Mercurial > emacs
changeset 31853:25af74a14174
*** empty log message ***
| author | Dave Love <fx@gnu.org> |
|---|---|
| date | Fri, 22 Sep 2000 21:12:53 +0000 |
| parents | 7de3cd8ff1ae |
| children | 581b3eb6ff14 |
| files | man/emacs-mime.texi |
| diffstat | 1 files changed, 1308 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-) [+] |
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--- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/man/emacs-mime.texi Fri Sep 22 21:12:53 2000 +0000 @@ -0,0 +1,1308 @@ +\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- + +@setfilename emacs-mime +@settitle Emacs MIME Manual +@synindex fn cp +@synindex vr cp +@synindex pg cp +@dircategory Editors +@direntry +* Emacs MIME: (emacs-mime). The MIME de/composition library. +@end direntry +@iftex +@finalout +@end iftex +@setchapternewpage odd + +@ifnottex + +This file documents the Emacs MIME interface functionality. + +Copyright (C) 1998,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc. + +Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document +under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or +any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the +Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU +Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the +license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation +License''. + +(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify +this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free +Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.'' +@end ifnottex + +@tex + +@titlepage +@title Emacs MIME Manual + +@author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen +@page + +@vskip 0pt plus 1filll +Copyright @copyright{} 1998,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc. + +Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document +under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or +any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the +Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU +Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the +license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation +License''. + +(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify +this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free +Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.'' +@end titlepage +@page + +@end tex + +@node Top +@top Emacs MIME + +This manual documents the libraries used to compose and display +@sc{mime} messages. + +This is not a manual meant for users; it's a manual directed at people +who want to write functions and commands that manipulate @sc{mime} +elements. + +@sc{mime} is short for @dfn{Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions}. +This standard is documented in a number of RFCs; mainly RFC2045 (Format +of Internet Message Bodies), RFC2046 (Media Types), RFC2047 (Message +Header Extensions for Non-ASCII Text), RFC2048 (Registration +Procedures), RFC2049 (Conformance Criteria and Examples). It is highly +recommended that anyone who intends writing @sc{mime}-compliant software +read at least RFC2045 and RFC2047. + +@menu +* Interface Functions:: An abstraction over the basic functions. +* Basic Functions:: Utility and basic parsing functions. +* Decoding and Viewing:: A framework for decoding and viewing. +* Composing:: MML; a language for describing MIME parts. +* Standards:: A summary of RFCs and working documents used. +* Index:: Function and variable index. +@end menu + + +@node Interface Functions +@chapter Interface Functions +@cindex interface functions +@cindex mail-parse + +The @code{mail-parse} library is an abstraction over the actual +low-level libraries that are described in the next chapter. + +Standards change, and so programs have to change to fit in the new +mold. For instance, RFC2045 describes a syntax for the +@code{Content-Type} header that only allows ASCII characters in the +parameter list. RFC2231 expands on RFC2045 syntax to provide a scheme +for continuation headers and non-ASCII characters. + +The traditional way to deal with this is just to update the library +functions to parse the new syntax. However, this is sometimes the wrong +thing to do. In some instances it may be vital to be able to understand +both the old syntax as well as the new syntax, and if there is only one +library, one must choose between the old version of the library and the +new version of the library. + +The Emacs MIME library takes a different tack. It defines a series of +low-level libraries (@file{rfc2047.el}, @file{rfc2231.el} and so on) +that parses strictly according to the corresponding standard. However, +normal programs would not use the functions provided by these libraries +directly, but instead use the functions provided by the +@code{mail-parse} library. The functions in this library are just +aliases to the corresponding functions in the latest low-level +libraries. Using this scheme, programs get a consistent interface they +can use, and library developers are free to create write code that +handles new standards. + +The following functions are defined by this library: + +@table @code +@item mail-header-parse-content-type +@findex mail-header-parse-content-type +Parse a @code{Content-Type} header and return a list on the following +format: + +@lisp +("type/subtype" + (attribute1 . value1) + (attribute2 . value2) + ...) +@end lisp + +Here's an example: + +@example +(mail-header-parse-content-type + "image/gif; name=\"b980912.gif\"") +@result{} ("image/gif" (name . "b980912.gif")) +@end example + +@item mail-header-parse-content-disposition +@findex mail-header-parse-content-disposition +Parse a @code{Content-Disposition} header and return a list on the same +format as the function above. + +@item mail-content-type-get +@findex mail-content-type-get +Takes two parameters---a list on the format above, and an attribute. +Returns the value of the attribute. + +@example +(mail-content-type-get + '("image/gif" (name . "b980912.gif")) 'name) +@result{} "b980912.gif" +@end example + +@item mail-header-encode-parameter +@findex mail-header-encode-parameter +Takes a parameter string and returns an encoded version of the string. +This is used for parameters in headers like @code{Content-Type} and +@code{Content-Disposition}. + +@item mail-header-remove-comments +@findex mail-header-remove-comments +Return a comment-free version of a header. + +@example +(mail-header-remove-comments + "Gnus/5.070027 (Pterodactyl Gnus v0.27) (Finnish Landrace)") +@result{} "Gnus/5.070027 " +@end example + +@item mail-header-remove-whitespace +@findex mail-header-remove-whitespace +Remove linear white space from a header. Space inside quoted strings +and comments is preserved. + +@example +(mail-header-remove-whitespace + "image/gif; name=\"Name with spaces\"") +@result{} "image/gif;name=\"Name with spaces\"" +@end example + +@item mail-header-get-comment +@findex mail-header-get-comment +Return the last comment in a header. + +@example +(mail-header-get-comment + "Gnus/5.070027 (Pterodactyl Gnus v0.27) (Finnish Landrace)") +@result{} "Finnish Landrace" +@end example + +@item mail-header-parse-address +@findex mail-header-parse-address +Parse an address and return a list containing the mailbox and the +plaintext name. + +@example +(mail-header-parse-address + "Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@@srce.hr>") +@result{} ("hniksic@@srce.hr" . "Hrvoje Niksic") +@end example + +@item mail-header-parse-addresses +@findex mail-header-parse-addresses +Parse a string with list of addresses and return a list of elements like +the one described above. + +@example +(mail-header-parse-addresses + "Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@@srce.hr>, Steinar Bang <sb@@metis.no>") +@result{} (("hniksic@@srce.hr" . "Hrvoje Niksic") + ("sb@@metis.no" . "Steinar Bang")) +@end example + +@item mail-header-parse-date +@findex mail-header-parse-date +Parse a date string and return an Emacs time structure. + +@item mail-narrow-to-head +@findex mail-narrow-to-head +Narrow the buffer to the header section of the buffer. Point is placed +at the beginning of the narrowed buffer. + +@item mail-header-narrow-to-field +@findex mail-header-narrow-to-field +Narrow the buffer to the header under point. + +@item mail-encode-encoded-word-region +@findex mail-encode-encoded-word-region +Encode the non-ASCII words in the region. For instance, +@samp{Naïve} is encoded as @samp{=?iso-8859-1?q?Na=EFve?=}. + +@item mail-encode-encoded-word-buffer +@findex mail-encode-encoded-word-buffer +Encode the non-ASCII words in the current buffer. This function is +meant to be called narrowed to the headers of a message. + +@item mail-encode-encoded-word-string +@findex mail-encode-encoded-word-string +Encode the words that need encoding in a string, and return the result. + +@example +(mail-encode-encoded-word-string + "This is naïve, baby") +@result{} "This is =?iso-8859-1?q?na=EFve,?= baby" +@end example + +@item mail-decode-encoded-word-region +@findex mail-decode-encoded-word-region +Decode the encoded words in the region. + +@item mail-decode-encoded-word-string +@findex mail-decode-encoded-word-string +Decode the encoded words in the string and return the result. + +@example +(mail-decode-encoded-word-string + "This is =?iso-8859-1?q?na=EFve,?= baby") +@result{} "This is naïve, baby" +@end example + +@end table + +Currently, @code{mail-parse} is an abstraction over @code{ietf-drums}, +@code{rfc2047}, @code{rfc2045} and @code{rfc2231}. These are documented +in the subsequent sections. + + + +@node Basic Functions +@chapter Basic Functions + +This chapter describes the basic, ground-level functions for parsing and +handling. Covered here is parsing @code{From} lines, removing comments +from header lines, decoding encoded words, parsing date headers and so +on. High-level functionality is dealt with in the next chapter +(@pxref{Decoding and Viewing}). + +@menu +* rfc2045:: Encoding @code{Content-Type} headers. +* rfc2231:: Parsing @code{Content-Type} headers. +* ietf-drums:: Handling mail headers defined by RFC822bis. +* rfc2047:: En/decoding encoded words in headers. +* time-date:: Functions for parsing dates and manipulating time. +* qp:: Quoted-Printable en/decoding. +* base64:: Base64 en/decoding. +* binhex:: Binhex decoding. +* uudecode:: Uuencode decoding. +* rfc1843:: Decoding HZ-encoded text. +* mailcap:: How parts are displayed is specified by the @file{.mailcap} file +@end menu + + +@node rfc2045 +@section rfc2045 + +RFC2045 is the ``main'' @sc{mime} document, and as such, one would +imagine that there would be a lot to implement. But there isn't, since +most of the implementation details are delegated to the subsequent +RFCs. + +So @file{rfc2045.el} has only a single function: + +@table @code +@item rfc2045-encode-string +@findex rfc2045-encode-string +Takes a parameter and a value and returns a @samp{PARAM=VALUE} string. +@var{value} will be quoted if there are non-safe characters in it. +@end table + + +@node rfc2231 +@section rfc2231 + +RFC2231 defines a syntax for the @code{Content-Type} and +@code{Content-Disposition} headers. Its snappy name is @dfn{MIME +Parameter Value and Encoded Word Extensions: Character Sets, Languages, +and Continuations}. + +In short, these headers look something like this: + +@example +Content-Type: application/x-stuff; + title*0*=us-ascii'en'This%20is%20even%20more%20; + title*1*=%2A%2A%2Afun%2A%2A%2A%20; + title*2="isn't it!" +@end example + +They usually aren't this bad, though. + +The following functions are defined by this library: + +@table @code +@item rfc2231-parse-string +@findex rfc2231-parse-string +Parse a @code{Content-Type} header and return a list describing its +elements. + +@example +(rfc2231-parse-string + "application/x-stuff; + title*0*=us-ascii'en'This%20is%20even%20more%20; + title*1*=%2A%2A%2Afun%2A%2A%2A%20; + title*2=\"isn't it!\"") +@result{} ("application/x-stuff" + (title . "This is even more ***fun*** isn't it!")) +@end example + +@item rfc2231-get-value +@findex rfc2231-get-value +Takes one of the lists on the format above and returns +the value of the specified attribute. + +@item rfc2231-encode-string +@findex rfc2231-encode-string +Encode a parameter in headers likes @code{Content-Type} and +@code{Content-Disposition}. + +@end table + + +@node ietf-drums +@section ietf-drums + +@dfn{drums} is an IETF working group that is working on the replacement +for RFC822. + +The functions provided by this library include: + +@table @code +@item ietf-drums-remove-comments +@findex ietf-drums-remove-comments +Remove the comments from the argument and return the results. + +@item ietf-drums-remove-whitespace +@findex ietf-drums-remove-whitespace +Remove linear white space from the string and return the results. +Spaces inside quoted strings and comments are left untouched. + +@item ietf-drums-get-comment +@findex ietf-drums-get-comment +Return the last most comment from the string. + +@item ietf-drums-parse-address +@findex ietf-drums-parse-address +Parse an address string and return a list that contains the mailbox and +the plain text name. + +@item ietf-drums-parse-addresses +@findex ietf-drums-parse-addresses +Parse a string that contains any number of comma-separated addresses and +return a list that contains mailbox/plain text pairs. + +@item ietf-drums-parse-date +@findex ietf-drums-parse-date +Parse a date string and return an Emacs time structure. + +@item ietf-drums-narrow-to-header +@findex ietf-drums-narrow-to-header +Narrow the buffer to the header section of the current buffer. + +@end table + + +@node rfc2047 +@section rfc2047 + +RFC2047 (Message Header Extensions for Non-ASCII Text) specifies how +non-ASCII text in headers are to be encoded. This is actually rather +complicated, so a number of variables are necessary to tweak what this +library does. + +The following variables are tweakable: + +@table @code +@item rfc2047-default-charset +@vindex rfc2047-default-charset +Characters in this charset should not be decoded by this library. +This defaults to @code{iso-8859-1}. + +@item rfc2047-header-encoding-list +@vindex rfc2047-header-encoding-list +This is an alist of header / encoding-type pairs. Its main purpose is +to prevent encoding of certain headers. + +The keys can either be header regexps, or @code{t}. + +The values can be either @code{nil}, in which case the header(s) in +question won't be encoded, or @code{mime}, which means that they will be +encoded. + +@item rfc2047-charset-encoding-alist +@vindex rfc2047-charset-encoding-alist +RFC2047 specifies two forms of encoding---@code{Q} (a +Quoted-Printable-like encoding) and @code{B} (base64). This alist +specifies which charset should use which encoding. + +@item rfc2047-encoding-function-alist +@vindex rfc2047-encoding-function-alist +This is an alist of encoding / function pairs. The encodings are +@code{Q}, @code{B} and @code{nil}. + +@item rfc2047-q-encoding-alist +@vindex rfc2047-q-encoding-alist +The @code{Q} encoding isn't quite the same for all headers. Some +headers allow a narrower range of characters, and that is what this +variable is for. It's an alist of header regexps / allowable character +ranges. + +@item rfc2047-encoded-word-regexp +@vindex rfc2047-encoded-word-regexp +When decoding words, this library looks for matches to this regexp. + +@end table + +Those were the variables, and these are this functions: + +@table @code +@item rfc2047-narrow-to-field +@findex rfc2047-narrow-to-field +Narrow the buffer to the header on the current line. + +@item rfc2047-encode-message-header +@findex rfc2047-encode-message-header +Should be called narrowed to the header of a message. Encodes according +to @code{rfc2047-header-encoding-alist}. + +@item rfc2047-encode-region +@findex rfc2047-encode-region +Encodes all encodable words in the region specified. + +@item rfc2047-encode-string +@findex rfc2047-encode-string +Encode a string and return the results. + +@item rfc2047-decode-region +@findex rfc2047-decode-region +Decode the encoded words in the region. + +@item rfc2047-decode-string +@findex rfc2047-decode-string +Decode a string and return the results. + +@end table + + +@node time-date +@section time-date + +While not really a part of the @sc{mime} library, it is convenient to +document this library here. It deals with parsing @code{Date} headers +and manipulating time. (Not by using tesseracts, though, I'm sorry to +say.) + +These functions convert between five formats: A date string, an Emacs +time structure, a decoded time list, a second number, and a day number. + +The functions have quite self-explanatory names, so the following just +gives an overview of which functions are available. + +@example +(parse-time-string "Sat Sep 12 12:21:54 1998 +0200") +@result{} (54 21 12 12 9 1998 6 nil 7200) + +(date-to-time "Sat Sep 12 12:21:54 1998 +0200") +@result{} (13818 19266) + +(time-to-seconds '(13818 19266)) +@result{} 905595714.0 + +(seconds-to-time 905595714.0) +@result{} (13818 19266 0) + +(time-to-day '(13818 19266)) +@result{} 729644 + +(days-to-time 729644) +@result{} (961933 65536) + +(time-since '(13818 19266)) +@result{} (0 430) + +(time-less-p '(13818 19266) '(13818 19145)) +@result{} nil + +(subtract-time '(13818 19266) '(13818 19145)) +@result{} (0 121) + +(days-between "Sat Sep 12 12:21:54 1998 +0200" + "Sat Sep 07 12:21:54 1998 +0200") +@result{} 5 + +(date-leap-year-p 2000) +@result{} t + +(time-to-day-in-year '(13818 19266)) +@result{} 255 + +@end example + +And finally, we have @code{safe-date-to-time}, which does the same as +@code{date-to-time}, but returns a zero time if the date is +syntactically malformed. + + + +@node qp +@section qp + +This library deals with decoding and encoding Quoted-Printable text. + +Very briefly explained, qp encoding means translating all 8-bit +characters (and lots of control characters) into things that look like +@samp{=EF}; that is, an equal sign followed by the byte encoded as a hex +string. + +The following functions are defined by the library: + +@table @code +@item quoted-printable-decode-region +@findex quoted-printable-decode-region +QP-decode all the encoded text in the specified region. + +@item quoted-printable-decode-string +@findex quoted-printable-decode-string +Decode the QP-encoded text in a string and return the results. + +@item quoted-printable-encode-region +@findex quoted-printable-encode-region +QP-encode all the encodable characters in the specified region. The third +optional parameter @var{fold} specifies whether to fold long lines. +(Long here means 72.) + +@item quoted-printable-encode-string +@findex quoted-printable-encode-string +QP-encode all the encodable characters in a string and return the +results. + +@end table + + +@node base64 +@section base64 +@cindex base64 + +Base64 is an encoding that encodes three bytes into four characters, +thereby increasing the size by about 33%. The alphabet used for +encoding is very resistant to mangling during transit. + +The following functions are defined by this library: + +@table @code +@item base64-encode-region +@findex base64-encode-region +base64 encode the selected region. Return the length of the encoded +text. Optional third argument @var{no-line-break} means do not break +long lines into shorter lines. + +@item base64-encode-string +@findex base64-encode-string +base64 encode a string and return the result. + +@item base64-decode-region +@findex base64-decode-region +base64 decode the selected region. Return the length of the decoded +text. If the region can't be decoded, return @code{nil} and don't +modify the buffer. + +@item base64-decode-string +@findex base64-decode-string +base64 decode a string and return the result. If the string can't be +decoded, @code{nil} is returned. + +@end table + + +@node binhex +@section binhex +@cindex binhex +@cindex Apple +@cindex Macintosh + +@code{binhex} is an encoding that originated in Macintosh environments. +The following function is supplied to deal with these: + +@table @code +@item binhex-decode-region +@findex binhex-decode-region +Decode the encoded text in the region. If given a third parameter, only +decode the @code{binhex} header and return the filename. + +@end table + + +@node uudecode +@section uudecode +@cindex uuencode +@cindex uudecode + +@code{uuencode} is probably still the most popular encoding of binaries +used on Usenet, although @code{base64} rules the mail world. + +The following function is supplied by this package: + +@table @code +@item uudecode-decode-region +@findex uudecode-decode-region +Decode the text in the region. +@end table + + +@node rfc1843 +@section rfc1843 +@cindex rfc1843 +@cindex HZ +@cindex Chinese + +RFC1843 deals with mixing Chinese and ASCII characters in messages. In +essence, RFC1843 switches between ASCII and Chinese by doing this: + +@example +This sentence is in ASCII. +The next sentence is in GB.~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}Bye. +@end example + +Simple enough, and widely used in China. + +The following functions are available to handle this encoding: + +@table @code +@item rfc1843-decode-region +Decode HZ-encoded text in the region. + +@item rfc1843-decode-string +Decode a HZ-encoded string and return the result. + +@end table + + +@node mailcap +@section mailcap + +The @file{~/.mailcap} file is parsed by most @sc{mime}-aware message +handlers and describes how elements are supposed to be displayed. +Here's an example file: + +@example +image/*; gimp -8 %s +audio/wav; wavplayer %s +@end example + +This says that all image files should be displayed with @code{gimp}, and +that realaudio files should be played by @code{rvplayer}. + +The @code{mailcap} library parses this file, and provides functions for +matching types. + +@table @code +@item mailcap-mime-data +@vindex mailcap-mime-data +This variable is an alist of alists containing backup viewing rules. + +@end table + +Interface functions: + +@table @code +@item mailcap-parse-mailcaps +@findex mailcap-parse-mailcaps +Parse the @code{~/.mailcap} file. + +@item mailcap-mime-info +Takes a @sc{mime} type as its argument and returns the matching viewer. + +@end table + + + + +@node Decoding and Viewing +@chapter Decoding and Viewing + +This chapter deals with decoding and viewing @sc{mime} messages on a +higher level. + +The main idea is to first analyze a @sc{mime} article, and then allow +other programs to do things based on the list of @dfn{handles} that are +returned as a result of this analysis. + +@menu +* Dissection:: Analyzing a @sc{mime} message. +* Handles:: Handle manipulations. +* Display:: Displaying handles. +* Customization:: Variables that affect display. +* New Viewers:: How to write your own viewers. +@end menu + + +@node Dissection +@section Dissection + +The @code{mm-dissect-buffer} is the function responsible for dissecting +a @sc{mime} article. If given a multipart message, it will recursively +descend the message, following the structure, and return a tree of +@sc{mime} handles that describes the structure of the message. + + +@node Handles +@section Handles + +A @sc{mime} handle is a list that fully describes a @sc{mime} +component. + +The following macros can be used to access elements in a handle: + +@table @code +@item mm-handle-buffer +@findex mm-handle-buffer +Return the buffer that holds the contents of the undecoded @sc{mime} +part. + +@item mm-handle-type +@findex mm-handle-type +Return the parsed @code{Content-Type} of the part. + +@item mm-handle-encoding +@findex mm-handle-encoding +Return the @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} of the part. + +@item mm-handle-undisplayer +@findex mm-handle-undisplayer +Return the object that can be used to remove the displayed part (if it +has been displayed). + +@item mm-handle-set-undisplayer +@findex mm-handle-set-undisplayer +Set the undisplayer object. + +@item mm-handle-disposition +@findex mm-handle-disposition +Return the parsed @code{Content-Disposition} of the part. + +@item mm-handle-disposition +@findex mm-handle-disposition +Return the description of the part. + +@item mm-get-content-id +Returns the handle(s) referred to by @code{Content-ID}. + +@end table + + +@node Display +@section Display + +Functions for displaying, removing and saving. + +@table @code +@item mm-display-part +@findex mm-display-part +Display the part. + +@item mm-remove-part +@findex mm-remove-part +Remove the part (if it has been displayed). + +@item mm-inlinable-p +@findex mm-inlinable-p +Say whether a @sc{mime} type can be displayed inline. + +@item mm-automatic-display-p +@findex mm-automatic-display-p +Say whether a @sc{mime} type should be displayed automatically. + +@item mm-destroy-part +@findex mm-destroy-part +Free all resources occupied by a part. + +@item mm-save-part +@findex mm-save-part +Offer to save the part in a file. + +@item mm-pipe-part +@findex mm-pipe-part +Offer to pipe the part to some process. + +@item mm-interactively-view-part +@findex mm-interactively-view-part +Prompt for a mailcap method to use to view the part. + +@end table + + +@node Customization +@section Customization + +@table @code + +@item mm-inline-media-tests +This is an alist where the key is a @sc{mime} type, the second element +is a function to display the part @dfn{inline} (i.e., inside Emacs), and +the third element is a form to be @code{eval}ed to say whether the part +can be displayed inline. + +This variable specifies whether a part @emph{can} be displayed inline, +and, if so, how to do it. It does not say whether parts are +@emph{actually} displayed inline. + +@item mm-inlined-types +This, on the other hand, says what types are to be displayed inline, if +they satisfy the conditions set by the variable above. It's a list of +@sc{mime} media types. + +@item mm-automatic-display +This is a list of types that are to be displayed ``automatically'', but +only if the above variable allows it. That is, only inlinable parts can +be displayed automatically. + +@item mm-attachment-override-types +Some @sc{mime} agents create parts that have a content-disposition of +@samp{attachment}. This variable allows overriding that disposition and +displaying the part inline. (Note that the disposition is only +overridden if we are able to, and want to, display the part inline.) + +@item mm-discouraged-alternatives +List of @sc{mime} types that are discouraged when viewing +@samp{multipart/alternative}. Viewing agents are supposed to view the +last possible part of a message, as that is supposed to be the richest. +However, users may prefer other types instead, and this list says what +types are most unwanted. If, for instance, @samp{text/html} parts are +very unwanted, and @samp{text/richtech} parts are somewhat unwanted, +then the value of this variable should be set to: + +@lisp +("text/html" "text/richtext") +@end lisp + +@item mm-inline-large-images-p +When displaying inline images that are larger than the window, XEmacs +does not enable scrolling, which means that you cannot see the whole +image. To prevent this, the library tries to determine the image size +before displaying it inline, and if it doesn't fit the window, the +library will display it externally (e.g. with @samp{ImageMagick} or +@samp{xv}). Setting this variable to @code{t} disables this check and +makes the library display all inline images as inline, regardless of +their size. + +@item mm-inline-override-p +@code{mm-inlined-types} may include regular expressions, for example to +specify that all @samp{text/.*} parts be displayed inline. If a user +prefers to have a type that matches such a regular expression be treated +as an attachment, that can be accomplished by setting this variable to a +list containing that type. For example assuming @code{mm-inlined-types} +includes @samp{text/.*}, then including @samp{text/html} in this +variable will cause @samp{text/html} parts to be treated as attachments. + +@end table + + +@node New Viewers +@section New Viewers + +Here's an example viewer for displaying @code{text/enriched} inline: + +@lisp +(defun mm-display-enriched-inline (handle) + (let (text) + (with-temp-buffer + (mm-insert-part handle) + (save-window-excursion + (enriched-decode (point-min) (point-max)) + (setq text (buffer-string)))) + (mm-insert-inline handle text))) +@end lisp + +We see that the function takes a @sc{mime} handle as its parameter. It +then goes to a temporary buffer, inserts the text of the part, does some +work on the text, stores the result, goes back to the buffer it was +called from and inserts the result. + +The two important helper functions here are @code{mm-insert-part} and +@code{mm-insert-inline}. The first function inserts the text of the +handle in the current buffer. It handles charset and/or content +transfer decoding. The second function just inserts whatever text you +tell it to insert, but it also sets things up so that the text can be +``undisplayed' in a convenient manner. + + +@node Composing +@chapter Composing +@cindex Composing +@cindex MIME Composing +@cindex MML +@cindex MIME Meta Language + +Creating a @sc{mime} message is boring and non-trivial. Therefore, a +library called @code{mml} has been defined that parses a language called +MML (@sc{mime} Meta Language) and generates @sc{mime} messages. + +@findex mml-generate-mime +The main interface function is @code{mml-generate-mime}. It will +examine the contents of the current (narrowed-to) buffer and return a +string containing the @sc{mime} message. + +@menu +* Simple MML Example:: An example MML document. +* MML Definition:: All valid MML elements. +* Advanced MML Example:: Another example MML document. +* Charset Translation:: How charsets are mapped from @sc{mule} to MIME. +* Conversion:: Going from @sc{mime} to MML and vice versa. +@end menu + + +@node Simple MML Example +@section Simple MML Example + +Here's a simple @samp{multipart/alternative}: + +@example +<#multipart type=alternative> +This is a plain text part. +<#part type=text/enriched> +<center>This is a centered enriched part</center> +<#/multipart> +@end example + +After running this through @code{mml-generate-mime}, we get this: + +@example +Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=-=-=" + + +--=-=-= + + +This is a plain text part. + +--=-=-= +Content-Type: text/enriched + + +<center>This is a centered enriched part</center> + +--=-=-=-- +@end example + + +@node MML Definition +@section MML Definition + +The MML language is very simple. It looks a bit like an SGML +application, but it's not. + +The main concept of MML is the @dfn{part}. Each part can be of a +different type or use a different charset. The way to delineate a part +is with a @samp{<#part ...>} tag. Multipart parts can be introduced +with the @samp{<#multipart ...>} tag. Parts are ended by the +@samp{<#/part>} or @samp{<#/multipart>} tags. Parts started with the +@samp{<#part ...>} tags are also closed by the next open tag. + +There's also the @samp{<#external ...>} tag. These introduce +@samp{external/message-body} parts. + +Each tag can contain zero or more parameters on the form +@samp{parameter=value}. The values may be enclosed in quotation marks, +but that's not necessary unless the value contains white space. So +@samp{filename=/home/user/#hello$^yes} is perfectly valid. + +The following parameters have meaning in MML; parameters that have no +meaning are ignored. The MML parameter names are the same as the +@sc{mime} parameter names; the things in the parentheses say which +header it will be used in. + +@table @samp +@item type +The @sc{mime} type of the part (@code{Content-Type}). + +@item filename +Use the contents of the file in the body of the part +(@code{Content-Disposition}). + +@item charset +The contents of the body of the part are to be encoded in the character +set speficied (@code{Content-Type}). + +@item name +Might be used to suggest a file name if the part is to be saved +to a file (@code{Content-Type}). + +@item disposition +Valid values are @samp{inline} and @samp{attachment} +(@code{Content-Disposition}). + +@item encoding +Valid values are @samp{7bit}, @samp{8bit}, @samp{quoted-printable} and +@samp{base64} (@code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}). + +@item description +A description of the part (@code{Content-Description}). + +@item creation-date +RFC822 date when the part was created (@code{Content-Disposition}). + +@item modification-date +RFC822 date when the part was modified (@code{Content-Disposition}). + +@item read-date +RFC822 date when the part was read (@code{Content-Disposition}). + +@item size +The size (in octets) of the part (@code{Content-Disposition}). + +@end table + +Parameters for @samp{application/octet-stream}: + +@table @samp +@item type +Type of the part; informal---meant for human readers +(@code{Content-Type}). +@end table + +Parameters for @samp{message/external-body}: + +@table @samp +@item access-type +A word indicating the supported access mechanism by which the file may +be obtained. Values include @samp{ftp}, @samp{anon-ftp}, @samp{tftp}, +@samp{localfile}, and @samp{mailserver}. (@code{Content-Type}.) + +@item expiration +The RFC822 date after which the file may no longer be fetched. +(@code{Content-Type}.) + +@item size +The size (in octets) of the file. (@code{Content-Type}.) + +@item permission +Valid values are @samp{read} and @samp{read-write} +(@code{Content-Type}). + +@end table + + +@node Advanced MML Example +@section Advanced MML Example + +Here's a complex multipart message. It's a @samp{multipart/mixed} that +contains many parts, one of which is a @samp{multipart/alternative}. + +@example +<#multipart type=mixed> +<#part type=image/jpeg filename=~/rms.jpg disposition=inline> +<#multipart type=alternative> +This is a plain text part. +<#part type=text/enriched name=enriched.txt> +<center>This is a centered enriched part</center> +<#/multipart> +This is a new plain text part. +<#part disposition=attachment> +This plain text part is an attachment. +<#/multipart> +@end example + +And this is the resulting @sc{mime} message: + +@example +Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="=-=-=" + + +--=-=-= + + + +--=-=-= +Content-Type: image/jpeg; + filename="~/rms.jpg" +Content-Disposition: inline; + filename="~/rms.jpg" +Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 + +/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDAAgGBgcGBQgHBwcJCQgKDBQNDAsLDBkSEw8UHRof +Hh0aHBwgJC4nICIsIxwcKDcpLDAxNDQ0Hyc5PTgyPC4zNDL/wAALCAAwADABAREA/8QAHwAA +AQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFBgcICQoL/8QAtRAAAgEDAwIEAwUFBAQAAAF9AQIDAAQR +BRIhMUEGE1FhByJxFDKBkaEII0KxwRVS0fAkM2JyggkKFhcYGRolJicoKSo0NTY3ODk6Q0RF +RkdISUpTVFVWV1hZWmNkZWZnaGlqc3R1dnd4eXqDhIWGh4iJipKTlJWWl5iZmqKjpKWmp6ip +qrKztLW2t7i5usLDxMXGx8jJytLT1NXW19jZ2uHi4+Tl5ufo6erx8vP09fb3+Pn6/9oACAEB +AAA/AO/rifFHjldNuGsrDa0qcSSHkA+gHrXKw+LtWLrMb+RgTyhbr+HSug07xNqV9fQtZrNI +AyiaE/NuBPOOOP0rvRNE880KOC8TbXXGCv1FPqjrF4LDR7u5L7SkTFT/ALWOP1xXgTuXfc7E +sx6nua6rwp4IvvEM8chCxWxOdzn7wz6V9AaB4S07w9p5itow0rDLSY5Pt9K43xO66P4xs71m +2QXiGCbA4yOVJ9+1aYORkdK434lyNH4ahCnG66VT9Nj15JFbPdX0MS43M4VQf5/yr2vSpLnw +5ZW8dlCZ8KFXjOPX0/mK6rSPEGt3Angu44fNEReHYNvIH3TzXDeKNO8RX+kSX2ouZkicTIOc +L+g7E810ulFjpVtv3bwgB3HJyK5L4quY/C9sVxk3ij/xx6850u7t1mtp/wDlpEw3An3Jr3Dw +34gsbWza4nBlhC5LDsaW6+IFgupQyCF3iHH7gA7c9R9ay7zx6t7aX9jHC4smhfBkGCvHGfrm +tLQ7hbnRrV1GPkAP1x1/Hr+Ncr8Vzjwrbf8AX6v/AKA9eQRyYlQk8Yx9K6XTNbkgia2ciSIn +7p5Ga9Atte0LTLKO6it4i7dVRFJDcZ4PvXN+JvEMF9bILVGXJLSZ4zkjivRPDaeX4b08HOTC +pOffmua+KkbS+GLVUGT9tT/0B68eeIpIFYjB70+OOVXyoOM9+M1eaWeCLzHPyHGO/NVWvJJm +jQ8KGH1NfQWhXSXmh2c8eArRLwO3HSv/2Q== + +--=-=-= +Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="==-=-=" + + +--==-=-= + + +This is a plain text part. + +--==-=-= +Content-Type: text/enriched; + name="enriched.txt" + + +<center>This is a centered enriched part</center> + +--==-=-=-- + +--=-=-= + +This is a new plain text part. + +--=-=-= +Content-Disposition: attachment + + +This plain text part is an attachment. + +--=-=-=-- +@end example + +@node Charset Translation +@section Charset Translation +@cindex charsets + +During translation from MML to @sc{mime}, for each @sc{mime} part which +has been composed inside Emacs, an appropriate charset has to be chosen. + +@vindex mail-parse-charset +If you are running a non-@sc{mule} Emacs, this process is simple: If the +part contains any non-ASCII (8-bit) characters, the @sc{mime} charset +given by @code{mail-parse-charset} (a symbol) is used. (Never set this +variable directly, though. If you want to change the default charset, +please consult the documentation of the package which you use to process +@sc{mime} messages. +@xref{Various Message Variables, , Various Message Variables, message, + Message Manual}, for example.) +If there are only ASCII characters, the @sc{mime} charset US-ASCII is +used, of course. + +@cindex MULE +@cindex UTF-8 +@cindex Unicode +@vindex mm-mime-mule-charset-alist +Things are slightly more complicated when running Emacs with @sc{mule} +support. In this case, a list of the @sc{mule} charsets used in the +part is obtained, and the @sc{mule} charsets are translated to @sc{mime} +charsets by consulting the variable @code{mm-mime-mule-charset-alist}. +If this results in a single @sc{mime} charset, this is used to encode +the part. But if the resulting list of @sc{mime} charsets contains more +than one element, two things can happen: If it is possible to encode the +part via UTF-8, this charset is used. (For this, Emacs must support +the @code{utf-8} coding system, and the part must consist entirely of +characters which have Unicode counterparts.) If UTF-8 is not available +for some reason, the part is split into several ones, so that each one +can be encoded with a single @sc{mime} charset. The part can only be +split at line boundaries, though---if more than one @sc{mime} charset is +required to encode a single line, it is not possible to encode the part. + +@node Conversion +@section Conversion + +@findex mime-to-mml +A (multipart) @sc{mime} message can be converted to MML with the +@code{mime-to-mml} function. It works on the message in the current +buffer, and substitutes MML markup for @sc{mime} boundaries. +Non-textual parts do not have their contents in the buffer, but instead +have the contents in separate buffers that are referred to from the MML +tags. + +@findex mml-to-mime +An MML message can be converted back to @sc{mime} by the +@code{mml-to-mime} function. + +These functions are in certain senses ``lossy''---you will not get back +an identical message if you run @sc{mime-to-mml} and then +@sc{mml-to-mime}. Not only will trivial things like the order of the +headers differ, but the contents of the headers may also be different. +For instance, the original message may use base64 encoding on text, +while @sc{mml-to-mime} may decide to use quoted-printable encoding, and +so on. + +In essence, however, these two functions should be the inverse of each +other. The resulting contents of the message should remain equivalent, +if not identical. + + +@node Standards +@chapter Standards + +The Emacs @sc{mime} library implements handling of various elements +according to a (somewhat) large number of RFCs, drafts and standards +documents. This chapter lists the relevant ones. They can all be +fetched from @samp{http://quimby.gnus.org/notes/}. + +@table @dfn +@item RFC822 +@itemx STD11 +Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text Messages. + +@item RFC1036 +Standard for Interchange of USENET Messages + +@item RFC2045 +Format of Internet Message Bodies + +@item RFC2046 +Media Types + +@item RFC2047 +Message Header Extensions for Non-ASCII Text + +@item RFC2048 +Registration Procedures + +@item RFC2049 +Conformance Criteria and Examples + +@item RFC2231 +MIME Parameter Value and Encoded Word Extensions: Character Sets, +Languages, and Continuations + +@item RFC1843 +HZ - A Data Format for Exchanging Files of Arbitrarily Mixed Chinese and +ASCII characters + +@item draft-ietf-drums-msg-fmt-05.txt +Draft for the successor of RFC822 + +@item RFC2112 +The MIME Multipart/Related Content-type + +@item RFC1892 +The Multipart/Report Content Type for the Reporting of Mail System +Administrative Messages + +@item RFC2183 +Communicating Presentation Information in Internet Messages: The +Content-Disposition Header Field + +@end table + + +@node Index +@chapter Index +@printindex cp + +@summarycontents +@contents +@bye + +@c End: