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, 2005
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 list. In this case, it
150 returns @code{((To . "Whom"))} if it has an opinion as to what the To
151 header should be. If it does not, it should just return @code{nil}, and
152 the normal methods for determining the To header will be used.
154 Each list element should be a cons, where the @sc{car} should be the
155 name of a header (e.g. @code{Cc}) and the @sc{cdr} should be the header
156 value (e.g. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be
157 inserted into the head of the outgoing mail.
163 @findex message-wide-reply
164 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
165 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
166 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
167 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
169 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
170 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
171 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
172 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
173 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
175 @vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
176 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
177 expression will be removed from the @code{Cc} header.
179 @vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
180 If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
181 will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
182 recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
187 @findex message-followup
188 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
189 followup to the message in the current buffer.
191 @vindex message-followup-to-function
192 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
193 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
194 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
195 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
197 @vindex message-use-followup-to
198 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
199 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
200 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
201 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
202 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
206 @section Canceling News
208 @findex message-cancel-news
209 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
212 @vindex message-cancel-message
213 The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
214 the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
218 @vindex message-insert-canlock
220 When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
221 headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
222 only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
223 is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
224 stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
225 automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
226 able to cancel your message. If you want to manage a password yourself,
227 you can put something like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
230 (setq canlock-password "geheimnis"
231 canlock-password-for-verify canlock-password)
234 Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
235 @code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
237 Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
238 this is expected to change in the future.
244 @findex message-supersede
245 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
246 supersede the message in the current buffer.
248 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
249 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
250 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
251 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
252 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:}.
259 @findex message-forward
260 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
261 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
265 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
266 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
267 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
269 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
270 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
271 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
272 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
273 passed into each successive function.
275 The provided functions are:
278 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
279 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
280 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
283 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
284 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
287 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
288 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
289 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
290 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
291 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
292 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
294 @item message-forward-as-mime
295 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
296 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
297 included as inline @acronym{MIME} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
298 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
299 non @acronym{MIME}-savvy versions of Gnus would do.
301 @item message-forward-before-signature
302 @vindex message-forward-before-signature
303 If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
311 @findex message-resend
312 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
313 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
315 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
316 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
317 be removed before sending the message.
323 @findex message-bounce
324 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
325 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
326 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
327 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
330 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
331 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
332 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
333 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\):}.
337 @section Mailing Lists
339 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
340 Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
341 followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
342 was created to enable just this. Two example scenarios where this is
347 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
348 sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
349 if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
352 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
353 sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
354 is not subscribed to the list.
357 If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
358 to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
359 discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
360 and very difficult to follow.
364 Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
365 up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
366 sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
369 @c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
370 @c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
373 @c @node Composing with a MFT header
374 @subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
376 The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
377 in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
378 addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
379 way. The following variables would come in handy.
383 @vindex message-subscribed-addresses
384 @item message-subscribed-addresses
385 This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
386 default value is @code{nil}. Example:
388 (setq message-subscribed-addresses
389 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
392 @vindex message-subscribed-regexps
393 @item message-subscribed-regexps
394 This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
395 lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
396 want to achieve the same result as above:
398 (setq message-subscribed-regexps
399 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
402 @vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
403 @item message-subscribed-address-functions
404 This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
405 determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
406 functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
408 There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
409 this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
410 that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
411 the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{Group Parameters, ,Group Parameters,
412 gnus, The Gnus Manual}) group parameter set to a non-@code{nil} value.
413 This is how you would do it.
416 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
417 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
420 @vindex message-subscribed-address-file
421 @item message-subscribed-address-file
422 You might be one organised human freak and have a list of addresses of
423 all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
424 set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
428 You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
429 ``added'' in some way that works :-)
431 Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
432 And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
433 MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
434 MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
435 in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
436 automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
437 per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
438 addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
439 is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
440 address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
441 other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
444 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
446 @findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
447 Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
448 subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
449 is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
450 MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
451 to-address group parameter.) The function
452 @code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
453 handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
454 can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
455 (@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
457 @c @node Honoring an MFT post
458 @subsection Honoring an MFT post
460 @vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
461 When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
462 header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
463 @code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
467 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
468 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
471 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
474 Gnus will prompt you for an action.
478 It is considered good netiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
479 fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
486 * Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
487 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
488 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
489 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
490 * MIME:: @acronym{MIME} considerations.
491 * IDNA:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name considerations.
492 * Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
493 * Various Commands:: Various things.
494 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
495 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
496 * Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
501 @section Buffer Entry
505 You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
506 message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
507 may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
508 which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
509 but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
510 Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
511 takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
512 times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
515 @node Header Commands
516 @section Header Commands
518 @subsection Commands for moving to headers
520 These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
521 exist, it will be inserted.
527 @findex describe-mode
528 Describe the message mode.
532 @findex message-goto-to
533 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
537 @findex message-goto-from
538 Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
539 in the key binding is for Originator.)
543 @findex message-goto-bcc
544 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
548 @findex message-goto-fcc
549 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
553 @findex message-goto-cc
554 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
558 @findex message-goto-subject
559 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
563 @findex message-goto-reply-to
564 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
568 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
569 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
573 @findex message-goto-distribution
574 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
578 @findex message-goto-followup-to
579 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
583 @findex message-goto-keywords
584 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
588 @findex message-goto-summary
589 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
593 @findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
594 This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
595 @samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
596 message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
597 buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
598 1376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
602 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
603 Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
604 (@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
605 unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
606 not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
607 by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
608 own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
609 fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
610 buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
612 If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-@code{nil}, the
613 addresses in the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the
614 @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header.
618 @subsection Commands to change headers
624 @findex message-sort-headers
625 @vindex message-header-format-alist
626 Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
627 (@code{message-sort-headers}).
631 @findex message-insert-to
632 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
633 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
634 (@code{message-insert-to}).
638 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
639 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
640 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
641 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
645 @findex message-to-list-only
646 Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
647 address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
651 @findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
652 Insert a request for a disposition
653 notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
654 This means that if the recipient support RFC 2298 she might send you a
655 notification that she received the message.
657 @item M-x message-insert-importance-high
658 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
659 @findex message-insert-importance-high
661 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
662 deleting headers if necessary.
664 @item M-x message-insert-importance-low
665 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
666 @findex message-insert-importance-low
668 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
669 headers if necessary.
673 @findex message-change-subject
675 Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
676 header and append @samp{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
677 stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
678 (@pxref{Message Headers}).
682 @findex message-cross-post-followup-to
683 @vindex message-cross-post-default
686 Ask for an additional @samp{Newsgroups} and @samp{FollowUp-To} for a
687 cross-post. @code{message-cross-post-followup-to} mangles
688 @samp{FollowUp-To} and @samp{Newsgroups} header to point to group.
689 If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if called with a
690 prefix-argument @samp{Follow-Up} is set, but the message is not
695 @findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
696 Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
701 @findex message-insert-wide-reply
702 Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
707 @findex message-add-archive-header
708 @vindex message-archive-header
709 @vindex message-archive-note
711 Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
712 The header and the note can be customized using
713 @code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
714 called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
715 want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
727 @findex message-goto-body
728 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
729 (@code{message-goto-body}).
733 @findex message-goto-signature
734 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
738 @findex message-beginning-of-line
739 @vindex message-beginning-of-line
740 If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
741 beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
742 name and the colon.) This behaviour can be disabled by toggling
743 the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
755 @findex message-yank-original
756 Yank the message that's being replied to into the message buffer
757 (@code{message-yank-original}).
761 @findex message-yank-buffer
762 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
763 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
767 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
768 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
769 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
770 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
771 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
776 @findex message-insert-signature
777 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
778 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
782 @findex message-insert-headers
783 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
787 @findex message-mark-inserted-region
788 Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags.
789 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
793 @findex message-mark-insert-file
794 Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
795 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
807 Message is a @acronym{MIME}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
808 doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{MIME} happen---Message will
809 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
810 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
812 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
813 @acronym{MIME} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out.
814 This can be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command, which will prompt for
815 a file name and a @acronym{MIME} type. If your Emacs supports drag
816 and drop, you can also drop the file in the Message buffer.
818 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the @acronym{MML}
819 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
825 @cindex internationalized domain names
826 @cindex non-ascii domain names
828 Message is a @acronym{IDNA}-compliant posting agent. The user
829 generally doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{IDNA}
830 happen---Message will encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in @code{From},
831 @code{To}, and @code{Cc} headers automatically.
833 Until @acronym{IDNA} becomes more well known, Message queries you
834 whether @acronym{IDNA} encoding of the domain name really should
835 occur. Some users might not be aware that domain names can contain
836 non-@acronym{ASCII} now, so this gives them a safety net if they accidently
837 typed a non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name.
839 @vindex message-use-idna
840 The @code{message-use-idna} variable control whether @acronym{IDNA} is
841 used. If the variable is @code{nil} no @acronym{IDNA} encoding will
842 ever happen, if it is set to the symbol @code{ask} the user will be
843 queried (the default), and if set to @code{t} @acronym{IDNA} encoding
844 happens automatically.
846 @findex message-idna-to-ascii-rhs
847 If you want to experiment with the @acronym{IDNA} encoding, you can
848 invoke @kbd{M-x message-idna-to-ascii-rhs RET} in the message buffer
849 to have the non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names encoded while you edit the message.
851 Note that you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU
852 Libidn} installed in order to use this functionality.
864 Using the @acronym{MML} language, Message is able to create digitally
865 signed and digitally encrypted messages. Message (or rather
866 @acronym{MML}) currently support @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991),
867 @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME}. Instructing
868 @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a @acronym{MIME} part is
869 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m
870 c} key map for encryption, as follows.
876 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
878 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
882 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
884 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
888 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
890 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
894 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
896 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
900 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
902 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
906 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
908 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
912 @findex mml-unsecure-message
913 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
917 These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
918 merely insert the proper @acronym{MML} secure tag to instruct the
919 @acronym{MML} engine to perform that operation when the message is
920 actually sent. They may perform other operations too, such as locating
921 and retrieving a @acronym{S/MIME} certificate of the person you wish to
922 send encrypted mail to. When the mml parsing engine converts your
923 @acronym{MML} into a properly encoded @acronym{MIME} message, the secure
924 tag will be replaced with either a part or a multipart tag. If your
925 message contains other mml parts, a multipart tag will be used; if no
926 other parts are present in your message a single part tag will be used.
927 This way, message mode will do the Right Thing (TM) with
928 signed/encrypted multipart messages.
930 Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
931 information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
932 mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
933 sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
934 using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
935 verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
936 whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
937 party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
939 @emph{Note!} Neither @acronym{PGP/MIME} nor @acronym{S/MIME} encrypt/signs
940 RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @acronym{MIME} object. Keep this
941 in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
943 By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the
944 ``signencrypt'' mode, which means the message is both signed and
945 encrypted. If you would like to disable this for a particular
946 message, give the @code{mml-secure-message-encrypt-*} command a prefix
947 argument, e.g., @kbd{C-u C-c C-m c p}.
949 Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
950 least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
951 other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
952 programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
954 @subsection Using S/MIME
956 @emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
957 modern cryptography, @acronym{S/MIME}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
960 The @acronym{S/MIME} support in Message (and @acronym{MML}) require
961 OpenSSL. OpenSSL performs the actual @acronym{S/MIME} sign/encrypt
962 operations. OpenSSL can be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}.
963 OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail
964 addresses from certificates, and it insert a spurious CR character into
965 @acronym{MIME} separators so you may wish to avoid it if you would like
966 to avoid being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by
967 sending @acronym{S/MIME} messages you've probably already lost that
970 To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
971 required. Message (@acronym{MML}) need a certificate for the person to whom you
972 wish to communicate with though. You're asked for this when you type
973 @kbd{C-c C-m c s}. Currently there are two ways to retrieve this
974 certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
975 file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in @acronym{PEM} format.
976 If you chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the
977 certificate is stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief,
978 Message (@acronym{MML}) is the first mail agent in the world to support
979 retrieving @acronym{S/MIME} certificates from DNS, so you're not
980 likely to find very many certificates out there. At least there
981 should be one, stored at the domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP
982 is a more popular method of distributing certificates, support for it
983 is planned. (Meanwhile, you can use @code{ldapsearch} from the
984 command line to retrieve a certificate into a file and use it.)
986 As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
987 without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
988 where your private key and your certificate is stored. @acronym{MML}
989 uses an Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
990 contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
991 @kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
993 Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
994 your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
995 manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
996 and got a free @acronym{S/MIME} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
997 net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
998 PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
999 certificate in PEM format as follows.
1002 $ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1005 The @file{key+cert.pem} file should be pointed to from the
1006 @code{smime-keys} variable. You should now be able to send signed mail.
1008 @emph{Note!} Your private key is now stored unencrypted in the file,
1009 so take care in handling it. Storing encrypted keys on the disk are
1010 supported, and Gnus will ask you for a passphrase before invoking
1011 OpenSSL. Read the OpenSSL documentation for how to achieve this. If
1012 you use unencrypted keys (e.g., if they are on a secure storage, or if
1013 you are on a secure single user machine) simply press @code{RET} at
1014 the passphrase prompt.
1016 @subsection Using PGP/MIME
1018 @acronym{PGP/MIME} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such
1019 as @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, GNU Privacy Guard}. Pre-OpenPGP
1020 implementations such as PGP 2.x and PGP 5.x are also supported. One
1021 Emacs interface to the PGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG,
1022 pgg, PGG Manual}), is included, but Mailcrypt and Florian Weimer's
1023 @code{gpg.el} are also supported.
1025 @vindex gpg-temp-directory
1026 Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1027 directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions
1030 Creating your own key is described in detail in the documentation of
1031 your PGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1033 If you have imported your old PGP 2.x key into GnuPG, and want to send
1034 signed and encrypted messages to your fellow PGP 2.x users, you'll
1035 discover that the receiver cannot understand what you send. One
1036 solution is to use PGP 2.x instead (i.e., if you use @code{pgg}, set
1037 @code{pgg-default-scheme} to @code{pgp}). If you do want to use
1038 GnuPG, you can use a compatibility script called @code{gpg-2comp}
1040 @uref{http://muppet.faveve.uni-stuttgart.de/~gero/gpg-2comp/}. You
1041 could also convince your fellow PGP 2.x users to convert to GnuPG.
1042 @vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
1043 As a final workaround, you can make the sign and encryption work in
1044 two steps; separately sign, then encrypt a message. If you would like
1045 to change this behavior you can customize the
1046 @code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For example:
1049 (setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" separate)
1051 ("pgpauto" separate)
1052 ("pgpmime" separate)))
1055 This causes to sign and encrypt in two passes, thus generating a
1056 message that can be understood by PGP version 2.
1058 (Refer to @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/pgp2x.html} for more
1059 information about the problem.)
1061 @node Various Commands
1062 @section Various Commands
1068 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1069 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1070 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1071 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1072 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1076 @findex message-elide-region
1077 @vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1078 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1079 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1080 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1085 @findex message-kill-address
1086 Kill the address under point.
1090 @findex message-kill-to-signature
1091 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1092 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1096 @findex message-delete-not-region
1097 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1098 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1102 @findex message-newline-and-reformat
1103 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1108 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1111 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1114 > This is some quoted text.
1118 > And here's more quoted text.
1121 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1125 @findex message-rename-buffer
1126 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1127 prompt for a new buffer name.
1132 @vindex message-tab-body-function
1133 If non-@code{nil} execute the function specified in
1134 @code{message-tab-body-function}. Otherwise use the function bound to
1135 @kbd{TAB} in @code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1146 @findex message-send-and-exit
1147 Send the message and bury the current buffer
1148 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1152 @findex message-send
1153 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1157 @findex message-dont-send
1158 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1162 @findex message-kill-buffer
1163 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
1170 @section Mail Aliases
1171 @cindex mail aliases
1174 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
1175 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
1176 alias expansion to use. Currently only one form is supported---Message
1177 uses @code{mailabbrev} to handle mail aliases. If this variable is
1178 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1180 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1181 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1184 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1185 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1188 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1189 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1190 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1192 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1193 expansions have to be done explicitly.
1199 @findex ispell-message
1201 There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1202 @code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1203 probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1204 and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1205 typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1206 something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1209 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1212 @vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1213 If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1214 controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1217 (setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1218 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1219 (".*" . "default")))
1222 @code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1225 The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1226 your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1229 To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1233 (defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1235 (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1238 @code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1246 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1247 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1248 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1249 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1250 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
1251 * Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1252 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1253 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1254 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1255 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1259 @node Message Headers
1260 @section Message Headers
1262 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
1263 be---it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
1264 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1265 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1266 look sufficiently similar.
1270 @item message-generate-headers-first
1271 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
1272 If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1273 compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1276 (setq message-generate-headers-first
1280 @vindex message-required-headers
1281 The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1282 @code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1283 @code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1286 Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1287 because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1289 @item message-draft-headers
1290 @vindex message-draft-headers
1291 When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1292 with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1293 should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1295 @item message-from-style
1296 @vindex message-from-style
1297 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1302 Just the address---@samp{king@@grassland.com}.
1305 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1308 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1311 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1312 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1313 @code{angles} anyway.
1317 @item message-deletable-headers
1318 @vindex message-deletable-headers
1319 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1320 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1321 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1322 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1323 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1324 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1325 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1326 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1329 @item message-default-headers
1330 @vindex message-default-headers
1331 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1334 @item message-subject-re-regexp
1335 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1339 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1340 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1341 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1342 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1343 to use abominations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1344 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1345 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1346 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1347 just throw away non-compliant mail.
1349 Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1350 responding to a message:
1353 (setq message-subject-re-regexp
1358 "[Aa][Nn][Tt][Ww]\\.?\\|" ; antw
1360 "[Ff][Ww][Dd]?\\|" ; fwd
1361 "[Oo][Dd][Pp]\\|" ; odp
1363 "[Rr][\311\351][Ff]\\.?\\|" ; ref
1366 "\\(\\[[0-9]*\\]\\)"
1373 @item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1374 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1375 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1376 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1377 Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1378 lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1379 @code{ask}, query the user what do do. In this case, the subject is
1380 matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1381 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is t, always strip the
1382 trailing old subject. In this case,
1383 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1385 @item message-alternative-emails
1386 @vindex message-alternative-emails
1387 A regexp to match the alternative email addresses. The first matched
1388 address (not primary one) is used in the @code{From} field.
1390 @item message-allow-no-recipients
1391 @vindex message-allow-no-recipients
1392 Specifies what to do when there are no recipients other than
1393 @code{Gcc} or @code{Fcc}. If it is @code{always}, the posting is
1394 allowed. If it is @code{never}, the posting is not allowed. If it is
1395 @code{ask} (the default), you are prompted.
1397 @item message-hidden-headers
1398 @vindex message-hidden-headers
1399 A regexp, a list of regexps, or a list where the first element is
1400 @code{not} and the rest are regexps. It says which headers to keep
1401 hidden when composing a message.
1404 (setq message-hidden-headers
1405 '(not "From" "Subject" "To" "Cc" "Newsgroups"))
1408 Headers are hidden using narrowing, you can use @kbd{M-x widen} to
1409 expose them in the buffer.
1411 @item message-header-synonyms
1412 @vindex message-header-synonyms
1413 A list of lists of header synonyms. E.g., if this list contains a
1414 member list with elements @code{Cc} and @code{To}, then
1415 @code{message-carefully-insert-headers} will not insert a @code{To}
1416 header when the message is already @code{Cc}ed to the recipient.
1422 @section Mail Headers
1425 @item message-required-mail-headers
1426 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
1427 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
1428 @code{(From Date Subject (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID Lines
1429 (optional . User-Agent))} by default.
1431 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
1432 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
1433 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is
1434 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^Xref:\\|^X-Draft-From:}.
1436 @item message-default-mail-headers
1437 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
1438 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1439 buffers that are initialized as mail.
1441 @item message-generate-hashcash
1442 @vindex message-generate-hashcash
1443 Boolean variable that indicate whether @samp{X-Hashcash} headers
1444 should be computed for the message. @xref{Hashcash, ,Hashcash,gnus,
1450 @node Mail Variables
1451 @section Mail Variables
1454 @item message-send-mail-function
1455 @vindex message-send-mail-function
1456 @findex message-send-mail-with-sendmail
1457 @findex message-send-mail-with-mh
1458 @findex message-send-mail-with-qmail
1459 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
1460 @findex smtpmail-send-it
1461 @findex feedmail-send-it
1462 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
1463 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, or @code{smtpmail-send-it}
1464 according to the system. Other valid values include
1465 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
1466 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
1468 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
1469 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
1470 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
1471 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
1472 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
1473 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
1476 @item message-qmail-inject-program
1477 @vindex message-qmail-inject-program
1479 Location of the qmail-inject program.
1481 @item message-qmail-inject-args
1482 @vindex message-qmail-inject-args
1483 Arguments passed to qmail-inject programs.
1484 This should be a list of strings, one string for each argument. It
1485 may also be a function.
1487 For e.g., if you wish to set the envelope sender address so that bounces
1488 go to the right place or to deal with listserv's usage of that address, you
1489 might set this variable to @code{'("-f" "you@@some.where")}.
1491 @item message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1492 @vindex message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1494 Non-@code{nil} means don't add @samp{-f username} to the sendmail
1495 command line. Doing so would be even more evil than leaving it out.
1497 @item message-sendmail-envelope-from
1498 @vindex message-sendmail-envelope-from
1499 When @code{message-sendmail-f-is-evil} is @code{nil}, this specifies
1500 the address to use in the @acronym{SMTP} envelope. If it is
1501 @code{nil}, use @code{user-mail-address}. If it is the symbol
1502 @code{header}, use the @samp{From} header of the message.
1504 @item message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1505 @vindex message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1506 Set this to non-@code{nil} if the system's mailer runs the header and
1507 body together. (This problem exists on SunOS 4 when sendmail is run
1508 in remote mode.) The value should be an expression to test whether
1509 the problem will actually occur.
1511 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
1512 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
1513 @cindex split large message
1514 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial. The lower bound
1515 of message size in characters, beyond which the message should be sent
1516 in several parts. If it is @code{nil}, the size is unlimited.
1522 @section News Headers
1524 @vindex message-required-news-headers
1525 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
1526 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
1527 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
1533 @findex user-full-name
1534 @findex user-mail-address
1535 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
1536 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
1537 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
1538 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
1542 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
1546 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
1547 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
1550 @cindex organization
1551 @vindex message-user-organization
1552 @vindex message-user-organization-file
1553 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
1554 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
1555 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
1556 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
1557 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
1558 parameters and should return a string to be used).
1562 This optional header will be computed by Message.
1566 @vindex message-user-fqdn
1567 @vindex mail-host-address
1568 @vindex user-mail-address
1571 @cindex i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-tickle-me
1572 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
1573 created based on the date, time, user name (for the local part) and the
1574 domain part. For the domain part, message will look (in this order) at
1575 @code{message-user-fqdn}, @code{system-name}, @code{mail-host-address}
1576 and @code{message-user-mail-address} (i.e. @code{user-mail-address})
1577 until a probably valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN) was found.
1581 This optional header will be filled out according to the
1582 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
1585 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
1586 header of the article being replied to.
1590 @vindex message-expires
1591 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
1592 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
1593 be used unless you know what you're doing.
1596 @cindex Distribution
1597 @vindex message-distribution-function
1598 This optional header is filled out according to the
1599 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
1600 much misunderstood header.
1604 @vindex message-user-path
1605 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
1606 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
1607 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
1608 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
1609 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
1610 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
1611 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
1615 @cindex Mime-Version
1616 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The @sc{car} of this cons
1617 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
1618 the @sc{cdr} can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
1619 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
1620 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
1621 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
1622 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
1623 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
1624 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
1626 If the list contains a cons where the @sc{car} of the cons is
1627 @code{optional}, the @sc{cdr} of this cons will only be inserted if it is
1630 If you want to delete an entry from this list, the following Lisp
1631 snippet might be useful. Adjust accordingly if you want to remove
1635 (setq message-required-news-headers
1636 (delq 'Message-ID message-required-news-headers))
1639 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
1643 @item message-syntax-checks
1644 @vindex message-syntax-checks
1645 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
1646 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
1649 (signature . disabled)
1658 Check the subject for commands.
1661 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
1662 @item multiple-headers
1663 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
1666 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
1668 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks ok.
1670 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
1673 Check for too long lines.
1675 Check for invalid characters.
1677 Check for excessive size.
1679 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
1681 Check the length of the signature.
1684 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
1685 something only moderators should include.
1687 Check whether the article is empty.
1688 @item invisible-text
1689 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1691 Check whether any of the headers are empty.
1692 @item existing-newsgroups
1693 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1694 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1695 @item valid-newsgroups
1696 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1697 are valid syntactically.
1698 @item repeated-newsgroups
1699 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1700 contains repeated group names.
1701 @item shorten-followup-to
1702 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1703 of groups to post to.
1706 All these conditions are checked by default.
1708 @item message-ignored-news-headers
1709 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1710 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1711 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^X-Draft-From:}.
1713 @item message-default-news-headers
1714 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1715 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1716 buffers that are initialized as news.
1721 @node News Variables
1722 @section News Variables
1725 @item message-send-news-function
1726 @vindex message-send-news-function
1727 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1728 @code{message-send-news}.
1730 @item message-post-method
1731 @vindex message-post-method
1732 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1733 posting a prepared news message.
1738 @node Insertion Variables
1739 @section Insertion Variables
1742 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
1743 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
1744 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
1745 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
1748 @item message-cite-prefix-regexp
1749 @vindex message-cite-prefix-regexp
1750 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
1752 @item message-citation-line-function
1753 @vindex message-citation-line-function
1754 @cindex attribution line
1755 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
1756 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
1760 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
1763 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
1766 Note that Gnus provides a feature where clicking on `writes:' hides the
1767 cited text. If you change the citation line too much, readers of your
1768 messages will have to adjust their Gnus, too. See the variable
1769 @code{gnus-cite-attribution-suffix}. @xref{Article Highlighting, ,
1770 Article Highlighting, gnus, The Gnus Manual}, for details.
1772 @item message-yank-prefix
1773 @vindex message-yank-prefix
1776 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
1777 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done
1778 by @dfn{yanking}, and each line you yank will have
1779 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it (except for quoted and
1780 empty lines which uses @code{message-yank-cited-prefix}). The default
1783 @item message-yank-cited-prefix
1784 @vindex message-yank-cited-prefix
1788 When yanking text from an article which contains no text or already
1789 cited text, each line will be prefixed with the contents of this
1790 variable. The default is @samp{>}. See also
1791 @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1793 @item message-indentation-spaces
1794 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
1795 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
1797 @item message-cite-function
1798 @vindex message-cite-function
1799 @findex message-cite-original
1800 @findex sc-cite-original
1801 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
1803 Function for citing an original message. The default is
1804 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
1805 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
1806 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
1807 the signature. You can also set it to @code{sc-cite-original} to use
1810 @item message-indent-citation-function
1811 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
1812 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
1813 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
1814 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
1815 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
1817 @item message-mark-insert-begin
1818 @vindex message-mark-insert-begin
1819 String to mark the beginning of some inserted text.
1821 @item message-mark-insert-end
1822 @vindex message-mark-insert-end
1823 String to mark the end of some inserted text.
1825 @item message-signature
1826 @vindex message-signature
1827 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
1828 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
1829 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
1830 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
1831 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
1833 @item message-signature-file
1834 @vindex message-signature-file
1835 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
1836 The default is @file{~/.signature}.
1838 @item message-signature-insert-empty-line
1839 @vindex message-signature-insert-empty-line
1840 If @code{t} (the default value) an empty line is inserted before the
1841 signature separator.
1845 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
1846 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
1847 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
1848 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
1849 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
1851 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
1852 Including @acronym{ASCII} graphics is an efficient way to get
1853 everybody to believe that you are silly and have nothing important to
1857 @node Various Message Variables
1858 @section Various Message Variables
1861 @item message-default-charset
1862 @vindex message-default-charset
1864 Symbol naming a @acronym{MIME} charset. Non-@acronym{ASCII}
1865 characters in messages are assumed to be encoded using this charset.
1866 The default is @code{nil}, which means ask the user. (This variable
1867 is used only on non-@sc{mule} Emacsen. @xref{Charset Translation, ,
1868 Charset Translation, emacs-mime, Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on
1869 the @sc{mule}-to-@acronym{MIME} translation process.
1871 @item message-signature-separator
1872 @vindex message-signature-separator
1873 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
1876 @item mail-header-separator
1877 @vindex mail-header-separator
1878 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
1879 follows this line--} by default.
1881 @item message-directory
1882 @vindex message-directory
1883 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
1884 All other mail file variables are derived from @code{message-directory}.
1886 @item message-auto-save-directory
1887 @vindex message-auto-save-directory
1888 Directory where Message auto-saves buffers if Gnus isn't running. If
1889 @code{nil}, Message won't auto-save. The default is @file{~/Mail/drafts/}.
1891 @item message-signature-setup-hook
1892 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
1893 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
1894 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
1896 @item message-setup-hook
1897 @vindex message-setup-hook
1898 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
1899 but before yanked text is inserted.
1901 @item message-header-setup-hook
1902 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
1903 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
1905 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
1906 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
1907 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
1910 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
1911 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
1912 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
1913 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
1914 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
1915 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
1917 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
1918 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
1921 @item message-send-hook
1922 @vindex message-send-hook
1923 Hook run before sending messages.
1925 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
1926 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
1927 @findex message-add-header
1930 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
1931 (defun my-message-add-content ()
1932 (message-add-header "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense")
1933 (message-add-header "X-Whatever: no"))
1936 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
1938 @item message-send-mail-hook
1939 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
1940 Hook run before sending mail messages. This hook is run very late --
1941 just before the message is actually sent as mail.
1943 @item message-send-news-hook
1944 @vindex message-send-news-hook
1945 Hook run before sending news messages. This hook is run very late --
1946 just before the message is actually sent as news.
1948 @item message-sent-hook
1949 @vindex message-sent-hook
1950 Hook run after sending messages.
1952 @item message-cancel-hook
1953 @vindex message-cancel-hook
1954 Hook run when canceling news articles.
1956 @item message-mode-syntax-table
1957 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
1958 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
1960 @item message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
1961 @vindex message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
1962 If non-@code{nil}, don't strip quoted text from articles that have
1963 @samp{X-No-Archive} set. Even if this variable isn't set, you can
1964 undo the stripping by hitting the @code{undo} keystroke.
1966 @item message-strip-special-text-properties
1967 @vindex message-strip-special-text-properties
1968 Emacs has a number of special text properties which can break message
1969 composing in various ways. If this option is set, message will strip
1970 these properties from the message composition buffer. However, some
1971 packages requires these properties to be present in order to work. If
1972 you use one of these packages, turn this option off, and hope the
1973 message composition doesn't break too bad.
1975 @item message-send-method-alist
1976 @vindex message-send-method-alist
1978 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form
1981 (@var{type} @var{predicate} @var{function})
1986 A symbol that names the method.
1989 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
1990 message is a message of type @var{type}.
1993 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
1994 @var{function} is called with one parameter---the prefix.
1998 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
1999 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
2007 @node Sending Variables
2008 @section Sending Variables
2012 @item message-fcc-handler-function
2013 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
2014 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
2015 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
2016 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
2018 @item message-courtesy-message
2019 @vindex message-courtesy-message
2020 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
2021 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
2022 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
2023 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
2024 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
2025 an article\\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\\n\\n"}.
2027 @item message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2028 @vindex message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2029 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Fcc copies; if it is
2030 non-@code{nil}, attach local files as external parts.
2032 @item message-interactive
2033 @vindex message-interactive
2034 If non-@code{nil} wait for and display errors when sending a message;
2035 if @code{nil} let the mailer mail back a message to report errors.
2040 @node Message Buffers
2041 @section Message Buffers
2043 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
2044 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
2045 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
2046 message buffers are kept alive.
2049 @item message-generate-new-buffers
2050 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
2051 If non-@code{nil}, generate new buffers. The default is @code{t}. If
2052 this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The type,
2053 the to address and the group name. (Any of these may be @code{nil}.)
2054 The function should return the new buffer name.
2056 @item message-max-buffers
2057 @vindex message-max-buffers
2058 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
2059 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
2060 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
2061 will ever be killed.
2063 @item message-send-rename-function
2064 @vindex message-send-rename-function
2065 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
2066 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
2067 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
2068 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
2072 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
2075 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2076 @findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2077 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
2082 @node Message Actions
2083 @section Message Actions
2085 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
2086 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
2087 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
2090 @vindex message-kill-actions
2091 @vindex message-postpone-actions
2092 @vindex message-exit-actions
2093 @vindex message-send-actions
2094 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
2095 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
2096 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
2097 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
2098 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
2099 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
2100 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
2101 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
2103 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
2104 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
2105 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
2106 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
2110 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
2111 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
2114 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
2115 killed, postponed or exited.
2117 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
2118 @sc{car} is a function and the @sc{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
2119 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
2123 @chapter Compatibility
2124 @cindex compatibility
2126 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
2127 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
2128 into account, you can put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2131 (require 'messcompat)
2134 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
2135 corresponding mail variables.
2142 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
2149 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
2154 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
2155 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
2156 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
2167 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
2168 mentioned in the message you are responded to. All mailboxes from the
2169 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
2170 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
2174 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
2181 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
2182 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
2183 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
2187 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
2188 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
2199 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
2200 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is
2222 arch-tag: 16ab76af-a281-4e34-aed6-5624569f7601