changeset 60435:b8d2ec2a15e7

(Rmail Inbox): Move text from Remote Mailboxes that really belongs here. (Remote Mailboxes): Text moved to Rmail Inbox. (Rmail Display): Mention Mouse-1. (Movemail): Clarify two movemail versions. Clarify rmail-movemail-program.
author Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
date Sun, 06 Mar 2005 17:40:40 +0000
parents e6fb531ca25b
children 9c630fb92215
files man/rmail.texi
diffstat 1 files changed, 67 insertions(+), 68 deletions(-) [+]
line wrap: on
line diff
--- a/man/rmail.texi	Sun Mar 06 17:32:45 2005 +0000
+++ b/man/rmail.texi	Sun Mar 06 17:40:40 2005 +0000
@@ -297,13 +297,14 @@
 @section Rmail Files and Inboxes
 @cindex inbox file
 
-  The operating system places incoming mail for you in a file that we
-call your @dfn{inbox}.  When you start up Rmail, it runs a C program
-called @code{movemail} to copy the new messages from your inbox into
-your primary Rmail file, which also contains other messages saved from
-previous Rmail sessions.  It is in this file that you actually read the
-mail with Rmail.  This operation is called @dfn{getting new mail}.  You
-can get new mail at any time in Rmail by typing @kbd{g}.
+  When you receive mail locally, the operating system places incoming
+mail for you in a file that we call your @dfn{inbox}.  When you start
+up Rmail, it runs a C program called @code{movemail} to copy the new
+messages from your local inbox into your primary Rmail file, which
+also contains other messages saved from previous Rmail sessions.  It
+is in this file that you actually read the mail with Rmail.  This
+operation is called @dfn{getting new mail}.  You can get new mail at
+any time in Rmail by typing @kbd{g}.
 
 @vindex rmail-primary-inbox-list
 @cindex @env{MAIL} environment variable
@@ -344,6 +345,35 @@
 as its internal format.  However, the Rmail file will still be separate
 from the inbox file, even on systems where their format is the same.
 
+@vindex rmail-preserve-inbox
+  When getting new mail, Rmail first copies the new mail from the inbox
+file to the Rmail file; then it saves the Rmail file; then it truncates
+the inbox file.  This way, a system crash may cause duplication of mail
+between the inbox and the Rmail file, but cannot lose mail.  If
+@code{rmail-preserve-inbox} is non-@code{nil}, then Rmail will copy new
+mail from the inbox file to the Rmail file without truncating the inbox
+file.  You may wish to set this, for example, on a portable computer you
+use to check your mail via POP while traveling, so that your mail will
+remain on the server and you can save it later on your workstation.
+
+  In some cases, Rmail copies the new mail from the inbox file
+indirectly.  First it runs the @code{movemail} program to move the mail
+from the inbox to an intermediate file called
+@file{~/.newmail-@var{inboxname}}.  Then Rmail merges the new mail from
+that file, saves the Rmail file, and only then deletes the intermediate
+file.  If there is a crash at the wrong time, this file continues to
+exist, and Rmail will use it again the next time it gets new mail from
+that inbox.
+
+  If Rmail is unable to convert the data in
+@file{~/.newmail-@var{inboxname}} into Babyl format, it renames the file
+to @file{~/RMAILOSE.@var{n}} (@var{n} is an integer chosen to make the
+name unique) so that Rmail will not have trouble with the data again.
+You should look at the file, find whatever message confuses Rmail
+(probably one that includes the control-underscore character, octal code
+037), and delete it.  Then you can use @kbd{1 g} to get new mail from
+the corrected file.
+
 @node Rmail Files
 @section Multiple Rmail Files
 
@@ -1003,8 +1033,9 @@
   You can highlight and activate URLs in incoming messages by adding
 the function @code{goto-address} to the hook
 @code{rmail-show-message-hook}.  Then you can browse these URLs by
-clicking on them with @kbd{Mouse-2} or by moving to one and typing
-@kbd{C-c @key{RET}}.  @xref{Goto-address, Activating URLs, Activating URLs}.
+clicking on them with @kbd{Mouse-2} (or @kbd{Mouse-1} quickly) or by
+moving to one and typing @kbd{C-c @key{RET}}.  @xref{Goto-address,
+Activating URLs, Activating URLs}.
 
 @node Rmail Coding
 @section Rmail and Coding Systems
@@ -1158,30 +1189,27 @@
 @section @code{movemail} program
 @cindex @code{movemail} program
 
-  When invoked for the first time, Rmail attempts to locate
-@code{movemail} program and determine its version.  There are
-two versions of @code{movemail} program: the native one, shipped with
-GNU Emacs (we will refer to it as @samp{emacs version}) and the one
-coming from GNU mailutils (@xref{movemail,,,mailutils,GNU mailutils},
-we will refer to it as @samp{mailutils version}).  Both versions are
-compatible with each other in the sense that they support the same
-command line syntax and the same basic subset of options.  However,
-the @samp{mailutils} version offers a much richer set of
-features.
+  When invoked for the first time, Rmail attempts to locate the
+@code{movemail} program and determine its version.  There are two
+versions of @code{movemail} program: the native one, shipped with GNU
+Emacs (the ``emacs version'') and the one included in GNU mailutils
+(the ``mailutils version'', @[xref{movemail,,,mailutils,GNU
+mailutils}).  They support the same command line syntax and the same
+basic subset of options.  However, the @samp{mailutils} version offers
+additional features.
 
-The @samp{Emacs version} of @code{movemail} is able to retrieve mail from usual
-UNIX mailbox formats and from remote mailboxes using the POP3 protocol.
+  The Emacs version of @code{movemail} is able to retrieve mail from
+usual UNIX mailbox formats and from remote mailboxes using the POP3
+protocol.
 
-The @samp{Mailutils version} is able to handle a wide set of mailbox
+  The Mailutils version is able to handle a wide set of mailbox
 formats, such as plain UNIX mailboxes, @code{maildir} and @code{MH}
-mailboxes, etc.  It is able to retrieve remote mail using POP3 or IMAP4
-protocol.  In the latter case, @code{mailutils movemail} can be
-instructed to retrieve mail using a TLS encrypted channel.
-
-The @samp{Mailutils movemail} accepts mailbox argument in the @acronym{URL}
-form.  The detailed description of mailbox @acronym{URL}s can be found
-in @ref{URL,,,mailutils,Mailbox URL Formats}.  In short, a
-@acronym{URL} is:
+mailboxes, etc.  It is able to retrieve remote mail using POP3 or
+IMAP4 protocol, and can retrieve mail from them using a TLS encrypted
+channel.  It also accepts mailbox argument in the @acronym{URL} form.
+The detailed description of mailbox @acronym{URL}s can be found in
+@ref{URL,,,mailutils,Mailbox URL Formats}.  In short, a @acronym{URL}
+is:
 
 @smallexample
 @var{proto}://[@var{user}[:@var{password}]@@]@var{host-or-file-name}
@@ -1244,55 +1272,26 @@
 e.g., @code{imap://smith:guessme@@remote.server.net}.
 @end table
 
-Alternatively, the mailbox may be specified as a file name of the
-mailbox to use.  This is equivalent to specifying the @samp{file} protocol:
+  Alternatively, you can specify the file name of the mailbox to use.
+This is equivalent to specifying the @samp{file} protocol:
 
 @smallexample
-/var/spool/mail/user @equiv{} file://var/spool/mail/user
+/var/spool/mail/@var{user} @equiv{} file://var/spool/mail/@var{user}
 @end smallexample
 
 @vindex rmail-movemail-program
 @vindex rmail-movemail-search-path
- To determine which version of @code{movemail} is being used, Rmail
-examines the value of @code{rmail-movemail-program} variable.  If it
-is set, its value is used as a full path to the @code{movemail} binary.
-Otherwise, Rmail searches for @code{movemail} in the list of directories
-constructed by appending the values of @code{rmail-movemail-search-path} and
-@code{exec-path} to @code{exec-directory}.  
+  The variable @code{rmail-movemail-program} controls which version of
+@code{movemail} to use.  If that is a string, it specifies the
+absolute file name of the @code{movemail} executable.  If it is
+@code{nil}, Rmail searches for @code{movemail} in the directories
+listed in @code{rmail-movemail-search-path} and @code{exec-path}, then
+in @code{exec-directory}.
   
 @node Remote Mailboxes
 @section Retrieving Mail from Remote Mailboxes
 @pindex movemail
 
-@vindex rmail-preserve-inbox
-  When getting new mail, Rmail first copies the new mail from the inbox
-file to the Rmail file; then it saves the Rmail file; then it truncates
-the inbox file.  This way, a system crash may cause duplication of mail
-between the inbox and the Rmail file, but cannot lose mail.  If
-@code{rmail-preserve-inbox} is non-@code{nil}, then Rmail will copy new
-mail from the inbox file to the Rmail file without truncating the inbox
-file.  You may wish to set this, for example, on a portable computer you
-use to check your mail via POP while traveling, so that your mail will
-remain on the server and you can save it later on your workstation.
-
-  In some cases, Rmail copies the new mail from the inbox file
-indirectly.  First it runs the @code{movemail} program to move the mail
-from the inbox to an intermediate file called
-@file{~/.newmail-@var{inboxname}}.  Then Rmail merges the new mail from
-that file, saves the Rmail file, and only then deletes the intermediate
-file.  If there is a crash at the wrong time, this file continues to
-exist, and Rmail will use it again the next time it gets new mail from
-that inbox.
-
-  If Rmail is unable to convert the data in
-@file{~/.newmail-@var{inboxname}} into Babyl format, it renames the file
-to @file{~/RMAILOSE.@var{n}} (@var{n} is an integer chosen to make the
-name unique) so that Rmail will not have trouble with the data again.
-You should look at the file, find whatever message confuses Rmail
-(probably one that includes the control-underscore character, octal code
-037), and delete it.  Then you can use @kbd{1 g} to get new mail from
-the corrected file.
-
   Some sites use a method called POP for accessing users' inbox data
 instead of storing the data in inbox files.  The @code{Emacs
 movemail} can work with POP if you compile it with the macro