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annotate man/rmail.texi @ 31619:2e04fd5094c1
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author | Andrew Innes <andrewi@gnu.org> |
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date | Thu, 14 Sep 2000 21:19:58 +0000 |
parents | fcfb193a2a39 |
children | 6b9d1a2fb28b |
rev | line source |
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25829 | 1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual. |
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997 Free Software Foundation, Inc. | |
3 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. | |
4 @node Rmail, Dired, Sending Mail, Top | |
5 @chapter Reading Mail with Rmail | |
6 @cindex Rmail | |
7 @cindex reading mail | |
8 @findex rmail | |
9 @findex rmail-mode | |
10 @vindex rmail-mode-hook | |
11 | |
12 Rmail is an Emacs subsystem for reading and disposing of mail that you | |
13 receive. Rmail stores mail messages in files called Rmail files. | |
14 Reading the message in an Rmail file is done in a special major mode, | |
15 Rmail mode, which redefines most letters to run commands for managing | |
16 mail. The command @code{rmail-mode} is used to switch into Rmail mode, | |
17 and it runs the hook @code{rmail-mode-hook} as usual, but don't run this | |
18 command by hand; it can't do a reasonable job unless the buffer is | |
19 visiting a proper Rmail file. | |
20 | |
21 @menu | |
22 * Basic: Rmail Basics. Basic concepts of Rmail, and simple use. | |
23 * Scroll: Rmail Scrolling. Scrolling through a message. | |
24 * Motion: Rmail Motion. Moving to another message. | |
25 * Deletion: Rmail Deletion. Deleting and expunging messages. | |
26 * Inbox: Rmail Inbox. How mail gets into the Rmail file. | |
27 * Files: Rmail Files. Using multiple Rmail files. | |
28 * Output: Rmail Output. Copying message out to files. | |
29 * Labels: Rmail Labels. Classifying messages by labeling them. | |
30 * Attrs: Rmail Attributes. Certain standard labels, called attributes. | |
31 * Reply: Rmail Reply. Sending replies to messages you are viewing. | |
32 * Summary: Rmail Summary. Summaries show brief info on many messages. | |
33 * Sort: Rmail Sorting. Sorting messages in Rmail. | |
34 * Display: Rmail Display. How Rmail displays a message; customization. | |
35 * Editing: Rmail Editing. Editing message text and headers in Rmail. | |
36 * Digest: Rmail Digest. Extracting the messages from a digest message. | |
37 * Out of Rmail:: Converting an Rmail file to mailbox format. | |
38 * Rot13: Rmail Rot13. Reading messages encoded in the rot13 code. | |
39 * Movemail: Movemail. More details of fetching new mail. | |
40 @end menu | |
41 | |
42 @node Rmail Basics | |
43 @section Basic Concepts of Rmail | |
44 | |
45 @cindex primary Rmail file | |
46 @vindex rmail-file-name | |
47 Using Rmail in the simplest fashion, you have one Rmail file | |
48 @file{~/RMAIL} in which all of your mail is saved. It is called your | |
49 @dfn{primary Rmail file}. The command @kbd{M-x rmail} reads your primary | |
50 Rmail file, merges new mail in from your inboxes, displays the first | |
51 message you haven't read yet, and lets you begin reading. The variable | |
52 @code{rmail-file-name} specifies the name of the primary Rmail file. | |
53 | |
54 Rmail uses narrowing to hide all but one message in the Rmail file. | |
55 The message that is shown is called the @dfn{current message}. Rmail | |
56 mode's special commands can do such things as delete the current | |
57 message, copy it into another file, send a reply, or move to another | |
58 message. You can also create multiple Rmail files and use Rmail to move | |
59 messages between them. | |
60 | |
61 @cindex message number | |
62 Within the Rmail file, messages are normally arranged sequentially in | |
63 order of receipt; you can specify other ways to sort them. Messages are | |
64 assigned consecutive integers as their @dfn{message numbers}. The | |
65 number of the current message is displayed in Rmail's mode line, | |
66 followed by the total number of messages in the file. You can move to a | |
67 message by specifying its message number with the @kbd{j} key | |
68 (@pxref{Rmail Motion}). | |
69 | |
70 @kindex s @r{(Rmail)} | |
71 @findex rmail-save | |
72 Following the usual conventions of Emacs, changes in an Rmail file | |
73 become permanent only when the file is saved. You can save it with | |
74 @kbd{s} (@code{rmail-save}), which also expunges deleted messages from | |
75 the file first (@pxref{Rmail Deletion}). To save the file without | |
76 expunging, use @kbd{C-x C-s}. Rmail also saves the Rmail file after | |
77 merging new mail from an inbox file (@pxref{Rmail Inbox}). | |
78 | |
79 @kindex q @r{(Rmail)} | |
80 @findex rmail-quit | |
81 @kindex b @r{(Rmail)} | |
82 @findex rmail-bury | |
83 You can exit Rmail with @kbd{q} (@code{rmail-quit}); this expunges and | |
84 saves the Rmail file and then switches to another buffer. But there is | |
85 no need to `exit' formally. If you switch from Rmail to editing in | |
86 other buffers, and never happen to switch back, you have exited. (The | |
87 Rmail command @kbd{b}, @code{rmail-bury}, does this for you.) Just make | |
88 sure to save the Rmail file eventually (like any other file you have | |
89 changed). @kbd{C-x s} is a good enough way to do this | |
90 (@pxref{Saving}). | |
91 | |
92 @node Rmail Scrolling | |
93 @section Scrolling Within a Message | |
94 | |
95 When Rmail displays a message that does not fit on the screen, you | |
96 must scroll through it to read the rest. You could do this with | |
97 @kbd{C-v}, @kbd{M-v} and @kbd{M-<}, but in Rmail scrolling is so | |
98 frequent that it deserves to be easier to type. | |
99 | |
100 @table @kbd | |
101 @item @key{SPC} | |
102 Scroll forward (@code{scroll-up}). | |
103 @item @key{DEL} | |
104 Scroll backward (@code{scroll-down}). | |
105 @item . | |
106 Scroll to start of message (@code{rmail-beginning-of-message}). | |
107 @end table | |
108 | |
109 @kindex SPC @r{(Rmail)} | |
110 @kindex DEL @r{(Rmail)} | |
111 Since the most common thing to do while reading a message is to scroll | |
112 through it by screenfuls, Rmail makes @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} synonyms of | |
113 @kbd{C-v} (@code{scroll-up}) and @kbd{M-v} (@code{scroll-down}) | |
114 | |
115 @kindex . @r{(Rmail)} | |
116 @findex rmail-beginning-of-message | |
117 The command @kbd{.} (@code{rmail-beginning-of-message}) scrolls back to the | |
118 beginning of the selected message. This is not quite the same as @kbd{M-<}: | |
119 for one thing, it does not set the mark; for another, it resets the buffer | |
120 boundaries to the current message if you have changed them. | |
121 | |
122 @node Rmail Motion | |
123 @section Moving Among Messages | |
124 | |
125 The most basic thing to do with a message is to read it. The way to | |
126 do this in Rmail is to make the message current. The usual practice is | |
127 to move sequentially through the file, since this is the order of | |
128 receipt of messages. When you enter Rmail, you are positioned at the | |
129 first message that you have not yet made current (that is, the first one | |
130 that has the @samp{unseen} attribute; @pxref{Rmail Attributes}). Move | |
131 forward to see the other new messages; move backward to reexamine old | |
132 messages. | |
133 | |
134 @table @kbd | |
135 @item n | |
136 Move to the next nondeleted message, skipping any intervening deleted | |
137 messages (@code{rmail-next-undeleted-message}). | |
138 @item p | |
139 Move to the previous nondeleted message | |
140 (@code{rmail-previous-undeleted-message}). | |
141 @item M-n | |
142 Move to the next message, including deleted messages | |
143 (@code{rmail-next-message}). | |
144 @item M-p | |
145 Move to the previous message, including deleted messages | |
146 (@code{rmail-previous-message}). | |
147 @item j | |
148 Move to the first message. With argument @var{n}, move to | |
149 message number @var{n} (@code{rmail-show-message}). | |
150 @item > | |
151 Move to the last message (@code{rmail-last-message}). | |
152 @item < | |
153 Move to the first message (@code{rmail-first-message}). | |
154 | |
155 @item M-s @var{regexp} @key{RET} | |
156 Move to the next message containing a match for @var{regexp} | |
157 (@code{rmail-search}). | |
158 | |
159 @item - M-s @var{regexp} @key{RET} | |
160 Move to the previous message containing a match for @var{regexp}. | |
161 @end table | |
162 | |
163 @kindex n @r{(Rmail)} | |
164 @kindex p @r{(Rmail)} | |
165 @kindex M-n @r{(Rmail)} | |
166 @kindex M-p @r{(Rmail)} | |
167 @findex rmail-next-undeleted-message | |
168 @findex rmail-previous-undeleted-message | |
169 @findex rmail-next-message | |
170 @findex rmail-previous-message | |
171 @kbd{n} and @kbd{p} are the usual way of moving among messages in | |
172 Rmail. They move through the messages sequentially, but skip over | |
173 deleted messages, which is usually what you want to do. Their command | |
174 definitions are named @code{rmail-next-undeleted-message} and | |
175 @code{rmail-previous-undeleted-message}. If you do not want to skip | |
176 deleted messages---for example, if you want to move to a message to | |
177 undelete it---use the variants @kbd{M-n} and @kbd{M-p} | |
178 (@code{rmail-next-message} and @code{rmail-previous-message}). A | |
179 numeric argument to any of these commands serves as a repeat | |
180 count.@refill | |
181 | |
182 In Rmail, you can specify a numeric argument by typing just the | |
183 digits. You don't need to type @kbd{C-u} first. | |
184 | |
185 @kindex M-s @r{(Rmail)} | |
186 @findex rmail-search | |
187 @cindex searching in Rmail | |
188 The @kbd{M-s} (@code{rmail-search}) command is Rmail's version of | |
189 search. The usual incremental search command @kbd{C-s} works in Rmail, | |
190 but it searches only within the current message. The purpose of | |
191 @kbd{M-s} is to search for another message. It reads a regular | |
192 expression (@pxref{Regexps}) nonincrementally, then searches starting at | |
193 the beginning of the following message for a match. It then selects | |
194 that message. If @var{regexp} is empty, @kbd{M-s} reuses the regexp | |
195 used the previous time. | |
196 | |
197 To search backward in the file for another message, give @kbd{M-s} a | |
198 negative argument. In Rmail you can do this with @kbd{- M-s}. | |
199 | |
200 It is also possible to search for a message based on labels. | |
201 @xref{Rmail Labels}. | |
202 | |
203 @kindex j @r{(Rmail)} | |
204 @kindex > @r{(Rmail)} | |
205 @kindex < @r{(Rmail)} | |
206 @findex rmail-show-message | |
207 @findex rmail-last-message | |
208 @findex rmail-first-message | |
209 To move to a message specified by absolute message number, use @kbd{j} | |
210 (@code{rmail-show-message}) with the message number as argument. With | |
211 no argument, @kbd{j} selects the first message. @kbd{<} | |
212 (@code{rmail-first-message}) also selects the first message. @kbd{>} | |
213 (@code{rmail-last-message}) selects the last message. | |
214 | |
215 @node Rmail Deletion | |
216 @section Deleting Messages | |
217 | |
218 @cindex deletion (Rmail) | |
219 When you no longer need to keep a message, you can @dfn{delete} it. This | |
220 flags it as ignorable, and some Rmail commands pretend it is no longer | |
221 present; but it still has its place in the Rmail file, and still has its | |
222 message number. | |
223 | |
224 @cindex expunging (Rmail) | |
225 @dfn{Expunging} the Rmail file actually removes the deleted messages. | |
226 The remaining messages are renumbered consecutively. Expunging is the only | |
227 action that changes the message number of any message, except for | |
228 undigestifying (@pxref{Rmail Digest}). | |
229 | |
230 @table @kbd | |
231 @item d | |
232 Delete the current message, and move to the next nondeleted message | |
233 (@code{rmail-delete-forward}). | |
234 @item C-d | |
235 Delete the current message, and move to the previous nondeleted | |
236 message (@code{rmail-delete-backward}). | |
237 @item u | |
238 Undelete the current message, or move back to a deleted message and | |
239 undelete it (@code{rmail-undelete-previous-message}). | |
240 @item x | |
241 Expunge the Rmail file (@code{rmail-expunge}). | |
242 @end table | |
243 | |
244 @kindex d @r{(Rmail)} | |
245 @kindex C-d @r{(Rmail)} | |
246 @findex rmail-delete-forward | |
247 @findex rmail-delete-backward | |
248 There are two Rmail commands for deleting messages. Both delete the | |
249 current message and select another message. @kbd{d} | |
250 (@code{rmail-delete-forward}) moves to the following message, skipping | |
251 messages already deleted, while @kbd{C-d} (@code{rmail-delete-backward}) | |
252 moves to the previous nondeleted message. If there is no nondeleted | |
253 message to move to in the specified direction, the message that was just | |
254 deleted remains current. A numeric argument to either command reverses | |
255 the direction of motion after deletion. | |
256 | |
257 @vindex rmail-delete-message-hook | |
258 Whenever Rmail deletes a message, it invokes the function(s) listed in | |
259 @code{rmail-delete-message-hook}. When the hook functions are invoked, | |
260 the message has been marked deleted, but it is still the current message | |
261 in the Rmail buffer. | |
262 | |
263 @cindex undeletion (Rmail) | |
264 @kindex x @r{(Rmail)} | |
265 @findex rmail-expunge | |
266 @kindex u @r{(Rmail)} | |
267 @findex rmail-undelete-previous-message | |
268 To make all the deleted messages finally vanish from the Rmail file, | |
269 type @kbd{x} (@code{rmail-expunge}). Until you do this, you can still | |
270 @dfn{undelete} the deleted messages. The undeletion command, @kbd{u} | |
271 (@code{rmail-undelete-previous-message}), is designed to cancel the | |
272 effect of a @kbd{d} command in most cases. It undeletes the current | |
273 message if the current message is deleted. Otherwise it moves backward | |
274 to previous messages until a deleted message is found, and undeletes | |
275 that message. | |
276 | |
277 You can usually undo a @kbd{d} with a @kbd{u} because the @kbd{u} | |
278 moves back to and undeletes the message that the @kbd{d} deleted. But | |
279 this does not work when the @kbd{d} skips a few already-deleted messages | |
280 that follow the message being deleted; then the @kbd{u} command | |
281 undeletes the last of the messages that were skipped. There is no clean | |
282 way to avoid this problem. However, by repeating the @kbd{u} command, | |
283 you can eventually get back to the message that you intend to | |
284 undelete. You can also select a particular deleted message with | |
285 the @kbd{M-p} command, then type @kbd{u} to undelete it. | |
286 | |
287 A deleted message has the @samp{deleted} attribute, and as a result | |
288 @samp{deleted} appears in the mode line when the current message is | |
289 deleted. In fact, deleting or undeleting a message is nothing more than | |
290 adding or removing this attribute. @xref{Rmail Attributes}. | |
291 | |
292 @node Rmail Inbox | |
293 @section Rmail Files and Inboxes | |
294 @cindex inbox file | |
295 | |
296 The operating system places incoming mail for you in a file that we | |
297 call your @dfn{inbox}. When you start up Rmail, it runs a C program | |
298 called @code{movemail} to copy the new messages from your inbox into | |
299 your primary Rmail file, which also contains other messages saved from | |
300 previous Rmail sessions. It is in this file that you actually read the | |
301 mail with Rmail. This operation is called @dfn{getting new mail}. You | |
302 can get new mail at any time in Rmail by typing @kbd{g}. | |
303 | |
304 @vindex rmail-primary-inbox-list | |
29107 | 305 @cindex @env{MAIL} environment variable |
25829 | 306 The variable @code{rmail-primary-inbox-list} contains a list of the |
307 files which are inboxes for your primary Rmail file. If you don't set | |
29107 | 308 this variable explicitly, it is initialized from the @env{MAIL} |
25829 | 309 environment variable, or, as a last resort, set to @code{nil}, which |
310 means to use the default inbox. The default inbox is | |
311 @file{/var/mail/@var{username}}, @file{/usr/spool/mail/@var{username}}, | |
312 or @file{/usr/mail/@var{username}}, depending on your operating system. | |
313 | |
314 To see what the default is on your system, use @kbd{C-h v | |
315 rmail-primary-inbox @key{RET}}. You can specify the inbox file(s) for | |
316 any Rmail file with the command @code{set-rmail-inbox-list}; see | |
317 @ref{Rmail Files}. | |
318 | |
319 There are two reasons for having separate Rmail files and inboxes. | |
320 | |
321 @enumerate | |
322 @item | |
323 The inbox file format varies between operating systems and according to | |
324 the other mail software in use. Only one part of Rmail needs to know | |
325 about the alternatives, and it need only understand how to convert all | |
326 of them to Rmail's own format. | |
327 | |
328 @item | |
329 It is very cumbersome to access an inbox file without danger of losing | |
330 mail, because it is necessary to interlock with mail delivery. | |
331 Moreover, different operating systems use different interlocking | |
332 techniques. The strategy of moving mail out of the inbox once and for | |
333 all into a separate Rmail file avoids the need for interlocking in all | |
334 the rest of Rmail, since only Rmail operates on the Rmail file. | |
335 @end enumerate | |
336 | |
337 Rmail was written to use Babyl format as its internal format. Since | |
338 then, we have recognized that the usual inbox format on Unix and GNU | |
339 systems is adequate for the job, and we plan to change Rmail to use that | |
340 as its internal format. However, the Rmail file will still be separate | |
341 from the inbox file, even on systems where their format is the same. | |
342 | |
343 @node Rmail Files | |
344 @section Multiple Rmail Files | |
345 | |
346 Rmail operates by default on your @dfn{primary Rmail file}, which is named | |
347 @file{~/RMAIL} and receives your incoming mail from your system inbox file. | |
348 But you can also have other Rmail files and edit them with Rmail. These | |
349 files can receive mail through their own inboxes, or you can move messages | |
350 into them with explicit Rmail commands (@pxref{Rmail Output}). | |
351 | |
352 @table @kbd | |
353 @item i @var{file} @key{RET} | |
354 Read @var{file} into Emacs and run Rmail on it (@code{rmail-input}). | |
355 | |
356 @item M-x set-rmail-inbox-list @key{RET} @var{files} @key{RET} | |
357 Specify inbox file names for current Rmail file to get mail from. | |
358 | |
359 @item g | |
360 Merge new mail from current Rmail file's inboxes | |
361 (@code{rmail-get-new-mail}). | |
362 | |
363 @item C-u g @var{file} @key{RET} | |
364 Merge new mail from inbox file @var{file}. | |
365 @end table | |
366 | |
367 @kindex i @r{(Rmail)} | |
368 @findex rmail-input | |
369 To run Rmail on a file other than your primary Rmail file, you may use | |
370 the @kbd{i} (@code{rmail-input}) command in Rmail. This visits the file | |
371 in Rmail mode. You can use @kbd{M-x rmail-input} even when not in | |
372 Rmail. | |
373 | |
374 The file you read with @kbd{i} should normally be a valid Rmail file. | |
375 If it is not, Rmail tries to decompose it into a stream of messages in | |
376 various known formats. If it succeeds, it converts the whole file to an | |
377 Rmail file. If you specify a file name that doesn't exist, @kbd{i} | |
378 initializes a new buffer for creating a new Rmail file. | |
379 | |
380 @vindex rmail-secondary-file-directory | |
381 @vindex rmail-secondary-file-regexp | |
382 You can also select an Rmail file from a menu. Choose first the menu | |
383 bar Classify item, then from the Classify menu choose the Input Rmail | |
384 File item; then choose the Rmail file you want. The variables | |
385 @code{rmail-secondary-file-directory} and | |
386 @code{rmail-secondary-file-regexp} specify which files to offer in the | |
387 menu: the first variable says which directory to find them in; the | |
388 second says which files in that directory to offer (all those that match | |
389 the regular expression). These variables also apply to choosing a file | |
390 for output (@pxref{Rmail Output}). | |
391 | |
392 @findex set-rmail-inbox-list | |
393 Each Rmail file can contain a list of inbox file names; you can specify | |
394 this list with @kbd{M-x set-rmail-inbox-list @key{RET} @var{files} | |
395 @key{RET}}. The argument can contain any number of file names, separated | |
396 by commas. It can also be empty, which specifies that this file should | |
397 have no inboxes. Once a list of inboxes is specified, the Rmail file | |
398 remembers it permanently until you specify a different list. | |
399 | |
400 As a special exception, if your primary Rmail file does not specify any | |
401 inbox files, it uses your standard system inbox. | |
402 | |
403 @kindex g @r{(Rmail)} | |
404 @findex rmail-get-new-mail | |
405 The @kbd{g} command (@code{rmail-get-new-mail}) merges mail into the | |
406 current Rmail file from its specified inboxes. If the Rmail file | |
407 has no inboxes, @kbd{g} does nothing. The command @kbd{M-x rmail} | |
408 also merges new mail into your primary Rmail file. | |
409 | |
410 To merge mail from a file that is not the usual inbox, give the | |
411 @kbd{g} key a numeric argument, as in @kbd{C-u g}. Then it reads a file | |
412 name and merges mail from that file. The inbox file is not deleted or | |
413 changed in any way when @kbd{g} with an argument is used. This is, | |
414 therefore, a general way of merging one file of messages into another. | |
415 | |
416 @node Rmail Output | |
417 @section Copying Messages Out to Files | |
418 | |
419 These commands copy messages from an Rmail file into another file. | |
420 | |
421 @table @kbd | |
422 @item o @var{file} @key{RET} | |
423 Append a copy of the current message to the file @var{file}, using Rmail | |
424 file format by default (@code{rmail-output-to-rmail-file}). | |
425 | |
426 @item C-o @var{file} @key{RET} | |
427 Append a copy of the current message to the file @var{file}, using | |
428 system inbox file format by default (@code{rmail-output}). | |
429 | |
430 @item w @var{file} @key{RET} | |
431 Output just the message body to the file @var{file}, taking the default | |
432 file name from the message @samp{Subject} header. | |
433 @end table | |
434 | |
435 @kindex o @r{(Rmail)} | |
436 @findex rmail-output-to-rmail-file | |
437 @kindex C-o @r{(Rmail)} | |
438 @findex rmail-output | |
439 The commands @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} copy the current message into a | |
440 specified file. This file may be an Rmail file or it may be in system | |
441 inbox format; the output commands ascertain the file's format and write | |
442 the copied message in that format. | |
443 | |
444 When copying a message to a file in Unix mail file format, these | |
445 commands include whichever header fields are currently visible. Use the | |
446 @kbd{t} command first, if you wish, to specify which headers to show | |
447 (and copy). | |
448 | |
449 The @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} commands differ in two ways: each has its | |
450 own separate default file name, and each specifies a choice of format to | |
451 use when the file does not already exist. The @kbd{o} command uses | |
452 Rmail format when it creates a new file, while @kbd{C-o} uses system | |
453 inbox format for a new file. The default file name for @kbd{o} is the | |
454 file name used last with @kbd{o}, and the default file name for | |
455 @kbd{C-o} is the file name used last with @kbd{C-o}. | |
456 | |
457 If the output file is an Rmail file currently visited in an Emacs buffer, | |
458 the output commands copy the message into that buffer. It is up to you | |
459 to save the buffer eventually in its file. | |
460 | |
461 @kindex w @r{(Rmail)} | |
462 @findex rmail-output-body-to-file | |
463 Sometimes you may receive a message whose body holds the contents of a | |
464 file. You can save the body to a file (excluding the message header) | |
465 with the @kbd{w} command (@code{rmail-output-body-to-file}). Often | |
466 these messages contain the intended file name in the @samp{Subject} | |
467 field, so the @kbd{w} command uses the @samp{Subject} field as the | |
468 default for the output file name. However, the file name is read using | |
469 the minibuffer, so you can specify a different name if you wish. | |
470 | |
471 You can also output a message to an Rmail file chosen with a menu. | |
472 Choose first the menu bar Classify item, then from the Classify menu | |
473 choose the Output Rmail File menu item; then choose the Rmail file you want. | |
474 This outputs the current message to that file, like the @kbd{o} command. | |
475 The variables @code{rmail-secondary-file-directory} and | |
476 @code{rmail-secondary-file-regexp} specify which files to offer in the | |
477 menu: the first variable says which directory to find them in; the | |
478 second says which files in that directory to offer (all those that match | |
479 the regular expression). | |
480 | |
481 @vindex rmail-delete-after-output | |
482 Copying a message gives the original copy of the message the | |
483 @samp{filed} attribute, so that @samp{filed} appears in the mode line | |
484 when such a message is current. If you like to keep just a single copy | |
485 of every mail message, set the variable @code{rmail-delete-after-output} | |
486 to @code{t}; then the @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} commands delete the original | |
487 message after copying it. (You can undelete the original afterward if | |
488 you wish.) | |
489 | |
490 Copying messages into files in system inbox format uses the header | |
491 fields that are displayed in Rmail at the time. Thus, if you use the | |
492 @kbd{t} command to view the entire header and then copy the message, the | |
493 entire header is copied. @xref{Rmail Display}. | |
494 | |
495 @vindex rmail-output-file-alist | |
496 The variable @code{rmail-output-file-alist} lets you specify | |
497 intelligent defaults for the output file, based on the contents of the | |
498 current message. The value should be a list whose elements have this | |
499 form: | |
500 | |
501 @example | |
502 (@var{regexp} . @var{name-exp}) | |
503 @end example | |
504 | |
505 @noindent | |
506 If there's a match for @var{regexp} in the current message, then the | |
507 default file name for output is @var{name-exp}. If multiple elements | |
508 match the message, the first matching element decides the default file | |
509 name. The subexpression @var{name-exp} may be a string constant giving | |
510 the file name to use, or more generally it may be any Lisp expression | |
511 that returns a file name as a string. @code{rmail-output-file-alist} | |
512 applies to both @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o}. | |
513 | |
514 @node Rmail Labels | |
515 @section Labels | |
516 @cindex label (Rmail) | |
517 @cindex attribute (Rmail) | |
518 | |
519 Each message can have various @dfn{labels} assigned to it as a means | |
520 of classification. Each label has a name; different names are different | |
521 labels. Any given label is either present or absent on a particular | |
522 message. A few label names have standard meanings and are given to | |
523 messages automatically by Rmail when appropriate; these special labels | |
524 are called @dfn{attributes}. | |
525 @ifinfo | |
526 (@xref{Rmail Attributes}.) | |
527 @end ifinfo | |
528 All other labels are assigned only by users. | |
529 | |
530 @table @kbd | |
531 @item a @var{label} @key{RET} | |
532 Assign the label @var{label} to the current message (@code{rmail-add-label}). | |
533 @item k @var{label} @key{RET} | |
534 Remove the label @var{label} from the current message (@code{rmail-kill-label}). | |
535 @item C-M-n @var{labels} @key{RET} | |
536 Move to the next message that has one of the labels @var{labels} | |
537 (@code{rmail-next-labeled-message}). | |
538 @item C-M-p @var{labels} @key{RET} | |
539 Move to the previous message that has one of the labels @var{labels} | |
540 (@code{rmail-previous-labeled-message}). | |
541 @item C-M-l @var{labels} @key{RET} | |
542 Make a summary of all messages containing any of the labels @var{labels} | |
543 (@code{rmail-summary-by-labels}). | |
544 @end table | |
545 | |
546 @kindex a @r{(Rmail)} | |
547 @kindex k @r{(Rmail)} | |
548 @findex rmail-add-label | |
549 @findex rmail-kill-label | |
550 The @kbd{a} (@code{rmail-add-label}) and @kbd{k} | |
551 (@code{rmail-kill-label}) commands allow you to assign or remove any | |
552 label on the current message. If the @var{label} argument is empty, it | |
553 means to assign or remove the same label most recently assigned or | |
554 removed. | |
555 | |
556 Once you have given messages labels to classify them as you wish, there | |
557 are two ways to use the labels: in moving and in summaries. | |
558 | |
559 @kindex C-M-n @r{(Rmail)} | |
560 @kindex C-M-p @r{(Rmail)} | |
561 @findex rmail-next-labeled-message | |
562 @findex rmail-previous-labeled-message | |
563 The command @kbd{C-M-n @var{labels} @key{RET}} | |
564 (@code{rmail-next-labeled-message}) moves to the next message that has | |
565 one of the labels @var{labels}. The argument @var{labels} specifies one | |
566 or more label names, separated by commas. @kbd{C-M-p} | |
567 (@code{rmail-previous-labeled-message}) is similar, but moves backwards | |
568 to previous messages. A numeric argument to either command serves as a | |
569 repeat count. | |
570 | |
571 The command @kbd{C-M-l @var{labels} @key{RET}} | |
572 (@code{rmail-summary-by-labels}) displays a summary containing only the | |
573 messages that have at least one of a specified set of labels. The | |
574 argument @var{labels} is one or more label names, separated by commas. | |
575 @xref{Rmail Summary}, for information on summaries.@refill | |
576 | |
577 If the @var{labels} argument to @kbd{C-M-n}, @kbd{C-M-p} or | |
578 @kbd{C-M-l} is empty, it means to use the last set of labels specified | |
579 for any of these commands. | |
580 | |
581 @node Rmail Attributes | |
582 @section Rmail Attributes | |
583 | |
584 Some labels such as @samp{deleted} and @samp{filed} have built-in | |
585 meanings and are assigned to or removed from messages automatically at | |
586 appropriate times; these labels are called @dfn{attributes}. Here is a | |
587 list of Rmail attributes: | |
588 | |
589 @table @samp | |
590 @item unseen | |
591 Means the message has never been current. Assigned to messages when | |
592 they come from an inbox file, and removed when a message is made | |
593 current. When you start Rmail, it initially shows the first message | |
594 that has this attribute. | |
595 @item deleted | |
596 Means the message is deleted. Assigned by deletion commands and | |
597 removed by undeletion commands (@pxref{Rmail Deletion}). | |
598 @item filed | |
599 Means the message has been copied to some other file. Assigned by the | |
600 file output commands (@pxref{Rmail Files}). | |
601 @item answered | |
602 Means you have mailed an answer to the message. Assigned by the @kbd{r} | |
603 command (@code{rmail-reply}). @xref{Rmail Reply}. | |
604 @item forwarded | |
605 Means you have forwarded the message. Assigned by the @kbd{f} command | |
606 (@code{rmail-forward}). @xref{Rmail Reply}. | |
607 @item edited | |
608 Means you have edited the text of the message within Rmail. | |
609 @xref{Rmail Editing}. | |
610 @item resent | |
611 Means you have resent the message. Assigned by the command @kbd{M-x | |
612 rmail-resend}. @xref{Rmail Reply}. | |
613 @end table | |
614 | |
615 All other labels are assigned or removed only by the user, and have no | |
616 standard meaning. | |
617 | |
618 @node Rmail Reply | |
619 @section Sending Replies | |
620 | |
621 Rmail has several commands that use Mail mode to send outgoing mail. | |
622 @xref{Sending Mail}, for information on using Mail mode, including | |
623 certain features meant to work with Rmail. What this section documents | |
624 are the special commands of Rmail for entering Mail mode. Note that the | |
625 usual keys for sending mail---@kbd{C-x m}, @kbd{C-x 4 m}, and @kbd{C-x 5 | |
626 m}---are available in Rmail mode and work just as they usually do. | |
627 | |
628 @table @kbd | |
629 @item m | |
630 Send a message (@code{rmail-mail}). | |
631 @item c | |
632 Continue editing the already started outgoing message (@code{rmail-continue}). | |
633 @item r | |
634 Send a reply to the current Rmail message (@code{rmail-reply}). | |
635 @item f | |
636 Forward the current message to other users (@code{rmail-forward}). | |
637 @item C-u f | |
638 Resend the current message to other users (@code{rmail-resend}). | |
639 @item M-m | |
640 Try sending a bounced message a second time (@code{rmail-retry-failure}). | |
641 @end table | |
642 | |
643 @kindex r @r{(Rmail)} | |
644 @findex rmail-reply | |
645 @cindex reply to a message | |
646 The most common reason to send a message while in Rmail is to reply to | |
647 the message you are reading. To do this, type @kbd{r} | |
648 (@code{rmail-reply}). This displays the @samp{*mail*} buffer in another | |
649 window, much like @kbd{C-x 4 m}, but preinitializes the @samp{Subject}, | |
650 @samp{To}, @samp{CC} and @samp{In-reply-to} header fields based on the | |
651 message you are replying to. The @samp{To} field starts out as the | |
652 address of the person who sent the message you received, and the | |
653 @samp{CC} field starts out with all the other recipients of that | |
654 message. | |
655 | |
656 @vindex rmail-dont-reply-to-names | |
657 You can exclude certain recipients from being placed automatically in | |
658 the @samp{CC}, using the variable @code{rmail-dont-reply-to-names}. Its | |
659 value should be a regular expression (as a string); any recipient that | |
660 the regular expression matches, is excluded from the @samp{CC} field. | |
661 The default value matches your own name, and any name starting with | |
662 @samp{info-}. (Those names are excluded because there is a convention | |
663 of using them for large mailing lists to broadcast announcements.) | |
664 | |
665 To omit the @samp{CC} field completely for a particular reply, enter | |
666 the reply command with a numeric argument: @kbd{C-u r} or @kbd{1 r}. | |
667 | |
668 Once the @samp{*mail*} buffer has been initialized, editing and | |
669 sending the mail goes as usual (@pxref{Sending Mail}). You can edit the | |
670 presupplied header fields if they are not right for you. You can also | |
671 use the commands of Mail mode (@pxref{Mail Mode}), including @kbd{C-c | |
672 C-y} which yanks in the message that you are replying to. You can | |
673 switch to the Rmail buffer, select a different message there, switch | |
674 back, and yank the new current message. | |
675 | |
676 @kindex M-m @r{(Rmail)} | |
677 @findex rmail-retry-failure | |
678 @cindex retrying a failed message | |
679 @vindex rmail-retry-ignored-headers | |
680 Sometimes a message does not reach its destination. Mailers usually | |
681 send the failed message back to you, enclosed in a @dfn{failure | |
682 message}. The Rmail command @kbd{M-m} (@code{rmail-retry-failure}) | |
683 prepares to send the same message a second time: it sets up a | |
684 @samp{*mail*} buffer with the same text and header fields as before. If | |
685 you type @kbd{C-c C-c} right away, you send the message again exactly | |
686 the same as the first time. Alternatively, you can edit the text or | |
687 headers and then send it. The variable | |
688 @code{rmail-retry-ignored-headers}, in the same format as | |
689 @code{rmail-ignored-headers} (@pxref{Rmail Display}), controls which | |
690 headers are stripped from the failed message when retrying it; it | |
691 defaults to @code{nil}. | |
692 | |
693 @kindex f @r{(Rmail)} | |
694 @findex rmail-forward | |
695 @cindex forwarding a message | |
696 Another frequent reason to send mail in Rmail is to @dfn{forward} the | |
697 current message to other users. @kbd{f} (@code{rmail-forward}) makes | |
698 this easy by preinitializing the @samp{*mail*} buffer with the current | |
699 message as the text, and a subject designating a forwarded message. All | |
700 you have to do is fill in the recipients and send. When you forward a | |
701 message, recipients get a message which is ``from'' you, and which has | |
702 the original message in its contents. | |
703 | |
704 @findex unforward-rmail-message | |
705 Forwarding a message encloses it between two delimiter lines. It also | |
706 modifies every line that starts with a dash, by inserting @w{@samp{- }} | |
707 at the start of the line. When you receive a forwarded message, if it | |
708 contains something besides ordinary text---for example, program source | |
709 code---you might find it useful to undo that transformation. You can do | |
710 this by selecting the forwarded message and typing @kbd{M-x | |
711 unforward-rmail-message}. This command extracts the original forwarded | |
712 message, deleting the inserted @w{@samp{- }} strings, and inserts it | |
713 into the Rmail file as a separate message immediately following the | |
714 current one. | |
715 | |
716 @findex rmail-resend | |
717 @dfn{Resending} is an alternative similar to forwarding; the | |
718 difference is that resending sends a message that is ``from'' the | |
719 original sender, just as it reached you---with a few added header fields | |
720 @samp{Resent-from} and @samp{Resent-to} to indicate that it came via | |
721 you. To resend a message in Rmail, use @kbd{C-u f}. (@kbd{f} runs | |
722 @code{rmail-forward}, which is programmed to invoke @code{rmail-resend} | |
723 if you provide a numeric argument.) | |
724 | |
725 @kindex m @r{(Rmail)} | |
726 @findex rmail-mail | |
727 The @kbd{m} (@code{rmail-mail}) command is used to start editing an | |
728 outgoing message that is not a reply. It leaves the header fields empty. | |
729 Its only difference from @kbd{C-x 4 m} is that it makes the Rmail buffer | |
730 accessible for @kbd{C-c C-y}, just as @kbd{r} does. Thus, @kbd{m} can be | |
731 used to reply to or forward a message; it can do anything @kbd{r} or @kbd{f} | |
732 can do.@refill | |
733 | |
734 @kindex c @r{(Rmail)} | |
735 @findex rmail-continue | |
736 The @kbd{c} (@code{rmail-continue}) command resumes editing the | |
737 @samp{*mail*} buffer, to finish editing an outgoing message you were | |
738 already composing, or to alter a message you have sent.@refill | |
739 | |
740 @vindex rmail-mail-new-frame | |
741 If you set the variable @code{rmail-mail-new-frame} to a | |
742 non-@code{nil} value, then all the Rmail commands to start sending a | |
743 message create a new frame to edit it in. This frame is deleted when | |
744 you send the message, or when you use the @samp{Don't Send} item in the | |
745 @samp{Mail} menu. | |
746 | |
747 All the Rmail commands to send a message use the mail-composition | |
748 method that you have chosen (@pxref{Mail Methods}). | |
749 | |
750 @node Rmail Summary | |
751 @section Summaries | |
752 @cindex summary (Rmail) | |
753 | |
754 A @dfn{summary} is a buffer containing one line per message to give | |
755 you an overview of the mail in an Rmail file. Each line shows the | |
756 message number, the sender, the labels, and the subject. Almost all | |
757 Rmail commands are valid in the summary buffer also; these apply to the | |
758 message described by the current line of the summary. Moving point in | |
759 the summary buffer selects messages as you move to their summary lines. | |
760 | |
761 A summary buffer applies to a single Rmail file only; if you are | |
762 editing multiple Rmail files, each one can have its own summary buffer. | |
763 The summary buffer name is made by appending @samp{-summary} to the | |
764 Rmail buffer's name. Normally only one summary buffer is displayed at a | |
765 time. | |
766 | |
767 @menu | |
768 * Rmail Make Summary:: Making various sorts of summaries. | |
769 * Rmail Summary Edit:: Manipulating messages from the summary. | |
770 @end menu | |
771 | |
772 @node Rmail Make Summary | |
773 @subsection Making Summaries | |
774 | |
775 Here are the commands to create a summary for the current Rmail file. | |
776 Once the Rmail file has a summary buffer, changes in the Rmail file | |
777 (such as deleting or expunging messages, and getting new mail) | |
778 automatically update the summary. | |
779 | |
780 @table @kbd | |
781 @item h | |
782 @itemx C-M-h | |
783 Summarize all messages (@code{rmail-summary}). | |
784 @item l @var{labels} @key{RET} | |
785 @itemx C-M-l @var{labels} @key{RET} | |
786 Summarize messages that have one or more of the specified labels | |
787 (@code{rmail-summary-by-labels}). | |
788 @item C-M-r @var{rcpts} @key{RET} | |
789 Summarize messages that have one or more of the specified recipients | |
790 (@code{rmail-summary-by-recipients}). | |
791 @item C-M-t @var{topic} @key{RET} | |
792 Summarize messages that have a match for the specified regexp | |
793 @var{topic} in their subjects (@code{rmail-summary-by-topic}). | |
794 @end table | |
795 | |
796 @kindex h @r{(Rmail)} | |
797 @findex rmail-summary | |
798 The @kbd{h} or @kbd{C-M-h} (@code{rmail-summary}) command fills the summary buffer | |
799 for the current Rmail file with a summary of all the messages in the file. | |
800 It then displays and selects the summary buffer in another window. | |
801 | |
802 @kindex l @r{(Rmail)} | |
803 @kindex C-M-l @r{(Rmail)} | |
804 @findex rmail-summary-by-labels | |
805 @kbd{C-M-l @var{labels} @key{RET}} (@code{rmail-summary-by-labels}) makes | |
806 a partial summary mentioning only the messages that have one or more of the | |
807 labels @var{labels}. @var{labels} should contain label names separated by | |
808 commas.@refill | |
809 | |
810 @kindex C-M-r @r{(Rmail)} | |
811 @findex rmail-summary-by-recipients | |
812 @kbd{C-M-r @var{rcpts} @key{RET}} (@code{rmail-summary-by-recipients}) | |
813 makes a partial summary mentioning only the messages that have one or more | |
814 of the recipients @var{rcpts}. @var{rcpts} should contain mailing | |
815 addresses separated by commas.@refill | |
816 | |
817 @kindex C-M-t @r{(Rmail)} | |
818 @findex rmail-summary-by-topic | |
819 @kbd{C-M-t @var{topic} @key{RET}} (@code{rmail-summary-by-topic}) | |
820 makes a partial summary mentioning only the messages whose subjects have | |
821 a match for the regular expression @var{topic}. | |
822 | |
823 Note that there is only one summary buffer for any Rmail file; making one | |
824 kind of summary discards any previously made summary. | |
825 | |
826 @vindex rmail-summary-window-size | |
827 @vindex rmail-summary-line-count-flag | |
828 The variable @code{rmail-summary-window-size} says how many lines to | |
829 use for the summary window. The variable | |
830 @code{rmail-summary-line-count-flag} controls whether the summary line | |
831 for a message should include the line count of the message. | |
832 | |
833 @node Rmail Summary Edit | |
834 @subsection Editing in Summaries | |
835 | |
836 You can use the Rmail summary buffer to do almost anything you can do | |
837 in the Rmail buffer itself. In fact, once you have a summary buffer, | |
838 there's no need to switch back to the Rmail buffer. | |
839 | |
840 You can select and display various messages in the Rmail buffer, from | |
841 the summary buffer, just by moving point in the summary buffer to | |
842 different lines. It doesn't matter what Emacs command you use to move | |
843 point; whichever line point is on at the end of the command, that | |
844 message is selected in the Rmail buffer. | |
845 | |
846 Almost all Rmail commands work in the summary buffer as well as in the | |
847 Rmail buffer. Thus, @kbd{d} in the summary buffer deletes the current | |
848 message, @kbd{u} undeletes, and @kbd{x} expunges. @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} | |
849 output the current message to a file; @kbd{r} starts a reply to it. You | |
850 can scroll the current message while remaining in the summary buffer | |
851 using @key{SPC} and @key{DEL}. | |
852 | |
853 The Rmail commands to move between messages also work in the summary | |
854 buffer, but with a twist: they move through the set of messages included | |
855 in the summary. They also ensure the Rmail buffer appears on the screen | |
856 (unlike cursor motion commands, which update the contents of the Rmail | |
857 buffer but don't display it in a window unless it already appears). | |
858 Here is a list of these commands: | |
859 | |
860 @table @kbd | |
861 @item n | |
862 Move to next line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select its | |
863 message. | |
864 @item p | |
865 Move to previous line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select | |
866 its message. | |
867 @item M-n | |
868 Move to next line and select its message. | |
869 @item M-p | |
870 Move to previous line and select its message. | |
871 @item > | |
872 Move to the last line, and select its message. | |
873 @item < | |
874 Move to the first line, and select its message. | |
875 @item M-s @var{pattern} @key{RET} | |
876 Search through messages for @var{pattern} starting with the current | |
877 message; select the message found, and move point in the summary buffer | |
878 to that message's line. | |
879 @end table | |
880 | |
881 @vindex rmail-redisplay-summary | |
882 Deletion, undeletion, and getting new mail, and even selection of a | |
883 different message all update the summary buffer when you do them in the | |
884 Rmail buffer. If the variable @code{rmail-redisplay-summary} is | |
885 non-@code{nil}, these actions also bring the summary buffer back onto | |
886 the screen. | |
887 | |
888 @kindex Q @r{(Rmail summary)} | |
889 @findex rmail-summary-wipe | |
890 @kindex q @r{(Rmail summary)} | |
891 @findex rmail-summary-quit | |
892 When you are finished using the summary, type @kbd{Q} | |
893 (@code{rmail-summary-wipe}) to delete the summary buffer's window. You | |
894 can also exit Rmail while in the summary: @kbd{q} | |
895 (@code{rmail-summary-quit}) deletes the summary window, then exits from | |
896 Rmail by saving the Rmail file and switching to another buffer. | |
897 | |
898 @node Rmail Sorting | |
899 @section Sorting the Rmail File | |
900 | |
901 @table @kbd | |
902 @item M-x rmail-sort-by-date | |
903 Sort messages of current Rmail file by date. | |
904 | |
905 @item M-x rmail-sort-by-subject | |
906 Sort messages of current Rmail file by subject. | |
907 | |
908 @item M-x rmail-sort-by-author | |
909 Sort messages of current Rmail file by author's name. | |
910 | |
911 @item M-x rmail-sort-by-recipient | |
912 Sort messages of current Rmail file by recipient's names. | |
913 | |
914 @item M-x rmail-sort-by-correspondent | |
915 Sort messages of current Rmail file by the name of the other | |
916 correspondent. | |
917 | |
918 @item M-x rmail-sort-by-lines | |
919 Sort messages of current Rmail file by size (number of lines). | |
920 | |
921 @item M-x rmail-sort-by-keywords @key{RET} @var{labels} @key{RET} | |
922 Sort messages of current Rmail file by labels. The argument | |
923 @var{labels} should be a comma-separated list of labels. The order of | |
924 these labels specifies the order of messages; messages with the first | |
925 label come first, messages with the second label come second, and so on. | |
926 Messages which have none of these labels come last. | |
927 @end table | |
928 | |
929 The Rmail sort commands perform a @emph{stable sort}: if there is no | |
930 reason to prefer either one of two messages, their order remains | |
931 unchanged. You can use this to sort by more than one criterion. For | |
932 example, if you use @code{rmail-sort-by-date} and then | |
933 @code{rmail-sort-by-author}, messages from the same author appear in | |
934 order by date. | |
935 | |
936 With a numeric argument, all these commands reverse the order of | |
937 comparison. This means they sort messages from newest to oldest, from | |
938 biggest to smallest, or in reverse alphabetical order. | |
939 | |
940 @node Rmail Display | |
941 @section Display of Messages | |
942 | |
943 Rmail reformats the header of each message before displaying it for | |
944 the first time. Reformatting hides uninteresting header fields to | |
945 reduce clutter. You can use the @kbd{t} command to show the entire | |
946 header or to repeat the header reformatting operation. | |
947 | |
948 @table @kbd | |
949 @item t | |
950 Toggle display of complete header (@code{rmail-toggle-header}). | |
951 @end table | |
952 | |
953 @vindex rmail-ignored-headers | |
954 Reformatting the header involves deleting most header fields, on the | |
955 grounds that they are not interesting. The variable | |
956 @code{rmail-ignored-headers} holds a regular expression that specifies | |
957 which header fields to hide in this way---if it matches the beginning of | |
958 a header field, that whole field is hidden. | |
959 | |
960 @kindex t @r{(Rmail)} | |
961 @findex rmail-toggle-header | |
962 Rmail saves the complete original header before reformatting; to see | |
963 it, use the @kbd{t} command (@code{rmail-toggle-header}). This | |
964 discards the reformatted headers of the current message and displays it | |
965 with the original header. Repeating @kbd{t} reformats the message | |
966 again. Selecting the message again also reformats. | |
967 | |
968 One consequence of this is that if you edit the reformatted header | |
969 (using @kbd{e}; @pxref{Rmail Editing}), subsequent use of @kbd{t} will | |
970 discard your edits. On the other hand, if you use @kbd{e} after | |
971 @kbd{t}, to edit the original (unreformatted) header, those changes are | |
972 permanent. | |
973 | |
974 When the @kbd{t} command has a prefix argument, a positive argument | |
975 means to show the reformatted header, and a zero or negative argument | |
976 means to show the full header. | |
977 | |
978 @vindex rmail-highlighted-headers | |
28339 | 979 When used with a terminal that supports multiple fonts, Rmail |
25829 | 980 highlights certain header fields that are especially interesting---by |
981 default, the @samp{From} and @samp{Subject} fields. The variable | |
982 @code{rmail-highlighted-headers} holds a regular expression that | |
983 specifies the header fields to highlight; if it matches the beginning of | |
984 a header field, that whole field is highlighted. | |
985 | |
986 If you specify unusual colors for your text foreground and background, | |
987 the colors used for highlighting may not go well with them. If so, | |
988 specify different colors for the @code{highlight} face. That is worth | |
989 doing because the @code{highlight} face is used for other kinds of | |
990 highlighting as well. @xref{Faces}, for how to do this. | |
991 | |
992 To turn off highlighting entirely in Rmail, set | |
993 @code{rmail-highlighted-headers} to @code{nil}. | |
994 | |
28339 | 995 @findex goto-addr |
996 URLs in messages may be highlighted and activated for following with the | |
30802 | 997 mouse or keyboard by customizing the hook @code{rmail-show-message-hook} |
998 to add @code{goto-addr}. | |
28339 | 999 |
25829 | 1000 @node Rmail Editing |
1001 @section Editing Within a Message | |
1002 | |
1003 Most of the usual Emacs commands are available in Rmail mode, though a | |
1004 few, such as @kbd{C-M-n} and @kbd{C-M-h}, are redefined by Rmail for | |
1005 other purposes. However, the Rmail buffer is normally read only, and | |
1006 most of the letters are redefined as Rmail commands. If you want to | |
1007 edit the text of a message, you must use the Rmail command @kbd{e}. | |
1008 | |
1009 @table @kbd | |
1010 @item e | |
1011 Edit the current message as ordinary text. | |
1012 @end table | |
1013 | |
1014 @kindex e @r{(Rmail)} | |
1015 @findex rmail-edit-current-message | |
1016 The @kbd{e} command (@code{rmail-edit-current-message}) switches from | |
1017 Rmail mode into Rmail Edit mode, another major mode which is nearly the | |
1018 same as Text mode. The mode line indicates this change. | |
1019 | |
1020 In Rmail Edit mode, letters insert themselves as usual and the Rmail | |
1021 commands are not available. When you are finished editing the message and | |
1022 are ready to go back to Rmail, type @kbd{C-c C-c}, which switches back to | |
1023 Rmail mode. Alternatively, you can return to Rmail mode but cancel all the | |
1024 editing that you have done, by typing @kbd{C-c C-]}. | |
1025 | |
1026 @vindex rmail-edit-mode-hook | |
1027 Entering Rmail Edit mode runs the hook @code{text-mode-hook}; then it | |
1028 runs the hook @code{rmail-edit-mode-hook} (@pxref{Hooks}). It adds the | |
1029 attribute @samp{edited} to the message. It also displays the full | |
1030 headers of the message, so that you can edit the headers as well as the | |
1031 body of the message, and your changes in the the headers will be | |
1032 permanent. | |
1033 | |
1034 @node Rmail Digest | |
1035 @section Digest Messages | |
1036 @cindex digest message | |
1037 @cindex undigestify | |
1038 | |
1039 A @dfn{digest message} is a message which exists to contain and carry | |
1040 several other messages. Digests are used on some moderated mailing | |
1041 lists; all the messages that arrive for the list during a period of time | |
1042 such as one day are put inside a single digest which is then sent to the | |
1043 subscribers. Transmitting the single digest uses much less computer | |
1044 time than transmitting the individual messages even though the total | |
1045 size is the same, because the per-message overhead in network mail | |
1046 transmission is considerable. | |
1047 | |
1048 @findex undigestify-rmail-message | |
1049 When you receive a digest message, the most convenient way to read it is | |
1050 to @dfn{undigestify} it: to turn it back into many individual messages. | |
1051 Then you can read and delete the individual messages as it suits you. | |
1052 | |
1053 To do this, select the digest message and type the command @kbd{M-x | |
1054 undigestify-rmail-message}. This extracts the submessages as separate | |
1055 Rmail messages, and inserts them following the digest. The digest | |
1056 message itself is flagged as deleted. | |
1057 | |
1058 @node Out of Rmail | |
1059 @section Converting an Rmail File to Inbox Format | |
1060 | |
1061 @findex unrmail | |
1062 The command @kbd{M-x unrmail} converts a file in Rmail format to inbox | |
1063 format (also known as the system mailbox format), so that you can use it | |
1064 with other mail-editing tools. You must specify two arguments, the name | |
1065 of the Rmail file and the name to use for the converted file. @kbd{M-x | |
1066 unrmail} does not alter the Rmail file itself. | |
1067 | |
1068 @node Rmail Rot13 | |
1069 @section Reading Rot13 Messages | |
1070 @cindex rot13 code | |
1071 | |
1072 Mailing list messages that might offend some readers are sometimes | |
1073 encoded in a simple code called @dfn{rot13}---so named because it | |
1074 rotates the alphabet by 13 letters. This code is not for secrecy, as it | |
1075 provides none; rather, it enables those who might be offended to avoid | |
1076 ever seeing the real text of the message. | |
1077 | |
1078 @findex rot13-other-window | |
1079 To view a buffer using the rot13 code, use the command @kbd{M-x | |
1080 rot13-other-window}. This displays the current buffer in another window | |
1081 which applies the code when displaying the text. | |
1082 | |
1083 @node Movemail | |
1084 @section @code{movemail} and POP | |
1085 @cindex @code{movemail} program | |
1086 | |
1087 @vindex rmail-preserve-inbox | |
1088 When getting new mail, Rmail first copies the new mail from the inbox | |
1089 file to the Rmail file; then it saves the Rmail file; then it truncates | |
1090 the inbox file. This way, a system crash may cause duplication of mail | |
1091 between the inbox and the Rmail file, but cannot lose mail. If | |
1092 @code{rmail-preserve-inbox} is non-@code{nil}, then Rmail will copy new | |
1093 mail from the inbox file to the Rmail file without truncating the inbox | |
1094 file. You may wish to set this, for example, on a portable computer you | |
1095 use to check your mail via POP while traveling, so that your mail will | |
1096 remain on the server and you can save it later on your workstation. | |
1097 | |
1098 In some cases, Rmail copies the new mail from the inbox file | |
1099 indirectly. First it runs the @code{movemail} program to move the mail | |
1100 from the inbox to an intermediate file called | |
1101 @file{~/.newmail-@var{inboxname}}. Then Rmail merges the new mail from | |
1102 that file, saves the Rmail file, and only then deletes the intermediate | |
1103 file. If there is a crash at the wrong time, this file continues to | |
1104 exist, and Rmail will use it again the next time it gets new mail from | |
1105 that inbox. | |
1106 | |
1107 @pindex movemail | |
1108 If Rmail is unable to convert the data in | |
1109 @file{~/.newmail-@var{inboxname}} into Babyl format, it renames the file | |
1110 to @file{~/RMAILOSE.@var{n}} (@var{n} is an integer chosen to make the | |
1111 name unique) so that Rmail will not have trouble with the data again. | |
1112 You should look at the file, find whatever message confuses Rmail | |
1113 (probably one that includes the control-underscore character, octal code | |
1114 037), and delete it. Then you can use @kbd{1 g} to get new mail from | |
1115 the corrected file. | |
1116 | |
1117 Some sites use a method called POP for accessing users' inbox data | |
1118 instead of storing the data in inbox files. @code{movemail} can work | |
1119 with POP if you compile it with the macro @code{MAIL_USE_POP} defined. | |
1120 (You can achieve that by specifying @samp{--with-pop} when you run | |
1121 @code{configure} during the installation of Emacs.) | |
1122 @code{movemail} only works with POP3, not with older | |
1123 versions of POP. | |
1124 | |
29107 | 1125 @cindex @env{MAILHOST} environment variable |
25829 | 1126 @cindex POP inboxes |
1127 Assuming you have compiled and installed @code{movemail} | |
1128 appropriately, you can specify a POP inbox by using a ``file name'' of | |
1129 the form @samp{po:@var{username}}, in the inbox list of an Rmail file. | |
1130 @code{movemail} handles such a name by opening a connection to the POP | |
29107 | 1131 server. The @env{MAILHOST} environment variable specifies the machine |
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1132 to look for the server on; alternatively, you can specify the POP server |
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1133 host name as part of the mailbox name using the syntax |
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1134 @samp{po:@var{username}:@var{hostname}}. |
25829 | 1135 |
1136 @vindex rmail-pop-password | |
1137 @vindex rmail-pop-password-required | |
1138 Accessing mail via POP may require a password. If the variable | |
1139 @code{rmail-pop-password} is non-@code{nil}, it specifies the password | |
1140 to use for POP. Alternatively, if @code{rmail-pop-password-required} is | |
1141 non-@code{nil}, then Rmail asks you for the password to use. | |
1142 | |
1143 @vindex rmail-movemail-flags | |
1144 If you need to pass additional command-line flags to @code{movemail}, | |
1145 set the variable @code{rmail-movemail-flags} a list of the flags you | |
1146 wish to use. Do not use this variable to pass the @samp{-p} flag to | |
1147 preserve your inbox contents; use @code{rmail-preserve-inbox} instead. | |
1148 | |
1149 @cindex Kerberos POP authentication | |
1150 The @code{movemail} program installed at your site may support | |
1151 Kerberos authentication. If it is | |
1152 supported, it is used by default whenever you attempt to retrieve | |
1153 POP mail when @code{rmail-pop-password} and | |
1154 @code{rmail-pop-password-required} are unset. | |
1155 | |
1156 @cindex POP inboxes in reverse order | |
1157 Some POP servers store messages in reverse order. If your server does | |
1158 this, and you would rather read your mail in the order in which it was | |
1159 received, you can tell @code{movemail} to reverse the order of | |
1160 downloaded messages by adding the @samp{-r} flag to | |
1161 @code{rmail-movemail-flags}. |