1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Message Manual
9 This file documents Message, the Emacs message composition mode.
11 Copyright @copyright{} 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
12 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 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 1.3 or
17 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
18 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual'',
19 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
20 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
22 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
23 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
24 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
30 * Message: (message). Mail and news composition mode that
40 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
43 @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 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
67 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
68 * Key Index:: List of Message mode keys.
71 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following lines:
72 Message is distributed with Gnus. The Gnus distribution
74 corresponding to this manual is No Gnus v0.11.
80 When a program (or a person) wants to respond to a message---reply,
81 follow up, forward, cancel---the program (or person) should just put
82 point in the buffer where the message is and call the required command.
83 @code{Message} will then pop up a new @code{message} mode buffer with
84 appropriate headers filled out, and the user can edit the message before
88 * New Mail Message:: Editing a brand new mail message.
89 * New News Message:: Editing a brand new news message.
90 * Reply:: Replying via mail.
91 * Wide Reply:: Responding to all people via mail.
92 * Followup:: Following up via news.
93 * Canceling News:: Canceling a news article.
94 * Superseding:: Superseding a message.
95 * Forwarding:: Forwarding a message via news or mail.
96 * Resending:: Resending a mail message.
97 * Bouncing:: Bouncing a mail message.
98 * Mailing Lists:: Send mail to mailing lists.
101 You can customize the Message Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
102 customize-apropos RET message-tool-bar}. This feature is only available
105 @node New Mail Message
106 @section New Mail Message
109 The @code{message-mail} command pops up a new message buffer.
111 Two optional parameters are accepted: The first will be used as the
112 @code{To} header and the second as the @code{Subject} header. If these
113 are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
116 @node New News Message
117 @section New News Message
120 The @code{message-news} command pops up a new message buffer.
122 This function accepts two optional parameters. The first will be used
123 as the @code{Newsgroups} header and the second as the @code{Subject}
124 header. If these are @code{nil}, those two headers will be empty.
130 @findex message-reply
131 The @code{message-reply} function pops up a message buffer that's a
132 reply to the message in the current buffer.
134 @vindex message-reply-to-function
135 Message uses the normal methods to determine where replies are to go
136 (@pxref{Responses}), but you can change the behavior to suit your needs
137 by fiddling with the @code{message-reply-to-function} variable.
139 If you want the replies to go to the @code{Sender} instead of the
140 @code{From}, you could do something like this:
143 (setq message-reply-to-function
145 (cond ((equal (mail-fetch-field "from") "somebody")
146 (list (cons 'To (mail-fetch-field "sender"))))
151 This function will be called narrowed to the head of the article that is
154 As you can see, this function should return a list. In this case, it
155 returns @code{((To . "Whom"))} if it has an opinion as to what the To
156 header should be. If it does not, it should just return @code{nil}, and
157 the normal methods for determining the To header will be used.
159 Each list element should be a cons, where the @sc{car} should be the
160 name of a header (e.g. @code{Cc}) and the @sc{cdr} should be the header
161 value (e.g. @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no}). All these headers will be
162 inserted into the head of the outgoing mail.
168 @findex message-wide-reply
169 The @code{message-wide-reply} pops up a message buffer that's a wide
170 reply to the message in the current buffer. A @dfn{wide reply} is a
171 reply that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From}
172 (or @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
174 @vindex message-wide-reply-to-function
175 Message uses the normal methods to determine where wide replies are to go,
176 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
177 @code{message-wide-reply-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
178 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
180 @vindex message-dont-reply-to-names
181 Addresses that match the @code{message-dont-reply-to-names} regular
182 expression (or list of regular expressions) will be removed from the
183 @code{Cc} header. A value of @code{nil} means exclude your name only.
185 @vindex message-prune-recipient-rules
186 @code{message-prune-recipient-rules} is used to prune the addresses
187 used when doing a wide reply. It's meant to be used to remove
188 duplicate addresses and the like. It's a list of lists, where the
189 first element is a regexp to match the address to trigger the rule,
190 and the second is a regexp that will be expanded based on the first,
191 to match addresses to be pruned.
193 It's complicated to explain, but it's easy to use.
195 For instance, if you get an email from @samp{foo@@example.org}, but
196 @samp{foo@@zot.example.org} is also in the @code{Cc} list, then your
197 wide reply will go out to both these addresses, since they are unique.
199 To avoid this, do something like the following:
202 (setq message-prune-recipient-rules
203 '(("^\\([^@@]+\\)@@\\(.*\\)" "\\1@@.*[.]\\2")))
206 If, for instance, you want all wide replies that involve messages from
207 @samp{cvs@@example.org} to go to that address, and nowhere else (i.e.,
208 remove all other recipients if @samp{cvs@@example.org} is in the
212 (setq message-prune-recipient-rules
213 '(("cvs@@example.org" ".")))
216 @vindex message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients
217 If @code{message-wide-reply-confirm-recipients} is non-@code{nil} you
218 will be asked to confirm that you want to reply to multiple
219 recipients. The default is @code{nil}.
224 @findex message-followup
225 The @code{message-followup} command pops up a message buffer that's a
226 followup to the message in the current buffer.
228 @vindex message-followup-to-function
229 Message uses the normal methods to determine where followups are to go,
230 but you can change the behavior to suit your needs by fiddling with the
231 @code{message-followup-to-function}. It is used in the same way as
232 @code{message-reply-to-function} (@pxref{Reply}).
234 @vindex message-use-followup-to
235 The @code{message-use-followup-to} variable says what to do about
236 @code{Followup-To} headers. If it is @code{use}, always use the value.
237 If it is @code{ask} (which is the default), ask whether to use the
238 value. If it is @code{t}, use the value unless it is @samp{poster}. If
239 it is @code{nil}, don't use the value.
243 @section Canceling News
245 @findex message-cancel-news
246 The @code{message-cancel-news} command cancels the article in the
249 @vindex message-cancel-message
250 The value of @code{message-cancel-message} is inserted in the body of
251 the cancel message. The default is @samp{I am canceling my own
255 @vindex message-insert-canlock
257 When Message posts news messages, it inserts @code{Cancel-Lock}
258 headers by default. This is a cryptographic header that ensures that
259 only you can cancel your own messages, which is nice. The downside
260 is that if you lose your @file{.emacs} file (which is where Gnus
261 stores the secret cancel lock password (which is generated
262 automatically the first time you use this feature)), you won't be
263 able to cancel your message. If you want to manage a password yourself,
264 you can put something like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
267 (setq canlock-password "geheimnis"
268 canlock-password-for-verify canlock-password)
271 Whether to insert the header or not is controlled by the
272 @code{message-insert-canlock} variable.
274 Not many news servers respect the @code{Cancel-Lock} header yet, but
275 this is expected to change in the future.
281 @findex message-supersede
282 The @code{message-supersede} command pops up a message buffer that will
283 supersede the message in the current buffer.
285 @vindex message-ignored-supersedes-headers
286 Headers matching the @code{message-ignored-supersedes-headers} are
287 removed before popping up the new message buffer. The default is@*
288 @samp{^Path:\\|^Date\\|^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^Lines:\\|@*
289 ^Received:\\|^X-From-Line:\\|^X-Trace:\\|^X-Complaints-To:\\|@*
290 Return-Path:\\|^Supersedes:\\|^NNTP-Posting-Date:\\|^X-Trace:\\|@*
291 ^X-Complaints-To:\\|^Cancel-Lock:\\|^Cancel-Key:\\|^X-Hashcash:\\|@*
292 ^X-Payment:\\|^Approved:}.
299 @findex message-forward
300 The @code{message-forward} command pops up a message buffer to forward
301 the message in the current buffer. If given a prefix, forward using
305 @item message-forward-ignored-headers
306 @vindex message-forward-ignored-headers
307 All headers that match this regexp will be deleted when forwarding a message.
309 @item message-make-forward-subject-function
310 @vindex message-make-forward-subject-function
311 A list of functions that are called to generate a subject header for
312 forwarded messages. The subject generated by the previous function is
313 passed into each successive function.
315 The provided functions are:
318 @item message-forward-subject-author-subject
319 @findex message-forward-subject-author-subject
320 Source of article (author or newsgroup), in brackets followed by the
323 @item message-forward-subject-fwd
324 Subject of article with @samp{Fwd:} prepended to it.
327 @item message-wash-forwarded-subjects
328 @vindex message-wash-forwarded-subjects
329 If this variable is @code{t}, the subjects of forwarded messages have
330 the evidence of previous forwards (such as @samp{Fwd:}, @samp{Re:},
331 @samp{(fwd)}) removed before the new subject is
332 constructed. The default value is @code{nil}.
334 @item message-forward-as-mime
335 @vindex message-forward-as-mime
336 If this variable is @code{t} (the default), forwarded messages are
337 included as inline @acronym{MIME} RFC822 parts. If it's @code{nil}, forwarded
338 messages will just be copied inline to the new message, like previous,
339 non @acronym{MIME}-savvy versions of Gnus would do.
341 @item message-forward-before-signature
342 @vindex message-forward-before-signature
343 If non-@code{nil}, put forwarded message before signature, else after.
351 @findex message-resend
352 The @code{message-resend} command will prompt the user for an address
353 and resend the message in the current buffer to that address.
355 @vindex message-ignored-resent-headers
356 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-resent-headers} regexp will
357 be removed before sending the message.
363 @findex message-bounce
364 The @code{message-bounce} command will, if the current buffer contains a
365 bounced mail message, pop up a message buffer stripped of the bounce
366 information. A @dfn{bounced message} is typically a mail you've sent
367 out that has been returned by some @code{mailer-daemon} as
370 @vindex message-ignored-bounced-headers
371 Headers that match the @code{message-ignored-bounced-headers} regexp
372 will be removed before popping up the buffer. The default is
373 @samp{^\\(Received\\|Return-Path\\|Delivered-To\\):}.
377 @section Mailing Lists
379 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
380 Sometimes while posting to mailing lists, the poster needs to direct
381 followups to the post to specific places. The Mail-Followup-To (MFT)
382 was created to enable just this. Three example scenarios where this is
387 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
388 sent to just the list, and not the poster as well. This will happen
389 if the poster is already subscribed to the list.
392 A mailing list poster can use MFT to express that responses should be
393 sent to the list and the poster as well. This will happen if the poster
394 is not subscribed to the list.
397 If a message is posted to several mailing lists, MFT may also be used
398 to direct the following discussion to one list only, because
399 discussions that are spread over several lists tend to be fragmented
400 and very difficult to follow.
404 Gnus honors the MFT header in other's messages (i.e. while following
405 up to someone else's post) and also provides support for generating
406 sensible MFT headers for outgoing messages as well.
409 @c * Honoring an MFT post:: What to do when one already exists
410 @c * Composing with a MFT header:: Creating one from scratch.
413 @c @node Composing with a MFT header
414 @subsection Composing a correct MFT header automagically
416 The first step in getting Gnus to automagically generate a MFT header
417 in posts you make is to give Gnus a list of the mailing lists
418 addresses you are subscribed to. You can do this in more than one
419 way. The following variables would come in handy.
423 @vindex message-subscribed-addresses
424 @item message-subscribed-addresses
425 This should be a list of addresses the user is subscribed to. Its
426 default value is @code{nil}. Example:
428 (setq message-subscribed-addresses
429 '("ding@@gnus.org" "bing@@noose.org"))
432 @vindex message-subscribed-regexps
433 @item message-subscribed-regexps
434 This should be a list of regexps denoting the addresses of mailing
435 lists subscribed to. Default value is @code{nil}. Example: If you
436 want to achieve the same result as above:
438 (setq message-subscribed-regexps
439 '("\\(ding@@gnus\\)\\|\\(bing@@noose\\)\\.org")
442 @vindex message-subscribed-address-functions
443 @item message-subscribed-address-functions
444 This can be a list of functions to be called (one at a time!!) to
445 determine the value of MFT headers. It is advisable that these
446 functions not take any arguments. Default value is @code{nil}.
448 There is a pre-defined function in Gnus that is a good candidate for
449 this variable. @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses} is a function
450 that returns a list of addresses corresponding to the groups that have
451 the @code{subscribed} (@pxref{Group Parameters, ,Group Parameters,
452 gnus, The Gnus Manual}) group parameter set to a non-@code{nil} value.
453 This is how you would do it.
456 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
457 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
460 @vindex message-subscribed-address-file
461 @item message-subscribed-address-file
462 You might be one organized human freak and have a list of addresses of
463 all subscribed mailing lists in a separate file! Then you can just
464 set this variable to the name of the file and life would be good.
468 You can use one or more of the above variables. All their values are
469 ``added'' in some way that works :-)
471 Now you are all set. Just start composing a message as you normally do.
472 And just send it; as always. Just before the message is sent out, Gnus'
473 MFT generation thingy kicks in and checks if the message already has a
474 MFT field. If there is one, it is left alone. (Except if it's empty -
475 in that case, the field is removed and is not replaced with an
476 automatically generated one. This lets you disable MFT generation on a
477 per-message basis.) If there is none, then the list of recipient
478 addresses (in the To: and Cc: headers) is checked to see if one of them
479 is a list address you are subscribed to. If none of them is a list
480 address, then no MFT is generated; otherwise, a MFT is added to the
481 other headers and set to the value of all addresses in To: and Cc:
484 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
486 @findex message-goto-mail-followup-to
487 Hm. ``So'', you ask, ``what if I send an email to a list I am not
488 subscribed to? I want my MFT to say that I want an extra copy.'' (This
489 is supposed to be interpreted by others the same way as if there were no
490 MFT, but you can use an explicit MFT to override someone else's
491 to-address group parameter.) The function
492 @code{message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to} might come in
493 handy. It is bound to @kbd{C-c C-f C-a} by default. In any case, you
494 can insert a MFT of your own choice; @kbd{C-c C-f C-m}
495 (@code{message-goto-mail-followup-to}) will help you get started.
497 @c @node Honoring an MFT post
498 @subsection Honoring an MFT post
500 @vindex message-use-mail-followup-to
501 When you followup to a post on a mailing list, and the post has a MFT
502 header, Gnus' action will depend on the value of the variable
503 @code{message-use-mail-followup-to}. This variable can be one of:
507 Always honor MFTs. The To: and Cc: headers in your followup will be
508 derived from the MFT header of the original post. This is the default.
511 Always dishonor MFTs (just ignore the darned thing)
514 Gnus will prompt you for an action.
518 It is considered good netiquette to honor MFT, as it is assumed the
519 fellow who posted a message knows where the followups need to go
526 * Buffer Entry:: Commands after entering a Message buffer.
527 * Header Commands:: Commands for moving headers or changing headers.
528 * Movement:: Moving around in message buffers.
529 * Insertion:: Inserting things into message buffers.
530 * MIME:: @acronym{MIME} considerations.
531 * IDNA:: Non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name considerations.
532 * Security:: Signing and encrypting messages.
533 * Various Commands:: Various things.
534 * Sending:: Actually sending the message.
535 * Mail Aliases:: How to use mail aliases.
536 * Spelling:: Having Emacs check your spelling.
541 @section Buffer Entry
545 You most often end up in a Message buffer when responding to some other
546 message of some sort. Message does lots of handling of quoted text, and
547 may remove signatures, reformat the text, or the like---depending on
548 which used settings you're using. Message usually gets things right,
549 but sometimes it stumbles. To help the user unwind these stumblings,
550 Message sets the undo boundary before each major automatic action it
551 takes. If you press the undo key (usually located at @kbd{C-_}) a few
552 times, you will get back the un-edited message you're responding to.
555 @node Header Commands
556 @section Header Commands
558 @subsection Commands for moving to headers
560 These following commands move to the header in question. If it doesn't
561 exist, it will be inserted.
567 @findex describe-mode
568 Describe the message mode.
572 @findex message-goto-to
573 Go to the @code{To} header (@code{message-goto-to}).
577 @findex message-goto-from
578 Go to the @code{From} header (@code{message-goto-from}). (The ``o''
579 in the key binding is for Originator.)
583 @findex message-goto-bcc
584 Go to the @code{Bcc} header (@code{message-goto-bcc}).
588 @findex message-goto-fcc
589 Go to the @code{Fcc} header (@code{message-goto-fcc}).
593 @findex message-goto-cc
594 Go to the @code{Cc} header (@code{message-goto-cc}).
598 @findex message-goto-subject
599 Go to the @code{Subject} header (@code{message-goto-subject}).
603 @findex message-goto-reply-to
604 Go to the @code{Reply-To} header (@code{message-goto-reply-to}).
608 @findex message-goto-newsgroups
609 Go to the @code{Newsgroups} header (@code{message-goto-newsgroups}).
613 @findex message-goto-distribution
614 Go to the @code{Distribution} header (@code{message-goto-distribution}).
618 @findex message-goto-followup-to
619 Go to the @code{Followup-To} header (@code{message-goto-followup-to}).
623 @findex message-goto-keywords
624 Go to the @code{Keywords} header (@code{message-goto-keywords}).
628 @findex message-goto-summary
629 Go to the @code{Summary} header (@code{message-goto-summary}).
633 @findex message-insert-or-toggle-importance
634 This inserts the @samp{Importance:} header with a value of
635 @samp{high}. This header is used to signal the importance of the
636 message to the receiver. If the header is already present in the
637 buffer, it cycles between the three valid values according to RFC
638 1376: @samp{low}, @samp{normal} and @samp{high}.
642 @findex message-generate-unsubscribed-mail-followup-to
643 Insert a reasonable @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
644 (@pxref{Mailing Lists}) in a post to an
645 unsubscribed list. When making original posts to a mailing list you are
646 not subscribed to, you have to type in a @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
647 by hand. The contents, usually, are the addresses of the list and your
648 own address. This function inserts such a header automatically. It
649 fetches the contents of the @samp{To:} header in the current mail
650 buffer, and appends the current @code{user-mail-address}.
652 If the optional argument @code{include-cc} is non-@code{nil}, the
653 addresses in the @samp{Cc:} header are also put into the
654 @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header.
658 @subsection Commands to change headers
664 @findex message-sort-headers
665 @vindex message-header-format-alist
666 Sort headers according to @code{message-header-format-alist}
667 (@code{message-sort-headers}).
671 @findex message-insert-to
672 Insert a @code{To} header that contains the @code{Reply-To} or
673 @code{From} header of the message you're following up
674 (@code{message-insert-to}).
678 @findex message-insert-newsgroups
679 Insert a @code{Newsgroups} header that reflects the @code{Followup-To}
680 or @code{Newsgroups} header of the article you're replying to
681 (@code{message-insert-newsgroups}).
685 @findex message-to-list-only
686 Send a message to the list only. Remove all addresses but the list
687 address from @code{To:} and @code{Cc:} headers.
691 @findex message-insert-disposition-notification-to
692 Insert a request for a disposition
693 notification. (@code{message-insert-disposition-notification-to}).
694 This means that if the recipient supports RFC 2298 she might send you a
695 notification that she received the message.
697 @item M-x message-insert-importance-high
698 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-high
699 @findex message-insert-importance-high
701 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{high},
702 deleting headers if necessary.
704 @item M-x message-insert-importance-low
705 @kindex M-x message-insert-importance-low
706 @findex message-insert-importance-low
708 Insert an @samp{Importance} header with a value of @samp{low}, deleting
709 headers if necessary.
713 @findex message-change-subject
715 Change the current @samp{Subject} header. Ask for new @samp{Subject}
716 header and append @samp{(was: <Old Subject>)}. The old subject can be
717 stripped on replying, see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}
718 (@pxref{Message Headers}).
722 @findex message-cross-post-followup-to
723 @vindex message-cross-post-default
724 @vindex message-cross-post-note-function
727 Set up the @samp{FollowUp-To} header with a target newsgroup for a
728 cross-post, add that target newsgroup to the @samp{Newsgroups} header if
729 it is not a member of @samp{Newsgroups}, and insert a note in the body.
730 If @code{message-cross-post-default} is @code{nil} or if this command is
731 called with a prefix-argument, only the @samp{FollowUp-To} header will
732 be set but the target newsgroup will not be added to the
733 @samp{Newsgroups} header. The function to insert a note is controlled
734 by the @code{message-cross-post-note-function} variable.
738 @findex message-reduce-to-to-cc
739 Replace contents of @samp{To} header with contents of @samp{Cc} or
740 @samp{Bcc} header. (Iff @samp{Cc} header is not present, @samp{Bcc}
741 header will be used instead.)
745 @findex message-insert-wide-reply
746 Insert @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers as if you were doing a wide
747 reply even if the message was not made for a wide reply first.
751 @findex message-add-archive-header
752 @vindex message-archive-header
753 @vindex message-archive-note
755 Insert @samp{X-No-Archive: Yes} in the header and a note in the body.
756 The header and the note can be customized using
757 @code{message-archive-header} and @code{message-archive-note}. When
758 called with a prefix argument, ask for a text to insert. If you don't
759 want the note in the body, set @code{message-archive-note} to
771 @findex message-goto-body
772 Move to the beginning of the body of the message
773 (@code{message-goto-body}).
777 @findex message-goto-signature
778 Move to the signature of the message (@code{message-goto-signature}).
782 @findex message-beginning-of-line
783 @vindex message-beginning-of-line
784 If at beginning of header value, go to beginning of line, else go to
785 beginning of header value. (The header value comes after the header
786 name and the colon.) This behavior can be disabled by toggling
787 the variable @code{message-beginning-of-line}.
799 @findex message-yank-original
800 Yank the message that's being replied to into the message buffer
801 (@code{message-yank-original}).
805 @findex message-yank-buffer
806 Prompt for a buffer name and yank the contents of that buffer into the
807 message buffer (@code{message-yank-buffer}).
811 @findex message-fill-yanked-message
812 Fill the yanked message (@code{message-fill-yanked-message}). Warning:
813 Can severely mess up the yanked text if its quoting conventions are
814 strange. You'll quickly get a feel for when it's safe, though. Anyway,
815 just remember that @kbd{C-x u} (@code{undo}) is available and you'll be
820 @findex message-insert-signature
821 Insert a signature at the end of the buffer
822 (@code{message-insert-signature}).
826 @findex message-insert-headers
827 Insert the message headers (@code{message-insert-headers}).
831 @findex message-mark-inserted-region
832 Mark some region in the current article with enclosing tags. See
833 @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
834 When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
835 (@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
839 @findex message-mark-insert-file
840 Insert a file in the current article with enclosing tags.
841 See @code{message-mark-insert-begin} and @code{message-mark-insert-end}.
842 When called with a prefix argument, use slrn style verbatim marks
843 (@samp{#v+} and @samp{#v-}).
855 Message is a @acronym{MIME}-compliant posting agent. The user generally
856 doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{MIME} happen---Message will
857 automatically add the @code{Content-Type} and
858 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} headers.
860 @findex mml-attach-file
862 The most typical thing users want to use the multipart things in
863 @acronym{MIME} for is to add ``attachments'' to mail they send out.
864 This can be done with the @kbd{C-c C-a} command (@kbd{M-x mml-attach-file}),
865 which will prompt for a file name and a @acronym{MIME} type.
867 @vindex mml-dnd-protocol-alist
868 @vindex mml-dnd-attach-options
869 If your Emacs supports drag and drop, you can also drop the file in the
870 Message buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} specifies
871 what kind of action is done when you drop a file into the Message
872 buffer. The variable @code{mml-dnd-attach-options} controls which
873 @acronym{MIME} options you want to specify when dropping a file. If it
874 is a list, valid members are @code{type}, @code{description} and
875 @code{disposition}. @code{disposition} implies @code{type}. If it is
876 @code{nil}, don't ask for options. If it is @code{t}, ask the user
877 whether or not to specify options.
879 You can also create arbitrarily complex multiparts using the @acronym{MML}
880 language (@pxref{Composing, , Composing, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
886 @cindex internationalized domain names
887 @cindex non-ascii domain names
889 Message is a @acronym{IDNA}-compliant posting agent. The user
890 generally doesn't have to do anything to make the @acronym{IDNA}
891 happen---Message will encode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in @code{From},
892 @code{To}, and @code{Cc} headers automatically.
894 Until @acronym{IDNA} becomes more well known, Message queries you
895 whether @acronym{IDNA} encoding of the domain name really should
896 occur. Some users might not be aware that domain names can contain
897 non-@acronym{ASCII} now, so this gives them a safety net if they accidently
898 typed a non-@acronym{ASCII} domain name.
900 @vindex message-use-idna
901 The @code{message-use-idna} variable control whether @acronym{IDNA} is
902 used. If the variable is @code{nil} no @acronym{IDNA} encoding will
903 ever happen, if it is set to the symbol @code{ask} the user will be
904 queried, and if set to @code{t} (which is the default if @acronym{IDNA}
905 is fully available) @acronym{IDNA} encoding happens automatically.
907 @findex message-idna-to-ascii-rhs
908 If you want to experiment with the @acronym{IDNA} encoding, you can
909 invoke @kbd{M-x message-idna-to-ascii-rhs RET} in the message buffer
910 to have the non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names encoded while you edit
913 Note that you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU
914 Libidn} installed in order to use this functionality.
926 Using the @acronym{MML} language, Message is able to create digitally
927 signed and digitally encrypted messages. Message (or rather
928 @acronym{MML}) currently support @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991),
929 @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME}.
932 * Signing and encryption:: Signing and encrypting commands.
933 * Using S/MIME:: Using S/MIME
934 * Using PGP/MIME:: Using PGP/MIME
935 * PGP Compatibility:: Compatibility with older implementations
938 @node Signing and encryption
939 @subsection Signing and encrypting commands
941 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
942 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
943 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
948 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
950 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
954 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
956 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
960 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgpmime
962 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
966 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
968 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
972 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
974 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
978 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
980 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
984 @findex mml-unsecure-message
985 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
989 These commands do not immediately sign or encrypt the message, they
990 merely insert the proper @acronym{MML} secure tag to instruct the
991 @acronym{MML} engine to perform that operation when the message is
992 actually sent. They may perform other operations too, such as locating
993 and retrieving a @acronym{S/MIME} certificate of the person you wish to
994 send encrypted mail to. When the mml parsing engine converts your
995 @acronym{MML} into a properly encoded @acronym{MIME} message, the secure
996 tag will be replaced with either a part or a multipart tag. If your
997 message contains other mml parts, a multipart tag will be used; if no
998 other parts are present in your message a single part tag will be used.
999 This way, message mode will do the Right Thing (TM) with
1000 signed/encrypted multipart messages.
1002 Since signing and especially encryption often is used when sensitive
1003 information is sent, you may want to have some way to ensure that your
1004 mail is actually signed or encrypted. After invoking the above
1005 sign/encrypt commands, it is possible to preview the raw article by
1006 using @kbd{C-u C-c RET P} (@code{mml-preview}). Then you can
1007 verify that your long rant about what your ex-significant other or
1008 whomever actually did with that funny looking person at that strange
1009 party the other night, actually will be sent encrypted.
1011 @emph{Note!} Neither @acronym{PGP/MIME} nor @acronym{S/MIME} encrypt/signs
1012 RFC822 headers. They only operate on the @acronym{MIME} object. Keep this
1013 in mind before sending mail with a sensitive Subject line.
1015 By default, when encrypting a message, Gnus will use the
1016 ``signencrypt'' mode, which means the message is both signed and
1017 encrypted. If you would like to disable this for a particular
1018 message, give the @code{mml-secure-message-encrypt-*} command a prefix
1019 argument, e.g., @kbd{C-u C-c C-m c p}.
1021 Actually using the security commands above is not very difficult. At
1022 least not compared with making sure all involved programs talk with each
1023 other properly. Thus, we now describe what external libraries or
1024 programs are required to make things work, and some small general hints.
1027 @subsection Using S/MIME
1029 @emph{Note!} This section assume you have a basic familiarity with
1030 modern cryptography, @acronym{S/MIME}, various PKCS standards, OpenSSL and
1033 The @acronym{S/MIME} support in Message (and @acronym{MML}) require
1034 OpenSSL. OpenSSL performs the actual @acronym{S/MIME} sign/encrypt
1035 operations. OpenSSL can be found at @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}.
1036 OpenSSL 0.9.6 and later should work. Version 0.9.5a cannot extract mail
1037 addresses from certificates, and it insert a spurious CR character into
1038 @acronym{MIME} separators so you may wish to avoid it if you would like
1039 to avoid being regarded as someone who send strange mail. (Although by
1040 sending @acronym{S/MIME} messages you've probably already lost that
1043 To be able to send encrypted mail, a personal certificate is not
1044 required. Message (@acronym{MML}) need a certificate for the person to whom you
1045 wish to communicate with though. You're asked for this when you type
1046 @kbd{C-c C-m c s}. Currently there are two ways to retrieve this
1047 certificate, from a local file or from DNS. If you chose a local
1048 file, it need to contain a X.509 certificate in @acronym{PEM} format.
1049 If you chose DNS, you're asked for the domain name where the
1050 certificate is stored, the default is a good guess. To my belief,
1051 Message (@acronym{MML}) is the first mail agent in the world to support
1052 retrieving @acronym{S/MIME} certificates from DNS, so you're not
1053 likely to find very many certificates out there. At least there
1054 should be one, stored at the domain @code{simon.josefsson.org}. LDAP
1055 is a more popular method of distributing certificates, support for it
1056 is planned. (Meanwhile, you can use @code{ldapsearch} from the
1057 command line to retrieve a certificate into a file and use it.)
1059 As for signing messages, OpenSSL can't perform signing operations
1060 without some kind of configuration. Especially, you need to tell it
1061 where your private key and your certificate is stored. @acronym{MML}
1062 uses an Emacs interface to OpenSSL, aptly named @code{smime.el}, and it
1063 contain a @code{custom} group used for this configuration. So, try
1064 @kbd{M-x customize-group RET smime RET} and look around.
1066 Currently there is no support for talking to a CA (or RA) to create
1067 your own certificate. None is planned either. You need to do this
1068 manually with OpenSSL or using some other program. I used Netscape
1069 and got a free @acronym{S/MIME} certificate from one of the big CA's on the
1070 net. Netscape is able to export your private key and certificate in
1071 PKCS #12 format. Use OpenSSL to convert this into a plain X.509
1072 certificate in PEM format as follows.
1075 $ openssl pkcs12 -in ns.p12 -clcerts -nodes > key+cert.pem
1078 The @file{key+cert.pem} file should be pointed to from the
1079 @code{smime-keys} variable. You should now be able to send signed mail.
1081 @emph{Note!} Your private key is now stored unencrypted in the file,
1082 so take care in handling it. Storing encrypted keys on the disk are
1083 supported, and Gnus will ask you for a passphrase before invoking
1084 OpenSSL. Read the OpenSSL documentation for how to achieve this. If
1085 you use unencrypted keys (e.g., if they are on a secure storage, or if
1086 you are on a secure single user machine) simply press @code{RET} at
1087 the passphrase prompt.
1089 @node Using PGP/MIME
1090 @subsection Using PGP/MIME
1092 @acronym{PGP/MIME} requires an external OpenPGP implementation, such
1093 as @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/, GNU Privacy Guard}. Pre-OpenPGP
1094 implementations such as PGP 2.x and PGP 5.x are also supported. One
1095 Emacs interface to the PGP implementations, PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG,
1096 pgg, PGG Manual}), is included, but Mailcrypt and Florian Weimer's
1097 @code{gpg.el} are also supported. @xref{PGP Compatibility}.
1100 Message internally calls GnuPG (the @command{gpg} command) to perform
1101 data encryption, and in certain cases (decrypting or signing for
1102 example), @command{gpg} requires user's passphrase. Currently the
1103 recommended way to supply your passphrase to @command{gpg} is to use the
1104 @command{gpg-agent} program.
1106 To use @command{gpg-agent} in Emacs, you need to run the following
1107 command from the shell before starting Emacs.
1110 eval `gpg-agent --daemon`
1113 This will invoke @command{gpg-agent} and set the environment variable
1114 @code{GPG_AGENT_INFO} to allow @command{gpg} to communicate with it.
1115 It might be good idea to put this command in your @file{.xsession} or
1116 @file{.bash_profile}. @xref{Invoking GPG-AGENT, , , gnupg, Using the
1119 Once your @command{gpg-agent} is set up, it will ask you for a
1120 passphrase as needed for @command{gpg}. Under the X Window System,
1121 you will see a new passphrase input dialog appear. The dialog is
1122 provided by PIN Entry (the @command{pinentry} command), and as of
1123 version 0.7.2, @command{pinentry} cannot cooperate with Emacs on a
1124 single tty. So, if you are using a text console, you may need to put
1125 a passphrase into gpg-agent's cache beforehand. The following command
1129 gpg --use-agent --sign < /dev/null > /dev/null
1132 The Lisp variable @code{pgg-gpg-use-agent} controls whether to use
1133 @command{gpg-agent}. See also @xref{Caching passphrase, , , pgg, The
1137 @node PGP Compatibility
1138 @subsection Compatibility with older implementations
1140 @vindex gpg-temp-directory
1141 Note, if you are using the @code{gpg.el} you must make sure that the
1142 directory specified by @code{gpg-temp-directory} have permissions
1145 Creating your own key is described in detail in the documentation of
1146 your PGP implementation, so we refer to it.
1148 If you have imported your old PGP 2.x key into GnuPG, and want to send
1149 signed and encrypted messages to your fellow PGP 2.x users, you'll
1150 discover that the receiver cannot understand what you send. One
1151 solution is to use PGP 2.x instead (i.e., if you use @code{pgg}, set
1152 @code{pgg-default-scheme} to @code{pgp}). If you do want to use
1153 GnuPG, you can use a compatibility script called @code{gpg-2comp}
1155 @uref{http://muppet.faveve.uni-stuttgart.de/~gero/gpg-2comp/}. You
1156 could also convince your fellow PGP 2.x users to convert to GnuPG.
1157 @vindex mml-signencrypt-style-alist
1158 As a final workaround, you can make the sign and encryption work in
1159 two steps; separately sign, then encrypt a message. If you would like
1160 to change this behavior you can customize the
1161 @code{mml-signencrypt-style-alist} variable. For example:
1164 (setq mml-signencrypt-style-alist '(("smime" separate)
1166 ("pgpauto" separate)
1167 ("pgpmime" separate)))
1170 This causes to sign and encrypt in two passes, thus generating a
1171 message that can be understood by PGP version 2.
1173 (Refer to @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/pgp2x.html} for more
1174 information about the problem.)
1176 @node Various Commands
1177 @section Various Commands
1183 @findex message-caesar-buffer-body
1184 Caesar rotate (aka. rot13) the current message
1185 (@code{message-caesar-buffer-body}). If narrowing is in effect, just
1186 rotate the visible portion of the buffer. A numerical prefix says how
1187 many places to rotate the text. The default is 13.
1191 @findex message-elide-region
1192 @vindex message-elide-ellipsis
1193 Elide the text between point and mark (@code{message-elide-region}).
1194 The text is killed and replaced with the contents of the variable
1195 @code{message-elide-ellipsis}. The default value is to use an ellipsis
1200 @findex message-kill-address
1201 Kill the address under point.
1205 @findex message-kill-to-signature
1206 Kill all the text up to the signature, or if that's missing, up to the
1207 end of the message (@code{message-kill-to-signature}).
1211 @findex message-delete-not-region
1212 Delete all text in the body of the message that is outside the region
1213 (@code{message-delete-not-region}).
1217 @findex message-newline-and-reformat
1218 Insert four newlines, and then reformat if inside quoted text.
1223 > This is some quoted text. And here's more quoted text.
1226 If point is before @samp{And} and you press @kbd{M-RET}, you'll get:
1229 > This is some quoted text.
1233 > And here's more quoted text.
1236 @samp{*} says where point will be placed.
1240 @findex message-rename-buffer
1241 Rename the buffer (@code{message-rename-buffer}). If given a prefix,
1242 prompt for a new buffer name.
1247 @vindex message-tab-body-function
1248 If @code{message-tab-body-function} is non-@code{nil}, execute the
1249 function it specifies. Otherwise use the function bound to @kbd{TAB} in
1250 @code{text-mode-map} or @code{global-map}.
1261 @findex message-send-and-exit
1262 Send the message and bury the current buffer
1263 (@code{message-send-and-exit}).
1267 @findex message-send
1268 Send the message (@code{message-send}).
1272 @findex message-dont-send
1273 Bury the message buffer and exit (@code{message-dont-send}).
1277 @findex message-kill-buffer
1278 Kill the message buffer and exit (@code{message-kill-buffer}).
1285 @section Mail Aliases
1286 @cindex mail aliases
1291 @vindex message-mail-alias-type
1292 The @code{message-mail-alias-type} variable controls what type of mail
1293 alias expansion to use. Currently two forms are supported:
1294 @code{mailabbrev} and @code{ecomplete}. If this variable is
1295 @code{nil}, no mail alias expansion will be performed.
1297 @code{mailabbrev} works by parsing the @file{/etc/mailrc} and
1298 @file{~/.mailrc} files. These files look like:
1301 alias lmi "Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@ifi.uio.no>"
1302 alias ding "ding@@ifi.uio.no (ding mailing list)"
1305 After adding lines like this to your @file{~/.mailrc} file, you should
1306 be able to just write @samp{lmi} in the @code{To} or @code{Cc} (and so
1307 on) headers and press @kbd{SPC} to expand the alias.
1309 No expansion will be performed upon sending of the message---all
1310 expansions have to be done explicitly.
1312 If you're using @code{ecomplete}, all addresses from @code{To} and
1313 @code{Cc} headers will automatically be put into the
1314 @file{~/.ecompleterc} file. When you enter text in the @code{To} and
1315 @code{Cc} headers, @code{ecomplete} will check out the values stored
1316 there and ``electrically'' say what completions are possible. To
1317 choose one of these completions, use the @kbd{M-n} command to move
1318 down to the list. Use @kbd{M-n} and @kbd{M-p} to move down and up the
1319 list, and @kbd{RET} to choose a completion.
1324 @findex ispell-message
1326 There are two popular ways to have Emacs spell-check your messages:
1327 @code{ispell} and @code{flyspell}. @code{ispell} is the older and
1328 probably more popular package. You typically first write the message,
1329 and then run the entire thing through @code{ispell} and fix all the
1330 typos. To have this happen automatically when you send a message, put
1331 something like the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
1334 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
1337 @vindex ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1338 If you're in the habit of writing in different languages, this can be
1339 controlled by the @code{ispell-message-dictionary-alist} variable:
1342 (setq ispell-message-dictionary-alist
1343 '(("^Newsgroups:.*\\bde\\." . "deutsch8")
1344 (".*" . "default")))
1347 @code{ispell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1350 The other popular method is using @code{flyspell}. This package checks
1351 your spelling while you're writing, and marks any mis-spelled words in
1354 To use @code{flyspell}, put something like the following in your
1358 (defun my-message-setup-routine ()
1360 (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'my-message-setup-routine)
1363 @code{flyspell} depends on having the external @samp{ispell} command
1371 * Message Headers:: General message header stuff.
1372 * Mail Headers:: Customizing mail headers.
1373 * Mail Variables:: Other mail variables.
1374 * News Headers:: Customizing news headers.
1375 * News Variables:: Other news variables.
1376 * Insertion Variables:: Customizing how things are inserted.
1377 * Various Message Variables:: Other message variables.
1378 * Sending Variables:: Variables for sending.
1379 * Message Buffers:: How Message names its buffers.
1380 * Message Actions:: Actions to be performed when exiting.
1384 @node Message Headers
1385 @section Message Headers
1387 Message is quite aggressive on the message generation front. It has to
1388 be---it's a combined news and mail agent. To be able to send combined
1389 messages, it has to generate all headers itself (instead of letting the
1390 mail/news system do it) to ensure that mail and news copies of messages
1391 look sufficiently similar.
1395 @item message-generate-headers-first
1396 @vindex message-generate-headers-first
1397 If @code{t}, generate all required headers before starting to
1398 compose the message. This can also be a list of headers to generate:
1401 (setq message-generate-headers-first
1405 @vindex message-required-headers
1406 The variables @code{message-required-headers},
1407 @code{message-required-mail-headers} and
1408 @code{message-required-news-headers} specify which headers are
1411 Note that some headers will be removed and re-generated before posting,
1412 because of the variable @code{message-deletable-headers} (see below).
1414 @item message-draft-headers
1415 @vindex message-draft-headers
1416 When running Message from Gnus, the message buffers are associated
1417 with a draft group. @code{message-draft-headers} says which headers
1418 should be generated when a draft is written to the draft group.
1420 @item message-from-style
1421 @vindex message-from-style
1422 Specifies how @code{From} headers should look. There are four valid
1427 Just the address---@samp{king@@grassland.com}.
1430 @samp{king@@grassland.com (Elvis Parsley)}.
1433 @samp{Elvis Parsley <king@@grassland.com>}.
1436 Look like @code{angles} if that doesn't require quoting, and
1437 @code{parens} if it does. If even @code{parens} requires quoting, use
1438 @code{angles} anyway.
1442 @item message-deletable-headers
1443 @vindex message-deletable-headers
1444 Headers in this list that were previously generated by Message will be
1445 deleted before posting. Let's say you post an article. Then you decide
1446 to post it again to some other group, you naughty boy, so you jump back
1447 to the @code{*post-buf*} buffer, edit the @code{Newsgroups} line, and
1448 ship it off again. By default, this variable makes sure that the old
1449 generated @code{Message-ID} is deleted, and a new one generated. If
1450 this isn't done, the entire empire would probably crumble, anarchy would
1451 prevail, and cats would start walking on two legs and rule the world.
1454 @item message-default-headers
1455 @vindex message-default-headers
1456 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1459 @item message-subject-re-regexp
1460 @vindex message-subject-re-regexp
1464 Responses to messages have subjects that start with @samp{Re: }. This
1465 is @emph{not} an abbreviation of the English word ``response'', but is
1466 Latin, and means ``in response to''. Some illiterate nincompoops have
1467 failed to grasp this fact, and have ``internationalized'' their software
1468 to use abominations like @samp{Aw: } (``antwort'') or @samp{Sv: }
1469 (``svar'') instead, which is meaningless and evil. However, you may
1470 have to deal with users that use these evil tools, in which case you may
1471 set this variable to a regexp that matches these prefixes. Myself, I
1472 just throw away non-compliant mail.
1474 Here's an example of a value to deal with these headers when
1475 responding to a message:
1478 (setq message-subject-re-regexp
1483 "[Aa][Nn][Tt][Ww]\\.?\\|" ; antw
1485 "[Ff][Ww][Dd]?\\|" ; fwd
1486 "[Oo][Dd][Pp]\\|" ; odp
1488 "[Rr][\311\351][Ff]\\.?\\|" ; ref
1491 "\\(\\[[0-9]*\\]\\)"
1498 @item message-subject-trailing-was-query
1499 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-query
1500 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp
1501 @vindex message-subject-trailing-was-regexp
1502 Controls what to do with trailing @samp{(was: <old subject>)} in subject
1503 lines. If @code{nil}, leave the subject unchanged. If it is the symbol
1504 @code{ask}, query the user what to do. In this case, the subject is
1505 matched against @code{message-subject-trailing-was-ask-regexp}. If
1506 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query} is @code{t}, always strip the
1507 trailing old subject. In this case,
1508 @code{message-subject-trailing-was-regexp} is used.
1510 @item message-alternative-emails
1511 @vindex message-alternative-emails
1512 Regexp matching alternative email addresses. The first address in the
1513 To, Cc or From headers of the original article matching this variable is
1514 used as the From field of outgoing messages, replacing the default From
1517 For example, if you have two secondary email addresses john@@home.net
1518 and john.doe@@work.com and want to use them in the From field when
1519 composing a reply to a message addressed to one of them, you could set
1520 this variable like this:
1523 (setq message-alternative-emails
1524 (regexp-opt '("john@@home.net" "john.doe@@work.com")))
1527 This variable has precedence over posting styles and anything that runs
1528 off @code{message-setup-hook}.
1530 @item message-allow-no-recipients
1531 @vindex message-allow-no-recipients
1532 Specifies what to do when there are no recipients other than
1533 @code{Gcc} or @code{Fcc}. If it is @code{always}, the posting is
1534 allowed. If it is @code{never}, the posting is not allowed. If it is
1535 @code{ask} (the default), you are prompted.
1537 @item message-hidden-headers
1538 @vindex message-hidden-headers
1539 A regexp, a list of regexps, or a list where the first element is
1540 @code{not} and the rest are regexps. It says which headers to keep
1541 hidden when composing a message.
1544 (setq message-hidden-headers
1545 '(not "From" "Subject" "To" "Cc" "Newsgroups"))
1548 Headers are hidden using narrowing, you can use @kbd{M-x widen} to
1549 expose them in the buffer.
1551 @item message-header-synonyms
1552 @vindex message-header-synonyms
1553 A list of lists of header synonyms. E.g., if this list contains a
1554 member list with elements @code{Cc} and @code{To}, then
1555 @code{message-carefully-insert-headers} will not insert a @code{To}
1556 header when the message is already @code{Cc}ed to the recipient.
1562 @section Mail Headers
1565 @item message-required-mail-headers
1566 @vindex message-required-mail-headers
1567 @xref{News Headers}, for the syntax of this variable. It is
1568 @code{(From Subject Date (optional . In-Reply-To) Message-ID
1569 (optional . User-Agent))} by default.
1571 @item message-ignored-mail-headers
1572 @vindex message-ignored-mail-headers
1573 Regexp of headers to be removed before mailing. The default is@*
1574 @samp{^[GF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|^Xref:\\|^X-Draft-From:\\|@*
1575 ^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1577 @item message-default-mail-headers
1578 @vindex message-default-mail-headers
1579 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1580 buffers that are initialized as mail.
1582 @item message-generate-hashcash
1583 @vindex message-generate-hashcash
1584 Variable that indicates whether @samp{X-Hashcash} headers
1585 should be computed for the message. @xref{Hashcash, ,Hashcash,gnus,
1586 The Gnus Manual}. If @code{opportunistic}, only generate the headers
1587 when it doesn't lead to the user having to wait.
1592 @node Mail Variables
1593 @section Mail Variables
1596 @item message-send-mail-function
1597 @vindex message-send-mail-function
1598 @findex message-send-mail-function
1599 @findex message-send-mail-with-sendmail
1600 @findex message-send-mail-with-mh
1601 @findex message-send-mail-with-qmail
1602 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
1603 @findex smtpmail-send-it
1604 @findex feedmail-send-it
1605 @findex message-send-mail-with-mailclient
1606 Function used to send the current buffer as mail. The default is
1607 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, or @code{smtpmail-send-it}
1608 according to the system. Other valid values include
1609 @code{message-send-mail-with-mailclient},
1610 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
1611 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
1614 @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail} pipes your article to the
1615 @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and sending. When your local
1616 system is not configured for sending mail using @code{sendmail}, and you
1617 have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP} server, you can set
1618 @code{message-send-mail-function} to @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make
1619 sure to setup the @code{smtpmail} package correctly. An example:
1622 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
1623 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
1626 To the thing similar to this, there is
1627 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
1628 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
1629 @xref{POP before SMTP, , POP before SMTP, gnus, The Gnus Manual}.
1631 @item message-mh-deletable-headers
1632 @vindex message-mh-deletable-headers
1633 Most versions of MH doesn't like being fed messages that contain the
1634 headers in this variable. If this variable is non-@code{nil} (which is
1635 the default), these headers will be removed before mailing when sending
1636 messages via MH. Set it to @code{nil} if your MH can handle these
1639 @item message-qmail-inject-program
1640 @vindex message-qmail-inject-program
1642 Location of the qmail-inject program.
1644 @item message-qmail-inject-args
1645 @vindex message-qmail-inject-args
1646 Arguments passed to qmail-inject programs.
1647 This should be a list of strings, one string for each argument. It
1648 may also be a function.
1650 For e.g., if you wish to set the envelope sender address so that bounces
1651 go to the right place or to deal with listserv's usage of that address, you
1652 might set this variable to @code{'("-f" "you@@some.where")}.
1654 @item message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1655 @vindex message-sendmail-f-is-evil
1657 Non-@code{nil} means don't add @samp{-f username} to the sendmail
1658 command line. Doing so would be even more evil than leaving it out.
1660 @item message-sendmail-envelope-from
1661 @vindex message-sendmail-envelope-from
1662 When @code{message-sendmail-f-is-evil} is @code{nil}, this specifies
1663 the address to use in the @acronym{SMTP} envelope. If it is
1664 @code{nil}, use @code{user-mail-address}. If it is the symbol
1665 @code{header}, use the @samp{From} header of the message.
1667 @item message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1668 @vindex message-mailer-swallows-blank-line
1669 Set this to non-@code{nil} if the system's mailer runs the header and
1670 body together. (This problem exists on SunOS 4 when sendmail is run
1671 in remote mode.) The value should be an expression to test whether
1672 the problem will actually occur.
1674 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
1675 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
1676 @cindex split large message
1677 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial. The lower bound
1678 of message size in characters, beyond which the message should be sent
1679 in several parts. If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), the
1686 @section News Headers
1688 @vindex message-required-news-headers
1689 @code{message-required-news-headers} a list of header symbols. These
1690 headers will either be automatically generated, or, if that's
1691 impossible, they will be prompted for. The following symbols are valid:
1697 @findex user-full-name
1698 @findex user-mail-address
1699 This required header will be filled out with the result of the
1700 @code{message-make-from} function, which depends on the
1701 @code{message-from-style}, @code{user-full-name},
1702 @code{user-mail-address} variables.
1706 This required header will be prompted for if not present already.
1710 This required header says which newsgroups the article is to be posted
1711 to. If it isn't present already, it will be prompted for.
1714 @cindex organization
1715 @vindex message-user-organization
1716 @vindex message-user-organization-file
1717 This optional header will be filled out depending on the
1718 @code{message-user-organization} variable.
1719 @code{message-user-organization-file} will be used if this variable is
1720 @code{t}. This variable can also be a string (in which case this string
1721 will be used), or it can be a function (which will be called with no
1722 parameters and should return a string to be used).
1726 This optional header will be computed by Message.
1730 @vindex message-user-fqdn
1731 @vindex mail-host-address
1732 @vindex user-mail-address
1735 @cindex i-did-not-set--mail-host-address--so-tickle-me
1736 This required header will be generated by Message. A unique ID will be
1737 created based on the date, time, user name (for the local part) and the
1738 domain part. For the domain part, message will look (in this order) at
1739 @code{message-user-fqdn}, @code{system-name}, @code{mail-host-address}
1740 and @code{message-user-mail-address} (i.e. @code{user-mail-address})
1741 until a probably valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN) was found.
1745 This optional header will be filled out according to the
1746 @code{message-newsreader} local variable.
1749 This optional header is filled out using the @code{Date} and @code{From}
1750 header of the article being replied to.
1754 @vindex message-expires
1755 This extremely optional header will be inserted according to the
1756 @code{message-expires} variable. It is highly deprecated and shouldn't
1757 be used unless you know what you're doing.
1760 @cindex Distribution
1761 @vindex message-distribution-function
1762 This optional header is filled out according to the
1763 @code{message-distribution-function} variable. It is a deprecated and
1764 much misunderstood header.
1768 @vindex message-user-path
1769 This extremely optional header should probably never be used.
1770 However, some @emph{very} old servers require that this header is
1771 present. @code{message-user-path} further controls how this
1772 @code{Path} header is to look. If it is @code{nil}, use the server name
1773 as the leaf node. If it is a string, use the string. If it is neither
1774 a string nor @code{nil}, use the user name only. However, it is highly
1775 unlikely that you should need to fiddle with this variable at all.
1779 @cindex Mime-Version
1780 In addition, you can enter conses into this list. The @sc{car} of this cons
1781 should be a symbol. This symbol's name is the name of the header, and
1782 the @sc{cdr} can either be a string to be entered verbatim as the value of
1783 this header, or it can be a function to be called. This function should
1784 return a string to be inserted. For instance, if you want to insert
1785 @code{Mime-Version: 1.0}, you should enter @code{(Mime-Version . "1.0")}
1786 into the list. If you want to insert a funny quote, you could enter
1787 something like @code{(X-Yow . yow)} into the list. The function
1788 @code{yow} will then be called without any arguments.
1790 If the list contains a cons where the @sc{car} of the cons is
1791 @code{optional}, the @sc{cdr} of this cons will only be inserted if it is
1794 If you want to delete an entry from this list, the following Lisp
1795 snippet might be useful. Adjust accordingly if you want to remove
1799 (setq message-required-news-headers
1800 (delq 'Message-ID message-required-news-headers))
1803 Other variables for customizing outgoing news articles:
1807 @item message-syntax-checks
1808 @vindex message-syntax-checks
1809 Controls what syntax checks should not be performed on outgoing posts.
1810 To disable checking of long signatures, for instance, add
1813 (signature . disabled)
1823 Check whether the article has an @code{Approved} header, which is
1824 something only moderators should include.
1825 @item continuation-headers
1826 Check whether there are continuation header lines that don't begin with
1829 Check for invalid characters.
1831 Check whether the article is empty.
1832 @item existing-newsgroups
1833 Check whether the newsgroups mentioned in the @code{Newsgroups} and
1834 @code{Followup-To} headers exist.
1836 Check whether the @code{From} header seems nice.
1837 @item illegible-text
1838 Check whether there is any non-printable character in the body.
1839 @item invisible-text
1840 Check whether there is any invisible text in the buffer.
1841 @item long-header-lines
1842 Check for too long header lines.
1845 Check for too long lines in the body.
1847 Check whether the @code{Message-ID} looks syntactically ok.
1848 @item multiple-headers
1849 Check for the existence of multiple equal headers.
1851 Check whether there is any new text in the messages.
1853 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} header exists and is not empty.
1855 Check whether text follows last quoted portion.
1856 @item repeated-newsgroups
1857 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1858 contains repeated group names.
1860 Check whether the @code{Reply-To} header looks ok.
1863 Insert a new @code{Sender} header if the @code{From} header looks odd.
1866 Check for the existence of version and sendsys commands.
1868 Check whether the domain part of the @code{Message-ID} header looks ok.
1869 @item shorten-followup-to
1870 Check whether to add a @code{Followup-to} header to shorten the number
1871 of groups to post to.
1873 Check the length of the signature.
1875 Check for excessive size.
1877 Check whether the @code{Subject} header exists and is not empty.
1879 Check the subject for commands.
1880 @item valid-newsgroups
1881 Check whether the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-to} headers
1882 are valid syntactically.
1885 All these conditions are checked by default, except for @code{sender}
1886 for which the check is disabled by default if
1887 @code{message-insert-canlock} is non-@code{nil} (@pxref{Canceling News}).
1889 @item message-ignored-news-headers
1890 @vindex message-ignored-news-headers
1891 Regexp of headers to be removed before posting. The default is@*
1892 @samp{^NNTP-Posting-Host:\\|^Xref:\\|^[BGF]cc:\\|^Resent-Fcc:\\|@*
1893 ^X-Draft-From:\\|^X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information:}.
1895 @item message-default-news-headers
1896 @vindex message-default-news-headers
1897 This string is inserted at the end of the headers in all message
1898 buffers that are initialized as news.
1903 @node News Variables
1904 @section News Variables
1907 @item message-send-news-function
1908 @vindex message-send-news-function
1909 Function used to send the current buffer as news. The default is
1910 @code{message-send-news}.
1912 @item message-post-method
1913 @vindex message-post-method
1914 Gnusish @dfn{select method} (see the Gnus manual for details) used for
1915 posting a prepared news message.
1920 @node Insertion Variables
1921 @section Insertion Variables
1924 @item message-ignored-cited-headers
1925 @vindex message-ignored-cited-headers
1926 All headers that match this regexp will be removed from yanked
1927 messages. The default is @samp{.}, which means that all headers will be
1930 @item message-cite-prefix-regexp
1931 @vindex message-cite-prefix-regexp
1932 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
1934 @item message-citation-line-function
1935 @vindex message-citation-line-function
1936 @cindex attribution line
1937 Function called to insert the citation line. The default is
1938 @code{message-insert-citation-line}, which will lead to citation lines
1942 Hallvard B Furuseth <h.b.furuseth@@usit.uio.no> writes:
1945 @c FIXME: Add `message-insert-formated-citation-line' and
1946 @c `message-citation-line-format'
1948 Point will be at the beginning of the body of the message when this
1951 Note that Gnus provides a feature where clicking on `writes:' hides the
1952 cited text. If you change the citation line too much, readers of your
1953 messages will have to adjust their Gnus, too. See the variable
1954 @code{gnus-cite-attribution-suffix}. @xref{Article Highlighting, ,
1955 Article Highlighting, gnus, The Gnus Manual}, for details.
1957 @item message-yank-prefix
1958 @vindex message-yank-prefix
1961 When you are replying to or following up an article, you normally want
1962 to quote the person you are answering. Inserting quoted text is done by
1963 @dfn{yanking}, and each line you yank will have
1964 @code{message-yank-prefix} prepended to it (except for quoted lines
1965 which use @code{message-yank-cited-prefix} and empty lines which use
1966 @code{message-yank-empty-prefix}). The default is @samp{> }.
1968 @item message-yank-cited-prefix
1969 @vindex message-yank-cited-prefix
1973 When yanking text from an article which contains already cited text,
1974 each line will be prefixed with the contents of this variable. The
1975 default is @samp{>}. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1977 @item message-yank-empty-prefix
1978 @vindex message-yank-empty-prefix
1981 When yanking text from an article, each empty line will be prefixed with
1982 the contents of this variable. The default is @samp{>}. You can set
1983 this variable to an empty string to split the cited text into paragraphs
1984 automatically. See also @code{message-yank-prefix}.
1986 @item message-indentation-spaces
1987 @vindex message-indentation-spaces
1988 Number of spaces to indent yanked messages.
1990 @item message-cite-function
1991 @vindex message-cite-function
1992 @findex message-cite-original
1993 @findex message-cite-original-without-signature
1994 Function for citing an original message. The default is
1995 @code{message-cite-original}, which simply inserts the original message
1996 and prepends @samp{> } to each line.
1997 @code{message-cite-original-without-signature} does the same, but elides
2000 @item message-indent-citation-function
2001 @vindex message-indent-citation-function
2002 Function for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer.
2003 This can also be a list of functions. Each function can find the
2004 citation between @code{(point)} and @code{(mark t)}. And each function
2005 should leave point and mark around the citation text as modified.
2007 @item message-mark-insert-begin
2008 @vindex message-mark-insert-begin
2009 String to mark the beginning of some inserted text.
2011 @item message-mark-insert-end
2012 @vindex message-mark-insert-end
2013 String to mark the end of some inserted text.
2015 @item message-signature
2016 @vindex message-signature
2017 String to be inserted at the end of the message buffer. If @code{t}
2018 (which is the default), the @code{message-signature-file} file will be
2019 inserted instead. If a function, the result from the function will be
2020 used instead. If a form, the result from the form will be used instead.
2021 If this variable is @code{nil}, no signature will be inserted at all.
2023 @item message-signature-file
2024 @vindex message-signature-file
2025 File containing the signature to be inserted at the end of the buffer.
2026 If a path is specified, the value of
2027 @code{message-signature-directory} is ignored, even if set.
2028 The default is @file{~/.signature}.
2030 @item message-signature-directory
2031 @vindex message-signature-directory
2032 Name of directory containing signature files. Comes in handy if you
2033 have many such files, handled via Gnus posting styles for instance.
2034 If @code{nil} (the default), @code{message-signature-file} is expected
2035 to specify the directory if needed.
2038 @item message-signature-insert-empty-line
2039 @vindex message-signature-insert-empty-line
2040 If @code{t} (the default value) an empty line is inserted before the
2041 signature separator.
2045 Note that RFC1036bis says that a signature should be preceded by the three
2046 characters @samp{-- } on a line by themselves. This is to make it
2047 easier for the recipient to automatically recognize and process the
2048 signature. So don't remove those characters, even though you might feel
2049 that they ruin your beautiful design, like, totally.
2051 Also note that no signature should be more than four lines long.
2052 Including @acronym{ASCII} graphics is an efficient way to get
2053 everybody to believe that you are silly and have nothing important to
2057 @node Various Message Variables
2058 @section Various Message Variables
2061 @item message-default-charset
2062 @vindex message-default-charset
2064 Symbol naming a @acronym{MIME} charset. Non-@acronym{ASCII} characters
2065 in messages are assumed to be encoded using this charset. The default
2066 is @code{iso-8859-1} on non-@sc{mule} Emacsen; otherwise @code{nil},
2067 which means ask the user. (This variable is used only on non-@sc{mule}
2068 Emacsen.) @xref{Charset Translation, , Charset Translation, emacs-mime,
2069 Emacs MIME Manual}, for details on the @sc{mule}-to-@acronym{MIME}
2070 translation process.
2072 @item message-fill-column
2073 @vindex message-fill-column
2075 Local value for the column beyond which automatic line-wrapping should
2076 happen for message buffers. If non-nil (the default), also turn on
2077 auto-fill in message buffers.
2079 @item message-signature-separator
2080 @vindex message-signature-separator
2081 Regexp matching the signature separator. It is @samp{^-- *$} by
2084 @item mail-header-separator
2085 @vindex mail-header-separator
2086 String used to separate the headers from the body. It is @samp{--text
2087 follows this line--} by default.
2089 @item message-directory
2090 @vindex message-directory
2091 Directory used by many mailey things. The default is @file{~/Mail/}.
2092 All other mail file variables are derived from @code{message-directory}.
2094 @item message-auto-save-directory
2095 @vindex message-auto-save-directory
2096 Directory where Message auto-saves buffers if Gnus isn't running. If
2097 @code{nil}, Message won't auto-save. The default is @file{~/Mail/drafts/}.
2099 @item message-signature-setup-hook
2100 @vindex message-signature-setup-hook
2101 Hook run when initializing the message buffer. It is run after the
2102 headers have been inserted but before the signature has been inserted.
2104 @item message-setup-hook
2105 @vindex message-setup-hook
2106 Hook run as the last thing when the message buffer has been initialized,
2107 but before yanked text is inserted.
2109 @item message-header-setup-hook
2110 @vindex message-header-setup-hook
2111 Hook called narrowed to the headers after initializing the headers.
2113 For instance, if you're running Gnus and wish to insert a
2114 @samp{Mail-Copies-To} header in all your news articles and all messages
2115 you send to mailing lists, you could do something like the following:
2118 (defun my-message-header-setup-hook ()
2119 (let ((group (or gnus-newsgroup-name "")))
2120 (when (or (message-fetch-field "newsgroups")
2121 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-address)
2122 (gnus-group-find-parameter group 'to-list))
2123 (insert "Mail-Copies-To: never\n"))))
2125 (add-hook 'message-header-setup-hook
2126 'my-message-header-setup-hook)
2129 @item message-send-hook
2130 @vindex message-send-hook
2131 Hook run before sending messages.
2133 If you want to add certain headers before sending, you can use the
2134 @code{message-add-header} function in this hook. For instance:
2135 @findex message-add-header
2138 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'my-message-add-content)
2139 (defun my-message-add-content ()
2140 (message-add-header "X-In-No-Sense: Nonsense")
2141 (message-add-header "X-Whatever: no"))
2144 This function won't add the header if the header is already present.
2146 @item message-send-mail-hook
2147 @vindex message-send-mail-hook
2148 Hook run before sending mail messages. This hook is run very late --
2149 just before the message is actually sent as mail.
2151 @item message-send-news-hook
2152 @vindex message-send-news-hook
2153 Hook run before sending news messages. This hook is run very late --
2154 just before the message is actually sent as news.
2156 @item message-sent-hook
2157 @vindex message-sent-hook
2158 Hook run after sending messages.
2160 @item message-cancel-hook
2161 @vindex message-cancel-hook
2162 Hook run when canceling news articles.
2164 @item message-mode-syntax-table
2165 @vindex message-mode-syntax-table
2166 Syntax table used in message mode buffers.
2168 @item message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2169 @vindex message-cite-articles-with-x-no-archive
2170 If non-@code{nil}, don't strip quoted text from articles that have
2171 @samp{X-No-Archive} set. Even if this variable isn't set, you can
2172 undo the stripping by hitting the @code{undo} keystroke.
2174 @item message-strip-special-text-properties
2175 @vindex message-strip-special-text-properties
2176 Emacs has a number of special text properties which can break message
2177 composing in various ways. If this option is set, message will strip
2178 these properties from the message composition buffer. However, some
2179 packages requires these properties to be present in order to work. If
2180 you use one of these packages, turn this option off, and hope the
2181 message composition doesn't break too bad.
2183 @item message-send-method-alist
2184 @vindex message-send-method-alist
2185 @findex message-mail-p
2186 @findex message-news-p
2187 @findex message-send-via-mail
2188 @findex message-send-via-news
2189 Alist of ways to send outgoing messages. Each element has the form:
2192 (@var{type} @var{predicate} @var{function})
2197 A symbol that names the method.
2200 A function called without any parameters to determine whether the
2201 message is a message of type @var{type}. The function will be called in
2202 the buffer where the message is.
2205 A function to be called if @var{predicate} returns non-@code{nil}.
2206 @var{function} is called with one parameter---the prefix.
2212 ((news message-news-p message-send-via-news)
2213 (mail message-mail-p message-send-via-mail))
2216 The @code{message-news-p} function returns non-@code{nil} if the message
2217 looks like news, and the @code{message-send-via-news} function sends the
2218 message according to the @code{message-send-news-function} variable
2219 (@pxref{News Variables}). The @code{message-mail-p} function returns
2220 non-@code{nil} if the message looks like mail, and the
2221 @code{message-send-via-mail} function sends the message according to the
2222 @code{message-send-mail-function} variable (@pxref{Mail Variables}).
2224 All the elements in this alist will be tried in order, so a message
2225 containing both a valid @samp{Newsgroups} header and a valid @samp{To}
2226 header, for example, will be sent as news, and then as mail.
2231 @node Sending Variables
2232 @section Sending Variables
2236 @item message-fcc-handler-function
2237 @vindex message-fcc-handler-function
2238 A function called to save outgoing articles. This function will be
2239 called with the name of the file to store the article in. The default
2240 function is @code{message-output} which saves in Unix mailbox format.
2242 @item message-courtesy-message
2243 @vindex message-courtesy-message
2244 When sending combined messages, this string is inserted at the start of
2245 the mailed copy. If the string contains the format spec @samp{%s}, the
2246 newsgroups the article has been posted to will be inserted there. If
2247 this variable is @code{nil}, no such courtesy message will be added.
2248 The default value is @samp{"The following message is a courtesy copy of
2249 an article\\nthat has been posted to %s as well.\\n\\n"}.
2251 @item message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2252 @vindex message-fcc-externalize-attachments
2253 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Fcc copies; if it is
2254 non-@code{nil}, attach local files as external parts.
2256 @item message-interactive
2257 @vindex message-interactive
2258 If non-@code{nil} wait for and display errors when sending a message;
2259 if @code{nil} let the mailer mail back a message to report errors.
2261 @item message-confirm-send
2262 @vindex message-confirm-send
2263 When non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask for confirmation when sending a
2269 @node Message Buffers
2270 @section Message Buffers
2272 Message will generate new buffers with unique buffer names when you
2273 request a message buffer. When you send the message, the buffer isn't
2274 normally killed off. Its name is changed and a certain number of old
2275 message buffers are kept alive.
2278 @item message-generate-new-buffers
2279 @vindex message-generate-new-buffers
2280 Controls whether to create a new message buffer to compose a message.
2281 Valid values include:
2285 Generate the buffer name in the Message way (e.g., *mail*, *news*, *mail
2286 to whom*, *news on group*, etc.) and continue editing in the existing
2287 buffer of that name. If there is no such buffer, it will be newly
2292 Create the new buffer with the name generated in the Message way. This
2296 Similar to @code{unique} but the buffer name begins with "*unsent ".
2299 Similar to @code{nil} but the buffer name is simpler like *mail
2304 If this is a function, call that function with three parameters: The
2305 type, the To address and the group name (any of these may be
2306 @code{nil}). The function should return the new buffer name.
2309 The default value is @code{unique}.
2311 @item message-max-buffers
2312 @vindex message-max-buffers
2313 This variable says how many old message buffers to keep. If there are
2314 more message buffers than this, the oldest buffer will be killed. The
2315 default is 10. If this variable is @code{nil}, no old message buffers
2316 will ever be killed.
2318 @item message-send-rename-function
2319 @vindex message-send-rename-function
2320 After sending a message, the buffer is renamed from, for instance,
2321 @samp{*reply to Lars*} to @samp{*sent reply to Lars*}. If you don't
2322 like this, set this variable to a function that renames the buffer in a
2323 manner you like. If you don't want to rename the buffer at all, you can
2327 (setq message-send-rename-function 'ignore)
2330 @item message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2331 @findex message-kill-buffer-on-exit
2332 If non-@code{nil}, kill the buffer immediately on exit.
2337 @node Message Actions
2338 @section Message Actions
2340 When Message is being used from a news/mail reader, the reader is likely
2341 to want to perform some task after the message has been sent. Perhaps
2342 return to the previous window configuration or mark an article as
2345 @vindex message-kill-actions
2346 @vindex message-postpone-actions
2347 @vindex message-exit-actions
2348 @vindex message-send-actions
2349 The user may exit from the message buffer in various ways. The most
2350 common is @kbd{C-c C-c}, which sends the message and exits. Other
2351 possibilities are @kbd{C-c C-s} which just sends the message, @kbd{C-c
2352 C-d} which postpones the message editing and buries the message buffer,
2353 and @kbd{C-c C-k} which kills the message buffer. Each of these actions
2354 have lists associated with them that contains actions to be executed:
2355 @code{message-send-actions}, @code{message-exit-actions},
2356 @code{message-postpone-actions}, and @code{message-kill-actions}.
2358 Message provides a function to interface with these lists:
2359 @code{message-add-action}. The first parameter is the action to be
2360 added, and the rest of the arguments are which lists to add this action
2361 to. Here's an example from Gnus:
2365 `(set-window-configuration ,(current-window-configuration))
2366 'exit 'postpone 'kill)
2369 This restores the Gnus window configuration when the message buffer is
2370 killed, postponed or exited.
2372 An @dfn{action} can be either: a normal function, or a list where the
2373 @sc{car} is a function and the @sc{cdr} is the list of arguments, or
2374 a form to be @code{eval}ed.
2378 @chapter Compatibility
2379 @cindex compatibility
2381 Message uses virtually only its own variables---older @code{mail-}
2382 variables aren't consulted. To force Message to take those variables
2383 into account, you can put the following in your @file{.emacs} file:
2386 (require 'messcompat)
2389 This will initialize many Message variables from the values in the
2390 corresponding mail variables.
2397 * Responses:: Standard rules for determining where responses go.
2404 To determine where a message is to go, the following algorithm is used
2409 A @dfn{reply} is when you want to respond @emph{just} to the person who
2410 sent the message via mail. There will only be one recipient. To
2411 determine who the recipient will be, the following headers are
2422 A @dfn{wide reply} is a mail response that includes @emph{all} entities
2423 mentioned in the message you are responding to. All mailboxes from the
2424 following headers will be concatenated to form the outgoing
2425 @code{To}/@code{Cc} headers:
2429 (unless there's a @code{Reply-To}, in which case that is used instead).
2436 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will also be included
2437 in the list of mailboxes. If this header is @samp{never}, that means
2438 that the @code{From} (or @code{Reply-To}) mailbox will be suppressed.
2442 A @dfn{followup} is a response sent via news. The following headers
2443 (listed in order of precedence) determine where the response is to be
2454 If a @code{Mail-Copies-To} header is present, it will be used as the
2455 basis of the new @code{Cc} header, except if this header is
2461 @node GNU Free Documentation License
2462 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
2463 @include doclicense.texi