1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Message 5.8.7 Manual
10 * Message: (message). Mail and news composition mode that goes with Gnus.
15 @setchapternewpage odd
19 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
21 Copyright (C) 1996,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
24 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
25 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
26 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
27 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
28 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
31 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
32 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
33 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
39 @title Message 5.8.7 Manual
41 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
44 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
45 Copyright @copyright{} 1996,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
47 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
48 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
49 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
50 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
51 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
52 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
55 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
56 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
57 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
66 All message composition from Gnus (both mail and news) takes place in
70 * Interface:: Setting up message buffers.
71 * Commands:: Commands you can execute in message mode buffers.
72 * Variables:: Customizing the message buffers.
73 * Compatibility:: Making Message backwards compatible.
74 * Appendices:: More technical things.
75 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
76 * Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
79 This manual corresponds to Message 5.8.7. Message is distributed with
80 the Gnus distribution bearing the same version number as this manual.
86 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message -- reply,
87 follow up, forward, cancel -- the program (or person) should just put
88 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
89 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
90 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
94 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
95 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
96 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
97 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
98 * Followup:: Following up via news.
99 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
100 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
101 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
102 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
103 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
107 @node New Mail Message
108 @section New Mail Message
111 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
113 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
114 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
115 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
118 @node New News Message
119 @section New News Message
122 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
124 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
125 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
126 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
132 @findex message-reply
133 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
134 reply to the message in the current buffer.
136 @vindex message-reply-to-function
137 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
138 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
139 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
141 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
142 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
145 (setq message-reply-to-function
147 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
148 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
153 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
156 As you can see, this function should return a string if it has an
157 opinion as to what the To header should be. If it does not, it should
158 just return @code{nil}, and the normal methods for determining the To
161 This function can also return a list. In that case, each list element
162 should be a cons, where the car should be the name of an header
163 (eg. @code{Cc}) and the cdr should be the header value
164 (eg. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be inserted into
165 the head of the outgoing mail.
171 @findex message-wide-reply
172 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
173 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
174 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
175 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
177 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
178 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
179 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
180 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
181 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
183 @findex message-dont-reply-to-names
184 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
185 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
191 @findex message-followup
192 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
193 followup to the message in the current buffer.
195 @vindex message-followup-to-function
196 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
197 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
198 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
199 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
201 @vindex message-use-followup-to
202 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
203 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
204 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
205 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
206 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
210 @section Canceling News
212 @findex message-cancel-news
213 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
220 @findex message-supersede
221 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
222 supersede the message in the current buffer.
224 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
225 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
226 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
227 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
228 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:}.
235 @findex message-forward
236 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
237 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
241 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
242 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
243 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
245 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
246 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
247 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
248 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
249 passed into each successive function.
251 The provided functions are:
254 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
255 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
256 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
259 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
260 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
263 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
264 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
265 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
266 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
267 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
268 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
270 @item message-forward-as-mime
271 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
272 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
273 included as inline MIME RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
274 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
275 non MIME-savvy versions of gnus would do.
282 @findex message-resend
283 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
284 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
286 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
287 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
288 be removed before sending the message. The default is
289 @samp{^Return-receipt}.
295 @findex message-bounce
296 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
297 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
298 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
299 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
302 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
303 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
304 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
305 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\):}.
312 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving to headers.
313 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
314 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
315 * MIME:: @sc{mime} considerations.
316 * Various Commands:: Various things.
317 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
318 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
322 @node Header Commands
323 @section Header Commands
325 All these commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't exist,
332 @findex message-goto-to
333 Describe the message mode.
337 @findex message-goto-to
338 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
342 @findex message-goto-bcc
343 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
347 @findex message-goto-fcc
348 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
352 @findex message-goto-cc
353 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
357 @findex message-goto-subject
358 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
362 @findex message-goto-reply-to
363 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
367 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
368 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
372 @findex message-goto-distribution
373 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
377 @findex message-goto-followup-to
378 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
382 @findex message-goto-keywords
383 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
387 @findex message-goto-summary
388 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
399 @findex message-goto-body
400 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
401 (@code{message-goto-body}).
405 @findex message-goto-signature
406 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
418 @findex message-yank-original
419 Yank the message that's being replied to into the message buffer
420 (@code{message-yank-original}).
424 @findex message-yank-buffer
425 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
426 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
430 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
431 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
432 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
433 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
434 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
439 @findex message-insert-signature
440 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
441 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
445 @findex message-insert-headers
446 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
451 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
452 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
453 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
454 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
457 @item message-citation-line-function
458 @vindex message-citation-line-function
459 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
460 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
464 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
467 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
470 @item message-yank-prefix
471 @vindex message-yank-prefix
474 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
475 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
476 @dfn{yanking}, and each quoted line you yank will have
477 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it. The default is @samp{> }.
479 @item message-indentation-spaces
480 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
481 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
483 @item message-cite-function
484 @vindex message-cite-function
485 @findex message-cite-original
486 @findex sc-cite-original
487 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
489 Function for citing an original message. The default is
490 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
491 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
492 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
493 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
496 @item message-indent-citation-function
497 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
498 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
499 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
500 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
501 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
503 @item message-signature
504 @vindex message-signature
505 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
506 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
507 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
508 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
509 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
511 @item message-signature-file
512 @vindex message-signature-file
513 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
514 The default is @samp{~/.signature}.
518 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
519 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
520 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
521 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
522 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
524 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
525 Including ASCII graphics is an efficient way to get everybody to believe
526 that you are silly and have nothing important to say.
536 Message is a @sc{mime}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
537 doesn't have to do anything to make the @sc{mime} happen---Message will
538 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
539 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
541 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
542 @sc{mime} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out. This can
543 be done with the @code{C-c C-a} command, which will prompt for a file
544 name and a @sc{mime} type.
546 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the MML
547 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
551 @node Various Commands
552 @section Various Commands
558 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
559 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
560 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
561 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
562 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
566 @findex message-elide-region
567 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
568 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
569 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
574 @findex message-kill-to-signature
575 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
576 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
580 @findex message-delete-not-region
581 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
582 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
586 @kindex message-newline-and-reformat
587 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
592 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
595 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
598 > This is some quoted text.
602 > And here's more quoted text.
605 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
609 @findex message-insert-to
610 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
611 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
612 (@code{message-insert-to}).
616 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
617 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
618 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
619 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
623 @findex message-rename-buffer
624 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
625 prompt for a new buffer name.
636 @findex message-send-and-exit
637 Send the message and bury the current buffer
638 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
643 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
647 @findex message-dont-send
648 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
652 @findex message-kill-buffer
653 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
660 @section Mail Aliases
664 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
665 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
666 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
667 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
668 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
670 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
671 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
674 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
675 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
678 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
679 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
680 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
682 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
683 expansions have to be done explicitly.
691 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
692 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
693 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
694 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
695 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
696 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
697 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
698 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
699 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
703 @node Message Headers
704 @section Message Headers
706 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
707 be -- it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
708 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
709 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
710 look sufficiently similar.
714 @item message-generate-headers-first
715 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
716 If non-@code{nil}, generate all headers before starting to compose the
719 @item message-from-style
720 @vindex message-from-style
721 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
726 Just the address -- @samp{king@@grassland.com}.
729 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
732 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
735 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
736 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
737 @code{angles} anyway.
741 @item message-deletable-headers
742 @vindex message-deletable-headers
743 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
744 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
745 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
746 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
747 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
748 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
749 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
750 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
753 @item message-default-headers
754 @vindex message-default-headers
755 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
758 @item message-subject-re-regexp
759 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
760 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
761 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but in
762 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
763 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
764 to use abonimations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
765 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
766 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
767 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
768 just throw away non-compliant mail.
770 @item message-alternative-emails
771 @vindex message-alternative-emails
772 A regexp to match the alternative email addresses. The first matched
773 address (not primary one) is used in the @code{From} field.
779 @section Mail Headers
782 @item message-required-mail-headers
783 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
784 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
785 @code{(From Date Subject (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID Lines
786 (optional . X-Mailer))} by default.
788 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
789 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
790 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is
791 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:}.
793 @item message-default-mail-headers
794 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
795 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
796 buffers that are initialized as mail.
802 @section Mail Variables
805 @item message-send-mail-function
806 @vindex message-send-mail-function
807 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
808 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}. If you prefer using MH
809 instead, set this variable to @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}.
811 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
812 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
813 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
814 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
815 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
816 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
823 @section News Headers
825 @vindex message-required-news-headers
826 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
827 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
828 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
834 @findex user-full-name
835 @findex user-mail-address
836 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
837 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
838 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
839 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
843 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
847 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
848 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
852 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
853 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
854 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
855 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
856 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
857 parameters and should return a string to be used).
861 This optional header will be computed by Message.
865 @vindex mail-host-address
868 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
869 created based on the date, time, user name and system name. Message
870 will use @code{system-name} to determine the name of the system. If
871 this isn't a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), Message will use
872 @code{mail-host-address} as the FQDN of the machine.
876 This optional header will be filled out according to the
877 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
880 This optional header will be filled out according to the
881 @code{message-mailer} local variable, unless there already is an
882 @code{X-Newsreader} header present.
885 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
886 header of the article being replied to.
890 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
891 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
892 be used unless you know what you're doing.
896 This optional header is filled out according to the
897 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
898 much misunderstood header.
902 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
903 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
904 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
905 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
906 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
907 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
908 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
913 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The car of this cons
914 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
915 the cdr can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
916 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
917 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
918 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
919 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
920 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
921 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
923 If the list contains a cons where the car of the cons is
924 @code{optional}, the cdr of this cons will only be inserted if it is
927 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
931 @item message-syntax-checks
932 @vindex message-syntax-checks
933 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
934 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
937 (signature . disabled)
946 Check the subject for commands.
949 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
950 @item multiple-headers
951 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
954 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
956 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
958 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
961 Check for too long lines.
963 Check for invalid characters.
965 Check for excessive size.
967 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
969 Check the length of the signature.
972 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
973 something only moderators should include.
975 Check whether the article is empty.
977 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
979 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
980 @item existing-newsgroups
981 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
982 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
983 @item valid-newsgroups
984 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
985 are valid syntactically.
986 @item repeated-newsgroups
987 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
988 contains repeated group names.
989 @item shorten-followup-to
990 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
991 of groups to post to.
994 All these conditions are checked by default.
996 @item message-ignored-news-headers
997 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
998 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
999 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:}.
1001 @item message-default-news-headers
1002 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1003 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1004 buffers that are initialized as news.
1009 @node News Variables
1010 @section News Variables
1013 @item message-send-news-function
1014 @vindex message-send-news-function
1015 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1016 @code{message-send-news}.
1018 @item message-post-method
1019 @vindex message-post-method
1020 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1021 posting a prepared news message.
1026 @node Various Message Variables
1027 @section Various Message Variables
1030 @item message-default-charset
1031 @vindex message-default-charset
1033 Symbol naming a @sc{mime} charset. Non-ASCII characters in messages are
1034 assumed to be encoded using this charset. The default is @code{nil},
1035 which means ask the user. (This variable is used only on non-@sc{mule}
1037 @xref{Charset Translation, , Charset Translation, emacs-mime,
1038 Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on the @sc{mule}-to-@sc{mime}
1039 translation process.
1041 @item message-signature-separator
1042 @vindex message-signature-separator
1043 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1046 @item mail-header-separator
1047 @vindex mail-header-separator
1048 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1049 follows this line--} by default.
1051 @item message-directory
1052 @vindex message-directory
1053 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1055 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1056 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1057 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1058 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1060 @item message-setup-hook
1061 @vindex message-setup-hook
1062 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1063 but before yanked text is inserted.
1065 @item message-header-setup-hook
1066 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
1067 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
1069 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
1070 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
1071 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
1074 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
1075 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
1076 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
1077 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
1078 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
1079 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
1081 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
1082 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
1085 @item message-send-hook
1086 @vindex message-send-hook
1087 Hook run before sending messages.
1089 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
1090 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
1091 @findex message-add-header
1094 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
1095 (defun my-message-add-content ()
1097 "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense"
1101 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
1103 @item message-send-mail-hook
1104 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
1105 Hook run before sending mail messages.
1107 @item message-send-news-hook
1108 @vindex message-send-news-hook
1109 Hook run before sending news messages.
1111 @item message-sent-hook
1112 @vindex message-sent-hook
1113 Hook run after sending messages.
1115 @item message-mode-syntax-table
1116 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
1117 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
1119 @item message-send-method-alist
1120 @vindex message-send-method-alist
1122 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form
1125 (TYPE PREDICATE FUNCTION)
1130 A symbol that names the method.
1133 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
1134 message is a message of type @var{type}.
1137 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
1138 @var{function} is called with one parameter -- the prefix.
1142 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
1143 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
1152 @node Sending Variables
1153 @section Sending Variables
1157 @item message-fcc-handler-function
1158 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
1159 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
1160 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
1161 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
1163 @item message-courtesy-message
1164 @vindex message-courtesy-message
1165 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
1166 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
1167 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
1168 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
1169 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
1170 an article\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\n\n"}.
1175 @node Message Buffers
1176 @section Message Buffers
1178 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
1179 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
1180 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
1181 message buffers are kept alive.
1184 @item message-generate-new-buffers
1185 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
1186 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
1187 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
1188 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
1189 The function should return the new buffer name.
1191 @item message-max-buffers
1192 @vindex message-max-buffers
1193 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
1194 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
1195 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
1196 will ever be killed.
1198 @item message-send-rename-function
1199 @vindex message-send-rename-function
1200 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
1201 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
1202 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
1203 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
1207 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
1210 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
1211 @findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
1212 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
1217 @node Message Actions
1218 @section Message Actions
1220 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
1221 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
1222 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
1225 @vindex message-kill-actions
1226 @vindex message-postpone-actions
1227 @vindex message-exit-actions
1228 @vindex message-send-actions
1229 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
1230 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
1231 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
1232 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
1233 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
1234 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
1235 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
1236 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
1238 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
1239 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
1240 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
1241 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
1245 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
1246 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
1249 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
1250 killed, postponed or exited.
1252 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
1253 @code{car} is a function and the @code{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
1254 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
1258 @chapter Compatibility
1259 @cindex compatibility
1261 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
1262 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
1263 into account, you can put the following in your @code{.emacs} file:
1266 (require 'messcompat)
1269 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
1270 corresponding mail variables.
1277 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
1284 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
1289 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
1290 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
1291 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
1302 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
1303 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
1304 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
1305 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
1309 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
1316 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
1317 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
1318 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
1322 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
1323 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
1334 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
1335 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is