+@findex mml-to-mime
+An @acronym{MML} message can be converted back to @acronym{MIME} by the
+@code{mml-to-mime} function.
+
+These functions are in certain senses ``lossy''---you will not get back
+an identical message if you run @code{mime-to-mml} and then
+@code{mml-to-mime}. Not only will trivial things like the order of the
+headers differ, but the contents of the headers may also be different.
+For instance, the original message may use base64 encoding on text,
+while @code{mml-to-mime} may decide to use quoted-printable encoding, and
+so on.
+
+In essence, however, these two functions should be the inverse of each
+other. The resulting contents of the message should remain equivalent,
+if not identical.
+
+
+@node Flowed text
+@section Flowed text
+@cindex format=flowed
+
+The Emacs @acronym{MIME} library will respect the @code{use-hard-newlines}
+variable (@pxref{Hard and Soft Newlines, ,Hard and Soft Newlines,
+emacs, Emacs Manual}) when encoding a message, and the
+``format=flowed'' Content-Type parameter when decoding a message.
+
+On encoding text, regardless of @code{use-hard-newlines}, lines
+terminated by soft newline characters are filled together and wrapped
+after the column decided by @code{fill-flowed-encode-column}.
+Quotation marks (matching @samp{^>* ?}) are respected. The variable
+controls how the text will look in a client that does not support
+flowed text, the default is to wrap after 66 characters. If hard
+newline characters are not present in the buffer, no flow encoding
+occurs.
+
+On decoding flowed text, lines with soft newline characters are filled
+together and wrapped after the column decided by
+@code{fill-flowed-display-column}. The default is to wrap after
+@code{fill-column}.
+
+
+
+
+@node Interface Functions
+@chapter Interface Functions
+@cindex interface functions
+@cindex mail-parse
+
+The @code{mail-parse} library is an abstraction over the actual
+low-level libraries that are described in the next chapter.
+
+Standards change, and so programs have to change to fit in the new
+mold. For instance, RFC2045 describes a syntax for the
+@code{Content-Type} header that only allows @acronym{ASCII} characters in the
+parameter list. RFC2231 expands on RFC2045 syntax to provide a scheme
+for continuation headers and non-@acronym{ASCII} characters.
+
+The traditional way to deal with this is just to update the library
+functions to parse the new syntax. However, this is sometimes the wrong
+thing to do. In some instances it may be vital to be able to understand
+both the old syntax as well as the new syntax, and if there is only one
+library, one must choose between the old version of the library and the
+new version of the library.
+
+The Emacs @acronym{MIME} library takes a different tack. It defines a
+series of low-level libraries (@file{rfc2047.el}, @file{rfc2231.el}
+and so on) that parses strictly according to the corresponding
+standard. However, normal programs would not use the functions
+provided by these libraries directly, but instead use the functions
+provided by the @code{mail-parse} library. The functions in this
+library are just aliases to the corresponding functions in the latest
+low-level libraries. Using this scheme, programs get a consistent
+interface they can use, and library developers are free to create
+write code that handles new standards.
+
+The following functions are defined by this library: