 Including @acronym{ASCII} graphics is an efficient way to get
1851 everybody to believe that you are silly and have nothing important to
1855 @node Various Message Variables
1856 @section Various Message Variables
1859 @item message-default-charset
1860 @vindex message-default-charset
1862 Symbol naming a @acronym{MIME} charset. Non-@acronym{ASCII}
1863 characters in messages are assumed to be encoded using this charset.
1864 The default is @code{nil}, which means ask the user. (This variable
1865 is used only on non-@sc{mule} Emacsen. @xref{Charset Translation, ,
1866 Charset Translation, emacs-mime, Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on
1867 the @sc{mule}-to-@acronym{MIME} translation process.
1869 @item message-signature-separator
1870 @vindex message-signature-separator
1871 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1874 @item mail-header-separator
1875 @vindex mail-header-separator
1876 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1877 follows this line--} by default.
1879 @item message-directory
1880 @vindex message-directory
1881 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1882 All other mail file variables are derived from @code{message-directory}.
1884 @item message-auto-save-directory
1885 @vindex message-auto-save-directory
1886 Directory where Message auto-saves buffers if Gnus isn't running. If
1887 @code{nil}, Message won't auto-save. The default is @file{~/Mail/drafts/}.
1889 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1890 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1891 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1892 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1894 @item message-setup-hook
1895 @vindex message-setup-hook
1896 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1897 but before yanked text is inserted.
1899 @item message-header-setup-hook
1900 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
1901 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
1903 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
1904 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
1905 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
1908 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
1909 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
1910 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
1911 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
1912 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
1913 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
1915 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
1916 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
1919 @item message-send-hook
1920 @vindex message-send-hook
1921 Hook run before sending messages.
1923 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
1924 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
1925 @findex message-add-header
1928 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
1929 (defun my-message-add-content ()
1930 (message-add-header "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense")
1931 (message-add-header "X-Whatever: no"))
1934 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
1936 @item message-send-mail-hook
1937 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
1938 Hook run before sending mail messages. This hook is run very late --
1939 just before the message is actually sent as mail.
1941 @item message-send-news-hook
1942 @vindex message-send-news-hook
1943 Hook run before sending news messages. This hook is run very late --
1944 just before the message is actually sent as news.
1946 @item message-sent-hook
1947 @vindex message-sent-hook
1948 Hook run after sending messages.
1950 @item message-cancel-hook
1951 @vindex message-cancel-hook
1952 Hook run when canceling news articles.
1954 @item message-mode-syntax-table
1955 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
1956 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
1958 @item message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
1959 @vindex message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
1960 If non-@code{nil}, don't strip quoted text from articles that have
1961 @samp{X-No-Archive} set. Even if this variable isn't set, you can
1962 undo the stripping by hitting the @code{undo} keystroke.
1964 @item message-strip-special-text-properties
1965 @vindex message-strip-special-text-properties
1966 Emacs has a number of special text properties which can break message
1967 composing in various ways. If this option is set, message will strip
1968 these properties from the message composition buffer. However, some
1969 packages requires these properties to be present in order to work. If
1970 you use one of these packages, turn this option off, and hope the
1971 message composition doesn't break too bad.
1973 @item message-send-method-alist
1974 @vindex message-send-method-alist
1976 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form
1979 (@var{type} @var{predicate} @var{function})
1984 A symbol that names the method.
1987 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
1988 message is a message of type @var{type}.
1991 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
1992 @var{function} is called with one parameter---the prefix.
1996 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
1997 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
2005 @node Sending Variables
2006 @section Sending Variables
2010 @item message-fcc-handler-function
2011 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
2012 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
2013 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
2014 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
2016 @item message-courtesy-message
2017 @vindex message-courtesy-message
2018 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
2019 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
2020 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
2021 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
2022 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
2023 an article\\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\\n\\n"}.
2025 @item message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2026 @vindex message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2027 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Fcc copies; if it is
2028 non-@code{nil}, attach local files as external parts.
2030 @item message-interactive
2031 @vindex message-interactive
2032 If non-@code{nil} wait for and display errors when sending a message;
2033 if @code{nil} let the mailer mail back a message to report errors.
2038 @node Message Buffers
2039 @section Message Buffers
2041 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
2042 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
2043 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
2044 message buffers are kept alive.
2047 @item message-generate-new-buffers
2048 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
2049 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
2050 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
2051 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
2052 The function should return the new buffer name.
2054 @item message-max-buffers
2055 @vindex message-max-buffers
2056 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
2057 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
2058 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
2059 will ever be killed.
2061 @item message-send-rename-function
2062 @vindex message-send-rename-function
2063 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
2064 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
2065 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
2066 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
2070 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
2073 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2074 @findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2075 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
2080 @node Message Actions
2081 @section Message Actions
2083 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
2084 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
2085 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
2088 @vindex message-kill-actions
2089 @vindex message-postpone-actions
2090 @vindex message-exit-actions
2091 @vindex message-send-actions
2092 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
2093 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
2094 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
2095 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
2096 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
2097 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
2098 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
2099 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
2101 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
2102 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
2103 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
2104 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
2108 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
2109 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
2112 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
2113 killed, postponed or exited.
2115 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
2116 @sc{car} is a function and the @sc{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
2117 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
2121 @chapter Compatibility
2122 @cindex compatibility
2124 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
2125 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
2126 into account, you can put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2129 (require 'messcompat)
2132 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
2133 corresponding mail variables.
2140 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
2147 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
2152 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
2153 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
2154 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
2165 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
2166 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
2167 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
2168 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
2172 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
2179 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
2180 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
2181 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
2185 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
2186 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
2197 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
2198 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is
2220 arch-tag: 16ab76af-a281-4e34-aed6-5624569f7601