1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
3 @include gnus-overrides.texi
6 @settitle Message Manual
11 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
13 Copyright @copyright{} 1996-2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
16 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
17 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
18 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
19 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual'',
20 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
21 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
23 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
24 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
25 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
31 * Message: (message). Mail and news composition mode that
40 @title Message Manual (DEVELOPMENT VERSION)
46 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
49 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
63 All message composition from Gnus (both mail and news) takes place in
67 * Interface:: Setting up message buffers.
68 * Commands:: Commands you can execute in message mode buffers.
69 * Variables:: Customizing the message buffers.
70 * Compatibility:: Making Message backwards compatible.
71 * Appendices:: More technical things.
72 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
73 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
74 * Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
77 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following lines:
78 Message is distributed with Gnus. The Gnus distribution
80 corresponding to this manual is No Gnus v0.11.
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.
104 * Mailing Lists:: Send mail to mailing lists.
107 You can customize the Message Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
108 customize-apropos RET message-tool-bar}. This feature is only available
111 @node New Mail Message
112 @section New Mail Message
115 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
117 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
118 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
119 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
122 @node New News Message
123 @section New News Message
126 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
128 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
129 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
130 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
136 @findex message-reply
137 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
138 reply to the message in the current buffer.
140 @vindex message-reply-to-function
141 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
142 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
143 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
145 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
146 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
149 (setq message-reply-to-function
151 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
152 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
157 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
160 As you can see, this function should return a list. In this case, it
161 returns @code{((To . "Whom"))} if it has an opinion as to what the To
162 header should be. If it does not, it should just return @code{nil}, and
163 the normal methods for determining the To header will be used.
165 Each list element should be a cons, where the @sc{car} should be the
166 name of a header (e.g. @code{Cc}) and the @sc{cdr} should be the header
167 value (e.g. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be
168 inserted into the head of the outgoing mail.
174 @findex message-wide-reply
175 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
176 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
177 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
178 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
180 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
181 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
182 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
183 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
184 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
186 @vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
187 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
188 expression (or list of regular expressions) will be removed from the
189 @code{Cc} header. A value of @code{nil} means exclude your name only.
191 @vindex message-prune-recipient-rules
192 @code{message-prune-recipient-rules} is used to prune the addresses
193 used when doing a wide reply. It's meant to be used to remove
194 duplicate addresses and the like. It's a list of lists, where the
195 first element is a regexp to match the address to trigger the rule,
196 and the second is a regexp that will be expanded based on the first,
197 to match addresses to be pruned.
199 It's complicated to explain, but it's easy to use.
201 For instance, if you get an email from @samp{foo@@example.org}, but
202 @samp{foo@@zot.example.org} is also in the @code{Cc} list, then your
203 wide reply will go out to both these addresses, since they are unique.
205 To avoid this, do something like the following:
208 (setq message-prune-recipient-rules
209 '(("^\\([^@@]+\\)@@\\(.*\\)" "\\1@@.*[.]\\2")))
212 If, for instance, you want all wide replies that involve messages from
213 @samp{cvs@@example.org} to go to that address, and nowhere else (i.e.,
214 remove all other recipients if @samp{cvs@@example.org} is in the
218 (setq message-prune-recipient-rules
219 '(("cvs@@example.org" ".")))
222 @vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
223 If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
224 will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
225 recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
230 @findex message-followup
231 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
232 followup to the message in the current buffer.
234 @vindex message-followup-to-function
235 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
236 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
237 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
238 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
240 @vindex message-use-followup-to
241 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
242 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
243 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
244 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
245 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
249 @section Canceling News
251 @findex message-cancel-news
252 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
255 @vindex message-cancel-message
256 The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
257 the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
261 @vindex message-insert-canlock
263 When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
264 headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
265 only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
266 is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
267 stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
268 automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
269 able to cancel your message. If you want to manage a password yourself,
270 you can put something like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
273 (setq canlock-password "geheimnis"
274 canlock-password-for-verify canlock-password)
277 Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
278 @code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
280 Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
281 this is expected to change in the future.
287 @findex message-supersede
288 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
289 supersede the message in the current buffer.
291 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
292 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
293 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
294 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
295 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|^X-Trace:\\|^X-Complaints-To:\\|@*
296 Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:\\|^NNTP-Posting-Date:\\|^X-Trace:\\|@*
297 ^X-Complaints-To:\\|^Cancel-Lock:\\|^Cancel-Key:\\|^X-Hashcash:\\|@*
298 ^X-Payment:\\|^Approved:}.
305 @findex message-forward
306 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
307 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
311 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
312 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
313 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
315 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
316 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
317 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
318 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
319 passed into each successive function.
321 The provided functions are:
324 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
325 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
326 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
329 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
330 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
333 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
334 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
335 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
336 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
337 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
338 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
340 @item message-forward-as-mime
341 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
342 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
343 included as inline @acronym{MIME} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
344 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
345 non @acronym{MIME}-savvy versions of Gnus would do.
347 @item message-forward-before-signature
348 @vindex message-forward-before-signature
349 If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
357 @findex message-resend
358 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
359 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
361 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
362 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
363 be removed before sending the message.
369 @findex message-bounce
370 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
371 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
372 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
373 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
376 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
377 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
378 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
379 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\|Delivered-To\\):}.
383 @section Mailing Lists
385 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
386 Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
387 followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
388 was created to enable just this. Three example scenarios where this is
393 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
394 sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
395 if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
398 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
399 sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
400 is not subscribed to the list.
403 If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
404 to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
405 discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
406 and very difficult to follow.
410 Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
411 up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
412 sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
415 @c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
416 @c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
419 @c @node Composing with a MFT header
420 @subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
422 The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
423 in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
424 addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
425 way. The following variables would come in handy.
429 @vindex message-subscribed-addresses
430 @item message-subscribed-addresses
431 This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
432 default value is @code{nil}. Example:
434 (setq message-subscribed-addresses
435 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
438 @vindex message-subscribed-regexps
439 @item message-subscribed-regexps
440 This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
441 lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
442 want to achieve the same result as above:
444 (setq message-subscribed-regexps
445 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
448 @vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
449 @item message-subscribed-address-functions
450 This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
451 determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
452 functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
454 There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
455 this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
456 that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
457 the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{Group Parameters, ,Group Parameters,
458 gnus, The Gnus Manual}) group parameter set to a non-@code{nil} value.
459 This is how you would do it.
462 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
463 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
466 @vindex message-subscribed-address-file
467 @item message-subscribed-address-file
468 You might be one organized human freak and have a list of addresses of
469 all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
470 set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
474 You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
475 ``added'' in some way that works :-)
477 Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
478 And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
479 MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
480 MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
481 in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
482 automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
483 per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
484 addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
485 is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
486 address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
487 other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
490 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
492 @findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
493 Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
494 subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
495 is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
496 MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
497 to-address group parameter.) The function
498 @code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
499 handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
500 can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
501 (@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
503 @c @node Honoring an MFT post
504 @subsection Honoring an MFT post
506 @vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
507 When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
508 header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
509 @code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
513 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
514 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
517 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
520 Gnus will prompt you for an action.
524 It is considered good netiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
525 fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
532 * Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
533 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
534 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
535 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
536 * MIME:: @acronym{MIME} considerations.
537 * IDNA:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name considerations.
538 * Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
539 * Various Commands:: Various things.
540 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
541 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
542 * Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
547 @section Buffer Entry
551 You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
552 message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
553 may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
554 which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
555 but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
556 Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
557 takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
558 times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
561 @node Header Commands
562 @section Header Commands
564 @subsection Commands for moving to headers
566 These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
567 exist, it will be inserted.
573 @findex describe-mode
574 Describe the message mode.
578 @findex message-goto-to
579 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
583 @findex message-goto-from
584 Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
585 in the key binding is for Originator.)
589 @findex message-goto-bcc
590 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
594 @findex message-goto-fcc
595 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
599 @findex message-goto-cc
600 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
604 @findex message-goto-subject
605 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
609 @findex message-goto-reply-to
610 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
614 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
615 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
619 @findex message-goto-distribution
620 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
624 @findex message-goto-followup-to
625 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
629 @findex message-goto-keywords
630 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
634 @findex message-goto-summary
635 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
639 @findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
640 This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
641 @samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
642 message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
643 buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
644 1376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
648 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
649 Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
650 (@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
651 unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
652 not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
653 by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
654 own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
655 fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
656 buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
658 If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-@code{nil}, the
659 addresses in the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the
660 @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header.
664 @subsection Commands to change headers
670 @findex message-sort-headers
671 @vindex message-header-format-alist
672 Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
673 (@code{message-sort-headers}).
677 @findex message-insert-to
678 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
679 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
680 (@code{message-insert-to}).
684 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
685 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
686 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
687 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
691 @findex message-to-list-only
692 Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
693 address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
697 @findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
698 Insert a request for a disposition
699 notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
700 This means that if the recipient supports RFC 2298 she might send you a
701 notification that she received the message.
703 @item M-x message-insert-importance-high
704 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
705 @findex message-insert-importance-high
707 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
708 deleting headers if necessary.
710 @item M-x message-insert-importance-low
711 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
712 @findex message-insert-importance-low
714 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
715 headers if necessary.
719 @findex message-change-subject
721 Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
722 header and append @samp{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
723 stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
724 (@pxref{Message Headers}).
728 @findex message-cross-post-followup-to
729 @vindex message-cross-post-default
730 @vindex message-cross-post-note-function
733 Set up the @samp{FollowUp-To} header with a target newsgroup for a
734 cross-post, add that target newsgroup to the @samp{Newsgroups} header if
735 it is not a member of @samp{Newsgroups}, and insert a note in the body.
736 If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if this command is
737 called with a prefix-argument, only the @samp{FollowUp-To} header will
738 be set but the target newsgroup will not be added to the
739 @samp{Newsgroups} header. The function to insert a note is controlled
740 by the @code{message-cross-post-note-function} variable.
744 @findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
745 Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
746 @samp{Bcc} header. (Iff @samp{Cc} header is not present, @samp{Bcc}
747 header will be used instead.)
751 @findex message-insert-wide-reply
752 Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
753 reply even if the message was not made for a wide reply first.
757 @findex message-add-archive-header
758 @vindex message-archive-header
759 @vindex message-archive-note
761 Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
762 The header and the note can be customized using
763 @code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
764 called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
765 want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
777 @findex message-goto-body
778 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
779 (@code{message-goto-body}).
783 @findex message-goto-signature
784 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
788 @findex message-beginning-of-line
789 @vindex message-beginning-of-line
790 If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
791 beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
792 name and the colon.) This behavior can be disabled by toggling
793 the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
805 @findex message-yank-original
806 Yank the message that's being replied to into the message buffer
807 (@code{message-yank-original}).
811 @findex message-yank-buffer
812 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
813 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
817 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
818 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
819 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
820 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
821 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
826 @findex message-insert-signature
827 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
828 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
832 @findex message-insert-headers
833 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
837 @findex message-mark-inserted-region
838 Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags. See
839 @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
840 When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
841 (@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
845 @findex message-mark-insert-file
846 Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
847 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
848 When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
849 (@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
861 Message is a @acronym{MIME}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
862 doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{MIME} happen---Message will
863 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
864 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
866 @findex mml-attach-file
868 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
869 @acronym{MIME} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out.
870 This can be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command (@kbd{M-x mml-attach-file}),
871 which will prompt for a file name and a @acronym{MIME} type.
873 @vindex mml-dnd-protocol-alist
874 @vindex mml-dnd-attach-options
875 If your Emacs supports drag and drop, you can also drop the file in the
876 Message buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} specifies
877 what kind of action is done when you drop a file into the Message
878 buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-attach-options} controls which
879 @acronym{MIME} options you want to specify when dropping a file. If it
880 is a list, valid members are @code{type}, @code{description} and
881 @code{disposition}. @code{disposition} implies @code{type}. If it is
882 @code{nil}, don't ask for options. If it is @code{t}, ask the user
883 whether or not to specify options.
885 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the @acronym{MML}
886 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
892 @cindex internationalized domain names
893 @cindex non-ascii domain names
895 @acronym{IDNA} is a standard way to encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain
896 names into a readable @acronym{ASCII} string. The details can be
899 Message is a @acronym{IDNA}-compliant posting agent. The user
900 generally doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{IDNA}
901 happen---Message will encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in @code{From},
902 @code{To}, and @code{Cc} headers automatically.
904 Until @acronym{IDNA} becomes more well known, Message queries you
905 whether @acronym{IDNA} encoding of the domain name really should
906 occur. Some users might not be aware that domain names can contain
907 non-@acronym{ASCII} now, so this gives them a safety net if they accidently
908 typed a non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name.
910 @vindex message-use-idna
911 The @code{message-use-idna} variable control whether @acronym{IDNA} is
912 used. If the variable is @code{nil} no @acronym{IDNA} encoding will
913 ever happen, if it is set to the symbol @code{ask} the user will be
914 queried, and if set to @code{t} (which is the default if @acronym{IDNA}
915 is fully available) @acronym{IDNA} encoding happens automatically.
917 @findex message-idna-to-ascii-rhs
918 If you want to experiment with the @acronym{IDNA} encoding, you can
919 invoke @kbd{M-x message-idna-to-ascii-rhs RET} in the message buffer
920 to have the non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names encoded while you edit
923 Note that you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU
924 Libidn} installed in order to use this functionality.
936 Using the @acronym{MML} language, Message is able to create digitally
937 signed and digitally encrypted messages. Message (or rather
938 @acronym{MML}) currently support @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991),
939 @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME}.
942 * Signing and encryption:: Signing and encrypting commands.
943 * Using S/MIME:: Using S/MIME
944 * Using PGP/MIME:: Using PGP/MIME
945 * PGP Compatibility:: Compatibility with older implementations
948 @node Signing and encryption
949 @subsection Signing and encrypting commands
951 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
952 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
953 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
958 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
960 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
964 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
966 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
970 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
972 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
976 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
978 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
982 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
984 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
988 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
990 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
994 @findex mml-unsecure-message
995 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
999 These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
1000 merely insert the proper @acronym{MML} secure tag to instruct the
1001 @acronym{MML} engine to perform that operation when the message is
1002 actually sent. They may perform other operations too, such as locating
1003 and retrieving a @acronym{S/MIME} certificate of the person you wish to
1004 send encrypted mail to. When the mml parsing engine converts your
1005 @acronym{MML} into a properly encoded @acronym{MIME} message, the secure
1006 tag will be replaced with either a part or a multipart tag. If your
1007 message contains other mml parts, a multipart tag will be used; if no
1008 other parts are present in your message a single part tag will be used.
1009 This way, message mode will do the Right Thing (TM) with
1010 signed/encrypted multipart messages.
1012 Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
1013 information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
1014 mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
1015 sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
1016 using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
1017 verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
1018 whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
1019 party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
1021 @emph{Note!} Neither @acronym{PGP/MIME} nor @acronym{S/MIME} encrypt/signs
1022 RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @acronym{MIME} object. Keep this
1023 in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
1025 By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the
1026 ``signencrypt'' mode, which means the message is both signed and
1027 encrypted. If you would like to disable this for a particular
1028 message, give the @code{mml-secure-message-encrypt-*} command a prefix
1029 argument, e.g., @kbd{C-u C-c C-m c p}.
1031 Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
1032 least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
1033 other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
1034 programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
1037 @subsection Using S/MIME
1039 @emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
1040 modern cryptography, @acronym{S/MIME}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
1043 The @acronym{S/MIME} support in Message (and @acronym{MML}) require
1044 OpenSSL. OpenSSL performs the actual @acronym{S/MIME} sign/encrypt
1045 operations. OpenSSL can be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}.
1046 OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail
1047 addresses from certificates, and it insert a spurious CR character into
1048 @acronym{MIME} separators so you may wish to avoid it if you would like
1049 to avoid being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by
1050 sending @acronym{S/MIME} messages you've probably already lost that
1053 To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
1054 required. Message (@acronym{MML}) need a certificate for the person to whom you
1055 wish to communicate with though. You're asked for this when you type
1056 @kbd{C-c C-m c s}. Currently there are two ways to retrieve this
1057 certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
1058 file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in @acronym{PEM} format.
1059 If you chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the
1060 certificate is stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief,
1061 Message (@acronym{MML}) is the first mail agent in the world to support
1062 retrieving @acronym{S/MIME} certificates from DNS, so you're not
1063 likely to find very many certificates out there. At least there
1064 should be one, stored at the domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP
1065 is a more popular method of distributing certificates, support for it
1066 is planned. (Meanwhile, you can use @code{ldapsearch} from the
1067 command line to retrieve a certificate into a file and use it.)
1069 As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
1070 without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
1071 where your private key and your certificate is stored. @acronym{MML}
1072 uses an Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
1073 contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
1074 @kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
1076 Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
1077 your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
1078 manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
1079 and got a free @acronym{S/MIME} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
1080 net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
1081 PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
1082 certificate in PEM format as follows.
1085 $ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1088 The @file{key+cert.pem} file should be pointed to from the
1089 @code{smime-keys} variable. You should now be able to send signed mail.
1091 @emph{Note!} Your private key is now stored unencrypted in the file,
1092 so take care in handling it. Storing encrypted keys on the disk are
1093 supported, and Gnus will ask you for a passphrase before invoking
1094 OpenSSL. Read the OpenSSL documentation for how to achieve this. If
1095 you use unencrypted keys (e.g., if they are on a secure storage, or if
1096 you are on a secure single user machine) simply press @code{RET} at
1097 the passphrase prompt.
1099 @node Using PGP/MIME
1100 @subsection Using PGP/MIME
1102 @acronym{PGP/MIME} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such
1103 as @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, GNU Privacy Guard}. Pre-OpenPGP
1104 implementations such as PGP 2.x and PGP 5.x are also supported. One
1105 Emacs interface to the PGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG,
1106 pgg, PGG Manual}), is included, but Mailcrypt is also supported.
1107 @xref{PGP Compatibility}.
1110 Message internally calls GnuPG (the @command{gpg} command) to perform
1111 data encryption, and in certain cases (decrypting or signing for
1112 example), @command{gpg} requires user's passphrase. Currently the
1113 recommended way to supply your passphrase to @command{gpg} is to use the
1114 @command{gpg-agent} program.
1116 To use @command{gpg-agent} in Emacs, you need to run the following
1117 command from the shell before starting Emacs.
1120 eval `gpg-agent --daemon`
1123 This will invoke @command{gpg-agent} and set the environment variable
1124 @code{GPG_AGENT_INFO} to allow @command{gpg} to communicate with it.
1125 It might be good idea to put this command in your @file{.xsession} or
1126 @file{.bash_profile}. @xref{Invoking GPG-AGENT, , , gnupg, Using the
1129 Once your @command{gpg-agent} is set up, it will ask you for a
1130 passphrase as needed for @command{gpg}. Under the X Window System,
1131 you will see a new passphrase input dialog appear. The dialog is
1132 provided by PIN Entry (the @command{pinentry} command), and as of
1133 version 0.7.2, @command{pinentry} cannot cooperate with Emacs on a
1134 single tty. So, if you are using a text console, you may need to put
1135 a passphrase into gpg-agent's cache beforehand. The following command
1139 gpg --use-agent --sign < /dev/null > /dev/null
1142 The Lisp variable @code{pgg-gpg-use-agent} controls whether to use
1143 @command{gpg-agent}. See also @xref{Caching passphrase, , , pgg, The
1147 @node PGP Compatibility
1148 @subsection Compatibility with older implementations
1150 @vindex gpg-temp-directory
1151 Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1152 directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions
1155 Creating your own key is described in detail in the documentation of
1156 your PGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1158 If you have imported your old PGP 2.x key into GnuPG, and want to send
1159 signed and encrypted messages to your fellow PGP 2.x users, you'll
1160 discover that the receiver cannot understand what you send. One
1161 solution is to use PGP 2.x instead (i.e., if you use @code{pgg}, set
1162 @code{pgg-default-scheme} to @code{pgp}). You could also convince your
1163 fellow PGP 2.x users to convert to GnuPG.
1164 @vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
1165 As a final workaround, you can make the sign and encryption work in
1166 two steps; separately sign, then encrypt a message. If you would like
1167 to change this behavior you can customize the
1168 @code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For example:
1171 (setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" separate)
1173 ("pgpauto" separate)
1174 ("pgpmime" separate)))
1177 This causes to sign and encrypt in two passes, thus generating a
1178 message that can be understood by PGP version 2.
1180 (Refer to @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/pgp2x.html} for more
1181 information about the problem.)
1183 @node Various Commands
1184 @section Various Commands
1190 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1191 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1192 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1193 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1194 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1198 @findex message-elide-region
1199 @vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1200 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1201 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1202 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1207 @findex message-kill-address
1208 Kill the address under point.
1212 @findex message-kill-to-signature
1213 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1214 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1218 @findex message-delete-not-region
1219 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1220 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1224 @findex message-newline-and-reformat
1225 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1230 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1233 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1236 > This is some quoted text.
1240 > And here's more quoted text.
1243 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1247 @findex message-rename-buffer
1248 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1249 prompt for a new buffer name.
1254 @vindex message-tab-body-function
1255 If @code{message-tab-body-function} is non-@code{nil}, execute the
1256 function it specifies. Otherwise use the function bound to @kbd{TAB} in
1257 @code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1268 @findex message-send-and-exit
1269 Send the message and bury the current buffer
1270 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1274 @findex message-send
1275 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1279 @findex message-dont-send
1280 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1284 @findex message-kill-buffer
1285 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
1292 @section Mail Aliases
1293 @cindex mail aliases
1298 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
1299 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
1300 alias expansion to use. Currently two forms are supported:
1301 @code{mailabbrev} and @code{ecomplete}. If this variable is
1302 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1304 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1305 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1308 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1309 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1312 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1313 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1314 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1316 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1317 expansions have to be done explicitly.
1319 If you're using @code{ecomplete}, all addresses from @code{To} and
1320 @code{Cc} headers will automatically be put into the
1321 @file{~/.ecompleterc} file. When you enter text in the @code{To} and
1322 @code{Cc} headers, @code{ecomplete} will check out the values stored
1323 there and ``electrically'' say what completions are possible. To
1324 choose one of these completions, use the @kbd{M-n} command to move
1325 down to the list. Use @kbd{M-n} and @kbd{M-p} to move down and up the
1326 list, and @kbd{RET} to choose a completion.
1331 @findex ispell-message
1333 There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1334 @code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1335 probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1336 and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1337 typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1338 something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1341 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1344 @vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1345 If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1346 controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1349 (setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1350 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1351 (".*" . "default")))
1354 @code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1357 The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1358 your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1361 To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1365 (defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1367 (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1370 @code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1378 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1379 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1380 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1381 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1382 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
1383 * Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1384 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1385 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1386 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1387 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1391 @node Message Headers
1392 @section Message Headers
1394 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
1395 be---it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
1396 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1397 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1398 look sufficiently similar.
1402 @item message-generate-headers-first
1403 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
1404 If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1405 compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1408 (setq message-generate-headers-first
1412 @vindex message-required-headers
1413 The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1414 @code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1415 @code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1418 Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1419 because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1421 @item message-draft-headers
1422 @vindex message-draft-headers
1423 When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1424 with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1425 should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1427 @item message-from-style
1428 @vindex message-from-style
1429 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1434 Just the address---@samp{king@@grassland.com}.
1437 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1440 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1443 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1444 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1445 @code{angles} anyway.
1449 @item message-deletable-headers
1450 @vindex message-deletable-headers
1451 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1452 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1453 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1454 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1455 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1456 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1457 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1458 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1461 @item message-default-headers
1462 @vindex message-default-headers
1463 Header lines to be inserted in outgoing messages before you edit the
1464 message, so you can edit or delete their lines. If set to a string, it
1465 is directly inserted. If set to a function, it is called and its
1468 @item message-subject-re-regexp
1469 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1473 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1474 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1475 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1476 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1477 to use abominations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1478 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1479 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1480 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1481 just throw away non-compliant mail.
1483 Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1484 responding to a message:
1487 (setq message-subject-re-regexp
1492 "[Aa][Nn][Tt][Ww]\\.?\\|" ; antw
1494 "[Ff][Ww][Dd]?\\|" ; fwd
1495 "[Oo][Dd][Pp]\\|" ; odp
1497 "[Rr][\311\351][Ff]\\.?\\|" ; ref
1500 "\\(\\[[0-9]*\\]\\)"
1507 @item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1508 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1509 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1510 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1511 Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1512 lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1513 @code{ask}, query the user what to do. In this case, the subject is
1514 matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1515 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is @code{t}, always strip the
1516 trailing old subject. In this case,
1517 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1519 @item message-alternative-emails
1520 @vindex message-alternative-emails
1521 Regexp matching alternative email addresses. The first address in the
1522 To, Cc or From headers of the original article matching this variable is
1523 used as the From field of outgoing messages, replacing the default From
1526 For example, if you have two secondary email addresses john@@home.net
1527 and john.doe@@work.com and want to use them in the From field when
1528 composing a reply to a message addressed to one of them, you could set
1529 this variable like this:
1532 (setq message-alternative-emails
1533 (regexp-opt '("john@@home.net" "john.doe@@work.com")))