1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Pterodactyl Message 0.98 Manual
9 @c * Message: (message). Mail and news composition mode that goes with Gnus.
14 @setchapternewpage odd
18 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
20 Copyright (C) 1996,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
23 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
24 are preserved on all copies.
27 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
28 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
29 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
30 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
33 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
34 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
35 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
36 permission notice identical to this one.
38 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
39 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
45 @title Pterodactyl Message 0.98 Manual
47 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
50 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
51 Copyright @copyright{} 1996,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
53 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
54 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
55 are preserved on all copies.
57 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
58 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
59 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
60 permission notice identical to this one.
62 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
63 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
73 All message composition from Gnus (both mail and news) takes place in
77 * Interface:: Setting up message buffers.
78 * Commands:: Commands you can execute in message mode buffers.
79 * Variables:: Customizing the message buffers.
80 * Compatibility:: Making Message backwards compatible.
81 * Appendices:: More technical things.
82 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
83 * Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
86 This manual corresponds to Pterodactyl Message 0.98. Message is
87 distributed with the Gnus distribution bearing the same version number
94 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message -- reply,
95 follow up, forward, cancel -- the program (or person) should just put
96 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
97 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
98 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
102 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
103 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
104 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
105 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
106 * Followup:: Following up via news.
107 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
108 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
109 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
110 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
111 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
115 @node New Mail Message
116 @section New Mail Message
119 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
121 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
122 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
123 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
126 @node New News Message
127 @section New News Message
130 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
132 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
133 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
134 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
140 @findex message-reply
141 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
142 reply to the message in the current buffer.
144 @vindex message-reply-to-function
145 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
146 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
147 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
149 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
150 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
153 (setq message-reply-to-function
155 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
156 (mail-fetch-field "sender"))
161 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
164 As you can see, this function should return a string if it has an
165 opinion as to what the To header should be. If it does not, it should
166 just return @code{nil}, and the normal methods for determining the To
169 This function can also return a list. In that case, each list element
170 should be a cons, where the car should be the name of an header
171 (eg. @code{Cc}) and the cdr should be the header value
172 (eg. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be inserted into
173 the head of the outgoing mail.
179 @findex message-wide-reply
180 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
181 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
182 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
183 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
185 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
186 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
187 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
188 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
189 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
191 @findex message-dont-reply-to-names
192 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
193 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
199 @findex message-followup
200 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
201 followup to the message in the current buffer.
203 @vindex message-followup-to-function
204 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
205 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
206 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
207 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
209 @vindex message-use-followup-to
210 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
211 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
212 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
213 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
214 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
218 @section Canceling News
220 @findex message-cancel-news
221 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
228 @findex message-supersede
229 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
230 supersede the message in the current buffer.
232 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
233 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
234 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
235 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
236 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:}.
243 @findex message-forward
244 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
245 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
249 @item message-ignored-forward-headers
250 @vindex message-ignored-forward-headers
251 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
253 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
254 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
255 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
256 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
257 passed into each successive function.
259 The provided functions are:
262 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
263 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
264 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
267 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
268 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
271 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
272 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
273 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
274 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
275 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
276 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
284 @findex message-resend
285 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
286 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
288 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
289 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
290 be removed before sending the message. The default is
291 @samp{^Return-receipt}.
297 @findex message-bounce
298 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
299 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
300 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
301 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
304 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
305 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
306 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
307 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\):}.
314 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving to headers.
315 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
316 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
317 * MIME:: @sc{mime} considerations.
318 * Various Commands:: Various things.
319 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
320 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
324 @node Header Commands
325 @section Header Commands
327 All these commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't exist,
334 @findex message-goto-to
335 Describe the message mode.
339 @findex message-goto-to
340 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
344 @findex message-goto-bcc
345 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
349 @findex message-goto-fcc
350 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
354 @findex message-goto-cc
355 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
359 @findex message-goto-subject
360 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
364 @findex message-goto-reply-to
365 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
369 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
370 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
374 @findex message-goto-distribution
375 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
379 @findex message-goto-followup-to
380 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
384 @findex message-goto-keywords
385 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
389 @findex message-goto-summary
390 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
401 @findex message-goto-body
402 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
403 (@code{message-goto-body}).
407 @findex message-goto-signature
408 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
420 @findex message-yank-original
421 Yank the message that's being replied to into the message buffer
422 (@code{message-yank-original}).
426 @findex message-yank-buffer
427 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
428 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
432 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
433 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
434 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
435 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
436 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
441 @findex message-insert-signature
442 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
443 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
447 @findex message-insert-headers
448 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
453 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
454 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
455 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
456 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
459 @item message-citation-line-function
460 @vindex message-citation-line-function
461 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
462 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
466 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
469 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
472 @item message-yank-prefix
473 @vindex message-yank-prefix
476 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
477 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
478 @dfn{yanking}, and each quoted line you yank will have
479 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it. The default is @samp{> }.
481 @item message-indentation-spaces
482 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
483 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
485 @item message-cite-function
486 @vindex message-cite-function
487 @findex message-cite-original
488 @findex sc-cite-original
489 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
491 Function for citing an original message. The default is
492 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
493 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
494 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
495 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
498 @item message-indent-citation-function
499 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
500 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
501 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
502 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
503 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
505 @item message-signature
506 @vindex message-signature
507 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
508 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
509 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
510 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
511 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
513 @item message-signature-file
514 @vindex message-signature-file
515 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
516 The default is @samp{~/.signature}.
520 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
521 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
522 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
523 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
524 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
526 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
527 Including ASCII graphics is an efficient way to get everybody to believe
528 that you are silly and have nothing important to say.
538 Message is a @sc{mime}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
539 doesn't have to do anything to make the @sc{mime} happen---Message will
540 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
541 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
543 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
544 @sc{mime} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out. This can
545 be done with the @code{C-c C-a} command, which will prompt for a file
546 name and a @sc{mime} type.
548 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the MML
549 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
553 @node Various Commands
554 @section Various Commands
560 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
561 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
562 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
563 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
564 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
568 @findex message-elide-region
569 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
570 The text is killed and an ellipsis (@samp{[...]}) will be inserted in
575 @findex message-kill-to-signature
576 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
577 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
581 @findex message-delete-not-region
582 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
583 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
587 @kindex message-newline-and-reformat
588 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
593 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
596 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
599 > This is some quoted text.
603 > And here's more quoted text.
606 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
610 @findex message-insert-to
611 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
612 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
613 (@code{message-insert-to}).
617 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
618 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
619 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
620 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
624 @findex message-rename-buffer
625 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
626 prompt for a new buffer name.
637 @findex message-send-and-exit
638 Send the message and bury the current buffer
639 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
644 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
648 @findex message-dont-send
649 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
653 @findex message-kill-buffer
654 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
661 @section Mail Aliases
665 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
666 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
667 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
668 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
669 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
671 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
672 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
675 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
676 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
679 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
680 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
681 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
683 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
684 expansions have to be done explicitly.
692 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
693 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
694 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
695 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
696 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
697 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
698 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
699 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
700 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
704 @node Message Headers
705 @section Message Headers
707 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
708 be -- it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
709 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
710 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
711 look sufficiently similar.
715 @item message-generate-headers-first
716 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
717 If non-@code{nil}, generate all headers before starting to compose the
720 @item message-from-style
721 @vindex message-from-style
722 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
727 Just the address -- @samp{king@@grassland.com}.
730 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
733 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
736 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
737 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
738 @code{angles} anyway.
742 @item message-deletable-headers
743 @vindex message-deletable-headers
744 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
745 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
746 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
747 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
748 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
749 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
750 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
751 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
754 @item message-default-headers
755 @vindex message-default-headers
756 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
759 @item message-subject-re-regexp
760 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
761 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
762 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but in
763 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
764 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
765 to use abonimations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
766 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
767 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
768 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
769 just throw away non-compliant mail.
775 @section Mail Headers
778 @item message-required-mail-headers
779 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
780 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
781 @code{(From Date Subject (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID Lines
782 (optional . X-Mailer))} by default.
784 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
785 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
786 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is
787 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:}.
789 @item message-default-mail-headers
790 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
791 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
792 buffers that are initialized as mail.
798 @section Mail Variables
801 @item message-send-mail-function
802 @vindex message-send-mail-function
803 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
804 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}. If you prefer using MH
805 instead, set this variable to @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}.
807 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
808 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
809 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
810 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
811 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
812 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
819 @section News Headers
821 @vindex message-required-news-headers
822 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
823 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
824 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
830 @findex user-full-name
831 @findex user-mail-address
832 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
833 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
834 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
835 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
839 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
843 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
844 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
848 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
849 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
850 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
851 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
852 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
853 parameters and should return a string to be used).
857 This optional header will be computed by Message.
861 @vindex mail-host-address
864 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
865 created based on the date, time, user name and system name. Message
866 will use @code{system-name} to determine the name of the system. If
867 this isn't a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), Message will use
868 @code{mail-host-address} as the FQDN of the machine.
872 This optional header will be filled out according to the
873 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
876 This optional header will be filled out according to the
877 @code{message-mailer} local variable, unless there already is an
878 @code{X-Newsreader} header present.
881 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
882 header of the article being replied to.
886 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
887 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
888 be used unless you know what you're doing.
892 This optional header is filled out according to the
893 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
894 much misunderstood header.
898 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
899 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
900 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
901 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
902 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
903 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
904 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
909 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The car of this cons
910 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
911 the cdr can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
912 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
913 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
914 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
915 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
916 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
917 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
919 If the list contains a cons where the car of the cons is
920 @code{optional}, the cdr of this cons will only be inserted if it is
923 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
927 @item message-syntax-checks
928 @vindex message-syntax-checks
929 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
930 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
933 (signature . disabled)
942 Check the subject for commands.
945 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
946 @item multiple-headers
947 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
950 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
952 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
954 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
957 Check for too long lines.
959 Check for invalid characters.
961 Check for excessive size.
963 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
965 Check the length of the signature.
968 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
969 something only moderators should include.
971 Check whether the article is empty.
973 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
975 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
976 @item existing-newsgroups
977 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
978 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
979 @item valid-newsgroups
980 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
981 are valid syntactically.
982 @item repeated-newsgroups
983 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
984 contains repeated group names.
985 @item shorten-followup-to
986 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
987 of groups to post to.
990 All these conditions are checked by default.
992 @item message-ignored-news-headers
993 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
994 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
995 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:}.
997 @item message-default-news-headers
998 @vindex message-default-news-headers
999 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1000 buffers that are initialized as news.
1005 @node News Variables
1006 @section News Variables
1009 @item message-send-news-function
1010 @vindex message-send-news-function
1011 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1012 @code{message-send-news}.
1014 @item message-post-method
1015 @vindex message-post-method
1016 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1017 posting a prepared news message.
1022 @node Various Message Variables
1023 @section Various Message Variables
1026 @item message-signature-separator
1027 @vindex message-signature-separator
1028 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1031 @item mail-header-separator
1032 @vindex mail-header-separator
1033 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1034 follows this line--} by default.
1036 @item message-directory
1037 @vindex message-directory
1038 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1040 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1041 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1042 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1043 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1045 @item message-setup-hook
1046 @vindex message-setup-hook
1047 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1048 but before yanked text is inserted.
1050 @item message-header-setup-hook
1051 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
1052 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
1054 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
1055 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
1056 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
1059 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
1060 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
1061 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
1062 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
1063 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
1064 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
1066 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
1067 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
1070 @item message-send-hook
1071 @vindex message-send-hook
1072 Hook run before sending messages.
1074 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
1075 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
1076 @findex message-add-header
1079 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
1080 (defun my-message-add-content ()
1082 "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense"
1086 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
1088 @item message-send-mail-hook
1089 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
1090 Hook run before sending mail messages.
1092 @item message-send-news-hook
1093 @vindex message-send-news-hook
1094 Hook run before sending news messages.
1096 @item message-sent-hook
1097 @vindex message-sent-hook
1098 Hook run after sending messages.
1100 @item message-mode-syntax-table
1101 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
1102 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
1104 @item message-send-method-alist
1105 @vindex message-send-method-alist
1107 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form
1110 (TYPE PREDICATE FUNCTION)
1115 A symbol that names the method.
1118 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
1119 message is a message of type @var{type}.
1122 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
1123 @var{function} is called with one parameter -- the prefix.
1127 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
1128 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
1137 @node Sending Variables
1138 @section Sending Variables
1142 @item message-fcc-handler-function
1143 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
1144 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
1145 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
1146 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
1148 @item message-courtesy-message
1149 @vindex message-courtesy-message
1150 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
1151 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
1152 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
1153 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
1154 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
1155 an article\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\n\n"}.
1160 @node Message Buffers
1161 @section Message Buffers
1163 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
1164 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
1165 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
1166 message buffers are kept alive.
1169 @item message-generate-new-buffers
1170 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
1171 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
1172 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
1173 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
1174 The function should return the new buffer name.
1176 @item message-max-buffers
1177 @vindex message-max-buffers
1178 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
1179 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
1180 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
1181 will ever be killed.
1183 @item message-send-rename-function
1184 @vindex message-send-rename-function
1185 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
1186 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
1187 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
1188 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
1192 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
1195 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
1196 @findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
1197 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
1202 @node Message Actions
1203 @section Message Actions
1205 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
1206 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
1207 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
1210 @vindex message-kill-actions
1211 @vindex message-postpone-actions
1212 @vindex message-exit-actions
1213 @vindex message-send-actions
1214 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
1215 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
1216 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
1217 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
1218 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
1219 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
1220 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
1221 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
1223 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
1224 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
1225 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
1226 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
1230 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
1231 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
1234 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
1235 killed, postponed or exited.
1237 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
1238 @code{car} is a function and the @code{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
1239 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
1243 @chapter Compatibility
1244 @cindex compatibility
1246 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
1247 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
1248 into account, you can put the following in your @code{.emacs} file:
1251 (require 'messcompat)
1254 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
1255 corresponding mail variables.
1262 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
1269 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
1274 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
1275 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
1276 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
1287 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
1288 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
1289 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
1290 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
1294 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
1301 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
1302 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
1303 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
1307 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
1308 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
1319 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
1320 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is