1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
3 @c Note: This document requires makeinfo version 4.6 or greater to build.
6 @setfilename ../../info/mh-e
7 @settitle The MH-E Manual
10 @c Version of the software and manual.
11 @set VERSION 8.0.3+CVS
12 @c Edition of the manual. It is either empty for the first edition or
13 @c has the form ", nth Edition" (without the quotes).
15 @set UPDATED 2008-03-16
16 @set UPDATE-MONTH March, 2008
19 @set MH-BOOK-HOME http://rand-mh.sourceforge.net/book/mh
20 @set MH-E-HOME http://mh-e.sourceforge.net/
24 This is version @value{VERSION}@value{EDITION} of @cite{The MH-E
25 Manual}, last updated @value{UPDATED}.
27 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
28 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
31 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
32 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
33 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
34 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
35 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
36 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License.''
38 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
39 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
40 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
44 @c Info Directory Entry
47 * MH-E: (mh-e). Emacs interface to the MH mail system.
51 @setchapternewpage odd
53 @title The MH-E Manual
54 @subtitle Version @value{VERSION}@value{EDITION}
55 @subtitle @value{UPDATE-MONTH}
60 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
68 @node Top, Preface, (dir), (dir)
85 * Conventions:: GNU Emacs Terms and Conventions
86 * Getting Started:: Getting Started
87 * Tour Through MH-E:: Tour Through MH-E
88 * Using This Manual:: Using This Manual
89 * Incorporating Mail:: Incorporating Mail
90 * Reading Mail:: Reading Mail
91 * Folders:: Organizing Your Mail with Folders
92 * Sending Mail:: Sending Mail
93 * Editing Drafts:: Editing a Draft
95 * Identities:: Identities
96 * Speedbar:: The Speedbar
97 * Menu Bar:: The Menu Bar
98 * Tool Bar:: The Tool Bar
99 * Searching:: Searching Through Messages
100 * Threading:: Viewing Message Threads
101 * Limits:: Limiting Display
102 * Sequences:: Using Sequences
103 * Junk:: Dealing With Junk Mail
104 * Miscellaneous:: Miscellaneous Commands, Variables, and Buffers
105 * Scan Line Formats:: Scan Line Formats
106 * Procmail:: Reading Mailing Lists Effectively
107 * Odds and Ends:: Odds and Ends
108 * History:: History of MH-E
109 * GFDL:: GNU Free Documentation License
110 * Key Index:: Key (Character) Index
111 * Command Index:: Command Index
112 * Option Index:: Option (Variable) Index
113 * Concept Index:: Concept Index
116 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
120 * Sending Mail Tour::
121 * Reading Mail Tour::
122 * Processing Mail Tour::
135 * Viewing Attachments::
142 * Miscellaneous Commands and Options::
156 * Inserting Messages::
159 * Adding Attachments::
161 * Checking Recipients::
169 * MH FAQ and Support::
176 * From Stephen Gildea::
186 @node Preface, Conventions, Top, Top
190 @cindex Unix commands, Emacs
193 This manual introduces another interface to the MH mail system that is
194 accessible through the GNU Emacs editor, namely, @emph{MH-E}. MH-E is
195 easy to use. I don't assume that you know GNU Emacs or even MH at this
196 point, since I didn't know either of them when I discovered MH-E.
197 However, MH-E was the tip of the iceberg, and I discovered more and
198 more niceties about GNU Emacs and MH@. Now I'm fully hooked on both of
201 The MH-E package is distributed with GNU Emacs@footnote{Version
202 @value{VERSION} of MH-E will appear in GNU Emacs 22.1. It is supported
203 in GNU Emacs 21, as well as XEmacs 21 (except for versions
204 21.5.9-21.5.16). It is compatible with MH versions 6.8.4 and higher,
205 all versions of nmh, and GNU mailutils 1.0 and higher.}, so you
206 shouldn't have to do anything special to use it. Gnus is also
207 required; version 5.10 or higher is recommended. This manual covers
208 MH-E version @value{VERSION}. To help you decide which version you
209 have, see @ref{Getting Started}.
211 @findex help-with-tutorial
214 If you don't already use GNU Emacs but want to learn more, you can
215 read an online tutorial by starting GNU Emacs and typing @kbd{C-h t}
216 (@code{help-with-tutorial}). (To learn about this notation, see
217 @ref{Conventions}.) If you want to take the plunge, consult the
219 @cite{GNU Emacs Manual},
222 @ref{top, , GNU Emacs Manual, emacs, GNU Emacs Manual},
225 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/,
226 @cite{GNU Emacs Manual}},
228 from the Free Software Foundation.
230 If more information is needed, you can go to the Unix manual pages of
231 the individual MH commands. When the name is not obvious, I'll guide
232 you to a relevant MH manual page that describes the action more fully.
234 @cindex @cite{MH & nmh: Email for Users & Programmers}
239 This manual is available in both Info and online formats. The Info
240 version is distributed with Emacs and can be accessed with the
241 @command{info} command (@samp{info mh-e}) or within Emacs (@kbd{C-h i
242 m mh-e @key{RET}}). The online version is available at
243 @uref{http://mh-e.sourceforge.net/manual/, SourceForge}. Another great
244 online resource is the book @uref{http://www.ics.uci.edu/~mh/book/,
245 @cite{MH & nmh: Email for Users & Programmers}} (also known as
248 I hope you enjoy this manual! If you have any comments, or suggestions
249 for this document, please let me know.
255 Bill Wohler <@i{wohler at newt.com}>@*
259 @node Conventions, Getting Started, Preface, Top
260 @chapter GNU Emacs Terms and Conventions
263 @cindex Emacs, conventions
265 @cindex Unix commands, Emacs
266 @cindex conventions, Emacs
269 If you're an experienced Emacs user, you can skip the following
270 conventions and definition of terms and go directly to the next
271 section (@pxref{Getting Started}).
273 @cindex Emacs commands
275 @cindex Unix commands
278 @cindex commands, Unix
279 @cindex commands, shell
281 @cindex shell commands
283 In general, @dfn{functions} in this text refer to Emacs Lisp functions
284 that one would call from within Emacs Lisp programs (for example,
285 @code{(mh-inc-folder)}). On the other hand, @dfn{commands} are those
286 things that are run by the user, such as @kbd{i} or @kbd{M-x
287 mh-inc-folder}. Programs outside of Emacs are specifically called MH
288 commands, shell commands, or Unix commands.
290 @cindex conventions, key names
293 The conventions for key names are as follows:
297 Hold down the @key{CTRL} (Control) key and press the @kbd{x} key.
298 @c -------------------------
300 Hold down the @key{META} or @key{ALT} key and press the @kbd{x} key.
302 Since some keyboards don't have a @key{META} key, you can generate
303 @kbd{M-x}, for example, by pressing @key{ESC} (Escape),
304 @emph{releasing it}, and then pressing the @kbd{x} key.
305 @c -------------------------
307 Press the @key{RETURN} or @key{ENTER} key. This is normally used to
309 @c -------------------------
312 @c -------------------------
314 Press the @key{TAB} key.
315 @c -------------------------
317 Press the @key{DELETE} key.
318 @c -------------------------
320 Press the @key{BACKSPACE} key@footnote{If you are using Version 20 or
321 earlier of Emacs, you will need to use the @key{DEL} key.}.
324 @cindex Emacs, prefix argument
325 @cindex prefix argument
328 A @dfn{prefix argument} allows you to pass an argument to any Emacs
329 function. To pass an argument, type @kbd{C-u} before the Emacs command
330 or keystroke. Numeric arguments can be passed as well. For example, to
331 insert five f's, use @kbd{C-u 5 f}. There is a default of four when
332 using @kbd{C-u}, and you can use multiple prefix arguments to provide
333 arguments of powers of four. To continue our example, you could insert
334 four f's with @kbd{C-u f}, 16 f's with @kbd{C-u C-u f}, 64 f's with
335 @kbd{C-u C-u C-u f}, and so on. Numeric and valueless negative
336 arguments can also be inserted with the @key{META} key. Examples
337 include @kbd{M-5} to specify an argument of 5, or @kbd{M--} which
338 specifies a negative argument with no particular value.
341 @center @strong{NOTE}
344 The prefix @kbd{C-u} or @kbd{M-} is not necessary in MH-E's MH-Folder
345 mode (@pxref{Reading Mail Tour}). In this mode, simply enter the
346 numerical argument before entering the command.
350 @cindex @file{.emacs}
351 @cindex Emacs, variables
352 @cindex files, @file{.emacs}
356 Emacs uses @dfn{variables} to hold values. These can be changed via
357 calls to the function @code{setq} in @file{~/.emacs}.
359 @cindex Emacs, options
361 @findex customize-group
362 @findex customize-option
364 Variables in MH-E that are normally modified by the user are called
365 @dfn{options} and are modified through the customize functions (such
366 as @kbd{M-x customize-option} or @kbd{M-x customize-group}).
368 @xref{Easy Customization,,,emacs,The GNU Emacs Manual}, in @cite{The
373 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Easy-Customization.html,
374 Easy Customization} in @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}.
381 @findex customize-face
383 You can specify various styles for displaying text using @dfn{faces}.
384 MH-E provides a set of faces that you can use to personalize the look
385 of your MH-E buffers. Use the command @kbd{M-x customize-face} to do
388 @xref{Face Customization,,,emacs,The GNU Emacs Manual}, in @cite{The
393 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Face-Customization.html,
394 Face Customization} in @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}.
397 @cindex abnormal hooks
401 @findex customize-option
403 Commands often offer @dfn{hooks} which enable you to extend or modify
404 the way a command works.
406 @ref{Hooks, , Hooks, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}, in @cite{The GNU
411 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Hooks.html,
412 Hooks} in @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}
414 for a description about @dfn{normal hooks} and @dfn{abnormal hooks}.
415 MH-E uses normal hooks in nearly all cases, so you can assume that we
416 are talking about normal hooks unless we explicitly mention that a
417 hook is abnormal. We also follow the conventions described in that
418 section: the name of the abnormal hooks end in @code{-hooks} and all
419 the rest of the MH-E hooks end in @code{-hook}. You can add hooks with
420 either @code{customize-option} or @code{add-hook}.
424 @cindex Emacs, region
431 There are several other terms that are used in Emacs that you should
432 know. The @dfn{point} is where the cursor currently is. You can save
433 your current place in the file by setting a @dfn{mark}. This operation
434 is useful in several ways. The mark can be later used when defining a
435 @dfn{region}, which is the text between the point and mark. Many
436 commands operate on regions, such as those for deleting text or
437 filling paragraphs. A mark can be set with @kbd{C-@@} (or
441 @cindex Emacs, completion
442 @cindex Emacs, file completion
443 @cindex Emacs, folder completion
444 @cindex Emacs, minibuffer
445 @cindex file completion
446 @cindex folder completion
451 The @dfn{minibuffer} is the bottom line of the Emacs window, where all
452 prompting and multiple-character input is directed. You can use
453 @dfn{completion} to enter values such as folders. Completion means
454 that Emacs fills in text for you when you type @key{SPC} or @key{TAB}.
455 A second @key{SPC} or @key{TAB} will list all possibilities at that
458 @xref{Completion, , Completion, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
462 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Completion.html,
463 Completion} in @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}.
465 Note that @key{SPC} cannot be used for completing filenames and
468 @findex help-with-tutorial
472 The minibuffer is also where you enter Emacs function names after
473 typing @kbd{M-x}. For example, in the preface, I mentioned that you
474 could obtain help with @kbd{C-h t} (@code{help-with-tutorial}). What
475 this means is that you can get a tutorial by typing either @kbd{C-h t}
476 or @kbd{M-x help-with-tutorial}. In the latter case, you are prompted
477 for @samp{help-with-tutorial} in the minibuffer after typing
482 The @samp{~} notation in filenames represents your home directory.
483 This notation is used by many shells including @command{bash},
484 @code{tcsh}, and @command{csh}. It is analogous to the environment
485 variable @samp{$HOME}. For example, @file{~/.emacs} can be written
486 @file{$HOME/.emacs} or using the absolute path as in
487 @file{/home/wohler/.emacs} instead.
489 @cindex Emacs, interrupting
490 @cindex Emacs, quitting
494 @i{In case of trouble:} Emacs can be interrupted at any time with
495 @kbd{C-g}. For example, if you've started a command that requests that
496 you enter something in the minibuffer, but then you change your mind,
497 type @kbd{C-g} and you'll be back where you started. If you want to
498 exit Emacs entirely, use @kbd{C-x C-c}.
500 @node Getting Started, Tour Through MH-E, Conventions, Top
501 @chapter Getting Started
503 @cindex MH-E, versions
505 @cindex versions of MH-E
507 Because there are many old versions of MH-E out there, it is important
508 to know which version you have. I'll be talking about @w{Version 8}
509 which is pretty close to @w{Version 6} and @w{Version 7}. It differs
510 from @w{Version 4} and @w{Version 5} and is vastly different from
511 @w{Version 3}. @xref{History}.
515 To determine which version of MH-E that you have, enter @kbd{M-x
516 mh-version @key{RET}}. Hopefully it says that you're running
517 @w{Version @value{VERSION}} which is the latest version as of this
520 If your version is much older than this, please consider upgrading.
521 You can have your system administrator upgrade the system-wide
522 version, or you can install your own personal version. It's really
523 quite easy. @xref{Getting MH-E}, for instructions for getting and
526 If the @code{mh-version} command displays @samp{No MH variant
527 detected}@footnote{In very old versions of MH-E, you may get the error
528 message, @samp{Cannot find the commands `inc' and `mhl' and the file
529 `components'} if MH-E can't find MH. In this case, you need to update
530 MH-E, and you may need to install MH too. However, newer versions of
531 MH-E are better at finding MH if it is on your system.}, then you need
532 to install MH or tell MH-E where to find MH.
536 @cindex GNU mailutils
538 If you don't have MH on your system already, you must install a
539 variant of MH. The Debian mh-e package does this for you automatically
540 (@pxref{Getting MH-E}). Most people use
541 @uref{http://www.nongnu.org/nmh/, nmh}, but you may be interested in
542 trying out @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/, GNU
543 mailutils}, which supports IMAP. Your GNU/Linux distribution probably
544 has packages for both of these.
546 @cindex @command{install-mh}
547 @cindex MH commands, @command{install-mh}
550 If you've never run MH before, you need to run @command{install-mh}
551 from the shell before you continue. This sets up your personal MH
552 environment@footnote{See the section
553 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/../overall/setup.html, Setting Up MH} in the
554 MH book.}. If you don't, you'll be greeted with the error message:
555 @samp{Install MH and run install-mh before running MH-E}. This is all
556 you need to know about MH to use MH-E, but the more you know about MH,
557 the more you can leverage its power. See the
558 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/../, MH book} to learn more about MH.
560 @cindex @samp{Path:} MH profile component
562 @cindex MH profile component
563 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{Path:}
565 Your MH environment includes your @dfn{MH profile} which is found in
566 the file @file{~/.mh_profile}. This file contains a number of @dfn{MH
567 profile components}. For example, the @samp{Path:} MH profile
568 component contains the path to your mail directory, which is
569 @file{~/Mail} by default.
571 @cindex @command{mhparam}
572 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhparam}
577 @vindex mh-variant-in-use
579 There are several options MH-E uses to interact with your MH
580 installation. The option @code{mh-variant} specifies the variant used
581 by MH-E (@pxref{Options}). The default setting of this option is
582 @samp{Auto-detect} which means that MH-E will automatically choose the
583 first of nmh, MH, or GNU mailutils that it finds in the directories
584 listed in @code{mh-path} (which you can customize),
585 @code{mh-sys-path}, and @code{exec-path}. If MH-E can't find MH at
586 all, you may have to customize @code{mh-path} and add the directory in
587 which the command @command{mhparam} is located. If, on the other hand,
588 you have both nmh and mailutils installed (for example) and
589 @code{mh-variant-in-use} was initialized to nmh but you want to use
590 mailutils, then you can set @code{mh-variant} to @samp{mailutils}.
592 @vindex mh-flists-present-flag
597 When @code{mh-variant} is changed, MH-E resets @code{mh-progs},
598 @code{mh-lib}, @code{mh-lib-progs}, @code{mh-flists-present-flag}, and
599 @code{mh-variant-in-use} accordingly.
601 @cindex @file{.emacs}
602 @cindex files, @file{.emacs}
605 @center @strong{NOTE}
608 Prior to version 8, it was often necessary to set some of these
609 variables in @file{~/.emacs}; now it is no longer necessary and can
610 actually cause problems.
614 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{Draft-Folder:}
615 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{Path:}
616 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{Previous-Sequence:}
617 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{Unseen-Sequence:}
618 @cindex @samp{Draft-Folder:} MH profile component
619 @cindex @samp{Path:} MH profile component
620 @cindex @samp{Previous-Sequence:} MH profile component
621 @cindex @samp{Unseen-Sequence:} MH profile component
623 @vindex mh-draft-folder
624 @vindex mh-find-path-hook
626 @vindex mh-previous-seq
627 @vindex mh-unseen-seq
630 In addition to setting variables that point to MH itself, MH-E also
631 sets a handful of variables that point to where you keep your mail.
632 During initialization, the function @code{mh-find-path} sets
633 @code{mh-user-path} from your @samp{Path:} MH profile component (but
634 defaults to @samp{Mail} if one isn't present), @code{mh-draft-folder}
635 from @samp{Draft-Folder:}, @code{mh-unseen-seq} from
636 @samp{Unseen-Sequence:}, @code{mh-previous-seq} from
637 @samp{Previous-Sequence:}, and @code{mh-inbox} from @samp{Inbox:}
638 (defaults to @samp{+inbox}). The hook @code{mh-find-path-hook} is run
639 after these variables have been set. This hook can be used the change
640 the value of these variables if you need to run with different values
643 @node Tour Through MH-E, Using This Manual, Getting Started, Top
644 @chapter Tour Through MH-E
650 This chapter introduces some of the terms you'll need to know and then
651 takes you on a tour of MH-E@footnote{The keys mentioned in these
652 chapters refer to the default key bindings. If you've changed the
653 bindings, refer to the command summaries at the beginning of each
654 chapter for a mapping between default key bindings and function
655 names.}. When you're done, you'll be able to send, read, and file
656 mail, which is all that a lot of people ever do. But if you're the
657 curious or adventurous type, read the rest of the manual to be able to
658 use all the features of MH-E. I suggest you read this chapter first to
659 get the big picture, and then you can read the manual as you wish.
662 * Sending Mail Tour::
663 * Reading Mail Tour::
664 * Processing Mail Tour::
669 @node Sending Mail Tour, Reading Mail Tour, Tour Through MH-E, Tour Through MH-E
670 @section Sending Mail
672 @cindex MH-Letter mode
674 @cindex modes, MH-Letter
679 Let's start our tour by sending ourselves a message which we can later
680 read and process. Enter @kbd{M-x mh-smail} to invoke the MH-E program
681 to send messages. Your message appears in an Emacs buffer whose
682 mode@footnote{A @dfn{mode} changes Emacs to make it easier to edit a
683 particular type of text.} is MH-Letter.
685 Enter your login name in the @samp{To:} header field. Press the
686 @key{TAB} twice to move the cursor past the @samp{Cc:} field, since no
687 carbon copies are to be sent, and on to the @samp{Subject:} field.
688 Enter @kbd{Test} or anything else that comes to mind.
690 Press @key{TAB} again to move the cursor to the body of the message.
691 Enter some text, using normal Emacs commands. You should now have
692 something like this@footnote{If you're running Emacs under the X
693 Window System, then you would also see a menu bar and a tool bar. I've
694 left out the menu bar and tool bar in all of the example screens.}:
704 --:-- *scratch* All L1 (Lisp Interaction)-------------------------
708 X-Mailer: MH-E 8.0; nmh 1.1; GNU Emacs 22.1
710 This is a test message to get the wheels churning...#
713 --:** @{draft@} All L5 (MH-Letter)----------------------------------
714 Type C-c C-c to send message, C-C ? for help
717 @i{MH-E message composition window}
719 Note the line of dashes that separates the header and the body of the
720 message. It is essential that these dashes (or a blank line) are
721 present or the body of your message will be considered to be part of
725 @findex describe-mode
730 There are several commands specific to MH-Letter mode@footnote{You can
731 get quick help for the commands used most often with @kbd{C-c ?} or
732 more complete help with the @kbd{C-h m} (@code{describe-mode})
733 command.}, but at this time we'll only use @kbd{C-c C-c} to send your
734 message. Type @kbd{C-c C-c} now. That's all there is to it!
736 @node Reading Mail Tour, Processing Mail Tour, Sending Mail Tour, Tour Through MH-E
737 @section Receiving Mail
739 @cindex @command{inc}
740 @cindex @command{scan}
741 @cindex MH commands, @command{inc}
742 @cindex MH commands, @command{scan}
743 @cindex MH-Folder mode
744 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
749 To read the mail you've just sent yourself, enter @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}.
750 This incorporates the new mail and puts the output from
751 @command{inc}@footnote{See the section
752 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/reapre.html, Reading Mail: inc show next
753 prev} in the MH book.} (called @dfn{scan lines} after the MH program
754 @command{scan}@footnote{See the section
755 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/faswsprs.html, Find and Specify with scan
756 pick Ranges Sequences} in the MH book.} which prints a one-line
757 summary of each message) into a buffer called @samp{+inbox} whose
758 major mode is MH-Folder.
765 @center @strong{NOTE}
769 The @kbd{M-x mh-rmail} command will show you only new mail, not mail
770 you have already read. If you were to run this tour again, you would
771 use @kbd{F r} to pull all your messages into MH-E.
779 You should see the scan line for your message, and perhaps others. Use
780 @kbd{n} or @kbd{p} to move the cursor to your test message and type
781 @key{RET} to read your message. You should see something like:
785 3 t08/24 root received fax files on Wed Aug 24 11:00:13 PDT 1
786 # 4+t08/24 To:wohler Test<<This is a test message to get the wheels
788 -:%% @{+inbox/select@} 4 msgs (1-4) Bot L4 (MH-Folder Show)---------
791 X-Mailer: MH-E 8.0; nmh 1.1; GNU Emacs 22.1
792 Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:49:11 -0800
793 From: Bill Wohler <wohler@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
795 This is a test message to get the wheels churning...
799 --:-- @{show-+inbox@} 4 All L1 (MH-Show)----------------------------
803 @i{After incorporating new messages}
808 If you typed a long message, you can view subsequent pages with
809 @key{SPC} and previous pages with @key{DEL}.
811 @node Processing Mail Tour, Leaving MH-E, Reading Mail Tour, Tour Through MH-E
812 @section Processing Mail
814 @cindex processing mail
818 The first thing we want to do is reply to the message that we sent
819 ourselves. Ensure that the cursor is still on the same line as your
820 test message and type @kbd{r}. You are prompted in the minibuffer with
821 @samp{Reply to whom:}. Here MH-E is asking whether you'd like to reply
822 to the original sender only, to the sender and primary recipients, or
823 to the sender and all recipients. You can press @key{TAB} to see these
824 choices. If you simply press @key{RET}, you'll reply only to the
825 sender. Press @key{RET} now.
827 You'll find yourself in an Emacs buffer similar to that when you were
828 sending the original message, like this:
835 In-reply-to: <31054.1142621351@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
836 References: <31054.1142621351@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
837 Comments: In-reply-to Bill Wohler <wohler@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
838 message dated "Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:49:11 -0800."
839 X-Mailer: MH-E 8.0; nmh 1.1; GNU Emacs 22.1
843 --:-- @{draft@} All L10 (MH-Letter)----------------------------------
846 X-Mailer: MH-E 8.0; nmh 1.1; GNU Emacs 22.1
847 Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:49:11 -0800
848 From: Bill Wohler <wohler@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
850 This is a test message to get the wheels churning...
852 --:-- @{show-+inbox@} 4 All L1 (MH-Show)----------------------------
853 Type C-c C-c to send message, C-c ? for help
856 @i{Composition window during reply}
858 @findex backward-char
861 @findex previous-line
870 By default, MH will not add you to the address list of your replies,
871 so if you find that the @samp{To:} header field is missing, don't
872 worry. In this case, type @kbd{C-c C-f C-t} to create and go to the
873 @samp{To:} field, where you can type your login name again. You can
874 move around with the arrow keys or with @kbd{C-p}
875 (@code{previous-line}), @kbd{C-n} (@code{next-line}), @kbd{C-b}
876 (@code{backward-char}), and @kbd{C-f} (@code{forward-char}) and can
877 delete the previous character with @key{BS}. When you're finished
878 editing your message, send it with @kbd{C-c C-c} as before.
880 @cindex @command{refile}
881 @cindex MH commands, @command{refile}
886 You'll often want to save messages that were sent to you in an
887 organized fashion. This is done with @dfn{folders}. You can use
888 folders to keep messages from your friends, or messages related to a
889 particular topic. With your cursor in the MH-Folder buffer and
890 positioned on the message you sent to yourself, type @kbd{o} to output
891 (@command{refile} in MH parlance) that message to a folder. Enter
892 @kbd{test} at the @samp{Destination folder:} prompt and type @kbd{y}
893 (or @key{SPC}) when MH-E asks to create the folder @samp{+test}. Note
894 that a @samp{^} (caret) appears next to the message number, which
895 means that the message has been marked for refiling but has not yet
896 been refiled. We'll talk about how the refile is actually carried out
899 @cindex MH-Folder mode
900 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
908 Your previous reply is now waiting in the system mailbox. You
909 incorporate this mail into your MH-Folder buffer named @samp{+inbox}
910 with the @kbd{i} command. Do this now. After the mail is incorporated,
911 use @kbd{n} or @kbd{p} to move the cursor to the new message, and read
912 it with @key{RET}. Let's delete this message by typing @kbd{d}. Note
913 that a @samp{D} appears next to the message number. This means that
914 the message is marked for deletion but is not yet deleted. To perform
915 the deletion (and the refile we did previously), use the @kbd{x}
922 If you want to send another message you can use @kbd{m} instead of
923 @kbd{M-x mh-smail}. So go ahead, send some mail to your friends!
926 @cindex prefix characters
927 @findex describe-mode
932 You can get a quick reminder about these commands by typing @kbd{?}.
933 This lists several @dfn{prefix characters}. To list the commands
934 available via the prefix characters, type the prefix character
935 followed by a @kbd{?}, for example, @kbd{F ?}. More complete help is
936 available with the @kbd{C-h m} (@code{describe-mode}) command.
938 @node Leaving MH-E, More About MH-E, Processing Mail Tour, Tour Through MH-E
939 @section Leaving MH-E
941 @cindex Emacs, quitting
946 You may now wish to exit @command{emacs} entirely. Use @kbd{C-x C-c}
947 to exit @command{emacs}. If you exited without running @kbd{x} in the
948 @samp{+inbox} buffer, Emacs will offer to save it for you. Type
949 @kbd{y} or @key{SPC} to save @samp{+inbox} changes, which means to
950 perform any refiles and deletes that you did there.
958 If you don't want to leave Emacs, you can type @kbd{q} to bury (hide)
959 the MH-E folder or delete it entirely with @kbd{C-x k}. You can then
960 later recall it with @kbd{C-x b} or @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}.
962 @cindex @command{packf}
963 @cindex MH commands, @command{packf}
964 @cindex exporting folders
965 @cindex folders, exporting
966 @cindex mbox-style folder
968 On the other hand, if you no longer want to use MH and MH-E, you can
969 take your mail with you. You can copy all of your mail into a single
970 file, mbox-style, by using the MH command @command{packf}. For
971 example, to create a file called @file{msgbox} with the messages in
972 your @samp{+inbox} folder, use @samp{packf +inbox}. The
973 @command{packf} command will append the messages to the file if it
974 already exists, so you can use @samp{folders -recurse -fast} in a
975 script to copy all of your messages into a single file, or using the
976 @samp{-file} argument, a file for each folder.
978 @node More About MH-E, , Leaving MH-E, Tour Through MH-E
979 @section More About MH-E
981 These are the basic commands to get you going, but there are plenty
982 more. If you think that MH-E is for you, read the rest of the manual
983 to find out how you can:
987 Print your messages (@pxref{Printing}).
988 @c -------------------------
990 Edit messages and include your signature (@pxref{Editing Drafts}).
991 @c -------------------------
993 Forward messages (@pxref{Forwarding}).
994 @c -------------------------
996 Read digests (@pxref{Digests}).
997 @c -------------------------
999 Edit bounced messages (@pxref{Editing Again}).
1000 @c -------------------------
1002 Send multimedia messages (@pxref{Adding Attachments}).
1003 @c -------------------------
1005 Read HTML messages (@pxref{HTML}).
1006 @c -------------------------
1008 Use aliases and identities (see @ref{Aliases}, @pxref{Identities}).
1009 @c -------------------------
1011 Create different views of your mail (see @ref{Threading}, @pxref{Limits}).
1012 @c -------------------------
1014 Deal with junk mail (@pxref{Junk}).
1015 @c -------------------------
1017 Handle signed and encrypted messages (see @ref{Reading PGP},
1018 @pxref{Sending PGP}).
1019 @c -------------------------
1021 Process mail that was sent with @command{shar} or @command{uuencode}
1022 (@pxref{Files and Pipes}).
1023 @c -------------------------
1025 Use sequences conveniently (@pxref{Sequences}).
1026 @c -------------------------
1028 Use the speedbar, tool bar, and menu bar (see @ref{Speedbar}, see @ref{Tool
1029 Bar}, @pxref{Menu Bar}).
1030 @c -------------------------
1032 Show header fields in different fonts (@pxref{Reading Mail}).
1033 @c -------------------------
1035 Find previously refiled messages (@pxref{Searching}).
1036 @c -------------------------
1038 Place messages in a file (@pxref{Files and Pipes}).
1041 Remember that you can also use MH commands when you're not running
1042 MH-E (and when you are!).
1044 @node Using This Manual, Incorporating Mail, Tour Through MH-E, Top
1045 @chapter Using This Manual
1047 This chapter begins the meat of the manual which goes into more detail
1048 about every MH-E command and option.
1051 @cindex Emacs, online help
1054 @findex describe-mode
1063 There are many commands, but don't get intimidated. There are command
1064 summaries at the beginning of each chapter. In case you have or would
1065 like to rebind the keys, the command summaries also list the
1066 associated Emacs Lisp function. Furthermore, even if you're stranded
1067 on a desert island with a laptop and are without your manuals, you can
1068 get a summary of all these commands with GNU Emacs online help: use
1069 @kbd{C-h m} (@code{describe-mode}) for a brief summary of commands,
1070 @kbd{?} (@code{mh-help}) for an even briefer summary@footnote{This
1071 help appears in a buffer called @samp{*MH-E Help*}
1072 (@pxref{Miscellaneous}).} (@kbd{C-c ?} in MH-Letter mode), or @kbd{C-h
1073 i} to read this manual via Info. The online help is quite good; try
1074 running @kbd{C-h C-h}. This brings up a list of available help topics,
1075 one of which displays the documentation for a given key (like @kbd{C-h
1076 k C-n}). Another useful help feature is to view the manual section
1077 that describes a given key (such as @kbd{C-h K i}). In addition,
1078 review @ref{Conventions}, if any of the GNU Emacs conventions are
1081 In addition to all of the commands, it is also possible to reconfigure
1082 MH-E to fit the needs of even the most demanding user. The following
1083 chapters also describe all of the options, show the defaults, and make
1084 recommendations for customization.
1086 However, when customizing your mail environment, first try to change
1087 what you want in MH, and only change MH-E if changing MH is not
1088 possible. That way you will get the same behavior inside and outside
1089 GNU Emacs. Note that MH-E does not provide hooks for customizations
1090 that can be done in MH; this omission is intentional.
1092 @cindex Emacs Lisp Manual
1093 @cindex Emacs, Emacs Lisp Manual
1095 @cindex Emacs, online help
1099 I hope I've included enough examples here to get you well on your way.
1100 If you want to explore Emacs Lisp further, a programming manual does
1102 @c Yes, some of the stuff in the following sections is redundant, but
1103 @c TeX barfs if the @ifs are inside the @footnote.
1105 @footnote{The @cite{GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual} may be available
1106 online in the Info system by typing @kbd{C-h i m Emacs Lisp
1107 @key{RET}}. It is also available online at @*
1108 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/elisp-manual/html_node/}. You
1109 can also order a printed manual, which has the desirable side-effect
1110 of helping to support the Free Software Foundation which made all this
1111 great software available. You can find an order form by running
1112 @kbd{C-h C-d}, or you can request an order form from @i{gnu at
1116 @footnote{@xref{Top, The GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual, , elisp, GNU
1117 Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, which may be available online in the
1118 Info system. It is also available online at
1119 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/elisp-manual/html_node/}. You
1120 can also order a printed manual, which has the desirable side-effect
1121 of helping to support the Free Software Foundation which made all this
1122 great software available. You can find an order form by running
1123 @kbd{C-h C-d}, or you can request an order form from @i{gnu at
1128 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/elisp-manual/html_node/,
1129 The GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual} may also be available online in
1130 the Info system by typing @kbd{C-h i m Emacs Lisp @key{RET}}. You can
1131 also order a printed manual, which has the desirable side-effect of
1132 helping to support the Free Software Foundation which made all this
1133 great software available. You can find an order form by running
1134 @kbd{C-h C-d}, or you can request an order form from @i{gnu at
1137 and you can look at the code itself for examples. Look in the Emacs
1138 Lisp directory on your system (such as
1139 @file{/usr/local/lib/emacs/lisp/mh-e}) and find all the @file{mh-*.el}
1140 files there. When calling MH-E and other Emacs Lisp functions directly
1141 from Emacs Lisp code, you'll need to know the correct arguments. Use
1142 the online help for this. For example, try @kbd{C-h f
1143 mh-execute-commands @key{RET}}. If you write your own functions,
1144 please do not prefix your symbols (variables and functions) with
1145 @samp{mh-}. This prefix is reserved for the MH-E package. To avoid
1146 conflicts with existing MH-E symbols, use a prefix like @samp{my-} or
1147 your initials. (Unless, of course, your initials happen to be @emph{mh}!)
1152 * Folder Selection::
1155 @node Options, Ranges, Using This Manual, Using This Manual
1158 @cindex Emacs, customizing
1159 @cindex Emacs, setting options
1160 @cindex customizing MH-E
1161 @cindex setting options
1162 @findex customize-option
1163 @vindex mh-lpr-command-format, example
1165 Many string or integer options are easy to modify using @kbd{M-x
1166 customize-option}. For example, to modify the option that controls
1167 printing, you would run @kbd{M-x customize-option @key{RET}
1168 mh-lpr-command-format @key{RET}}. In the buffer that appears, modify
1169 the string to the right of the variable. For example, you may change
1170 the @command{lpr} command with @samp{nenscript -G -r -2 -i'%s'}. Then
1171 use the @samp{State} combo box and select @samp{Save for Future
1172 Sessions}. To read more about @code{mh-lpr-command-format}, see
1178 @cindex option, turning on and off
1180 @findex customize-option
1181 @vindex mh-bury-show-buffer-flag, example
1183 Options can also hold boolean values. In Emacs Lisp, the boolean
1184 values are @code{nil}, which means false, and @code{t}, which means
1185 true. The @code{customize-option} function makes it easy to change
1186 boolean values; simply click on the toggle button in the customize
1187 buffer to switch between @samp{on} (@code{t}) and @samp{off}
1188 (@code{nil}). For example, try setting @code{mh-bury-show-buffer-flag}
1189 to @samp{off} to keep the MH-Show buffer at the top of the buffer
1190 stack. Use the @samp{State} combo box and choose @samp{Set for Current
1191 Session} to see how the option affects the show buffer. Then choose
1192 the @samp{Erase Customization} menu item to reset the option to the
1193 default, which places the MH-Show buffer at the bottom of the buffer
1196 @vindex mh-mhl-format-file, example
1198 The text usually says to turn on an option by setting it to a
1199 @emph{non-@code{nil}} value, because sometimes values other than
1200 @samp{on} are meaningful. An example of this is the variable
1201 @code{mh-mhl-format-file} (@pxref{Viewing}). Other options, such as
1202 hooks, involve a little more Emacs Lisp programming expertise.
1204 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh}
1205 @cindex @samp{mh} customization group
1206 @findex customize-group
1207 @findex mh-customize
1209 You can browse all of the MH-E options with the @code{customize-group}
1210 function. Try entering @kbd{M-x customize-group @key{RET} mh
1211 @key{RET}} to view the top-level options as well as buttons for all of
1212 the MH-E customization groups. Another way to view the MH-E
1213 customization group is to use @kbd{M-x mh-customize @key{RET}}.
1215 @node Ranges, Folder Selection, Options, Using This Manual
1218 @c Sync with mh-folder-mode docstring.
1220 @cindex message abbreviations
1221 @cindex message ranges
1224 Many commands that operate on individual messages, such as
1225 @code{mh-forward} or @code{mh-refile-msg} take a @code{RANGE}
1226 argument. This argument can be used in several ways.
1228 @kindex C-u, with ranges
1230 If you provide the prefix argument @kbd{C-u} to these commands, then
1231 you will be prompted for the message range. This can be any valid MH
1232 range which can include messages, sequences (@pxref{Sequences}), and
1233 the abbreviations (described in the @command{mh}(1) man page):
1237 Indicates all messages in the range <num1> to <num2>, inclusive. The
1238 range must be nonempty.
1239 @c -------------------------
1243 Up to N messages beginning with (or ending with) message num. Num may
1244 be any of the predefined symbols: first, prev, cur, next or last.
1245 @c -------------------------
1250 The first, previous, next or last messages, if they exist.
1251 @c -------------------------
1253 All of the messages.
1256 For example, a range that shows all of these things is @samp{1 2 3
1257 5-10 last:5 unseen}.
1259 @vindex transient-mark-mode
1261 If the option @code{transient-mark-mode} is turned on and you set a
1262 region in the MH-Folder buffer, then the MH-E command will perform the
1263 operation on all messages in that region.
1265 @cindex @samp{mh-range} customization group
1266 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-range}
1268 The @samp{mh-range} customization group contains a single option which
1269 affects how ranges are interpreted.
1272 @item mh-interpret-number-as-range-flag
1273 On means interpret a number as a range (default: @samp{on}).
1276 @vindex mh-interpret-number-as-range-flag
1278 Since one of the most frequent ranges used is @samp{last:N}, MH-E will
1279 interpret input such as @samp{200} as @samp{last:200} if the
1280 @code{mh-interpret-number-as-range-flag} option is on (which is the
1281 default). If you need to scan just the message 200, then use the range
1282 @samp{200:1} or @samp{200-200}.
1284 @node Folder Selection, , Ranges, Using This Manual
1285 @section Folder Selection
1287 @cindex completion, folders
1288 @cindex folders, completion
1289 @cindex folders, selecting
1291 When you choose a folder in MH-E via a command such as @kbd{o}
1292 (@code{mh-refile-msg}), completion is used to enter the folder
1294 (@pxref{Completion, , , emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}).
1298 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Completion.html,
1299 Completion} in @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}).
1301 In addition, MH-E has several ways of choosing a suitable default so
1302 that the folder can often be selected with a single @key{RET} key.
1304 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-folder-selection}
1305 @cindex @samp{mh-folder-selection} customization group
1307 The @samp{mh-folder-selection} customization group contains some
1308 options which are used to help with this.
1311 @item mh-default-folder-for-message-function
1312 Function to select a default folder for refiling or @samp{Fcc:}
1313 (default: @code{nil}).
1314 @c -------------------------
1315 @item mh-default-folder-list
1316 List of addresses and folders (default: @code{nil}).
1317 @c -------------------------
1318 @item mh-default-folder-must-exist-flag
1319 On means guessed folder name must exist to be used (default:
1321 @c -------------------------
1322 @item mh-default-folder-prefix
1323 Prefix used for folder names generated from aliases (default: @code{""}).
1326 @vindex mh-default-folder-for-message-function
1328 You can set the option @code{mh-default-folder-for-message-function}
1329 to a function that provides a default folder for the message to be
1330 refiled. When this function is called, the current buffer contains the
1331 message being refiled and point is at the start of the message. This
1332 function should return the default folder as a string with a leading
1333 @samp{+} sign. It can also return @code{nil} so that the last folder
1334 name is used as the default, or an empty string to suppress the
1337 Otherwise, the name of the destination folder is derived from the
1341 @vindex mh-default-folder-list
1343 The folder name associated with the first address found in the list
1344 @code{mh-default-folder-list} is used. Each element in this list
1345 contains a @samp{Check Recipient} item. If this item is turned on,
1346 then the address is checked against the recipient instead of the
1347 sender. This is useful for mailing lists.
1348 @c -------------------------
1349 @vindex mh-default-folder-prefix
1351 An alias prefixed by @code{mh-default-folder-prefix} corresponding to
1352 the address is used. The prefix is used to prevent clutter in your
1353 mail directory. @xref{Aliases}.
1356 @vindex mh-default-folder-must-exist-flag
1358 If the derived folder does not exist, and
1359 @code{mh-default-folder-must-exist-flag} is @code{t}, then the last
1360 folder name used is suggested. This is useful if you get mail from
1361 various people for whom you have an alias, but file them all in the
1362 same project folder.
1364 @node Incorporating Mail, Reading Mail, Using This Manual, Top
1365 @chapter Incorporating Your Mail
1367 @cindex @samp{Folder} menu
1368 @cindex incorporating
1369 @cindex menu, @samp{Folder}
1371 This chapter talks about getting mail from your system mailbox into
1372 your MH @samp{+inbox} folder. The following command accomplishes that
1373 and is found in the @samp{Folder} menu.
1376 @cindex @samp{Folder > Incorporate New Mail} menu item
1377 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > Incorporate New Mail}
1378 @findex mh-inc-folder
1381 Incorporate new mail into a folder (@code{mh-inc-folder}).
1384 @cindex @samp{mh-inc} customization group
1385 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-inc}
1387 The following options in the @samp{mh-inc} customization group are
1392 Program to incorporate mail (default: @code{"inc"}).
1393 @c -------------------------
1394 @item mh-inc-spool-list
1395 Alternate spool files (default: @code{nil}).
1398 The following hook is available.
1401 @findex mh-inc-folder
1402 @item mh-inc-folder-hook
1403 Hook run by @code{mh-inc-folder} after incorporating mail into a
1404 folder (default: @code{nil}).
1407 @cindex @samp{+inbox}
1408 @findex mh-inc-folder
1411 If at any time you receive new mail, incorporate the new mail into
1412 your @samp{+inbox} buffer with @kbd{i} (@code{mh-inc-folder}). Note
1413 that @kbd{i} will display the @samp{+inbox} buffer, even if there
1414 isn't any new mail. You can incorporate mail from any file into the
1415 current folder by specifying a prefix argument; you'll be prompted for
1416 the name of the file to use as well as the destination folder (for
1417 example, @kbd{C-u i ~/mbox @key{RET} +tmp @key{RET}}).
1419 @cindex @file{.emacs}
1420 @cindex Emacs, notification of new mail
1421 @cindex files, @file{.emacs}
1423 @cindex notification of new mail
1425 Emacs can notify you when you have new mail by displaying @samp{Mail}
1426 in the mode line. To enable this behavior, and to have a clock in the
1427 mode line as well, add the following to @file{~/.emacs}:
1429 @findex display-time
1435 @cindex @command{inc}
1436 @cindex incorporating
1437 @cindex MH commands, @command{inc}
1441 The name of the program that incorporates new mail is stored in
1442 @code{mh-inc-prog}; it is @code{"inc"} by default. This program
1443 generates a one-line summary for each of the new messages. Unless it
1444 is an absolute pathname, the file is assumed to be in the
1445 @code{mh-progs} directory (@pxref{Getting Started}). You may also link
1446 a file to @command{inc} that uses a different format (see
1447 @samp{mh-profile}(5), and sections
1448 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/reapre.html, Reading Mail: inc show next
1449 prev} and @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/mhstr.html, MH Format Strings} in
1450 the MH book). You'll then need to modify several variables
1451 appropriately (@pxref{Scan Line Formats}).
1453 @vindex mh-inc-spool-list
1455 You can use the @code{mh-inc-spool-list} variable to direct MH-E to
1456 retrieve mail from arbitrary spool files other than your system
1457 mailbox, file it in folders other than your @samp{+inbox}, and assign
1458 key bindings to incorporate this mail.
1460 @cindex @command{procmail}
1461 @cindex @file{.procmailrc}
1462 @cindex Unix commands, @command{procmail}
1463 @cindex files, @file{.procmailrc}
1465 Suppose you are subscribed to the @i{mh-e-devel} mailing list and you
1466 use @command{procmail} to filter this mail into @file{~/mail/mh-e}
1467 with the following recipe in @file{.procmailrc}:
1470 PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin/mh
1471 MAILDIR=$HOME/`mhparam Path`
1473 * ^From mh-e-devel-admin@@stop.mail-abuse.org
1477 @findex mh-inc-spool-*
1480 In order to incorporate @file{~/mail/mh-e} into @samp{+mh-e} with an
1481 @kbd{I m} (@code{mh-inc-spool-mh-e}) command, customize this option,
1482 and click on the @samp{INS} button. Enter a @samp{Spool File} of
1483 @samp{~/mail/mh-e}, a @samp{Folder} of @samp{mh-e}, and a @samp{Key
1484 Binding} of @samp{m}.
1486 @cindex @command{emacsclient}
1487 @cindex @command{gnuclient}
1488 @cindex @command{xbuffy}
1489 @cindex @samp{gnuserv}
1490 @cindex Unix commands, @command{emacsclient}
1491 @cindex Unix commands, @command{gnuclient}
1492 @cindex Unix commands, @command{xbuffy}
1494 You can use @command{xbuffy} to automate the incorporation of this
1495 mail using the Emacs 22 command @command{emacsclient} as follows:
1503 command emacsclient --eval '(mh-inc-spool-mh-e)'
1506 In XEmacs, the command @command{gnuclient} is used in a similar
1509 @findex mh-inc-folder
1511 @vindex mh-inc-folder-hook
1513 You can set the hook @code{mh-inc-folder-hook}, which is called after
1514 new mail is incorporated by the @kbd{i} (@code{mh-inc-folder})
1515 command. A good use of this hook is to rescan the whole folder either
1516 after running @kbd{M-x mh-rmail} the first time or when you've changed
1517 the message numbers from outside of MH-E.
1519 @findex mh-execute-commands
1520 @findex mh-rescan-folder, example
1521 @findex mh-show, example
1522 @vindex mh-inc-folder-hook, example
1526 (defun my-mh-inc-folder-hook ()
1527 "Hook to rescan folder after incorporating mail."
1528 (if (buffer-modified-p) ; @r{if outstanding refiles and deletes,}
1529 (mh-execute-commands)) ; @r{carry them out}
1530 (mh-rescan-folder) ; @r{synchronize with +inbox}
1531 (mh-show)) ; @r{show the current message}
1533 (add-hook 'mh-inc-folder-hook 'my-mh-inc-folder-hook)
1535 @i{Rescan folder after incorporating new mail via mh-inc-folder-hook}
1540 @node Reading Mail, Folders, Incorporating Mail, Top
1541 @chapter Reading Your Mail
1543 @cindex @samp{+inbox}
1544 @cindex MH-Folder mode
1545 @cindex MH-Show mode
1546 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
1547 @cindex modes, MH-Show
1548 @cindex reading mail
1552 @kindex M-x mh-rmail
1554 The MH-E entry point for reading mail is @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}. This
1555 command incorporates your mail and creates a buffer called
1556 @samp{+inbox} in MH-Folder mode. The command @kbd{M-x mh-rmail} shows
1557 you only new mail, not mail you have already read@footnote{If you want
1558 to see your old mail as well, use @kbd{F r} to pull all your messages
1559 into MH-E. Or, give a prefix argument to @code{mh-rmail} so it will
1560 prompt you for folder to visit like @kbd{F v} (for example, @kbd{C-u
1561 M-x mh-rmail @key{RET} bob @key{RET}}). @xref{Folders}.}.
1563 @findex display-time
1564 @vindex read-mail-command
1566 There are some commands that need to read mail, such as @kbd{Mouse-2}
1567 over the @samp{Mail} button that @code{display-time} adds to the mode
1568 line. You can configure Emacs to have these commands use MH-E by
1569 setting the option @code{read-mail-command} to @samp{mh-rmail}.
1571 @cindex @command{scan}
1572 @cindex @samp{Message} menu
1573 @cindex MH commands, @command{scan}
1574 @cindex menu, @samp{Message}
1577 The @samp{+inbox} buffer contains @dfn{scan lines}, which are one-line
1578 summaries of each incorporated message. You can perform most MH
1579 commands on these messages via one- or two-letter commands in either
1580 the MH-Folder or MH-Show buffers or by using the @samp{Message} menu.
1581 See @command{scan}(1) for a description of the contents of the scan
1582 lines, and see the Figure in @ref{Reading Mail Tour}, for an example.
1588 Display cheat sheet for the MH-E commands (@code{mh-help}).
1589 @c -------------------------
1590 @cindex @samp{Message > Show Message} menu item
1591 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Show Message}
1595 Display message (@code{mh-show}).
1596 @c -------------------------
1597 @cindex @samp{Message > Show Message with Header} menu item
1598 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Show Message with Header}
1600 @findex mh-header-display
1602 Display message with all header fields (@code{mh-header-display}).
1603 @c -------------------------
1604 @kindex ; (semicolon)
1605 @findex mh-toggle-mh-decode-mime-flag
1607 Toggle the value of @code{mh-decode-mime-flag}
1608 (@code{mh-toggle-mh-decode-mime-flag}).
1609 @c -------------------------
1613 Display next page in message (@code{mh-page-msg}).
1614 @c -------------------------
1616 @findex mh-previous-page
1618 Display previous page in message (@code{mh-previous-page}).
1619 @c -------------------------
1620 @cindex @samp{Message > Write Message to File...} menu item
1621 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Write Message to File...}
1623 @findex mh-write-msg-to-file
1625 Append message to end of file (@code{mh-write-msg-to-file}).
1626 @c -------------------------
1627 @cindex @samp{Message > Pipe Message to Command...} menu item
1628 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Pipe Message to Command...}
1632 Pipe message through shell command (@code{mh-pipe-msg}).
1633 @c -------------------------
1635 @findex mh-delete-msg-no-motion
1637 Delete range, don't move to next message
1638 (@code{mh-delete-msg-no-motion}).
1639 @c -------------------------
1640 @cindex @samp{Message > Delete Message} menu item
1641 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Delete Message}
1643 @findex mh-delete-msg
1645 Delete range (@code{mh-delete-msg}).
1646 @c -------------------------
1648 @findex mh-prefix-help
1650 Display cheat sheet for the commands of the current prefix in
1651 minibuffer (@code{mh-prefix-help}).
1652 @c -------------------------
1654 @findex mh-page-digest
1656 Display next message in digest (@code{mh-page-digest}).
1657 @c -------------------------
1659 @findex mh-page-digest-backwards
1661 Display previous message in digest (@code{mh-page-digest-backwards}).
1662 @c -------------------------
1663 @cindex @samp{Message > Burst Digest Message} menu item
1664 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Burst Digest Message}
1666 @findex mh-burst-digest
1668 Break up digest into separate messages (@code{mh-burst-digest}).
1669 @c -------------------------
1670 @cindex @samp{Message > Go to Message by Number...} menu item
1671 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Go to Message by Number...}
1675 Go to a message (@code{mh-goto-msg}).
1676 @c -------------------------
1678 @findex mh-delete-subject-or-thread
1680 Delete messages with same subject or thread
1681 (@code{mh-delete-subject-or-thread}).
1682 @c -------------------------
1684 @findex mh-prefix-help
1686 Display cheat sheet for the commands of the current prefix in
1687 minibuffer (@code{mh-prefix-help}).
1688 @c -------------------------
1690 @findex mh-next-button
1692 Go to the next button (@code{mh-next-button}).
1693 @c -------------------------
1694 @kindex K S-@key{TAB}
1695 @findex mh-prev-button
1697 Go to the previous button (@code{mh-prev-button}).
1698 @c -------------------------
1700 @findex mh-mime-save-parts
1702 Save attachments (@code{mh-mime-save-parts}).
1703 @c -------------------------
1705 @findex mh-display-with-external-viewer
1707 View attachment externally (@code{mh-display-with-external-viewer}).
1708 @c -------------------------
1710 @findex mh-folder-inline-mime-part
1712 Show attachment verbatim (@code{mh-folder-inline-mime-part}).
1713 @c -------------------------
1715 @findex mh-folder-save-mime-part
1717 Save (output) attachment (@code{mh-folder-save-mime-part}).
1718 @c -------------------------
1720 @findex mh-toggle-mime-buttons
1722 Toggle option @code{mh-display-buttons-for-inline-parts-flag}
1723 (@code{mh-toggle-mime-buttons}).
1724 @c -------------------------
1726 @findex mh-folder-toggle-mime-part
1728 View attachment (@code{mh-folder-toggle-mime-part}).
1729 @c -------------------------
1730 @cindex @samp{Message > Modify Message} menu item
1731 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Modify Message}
1735 Edit message (@code{mh-modify}).
1736 @c -------------------------
1737 @cindex @samp{Message > Go to First Message} menu item
1738 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Go to First Message}
1740 @findex mh-first-msg
1742 Display first message (@code{mh-first-msg}).
1743 @c -------------------------
1744 @cindex @samp{Message > Go to Last Message} menu item
1745 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Go to Last Message}
1749 Display last message (@code{mh-last-msg}).
1750 @c -------------------------
1752 @findex mh-next-unread-msg
1754 Display next unread message (@code{mh-next-unread-msg}).
1755 @c -------------------------
1757 @findex mh-previous-unread-msg
1759 Display previous unread message (@code{mh-previous-unread-msg}).
1760 @c -------------------------
1761 @cindex @samp{Message > Next Message} menu item
1762 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Next Message}
1764 @findex mh-next-undeleted-msg
1766 Display next message (@code{mh-next-undeleted-msg}).
1767 @c -------------------------
1768 @cindex @samp{Message > Previous Message} menu item
1769 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Previous Message}
1771 @findex mh-previous-undeleted-msg
1773 Display previous message (@code{mh-previous-undeleted-msg}).
1774 @c -------------------------
1776 @findex mh-prefix-help
1778 Display cheat sheet for the commands of the current prefix in
1779 minibuffer (@code{mh-prefix-help}).
1780 @c -------------------------
1782 @findex mh-ps-print-toggle-color
1784 Toggle whether color is used in printing messages
1785 (@code{mh-ps-print-toggle-color}).
1786 @c -------------------------
1788 @findex mh-ps-print-toggle-faces
1790 Toggle whether printing is done with faces or not
1791 (@code{mh-ps-print-toggle-faces}).
1792 @c -------------------------
1794 @findex mh-ps-print-msg-file
1796 Print range to file (@code{mh-ps-print-msg-file}).
1797 @c -------------------------
1798 @cindex @samp{Message > Print Message} menu item
1799 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Print Message}
1801 @findex mh-print-msg
1803 Print range the old fashioned way
1804 (@code{mh-print-msg}).
1805 @c -------------------------
1807 @findex mh-ps-print-msg
1809 Print range (@code{mh-ps-print-msg}).
1810 @c -------------------------
1812 @findex mh-prefix-help
1814 Display cheat sheet for the commands of the current prefix in
1815 minibuffer (@code{mh-prefix-help}).
1816 @c -------------------------
1817 @cindex @samp{Message > Unpack Uuencoded Message...} menu item
1818 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Unpack Uuencoded Message...}
1821 @findex mh-store-msg
1824 Unpack message created with @command{uudecode} or @command{shar}
1825 (@code{mh-store-msg}).
1826 @c -------------------------
1828 @findex mh-show-mouse
1830 Move point to mouse event and show message (@code{mh-show-mouse}).
1833 Within the MH-Show buffer, the following command is defined.
1839 @findex mh-press-button
1843 View contents of button (@code{mh-press-button}).
1846 @cindex @samp{mh-show} customization group
1847 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-show}
1849 The following table lists options in the @samp{mh-show} customization
1850 group that are used while reading mail.
1853 @item mh-bury-show-buffer-flag
1854 On means show buffer is buried (default: @samp{on}).
1855 @c -------------------------
1856 @item mh-clean-message-header-flag
1857 On means remove extraneous header fields (default: @samp{on}).
1858 @c -------------------------
1859 @item mh-decode-mime-flag
1860 On means attachments are handled (default: @samp{on} if the Gnus
1861 @samp{mm-decode} package is present).
1862 @c -------------------------
1863 @item mh-display-buttons-for-alternatives-flag
1864 On means display buttons for all alternative attachments (default:
1866 @c -------------------------
1867 @item mh-display-buttons-for-inline-parts-flag
1868 On means display buttons for all inline attachments (default:
1870 @c -------------------------
1871 @item mh-do-not-confirm-flag
1872 On means non-reversible commands do not prompt for confirmation
1873 (default: @samp{off}).
1874 @c -------------------------
1875 @item mh-fetch-x-image-url
1876 Control fetching of @samp{X-Image-URL:} header field image (default:
1877 @samp{Never Fetch}).
1878 @c -------------------------
1879 @item mh-graphical-smileys-flag
1880 On means graphical smileys are displayed (default: @samp{on}).
1881 @c -------------------------
1882 @item mh-graphical-emphasis-flag
1883 On means graphical emphasis is displayed (default: @samp{on}).
1884 @c -------------------------
1885 @item mh-highlight-citation-style
1886 Style for highlighting citations (default: @samp{Multicolor}).
1887 @c -------------------------
1888 @item mh-invisible-header-fields-default
1889 List of hidden header fields (default: a checklist too long to list
1891 @c -------------------------
1892 @item mh-invisible-header-fields
1893 Additional header fields to hide (default: @code{nil}).
1894 @c -------------------------
1895 @item mh-lpr-command-format
1896 Command used to print (default: @code{"lpr -J '%s'"}).
1897 @c -------------------------
1898 @item mh-max-inline-image-height
1899 Maximum inline image height if @samp{Content-Disposition:} is not
1900 present (default: 0).
1901 @c -------------------------
1902 @item mh-max-inline-image-width
1903 Maximum inline image width if @samp{Content-Disposition:} is not
1904 present(default: 0).
1905 @c -------------------------
1906 @item mh-mhl-format-file
1907 Specifies the format file to pass to the @command{mhl} program
1908 (default: @samp{Use Default mhl Format (Printing Only)}).
1909 @c -------------------------
1910 @item mh-mime-save-parts-default-directory
1911 Default directory to use for @kbd{K a}.
1912 @c -------------------------
1913 @item mh-print-background-flag
1914 On means messages should be printed in the background (default:
1916 @c -------------------------
1917 @item mh-show-buffer-mode-line-buffer-id
1918 Format string to produce @code{mode-line-buffer-identification} for
1919 show buffers (default: @code{" @{show-%s@} %d"}).
1920 @c -------------------------
1921 @item mh-show-maximum-size
1922 Maximum size of message (in bytes) to display automatically (default:
1924 @c -------------------------
1925 @item mh-show-use-xface-flag
1926 On means display face images in MH-Show buffers (default: @samp{on}).
1927 @c -------------------------
1928 @item mh-store-default-directory
1929 Default directory for @kbd{X s} (default: @samp{Current}).
1930 @c -------------------------
1931 @item mh-summary-height
1932 Number of lines in MH-Folder buffer (including the mode line)
1933 (default: depends on size of frame).
1936 The following hooks are available.
1939 @item mh-delete-msg-hook
1940 Hook run after marking each message for deletion (default: @code{nil}).
1941 @c -------------------------
1943 Hook run after @key{RET} shows a message (default: @code{nil}).
1944 @c -------------------------
1945 @item mh-show-mode-hook
1946 Hook run upon entry to @code{mh-show-mode} (default: @code{nil}).
1949 The following faces are available.
1953 Face used to highlight @samp{cc:} header fields.
1954 @c -------------------------
1956 Face used to highlight @samp{Date:} header fields.
1957 @c -------------------------
1959 Face used to highlight @samp{From:} header fields.
1960 @c -------------------------
1961 @item mh-show-header
1962 Face used to deemphasize less interesting header fields.
1963 @c -------------------------
1964 @item mh-show-pgg-bad
1965 Bad PGG signature face.
1966 @c -------------------------
1967 @item mh-show-pgg-good
1968 Good PGG signature face.
1969 @c -------------------------
1970 @item mh-show-pgg-unknown
1971 Unknown or untrusted PGG signature face.
1972 @c -------------------------
1973 @item mh-show-signature
1975 @c -------------------------
1976 @item mh-show-subject
1977 Face used to highlight @samp{Subject:} header fields.
1978 @c -------------------------
1980 Face used to highlight @samp{To:} header fields.
1981 @c -------------------------
1986 The functions and variables introduced here are explained in more
1987 detail in the following sections.
1991 * Viewing Attachments::
1998 * Miscellaneous Commands and Options::
2001 @node Viewing, Viewing Attachments, Reading Mail, Reading Mail
2002 @section Viewing Your Mail
2004 @findex mh-header-display
2006 @findex mh-previous-page
2008 @findex mh-show-mouse
2016 The command @key{RET} (@code{mh-show}) displays the message that the
2017 cursor is on while @kbd{Mouse-2} (@code{mh-show-mouse}) displays the
2018 message that the mouse cursor is on. If the message is already
2019 displayed, it scrolls to the beginning of the message. Use @key{SPC}
2020 (@code{mh-page-msg}) and @key{BS} (@code{mh-previous-page}) to move
2021 forwards and backwards one page at a time through the message. You can
2022 give either of these commands a prefix argument that specifies the
2023 number of lines to scroll (such as @kbd{10 @key{SPC}}). The @key{SPC}
2024 command will also show the next undeleted message if it is used at the
2025 bottom of a message. MH-E normally hides a lot of the superfluous
2026 header fields that mailers add to a message, but if you wish to see
2027 all of them, use the command @kbd{,} (comma;
2028 @code{mh-header-display}).
2030 @vindex mh-show-maximum-size
2032 The option @code{mh-show-maximum-size} provides an opportunity to skip
2033 over large messages which may be slow to load. The default value of 0
2034 means that all message are shown regardless of size.
2036 A litany of options control what displayed messages look like.
2039 @vindex mh-show-date
2040 @vindex mh-show-from
2041 @vindex mh-show-header
2042 @vindex mh-show-subject
2045 First, the appearance of the header fields can be modified by
2046 customizing the associated face: @code{mh-show-to}, @code{mh-show-cc},
2047 @code{mh-show-from}, @code{mh-show-date}, and @code{mh-show-subject}.
2048 The face @code{mh-show-header} is used to deemphasize the other, less
2049 interesting, header fields.
2051 @cindex regular expressions, @code{mh-invisible-header-fields}
2052 @vindex mh-clean-message-header-flag
2053 @vindex mh-invisible-header-fields
2054 @vindex mh-invisible-header-fields-default
2056 Normally messages are delivered with a handful of uninteresting header
2057 fields. These are hidden by turning on the option
2058 @code{mh-clean-message-header-flag} (which it is by default). The
2059 header fields listed in the option
2060 @code{mh-invisible-header-fields-default} are hidden, although you can
2061 check off any field that you would like to see. Header fields that you
2062 would like to hide that aren't listed can be added to the option
2063 @code{mh-invisible-header-fields} with a couple of caveats. Regular
2064 expressions are not allowed. Unique fields should have a @samp{:}
2065 suffix; otherwise, the element can be used to render invisible an
2066 entire class of fields that start with the same prefix. If you think a
2067 header field should be generally ignored, please update
2068 @uref{https://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1916032&group_id=13357&atid=113357,
2071 @cindex header field, @samp{Face:}
2072 @cindex header field, @samp{X-Face:}
2073 @cindex header field, @samp{X-Image-URL:}
2074 @cindex @samp{Face:} header field
2075 @cindex @samp{X-Face:} header field
2076 @cindex @samp{X-Image-URL:} header field
2077 @vindex mh-show-use-xface-flag
2079 MH-E can display the content of @samp{Face:}, @samp{X-Face:}, and
2080 @samp{X-Image-URL:} header fields. If any of these fields occur in the
2081 header of your message, the sender's face will appear in the
2082 @samp{From:} header field. If more than one of these fields appear,
2083 then the first field found in the order @samp{Face:}, @samp{X-Face:},
2084 and @samp{X-Image-URL:} will be used. The option
2085 @code{mh-show-use-xface-flag} is used to turn this feature on and off.
2086 This feature will be turned on by default if your system supports it.
2088 The first header field used, if present, is the Gnus-specific
2089 @samp{Face:} field@footnote{The @samp{Face:} field appeared in GNU
2090 Emacs 21 and XEmacs. For more information, see
2091 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/}.}.
2093 @cindex @command{uncompface}
2094 @cindex Emacs, packages, x-face
2095 @cindex Unix commands, @command{uncompface}
2096 @cindex x-face package
2097 @vindex mh-show-xface
2099 Next is the traditional @samp{X-Face:} header field@footnote{The
2100 display of this field requires the
2101 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/faces/compface/compface.tar.Z,
2102 @command{uncompface} program}. Recent versions of XEmacs have internal
2103 support for @samp{X-Face:} images. If your version of XEmacs does not,
2104 then you'll need both @command{uncompface} and the
2105 @uref{ftp://ftp.jpl.org/pub/elisp/, @samp{x-face} package}.}. MH-E
2106 renders the foreground and background of the image using the
2107 associated attributes of the face @code{mh-show-xface}.
2109 @cindex @command{convert}
2110 @cindex @command{wget}
2112 @cindex Unix commands, @command{convert}
2113 @cindex Unix commands, @command{wget}
2114 @vindex mh-fetch-x-image-url
2116 Finally, MH-E will display images referenced by the
2117 @samp{X-Image-URL:} header field if neither the @samp{Face:} nor the
2118 @samp{X-Face:} fields are present@footnote{The display of the images
2119 requires the @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/wget/wget.html,
2120 @command{wget} program} to fetch the image and the @command{convert}
2121 program from the @uref{http://www.imagemagick.org/, ImageMagick
2122 suite}.}. Of the three header fields this is the most efficient in
2123 terms of network usage since the image doesn't need to be transmitted
2124 with every single mail. The option @code{mh-fetch-x-image-url}
2125 controls the fetching of the @samp{X-Image-URL:} header field image
2126 with the following values:
2129 @item Ask Before Fetching
2130 You are prompted before the image is fetched. MH-E will remember your
2131 reply and will either use the already fetched image the next time the
2132 same URL is encountered or silently skip it if you didn't fetch it the
2133 first time. This is a good setting.
2134 @c -------------------------
2136 Images are never fetched and only displayed if they are already
2137 present in the cache. This is the default.
2140 There isn't a value of @samp{Always Fetch} for privacy and DOS (denial
2141 of service) reasons. For example, fetching a URL can tip off a spammer
2142 that you've read his email (which is why you shouldn't blindly answer
2143 yes if you've set this option to @samp{Ask Before Fetching}). Someone
2144 may also flood your network and fill your disk drive by sending a
2145 torrent of messages, each specifying a unique URL to a very large
2148 @cindex @file{.mhe-x-image-cache}
2149 @cindex files, @file{.mhe-x-image-cache}
2151 The cache of images is found in the directory
2152 @file{.mhe-x-image-cache} within your MH directory. You can add your
2153 own face to the @samp{From:} field too. @xref{Picture}.
2155 @cindex @command{mhl}
2156 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhl}
2157 @vindex mh-mhl-format-file
2159 Normally MH-E takes care of displaying messages itself (rather than
2160 calling an MH program to do the work). If you'd rather have
2161 @command{mhl} display the message (within MH-E), change the option
2162 @code{mh-mhl-format-file} from its default value of @samp{Use Default
2163 mhl Format (Printing Only)}. You can set this option to @samp{Use
2164 Default mhl Format} to get the same output as you would get if you ran
2165 @command{mhl} from the shell. If you have a format file that you want
2166 MH-E to use, you can set this option to @samp{Specify an mhl Format
2167 File} and enter the name of your format file (@command{mhl}(1) or
2168 section @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/shomes.html#Usisho, Using mhl} in
2169 the MH book tells you how to write one). Your format file should
2170 specify a non-zero value for @samp{overflowoffset} to allow MH-E to
2171 parse the header. Note that @command{mhl} is always used for printing
2172 and forwarding; in this case, the value of @code{mh-mhl-format-file}
2173 is consulted if you have specified a format file.
2175 @cindex citations, highlighting
2176 @cindex highlighting citations
2177 @vindex mh-highlight-citation-style
2179 If the sender of the message has cited other messages in his message,
2180 then MH-E will highlight these citations to emphasize the sender's
2181 actual response. The option @code{mh-highlight-citation-style} can be
2182 customized to change the highlighting style. The @samp{Multicolor}
2183 method uses a different color for each indentation while the
2184 @samp{Monotone} method highlights all citations in red. To disable
2185 highlighting of citations entirely, choose @samp{None}.
2187 @cindex URLs, highlighting
2188 @cindex email addresses, highlighting
2189 @cindex highlighting URLs
2190 @cindex highlighting email addresses
2191 @cindex links, following
2192 @findex goto-address-at-point
2193 @kindex C-c @key{RET}
2195 @vindex goto-address-highlight-p
2197 Email addresses and URLs in the message are highlighted if the option
2198 @code{goto-address-highlight-p} is on, which it is by default. To view
2199 the web page for a highlighted URL or to send a message using a
2200 highlighted email address, use @kbd{Mouse-2} or @kbd{C-c @key{RET}}
2201 (@code{goto-address-at-point}). @xref{Sending Mail}, to see how to
2202 configure Emacs to send the message using MH-E.
2204 @cindex boldface, showing
2206 @cindex italics, showing
2209 @cindex underline, showing
2210 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
2211 @vindex mh-decode-mime-flag
2212 @vindex mh-graphical-emphasis-flag
2213 @vindex mh-graphical-smileys-flag
2215 It is a long standing custom to inject body language using a
2216 cornucopia of punctuation, also known as the @dfn{smileys}. MH-E can
2217 render these as graphical widgets if the option
2218 @code{mh-graphical-smileys-flag} is turned on, which it is by default.
2219 Smileys include patterns such as :-) and ;-). Similarly, a few
2220 typesetting features are indicated in ASCII text with certain
2221 characters. If your terminal supports it, MH-E can render these
2222 typesetting directives naturally if the option
2223 @code{mh-graphical-emphasis-flag} is turned on, which it is by
2224 default. For example, _underline_ will be
2233 *bold* will appear in @b{bold}, /italics/ will appear in @i{italics},
2234 and so on. See the option @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} for the whole
2235 list. Both of these options are disabled if the option
2236 @code{mh-decode-mime-flag} is turned off. @xref{Viewing Attachments}.
2238 @cindex signature separator
2240 @vindex mh-show-signature
2242 MH-E normally renders signatures and vCards in italics so that the
2243 body of the message stands out more. MH-E depends on the presence of
2244 the @dfn{signature separator} (@code{"-- "}) to do this. You can also
2245 customize the face @code{mh-show-signature} so the appearance of the
2246 signature block is more to your liking.
2248 @vindex mh-show-hook
2249 @vindex mh-show-mode-hook
2251 Two hooks can be used to control how messages are displayed. The first
2252 hook, @code{mh-show-mode-hook}, is called early on in the process of
2253 the message display. It is usually used to perform some action on the
2254 message's content. The second hook, @code{mh-show-hook}, is the last
2255 thing called after messages are displayed. It's used to affect the
2256 behavior of MH-E in general or when @code{mh-show-mode-hook} is too
2259 @cindex MH-Show mode
2260 @cindex modes, MH-Show
2261 @vindex mh-show-buffer-mode-line-buffer-id
2263 For those who like to modify their mode lines, use
2264 @code{mh-show-buffer-mode-line-buffer-id} to modify the mode line in
2265 the MH-Show buffers. Place the two escape strings @samp{%s} and
2266 @samp{%d}, which will display the folder name and the message number,
2267 respectively, somewhere in the string in that order. The default value
2268 of @code{"@{show-%s@} %d"} yields a mode line of
2271 -----@{show-+inbox@} 4 (MH-Show)--Bot--------------------------------
2274 @node Viewing Attachments, HTML, Viewing, Reading Mail
2275 @section Viewing Attachments
2279 @cindex @command{mhshow}
2280 @cindex @command{show}
2281 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhshow}
2282 @cindex MH commands, @command{show}
2284 @cindex multimedia mail
2286 MH has the ability to display @dfn{@sc{mime}} (Multipurpose Internet
2287 Mail Extensions) messages which are simply messages with additional
2288 @dfn{body parts} or @dfn{attachments}. You can use the MH commands
2289 @command{show}@footnote{See the section
2290 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/reapre.html, Reading Mail: inc show next
2291 prev} in the MH book.} or @command{mhshow}@footnote{See the section
2292 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/usimim.html#ReMIMa, Reading MIME Mail} in
2293 the MH book.} from the shell to read @sc{mime} messages@footnote{You
2294 can call them directly from Emacs if you're running the X Window
2295 System: type @kbd{M-! xterm -e mhshow @var{message-number}}. You can
2296 leave out the @samp{xterm -e} if you use @command{mhlist} or
2297 @command{mhstore}.}.
2299 @cindex Emacs, packages, mm-decode
2300 @cindex mm-decode package
2301 @findex mh-toggle-mh-decode-mime-flag
2302 @kindex ; (semicolon)
2303 @vindex mh-decode-mime-flag
2305 MH-E can handle attachments as well if the Gnus @samp{mm-decode}
2306 package is present. If so, the option @code{mh-decode-mime-flag} will
2307 be on. Otherwise, you'll see the @sc{mime} body parts rather than text
2308 or attachments. There isn't much point in turning off the option
2309 @code{mh-decode-mime-flag}; however, you can inspect it if it appears
2310 that the body parts are not being interpreted correctly or toggle it
2311 with the command @kbd{;} (semicolon;
2312 @code{mh-toggle-mh-decode-mime-flag}) to view the raw message. This
2313 option also controls the display of quoted-printable messages and
2314 other graphical widgets. @xref{Viewing}.
2318 Attachments in MH-E are indicated by @dfn{buttons} like this:
2321 [1. image/jpeg; foo.jpg]...
2324 @findex mh-next-button
2325 @findex mh-press-button
2326 @findex mh-prev-button
2329 @kindex K S-@key{TAB}
2333 To view the contents of the button, use either @kbd{Mouse-1} or
2334 @kbd{Mouse-2} on the button or @key{RET} (@code{mh-press-button}) when
2335 the cursor is over the button. This command is a toggle so if you use
2336 it again on the same attachment, it is hidden. If Emacs does not know
2337 how to display the attachment, then Emacs offers to save the
2338 attachment in a file. To move the cursor to the next button, use the
2339 command @kbd{K @key{TAB}} (@code{mh-next-button}). If the end of the
2340 buffer is reached then the search wraps over to the start of the
2341 buffer. To move the cursor to the previous button, use the command
2342 @kbd{K S-@key{TAB}} (@code{mh-prev-button}). If the beginning of the
2343 buffer is reached then the search wraps over to the end of the buffer.
2345 @cindex attachments, viewing
2346 @cindex viewing attachments
2347 @findex mh-folder-toggle-mime-part
2350 Another way to view the contents of a button is to use the command
2351 @kbd{K v} (@code{mh-folder-toggle-mime-part}). This command displays
2352 (or hides) the attachment associated with the button under the cursor.
2353 If the cursor is not located over a button, then the cursor first
2354 moves to the next button, wrapping to the beginning of the message if
2355 necessary. This command has the advantage over the previous commands
2356 of working from the MH-Folder buffer. You can also provide a numeric
2357 prefix argument (as in @kbd{4 K v}) to view the attachment labeled
2358 with that number. If Emacs does not know how to display the
2359 attachment, then Emacs offers to save the attachment in a file.
2361 @cindex @file{/etc/mailcap}
2362 @cindex files, @file{/etc/mailcap}
2363 @findex mailcap-mime-info
2364 @findex mh-display-with-external-viewer
2367 If Emacs does not know how to view an attachment, you could save it
2368 into a file and then run some program to open it. It is easier,
2369 however, to launch the program directly from MH-E with the command
2370 @kbd{K e} (@code{mh-display-with-external-viewer}). While you'll most
2371 likely use this to view spreadsheets and documents, it is also useful
2372 to use your browser to view HTML attachments with higher fidelity than
2373 what Emacs can provide. This command displays the attachment
2374 associated with the button under the cursor. If the cursor is not
2375 located over a button, then the cursor first moves to the next button,
2376 wrapping to the beginning of the message if necessary. You can provide
2377 a numeric prefix argument (as in @kbd{4 K e}) to view the attachment
2378 labeled with that number. This command tries to provide a reasonable
2379 default for the viewer by calling the Emacs function
2380 @code{mailcap-mime-info}. This function usually reads the file
2381 @file{/etc/mailcap}.
2383 @cindex attachments, saving
2384 @cindex saving attachments
2385 @findex mh-folder-save-mime-part
2388 Use the command @kbd{K o} (@code{mh-folder-save-mime-part}) to save
2389 attachments (the mnemonic is ``output''). This command saves the
2390 attachment associated with the button under the cursor. If the cursor
2391 is not located over a button, then the cursor first moves to the next
2392 button, wrapping to the beginning of the message if necessary. You can
2393 also provide a numeric prefix argument (as in @kbd{3 K o}) to save the
2394 attachment labeled with that number. This command prompts you for a
2395 filename and suggests a specific name if it is available.
2397 @cindex @command{mhn}
2398 @cindex @command{mhstore}
2399 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhn}
2400 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhstore}
2401 @findex mh-mime-save-parts
2403 @vindex mh-mime-save-parts-default-directory
2405 You can save all of the attachments at once with the command @kbd{K a}
2406 (@code{mh-mime-save-parts}). The attachments are saved in the
2407 directory specified by the option
2408 @code{mh-mime-save-parts-default-directory} unless you use a prefix
2409 argument (as in @kbd{C-u K a}) in which case you are prompted for the
2410 directory. These directories may be superseded by MH profile
2411 components, since this function calls on @command{mhstore}
2412 (@command{mhn}) to do the work.
2414 @vindex mh-mime-save-parts-default-directory
2416 The default value for the option
2417 @code{mh-mime-save-parts-default-directory} is @samp{Prompt Always} so
2418 that you are always prompted for the directory in which to save the
2419 attachments. However, if you usually use the same directory within a
2420 session, then you can set this option to @samp{Prompt the First Time}
2421 to avoid the prompt each time. you can make this directory permanent
2422 by choosing @samp{Directory} and entering the directory's name.
2424 @cindex attachments, inline
2425 @cindex inline attachments
2426 @findex mh-toggle-mime-buttons
2428 @vindex mh-display-buttons-for-inline-parts-flag
2430 The sender can request that attachments should be viewed inline so
2431 that they do not really appear like an attachment at all to the
2432 reader. Most of the time, this is desirable, so by default MH-E
2433 suppresses the buttons for inline attachments. On the other hand, you
2434 may receive code or HTML which the sender has added to his message as
2435 inline attachments so that you can read them in MH-E. In this case, it
2436 is useful to see the buttons so that you know you don't have to cut
2437 and paste the code into a file; you can simply save the attachment. If
2438 you want to make the buttons visible for inline attachments, you can
2439 use the command @kbd{K t} (@code{mh-toggle-mime-buttons}) to toggle
2440 the visibility of these buttons. You can turn on these buttons
2441 permanently by turning on the option
2442 @code{mh-display-buttons-for-inline-parts-flag}.
2444 MH-E cannot display all attachments inline however. It can display
2445 text (including @sc{html}) and images.
2447 @cindex header field, @samp{Content-Disposition:}
2448 @cindex inline images
2449 @cindex @samp{Content-Disposition:} header field
2450 @vindex mh-max-inline-image-height
2451 @vindex mh-max-inline-image-width
2453 Some older mail programs do not insert the needed
2454 plumbing@footnote{This plumbing is the @samp{Content-Disposition:}
2455 header field.} to tell MH-E whether to display the attachments inline
2456 or not. If this is the case, MH-E will display these images inline if
2457 they are smaller than the window. However, you might want to allow
2458 larger images to be displayed inline. To do this, you can change the
2459 options @code{mh-max-inline-image-width} and
2460 @code{mh-max-inline-image-height} from their default value of zero to
2461 a large number. The size of your screen is a good choice for these
2464 @cindex alternatives
2465 @cindex attachments, alternatives
2466 @vindex mh-display-buttons-for-alternatives-flag
2468 Sometimes, a mail program will produce multiple alternatives of an
2469 attachment in increasing degree of faithfulness to the original
2470 content. By default, only the preferred alternative is displayed. If
2471 the option @code{mh-display-buttons-for-alternatives-flag} is on, then
2472 the preferred part is shown inline and buttons are shown for each of
2473 the other alternatives.
2475 @vindex mm-discouraged-alternatives
2477 Many people prefer to see the @samp{text/plain} alternative rather
2478 than the @samp{text/html} alternative. To do this in MH-E, customize
2479 the option @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, and add
2480 @samp{text/html}. The next best alternative, if any, will be shown.
2483 @findex mh-folder-inline-mime-part
2485 You can view the raw contents of an attachment with the command @kbd{K
2486 i} (@code{mh-folder-inline-mime-part}). This command displays (or
2487 hides) the contents of the attachment associated with the button under
2488 the cursor verbatim. If the cursor is not located over a button, then
2489 the cursor first moves to the next button, wrapping to the beginning
2490 of the message if necessary. You can also provide a numeric prefix
2491 argument (as in @kbd{4 K i}) to view the attachment labeled with that
2494 For additional information on buttons, see
2496 @ref{Article Buttons,,,gnus}, and @ref{MIME Commands,,,gnus}.
2499 the chapters @uref{http://www.gnus.org/manual/gnus_101.html#SEC101,
2500 Article Buttons} and
2501 @uref{http://www.gnus.org/manual/gnus_108.html#SEC108, MIME Commands}
2502 in the @cite{The Gnus Manual}.
2505 @node HTML, Digests, Viewing Attachments, Reading Mail
2511 MH-E can display messages that have been sent in HTML@footnote{This
2512 feature depends on a version of Gnus that is at least 5.10.}. The
2513 content of the message will appear in the MH-Show buffer as you would
2514 expect if the entire message is HTML, or there is an inline HTML body
2515 part. However, if there is an HTML body part that is an attachment,
2516 then you'll see a button like this:
2519 [1. text/html; foo.html]...
2522 To see how to read the contents of this body part, see @ref{Viewing
2525 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
2527 The browser that MH-E uses is determined by the option
2528 @code{mm-text-html-renderer}. The default setting is set automatically
2529 based upon the presence of a known browser on your system. If you wish
2530 to use a different browser, then set this option accordingly. See the
2531 documentation for the browser you use for additional information on
2532 how to use it. In particular, find and disable the option to render
2533 images as this can tip off spammers that the email address they have
2536 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
2538 If you're confused about which @code{mm-text-html-renderer} to use,
2539 here's a brief description of each, sorted by popularity, that
2540 includes the results of a quick poll of MH-E users from 2005-12-23.
2543 @cindex browser, @samp{w3m}
2547 The @samp{w3m} browser requires an external program. It's quick,
2548 produces pretty nice output, and best of all, it's the only browser
2549 that highlights links. These can be clicked with @kbd{Mouse-2} to view
2550 the content of the link in @samp{w3m}. The @samp{w3m} browser handles
2551 tables well and actually respects the table's width parameter (which
2552 can cause text to wrap if the author didn't anticipate that the page
2553 would be viewed in Emacs).
2554 @c -------------------------
2555 @cindex browser, @samp{w3m-standalone}
2556 @cindex @samp{w3m-standalone}
2557 @item @samp{w3m-standalone} 3
2558 This browser, along with @samp{nil} for the external browser, are the
2559 only choices that work without having to download a separate lisp
2560 package or external program. This browser is quick, but does not show
2561 links. It handles simple tables but some tables get rendered much
2562 wider than the Emacs frame. This browser was the only one not to
2563 handle the escape @samp{–} (it printed a @samp{?}), but it did
2564 render @samp{®}.
2565 @c -------------------------
2566 @cindex browser, @samp{links}
2567 @cindex @samp{links}
2568 @item @samp{links} 1
2569 The @samp{links} browser requires an external program. It's quick, and
2570 produces nicer output than @samp{lynx} on single column mails in
2571 tables. However, it doesn't show links and it doesn't do as nice a job
2572 on multi-column tables as some lines wrap. At least it fits in 80
2573 columns and thus seems better than @samp{w3} and
2574 @samp{w3m-standalone}. Converts escapes such as @samp{®} to (R).
2575 @c -------------------------
2576 @cindex browser, @samp{lynx}
2579 The @samp{lynx} browser requires an external program. It's quick and
2580 produces pretty decent output but it doesn't show links. It doesn't
2581 seem to do multi-column tables which makes output much cleaner. It
2582 centers the output and wraps long lines more than most. Handles
2584 @c -------------------------
2586 This choice obviously requires an external browser. Like
2587 @samp{w3m-standalone}, it works out of the box. With this setting,
2588 HTML messages have a button for the body part which you can view with
2589 @kbd{K v} (@code{mh-folder-toggle-mime-part}).
2590 @c -------------------------
2591 @cindex browser, @samp{w3}
2594 This choice does not require an external program as all of the
2595 rendering is done in lisp. You do need to get the package separately.
2596 This browser is @strong{slow}, and doesn't appear to have been updated
2597 since 2001 and the author hasn't responded to my emails. It displays
2598 unknown tags instead of hiding them, so you get to see all the
2599 Microsoft crap in certain messages. Tends to make multi-column tables
2600 wider than even a full-screen Emacs can handle. Like @samp{w3m}, you
2601 can follow links, but you have to find them first as they are not
2602 highlighted. Performs well on single-column tables and handles escapes
2603 such as @samp{®}.
2604 @c -------------------------
2605 @cindex browser, @samp{html2text}
2606 @cindex @samp{html2text}
2607 @item @samp{html2text} 0
2608 The @samp{html2text} browser requires an external program. I noticed
2609 that it can do some nasty things with simple HTML mails (like filling
2610 the entire message as if it were one paragraph, including signature).
2611 On another message, it displayed half of the HTML tags for some
2615 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
2617 For a couple more sources of information about
2618 @code{mm-text-html-renderer},
2620 @xref{Display Customization,,,emacs-mime}, and the documentation for
2621 the Gnus command @kbd{W h} (@pxref{Article Washing,,,gnus},).
2624 see section @uref{http://www.gnus.org/manual/emacs-mime_6.html,
2625 Display Customization} in the @cite{The Emacs MIME Manual} and the
2626 documentation for the Gnus command @kbd{W h} (see section
2627 @uref{http://www.gnus.org/manual/gnus_99.html, Article Washing} in the
2628 @cite{The Gnus Manual}).
2631 @cindex @file{.emacs}
2632 @cindex files, @file{.emacs}
2633 @findex browse-url-at-mouse
2636 A useful key binding that you can add to to @file{~/.emacs} is the
2637 following which displays an HTML link or textual URL in an external
2638 browser when clicked with @kbd{S-mouse-2}. This binding works in any
2639 buffer, including HTML buffers.
2642 (global-set-key [S-mouse-2] 'browse-url-at-mouse)
2645 @node Digests, Reading PGP, HTML, Reading Mail
2649 @findex mh-page-digest
2650 @findex mh-page-digest-backwards
2656 A digest is a message that contains other messages. Special MH-E
2657 commands let you read digests conveniently. You can use @key{SPC} and
2658 @key{BS} to page through the digest as if it were a normal message,
2659 but if you wish to skip to the next message in the digest, use
2660 @kbd{D @key{SPC}} (@code{mh-page-digest}). To return to a previous message,
2661 use @kbd{D @key{BS}} (@code{mh-page-digest-backwards}).
2663 @cindex @command{burst}
2664 @cindex MH commands, @command{burst}
2665 @cindex MH-Folder Show mode
2666 @cindex modes, MH-Folder Show
2667 @findex mh-burst-digest
2672 Another handy command is @kbd{D b} (@code{mh-burst-digest}). This
2673 command uses the MH command @command{burst}@footnote{See the section
2674 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/burdig.html, Bursting Messages} in the MH
2675 book.} to break out each message in the digest into its own message.
2676 Using this command, you can quickly delete unwanted messages, like
2677 this: Once the digest is split up, toggle out of MH-Folder Show mode
2678 with @kbd{t} (@pxref{Folders}) so that the scan lines fill the screen
2679 and messages aren't displayed. Then use @kbd{d} (@pxref{Reading Mail})
2680 to quickly delete messages that you don't want to read (based on the
2681 @samp{Subject:} header field). You can also burst the digest to reply
2682 directly to the people who posted the messages in the digest. One
2683 problem you may encounter is that the @samp{From:} header fields are
2684 preceded with a @samp{>} so that your reply can't create the
2685 @samp{To:} field correctly. In this case, you must correct the
2686 @samp{To:} field yourself. This is described later (@pxref{Editing
2689 @node Reading PGP, Printing, Digests, Reading Mail
2690 @section Signed and Encrypted Messages
2698 @cindex encrypted messages
2700 @cindex signed messages
2702 You can read encrypted or signed PGP or GPG messages with
2703 MH-E@footnote{This feature depends on post-5.10 versions of Gnus.
2704 @cite{MIME Security with OpenPGP} is documented in
2705 @uref{http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3156.txt, RFC 3156}. However,
2706 MH-E can also decrypt old-style PGP messages that are not in MIME
2707 format.}. This section assumes that you already have a good
2708 understanding of GPG and have set up your keys appropriately.
2710 If someone sends you a signed message, here is what you'll see:
2714 [[PGP Signed Part:Bill Wohler <wohler@@stop.mail-abuse.org>]]
2715 This is a signed message.
2717 [[End of PGP Signed Part]]
2723 @cindex signed messages
2725 If the key for the given signature is not in your keychain, you'll be
2726 given the opportunity to fetch the key from a key server and verify
2727 the key. If the message is really large, the verification process can
2728 take a long time. You can press @kbd{C-g} at any time to
2729 cancel@footnote{Unfortunately in the current version, the validation
2730 process doesn't display a message so it appears that MH-E has hung. We
2731 hope that this will be fixed in the future.}.
2733 If the signature doesn't check out, you might see something like this:
2737 [[PGP Signed Part:Failed]]
2738 This is a signed message.
2739 This is garbage added after the signature was made.
2741 [[End of PGP Signed Part]]
2745 @cindex decrypting messages
2747 If someone sends you an encrypted message, MH-E will ask for your
2748 passphrase to decrypt the message. You should see something like this:
2752 [[PGP Encrypted Part:OK]]
2754 [[PGP Signed Part:Bill Wohler <wohler@@stop.mail-abuse.org>]]
2755 This is the secret message.
2757 [[End of PGP Signed Part]]
2759 [[End of PGP Encrypted Part]]
2763 If there is a problem decrypting the message, the button will say:
2766 [[PGP Encrypted Part:Failed]]
2769 You can read the contents of this button using the methods described in
2770 @ref{Viewing Attachments}. If the message were corrupted, you'd see
2774 [[PGP Encrypted Part:Failed]
2775 Invalid base64 data]
2778 If your passphrase were incorrect, you'd see something like this:
2781 [GNUPG:] ENC_TO CD9C88BB610BD9AD 1 0
2782 [GNUPG:] USERID_HINT CD9C88BB610BD9AD Bill Wohler <wohler@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
2783 [GNUPG:] NEED_PASSPHRASE CD9C88BB610BD9AD CD9C88BB610BD9AD 1 0
2784 [GNUPG:] BAD_PASSPHRASE CD9C88BB610BD9AD
2785 gpg: encrypted with 1024-bit RSA key, ID 610BD9AD, created 1997-09-09
2786 "Bill Wohler <wohler@@stop.mail-abuse.org>"
2787 gpg: public key decryption failed: bad passphrase
2788 [GNUPG:] BEGIN_DECRYPTION
2789 [GNUPG:] DECRYPTION_FAILED
2790 gpg: decryption failed: secret key not available
2791 [GNUPG:] END_DECRYPTION
2793 gpg exited abnormally: '2'
2796 @vindex mh-show-pgg-bad
2797 @vindex mh-show-pgg-good
2798 @vindex mh-show-pgg-unknown
2800 The appearance of the buttons is controlled by the faces
2801 @code{mh-show-pgg-good}, @code{mh-show-pgg-bad}, and
2802 @code{mh-show-pgg-unknown} depending on the validity of the signature.
2803 The latter is used whether the signature is unknown or untrusted.
2805 @cindex @samp{pgg} customization group
2807 @cindex customization group, @samp{pgg}
2809 The @samp{pgg} customization group may have some settings which may
2812 See @cite{The PGG Manual}.
2815 @xref{Top, , The PGG Manual, pgg, The PGG Manual}.
2819 @uref{http://www.dk.xemacs.org/Documentation/packages/html/pgg.html,
2820 @cite{The PGG Manual}}.
2823 @node Printing, Files and Pipes, Reading PGP, Reading Mail
2824 @section Printing Your Mail
2827 @findex mh-ps-print-msg
2828 @findex mh-ps-print-msg-file
2831 @vindex mh-lpr-command-format
2832 @vindex mh-print-background-flag
2834 To print messages in MH-E, use the command @kbd{P p}
2835 (@code{mh-ps-print-msg}). You can print all the messages in a range
2836 (as in @kbd{C-u P p 1 3 5-7 last:5 frombob @key{RET}},
2837 @pxref{Ranges}). You can also send the output to a file with @kbd{P f}
2838 (@code{mh-ps-print-msg-file}). This command will print inline text
2839 attachments but will not decrypt messages. However, when a message is
2840 displayed in an MH-Show buffer, then that buffer is used verbatim for
2841 printing with the caveat that only text attachments, if opened inline,
2842 are printed. Therefore, encrypted messages can be printed by showing
2843 and decrypting them first. The commands @kbd{P p} and @kbd{P f} do not
2844 use the options @code{mh-lpr-command-format} or
2845 @code{mh-print-background-flag}, described below.
2847 @findex mh-ps-print-toggle-color
2849 @vindex ps-print-color-p
2851 Colors are emulated on black-and-white printers with shades of gray.
2852 This might produce illegible output, even if your screen colors only
2853 use shades of gray. If this is the case, try using the command @kbd{P
2854 C} (@code{mh-ps-print-toggle-color}) to toggle between color, no
2855 color, and a black and white representation of the colors and see
2856 which works best. You change this setting permanently by customizing
2857 the option @code{ps-print-color-p}.
2859 @findex mh-ps-print-toggle-faces
2862 Another related function is the command @kbd{P F}
2863 (@code{mh-ps-print-toggle-faces}). This command toggles between using
2864 faces and not. When faces are enabled, the printed message will look
2865 very similar to the message in the MH-Show buffer.
2867 @cindex ps-print package
2868 @cindex Emacs, packages, ps-print
2870 MH-E uses the @samp{ps-print} package to do the printing, so you can
2871 customize the printing further by going to the @samp{ps-print}
2872 customization group.
2874 @cindex @command{lpr}
2875 @cindex @command{mhl}
2876 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhl}
2877 @cindex Unix commands, @command{lpr}
2878 @findex mh-print-msg
2881 An alternative to using the @samp{ps-print} package is the command
2882 @kbd{P l} (@code{mh-print-msg}) (the @i{l} is for @i{l}ine printer or
2883 @i{l}pr). You can print all the messages in a range. The message is
2884 formatted with @command{mhl}@footnote{See the section
2885 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/shomes.html#Usisho, Using mhl} in the MH
2886 book.} and printed with the @command{lpr} command.
2891 @vindex mh-lpr-command-format
2892 @vindex mh-print-background-flag
2894 The command @kbd{P l} uses two options. The option
2895 @code{mh-lpr-command-format} contains the Unix command line which
2896 performs the actual printing. The string can contain one escape,
2897 @samp{%s}, which is replaced by the name of the folder and the message
2898 number and is useful for print job names. The default setting is
2899 @code{"lpr -J '%s'"}. I use @code{"mpage -h'%s' -b Letter -H1of -mlrtb
2900 -P"} which produces a nice header and adds a bit of margin so the text
2901 fits within my printer's margins. Normally messages are printed in the
2902 foreground. If this is slow on your system, you may elect to turn on
2903 the option @code{mh-print-background-flag} to print in the background.
2904 If you do this, do not delete the message until it is printed or else
2905 the output may be truncated. These options are not used by the
2906 commands @kbd{P p} or @kbd{P f}.
2908 @node Files and Pipes, Navigating, Printing, Reading Mail
2909 @section Files and Pipes
2913 @findex mh-refile-or-write-again
2914 @findex mh-write-msg-to-file
2918 MH-E does offer a couple of commands that are not a part of MH@. The
2919 first one, @kbd{>} (@code{mh-write-msg-to-file}), writes a message to
2920 a file. You are prompted for the filename. If the file already exists,
2921 the message is appended to it. You can also write the message to the
2922 file without the header by specifying a prefix argument (such as
2923 @kbd{C-u > /tmp/foobar @key{RET}}). Subsequent writes to the same file
2924 can be made with the command @kbd{!}
2925 (@code{mh-refile-or-write-again}).
2931 You can also pipe the message through a Unix shell command with the
2932 command @kbd{|} (@code{mh-pipe-msg}). You are prompted for the Unix
2933 command through which you wish to run your message. If you give a
2934 prefix argument to this command, the message header is included in the
2935 text passed to the command (the contrived example @kbd{C-u | lpr}
2936 would be done with the @kbd{l} command instead).
2938 @cindex @command{shar}
2939 @cindex @command{uuencode}
2940 @cindex Unix commands, @command{shar}
2941 @cindex Unix commands, @command{uuencode}
2942 @findex mh-store-msg
2944 @vindex mh-store-default-directory
2946 If the message is a shell archive @command{shar} or has been run
2947 through @command{uuencode} use @kbd{X s} (@code{mh-store-msg}) to
2948 extract the body of the message. The default directory for extraction
2949 is the current directory; however, you have a chance to specify a
2950 different extraction directory. The next time you use this command,
2951 the default directory is the last directory you used. If you would
2952 like to change the initial default directory, customize the option
2953 @code{mh-store-default-directory}, change the value from
2954 @samp{Current} to @samp{Directory}, and then enter the name of the
2955 directory for storing the content of these messages.
2957 @findex mh-store-buffer
2961 By the way, @kbd{X s} calls the Emacs Lisp function
2962 @code{mh-store-buffer}. I mention this because you can use it directly
2963 if you're editing a buffer that contains a file that has been run
2964 through @command{uuencode} or @command{shar}. For example, you can
2965 extract the contents of the current buffer in your home directory by
2966 typing @kbd{M-x mh-store-buffer @key{RET} ~ @key{RET}}.
2968 @node Navigating, Miscellaneous Commands and Options, Files and Pipes, Reading Mail
2971 @cindex moving between messages
2973 @findex mh-first-msg
2976 @findex mh-next-undeleted-msg
2977 @findex mh-next-unread-msg
2978 @findex mh-previous-undeleted-msg
2979 @findex mh-previous-unread-msg
2988 To move on to the next message, use the command @kbd{n}
2989 (@code{mh-next-undeleted-msg}); use @kbd{p}
2990 (@code{mh-previous-undeleted-msg}) to read the previous message. To
2991 move to the next unread message, use @kbd{M-n}
2992 (@code{mh-next-unread-msg}); use @kbd{M-p}
2993 (@code{mh-previous-unread-msg}) to move to the previous unread
2994 message. These commands can be given a prefix argument to specify how
2995 many messages to skip (for example, @kbd{5 n}). You can also move to a
2996 specific message with @kbd{g} (@code{mh-goto-msg}). You can enter the
2997 message number either before or after typing @kbd{g}. In the latter
2998 case, Emacs prompts you. Finally, you can go to the first or last
2999 message with @kbd{M-<} (@code{mh-first-msg}) and @kbd{M->}
3000 (@code{mh-last-msg}) respectively.
3002 @cindex MH-Folder mode
3003 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
3005 @findex previous-line
3010 You can also use the Emacs commands @kbd{C-p} (@code{previous-line})
3011 and @kbd{C-n} (@code{next-line}) to move up and down the scan lines in
3012 the MH-Folder window. These commands can be used in conjunction with
3013 @key{RET} to look at deleted or refiled messages.
3015 @cindex deleting messages
3016 @findex mh-delete-msg
3021 To mark a message for deletion, use the command @kbd{d}
3022 (@code{mh-delete-msg}). A @samp{D} is placed by the message in the
3023 scan window, and the next undeleted message is displayed. If the
3024 previous command had been @kbd{p}, then the next message displayed is
3025 the first undeleted message previous to the message just deleted. Use
3026 @kbd{n} to force subsequent @kbd{d} commands to move forward to the
3027 next undeleted message after deleting the message under the cursor.
3028 You may also specify a range (for example, @kbd{C-u d 1 3 5-7 last:5
3029 frombob @key{RET}}, @pxref{Ranges}).
3031 @findex mh-delete-msg-no-motion
3034 The command @kbd{C-d} (@code{mh-delete-msg-no-motion}) marks the
3035 message (or messages in range) for deletion but leaves the cursor at
3036 the current message in case you wish to perform other operations on
3039 @findex mh-delete-subject
3040 @findex mh-delete-subject-or-thread
3041 @findex mh-thread-delete
3047 And to delete more messages faster, you can use @kbd{k}
3048 (@code{mh-delete-subject-or-thread}) to delete all the messages with
3049 the same subject as the current message. This command puts these
3050 messages in a sequence named @samp{subject}. You can undo this action
3051 by using @kbd{u} (@code{mh-undo}) with a prefix argument and then
3052 specifying the @samp{subject} sequence. However, if the buffer is
3053 displaying a threaded view of the folder then @kbd{k} behaves like
3054 @kbd{T d} (@code{mh-thread-delete}). @xref{Threading}.
3056 @findex mh-execute-commands
3059 However you mark a message for deletion, the command @kbd{x}
3060 (@code{mh-execute-commands}) actually carries out the deletion
3063 @vindex mh-delete-msg-hook
3065 The hook @code{mh-delete-msg-hook} is called after you mark a message
3066 for deletion. For example, a past maintainer of MH-E used this once
3067 when he kept statistics on his mail usage.
3069 @node Miscellaneous Commands and Options, , Navigating, Reading Mail
3070 @section Miscellaneous Commands and Options
3072 This section contains a few more miscellaneous commands and options.
3074 @cindex editing message
3078 There are times when you need to edit a message. For example, you may
3079 need to fix a broken Content-Type header field. You can do this with
3080 the command @kbd{M} (@code{mh-modify}). It displays the raw message in
3081 an editable buffer. When you are done editing, save and kill the
3082 buffer as you would any other.
3084 @findex mh-kill-folder
3085 @findex mh-pack-folder
3086 @vindex mh-do-not-confirm-flag
3088 Commands such as @code{mh-pack-folder} prompt to confirm whether to
3089 process outstanding moves and deletes or not before continuing.
3090 Turning on the option @code{mh-do-not-confirm-flag} means that these
3091 actions will be performed---which is usually desired but cannot be
3092 retracted---without question@footnote{In previous versions of MH-E,
3093 this option suppressed the confirmation in @code{mh-kill-folder}.
3094 Since this kept most users from setting this option,
3095 @code{mh-kill-folder} was modified in version 6.0 to always ask for
3096 confirmation subject to @code{mh-kill-folder-suppress-prompt-hook}.
3099 @cindex MH-Folder mode
3100 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
3101 @vindex mh-summary-height
3103 The option @code{mh-summary-height} controls the number of scan lines
3104 displayed in the MH-Folder window, including the mode line. The
3105 default value of this option is @samp{Automatic} which means that the
3106 MH-Folder buffer will maintain the same proportional size if the frame
3107 is resized. If you'd prefer a fixed height, then choose the
3108 @samp{Fixed Size} option and enter the number of lines you'd like to
3111 @vindex mh-bury-show-buffer-flag
3113 Normally the buffer for displaying messages is buried at the bottom at
3114 the buffer stack. You may wish to disable this feature by turning off
3115 the option @code{mh-bury-show-buffer-flag}. One advantage of not
3116 burying the show buffer is that one can delete the show buffer more
3117 easily in an electric buffer list because of its proximity to its
3118 associated MH-Folder buffer. Try running @kbd{M-x
3119 electric-buffer-list} to see what I mean.
3121 @cindex @file{.emacs}
3122 @cindex files, @file{.emacs}
3123 @cindex reading mail
3125 Before we leave this section, I'll include a function that I use as a
3126 front end to MH-E@footnote{Stephen Gildea's favorite binding is
3127 @kbd{(global-set-key "\C-cr" 'mh-rmail)}.}. It toggles between your
3128 working window configuration, which may be quite involved---windows
3129 filled with source, compilation output, man pages, and other
3130 documentation---and your MH-E window configuration. Like the rest of
3131 the customization described in this section, simply add the following
3132 code to @file{~/.emacs}.
3138 @findex mh-rmail, example
3142 (defvar my-mh-screen-saved nil
3143 "Set to non-@code{nil} when MH-E window configuration shown.")
3144 (defvar my-normal-screen nil "Normal window configuration.")
3145 (defvar my-mh-screen nil "MH-E window configuration.")
3147 (defun my-mh-rmail (&optional arg)
3148 "Toggle between MH-E and normal screen configurations.
3149 With non-@code{nil} or prefix argument, @i{inc} mailbox as well
3150 when going into mail."
3151 (interactive "P") ; @r{user callable function, P=prefix arg}
3152 (setq my-mh-screen-saved ; @r{save state}
3154 ;; @r{Bring up MH-E screen if arg or normal window configuration.}
3155 ;; @r{If arg or +inbox buffer doesn't exist, run mh-rmail.}
3156 ((or arg (null my-mh-screen-saved))
3157 (setq my-normal-screen (current-window-configuration))
3158 (if (or arg (null (get-buffer "+inbox")))
3160 (set-window-configuration my-mh-screen))
3161 t) ; @r{set my-mh-screen-saved to @code{t}}
3162 ;; @r{Otherwise, save MH-E screen and restore normal screen.}
3164 (setq my-mh-screen (current-window-configuration))
3165 (set-window-configuration my-normal-screen)
3166 nil)))) ; @r{set my-mh-screen-saved to nil}
3168 (global-set-key "\C-x\r" 'my-mh-rmail) ;@r{ call with C-x @key{RET}}
3175 If you type an argument (@kbd{C-u}) or if @code{my-mh-screen-saved} is
3176 @code{nil} (meaning a non-MH-E window configuration), the current
3177 window configuration is saved, either the @samp{+inbox} buffer is
3178 displayed or @code{mh-rmail} is run, and the MH-E window configuration
3179 is shown. Otherwise, the MH-E window configuration is saved and the
3180 original configuration is displayed.
3182 @node Folders, Sending Mail, Reading Mail, Top
3183 @chapter Organizing Your Mail with Folders
3185 @cindex @samp{Folder} menu
3186 @cindex @samp{Message} menu
3188 @cindex menu, @samp{Folder}
3189 @cindex menu, @samp{Message}
3190 @cindex using folders
3192 This chapter discusses the things you can do with folders within MH-E.
3193 The commands in this chapter are also found in the @samp{Folder} and
3194 @samp{Message} menus.
3200 Display cheat sheet for the MH-E commands (@code{mh-help}).
3201 @c -------------------------
3203 @findex mh-refile-or-write-again
3205 Repeat last output command (@code{mh-refile-or-write-again}).
3206 @c -------------------------
3207 @cindex @samp{Message > Copy Message to Folder...} menu item
3208 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Copy Message to Folder...}
3212 Copy range to folder (@code{mh-copy-msg}).
3213 @c -------------------------
3215 @findex mh-prefix-help
3217 Display cheat sheet for the commands of the current prefix in
3218 minibuffer (@code{mh-prefix-help}).
3219 @c -------------------------
3221 @findex mh-index-ticked-messages
3223 Display ticked messages (@code{mh-index-ticked-messages}).
3224 @c -------------------------
3228 Delete range from the @samp{unseen} sequence (@code{mh-catchup}).
3229 @c -------------------------
3231 @findex mh-kill-folder
3233 Remove folder (@code{mh-kill-folder}).
3234 @c -------------------------
3235 @cindex @samp{Folder > List Folders} menu item
3236 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > List Folders}
3238 @findex mh-list-folders
3240 List all folders (@code{mh-list-folders}).
3241 @c -------------------------
3242 @cindex @samp{Folder > View New Messages} menu item
3243 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > View New Messages}
3245 @findex mh-index-new-messages
3247 Display unseen messages (@code{mh-index-new-messages}).
3248 @c -------------------------
3249 @cindex @samp{Folder > Pack Folder} menu item
3250 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > Pack Folder}
3252 @findex mh-pack-folder
3254 Pack folder (@code{mh-pack-folder}).
3255 @c -------------------------
3257 @findex mh-index-sequenced-messages
3259 Display messages in any sequence (@code{mh-index-sequenced-messages}).
3260 @c -------------------------
3261 @cindex @samp{Folder > Rescan Folder} menu item
3262 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > Rescan Folder}
3264 @findex mh-rescan-folder
3266 Rescan folder (@code{mh-rescan-folder}).
3267 @c -------------------------
3268 @cindex @samp{Folder > Search...} menu item
3269 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > Search...}
3273 Search your MH mail (@code{mh-search}).
3274 @c -------------------------
3275 @cindex @samp{Folder > Sort Folder} menu item
3276 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > Sort Folder}
3278 @findex mh-sort-folder
3280 Sort folder (@code{mh-sort-folder}).
3281 @c -------------------------
3283 @findex mh-undo-folder
3285 Undo all refiles and deletes in the current folder (@code{mh-undo-folder}).
3286 @c -------------------------
3287 @cindex @samp{Folder > Visit a Folder...} menu item
3288 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > Visit a Folder...}
3290 @findex mh-visit-folder
3292 Visit folder (@code{mh-visit-folder}).
3293 @c -------------------------
3294 @cindex @samp{Message > Refile Message} menu item
3295 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Refile Message}
3297 @findex mh-refile-msg
3299 Refile (output) range into folder (@code{mh-refile-msg}).
3300 @c -------------------------
3301 @cindex @samp{Folder > Quit MH-E} menu item
3302 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > Quit MH-E}
3306 Quit the current MH-E folder (@code{mh-quit}).
3307 @c -------------------------
3308 @cindex @samp{Folder > Toggle Show/Folder} menu item
3309 @cindex menu item, @samp{Folder > Toggle Show/Folder}
3311 @findex mh-toggle-showing
3313 Toggle between MH-Folder and MH-Folder Show modes
3314 (@code{mh-toggle-showing}).
3315 @c -------------------------
3316 @cindex @samp{Message > Undo Delete/Refile} menu item
3317 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Undo Delete/Refile}
3321 Undo pending deletes or refiles in range (@code{mh-undo}).
3322 @c -------------------------
3323 @cindex @samp{Message > Execute Delete/Refile} menu item
3324 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Execute Delete/Refile}
3326 @findex mh-execute-commands
3328 Process outstanding delete and refile requests
3329 (@code{mh-execute-commands}).
3332 @cindex @samp{mh-folder} customization group
3333 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-folder}
3335 The @samp{mh-folder} customization group is used to tune these
3339 @item mh-new-messages-folders
3340 Folders searched for the @samp{unseen} sequence (default:
3342 @c -------------------------
3343 @item mh-ticked-messages-folders
3344 Folders searched for @code{mh-tick-seq} (default: @code{t}).
3345 @c -------------------------
3346 @item mh-large-folder
3347 The number of messages that indicates a large folder (default: 200).
3348 @c -------------------------
3349 @item mh-recenter-summary-flag
3350 On means to recenter the summary window (default: @samp{off}).
3351 @c -------------------------
3352 @item mh-recursive-folders-flag
3353 On means that commands which operate on folders do so recursively
3354 (default: @samp{off}).
3355 @c -------------------------
3357 Additional arguments for @command{sortm} (default: @code{nil}).
3360 The following hooks are available.
3363 @item mh-after-commands-processed-hook
3364 Hook run by @kbd{x} after performing outstanding refile and delete
3365 requests (default: @code{nil}).
3366 @c -------------------------
3367 @item mh-before-commands-processed-hook
3368 Hook run by @kbd{x} before performing outstanding refile and delete
3369 requests (default: @code{nil}).
3370 @c -------------------------
3371 @item mh-before-quit-hook
3372 Hook run by q before quitting MH-E (default: @code{nil}).
3373 @c -------------------------
3374 @item mh-folder-mode-hook
3375 Hook run by @code{mh-folder-mode} when visiting a new folder (default:
3377 @c -------------------------
3378 @item mh-kill-folder-suppress-prompt-hook
3379 Abnormal hook run at the beginning of @code{mh-kill-folder} (default:
3380 @code{'mh-search-p}).
3381 @c -------------------------
3383 Hook run by q after quitting MH-E (default: @code{nil}).
3384 @c -------------------------
3385 @item mh-refile-msg-hook
3386 Hook run by o after marking each message for refiling (default:
3390 The following faces are available for customizing the appearance of
3391 the MH-Folder buffer. @xref{Scan Line Formats}.
3394 @item mh-folder-address
3396 @c -------------------------
3397 @item mh-folder-body
3399 @c -------------------------
3400 @item mh-folder-cur-msg-number
3401 Current message number face.
3402 @c -------------------------
3403 @item mh-folder-date
3405 @c -------------------------
3406 @item mh-folder-deleted
3407 Deleted message face.
3408 @c -------------------------
3409 @item mh-folder-followup
3411 @c -------------------------
3412 @item mh-folder-msg-number
3413 Message number face.
3414 @c -------------------------
3415 @item mh-folder-refiled
3416 Refiled message face.
3417 @c -------------------------
3418 @vindex mh-scan-format-nmh
3419 @vindex mh-scan-sent-to-me-sender-regexp
3420 @item mh-folder-sent-to-me-hint
3421 Fontification hint face in messages sent directly to us. The detection
3422 of messages sent to us is governed by the scan format
3423 @code{mh-scan-format-nmh} and regular expression
3424 @code{mh-scan-sent-to-me-sender-regexp}.
3425 @c -------------------------
3426 @vindex mh-scan-format-nmh
3427 @vindex mh-scan-sent-to-me-sender-regexp
3428 @item mh-folder-scan-format
3429 Sender face in messages sent directly to us. The detection of messages
3430 sent to us is governed by the scan format @code{mh-scan-format-nmh}
3431 and regular expression @code{mh-scan-sent-to-me-sender-regexp}.
3432 @c -------------------------
3433 @item mh-folder-subject
3435 @c -------------------------
3436 @item mh-folder-tick
3437 Ticked message face.
3438 @c -------------------------
3443 @vindex mh-folder-mode-hook
3445 The hook @code{mh-folder-mode-hook} is called when visiting a new
3446 folder in MH-Folder mode. This could be used to set your own key
3447 bindings, for example:
3449 @vindex mh-folder-mode-hook, example
3453 (defvar my-mh-init-done nil
3454 "Non-@code{nil} when one-time MH-E settings made.")
3456 (defun my-mh-folder-mode-hook ()
3457 "Hook to set key bindings in MH-Folder mode."
3458 (if (not my-mh-init-done) ; @r{only need to bind the keys once }
3460 (local-set-key "//" 'my-search-msg)
3461 (local-set-key "b" 'mh-burst-digest) ; @r{better use of @kbd{b}}
3462 (setq my-mh-init-done t))))
3464 (add-hook 'mh-folder-mode-hook 'my-mh-folder-mode-hook)
3466 (defun my-search-msg ()
3467 "Search for a regexp in the current message."
3468 (interactive) ; @r{user function}
3469 (save-window-excursion
3470 (other-window 1) ; @r{go to next window}
3471 (isearch-forward-regexp))) ; @r{string search; hit return}
3474 @i{Create additional key bindings via mh-folder-mode-hook}
3479 @cindex @command{folder}
3480 @cindex @command{refile}
3481 @cindex MH commands, @command{folder}
3482 @cindex MH commands, @command{refile}
3483 @findex mh-refile-msg
3485 @vindex mh-refile-msg-hook
3487 MH-E has analogies for each of the MH @command{folder} and
3488 @command{refile} commands@footnote{See the sections
3489 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/fol.html#Youfol, Your Current Folder:
3490 folder} and @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/fol.html#Movref, Moving and
3491 Linking Messages: refile} in the MH book.}. To refile a message in
3492 another folder, use the command @kbd{o} (@code{mh-refile-msg})
3493 (mnemonic: ``output''). You are prompted for the folder name
3494 (@pxref{Folder Selection}). Note that this command can also be used to
3495 create folders. If you specify a folder that does not exist, you will
3496 be prompted to create it. The hook @code{mh-refile-msg-hook} is called
3497 after a message is marked to be refiled.
3499 @findex mh-write-msg-to-file
3502 If you are refiling several messages into the same folder, you can use
3503 the command @kbd{!} (@code{mh-refile-or-write-again}) to repeat the
3504 last refile or write (for the description of @kbd{>}
3505 (@code{mh-write-msg-to-file}), @pxref{Files and Pipes}). You can use a
3506 range in either case (for example, @kbd{C-u o 1 3 5-7 last:5 frombob
3507 @key{RET}}, @pxref{Ranges}).
3509 @cindex expunging refiles and deletes
3510 @cindex undoing refiles and deletes
3514 If you've deleted a message or refiled it, but changed your mind, you
3515 can cancel the action before you've executed it. Use @kbd{u}
3516 (@code{mh-undo}) to undo a refile on or deletion of a single message.
3517 You can also undo refiles and deletes for messages that are found in a
3518 given range (@pxref{Ranges}).
3520 @findex mh-undo-folder
3523 Alternatively, you can use @kbd{F u} (@code{mh-undo-folder}) to undo
3524 all refiles and deletes in the current folder.
3526 @findex mh-execute-commands
3529 If you've marked messages to be deleted or refiled and you want to go
3530 ahead and delete or refile the messages, use @kbd{x}
3531 (@code{mh-execute-commands}). Many MH-E commands that may affect the
3532 numbering of the messages (such as @kbd{F r} or @kbd{F p}) will ask if
3533 you want to process refiles or deletes first and then either run
3534 @kbd{x} for you or undo the pending refiles and deletes.
3537 @vindex mh-after-commands-processed-hook
3538 @vindex mh-before-commands-processed-hook
3540 The command @kbd{x} runs @code{mh-before-commands-processed-hook}
3541 before the commands are processed and
3542 @code{mh-after-commands-processed-hook} after the commands are
3543 processed. Variables that are useful with the former hook include
3544 @code{mh-delete-list} and @code{mh-refile-list} which can be used to
3545 see which changes will be made to the current folder,
3546 @code{mh-current-folder}. Variables that are useful with the latter
3547 hook include @code{mh-folders-changed}, which lists which folders were
3548 affected by deletes and refiles. This list will always include the
3549 current folder @code{mh-current-folder}.
3555 If you wish to copy a message to another folder, you can use the
3556 command @kbd{c} (@code{mh-copy-msg}) (see the @option{-link} argument
3557 to @command{refile}(1)). Like the command @kbd{o}, this command
3558 prompts you for the name of the target folder and you can specify a
3559 range (@pxref{Ranges}). Note that unlike the command @kbd{o}, the copy
3560 takes place immediately. The original copy remains in the current
3564 @cindex MH-Folder mode
3565 @cindex MH-Folder Show mode
3566 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
3567 @cindex modes, MH-Folder Show
3569 @findex mh-toggle-showing
3572 The command @kbd{t} (@code{mh-toggle-showing}) switches between
3573 MH-Folder mode and MH-Folder Show mode@footnote{For you Emacs wizards,
3574 this is implemented as an Emacs minor mode.}. MH-Folder mode turns off
3575 the associated show buffer so that you can perform operations on the
3576 messages quickly without reading them. This is an excellent way to
3577 prune out your junk mail or to refile a group of messages to another
3578 folder for later examination.
3580 @cindex MH-Folder mode
3581 @cindex MH-Show mode
3582 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
3583 @cindex modes, MH-Show
3584 @cindex moving between messages
3586 @vindex mh-recenter-summary-flag
3588 When you use @kbd{t} to toggle from MH-Folder Show mode to MH-Folder
3589 mode, the MH-Show buffer is hidden and the MH-Folder buffer is left
3590 alone. Setting @code{mh-recenter-summary-flag} to a non-@code{nil}
3591 value causes the toggle to display as many scan lines as possible,
3592 with the cursor at the middle. The effect of
3593 @code{mh-recenter-summary-flag} is rather useful, but it can be
3594 annoying on a slow network connection.
3596 @findex mh-visit-folder
3598 @vindex mh-large-folder
3600 When you want to read the messages that you have refiled into folders,
3601 use the command @kbd{F v} (@code{mh-visit-folder}) to visit the
3602 folder. You are prompted for the folder name. The folder buffer will
3603 show just unseen messages if there are any; otherwise, it will show
3604 all the messages in the buffer as long there are fewer than
3605 @code{mh-large-folder} messages. If there are more, then you are
3606 prompted for a range of messages to scan. You can provide a prefix
3607 argument in order to specify a range of messages to show when you
3608 visit the folder (@pxref{Ranges}). In this case, regions are not used
3609 to specify the range and @code{mh-large-folder} is ignored. Note that
3610 this command can also be used to create folders. If you specify a
3611 folder that does not exist, you will be prompted to create it.
3616 If you forget where you've refiled your messages, you can find them
3617 using @kbd{F s} (@code{mh-search}). @xref{Searching}.
3619 @cindex @command{procmail}
3620 @cindex @samp{unseen} sequence
3621 @cindex sequence, @samp{unseen}
3622 @cindex Unix commands, @command{procmail}
3623 @cindex unseen messages, viewing
3624 @findex mh-index-new-messages
3626 @vindex mh-new-messages-folders
3628 If you use a program such as @command{procmail} to file your incoming
3629 mail automatically, you can display new, unseen, messages using the
3630 command @kbd{F n} (@code{mh-index-new-messages}). All messages in the
3631 @samp{unseen} sequence from the folders in
3632 @code{mh-new-messages-folders} are listed. However, this list of
3633 folders can be overridden with a prefix argument: with a prefix
3634 argument, enter a space-separated list of folders, or nothing to
3637 @cindex @samp{tick} sequence
3638 @cindex sequence, @samp{tick}
3639 @cindex ticked messages, viewing
3640 @findex mh-index-ticked-messages
3642 @vindex mh-ticked-messages-folders
3644 If you have ticked messages (@pxref{Sequences}), you can display them
3645 using the command @kbd{F '} (@code{mh-index-ticked-messages}). All
3646 messages in the @samp{tick} sequence from the folders in
3647 @code{mh-ticked-messages-folders} are listed. With a prefix argument,
3648 enter a space-separated list of folders, or nothing to search all
3651 @findex mh-index-sequenced-messages
3653 @vindex mh-new-messages-folders
3655 You can display messages in any sequence with the command @kbd{F q}
3656 (@code{mh-index-sequenced-messages}). All messages from the folders in
3657 @code{mh-new-messages-folders} in the sequence you provide are listed.
3658 With a prefix argument, enter a space-separated list of folders at the
3659 prompt, or nothing to search all folders.
3661 @vindex mh-new-messages-folders
3662 @vindex mh-recursive-folders-flag
3663 @vindex mh-ticked-messages-folders
3665 Set the options @code{mh-new-messages-folders} and
3666 @code{mh-ticked-messages-folders} to @samp{Inbox} to search the
3667 @samp{+inbox} folder or @samp{All} to search all of the top level
3668 folders. Otherwise, list the folders that should be searched with the
3669 @samp{Choose Folders} menu item. See @code{mh-recursive-folders-flag}.
3671 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Folders*}
3672 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Folders*}
3673 @findex mh-kill-folder
3674 @findex mh-list-folders
3675 @findex mh-pack-folder
3676 @findex mh-rescan-folder
3677 @findex mh-sort-folder
3684 Other commands you can perform on folders include: @kbd{F l}
3685 (@code{mh-list-folders}), to place a listing of all the folders in
3686 your mail directory in a buffer called @samp{*MH-E Folders*}
3687 (@pxref{Miscellaneous}); @kbd{F k} (@code{mh-kill-folder}), to remove
3688 a folder; @kbd{F S} (@code{mh-sort-folder}), to sort the messages by
3689 date (see @command{sortm}(1) to see how to sort by other criteria);
3690 @kbd{F p} (@code{mh-pack-folder}), to pack a folder, removing gaps
3691 from the numbering sequence; and @kbd{F r} (@code{mh-rescan-folder}),
3692 to rescan the folder, which is useful to grab all messages in your
3693 @samp{+inbox} after processing your new mail for the first time. If
3694 you don't want to rescan the entire folder, the commands @kbd{F r} or
3695 @kbd{F p} will accept a range (@pxref{Ranges}).
3698 @vindex mh-recursive-folders-flag
3700 By default, operations on folders work only one level at a time. Set
3701 @code{mh-recursive-folders-flag} to non-@code{nil} to operate on all
3702 folders. This mostly means that you'll be able to see all your folders
3703 when you press @key{TAB} when prompted for a folder name.
3707 @vindex mh-kill-folder-suppress-prompt-hooks
3709 The hook @code{mh-kill-folder-suppress-prompt-hooks} is an abnormal
3710 hook run at the beginning of the command @kbd{k}. The hook functions
3711 are called with no arguments and should return a non-nil value to
3712 suppress the normal prompt when you remove a folder. This is useful
3713 for folders that are easily regenerated. The default value of
3714 @code{mh-search-p} suppresses the prompt on folders generated by
3718 @center @strong{NOTE}
3721 Use this hook with care. If there is a bug in your hook which returns
3722 @code{t} on @samp{+inbox} and you press @kbd{k} by accident in the
3723 @code{+inbox} folder, you will not be happy.
3727 @cindex @command{sortm}
3728 @cindex @file{.mh_profile}
3729 @cindex files, @file{.mh_profile}
3730 @cindex MH commands, @command{sortm}
3731 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{sortm:}
3732 @cindex @samp{sortm:} MH profile component
3734 @vindex mh-sortm-args
3736 The option @code{mh-sortm-args} holds extra arguments to pass on to
3737 the command @command{sortm}@footnote{See the section
3738 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/sorsor.html, Sorting Messages: sortm} in the
3739 MH book.} when a prefix argument is used with @kbd{F S}. Normally
3740 default arguments to @command{sortm} are specified in the MH profile.
3741 This option may be used to provide an alternate view. For example,
3742 @samp{'(\"-nolimit\" \"-textfield\" \"subject\")} is a useful setting.
3749 When you want to quit using MH-E and go back to editing, you can use
3750 the @kbd{q} (@code{mh-quit}) command. This buries the buffers of the
3751 current MH-E folder and restores the buffers that were present when
3752 you first ran @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}. It also removes any MH-E working
3753 buffers whose name begins with @samp{ *mh-} or @samp{*MH-E }
3754 (@pxref{Miscellaneous}). You can later restore your MH-E session by
3755 selecting the @samp{+inbox} buffer or by running @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}
3758 @findex mh-execute-commands
3760 @vindex mh-before-quit-hook
3761 @vindex mh-before-quit-hook, example
3762 @vindex mh-quit-hook
3763 @vindex mh-quit-hook, example
3765 The two hooks @code{mh-before-quit-hook} and @code{mh-quit-hook} are
3766 called by @kbd{q}. The former one is called before the quit occurs, so
3767 you might use it to perform any MH-E operations; you could perform
3768 some query and abort the quit or call @code{mh-execute-commands}, for
3769 example. The latter is not run in an MH-E context, so you might use it
3770 to modify the window setup. If you find that @kbd{q} buries a lot of
3771 buffers that you would rather remove, you can use both
3772 @code{mh-before-quit-hook} and @code{mh-quit-hook} to accomplish that.
3776 (defvar my-mh-folder-buffer-to-delete nil
3777 "Folder buffer that is being quit.")
3779 (defun my-mh-before-quit-hook ()
3780 "Save folder buffer that is to be deleted."
3781 (setq my-mh-folder-buffer-to-delete (current-buffer)))
3783 (defun my-mh-quit-hook ()
3784 "Kill folder buffer rather than just bury it."
3785 (set-buffer my-mh-folder-buffer-to-delete)
3786 (if (get-buffer mh-show-buffer)
3787 (kill-buffer mh-show-buffer))
3788 (kill-buffer (current-buffer)))
3790 @i{Kill MH-Folder buffer instead of burying it}
3794 @cindex folders, renaming
3795 @cindex renaming folders
3797 @findex dired-do-rename
3799 You can use dired to manipulate the folders themselves. For example, I
3800 renamed my @samp{+out} folder to the more common @samp{+outbox} by
3801 running dired on my mail directory (@kbd{M-x dired RET ~/Mail RET}),
3802 moving my cursor to @samp{out} and using the command @kbd{R}
3803 (@code{dired-do-rename}).
3805 @node Sending Mail, Editing Drafts, Folders, Top
3806 @chapter Sending Mail
3808 @cindex sending mail
3810 @kindex M-x mh-smail
3812 You can send a mail message in several ways. You can call @kbd{M-x
3813 mh-smail} directly, or from the command line like this:
3815 @cindex starting from command line
3818 $ @kbd{emacs -f mh-smail}
3821 @findex goto-address-at-point
3822 @vindex mail-user-agent
3824 There are some commands that need to send a mail message, such as
3825 @code{goto-address-at-point}. You can configure Emacs to have these
3826 commands use MH-E by setting the option @code{mail-user-agent} to
3827 @samp{Emacs interface to MH}.
3829 @cindex @samp{Message} menu
3830 @cindex menu, @samp{Message}
3832 From within MH-E's MH-Folder mode, other methods of sending mail are
3833 available as well. These can also be found in the @samp{Message} menu.
3836 @cindex @samp{Message > Edit Message Again} menu item
3837 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Edit Message Again}
3839 @findex mh-edit-again
3841 Edit a message to send it again (@code{mh-edit-again}).
3842 @c -------------------------
3843 @cindex @samp{Message > Re-edit a Bounced Message} menu item
3844 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Re-edit a Bounced Message}
3846 @findex mh-extract-rejected-mail
3848 Edit a message that was returned by the mail system
3849 (@code{mh-extract-rejected-mail}).
3850 @c -------------------------
3851 @cindex @samp{Message > Forward Message...} menu item
3852 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Forward Message...}
3856 Forward message (@code{mh-forward}).
3857 @c -------------------------
3858 @cindex @samp{Message > Reply to Message...} menu item
3859 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Reply to Message...}
3863 Reply to a message (@code{mh-reply}).
3864 @c -------------------------
3865 @cindex @samp{Message > Compose a New Message} menu item
3866 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Compose a New Message}
3870 Compose a message (@code{mh-send}).
3871 @c -------------------------
3872 @cindex @samp{Message > Redistribute Message...} menu item
3873 @cindex menu item, @samp{Message > Redistribute Message...}
3875 @findex mh-redistribute
3877 Redistribute a message (@code{mh-redistribute}).
3878 @c -------------------------
3881 Compose a message with the MH mail system.
3882 @c -------------------------
3883 @findex mh-smail-other-window
3884 @item M-x mh-smail-other-window
3885 Compose a message with the MH mail system in other window.
3888 @cindex @samp{mh-sending-mail} customization group
3889 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-sending-mail}
3891 In addition, several options from the @samp{mh-sending-mail}
3892 customization group are useful when sending mail or replying to mail.
3893 They are summarized in the following table.
3896 @item mh-compose-forward-as-mime-flag
3897 On means that messages are forwarded as attachments (default:
3899 @c -------------------------
3900 @item mh-compose-letter-function
3901 Hook run when starting a new draft (default: @code{nil}).
3902 @c -------------------------
3903 @item mh-compose-prompt-flag
3904 On means prompt for header fields when composing a new draft (default:
3906 @c -------------------------
3907 @item mh-forward-subject-format
3908 Format string for forwarded message subject (default: @code{"%s:
3910 @c -------------------------
3911 @item mh-insert-x-mailer-flag
3912 On means append an @samp{X-Mailer:} header field to the header
3913 (default: @samp{on}).
3914 @c -------------------------
3915 @item mh-redist-full-contents-flag
3916 On means the @command{dist} command needs entire letter for
3917 redistribution (default: @samp{off}).
3918 @c -------------------------
3919 @item mh-reply-default-reply-to
3920 Sets the person or persons to whom a reply will be sent (default:
3922 @c -------------------------
3923 @item mh-reply-show-message-flag
3924 On means the MH-Show buffer is displayed using @kbd{r}
3925 (@code{mh-reply}) (default: @samp{on}).
3928 The following hooks are available.
3931 @item mh-forward-hook
3932 Hook run by @code{mh-forward} on a forwarded letter (default:
3934 @c -------------------------
3935 @item mh-letter-mode-hook
3936 Hook run by @code{mh-letter-mode} on a new letter (default:
3940 The functions and options introduced here are explained in more detail
3941 in the following sections.
3951 @node Composing, Replying, Sending Mail, Sending Mail
3954 @cindex @file{.emacs}
3955 @cindex MH-Folder mode
3956 @cindex composing mail
3958 @cindex files, @file{.emacs}
3959 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
3960 @cindex sending mail
3962 @findex mh-smail-other-window
3963 @kindex M-x mh-smail
3964 @kindex M-x mh-smail-other-window
3966 Outside of an MH-Folder buffer, you must call either @kbd{M-x
3967 mh-smail} or @kbd{M-x mh-smail-other-window} to compose a new message.
3968 The former command always creates a two-window layout with the current
3969 buffer on top and the draft on the bottom. Use the latter command if
3970 you would rather preserve the window layout. You may find adding the
3971 following key bindings to @file{~/.emacs} useful:
3974 (global-set-key "\C-xm" 'mh-smail)
3975 (global-set-key "\C-x4m" 'mh-smail-other-window)
3978 @cindex draft folder
3979 @cindex MH-Letter mode
3980 @cindex modes, MH-Letter
3984 From within a MH-Folder buffer, you can simply use the command @kbd{m}
3985 (@code{mh-send}). However you invoke @code{mh-send}, your letter
3986 appears in an Emacs buffer whose mode is MH-Letter (to see what the
3987 buffer looks like, @pxref{Sending Mail Tour}). MH-Letter mode allows
3988 you to edit your message, to check the validity of the recipients, to
3989 insert attachments and other messages into your message, and to send
3990 the message. We'll go more into depth about editing a
3991 @dfn{draft}@footnote{I highly recommend that you use a @dfn{draft
3992 folder} so that you can edit several drafts in parallel. To do so,
3993 create a folder named @samp{+drafts} for example, and add the profile
3994 component @samp{Draft-Folder: drafts} (see @code{mh-profile}(5)).} (a
3995 message you're composing) in just a moment (@pxref{Editing Drafts}).
3997 @vindex mh-compose-prompt-flag
3999 If you prefer to be prompted for the recipient and subject fields
4000 before the MH-Letter buffer appears, turn on the option
4001 @code{mh-compose-prompt-flag}.
4003 @cindex header field, @samp{X-Mailer:}
4004 @cindex @samp{X-Mailer:} header field
4005 @vindex mh-insert-x-mailer-flag
4007 MH-E adds an @samp{X-Mailer:} header field to the header that includes
4008 the version of MH-E and Emacs that you are using. If you don't want to
4009 participate in our marketing, you can turn off the option
4010 @code{mh-insert-x-mailer-flag}.
4012 @cindex @command{repl}
4013 @cindex @file{components}
4014 @cindex MH commands, @command{repl}
4015 @cindex MH-Letter mode
4017 @cindex files, @file{components}
4018 @cindex modes, MH-Letter
4020 @vindex mail-mode-hook
4021 @vindex mh-letter-mode-hook
4022 @vindex text-mode-hook
4024 Two hooks are provided to run commands on your freshly created draft.
4025 The first hook, @code{mh-letter-mode-hook}, allows you to do some
4026 processing before editing a letter@footnote{Actually, because
4027 MH-Letter mode inherits from Mail mode, the hooks
4028 @code{text-mode-hook} and @code{mail-mode-hook} are run (in that
4029 order) before @code{mh-letter-mode-hook}.}. For example, you may wish
4030 to modify the header after @command{repl} has done its work, or you
4031 may have a complicated @file{components} file and need to tell MH-E
4032 where the cursor should go. Here's an example of how you would use
4035 @findex mh-insert-signature, example
4039 (defvar letter-mode-init-done-flag nil
4040 "Non-nil means one-time MH-E settings have been made.")
4042 (defun my-mh-letter-mode-hook ()
4043 "Prepare letter for editing."
4044 (when (not letter-mode-init-done) ; @r{only need to bind the keys once}
4045 (local-set-key "\C-ctb" 'add-enriched-text)
4046 (local-set-key "\C-cti" 'add-enriched-text)
4047 (local-set-key "\C-ctf" 'add-enriched-text)
4048 (local-set-key "\C-cts" 'add-enriched-text)
4049 (local-set-key "\C-ctB" 'add-enriched-text)
4050 (local-set-key "\C-ctu" 'add-enriched-text)
4051 (local-set-key "\C-ctc" 'add-enriched-text)
4052 (setq letter-mode-init-done t))
4054 (goto-char (point-max)) ; @r{go to end of message to}
4055 (mh-insert-signature))) ; @r{insert signature}
4057 @i{Prepare draft for editing via mh-letter-mode-hook}
4062 The function, @code{add-enriched-text} is defined in the example in
4063 @ref{Adding Attachments}.
4065 @vindex mh-compose-letter-function
4066 @vindex mh-letter-mode-hook
4068 The second hook, a function really, is
4069 @code{mh-compose-letter-function}. Like @code{mh-letter-mode-hook}, it
4070 is called just before editing a new message; however, it is the last
4071 function called before you edit your message. The consequence of this
4072 is that you can write a function to write and send the message for
4073 you. This function is passed three arguments: the contents of the
4074 @samp{To:}, @samp{Subject:}, and @samp{Cc:} header fields.
4076 @node Replying, Forwarding, Composing, Sending Mail
4077 @section Replying to Mail
4079 @cindex @command{mhl}
4080 @cindex @file{mhl.reply}
4081 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhl}
4082 @cindex files, @file{mhl.reply}
4087 To compose a reply to a message, use the @kbd{r} (@code{mh-reply})
4090 When you reply to a message, you are first prompted with @samp{Reply
4091 to whom?}. You have several choices here.
4094 @multitable @columnfractions .20 .80
4095 @c @headitem Response @tab Reply Goes To
4096 @c XXX @headitem not yet supported by SourceForge's texi2pdf.
4097 @item @b{Response} @tab @b{Reply Goes To}
4098 @c -------------------------
4101 The person who sent the message. This is the default, so @key{RET} is
4103 @c -------------------------
4106 Replies to the sender, plus all recipients in the @samp{To:} header field.
4107 @c -------------------------
4108 @item @kbd{cc}@*@kbd{all}
4110 Forms a reply to the addresses in the @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header
4111 field if one exists; otherwise forms a reply to the sender, plus all
4116 @cindex @command{repl}
4117 @cindex MH commands, @command{repl}
4118 @vindex mh-reply-default-reply-to
4120 Depending on your answer, @command{repl}@footnote{See the section
4121 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/reprep.html, Replying to Messages: repl} in
4122 the MH book.} is given a different argument to form your reply.
4123 Specifically, a choice of @kbd{from} or none at all runs @samp{repl
4124 -nocc all}, and a choice of @kbd{to} runs @samp{repl -cc to}. Finally,
4125 either @kbd{cc} or @kbd{all} runs @samp{repl -cc all -nocc me}. If you
4126 find that most of the time you specify one of these choices when you
4127 reply to a message, you can change the option
4128 @code{mh-reply-default-reply-to} from its default value of
4129 @samp{Prompt} to one of the choices listed above. You can always edit
4130 the recipients in the draft.
4132 @cindex @samp{repl:} MH profile component
4133 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{repl:}
4134 @cindex MH-Letter mode
4135 @cindex MH-Show mode
4137 @cindex modes, MH-Letter
4138 @cindex modes, MH-Show
4140 Two windows are then created. One window contains the message to which
4141 you are replying in an MH-Show buffer. Your draft, in MH-Letter mode
4142 (@pxref{Editing Drafts}), is in the other window. If the reply draft
4143 was not one that you expected, check the things that affect the
4144 behavior of @command{repl} which include the @samp{repl:} profile
4145 component and the @file{replcomps} and @file{replgroupcomps} files.
4147 If you supply a prefix argument (as in @kbd{C-u r}), the message you
4148 are replying to is inserted in your reply after having first been run
4149 through @command{mhl} with the format file @file{mhl.reply}. See
4150 @command{mhl}(1) or the section
4151 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/shomes.html#Usisho, Using mhl} in the MH
4152 book to see how you can modify the default @file{mhl.reply} file.
4154 @vindex mh-yank-behavior
4156 Alternatively, you can customize the option @code{mh-yank-behavior}
4157 and choose one of its @samp{Automatically} variants to do the same
4158 thing. @xref{Inserting Letter}. If you do so, the prefix argument has
4161 Another way to include the message automatically in your draft is to
4162 use @samp{repl: -filter repl.filter} in your MH profile.
4164 @vindex mh-reply-show-message-flag
4166 If you include the message automatically, you can hide the MH-Show
4167 buffer by turning off the option @code{mh-reply-show-message-flag}.
4169 If you wish to customize the header or other parts of the reply draft,
4170 please see @command{repl}(1) and @code{mh-format}(5).
4172 @node Forwarding, Redistributing, Replying, Sending Mail
4173 @section Forwarding Mail
4175 @cindex @command{forw}
4178 @cindex MH commands, @command{forw}
4181 @vindex mh-forward-hook
4183 To forward a message, use the @kbd{f} (@code{mh-forward}) command. You
4184 are prompted for the @samp{To:} and @samp{cc:} recipients. You are
4185 given a draft to edit that looks like it would if you had run the MH
4186 command @command{forw}@footnote{See the section
4187 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/forfor.html, Forwarding Messages: forw} in
4188 the MH book.}. You can then add some text (@pxref{Editing Drafts}).
4189 You can forward several messages by using a range (@pxref{Ranges}).
4190 All of the messages in the range are inserted into your draft. The
4191 hook @code{mh-forward-hook} is called on the draft.
4193 @cindex @file{.mh_profile}
4194 @cindex files, @file{.mh_profile}
4195 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{forw:}
4196 @cindex @samp{forw:} MH profile component
4197 @vindex mh-compose-forward-as-mime-flag
4199 By default, the option @code{mh-compose-forward-as-mime-flag} is on
4200 which means that the forwarded messages are included as attachments.
4201 These are inline attachments so the forwarded message should appear in
4202 the body of your recipient's mail program. If you would prefer to
4203 forward your messages verbatim (as text, inline), then turn off this
4204 option. Forwarding messages verbatim works well for short, textual
4205 messages, but your recipient won't be able to view any non-textual
4206 attachments that were in the forwarded message. Be aware that if you
4207 have @samp{forw: -mime} in your MH profile, then forwarded messages
4208 will always be included as attachments regardless of the settings of
4209 @code{mh-compose-forward-as-mime-flag}.
4211 @vindex mh-forward-subject-format
4213 The format of the @samp{Subject:} header field for forwarded messages
4214 is controlled by the option @code{mh-forward-subject-format}. This
4215 option is a string which includes two escapes (@samp{%s}). The first
4216 @samp{%s} is replaced with the sender of the original message, and the
4217 second one is replaced with the original @samp{Subject:}. The default
4218 value of @code{"%s: %s"} takes a message with the header:
4222 To: Bill Wohler <wohler@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
4223 Subject: Re: 49er football
4224 From: Greg DesBrisay <gd@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
4228 and creates a subject header field of:
4231 Subject: Greg DesBrisay: Re: 49er football
4234 @node Redistributing, Editing Again, Forwarding, Sending Mail
4235 @section Redistributing Your Mail
4237 @cindex @command{dist}
4238 @cindex MH commands, @command{dist}
4239 @cindex redistributing
4240 @findex mh-redistribute
4243 The command @kbd{M-d} (@code{mh-redistribute}) is similar in function
4244 to forwarding mail, but it does not allow you to edit the message, nor
4245 does it add your name to the @samp{From:} header field. It appears to
4246 the recipient as if the message had come from the original sender.
4247 When you run this command, you are prompted for the recipients.
4249 @findex mh-edit-again
4252 For more information on redistributing messages, see
4253 @command{dist}(1). Also investigate the command @kbd{e}
4254 (@code{mh-edit-again}) for another way to redistribute messages
4255 (@pxref{Editing Again}).
4257 @cindex @command{send}
4258 @cindex MH commands, @command{send}
4259 @vindex mh-redist-full-contents-flag
4261 The option @code{mh-redist-full-contents-flag} must be turned on if
4262 @command{dist}@footnote{See the section
4263 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/disdis.html, Distributing Messages with
4264 dist} in the MH book.} requires the whole letter for redistribution,
4265 which is the case if @command{send}@footnote{See the section
4266 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/sensen.html, Sending Some Mail: comp send}
4267 in the MH book.} is compiled with the @sc{berk} option (which many
4268 people abhor). If you find that MH will not allow you to redistribute
4269 a message that has been redistributed before, turn off this option.
4271 @node Editing Again, , Redistributing, Sending Mail
4272 @section Editing Old Drafts and Bounced Messages
4274 @cindex @file{draft}
4275 @cindex files, @file{draft}
4276 @cindex re-editing drafts
4277 @findex mh-edit-again
4282 If you don't complete a draft for one reason or another, and if the
4283 draft buffer is no longer available, you can pick your draft up again
4284 with @kbd{e} (@code{mh-edit-again}). If you don't use a draft
4285 folder, your last @file{draft} file will be used. If you use draft
4286 folders, you'll need to visit the draft folder with @kbd{F v drafts
4287 @key{RET}}, use @kbd{n} to move to the appropriate message, and then
4288 use @kbd{e} to prepare the message for editing.
4292 The @kbd{e} command can also be used to take messages that were sent
4293 to you and to send them to more people.
4295 @cindex Mailer-Daemon
4296 @findex mh-extract-rejected-mail
4300 Don't use @kbd{e} to re-edit a message from a @i{Mailer-Daemon} who
4301 complained that your mail wasn't posted for some reason or another. In
4302 this case, use @kbd{E} (@code{mh-extract-rejected-mail}) to prepare
4303 the message for editing by removing the @i{Mailer-Daemon} envelope and
4304 unneeded header fields. Fix whatever addressing problem you had, and
4305 send the message again with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
4307 @node Editing Drafts, Aliases, Sending Mail, Top
4308 @chapter Editing a Draft
4310 @cindex @samp{Letter} menu
4311 @cindex MH-Letter mode
4313 @cindex editing draft
4314 @cindex menu, @samp{Letter}
4315 @cindex modes, MH-Letter
4317 When you edit a message that you want to send (called a @dfn{draft} in
4318 this case), the mode used is MH-Letter. This mode provides several
4319 commands in addition to the normal Emacs editing commands to help you
4320 edit your draft. These can also be found in the @samp{Letter} menu.
4324 @findex mh-letter-complete-or-space
4326 Perform completion or insert space (@code{mh-letter-complete-or-space}).
4327 @c -------------------------
4329 @findex mh-letter-complete
4331 Perform completion on header field or word preceding point
4332 (@code{mh-letter-complete}).
4333 @c -------------------------
4335 @findex mh-letter-confirm-address
4337 Flash alias expansion (@code{mh-letter-confirm-address}).
4338 @c -------------------------
4340 @findex mh-letter-next-header-field-or-indent
4342 Cycle to next field (@code{mh-letter-next-header-field-or-indent}).
4343 @c -------------------------
4345 @findex mh-letter-previous-header-field
4347 Cycle to the previous header field
4348 (@code{mh-letter-previous-header-field}).
4349 @c -------------------------
4353 Display cheat sheet for the MH-E commands (@code{mh-help}).
4354 @c -------------------------
4355 @cindex @samp{Letter > Send This Draft} menu item
4356 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Send This Draft}
4358 @findex mh-send-letter
4360 Save draft and send message (@code{mh-send-letter}).
4361 @c -------------------------
4363 @findex mh-insert-identity
4365 Insert fields specified by the given identity
4366 (@code{mh-insert-identity}). @xref{Identities}.
4367 @c -------------------------
4368 @cindex @samp{Letter > Pull in All Compositions (MH)} menu item
4369 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Pull in All Compositions (MH)}
4371 @findex mh-mh-to-mime
4373 Compose @sc{mime} message from MH-style directives
4374 (@code{mh-mh-to-mime}).
4375 @c -------------------------
4381 Move to @samp{Mail-Reply-To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
4382 @c -------------------------
4387 Move to @samp{Bcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
4388 @c -------------------------
4393 Move to @samp{Cc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
4394 @c -------------------------
4399 Move to @samp{Dcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
4400 @c -------------------------
4406 Move to @samp{Fcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-fcc}).
4407 @c -------------------------
4412 Move to @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
4413 @c -------------------------
4418 Move to @samp{From:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
4419 @c -------------------------
4424 Move to @samp{Reply-To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
4425 @c -------------------------
4430 Move to @samp{Subject:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
4431 @c -------------------------
4436 Move to @samp{To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
4437 @c -------------------------
4438 @cindex @samp{Letter > Insert a Message...} menu item
4439 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Insert a Message...}
4441 @findex mh-insert-letter
4443 Insert a message (@code{mh-insert-letter}).
4444 @c -------------------------
4446 @findex mh-mml-secure-message-encrypt
4448 Add tag to encrypt the message (@code{mh-mml-secure-message-encrypt}).
4449 @c -------------------------
4450 @cindex @samp{Letter > Compose Forward...} menu item
4451 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Compose Forward...}
4454 @findex mh-compose-forward
4457 Add tag to forward a message (@code{mh-compose-forward}).
4458 @c -------------------------
4459 @cindex @samp{Letter > Compose Get File (MH)...} menu item
4460 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Compose Get File (MH)...}
4463 @findex mh-mh-compose-anon-ftp
4466 Add tag to include anonymous ftp reference to a file
4467 (@code{mh-mh-compose-anon-ftp}).
4468 @c -------------------------
4469 @cindex @samp{Letter > Compose Insertion...} menu item
4470 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Compose Insertion...}
4473 @findex mh-compose-insertion
4476 Add tag to include a file such as an image or sound
4477 (@code{mh-compose-insertion}).
4478 @c -------------------------
4479 @cindex @samp{Letter > Pull in All Compositions (MML)} menu item
4480 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Pull in All Compositions (MML)}
4483 @findex mh-mml-to-mime
4486 Compose @sc{mime} message from MML tags (@code{mh-mml-to-mime}).
4487 @c -------------------------
4490 @findex mh-mml-unsecure-message
4493 Remove any secure message tags (@code{mh-mml-unsecure-message}).
4494 @c -------------------------
4496 @findex mh-mml-secure-message-sign
4498 Add tag to sign the message (@code{mh-mml-secure-message-sign}).
4499 @c -------------------------
4500 @cindex @samp{Letter > Compose Compressed tar (MH)...} menu item
4501 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Compose Compressed tar (MH)...}
4504 @findex mh-mh-compose-external-compressed-tar
4507 Add tag to include anonymous ftp reference to a compressed tar file
4508 (@code{mh-mh-compose-external-compressed-tar}).
4509 @c -------------------------
4510 @cindex @samp{Letter > Revert to Non-MIME Edit (MH)} menu item
4511 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Revert to Non-MIME Edit (MH)}
4514 @findex mh-mh-to-mime-undo
4517 Undo effects of @kbd{C-c C-e} (@code{mh-mh-to-mime-undo}).
4518 @c -------------------------
4521 @findex mh-mh-compose-external-type
4524 Add tag to refer to a remote file
4525 (@code{mh-mh-compose-external-type}).
4526 @c -------------------------
4528 @findex mh-mml-secure-message-encrypt
4530 Add tag to encrypt the message (@code{mh-mml-secure-message-encrypt}).
4531 @c -------------------------
4533 @findex mh-mml-secure-message-signencrypt
4535 Add tag to encrypt and sign the message@*
4536 (@code{mh-mml-secure-message-signencrypt}).
4537 @c -------------------------
4539 @findex mh-mml-secure-message-signencrypt
4541 Add tag to encrypt and sign the message@*
4542 (@code{mh-mml-secure-message-signencrypt}).
4543 @c -------------------------
4545 @findex mh-mml-secure-message-sign
4547 Add tag to sign the message (@code{mh-mml-secure-message-sign}).
4548 @c -------------------------
4549 @cindex @samp{Letter > Split Current Line} menu item
4550 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Split Current Line}
4552 @findex mh-open-line
4554 Insert a newline and leave point before it (@code{mh-open-line}).
4555 @c -------------------------
4556 @cindex @samp{Letter > Kill This Draft} menu item
4557 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Kill This Draft}
4559 @findex mh-fully-kill-draft
4561 Quit editing and delete draft message (@code{mh-fully-kill-draft}).
4562 @c -------------------------
4563 @cindex @samp{Letter > Insert Signature} menu item
4564 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Insert Signature}
4566 @findex mh-insert-signature
4568 Insert signature in message (@code{mh-insert-signature}).
4569 @c -------------------------
4571 @findex mh-letter-toggle-header-field-display
4573 Toggle display of header field at point
4574 (@code{mh-letter-toggle-header-field-display}).
4575 @c -------------------------
4576 @cindex @samp{Letter > Check Recipient} menu item
4577 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Check Recipient}
4579 @findex mh-check-whom
4581 Verify recipients, showing expansion of any aliases
4582 (@code{mh-check-whom}).
4583 @c -------------------------
4584 @cindex @samp{Letter > Yank Current Message} menu item
4585 @cindex menu item, @samp{Letter > Yank Current Message}
4587 @findex mh-yank-cur-msg
4589 Insert the current message into the draft buffer
4590 (@code{mh-yank-cur-msg}).
4591 @c -------------------------
4593 @findex mh-insert-auto-fields
4595 Insert custom fields if recipient is found in
4596 @code{mh-auto-fields-list} (@code{mh-insert-auto-fields}).
4600 @cindex @samp{mh-letter} customization group
4601 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-letter}
4603 Several options from the @samp{mh-letter} customization group are used
4604 while editing a draft.
4607 @item mh-compose-insertion
4608 Type of @sc{mime} message tags in messages (default: @samp{MML} if
4609 available; otherwise @samp{MH}).
4610 @c -------------------------
4611 @item mh-compose-skipped-header-fields
4612 List of header fields to skip over when navigating in draft (default:
4613 @code{'("From"} @code{"Organization"} @code{"References"}
4614 @code{"In-Reply-To"} @code{"X-Face"} @code{"Face"}
4615 @code{"X-Image-URL"} @code{"X-Mailer")}.
4616 @c -------------------------
4617 @item mh-compose-space-does-completion-flag
4618 On means @key{SPC} does completion in message header (default:
4620 @c -------------------------
4621 @item mh-delete-yanked-msg-window-flag
4622 On means delete any window displaying the message (default: @samp{off}).
4623 @c -------------------------
4624 @item mh-extract-from-attribution-verb
4625 Verb to use for attribution when a message is yanked by @kbd{C-c C-y}
4626 (default: @code{"wrote:"}).
4627 @c -------------------------
4628 @item mh-ins-buf-prefix
4629 String to put before each line of a yanked or inserted message
4630 (default: @code{"> "}).
4631 @c -------------------------
4632 @item mh-letter-complete-function
4633 Function to call when completing outside of address or folder fields
4634 (default: @code{ispell-complete-word}).
4635 @c -------------------------
4636 @item mh-letter-fill-column
4637 Fill column to use in MH-Letter mode (default: 72).
4638 @c -------------------------
4639 @item mh-mml-method-default
4640 Default method to use in security tags (default: @samp{PGP (MIME)} if
4641 support for it is available; otherwise @samp{None}).
4642 @c -------------------------
4643 @item mh-signature-file-name
4644 Source of user's signature (default: @code{"~/.signature"}).
4645 @c -------------------------
4646 @item mh-signature-separator-flag
4647 On means a signature separator should be inserted (default:
4649 @c -------------------------
4650 @item mh-x-face-file
4651 File containing X-Face or Face header field to insert in outgoing mail.
4652 (default: @code{"~/.face"}).
4653 @c -------------------------
4654 @item mh-yank-behavior
4655 Controls which part of a message is yanked by @kbd{C-c C-y} (default:
4656 @samp{Body With Attribution}).
4659 The following hooks are available.
4662 @item mail-citation-hook
4663 Hook for modifying a citation just inserted in the mail buffer
4664 (default: @code{nil}).
4665 @c -------------------------
4666 @item mh-before-send-letter-hook
4667 Hook run at the beginning of the @kbd{C-c C-c} command (default:
4669 @c -------------------------
4670 @item mh-mh-to-mime-hook
4671 Hook run on the formatted letter by @kbd{C-c C-e} (default:
4673 @c -------------------------
4674 @item mh-insert-signature-hook
4675 Hook run by @kbd{C-c C-s} after signature has been inserted (default:
4679 The following face is available.
4682 @item mh-letter-header-field
4683 Editable header field value face in draft buffers.
4686 The commands and options introduced here are explained in more
4687 detail in the following sections.
4691 * Inserting Letter::
4692 * Inserting Messages::
4695 * Adding Attachments::
4697 * Checking Recipients::
4702 @node Editing Message, Inserting Letter, Editing Drafts, Editing Drafts
4703 @section Editing the Message
4705 @cindex @samp{Bcc:} header field
4706 @cindex @samp{Cc:} header field
4707 @cindex @samp{Dcc:} header field
4708 @cindex @samp{From:} header field
4709 @cindex @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header field
4710 @cindex @samp{Mail-Reply-To:} header field
4711 @cindex @samp{Reply-To:} header field
4712 @cindex @samp{Subject:} header field
4713 @cindex @samp{To:} header field
4714 @cindex editing header
4715 @cindex header field, @samp{Bcc:}
4716 @cindex header field, @samp{Cc:}
4717 @cindex header field, @samp{Dcc:}
4718 @cindex header field, @samp{From:}
4719 @cindex header field, @samp{Mail-Followup-To:}
4720 @cindex header field, @samp{Mail-Reply-To:}
4721 @cindex header field, @samp{Reply-To:}
4722 @cindex header field, @samp{Subject:}
4723 @cindex header field, @samp{To:}
4728 Because the header is part of the message, you can edit the header
4729 fields as you wish. However, several convenience commands exist to
4730 help you create and edit them. For example, the command @kbd{C-c C-f
4731 C-t} (@code{mh-to-field}; alternatively, @kbd{C-c C-f t}) moves the
4732 cursor to the @samp{To:} header field, creating it if necessary. The
4733 commands for moving to the @samp{Cc:}, @samp{Subject:}, @samp{From:},
4734 @samp{Reply-To:}, @samp{Mail-Reply-To:}, @samp{Mail-Followup-To},
4735 @samp{Bcc:}, and @samp{Dcc:} header fields are similar.
4741 One command behaves differently from the others, namely, @kbd{C-c C-f
4742 C-f} (@code{mh-to-fcc}; alternatively, @kbd{C-c C-f f}). This command
4743 will prompt you for the folder name in which to file a copy of the
4744 draft. @xref{Folder Selection}.
4746 @findex indent-relative
4747 @findex mh-letter-next-header-field-or-indent
4748 @findex mh-letter-previous-header-field
4751 @vindex mh-compose-skipped-header-fields
4752 @vindex mh-letter-header-field
4754 Within the header of the message, the command@* @key{TAB}
4755 (@code{mh-letter-next-header-field-or-indent}) moves between fields
4756 that are highlighted with the face @code{mh-letter-header-field},
4757 skipping those fields listed in
4758 @code{mh-compose-skipped-header-fields}. After the last field, this
4759 command then moves point to the message body before cycling back to
4760 the first field. If point is already past the first line of the
4761 message body, then this command indents by calling
4762 @code{indent-relative} with the given prefix argument. The command
4763 @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} (@code{mh-letter-previous-header-field}) moves
4764 backwards between the fields and cycles to the body of the message
4765 after the first field. Unlike the command @key{TAB}, it will always
4766 take point to the last field from anywhere in the body.
4768 @cindex alias completion
4771 @findex ispell-complete-word
4772 @findex mh-letter-complete
4773 @findex mh-letter-complete-or-space
4774 @findex mh-letter-confirm-address
4778 @vindex mh-alias-flash-on-comma
4779 @vindex mh-compose-space-does-completion-flag
4780 @vindex mh-letter-complete-function
4782 If the field contains addresses (for example, @samp{To:} or
4783 @samp{Cc:}) or folders (for example, @samp{Fcc:}) then the command
4784 @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} (@code{mh-letter-complete}) will provide alias
4785 completion (@pxref{Aliases}). In the body of the message,
4786 @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} runs @code{mh-letter-complete-function} instead,
4787 which is set to @samp{'ispell-complete-word} by default. The command
4788 @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} (@code{mh-letter-complete}) takes a prefix argument
4789 that is passed to the @code{mh-letter-complete-function}. In addition,
4790 turn on the option @code{mh-compose-space-does-completion-flag} to use
4791 the command @key{SPC} (@code{mh-letter-complete-or-space}) to perform
4792 completion in the header as well; use a prefix argument to specify
4793 more than one space. Addresses are separated by a comma; when you
4794 press the comma, the command @code{mh-letter-confirm-address} flashes
4795 the alias expansion in the minibuffer if
4796 @code{mh-alias-flash-on-comma} is turned on.
4798 @c XXX Document the replacement for the inaccessible 'long argument.
4800 @findex mh-letter-toggle-header-field-display
4803 Use the command @kbd{C-c C-t}
4804 @code{mh-letter-toggle-header-field-display} to display truncated
4805 header fields. This command is a toggle so entering it again will hide
4806 the field. This command takes a prefix argument: if negative then the
4807 field is hidden, if positive then the field is displayed (for example,
4810 Be sure to leave a row of dashes or a blank line between the header
4811 and the body of the message.
4813 @vindex mh-letter-fill-column
4815 The body of the message is edited as you would edit any Emacs buffer
4816 although there are a few commands and options to assist you. You can
4817 change the fill column in MH-Letter mode with the option
4818 @code{mh-letter-fill-column}. By default, this option is 72 to allow
4819 others to quote your message without line wrapping.
4821 @cindex filling paragraphs
4822 @cindex paragraphs, filling
4823 @findex fill-paragraph
4825 @vindex mh-ins-buf-prefix
4827 You'll often include messages that were sent from user agents that
4828 haven't yet realized that paragraphs consist of more than a single
4829 line. This makes for long lines that wrap in an ugly fashion. You'll
4830 find that @kbd{M-q} (@code{fill-paragraph}) works well even on these
4831 quoted messages, even if they are nested, just as long as all of the
4832 quotes match the value of @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix} (@pxref{Inserting
4833 Letter}). For example, let's assume you have the following in your
4838 > Hopefully this gives you an idea of what I'm currently doing. I'm \
4839 not sure yet whether I'm completely satisfied with my setup, but \
4840 it's worked okay for me so far.
4844 Running @kbd{M-q} on this paragraph produces:
4848 > Hopefully this gives you an idea of what I'm currently doing. I'm not
4849 > sure yet whether I'm completely satisfied with my setup, but it's
4850 > worked okay for me so far.
4854 @findex mh-open-line
4859 The command @kbd{C-c C-o} (@code{mh-open-line}) is similar to the
4860 command @kbd{C-o} (@code{open-line}) in that it inserts a newline
4861 after point. It differs in that it also inserts the right number of
4862 quoting characters and spaces so that the next line begins in the same
4863 column as it was. This is useful when breaking up paragraphs in
4864 replies. For example, if this command was used when point was after
4865 the first period in the paragraph above, the result would be this:
4869 > Hopefully this gives you an idea of what I'm currently doing.
4872 > sure yet whether I'm completely satisfied with my setup, but it's
4873 > worked okay for me so far.
4877 @node Inserting Letter, Inserting Messages, Editing Message, Editing Drafts
4878 @section Inserting Letter to Which You're Replying
4880 @cindex inserting messages
4881 @cindex replying to messages
4882 @cindex yanking messages
4883 @findex mh-yank-cur-msg
4885 @vindex mh-ins-buf-prefix
4887 It is often useful to insert a snippet of text from a letter that
4888 someone mailed to provide some context for your reply. The command
4889 @kbd{C-c C-y} (@code{mh-yank-cur-msg}) does this by adding an
4890 attribution, yanking a portion of text from the message to which
4891 you're replying, and inserting @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix} (@samp{> })
4896 Michael W Thelen <thelenm@@stop.mail-abuse.org> wrote:
4898 > Hopefully this gives you an idea of what I'm currently doing. I'm not
4899 > sure yet whether I'm completely satisfied with my setup, but it's
4900 > worked okay for me so far.
4904 @vindex mh-extract-from-attribution-verb
4906 The attribution consists of the sender's name and email address
4907 followed by the content of the option
4908 @code{mh-extract-from-attribution-verb}. This option can be set to
4909 @samp{wrote:}, @samp{a écrit:}, and @samp{schrieb:}. You can also use
4910 the @samp{Custom String} menu item to enter your own verb.
4912 @vindex mail-citation-hook
4913 @vindex mh-ins-buf-prefix
4914 @vindex mh-yank-behavior
4916 The prefix @code{"> "} is the default setting for the option
4917 @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}. I suggest that you not modify this option
4918 since it is used by many mailers and news readers: messages are far
4919 easier to read if several included messages have all been indented by
4920 the same string. This prefix is not inserted if you use one of the
4921 supercite flavors of @code{mh-yank-behavior} or you have added a
4922 @code{mail-citation-hook} as described below.
4924 @vindex mh-delete-yanked-msg-window-flag
4926 You can also turn on the @code{mh-delete-yanked-msg-window-flag}
4927 option to delete the window containing the original message after
4928 yanking it to make more room on your screen for your reply.
4930 @cindex Emacs, packages, supercite
4931 @cindex supercite package
4933 @vindex mail-citation-hook
4934 @vindex mh-yank-behavior
4936 You can control how the message to which you are replying is yanked
4937 into your reply using @code{mh-yank-behavior}. To include the entire
4938 message, including the entire header, use @samp{Body and
4939 Header}@footnote{If you'd rather have the header cleaned up, use
4940 @kbd{C-u r} instead of @kbd{r} when replying
4941 (@pxref{Replying}).}@footnote{In the past you would use this setting
4942 and set @code{mail-citation-hook} to @samp{supercite}, but this usage
4943 is now deprecated in favor of the @samp{Invoke supercite} setting.}.
4944 Use @samp{Body} to yank just the body without the header. To yank only
4945 the portion of the message following the point, set this option to
4948 Choose @samp{Invoke supercite}@footnote{@emph{Supercite} is a
4949 full-bodied, full-featured, citation package that comes standard with
4950 Emacs.} to pass the entire message and header through supercite.
4952 @vindex mh-extract-from-attribution-verb
4954 If the @samp{Body With Attribution} setting is used, then the message
4955 minus the header is yanked and a simple attribution line is added at
4956 the top using the value of the option
4957 @code{mh-extract-from-attribution-verb}. This is the default.
4960 @vindex mh-delete-yanked-msg-window-flag
4962 If the @samp{Invoke supercite} or @samp{Body With Attribution}
4963 settings are used, the @samp{-noformat} argument is passed to the
4964 @command{repl} program to override a @samp{-filter} or @samp{-format}
4965 argument. These settings also have @samp{Automatically} variants that
4966 perform the action automatically when you reply so that you don't need
4967 to use @kbd{C-c C-y} at all. Note that this automatic action is only
4968 performed if the show buffer matches the message being replied to.
4969 People who use the automatic variants tend to turn on the option
4970 @code{mh-delete-yanked-msg-window-flag} as well so that the show
4971 window is never displayed.
4973 @vindex mh-yank-behavior
4975 If the show buffer has a region, the option @code{mh-yank-behavior} is
4976 ignored unless its value is one of @samp{Attribution} variants in
4977 which case the attribution is added to the yanked region.
4979 @findex trivial-cite
4980 @vindex mail-citation-hook
4981 @vindex mh-ins-buf-prefix
4982 @vindex mh-yank-behavior
4984 If this isn't enough, you can gain full control over the appearance of
4985 the included text by setting @code{mail-citation-hook} to a function
4986 that modifies it. This hook is ignored if the option
4987 @code{mh-yank-behavior} is set to one of the supercite flavors.
4988 Otherwise, this option controls how much of the message is passed to
4989 the hook. The function can find the citation between point and mark
4990 and it should leave point and mark around the modified citation text
4991 for the next hook function. The standard prefix
4992 @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix} is not added if this hook is set.
4994 @cindex Emacs, packages, trivial-cite
4995 @cindex trivial-cite package
4996 @vindex mh-yank-behavior
4998 For example, if you use the hook function
4999 @uref{http://shasta.cs.uiuc.edu/~lrclause/tc.html,
5000 @code{trivial-cite}} (which is NOT part of Emacs), set
5001 @code{mh-yank-behavior} to @samp{Body and Header}.
5003 @node Inserting Messages, Signature, Inserting Letter, Editing Drafts
5004 @section Inserting Messages
5006 @cindex inserting messages
5007 @findex mh-insert-letter
5008 @findex mh-yank-behavior
5010 @vindex mh-ins-buf-prefix
5011 @vindex mh-invisible-header-fields-compiled
5012 @vindex mh-yank-behavior
5014 Messages can be inserted with @kbd{C-c C-i} (@code{mh-insert-letter}).
5015 This command prompts you for the folder and message number, which
5016 defaults to the current message in that folder. It then inserts the
5017 messages, indented by @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix} (@samp{> }) unless
5018 @code{mh-yank-behavior} is set to one of the supercite flavors in
5019 which case supercite is used to format the message. Certain
5020 undesirable header fields (see
5021 @code{mh-invisible-header-fields-compiled}) are removed before
5024 If given a prefix argument (like @kbd{C-u C-c C-i}), the header is
5025 left intact, the message is not indented, and @samp{> } is not
5026 inserted before each line. This command leaves the mark before the
5027 letter and point after it.
5029 @node Signature, Picture, Inserting Messages, Editing Drafts
5030 @section Inserting Your Signature
5033 @findex mh-insert-signature
5036 You can insert your signature at the current cursor location with the
5037 command @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{mh-insert-signature}).
5039 @cindex files, @file{.signature}
5040 @cindex @file{.signature}
5042 @vindex mh-signature-file-name
5044 By default, the text of your signature is taken from the file
5045 @file{~/.signature}. You can read from other sources by changing the
5046 option @code{mh-signature-file-name}. This file may contain a
5047 @dfn{vCard} in which case an attachment is added with the vCard.
5049 @findex mh-signature-separator-p
5050 @vindex mh-signature-file-name
5051 @vindex mh-signature-separator
5052 @vindex mh-signature-separator-regexp
5054 The option @code{mh-signature-file-name} may also be a symbol, in
5055 which case that function is called. You may not want a signature
5056 separator to be added for you; instead you may want to insert one
5057 yourself. Options that you may find useful to do this include
5058 @code{mh-signature-separator} (when inserting a signature separator)
5059 and @code{mh-signature-separator-regexp} (for finding said separator).
5060 The function @code{mh-signature-separator-p}, which reports @code{t}
5061 if the buffer contains a separator, may be useful as well.
5063 @cindex signature separator
5064 @vindex mh-signature-separator-flag
5066 A signature separator (@code{"-- "}) will be added if the signature
5067 block does not contain one and @code{mh-signature-separator-flag} is
5068 on. It is not recommended that you change this option since various
5069 mail user agents, including MH-E, use the separator to present the
5070 signature differently, and to suppress the signature when replying or
5071 yanking a letter into a draft.
5073 @vindex mh-insert-signature-hook
5074 @vindex mh-signature-file-name
5076 The hook @code{mh-insert-signature-hook} is run after the signature is
5077 inserted. Hook functions may access the actual name of the file or the
5078 function used to insert the signature with
5079 @code{mh-signature-file-name}.
5081 The signature can also be inserted using Identities.
5084 @node Picture, Adding Attachments, Signature, Editing Drafts
5085 @section Inserting Your Picture
5087 @cindex @file{.face}
5088 @cindex files, @file{.face}
5089 @vindex mh-x-face-file
5091 You can insert your picture in the header of your mail message so that
5092 recipients see your face in the @samp{From:} header field if their
5093 mail user agent is sophisticated enough. In MH-E, this is done by
5094 placing your image in the file named by the option
5095 @code{mh-x-face-file} which is @file{~/.face} by default.
5097 @cindex @samp{Face:} header field
5098 @cindex @samp{X-Face:} header field
5099 @cindex @samp{X-Image-URL:} header field
5100 @cindex header field, @samp{Face:}
5101 @cindex header field, @samp{X-Face:}
5102 @cindex header field, @samp{X-Image-URL:}
5104 If the file starts with either of the strings @samp{X-Face:},
5105 @samp{Face:} or @samp{X-Image-URL:} then the contents are added to the
5106 message header verbatim. Otherwise it is assumed that the file
5107 contains the value of the @samp{X-Face:} header field.
5109 @cindex @command{compface}
5110 @cindex Unix commands, @command{compface}
5112 The @samp{X-Face:} header field, which is a low-resolution, black and
5113 white image, can be generated using the
5114 @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/faces/compface/compface.tar.Z,
5115 @command{compface}} command. The @uref{http://www.dairiki.org/xface/,
5116 @cite{Online X-Face Converter}} is a useful resource for quick
5117 conversion of images into @samp{X-Face:} header fields.
5119 Use the @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/make-face,
5120 @command{make-face}} script to convert a JPEG image to the higher
5121 resolution, color, @samp{Face:} header field.
5123 The URL of any image can be used for the @samp{X-Image-URL:} field and
5124 no processing of the image is required.
5126 @vindex mh-x-face-file
5128 To prevent the setting of any of these header fields, either set
5129 @code{mh-x-face-file} to @code{nil}, or simply ensure that the file
5130 defined by this option doesn't exist.
5132 @xref{Viewing}, to see how these header fields are displayed in MH-E.
5134 @node Adding Attachments, Sending PGP, Picture, Editing Drafts
5135 @section Adding Attachments
5137 @cindex @command{mhbuild}
5138 @cindex @command{mhn}
5139 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhbuild}
5140 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhn}
5142 @cindex multimedia mail
5144 MH-E has the capability to create multimedia messages. It uses the
5145 @sc{mime} (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
5146 protocol@footnote{@sc{mime} is defined in
5147 @uref{http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2045.txt, RFC 2045}.} The
5148 @sc{mime} protocol allows you to incorporate images, sound, video,
5149 binary files, and even commands that fetch a file with @samp{ftp} when
5150 your recipient reads the message!
5154 If you were to create a multimedia message with plain MH commands, you
5155 would insert @command{mhbuild} or @command{mhn} directives (henceforth
5156 called @dfn{MH-style directives} into your draft and use the
5157 @command{mhbuild} command in nmh or @command{mhn} command in MH and
5158 GNU mailutils to expand them. MH-E works in much the same way,
5159 although it provides a handful of commands prefixed with @kbd{C-c C-m}
5160 to insert the directives so you don't need to remember the syntax of
5161 them. Remember: you can always add MH-style directives by
5162 hand@footnote{See the section
5163 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/usimim.html#SeMIMa, Sending MIME Mail} in
5166 @cindex MIME Meta Language (MML)
5168 @vindex mh-compose-insertion
5170 In addition to MH-style directives, MH-E also supports MML (@sc{mime}
5171 Meta Language) tags@footnote{
5173 @c Although the third argument should default to the
5174 @c first, makeinfo goes to the wrong Info file without it being
5175 @c different--it seems to be getting our own Composing node.
5176 @xref{Composing,,Composing with MML,emacs-mime}.
5179 See the section Composing in
5180 @uref{http://www.gnus.org/manual/emacs-mime.html, @cite{The Emacs MIME
5183 }. The option @code{mh-compose-insertion} can be used to choose
5184 between them. By default, this option is set to @samp{MML} if it is
5185 supported since it provides a lot more functionality. This option can
5186 also be set to @samp{MH} if MH-style directives are preferred.
5189 @cindex MIME, media types
5191 The MH-E @sc{mime} commands require a @dfn{media type} for each body
5192 part or attachment. For example, a PDF document is of type
5193 @samp{application/pdf} and an HTML document is of type
5194 @samp{text/html}. Some commands fill in the media type for you,
5195 whereas others require you to enter one.
5197 @cindex @command{file}
5198 @cindex @file{/etc/mime.types}
5199 @cindex files, @file{/etc/mime.types}
5200 @cindex Unix commands, @command{file}
5201 @findex mailcap-mime-types
5203 In the cases where MH-E can do so, it will determine the media type
5204 automatically. It uses the @command{file} command to do this. Failing
5205 that, the Emacs function @code{mailcap-mime-types} is used to provide
5206 a list from which to choose. This function usually reads the file
5207 @file{/etc/mime.types}.
5209 Whether the media type is chosen automatically, or you choose it from
5210 a list, use the type that seems to match best the file that you are
5211 including. In the case of binaries, the media type
5212 @samp{application/x-executable} can be useful. If you can't find an
5213 appropriate media type, use @samp{text/plain} for text messages and
5214 @samp{application/octet-stream} for everything else.
5216 @cindex content description
5217 @cindex MIME, content description
5219 You are also sometimes asked for a @dfn{content description}. This is
5220 simply an optional brief phrase, in your own words, that describes the
5221 object. If you don't care to enter a content description, just press
5222 return and none will be included; however, a reader may skip over
5223 multimedia fields unless the content description is compelling.
5225 You can also create your own @sc{mime} body parts. In the following
5226 example, I describe how you can create and edit a @samp{text/enriched}
5227 body part to liven up your plain text messages with boldface,
5228 underlining, and italics. I include an Emacs function which inserts
5233 (defvar enriched-text-types '(("b" . "bold") ("i" . "italic")
5235 ("s" . "smaller") ("B" . "bigger")
5238 "Alist of (final-character . tag) choices for add-enriched-text.
5239 Additional types can be found in RFC 1563.")
5241 (defun add-enriched-text (begin end)
5242 "Add enriched text tags around region.
5243 The tag used comes from the list enriched-text-types and is
5244 specified by the last keystroke of the command. When called from Lisp,
5245 arguments are BEGIN and END@."
5247 ;; @r{Set type to the tag indicated by the last keystroke.}
5248 (let ((type (cdr (assoc (char-to-string (logior last-input-char ?@w{`}))
5249 enriched-text-types))))
5250 (save-restriction ; @r{restores state from narrow-to-region}
5251 (narrow-to-region begin end) ; @r{narrow view to region}
5252 (goto-char (point-min)) ; @r{move to beginning of text}
5253 (insert "<" type ">") ; @r{insert beginning tag}
5254 (goto-char (point-max)) ; @r{move to end of text}
5255 (insert "</" type ">")))) ; @r{insert terminating tag}
5256 @i{Emacs function for entering enriched text}
5261 To use the function @code{add-enriched-text}, first add it to
5262 @file{~/.emacs} and create key bindings for it (@pxref{Composing}).
5264 Then, in your plain text message, set the mark with @kbd{C-@@} or
5265 @kbd{C-@key{SPC}}, type in the text to be highlighted, and type @kbd{C-c t
5266 b}. This adds @samp{<bold>} where you set the mark and adds
5267 @samp{</bold>} at the location of your cursor, giving you something
5268 like: @samp{You should be <bold>very</bold>}.
5270 Before sending this message, use @kbd{C-c C-m C-m}
5271 (@code{mh-mml-to-mime})@footnote{Use @kbd{C-c C-e}
5272 (@code{mh-mh-to-mime}) if you're using MH-style directives.} to add
5273 MIME header fields. Then replace @samp{text/plain} with
5274 @samp{text/enriched} in the @samp{Content-Type:} header field.
5276 You may also be interested in investigating @code{sgml-mode}.
5278 @subheading Including Files
5280 @cindex attachments, inserting
5282 @cindex MIME, images
5287 @findex mh-compose-insertion
5290 @vindex mh-compose-insertion
5292 Binaries, images, sound, and video can be inserted in your message
5293 with the command @kbd{C-c C-m C-i} (@code{mh-compose-insertion}). You
5294 are prompted for the filename containing the object, the media type if
5295 it cannot be determined automatically, and a content description. If
5296 you're using MH-style directives, you will also be prompted for
5297 additional attributes.
5299 @subheading Forwarding Multimedia Messages
5301 @findex mh-compose-forward
5305 Mail may be forwarded with @sc{mime} using the command @kbd{C-c C-m
5306 C-f} (@code{mh-compose-forward}). You are prompted for a content
5307 description, the name of the folder in which the messages to forward
5308 are located, and a range of messages, which defaults to the current
5309 message in that folder. @xref{Ranges}.
5311 @subheading Including an FTP Reference
5313 @cindex @command{ftp}
5314 @cindex MIME, @command{ftp}
5315 @cindex Unix commands, @command{ftp}
5316 @findex mh-mh-compose-anon-ftp
5320 You can have your message initiate an @command{ftp} transfer when the
5321 recipient reads the message. To do this, use the command @kbd{C-c C-m
5322 C-g} (@code{mh-mh-compose-anon-ftp}). You are prompted for the remote
5323 host and filename, the media type, and the content description.
5325 @subheading Including tar Files
5327 @cindex @command{ftp}
5328 @cindex @command{tar}
5329 @cindex MIME, @command{ftp}
5330 @cindex MIME, @command{tar}
5331 @cindex Unix commands, @command{ftp}
5332 @cindex Unix commands, @command{tar}
5333 @findex mh-mh-compose-anon-ftp
5334 @findex mh-mh-compose-external-compressed-tar
5339 If the remote file is a compressed tar file, you can use @kbd{C-c C-m
5340 C-t} (@code{mh-mh-compose-external-compressed-tar}). Then, in addition
5341 to retrieving the file via anonymous @emph{ftp} as per the command
5342 @kbd{C-c C-m C-g} (@code{mh-mh-compose-anon-ftp}), the file will also
5343 be uncompressed and untarred. You are prompted for the remote host and
5344 filename and the content description.
5346 @subheading Including Other External Files
5348 @findex mh-mh-compose-external-type
5352 The command @kbd{C-c C-m C-x} (@code{mh-mh-compose-external-type}) is
5353 a general utility for referencing external files. In fact, all of the
5354 other commands that insert tags to access external files call this
5355 command. You are prompted for the access type, remote host and
5356 filename, and content type. If you provide a prefix argument, you are
5357 also prompted for a content description, attributes, parameters, and a
5360 @subheading Previewing Multimedia Messages
5362 When you are finished editing a @sc{mime} message, it might look like this:
5366 3 t08/24 root received fax files on Wed Aug 24 11:00:
5367 4+t08/24 To:wohler Test<<This is a test message to get the
5373 --:%% @{+inbox@} 4 msgs (1-4) Bot L4 (MH-Folder Show)---------------
5376 Subject: Test of MIME
5378 Here is the SETI@@Home logo:
5380 <#part type="image/x-xpm" filename="~/lib/images/setiathome.xpm"
5381 disposition=inline description="SETI@@home logo">
5383 --:** @{draft@} All L8 (MH-Letter)----------------------------------
5387 @i{MH-E @sc{mime} draft}
5389 @findex mh-mml-to-mime
5393 Typically, you send a message with attachments just like any other
5394 message (@pxref{Sending Message}).
5396 @findex mh-mml-to-mime
5399 However, you may take a sneak preview of the @sc{mime} encoding if you
5400 wish by running the command @kbd{C-c C-m C-m} (@code{mh-mml-to-mime}).
5401 The following screen shows the @sc{mime} encoding specified by the
5402 tags. You can see why mail user agents are usually built to hide these
5403 details from the user.
5409 Subject: Test of MIME
5410 X-Mailer: MH-E 8.0; nmh 1.1; GNU Emacs 22.1
5412 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="=-=-="
5416 Here is the SETI@@Home logo:
5420 Content-Type: image/x-xpm
5421 Content-Disposition: inline; filename=setiathome.xpm
5422 Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
5423 Content-Description: SETI@@home logo
5425 LyogWFBNICovCnN0YXRpYyBjaGFyICogc2V0aWF0aG9tZV94cG1bXSA9IHsKIjQ1IDQ1IDc2N
5426 --:-- @{draft@} Top L1 (MH-Letter)----------------------------------
5430 @i{MH-E @sc{mime} draft ready to send}
5432 @cindex undo effects of mh-mml-to-mime
5434 This action can be undone by running @kbd{C-_} (@code{undo}).
5436 @cindex @command{mhbuild}
5437 @cindex @command{mhn}
5438 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhbuild}
5439 @cindex MH commands, @command{mhn}
5440 @cindex undo effects of mh-mh-to-mime
5441 @findex mh-mh-to-mime
5442 @findex mh-mh-to-mime-undo
5448 If you're using MH-style directives, use @kbd{C-c C-e}
5449 (@code{mh-mh-to-mime}) instead of @kbd{C-c C-m C-m}. This runs the
5450 command @command{mhbuild} (@command{mhn}) on the message which expands
5451 the tags@footnote{See the section
5452 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/usimim.html#SeMIMa, Sending MIME Mail} in
5453 the MH book.}. This action can be undone by running @kbd{C-c C-m C-u}
5454 (@code{mh-mh-to-mime-undo}), which works by reverting to a backup
5455 file. You are prompted to confirm this action, but you can avoid the
5456 confirmation by adding an argument (for example, @kbd{C-u C-c C-m
5460 @vindex mh-mh-to-mime-args
5462 If you wish to pass additional arguments to @command{mhbuild}
5463 (@command{mhn}) to affect how it builds your message, use the option
5464 @code{mh-mh-to-mime-args}. For example, you can build a consistency
5465 check into the message by setting @code{mh-mh-to-mime-args} to
5466 @samp{-check}. The recipient of your message can then run
5467 @samp{mhbuild -check} on the message---@command{mhbuild}
5468 (@command{mhn}) will complain if the message has been corrupted on the
5469 way. The command @kbd{C-c C-e} only consults this option when given a
5470 prefix argument (as in @kbd{C-u C-c C-e}).
5473 @vindex mh-mh-to-mime-hook
5475 The hook @code{mh-mh-to-mime-hook} is called after the message has
5476 been formatted by @kbd{C-c C-e}.
5478 @node Sending PGP, Checking Recipients, Adding Attachments, Editing Drafts
5479 @section Signing and Encrypting Messages
5481 @cindex signing messages
5482 @cindex encrypting messages
5485 MH-E can sign and encrypt messages as defined in
5486 @uref{http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3156.txt, RFC 3156}. If you
5487 should choose to sign or encrypt your message, use one of the
5488 following commands to do so any time before sending your message.
5490 @findex mh-mml-secure-message-encrypt
5491 @findex mh-mml-secure-message-sign
5492 @findex mh-mml-secure-message-signencrypt
5500 The command @kbd{C-c C-m C-s} (@code{mh-mml-secure-message-sign})
5501 inserts the following tag:
5504 <#secure method=pgpmime mode=sign>
5507 This is used to sign your message digitally. Likewise, the command
5508 @kbd{C-c C-m C-e} (@code{mh-mml-secure-message-encrypt}) inserts the
5512 <#secure method=pgpmime mode=encrypt>
5515 This is used to encrypt your message. Finally, the command @kbd{C-c
5516 C-m s e} (@code{mh-mml-secure-message-signencrypt}) inserts the
5520 <#secure method=pgpmime mode=signencrypt>
5523 @findex mh-mml-unsecure-message
5526 @vindex mh-mml-method-default
5528 This is used to sign and encrypt your message. In each of these cases,
5529 a proper multipart message is created for you when you send the
5530 message. Use the command @kbd{C-c C-m C-n}
5531 (@code{mh-mml-unsecure-message}) to remove these tags. Use a prefix
5532 argument (as in @kbd{C-u C-c C-m s e}) to be prompted for one of the
5533 possible security methods (see @code{mh-mml-method-default}).
5535 @vindex mh-mml-method-default
5537 The option @code{mh-mml-method-default} is used to select between a
5538 variety of mail security mechanisms. The default is @samp{PGP (MIME)}
5539 if it is supported; otherwise, the default is @samp{None}. Other
5540 mechanisms include vanilla @samp{PGP} and @samp{S/MIME}.
5542 @cindex @samp{pgg} customization group
5544 @cindex customization group, @samp{pgg}
5546 The @samp{pgg} customization group may have some settings which may
5549 See @cite{The PGG Manual}.
5552 @xref{Top, , The PGG Manual, pgg, The PGG Manual}.
5556 @uref{http://www.dk.xemacs.org/Documentation/packages/html/pgg.html,
5557 @cite{The PGG Manual}}.
5560 @cindex header field, @samp{Fcc:}
5561 @cindex @samp{Fcc:} header field
5562 @vindex pgg-encrypt-for-me
5564 In particular, I turn on the option @code{pgg-encrypt-for-me} so that
5565 all messages I encrypt are encrypted with my public key as well. If
5566 you keep a copy of all of your outgoing mail with a @samp{Fcc:} header
5567 field, this setting is vital so that you can read the mail you write!
5569 @node Checking Recipients, Sending Message, Sending PGP, Editing Drafts
5570 @section Checking Recipients
5572 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Recipients*}
5573 @cindex @command{whom}
5574 @cindex MH commands, @command{whom}
5575 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Recipients*}
5576 @cindex checking recipients
5577 @cindex recipients, checking
5578 @findex mh-check-whom
5581 The command @kbd{C-c C-w} (@code{mh-check-whom}) expands aliases so
5582 you can check the actual address(es) in the alias. A new buffer named
5583 @samp{*MH-E Recipients*} is created with the output of @command{whom}
5584 (@pxref{Miscellaneous})@footnote{See the section
5585 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/senove.html#WhaPro, What now? -- and the
5586 whatnow Program} in the MH book.}.
5588 @node Sending Message, Killing Draft, Checking Recipients, Editing Drafts
5589 @section Sending a Message
5591 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Mail Delivery*}
5592 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Mail Delivery*}
5593 @cindex sending mail
5594 @findex mh-send-letter
5597 When you are all through editing a message, you send it with the
5598 command @kbd{C-c C-c} (@code{mh-send-letter}). You can give a prefix
5599 argument (as in @kbd{C-u C-c C-c}) to monitor the first stage of the
5600 delivery; this output can be found in a buffer called @samp{*MH-E Mail
5601 Delivery*} (@pxref{Miscellaneous}).
5603 @cindex sending mail
5605 @findex ispell-message
5607 @vindex mh-before-send-letter-hook
5609 The hook @code{mh-before-send-letter-hook} is run at the beginning of
5610 the command @kbd{C-c C-c}. For example, if you want to check your
5611 spelling in your message before sending, add the function
5612 @code{ispell-message}.
5614 @cindex @command{send}
5615 @cindex MH commands, @command{send}
5616 @vindex mh-send-prog
5618 In case the MH @command{send} program@footnote{See the section
5619 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/sensen.html, Sending Some Mail: comp send}
5620 in the MH book.} is installed under a different name, use
5621 @code{mh-send-prog} to tell MH-E the name.
5623 @node Killing Draft, , Sending Message, Editing Drafts
5624 @section Killing the Draft
5626 @cindex killing draft
5628 @findex mh-fully-kill-draft
5632 If for some reason you are not happy with the draft, you can use the
5633 command @kbd{C-c C-q} (@code{mh-fully-kill-draft}) to kill the draft
5634 buffer and delete the draft message. Use the command @kbd{C-x k}
5635 (@code{kill-buffer}) if you don't want to delete the draft message.
5637 @node Aliases, Identities, Editing Drafts, Top
5642 MH aliases are used in the same way in MH-E as they are in MH. Any
5643 alias listed as a recipient will be expanded when the message is sent.
5644 This chapter discusses other things you can do with aliases in MH-E.
5646 @cindex MH-Letter mode
5647 @cindex modes, MH-Letter
5649 The following commands are available in MH-Letter mode with the
5650 exception of @code{mh-alias-reload} which can be called from anywhere.
5654 @findex mh-letter-complete-or-space
5656 Perform completion or insert space (@code{mh-letter-complete-or-space}).
5657 @c -------------------------
5659 @findex mh-letter-complete
5661 Perform completion on header field or word preceding point
5662 (@code{mh-letter-complete}).
5663 @c -------------------------
5664 @findex mh-alias-apropos
5665 @item mh-alias-apropos
5666 Show all aliases or addresses that match a regular expression.
5667 @c -------------------------
5668 @findex mh-alias-grab-from-field
5669 @item mh-alias-grab-from-field
5670 Add alias for the sender of the current message
5671 @c -------------------------
5672 @findex mh-alias-reload
5673 @item mh-alias-reload
5677 @cindex @samp{mh-alias} customization group
5678 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-alias}
5680 The @samp{mh-alias} customization group contains options associated
5684 @item mh-alias-completion-ignore-case-flag
5685 On means don't consider case significant in MH alias completion
5686 (default: @samp{on}).
5687 @c -------------------------
5688 @item mh-alias-expand-aliases-flag
5689 On means to expand aliases entered in the minibuffer (default:
5691 @c -------------------------
5692 @item mh-alias-flash-on-comma
5693 Specify whether to flash address or warn on translation (default: @samp{Flash
5694 but Don't Warn If No Alias}).
5695 @c -------------------------
5696 @item mh-alias-insert-file
5697 Filename used to store a new MH-E alias (default: @samp{Use Aliasfile
5698 Profile Component}).
5699 @c -------------------------
5700 @item mh-alias-insertion-location
5701 Specifies where new aliases are entered in alias files (default:
5702 @samp{Alphabetical}).
5703 @c -------------------------
5704 @item mh-alias-local-users
5705 If @samp{on}, local users are added to alias completion (default:
5707 @c -------------------------
5708 @item mh-alias-local-users-prefix
5709 String prefixed to the real names of users from the password file
5710 (default: @code{"local."}.
5711 @c -------------------------
5712 @item mh-alias-passwd-gecos-comma-separator-flag
5713 On means the GECOS field in the password file uses a comma separator
5714 (default: @samp{on}).
5717 The following hook is available.
5720 @item mh-alias-reloaded-hook
5721 Hook run by @code{mh-alias-reload} after loading aliases (default:
5725 @subheading Adding Addresses to Draft
5727 You can use aliases when you are adding recipients to a message.
5729 @findex minibuffer-complete
5731 @vindex mh-alias-expand-aliases-flag
5732 @vindex mh-compose-prompt-flag
5734 In order to use minibuffer prompting for recipients and the subject
5735 line in the minibuffer, turn on the option
5736 @code{mh-compose-prompt-flag} (@pxref{Composing}), and use the
5737 @key{TAB} (@code{minibuffer-complete}) command to complete aliases
5738 (and optionally local logins) when prompted for the recipients. Turn
5739 on the option @code{mh-alias-expand-aliases-flag} if you want these
5740 aliases to be expanded to their respective addresses in the draft.
5742 @findex mh-letter-complete
5743 @findex mh-letter-complete-or-space
5747 Otherwise, you can complete aliases in the header of the draft with
5748 @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} (@code{mh-letter-complete}) or @key{SPC}
5749 (@code{mh-letter-complete-or-space}).
5751 @vindex mh-alias-completion-ignore-case-flag
5753 As MH ignores case in the aliases, so too does MH-E. However, you may
5754 turn off the option @code{mh-alias-completion-ignore-case-flag} to
5755 make case significant which can be used to segregate completion of
5756 your aliases. You might use uppercase for mailing lists and lowercase
5757 for people. For example, you might have:
5760 mark.baushke: Mark Baushke <mdb@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
5761 MH-E: MH-E Mailing List <mh-e-devel@@stop.mail-abuse.org>
5764 When this option is turned off, if you were to type @kbd{M} in the
5765 @samp{To:} field and then @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}, then you'd get the list;
5766 if you started with @kbd{m} and then entered @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}, then
5767 you'd get Mark's address. Note that this option affects completion
5768 only. If you were to enter @kbd{Mark.Baushke}, it would still be
5769 identified with your @samp{mark.baushke} alias.
5771 @findex mh-alias-minibuffer-confirm-address
5772 @findex mh-letter-confirm-address
5773 @vindex mh-alias-flash-on-comma
5774 @vindex mh-compose-prompt-flag
5776 To verify that the alias you've entered is valid, the alias will be
5777 displayed in the minibuffer when you type a comma
5778 (@code{mh-letter-confirm-address} or
5779 @code{mh-alias-minibuffer-confirm-address} if the option
5780 @code{mh-compose-prompt-flag} is turned on). @xref{Composing}. This
5781 behavior can be controlled with the option
5782 @code{mh-alias-flash-on-comma} which provides three choices:
5783 @samp{Flash but Don't Warn If No Alias}, @samp{Flash and Warn If No
5784 Alias}, and @samp{Don't Flash Nor Warn If No Alias}.
5786 For another way to verify the alias expansion, see @ref{Checking
5789 @subheading Loading Aliases
5791 @cindex @command{ali}
5792 @cindex @file{/etc/nmh/MailAliases}
5793 @cindex @samp{Aliasfile:} MH profile component
5794 @cindex MH commands, @command{ali}
5795 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{Aliasfile:}
5796 @cindex files, @file{/etc/nmh/MailAliases}
5798 MH-E loads aliases for completion and folder name hints from various
5799 places. It uses the MH command @command{ali}@footnote{See the section
5800 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/mh.html, MH Aliases} in the MH book.} to
5801 read aliases from the files listed in the profile component
5802 @samp{Aliasfile:} as well as system-wide aliases (for example,
5803 @file{/etc/nmh/MailAliases}).
5805 @cindex @file{/etc/passwd}
5806 @cindex files, @file{/etc/passwd}
5808 In addition, aliases are created from @file{/etc/passwd} entries with
5809 a user ID larger than a magical number, typically 200. This can be a
5810 handy tool on a machine where you and co-workers exchange messages.
5811 These aliases have the form @samp{local.@var{first.last}} if a real
5812 name is present in the password file. Otherwise, the alias will have
5813 the form @samp{local.@var{login}}.
5815 @vindex mh-alias-local-users-prefix
5817 The prefix @samp{local.} can be modified via the option
5818 @code{mh-alias-local-users-prefix}. This option can also be set to
5821 For example, consider the following password file entry:
5824 psg:x:1000:1000:Peter S Galbraith,,,:/home/psg:/bin/tcsh
5827 @vindex mh-alias-local-users-prefix
5829 The following settings of option @code{mh-alias-local-users-prefix}
5830 will produce the associated aliases:
5834 local.peter.galbraith
5835 @c -------------------------
5838 @c -------------------------
5843 @vindex mh-alias-passwd-gecos-comma-separator-flag
5845 In the example above, commas are used to separate different values
5846 within the so-called GECOS field. This is a fairly common usage.
5847 However, in the rare case that the GECOS field in your password file
5848 is not separated by commas and whose contents may contain commas, you
5849 can turn the option @code{mh-alias-passwd-gecos-comma-separator-flag}
5852 @cindex NIS, obtaining local aliases from
5853 @cindex @samp{ypcat passwd}
5854 @vindex mh-alias-local-users
5856 If you're on a system with thousands of users you don't know, and the
5857 loading of local aliases slows MH-E down noticeably, then the local
5858 alias feature can be disabled by turning off the option
5859 @code{mh-alias-local-users}. This option also takes a string which is
5860 executed to generate the password file. For example, use @samp{ypcat
5861 passwd} to obtain the NIS password file.
5863 @findex mh-alias-reload
5864 @kindex M-x mh-alias-reload
5865 @vindex mh-alias-reloaded-hook
5867 Since aliases are updated frequently, MH-E reloads aliases
5868 automatically whenever an alias lookup occurs if an alias source has
5869 changed. However, you can reload your aliases manually by calling the
5870 command @kbd{M-x mh-alias-reload} directly. This command runs
5871 @code{mh-alias-reloaded-hook} after the aliases have been loaded.
5873 @subheading Adding Aliases
5875 In the past, you have manually added aliases to your alias file(s)
5876 listed in your @samp{Aliasfile:} profile component. MH-E provides
5877 other methods for maintaining your alias file(s).
5879 @findex mh-alias-add-alias
5880 @kindex M-x mh-alias-add-alias
5882 You can use the @kbd{M-x mh-alias-add-alias} command which will prompt
5883 you for the alias and address that you would like to add. If the alias
5884 exists already, you will have the choice of inserting the new alias
5885 before or after the old alias. In the former case, this alias will be
5886 used when sending mail to this alias. In the latter case, the alias
5887 serves as an additional folder name hint when filing messages
5888 (@pxref{Folder Selection}).
5890 Earlier, the alias prefix @samp{local} was presented. You can use
5891 other prefixes to organize your aliases or disambiguate entries. You
5892 might use prefixes for locales, jobs, or activities. For example, I
5898 attensity.don.mitchell: Don Mitchell <dmitchell@@stop.mail-abuse.com>
5899 isharp.don.mitchell: Don Mitchell <donaldsmitchell@@stop.mail-abuse.com>
5902 diving.ken.mayer: Ken Mayer <kmayer@@stop.mail-abuse.com>
5903 sailing.mike.maloney: Mike Maloney <mmaloney@@stop.mail-abuse.com>
5906 ariane.kolkmann: Ariane Kolkmann <ArianeKolkmann@@stop.mail-abuse.com>
5911 Using prefixes instead of postfixes helps you explore aliases during
5912 completion. If you forget the name of an old dive buddy, you can enter
5913 @samp{div} and then @key{SPC} to get a listing of all your dive buddies.
5915 @kindex M-x mh-alias-add-address-under-point
5916 @kindex M-x mh-alias-grab-from-field
5918 An alias for the sender of the current message is added automatically
5919 by clicking on the @samp{Grab From alias} tool bar button or by running
5920 the @kbd{M-x mh-alias-grab-from-field} command. Aliases for other
5921 recipients of the current message are added by placing your cursor
5922 over the desired recipient and giving the @kbd{M-x
5923 mh-alias-add-address-under-point} command.
5925 @vindex mh-alias-insert-file
5926 @vindex mh-alias-insertion-location
5928 The options @code{mh-alias-insert-file} and
5929 @code{mh-alias-insertion-location} controls how and where these aliases
5932 @vindex mh-alias-insert-file
5934 The default setting of option @code{mh-alias-insert-file} is @samp{Use
5935 Aliasfile Profile Component}. This option can also hold the name of a
5936 file or a list a file names. If this option is set to a list of file
5937 names, or the @samp{Aliasfile:} profile component contains more than
5938 one file name, MH-E will prompt for one of them.
5940 @vindex mh-alias-insertion-location
5942 The option @code{mh-alias-insertion-location} is set to
5943 @samp{Alphabetical} by default. If you organize your alias file in
5944 other ways, then the settings @samp{Top} and @samp{Bottom} might be
5947 @subheading Querying Aliases
5949 @cindex regular expressions, @code{mh-alias-apropos}
5950 @findex mh-alias-apropos
5951 @kindex M-x mh-alias-apropos
5953 If you can't quite remember an alias, you can use @kbd{M-x
5954 mh-alias-apropos} to show all aliases or addresses that match a
5957 (@pxref{Regexps, , Syntax of Regular Expressions, emacs, The
5962 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Regexps.html,
5963 Syntax of Regular Expressions} in
5964 @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}).
5967 @node Identities, Speedbar, Aliases, Top
5971 @cindex multiple personalities
5973 MH-E supports the concept of multiple personalities or identities.
5974 This means that you can easily have a different header and signature
5975 at home and at work.
5977 @cindex @samp{Identity} menu
5978 @cindex menu, @samp{Identity}
5980 A couple of commands are used to insert identities in MH-Letter mode
5981 which are also found in the @samp{Identity} menu.
5985 @findex mh-insert-identity
5987 Insert fields specified by given identity (@code{mh-insert-identity}).
5988 @c -------------------------
5989 @cindex @samp{Identity > Insert Auto Fields} menu item
5990 @cindex menu item, @samp{Identity > Insert Auto Fields}
5992 @findex mh-insert-auto-fields
5994 Insert custom fields if recipient found in @code{mh-auto-fields-list}
5995 (@code{mh-insert-auto-fields}).
5998 @cindex @samp{mh-identity} customization group
5999 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-identity}
6001 The @samp{mh-identity} customization group contains the following
6005 @item mh-auto-fields-list
6006 List of recipients for which header lines are automatically inserted
6007 (default: @code{nil}).
6008 @c -------------------------
6009 @item mh-auto-fields-prompt-flag
6010 On means to prompt before sending if fields inserted (default:
6012 @c -------------------------
6013 @item mh-identity-default
6014 Default identity to use when @code{mh-letter-mode} is called (default:
6016 @c -------------------------
6017 @item mh-identity-handlers
6018 Handler functions for fields in @code{mh-identity-list}.
6019 @c -------------------------
6020 @item mh-identity-list
6021 List of identities (default: @code{nil}).
6024 Some of the common header fields that people change depending on the
6025 context are the @samp{From:} and @samp{Organization:} fields, as well
6028 @vindex mh-identity-list
6030 This is done by customizing the option @code{mh-identity-list}. In the
6031 customization buffer for this option, click on the @samp{INS} button
6032 and enter a label such as @samp{Home} or @samp{Work}. Then click on
6033 the @samp{INS} button with the label @samp{Add at least one item
6034 below}. The @samp{Value Menu} has the following menu items:
6037 @cindex header field, @samp{From:}
6038 @cindex @samp{From:} header field
6040 Specify an alternate @samp{From:} header field. You must include a
6041 valid email address. A standard format is @samp{First Last
6042 <login@@host.domain>}. If you use an initial with a period, then you
6043 must quote your name as in @samp{"First I. Last"
6044 <login@@host.domain>}.
6045 @c -------------------------
6046 @cindex header field, @samp{Organization:}
6047 @cindex @samp{Organization:} header field
6048 @item Organization Field
6049 People usually list the name of the company where they work here.
6050 @c -------------------------
6052 Set any arbitrary header field and value here. Unless the header field
6053 is a standard one, precede the name of your field's label with
6054 @samp{X-}, as in @samp{X-Fruit-of-the-Day:}.
6055 @c -------------------------
6056 @item Attribution Verb
6057 This value overrides the setting of
6058 @code{mh-extract-from-attribution-verb}. @xref{Inserting Letter}.
6059 @c -------------------------
6061 @vindex mh-signature-file-name
6063 Set your signature with this item. You can specify the contents of
6064 @code{mh-signature-file-name}, a file, or a function.
6066 @c -------------------------
6068 Specify a different key to sign or encrypt messages.
6071 @cindex Identity menu
6072 @cindex menu, Identity
6073 @findex mh-insert-identity
6076 You can select the identities you have added via the menu called
6077 @samp{Identity} in the MH-Letter buffer. You can also use @kbd{C-c
6078 C-d} (@code{mh-insert-identity}). To clear the fields and signature
6079 added by the identity, select the @samp{None} identity.
6081 @cindex menu item, @samp{Identity > Customize Identities}
6082 @cindex menu item, @samp{Identity > Save as Default}
6083 @cindex menu item, @samp{Identity > Set Default for Session}
6084 @cindex @samp{Identity > Customize Identities} menu item
6085 @cindex @samp{Identity > Save as Default} menu item
6086 @cindex @samp{Identity > Set Default for Session} menu item
6087 @vindex mh-identity-default
6089 The @samp{Identity} menu contains two other items to save you from
6090 having to set the identity on every message. The menu item @samp{Set
6091 Default for Session} can be used to set the default identity to the
6092 current identity until you exit Emacs. The menu item @samp{Save as
6093 Default} sets the option @code{mh-identity-default} to the current
6094 identity setting. You can also customize the option
6095 @code{mh-identity-default} in the usual fashion. If you find that you
6096 need to add another identity, the menu item @samp{Customize
6097 Identities} is available for your convenience.
6099 @cindex regular expressions, @code{mh-auto-fields-list}
6100 @vindex mh-auto-fields-list
6102 The option @code{mh-auto-fields-list} can also be used to set the
6103 identity depending on the recipient to provide even more control. To
6104 customize @code{mh-auto-fields-list}, click on the @samp{INS} button
6105 and enter a regular expression for the recipient's address
6107 (@pxref{Regexps, , Syntax of Regular Expressions, emacs, The
6112 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Regexps.html,
6113 Syntax of Regular Expressions} in
6114 @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}).
6116 Click on the @samp{INS} button with the @samp{Add at least one item
6117 below} label. The @samp{Value Menu} contains the following menu items:
6121 Select an identity from those configured in @code{mh-identity-list}.
6122 All of the information for that identity will be added if the
6124 @c -------------------------
6125 @cindex @samp{Fcc:} header field
6126 @cindex header field, @samp{Fcc:}
6128 Insert an @samp{Fcc:} header field with the folder you provide. When
6129 you send the message, MH will put a copy of your message in this
6131 @c -------------------------
6132 @cindex @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header field
6133 @cindex header field, @samp{Mail-Followup-To:}
6134 @item Mail-Followup-To Field
6135 Insert an @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header field with the recipients
6136 you provide. If the recipient's mail user agent supports this header
6137 field@footnote{@samp{Mail-Followup-To:} is supported by nmh.}, then
6138 their replies will go to the addresses listed. This is useful if their
6139 replies go both to the list and to you and you don't have a mechanism
6140 to suppress duplicates. If you reply to someone not on the list, you
6141 must either remove the @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} field, or ensure the
6142 recipient is also listed there so that he receives replies to your
6144 @c -------------------------
6146 Other header fields may be added using this menu item.
6149 @findex mh-insert-auto-fields
6151 @vindex mh-auto-fields-prompt-flag
6153 These fields can only be added after the recipient is known. Because
6154 you can continue to add recipients as you edit the draft, MH-E waits
6155 until the message is sent to perform the auto-insertions. This seems
6156 strange at first, but you'll get used to it. There are two ways to
6157 help you feel that the desired fields are added. The first is the
6158 action when the message is sent: if any fields are added
6159 automatically, you are given a chance to see and to confirm these
6160 fields before the message is actually sent. You can do away with this
6161 confirmation by turning off the option
6162 @code{mh-auto-fields-prompt-flag}. The second method is manual: once
6163 the header contains one or more recipients, you may run the command
6164 @kbd{C-c M-d} (@code{mh-insert-auto-fields}) or choose the
6165 @samp{Identity -> Insert Auto Fields} menu item to insert these fields
6166 manually. However, if you use this command, the automatic insertion
6167 when the message is sent is disabled.
6169 @vindex mh-auto-fields-list
6170 @vindex mh-identity-list
6172 You should avoid using the same header field in
6173 @code{mh-auto-fields-list} and @code{mh-identity-list} definitions
6174 that may apply to the same message as the result is undefined.
6176 @vindex mh-identity-handlers
6177 @vindex mh-identity-list
6179 The option @code{mh-identity-handlers} is used to change the way that
6180 fields, signatures, and attributions in @code{mh-identity-list} are
6181 added. To customize @code{mh-identity-handlers}, replace the name of
6182 an existing handler function associated with the field you want to
6183 change with the name of a function you have written. You can also
6184 click on an @samp{INS} button and insert a field of your choice and
6185 the name of the function you have written to handle it.
6187 @vindex mh-identity-list
6189 The @samp{Field} field can be any field that you've used in your
6190 @code{mh-identity-list}. The special fields @samp{:attribution-verb},
6191 @samp{:signature}, or @samp{:pgg-default-user-id} are used for the
6192 @code{mh-identity-list} choices @samp{Attribution Verb},
6193 @samp{Signature}, and @samp{GPG Key ID} respectively.
6195 The handler associated with the @samp{:default} field is used when no
6196 other field matches.
6198 The handler functions are passed two or three arguments: the field
6199 itself (for example, @samp{From}), or one of the special fields (for
6200 example, @samp{:signature}), and the action @samp{'remove} or
6201 @samp{'add}. If the action is @samp{'add}, an additional argument
6202 containing the value for the field is given.
6204 @node Speedbar, Menu Bar, Identities, Top
6205 @chapter The Speedbar
6207 @cindex folder navigation
6209 @findex mh-visit-folder
6211 @kindex M-x speedbar
6214 You can also use the speedbar
6216 (@pxref{Speedbar, , Speedbar Frames, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual},)
6220 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Speedbar.html,
6221 Speedbar Frames} in @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual})
6223 to view your folders. To bring up the speedbar, run @kbd{M-x speedbar
6224 @key{RET}}. You will see a new frame appear with all of your MH
6225 folders. Folders with unseen messages appear in boldface. Click on a
6226 folder name with @kbd{Mouse-2} to visit that folder in a similar
6227 fashion to the command @kbd{F v} (@code{mh-visit-folder})
6228 (@pxref{Folders}). Click on the @samp{+} icon to expand and view the
6229 sub-folders of that folder.
6231 The speedbar can be manipulated with the keyboard as well. Use the
6232 Emacs navigational keys (like the arrow keys, or @kbd{C-n}) to move
6233 the cursor over the desired folder and then use the shortcuts for the
6234 menu items listed in the table below.
6237 @findex mh-speed-view
6238 @item Visit Folder (@key{RET})
6239 Visits the selected folder just as if you had used @kbd{F v}
6240 (@code{mh-speed-view}).
6241 @c -------------------------
6242 @findex mh-speed-expand-folder
6243 @item Expand Nested Folders (@kbd{+})
6244 Expands the selected folder in the speedbar, exposing the children
6245 folders inside it (@code{mh-speed-expand-folder}).
6246 @c -------------------------
6247 @findex mh-speed-contract-folder
6248 @item Contract Nested Folders (@kbd{-})
6249 Contracts or collapses the selected folder in the speedbar, hiding the
6250 children folders inside it (@code{mh-speed-contract-folder}).
6251 @c -------------------------
6252 @findex mh-speed-refresh
6253 @item Refresh Speedbar (@kbd{r})
6254 Regenerates the list of folders in the speedbar. Run this command if
6255 you've added or deleted a folder, or want to update the unseen message
6256 count before the next automatic update (@code{mh-speed-refresh}).
6259 @findex delete-frame
6263 You can click on @kbd{Mouse-3} to bring up a context menu that
6264 contains these items. Dismiss the speedbar with @kbd{C-x 5 0}
6265 (@code{delete-frame}).
6267 @cindex @command{flists}
6268 @cindex MH commands, @command{flists}
6269 @cindex @samp{mh-speedbar} customization group
6270 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-speedbar}
6272 The MH-E speedbar uses the MH command @command{flists}@footnote{See
6273 the section @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/morseq.html#flist, Searching for
6274 Sequences with flist} in the MH book.} to generate the list of
6275 folders. The @samp{mh-speedbar} customization group contains the
6276 following option which controls how often the speedbar calls
6280 @item mh-speed-update-interval
6281 Time between speedbar updates in seconds (default: 60). Set to 0 to
6282 disable automatic update.
6285 You can modify the appearance of the folders in the speedbar by
6286 customizing the following faces.
6289 @item mh-speedbar-folder
6291 @c -------------------------
6292 @item mh-speedbar-folder-with-unseen-messages
6293 Folder face when folder contains unread messages.
6294 @c -------------------------
6295 @item mh-speedbar-selected-folder
6296 Selected folder face.
6297 @c -------------------------
6298 @item mh-speedbar-selected-folder-with-unseen-messages
6299 Selected folder face when folder contains unread messages.
6302 @node Menu Bar, Tool Bar, Speedbar, Top
6303 @chapter The Menu Bar
6305 @cindex @samp{Folder} menu
6306 @cindex @samp{Identity} menu
6307 @cindex @samp{Letter} menu
6308 @cindex @samp{Message} menu
6309 @cindex @samp{Search} menu
6310 @cindex @samp{Sequence} menu
6312 @cindex Identity menu
6314 @cindex MH-Folder mode
6315 @cindex MH-Letter mode
6316 @cindex MH-Search mode
6317 @cindex Message menu
6319 @cindex Sequence menu
6321 @cindex menu, Folder
6322 @cindex menu, Identity
6323 @cindex menu, Letter
6324 @cindex menu, Message
6325 @cindex menu, Search
6326 @cindex menu, Sequence
6327 @cindex menu, @samp{Folder}
6328 @cindex menu, @samp{Identity}
6329 @cindex menu, @samp{Letter}
6330 @cindex menu, @samp{Message}
6331 @cindex menu, @samp{Search}
6332 @cindex menu, @samp{Sequence}
6333 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
6334 @cindex modes, MH-Letter
6335 @cindex modes, MH-Search
6337 For those of you who prefer to mouse and menu instead of using the
6338 meta-coke-bottle-bucky keys, MH-E provides menu items for most of its
6339 functions. The MH-Folder buffer adds the @samp{Folder},
6340 @samp{Message}, and @samp{Sequence} menus. The MH-Letter buffer adds
6341 the @samp{Identity} and @samp{Letter} menus. The MH-Search buffer adds
6342 the @samp{Search} menu. There's no need to list the actual items here,
6343 as you can more easily see them for yourself, and the functions are
6344 already described elsewhere in this manual.
6346 For a description of the menu bar, please
6348 @xref{Menu Bar, , The Menu Bar, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
6352 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Menu-Bar.html,
6353 The Menu Bar} in @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}.
6356 The Emacs manual describes how to get online help for a particular
6357 menu item. You can also look up a menu item in the index of this
6358 manual in two ways: all of the menu items are listed alphabetically,
6359 and you can also browse all of the items under the index entry
6362 @node Tool Bar, Searching, Menu Bar, Top
6363 @chapter The Tool Bar
6367 Emacs also provides a graphical tool bar. For a description of the
6370 @xref{Tool Bars, , Tool Bars, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}.
6374 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Tool-Bars.html,
6375 Tool Bars} in @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}.
6378 @cindex @samp{mh-tool-bar} customization group
6379 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-tool-bar}
6381 MH-E adds several icons to this tool bar; you can modify the MH-E
6382 aspects of the tool bar via the @samp{mh-tool-bar} customization group.
6385 @item mh-tool-bar-folder-buttons
6386 List of buttons to include in MH-Folder tool bar (default: a checklist
6387 too long to list here).
6388 @c -------------------------
6389 @item mh-tool-bar-letter-buttons
6390 List of buttons to include in MH-Letter tool bar (default: a checklist
6391 too long to list here).
6392 @c -------------------------
6393 @item mh-tool-bar-search-function
6394 Function called by the tool bar search button (default:
6396 @c -------------------------
6397 @item mh-xemacs-tool-bar-position
6398 Tool bar location (default: @samp{Same As Default Tool Bar}).
6399 @c -------------------------
6400 @item mh-xemacs-use-tool-bar-flag
6401 If @samp{on}, use tool bar (default: @samp{on}, if supported).
6404 In GNU Emacs, icons for some of MH-E's functions are added to the tool
6405 bar. In XEmacs, you have the opportunity to create a separate tool bar for
6408 @vindex mh-tool-bar-folder-buttons
6409 @vindex mh-tool-bar-letter-buttons
6411 In either case, you can select which of these functions you'd like to
6412 see by customizing the options @code{mh-tool-bar-folder-buttons} and
6413 @code{mh-tool-bar-letter-buttons}. As you probably guessed, the former
6414 customizes the tool bar in MH-Folder mode and the latter in MH-Letter
6415 mode. Both of these options present you with a list of functions;
6416 check the functions whose icons you want to see and clear the check
6417 boxes for those you don't.
6420 @vindex mh-tool-bar-search-function
6422 The function associated with the searching icon can be set via the
6423 option @code{mh-tool-bar-search-function}. By default, this is set to
6424 @code{mh-search}. @xref{Searching}. You can also choose @samp{Other
6425 Function} from the @samp{Value Menu} and enter a function of your own
6428 @vindex mh-xemacs-use-tool-bar-flag
6430 XEmacs provides a couple of extra options. The first,
6431 @code{mh-xemacs-use-tool-bar-flag}, controls whether to show the MH-E
6432 icons at all. By default, this option is turned on if the window
6433 system supports tool bars. If your system doesn't support tool bars,
6434 then you won't be able to turn on this option.
6436 @vindex mh-xemacs-tool-bar-position
6438 The second extra option is @code{mh-xemacs-tool-bar-position} which
6439 controls the placement of the tool bar along the four edges of the
6440 frame. You can choose from one of @samp{Same As Default Tool Bar},
6441 @samp{Top}, @samp{Bottom}, @samp{Left}, or @samp{Right}. If this
6442 variable is set to anything other than @samp{Same As Default Tool Bar}
6443 and the default tool bar is in a different location, then two tool
6444 bars will be displayed: the MH-E tool bar and the default tool bar.
6446 @node Searching, Threading, Tool Bar, Top
6447 @chapter Searching Through Messages
6449 @cindex @samp{Search} menu
6450 @cindex menu, @samp{Search}
6455 Earlier, the command @kbd{F s} (@code{mh-search}) was introduced which
6456 helps you find messages that lie buried in your folders
6457 (@pxref{Folders}). This chapter covers this command in more detail.
6458 Several commands are used to compose the search criteria and to start
6459 searching. A couple of them can be found in the @samp{Search} menu.
6465 Display cheat sheet for the MH-E commands (@code{mh-help}).
6466 @c -------------------------
6467 @cindex @samp{Search > Perform Search} menu item
6468 @cindex menu item, @samp{Search > Perform Search}
6470 @findex mh-index-do-search
6472 Find messages using @code{mh-search-program}
6473 (@code{mh-index-do-search}).
6474 @c -------------------------
6475 @cindex @samp{Search > Search with pick} menu item
6476 @cindex menu item, @samp{Search > Search with pick}
6478 @findex mh-pick-do-search
6480 Find messages using @command{pick} (@code{mh-pick-do-search}).
6481 @c -------------------------
6485 Display cheat sheet for the MH-E commands (@code{mh-help}).
6486 @c -------------------------
6492 Move to @samp{Mail-Reply-To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6493 @c -------------------------
6498 Move to @samp{Bcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6499 @c -------------------------
6504 Move to @samp{Cc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6505 @c -------------------------
6510 Move to @samp{Dcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6511 @c -------------------------
6516 Move to @samp{Fcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6517 @c -------------------------
6522 Move to @samp{Mail-Followup-To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6523 @c -------------------------
6528 Move to @samp{From:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6529 @c -------------------------
6534 Move to @samp{Reply-To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6535 @c -------------------------
6540 Move to @samp{Subject:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6541 @c -------------------------
6546 Move to @samp{To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).
6549 Another few commands are available in the MH-Folder buffer resulting
6554 @findex mh-index-next-folder
6556 Jump to the next folder marker (@code{mh-index-next-folder}).
6557 @c -------------------------
6559 @findex mh-index-previous-folder
6561 Jump to the previous folder marker (@code{mh-index-previous-folder}).
6562 @c -------------------------
6564 @findex mh-index-visit-folder
6566 Visit original folder from where the message at point was found
6567 (@code{mh-index-visit-folder}).
6570 @cindex @samp{mh-search} customization group
6571 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-search}
6573 There is one option from the @samp{mh-search} customization group used
6577 @item mh-search-program
6578 Search program that MH-E shall use (default: @samp{Auto-detect}).
6581 The following hook is available.
6584 @item mh-search-mode-hook
6585 Hook run upon entry to @code{mh-search-mode} (default: @code{nil}).
6588 The following face is available.
6591 @item mh-search-folder
6592 Folder heading face in MH-Folder buffers created by searches.
6595 @findex mh-search-folder
6598 The command @kbd{F s} (@code{mh-search-folder}) helps you find
6599 messages in your entire corpus of mail. You can search for messages to
6600 or from a particular person or about a particular subject. In fact,
6601 you can also search for messages containing selected strings in any
6602 arbitrary header field or any string found within the messages.
6604 @cindex @command{pick}
6605 @cindex MH commands, @command{pick}
6607 Out of the box, MH-E uses @command{pick} to find messages. With a
6608 little extra effort, you can set an indexing program which rewards you
6609 with extremely quick results. The drawback is that sometimes the index
6610 does not contain the words you're looking for. You can still use
6611 @command{pick} in these situations.
6613 You are prompted for the folder to search. This can be @samp{all} to
6614 search all folders. Note that the search works recursively on the
6617 @cindex MH-Search mode
6618 @cindex modes, MH-Search
6620 Next, an MH-Search buffer appears where you can enter search criteria.
6639 --:** search-pattern All L7 (MH-Search)---------------------------
6640 Type C-c C-c to search messages, C-c C-p to use pick, C-c ? for help
6645 @cindex @command{pick}
6646 @cindex MH commands, @command{pick}
6648 Edit this template by entering your search criteria in an appropriate
6649 header field that is already there, or create a new field yourself. If
6650 the string you're looking for could be anywhere in a message, then
6651 place the string underneath the row of dashes.
6653 As an example, let's say that we want to find messages from Ginnean
6654 about horseback riding in the Kosciusko National Park (Australia)
6655 during January, 1994. Normally we would start with a broad search and
6656 narrow it down if necessary to produce a manageable amount of data,
6657 but we'll cut to the chase and create a fairly restrictive set of
6658 criteria as follows:
6676 As with MH-Letter mode, MH-Search provides commands like @kbd{C-c C-f
6677 C-t} (@code{mh-to-field}) to help you fill in the blanks.
6678 @xref{Editing Message}.
6681 @vindex mh-search-mode-hook
6683 If you find that you do the same thing over and over when editing the
6684 search template, you may wish to bind some shortcuts to keys. This can
6685 be done with the variable @code{mh-search-mode-hook}, which is called
6686 when @kbd{F s} is run on a new pattern.
6688 @findex mh-index-do-search
6689 @findex mh-pick-do-search
6693 To perform the search, type @kbd{C-c C-c} (@code{mh-index-do-search}).
6694 Sometimes you're searching for text that is either not indexed, or
6695 hasn't been indexed yet. In this case you can override the default
6696 method with the pick method by running the command @kbd{C-c C-p}
6697 (@code{mh-pick-do-search}).
6699 @cindex folders, @samp{+mhe-index}
6700 @cindex @samp{+mhe-index}
6701 @findex mh-index-next-folder
6702 @findex mh-index-previous-folder
6705 @vindex mh-search-folder
6707 The messages that are found are put in a temporary sub-folder of
6708 @samp{+mhe-index} and are displayed in an MH-Folder buffer. This
6709 buffer is special because it displays messages from multiple folders;
6710 each set of messages from a given folder has a heading with the folder
6711 name. The appearance of the heading can be modified by customizing the
6712 face @code{mh-search-folder}. You can jump back and forth between the
6713 headings using the commands @kbd{@key{TAB}}
6714 (@code{mh-index-next-folder}) and @kbd{S-@key{TAB}}
6715 (@code{mh-index-previous-folder}).
6717 @findex mh-index-visit-folder
6718 @findex mh-rescan-folder
6722 In addition, the command @kbd{v} (@code{mh-index-visit-folder}) can be
6723 used to visit the folder of the message at point. Initially, only the
6724 messages that matched the search criteria are displayed in the folder.
6725 While the temporary buffer has its own set of message numbers, the
6726 actual messages numbers are shown in the visited folder. Thus, the
6727 command @kbd{v} is useful to find the actual message number of an
6728 interesting message, or to view surrounding messages with the command
6729 @kbd{F r} @code{mh-rescan-folder}. @xref{Folders}.
6731 @findex mh-kill-folder
6734 Because this folder is temporary, you'll probably get in the habit of
6735 killing it when you're done with @kbd{F k} (@code{mh-kill-folder}).
6740 You can regenerate the results by running @kbd{F s} with a prefix
6743 @cindex @command{procmail}
6744 @cindex Unix commands, @command{procmail}
6745 @cindex @samp{X-MHE-Checksum:} header field
6746 @cindex header field, @samp{X-MHE-Checksum:}
6748 Note: This command uses an @samp{X-MHE-Checksum:} header field to
6749 cache the MD5 checksum of a message. This means that if an incoming
6750 message already contains an @samp{X-MHE-Checksum:} field, that message
6751 might not be found by this command. The following @command{procmail}
6752 recipe avoids this problem by renaming the existing header field:
6757 | formail -R "X-MHE-Checksum" "X-Old-MHE-Checksum"
6761 @xref{Limits}, for an alternative interface to searching.
6763 @section Configuring Indexed Searches
6765 @cindex @command{grep}
6766 @cindex @command{mairix}
6767 @cindex @command{namazu}
6768 @cindex @command{pick}
6769 @cindex @command{swish++}
6770 @cindex @command{swish-e}
6771 @cindex Unix commands, @command{grep}
6772 @cindex Unix commands, @command{mairix}
6773 @cindex Unix commands, @command{namazu}
6774 @cindex Unix commands, @command{pick}
6775 @cindex Unix commands, @command{swish++}
6776 @cindex Unix commands, @command{swish-e}
6779 @vindex mh-search-program
6781 The command @kbd{F s} (@code{mh-search}) runs the command defined by
6782 the option @code{mh-search-program}. The default value is
6783 @samp{Auto-detect} which means that MH-E will automatically choose one
6784 of @command{swish++}, @command{swish-e}, @command{mairix},
6785 @command{namazu}, @command{pick} and @command{grep} in that order. If,
6786 for example, you have both @command{swish++} and @command{mairix}
6787 installed and you want to use @command{mairix}, then you can set this
6788 option to @samp{mairix}.
6790 The following sub-sections describe how to set up the various indexing
6791 programs to use with MH-E.
6795 @cindex @command{swish++}
6796 @cindex Unix commands, @command{swish++}
6798 In the examples below, replace @file{/home/user/Mail} with the path to
6801 First create the directory @file{/home/user/Mail/.swish++}. Then
6802 create the file @file{/home/user/Mail/.swish++/swish++.conf} with the
6807 IncludeMeta Bcc Cc Comments Content-Description From Keywords
6808 IncludeMeta Newsgroups Resent-To Subject To
6809 IncludeMeta Message-Id References In-Reply-To
6811 IndexFile /home/user/Mail/.swish++/swish++.index
6815 Use the following command line to generate the swish index. Run this
6820 find /home/user/Mail -path /home/user/Mail/mhe-index -prune \
6821 -o -path /home/user/Mail/.swish++ -prune \
6822 -o -name "[0-9]*" -print \
6823 | index -c /home/user/Mail/.swish++/swish++.conf -
6827 This command does not index the folders that hold the results of your
6828 searches in @samp{+mhe-index} since they tend to be ephemeral and the
6829 original messages are indexed anyway.
6831 @cindex @command{index}
6832 @cindex Unix commands, @command{index}
6833 @cindex @command{index++}
6834 @cindex Unix commands, @command{index++}
6836 On some systems (Debian GNU/Linux, for example), use @command{index++}
6837 instead of @command{index}.
6841 @cindex @command{swish-e}
6842 @cindex Unix commands, @command{swish-e}
6844 In the examples below, replace @file{/home/user/Mail} with the path to
6847 First create the directory @file{/home/user/Mail/.swish}. Then create
6848 the file @file{/home/user/Mail/.swish/config} with the following
6853 DefaultContents TXT*
6854 IndexDir /home/user/Mail
6855 IndexFile /home/user/Mail/.swish/index
6856 IndexName "Mail Index"
6857 IndexDescription "Mail Index"
6858 IndexPointer "http://nowhere"
6860 #MetaNames automatic
6864 IgnoreTotalWordCountWhenRanking yes
6865 WordCharacters abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789-
6866 BeginCharacters abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
6867 EndCharacters abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789
6870 FileRules filename contains \D
6871 FileRules pathname contains /home/user/Mail/.swish
6872 FileRules pathname contains /home/user/Mail/mhe-index
6873 FileRules filename is index
6877 This configuration does not index the folders that hold the results of
6878 your searches in @samp{+mhe-index} since they tend to be ephemeral and
6879 the original messages are indexed anyway.
6881 If there are any directories you would like to ignore, append lines
6882 like the following to @file{config}:
6885 FileRules pathname contains /home/user/Mail/scripts
6888 @cindex @command{swish-e}
6889 @cindex Unix commands, @command{swish-e}
6891 Use the following command line to generate the swish index. Run this
6895 swish-e -c /home/user/Mail/.swish/config
6900 @cindex @command{mairix}
6901 @cindex Unix commands, @command{mairix}
6903 In the examples below, replace @file{/home/user/Mail} with the path to
6906 First create the directory @file{/home/user/Mail/.mairix}. Then create
6907 the file @file{/home/user/Mail/.mairix/config} with the following
6912 base=/home/user/Mail
6914 # List of folders that should be indexed. 3 dots at the end means there
6915 # are subfolders within the folder
6916 mh=archive...:inbox:drafts:news:sent:trash
6919 database=/home/user/Mail/mairix/database
6923 Use the following command line to generate the mairix index. Run this daily
6927 mairix -f /home/user/Mail/.mairix/config
6932 @cindex @command{namazu}
6933 @cindex Unix commands, @command{namazu}
6935 In the examples below, replace @file{/home/user/Mail} with the path to
6938 First create the directory @file{/home/user/Mail/.namazu}. Then create
6939 the file @file{/home/user/Mail/.namazu/mknmzrc} with the following
6944 package conf; # Don't remove this line!
6945 $ADDRESS = 'user@@localhost';
6946 $ALLOW_FILE = "[0-9]*";
6947 $EXCLUDE_PATH = "^/home/user/Mail/(mhe-index|spam)";
6951 This configuration does not index the folders that hold the results of
6952 your searches in @samp{+mhe-index} since they tend to be ephemeral and
6953 the original messages are indexed anyway.
6955 Use the following command line to generate the namazu index. Run this
6959 mknmz -f /home/user/Mail/.namazu/mknmzrc -O /home/user/Mail/.namazu \
6965 @cindex @command{pick}
6966 @cindex MH commands, @command{pick}
6968 This search method does not require any setup.
6970 Read @command{pick}(1) or the section
6971 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/finpic.html, Finding Messages with pick} in
6972 the MH book to find out more about how to enter the criteria.
6976 @cindex @command{grep}
6977 @cindex Unix commands, @command{grep}
6979 This search method does not require any setup.
6981 Unlike the other search methods, this method does not use the
6982 MH-Search buffer. Instead, you simply enter a regular expression in
6983 the minibuffer. For help in constructing regular expressions, see your
6984 man page for @command{grep}.
6986 @node Threading, Limits, Searching, Top
6987 @chapter Viewing Message Threads
6991 MH-E groups messages by @dfn{threads} which are messages that are part
6992 of the same discussion and usually all have the same @samp{Subject:}
6993 header field. Other ways to organize messages in a folder include
6994 limiting (@pxref{Limits}) or using full-text indexed searches
6995 (@pxref{Searching}).
6997 @cindex root, in threads
6998 @cindex siblings, in threads
6999 @cindex ancestor, in threads
7001 A thread begins with a single message called a @dfn{root}. All replies
7002 to the same message are @dfn{siblings} of each other. Any message that
7003 has replies to it is an @dfn{ancestor} of those replies.
7005 There are several commands that you can use to navigate and operate on
7010 @findex mh-prefix-help
7012 Display cheat sheet for the commands of the current prefix in
7013 minibuffer (@code{mh-prefix-help}).
7014 @c -------------------------
7016 @findex mh-thread-refile
7018 Refile (output) thread into folder (@code{mh-thread-refile}).
7019 @c -------------------------
7021 @findex mh-thread-delete
7023 Delete thread (@code{mh-thread-delete}).
7024 @c -------------------------
7026 @findex mh-toggle-threads
7028 Toggle threaded view of folder (@code{mh-toggle-threads}).
7029 @c -------------------------
7031 @findex mh-thread-next-sibling
7033 Display next sibling (@code{mh-thread-next-sibling}).
7034 @c -------------------------
7036 @findex mh-thread-previous-sibling
7038 Display previous sibling (@code{mh-thread-previous-sibling}).
7039 @c -------------------------
7041 @findex mh-thread-ancestor
7043 Display ancestor of current message (@code{mh-thread-ancestor}).
7046 @cindex @samp{mh-thread} customization group
7047 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-thread}
7049 The @samp{mh-thread} customization group contains one option.
7052 @item mh-show-threads-flag
7053 On means new folders start in threaded mode (default: @samp{off}).
7056 @findex mh-toggle-threads
7058 @vindex mh-large-folder
7059 @vindex mh-show-threads-flag
7061 Threading large number of messages can be time consuming so the option
7062 @code{mh-show-threads-flag} is turned off by default. If you turn on
7063 this option, then threading will be done only if the number of
7064 messages being threaded is less than @code{mh-large-folder}. In any
7065 event, threading can be turned on (and off) with the command @kbd{T t}
7066 (@code{mh-toggle-threads}).
7068 @findex mh-thread-ancestor
7069 @findex mh-thread-next-sibling
7070 @findex mh-thread-previous-sibling
7075 There are a few commands to help you navigate threads. If you do not
7076 care for the way a particular thread has turned, you can move up the
7077 chain of messages with the command @kbd{T u}
7078 (@code{mh-thread-ancestor}. At any point you can use @kbd{T n}
7079 (@code{mh-thread-next-sibling} or @kbd{T p}
7080 (@code{mh-thread-previous-sibling}) to jump to the next or previous
7081 sibling, skipping the sub-threads. The command @kbd{T u} can also take
7082 a prefix argument to jump to the message that started everything.
7084 @findex mh-delete-subject-or-thread
7085 @findex mh-thread-delete
7086 @findex mh-thread-refile
7091 There are threaded equivalents for the commands that delete and refile
7092 messages. For example, @kbd{T o} (@code{mh-thread-refile}) refiles the
7093 current message and all its children. Similarly, the command @kbd{T d}
7094 (@code{mh-thread-delete}) deletes the current message and all its
7095 children. These commands do not refile or delete sibling messages.
7096 @xref{Navigating}, for a description of the similar command @kbd{k}
7097 (@code{mh-delete-subject-or-thread}).
7099 @vindex mh-large-folder
7101 If you find that threading is too slow, it may be that you have
7102 @code{mh-large-folder} set too high. Also, threading is one of the few
7103 features of MH-E that really benefits from compiling. If you haven't
7104 compiled MH-E, I encourage you to do so@footnote{If you're not sure if
7105 MH-E has been byte-compiled, you could try running @samp{locate
7106 mh-thread.elc} or otherwise find MH-E on your system and ensure that
7107 @file{mh-thread.elc} exists. If you have multiple versions and you
7108 find that one is compiled but the other is not, then go into your
7109 @samp{*scratch*} buffer in Emacs, enter @kbd{load-path C-j}, and
7110 ensure that the byte-compiled version appears first in the
7111 @code{load-path}. If you find that MH-E is not compiled and you
7112 installed MH-E yourself, please refer to the installation directions
7113 in the file @file{README} in the distribution.}.
7115 @node Limits, Sequences, Threading, Top
7116 @chapter Limiting Display
7121 Another way to organize messages in a folder besides threading
7122 (@pxref{Threading}) or using full-text indexed searches
7123 (@pxref{Searching}) is by limiting the folder display to messages that
7124 are similar to the current message.
7128 @findex mh-prefix-help
7130 Display cheat sheet for the commands of the current prefix in
7131 minibuffer (@code{mh-prefix-help}).
7132 @c -------------------------
7133 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Narrow to Tick Sequence} menu item
7134 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Narrow to Tick Sequence}
7136 @findex mh-narrow-to-tick
7138 Limit to messages in the @samp{tick} sequence
7139 (@code{mh-narrow-to-tick}).
7140 @c -------------------------
7142 @findex mh-narrow-to-cc
7144 Limit to messages with the same @samp{Cc:} field
7145 (@code{mh-narrow-to-cc}).
7146 @c -------------------------
7148 @findex mh-narrow-to-from
7150 Limit to messages with the same @samp{From:} field
7151 (@code{mh-narrow-to-from}).
7152 @c -------------------------
7154 @findex mh-narrow-to-range
7156 Limit to range (@code{mh-narrow-to-range}).
7157 @c -------------------------
7158 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Narrow to Subject Sequence} menu item
7159 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Narrow to Subject Sequence}
7161 @findex mh-narrow-to-subject
7163 Limit to messages with the same @samp{Subject:} field
7164 (@code{mh-narrow-to-subject}).
7165 @c -------------------------
7167 @findex mh-narrow-to-to
7169 Limit to messages with the same @samp{To:} field
7170 (@code{mh-narrow-to-to}).
7171 @c -------------------------
7172 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Widen from Sequence} menu item
7173 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Widen from Sequence}
7177 Remove last restriction (@code{mh-widen}).
7180 All of the limiting commands above refine the display in some way.
7182 @cindex @command{pick}
7183 @cindex MH commands, @command{pick}
7184 @findex mh-narrow-to-cc
7185 @findex mh-narrow-to-from
7186 @findex mh-narrow-to-subject
7187 @findex mh-narrow-to-to
7193 The commands @kbd{/ c} (@code{mh-narrow-to-cc}), @kbd{/ m}
7194 (@code{mh-narrow-to-from}), @kbd{/ s} (@code{mh-narrow-to-subject}),
7195 and @kbd{/ t} (@code{mh-narrow-to-to}) restrict the display to
7196 messages matching the content of the respective field in the current
7197 message. However, you can give any of these a prefix argument to edit
7198 the @command{pick} expression used to narrow the view@footnote{See
7199 @command{pick}(1) or the section
7200 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/finpic.html, Finding Messages with pick} in
7203 @cindex @samp{tick} sequence
7204 @cindex sequence, @samp{tick}
7205 @cindex ticked messages, viewing
7206 @findex mh-narrow-to-range
7207 @findex mh-narrow-to-tick
7211 You can also limit the display to messages in the @samp{tick} sequence
7212 with the command @kbd{/ '} (@code{mh-narrow-to-tick}).
7213 @xref{Sequences}, for information on putting message into the
7214 @samp{tick} sequence. Use the @kbd{/ g} (@code{mh-narrow-to-range})
7215 command to limit the display to messages in a range (@pxref{Ranges}).
7220 Each limit can be undone in turn with the @kbd{/ w} (@code{mh-widen})
7221 command. Give this command a prefix argument to remove all limits.
7223 @node Sequences, Junk, Limits, Top
7224 @chapter Using Sequences
7226 @cindex @samp{Sequence} menu
7227 @cindex menu, @samp{Sequence}
7230 For the whole scoop on MH sequences, refer to
7231 @samp{mh-sequence}(5)@footnote{See the section
7232 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/morseq.html, More About Sequences} in the MH
7233 book.}. As you've read, several of the MH-E commands can operate on a
7234 sequence, which is a shorthand for a range or group of messages. For
7235 example, you might want to forward several messages to a friend or
7236 colleague. Here's how to manipulate sequences. These commands are also
7237 available in the @samp{Sequence} menu.
7240 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Toggle Tick Mark} menu item
7241 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Toggle Tick Mark}
7243 @findex mh-toggle-tick
7245 Toggle tick mark of range (@code{mh-toggle-tick}).
7246 @c -------------------------
7248 @findex mh-prefix-help
7250 Display cheat sheet for the commands of the current prefix in
7251 minibuffer (@code{mh-prefix-help}).
7252 @c -------------------------
7253 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Narrow to Tick Sequence} menu item
7254 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Narrow to Tick Sequence}
7256 @findex mh-narrow-to-tick
7258 Limit to ticked messages (@code{mh-narrow-to-tick}).
7259 @c -------------------------
7260 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Delete Message from Sequence...} menu item
7261 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Delete Message from Sequence...}
7263 @findex mh-delete-msg-from-seq
7265 Delete range from sequence (@code{mh-delete-msg-from-seq}).
7266 @c -------------------------
7267 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Delete Sequence...} menu item
7268 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Delete Sequence...}
7270 @findex mh-delete-seq
7272 Delete sequence (@code{mh-delete-seq}).
7273 @c -------------------------
7274 @cindex @samp{Sequence > List Sequences in Folder...} menu item
7275 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > List Sequences in Folder...}
7277 @findex mh-list-sequences
7279 List all sequences in folder (@code{mh-list-sequences}).
7280 @c -------------------------
7281 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Narrow to Sequence...} menu item
7282 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Narrow to Sequence...}
7284 @findex mh-narrow-to-seq
7286 Restrict display to messages in sequence (@code{mh-narrow-to-seq}).
7287 @c -------------------------
7288 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Add Message to Sequence...} menu item
7289 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Add Message to Sequence...}
7291 @findex mh-put-msg-in-seq
7293 Add range to sequence (@code{mh-put-msg-in-seq}).
7294 @c -------------------------
7295 @cindex @samp{Sequence > List Sequences for Message} menu item
7296 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > List Sequences for Message}
7298 @findex mh-msg-is-in-seq
7300 Display the sequences in which the current message appears
7301 (@code{mh-msg-is-in-seq}).
7302 @c -------------------------
7303 @cindex @samp{Sequence > Widen from Sequence} menu item
7304 @cindex menu item, @samp{Sequence > Widen from Sequence}
7308 Remove last restriction (@code{mh-widen}).
7309 @c -------------------------
7310 @findex mh-update-sequences
7311 @item M-x mh-update-sequences
7312 Flush MH-E's state out to MH@.
7315 @cindex @samp{mh-sequences} customization group
7316 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-sequences}
7318 The @samp{mh-sequences} customization group contains the options
7319 associated with sequences.
7322 @item mh-refile-preserves-sequences-flag
7323 On means that sequences are preserved when messages are refiled
7324 (default: @samp{on}).
7325 @c -------------------------
7327 The name of the MH sequence for ticked messages (default: @samp{'tick}).
7328 @c -------------------------
7329 @item mh-update-sequences-after-mh-show-flag
7330 On means flush MH sequences to disk after message is shown (default:
7334 The following hook is available.
7337 @item mh-unseen-updated-hook
7338 Hook run after the unseen sequence has been updated (default: @code{nil}).
7341 @cindex @command{pick}
7342 @cindex MH commands, @command{pick}
7343 @findex mh-put-msg-in-seq
7346 To place a message in a sequence, use @kbd{S p}
7347 (@code{mh-put-msg-in-seq}). Give @kbd{S p} a range and you can add all
7348 the messages in a sequence to another sequence (for example, @kbd{C-u
7349 S p SourceSequence @key{RET} DestSequence @key{RET}}, @pxref{Ranges}).
7351 @cindex @samp{tick} sequence
7352 @cindex sequence, @samp{tick}
7353 @cindex ticking messages
7354 @findex mh-index-ticked-messages
7355 @findex mh-toggle-tick
7360 One specific use of the @kbd{S p} command is @kbd{'}
7361 (@code{mh-toggle-tick}) which adds messages to the @samp{tick}
7362 sequence. This sequence can be viewed later with the @kbd{F '}
7363 (@code{mh-index-ticked-messages}) command (@pxref{Folders}).
7367 You can customize the option @code{mh-tick-seq} if you already use the
7368 @samp{tick} sequence for your own use. You can also disable all of the
7369 ticking functions by choosing the @samp{Disable Ticking} item but
7370 there isn't much advantage to that.
7372 @cindex MH-Folder mode
7373 @cindex modes, MH-Folder
7374 @findex mh-narrow-to-seq
7375 @findex mh-narrow-to-tick
7381 Once you've placed some messages in a sequence, you may wish to narrow
7382 the field of view to just those messages in the sequence you've
7383 created. To do this, use @kbd{S n} (@code{mh-narrow-to-seq}). You are
7384 prompted for the name of the sequence. What this does is show only
7385 those messages that are in the selected sequence in the MH-Folder
7386 buffer. In addition, it limits further MH-E searches to just those
7387 messages. To narrow the view to the messages in the @samp{tick}
7388 sequence, use @kbd{S '} (@code{mh-narrow-to-tick}). When you want to
7389 widen the view to all your messages again, use @kbd{S w}
7392 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Sequences*}
7393 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Sequences*}
7394 @findex mh-list-sequences
7395 @findex mh-msg-is-in-seq
7399 You can see which sequences in which a message appears with the
7400 command @kbd{S s} (@code{mh-msg-is-in-seq}). Use a prefix argument to
7401 display the sequences in which another message appears (as in @kbd{C-u
7402 42 S s @key{RET}}). Or, you can list all sequences in a selected
7403 folder (default is current folder) with @kbd{S l}
7404 (@code{mh-list-sequences}). The list appears in a buffer named
7405 @samp{*MH-E Sequences*} (@pxref{Miscellaneous}).
7407 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{Previous-Sequence:}
7408 @cindex @samp{cur} sequence
7409 @cindex @samp{Previous-Sequence:} MH profile component
7410 @cindex sequence, @samp{cur}
7411 @cindex sequence, @samp{Previous-Sequence}
7412 @vindex mh-refile-preserves-sequences-flag
7414 If a message is in any sequence (except
7415 @samp{Previous-Sequence:}@footnote{See @samp{mh-profile}(5)).} and
7416 @samp{cur}) when it is refiled, then it will still be in those
7417 sequences in the destination folder. If this behavior is not desired,
7418 then turn off the option @code{mh-refile-preserves-sequences-flag}.
7420 @findex mh-delete-msg-from-seq
7421 @findex mh-delete-seq
7426 If you want to remove a message (or range, @pxref{Ranges}) from a
7427 sequence, use @kbd{S d} (@code{mh-delete-msg-from-seq}). If you want
7428 to delete an entire sequence, use @kbd{S k} (@code{mh-delete-seq}). In
7429 the latter case you are prompted for the sequence to delete. Note that
7430 this deletes only the sequence, not the messages in the sequence. If
7431 you want to delete the messages, use @kbd{C-u d} (@pxref{Reading
7434 @cindex @samp{Unseen-Sequence:} MH profile component
7435 @cindex @samp{cur} sequence
7436 @cindex @samp{tick} sequence
7437 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{Unseen-Sequence:}
7438 @cindex sequence, @samp{Unseen-Sequence}
7439 @cindex sequence, @samp{cur}
7440 @cindex sequence, @samp{tick}
7441 @findex mh-update-sequences
7442 @kindex M-x mh-update-sequences
7446 @vindex mh-update-sequences-after-mh-show-flag
7448 Three sequences are maintained internally by MH-E and pushed out to MH
7449 when a message is shown. They include the sequence specified by your
7450 @samp{Unseen-Sequence:} profile component, @samp{cur}, and the
7451 sequence listed by the option @code{mh-tick-seq} which is @samp{tick}
7452 by default. If you do not like this behavior, turn off the option
7453 @code{mh-update-sequences-after-mh-show-flag}. You can then update the
7454 state manually with the @kbd{x}, @kbd{q}, or @kbd{M-x
7455 mh-update-sequences} commands.
7457 @vindex mh-seen-list
7458 @vindex mh-unseen-updated-hook
7460 The hook @code{mh-unseen-updated-hook} is run after the unseen
7461 sequence has been updated. The variable @code{mh-seen-list} can be
7462 used by this hook to obtain the list of messages which were removed
7463 from the unseen sequence.
7465 @cindex @command{mark}
7466 @cindex MH commands, @command{mark}
7470 With the exceptions of @kbd{S n} and @kbd{S w}, the underlying MH
7471 command dealing with sequences is @command{mark}@footnote{See the
7472 section @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/mmbwm.html, Make Message Bookmarks
7473 with mark} in the MH book.}.
7475 @node Junk, Miscellaneous, Sequences, Top
7476 @chapter Dealing With Junk Mail
7478 @cindex Marshall Rose
7482 Marshall Rose once wrote a paper on MH entitled, @cite{How to process
7483 200 messages a day and still get some real work done}. This chapter
7484 could be entitled, @cite{How to process 1000 spams a day and still get
7485 some real work done}.
7487 @cindex blacklisting
7490 @cindex whitelisting
7493 We use the terms @dfn{junk mail} and @dfn{spam} interchangeably for
7494 any unwanted message which includes spam, @dfn{viruses}, and
7495 @dfn{worms}. The opposite of spam is @dfn{ham}. The act of classifying
7496 a sender as one who sends junk mail is called @dfn{blacklisting}; the
7497 opposite is called @dfn{whitelisting}.
7501 @findex mh-prefix-help
7503 Display cheat sheet for the commands of the current prefix in
7504 minibuffer (@code{mh-prefix-help}).
7505 @c -------------------------
7507 @findex mh-junk-blacklist
7509 Blacklist range as spam (@code{mh-junk-blacklist}).
7510 @c -------------------------
7512 @findex mh-junk-whitelist
7514 Whitelist range as ham (@code{mh-junk-whitelist}).
7515 @c -------------------------
7516 @item @code{mh-spamassassin-identify-spammers}
7517 Identify spammers who are repeat offenders.
7520 @cindex @samp{mh-junk} customization group
7521 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-junk}
7523 The following table lists the options from the @samp{mh-junk}
7524 customization group.
7527 @item mh-junk-background
7528 If on, spam programs are run in background (default: @samp{off}).
7529 @c -------------------------
7530 @item mh-junk-disposition
7531 Disposition of junk mail (default: @samp{Delete Spam}).
7532 @c -------------------------
7533 @item mh-junk-program
7534 Spam program that MH-E should use (default: @samp{Auto-detect}).
7538 @cindex Spamassassin
7540 @cindex spam filters, SpamProbe
7541 @cindex spam filters, Spamassassin
7542 @cindex spam filters, bogofilter
7544 MH-E depends on @uref{http://spamassassin.apache.org/, SpamAssassin},
7545 @uref{http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/, bogofilter}, or
7546 @uref{http://spamprobe.sourceforge.net/, SpamProbe} to throw the dreck
7547 away. This chapter describes briefly how to configure these programs
7548 to work well with MH-E and how to use MH-E's interface that provides
7549 continuing education for these programs.
7551 @vindex mh-junk-program
7553 The default setting of the option @code{mh-junk-program} is
7554 @samp{Auto-detect} which means that MH-E will automatically choose one
7555 of SpamAssassin, bogofilter, or SpamProbe in that order. If, for
7556 example, you have both SpamAssassin and bogofilter installed and you
7557 want to use bogofilter, then you can set this option to
7560 @findex mh-junk-blacklist
7562 @vindex mh-junk-disposition
7564 The command @kbd{J b} (@code{mh-junk-blacklist}) trains the spam
7565 program in use with the content of the range (@pxref{Ranges}) and then
7566 handles the message(s) as specified by the option
7567 @code{mh-junk-disposition}. By default, this option is set to
7568 @samp{Delete Spam} but you can also specify the name of the folder
7569 which is useful for building a corpus of spam for training purposes.
7571 @findex mh-junk-whitelist
7574 In contrast, the command @kbd{J w} (@code{mh-junk-whitelist})
7575 reclassifies a range of messages (@pxref{Ranges}) as ham if it were
7576 incorrectly classified as spam. It then refiles the message into the
7577 @file{+inbox} folder.
7579 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Log*}
7580 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Log*}
7581 @findex call-process
7582 @vindex mh-junk-background
7584 By default, the programs are run in the foreground, but this can be
7585 slow when junking large numbers of messages. If you have enough memory
7586 or don't junk that many messages at the same time, you might try
7587 turning on the option @code{mh-junk-background}. @footnote{Note that
7588 the option @code{mh-junk-background} is used as the @code{display}
7589 argument in the call to @code{call-process}. Therefore, turning on
7590 this option means setting its value to @samp{0}. You can also set its
7591 value to @samp{t} to direct the programs' output to the @samp{*MH-E
7592 Log*} buffer; this may be useful for debugging.}
7594 The following sections discuss the various counter-spam measures that
7597 @cindex @file{.procmailrc}
7598 @cindex files, @file{.procmailrc}
7600 @subheading SpamAssassin
7602 @cindex Spamassassin
7603 @cindex spam filters, Spamassassin
7605 SpamAssassin is one of the more popular spam filtering programs. Get
7606 it from your local distribution or from the
7607 @uref{http://spamassassin.apache.org/, SpamAssassin web site}.
7609 To use SpamAssassin, add the following recipes to @file{~/.procmailrc}:
7611 @cindex @command{spamc}
7612 @cindex @samp{X-Spam-Level:} header field
7613 @cindex @samp{X-Spam-Status:} header field
7614 @cindex header field, @samp{X-Spam-Level:}
7615 @cindex header field, @samp{X-Spam-Status:}
7618 PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin/mh
7619 MAILDIR=$HOME/`mhparam Path`
7621 # Fight spam with SpamAssassin.
7625 # Anything with a spam level of 10 or more is junked immediately.
7627 * ^X-Spam-Level: ..........
7631 * ^X-Spam-Status: Yes
7635 If you don't use @command{spamc}, use @samp{spamassassin -P -a}.
7637 Note that one of the recipes above throws away messages with a score
7638 greater than or equal to 10. Here's how you can determine a value that
7641 First, run @samp{spamassassin -t} on every mail message in your
7642 archive and use @command{gnumeric} to verify that the average plus the
7643 standard deviation of good mail is under 5, the SpamAssassin default
7646 Using @command{gnumeric}, sort the messages by score and view the
7647 messages with the highest score. Determine the score which encompasses
7648 all of your interesting messages and add a couple of points to be
7649 conservative. Add that many dots to the @samp{X-Spam-Level:} header
7650 field above to send messages with that score down the drain.
7652 In the example above, messages with a score of 5-9 are set aside in
7653 the @samp{+spam} folder for later review. The major weakness of
7654 rules-based filters is a plethora of false positives so it is
7655 worthwhile to check.
7657 @findex mh-junk-blacklist
7658 @findex mh-junk-whitelist
7662 If SpamAssassin classifies a message incorrectly, or is unsure, you can
7663 use the MH-E commands @kbd{J b} (@code{mh-junk-blacklist}) and
7664 @kbd{J w} (@code{mh-junk-whitelist}).
7666 @cindex @command{sa-learn}
7667 @cindex @file{.spamassassin/user_prefs}
7668 @cindex files, @file{.spamassassin/user_prefs}
7670 The command @kbd{J b} (@code{mh-junk-blacklist}) adds a
7671 @samp{blacklist_from} entry to @file{~/spamassassin/user_prefs},
7672 deletes the message, and sends the message to the Razor, so that
7673 others might not see this spam. If the @command{sa-learn} command is
7674 available, the message is also recategorized as spam.
7676 The command@kbd{J w} (@code{mh-junk-whitelist}) adds a
7677 @samp{whitelist_from} rule to @samp{~/.spamassassin/user_prefs}. If
7678 the @command{sa-learn} command is available, the message is also
7679 recategorized as ham.
7681 Over time, you'll observe that the same host or domain occurs
7682 repeatedly in the @samp{blacklist_from} entries, so you might think
7683 that you could avoid future spam by blacklisting all mail from a
7684 particular domain. The utility function
7685 @code{mh-spamassassin-identify-spammers} helps you do precisely that.
7686 This function displays a frequency count of the hosts and domains in
7687 the @samp{blacklist_from} entries from the last blank line in
7688 @file{~/.spamassassin/user_prefs} to the end of the file. This
7689 information can be used so that you can replace multiple
7690 @samp{blacklist_from} entries with a single wildcard entry such as:
7693 blacklist_from *@@*amazingoffersdirect2u.com
7696 In versions of SpamAssassin (2.50 and on) that support a Bayesian
7697 classifier, @kbd{J b} @code{(mh-junk-blacklist}) uses the program
7698 @command{sa-learn} to recategorize the message as spam. Neither MH-E,
7699 nor SpamAssassin, rebuilds the database after adding words, so you
7700 will need to run @samp{sa-learn --rebuild} periodically. This can be
7701 done by adding the following to your @file{crontab}:
7704 0 * * * * sa-learn --rebuild > /dev/null 2>&1
7707 @subheading Bogofilter
7710 @cindex spam filters, bogofilter
7712 Bogofilter is a Bayesian spam filtering program. Get it from your
7713 local distribution or from the
7714 @uref{http://bogofilter.sourceforge.net/, bogofilter web site}.
7716 Bogofilter is taught by running:
7719 bogofilter -n < good-message
7722 on every good message, and
7725 bogofilter -s < spam-message
7728 @cindex full training
7730 on every spam message. This is called a @dfn{full training}; three
7731 other training methods are described in the FAQ that is distributed
7732 with bogofilter. Note that most Bayesian filters need 1000 to 5000 of
7733 each type of message to start doing a good job.
7735 To use bogofilter, add the following recipes to @file{~/.procmailrc}:
7737 @cindex @samp{X-Bogosity:} header field
7738 @cindex header field, @samp{X-Bogosity:}
7741 PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin/mh
7742 MAILDIR=$HOME/`mhparam Path`
7744 # Fight spam with Bogofilter.
7746 | bogofilter -3 -e -p
7749 * ^X-Bogosity: Yes, tests=bogofilter
7753 * ^X-Bogosity: Unsure, tests=bogofilter
7757 @findex mh-junk-blacklist
7758 @findex mh-junk-whitelist
7762 If bogofilter classifies a message incorrectly, or is unsure, you can
7763 use the MH-E commands @kbd{J b} (@code{mh-junk-blacklist}) and @kbd{J
7764 w} (@code{mh-junk-whitelist}) to update bogofilter's training.
7766 The @cite{Bogofilter FAQ} suggests that you run the following
7767 occasionally to shrink the database:
7770 bogoutil -d wordlist.db | bogoutil -l wordlist.db.new
7771 mv wordlist.db wordlist.db.prv
7772 mv wordlist.db.new wordlist.db
7775 The @cite{Bogofilter tuning HOWTO} describes how you can fine-tune
7778 @subheading SpamProbe
7781 @cindex spam filters, SpamProbe
7783 SpamProbe is a Bayesian spam filtering program. Get it from your local
7784 distribution or from the @uref{http://spamprobe.sourceforge.net,
7785 SpamProbe web site}.
7787 To use SpamProbe, add the following recipes to @file{~/.procmailrc}:
7789 @cindex @command{formail}
7790 @cindex @samp{X-SpamProbe:} header field
7791 @cindex header field, @samp{X-SpamProbe:}
7794 PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin/mh
7795 MAILDIR=$HOME/`mhparam Path`
7797 # Fight spam with SpamProbe.
7799 SCORE=| spamprobe receive
7802 | formail -I "X-SpamProbe: $SCORE"
7809 @findex mh-junk-blacklist
7810 @findex mh-junk-whitelist
7814 If SpamProbe classifies a message incorrectly, you can use the MH-E
7815 commands @kbd{J b} (@code{mh-junk-blacklist}) and @kbd{J w}
7816 (@code{mh-junk-whitelist}) to update SpamProbe's training.
7818 @subheading Other Things You Can Do
7820 There are a couple of things that you can add to @file{~/.procmailrc}
7821 in order to filter out a lot of spam and viruses. The first is to
7822 eliminate any message with a Windows executable (which is most likely
7823 a virus). The second is to eliminate mail in character sets that you
7826 @cindex @samp{Content-Transfer-Encoding:} header field
7827 @cindex @samp{Content-Type:} header field
7828 @cindex @samp{Subject:} header field
7829 @cindex header field, @samp{Content-Transfer-Encoding:}
7830 @cindex header field, @samp{Content-Type:}
7831 @cindex header field, @samp{Subject:}
7834 PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin/mh
7835 MAILDIR=$HOME/`mhparam Path`
7838 # Filter messages with win32 executables/virii.
7840 # These attachments are base64 and have a TVqQAAMAAAAEAAAA//8AALg
7841 # pattern. The string "this program cannot be run in MS-DOS mode"
7842 # encoded in base64 is 4fug4AtAnNIbg and helps to avoid false
7843 # positives (Roland Smith via Pete from the bogofilter mailing list).
7846 * ^Content-Transfer-Encoding:.*base64
7847 * ^TVqQAAMAAAAEAAAA//8AALg
7852 # Filter mail in unreadable character sets (from the Bogofilter FAQ).
7854 UNREADABLE='[^?"]*big5|iso-2022-jp|ISO-2022-KR|euc-kr|gb2312|ks_c_5601-1987'
7857 * 1^0 $ ^Subject:.*=\?($UNREADABLE)
7858 * 1^0 $ ^Content-Type:.*charset="?($UNREADABLE)
7862 * ^Content-Type:.*multipart
7863 * B ?? $ ^Content-Type:.*^?.*charset="?($UNREADABLE)
7867 @node Miscellaneous, Scan Line Formats, Junk, Top
7868 @chapter Miscellaneous Commands, Variables, and Buffers
7870 This chapter covers the following command and the various MH-E
7875 Display version information about MH-E and the MH mail handling
7879 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Info*}
7880 @cindex MH-E version
7881 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Info*}
7883 @kindex M-x mh-version
7885 One command worth noting is @kbd{M-x mh-version}. You can compare the
7886 version this command prints to the latest release (@pxref{Getting
7887 MH-E}). The output of @kbd{M-x mh-version}, found in a buffer named
7888 @samp{*MH-E Info*}, should usually be included with any bug report you
7889 submit (@pxref{Bug Reports}).
7891 @subheading MH-E Buffers
7893 Besides the MH-Folder, MH-Show, and MH-Letter buffers, MH-E creates
7894 several other buffers. They are:
7897 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Folders*}
7898 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Folders*}
7899 @findex mh-list-folders
7900 @item *MH-E Folders*
7902 This buffer contains the output of @kbd{F l} (@code{mh-list-folders}).
7904 @c -------------------------
7905 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Help*}
7906 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Help*}
7911 This buffer contains the output of @kbd{?} (@code{mh-help}) and
7912 @kbd{C-c ?} in MH-Letter mode. @xref{Using This Manual}.
7913 @c -------------------------
7914 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Info*}
7915 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Info*}
7917 This buffer contains the output of @kbd{M-x mh-version @key{RET}}.
7918 @c -------------------------
7919 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Log*}
7920 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Log*}
7922 This buffer contains the last 100 lines of the output of the various
7924 @c -------------------------
7925 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Mail Delivery*}
7926 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Mail Delivery*}
7927 @item *MH-E Mail Delivery*
7928 This buffer contains the transcript of a mail delivery. @xref{Sending
7930 @c -------------------------
7931 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Recipients*}
7932 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Recipients*}
7933 @findex mh-check-whom
7934 @item *MH-E Recipients*
7936 This buffer contains the output of @kbd{C-c C-w}
7937 (@code{mh-check-whom}) and is killed when draft is sent.
7938 @xref{Checking Recipients}.
7939 @c -------------------------
7940 @cindex @samp{*MH-E Sequences*}
7941 @cindex buffers, @samp{*MH-E Sequences*}
7942 @item *MH-E Sequences*
7943 This buffer contains the output of @kbd{S l}
7944 (@code{mh-list-sequences}). @xref{Sequences}.
7945 @c -------------------------
7946 @cindex @samp{*mh-temp*}
7947 @cindex buffers, @samp{*mh-temp*}
7949 This is a scratch, ephemeral, buffer used by MH-E functions. Note that
7950 it is hidden because the first character in the name is a space.
7951 You'll generally not have any need for this buffer.
7954 @node Scan Line Formats, Procmail, Miscellaneous, Top
7955 @appendix Scan Line Formats
7957 @cindex scan line formats
7959 This appendix discusses how MH-E creates, parses, and manipulates scan
7960 lines. If you have your own MH scan or inc format files, you
7961 @strong{can} teach MH-E how to handle them, but it isn't easy as
7964 @cindex @samp{mh-scan-line-formats} customization group
7965 @cindex customization group, @samp{mh-scan-line-formats}
7967 This table lists the options in the @samp{mh-scan-line-formats}
7968 customization group.
7971 @item mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag
7972 On means that the message number width is determined dynamically
7973 (default: @samp{on}).
7974 @c -------------------------
7975 @item mh-scan-format-file
7976 Specifies the format file to pass to the scan program (default:
7977 @samp{Use MH-E scan Format}).
7978 @c -------------------------
7980 Program used to scan messages (default: @code{"scan"}).
7983 @vindex mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag
7985 There are a couple of caveats when creating your own scan format file.
7986 First, MH-E will not work if your scan lines do not include message
7987 numbers. It will work poorly if you don't dedicate a column for
7988 showing the current message and notations. You won't be able to use
7989 the option @code{mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag} or the threading features
7990 (@pxref{Threading}).
7992 @cindex message numbers
7993 @findex mh-set-cmd-note
7994 @vindex mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag
7995 @vindex mh-scan-format-file
7997 If you've created your own format to handle long message numbers,
7998 you'll be pleased to know you no longer need it since MH-E adapts its
7999 internal format based upon the largest message number if
8000 @code{mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag} is on (the default). If you prefer
8001 fixed-width message numbers, turn off @code{mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag}
8002 and call @code{mh-set-cmd-note} with the width specified by your
8003 format file (see @code{mh-scan-format-file}). For example, the default
8004 width is 4, so you would use @samp{(mh-set-cmd-note 4)}.
8006 @vindex mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag
8007 @vindex mh-scan-format-file
8008 @vindex mh-scan-format-mh
8009 @vindex mh-scan-format-nmh
8011 The default setting for @code{mh-scan-format-file} is @samp{Use MH-E
8012 scan Format}. This means that the format string will be taken from the
8013 either @code{mh-scan-format-mh} or @code{mh-scan-format-nmh} depending
8014 on whether MH or nmh (or GNU mailutils) is in use. This setting also
8015 enables you to turn on the option @code{mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag}.
8016 You can also set this option to @samp{Use Default scan Format} to get
8017 the same output as you would get if you ran @command{scan} from the
8018 shell. If you have a format file that you want MH-E to use but not MH,
8019 you can set this option to @samp{Specify a scan Format File} and enter
8020 the name of your format file.
8022 @vindex mh-scan-format-file
8023 @vindex mh-scan-format-mh
8024 @vindex mh-scan-format-nmh
8026 The scan format that MH-E uses when @code{mh-scan-format-file} is set
8027 to its default of @samp{Use MH-E scan Format} is held in the variables
8028 @code{mh-scan-format-nmh} and @code{mh-scan-format-mh} depending on
8029 whether you are using nmh (or GNU mailutils) or not. Typically, you
8030 create your own format files rather than modifying these variables.
8031 The value of @code{mh-scan-format-nmh} is:
8038 "%?(nonnull(comp@{to@}))%<(mymbox@{to@})t%>"
8039 "%?(nonnull(comp@{cc@}))%<(mymbox@{cc@})c%>"
8040 "%?(nonnull(comp@{bcc@}))%<(mymbox@{bcc@})b%>"
8041 "%?(nonnull(comp@{newsgroups@}))n%>"
8043 "%02(mon@{date@})/%02(mday@{date@})%<@{date@} %|*%>"
8044 "%<(mymbox@{from@})%<@{to@}To:%14(decode(friendly@{to@}))%>%>"
8045 "%<(zero)%17(decode(friendly@{from@}))%> "
8046 "%(decode@{subject@})%<@{body@}<<%@{body@}%>")
8049 @cindex decoding RFC 2047
8050 @cindex RFC 2047, decoding
8051 @vindex mh-scan-format-mh
8053 The setting for @code{mh-scan-format-mh} is similar, except that MH
8054 doesn't have the function @code{decode} (which is used to decode RFC
8057 @cindex notations, scan line
8058 @cindex scan line notations
8060 These strings are passed to the @command{scan} program via the
8061 @option{-format} argument. The formats are identical to the defaults
8062 except that additional hints for fontification have been added to the
8063 existing notations in the fifth column (remember that in Emacs, the
8064 columns start at 0). The values of the fifth column, in priority
8065 order, are: @samp{-} if the message has been replied to, @samp{t} if
8066 an address in the @samp{To:} field matches one of the mailboxes of the
8067 current user, @samp{c} if the @samp{Cc:} field matches, @samp{b} if
8068 the @samp{Bcc:} field matches, and @samp{n} if a non-empty
8069 @samp{Newsgroups:} field is present.
8071 @cindex @command{scan}
8072 @cindex MH commands, @command{scan}
8074 @vindex mh-scan-prog
8076 The name of the program that generates a listing of one line per
8077 message is held in @code{mh-scan-prog} (default: @code{"scan"}).
8078 Unless this variable contains an absolute pathname, it is assumed to
8079 be in the @code{mh-progs} directory (@pxref{Getting Started}). You may
8080 link another program to @command{scan} (see @samp{mh-profile}(5)) to
8081 produce a different type of listing@footnote{See the section
8082 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/faswsprs.html, Find and Specify with scan
8083 pick Ranges Sequences} in the MH book.}.
8085 @cindex regular expressions, scan line formats
8086 @findex mh-set-cmd-note
8089 If you change the format of the scan lines you'll need to tell MH-E
8090 how to parse the new format. As you will see, quite a lot of variables
8091 are involved to do that. Use @kbd{M-x apropos @key{RET}
8092 mh-scan.*regexp @key{RET}} to obtain a list of these variables. You
8093 will also have to call @code{mh-set-cmd-note} if your notations are
8094 not in column 4 (columns in Emacs start with 0). Note that unlike most
8095 of the user options described in this manual, these are variables and
8096 must be set with @code{setq} instead of in a customization buffer. For
8097 help with regular expressions, see
8099 @ref{Regexps, , Syntax of Regular Expressions, emacs, The
8104 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/Regexps.html,
8105 Syntax of Regular Expressions} in @cite{The GNU Emacs Manual}.
8108 The first variable has to do with pruning out garbage.
8111 @cindex @command{inc}
8112 @cindex MH commands, @command{inc}
8113 @cindex @command{scan}
8114 @cindex MH commands, @command{scan}
8115 @item mh-scan-valid-regexp
8116 This regular expression describes a valid scan line. This is used to
8117 eliminate error messages that are occasionally produced by
8118 @command{inc}@footnote{See the section
8119 @uref{@value{MH-BOOK-HOME}/reapre.html, Reading Mail: inc show next
8120 prev} in the MH book.} or @command{scan} (default: @code{"^ *[0-9]"}).
8123 Next, many variables control how the scan lines are parsed.
8126 @vindex mh-folder-body
8127 @vindex mh-folder-font-lock-keywords
8128 @item mh-scan-body-regexp
8129 This regular expression matches the message body fragment. Note that
8130 the default setting of @code{mh-folder-font-lock-keywords} expects
8131 this expression to contain at least one parenthesized expression which
8132 matches the body text as in the default of
8133 @code{"\\(<<\\([^\n]+\\)?\\)"}. If this regular expression is not
8134 correct, the body fragment will not be highlighted with the face
8135 @code{mh-folder-body}.
8136 @c -------------------------
8137 @vindex mh-folder-cur-msg-number
8138 @vindex mh-folder-font-lock-keywords
8140 @item mh-scan-cur-msg-number-regexp
8141 This regular expression matches the current message. It must match
8142 from the beginning of the line. Note that the default setting of
8143 @code{mh-folder-font-lock-keywords} expects this expression to contain
8144 at least one parenthesized expression which matches the message number
8145 as in the default of @w{@code{"^\\( *[0-9]+\\+\\).*"}}. This
8146 expression includes the leading space and current message marker
8147 @samp{+} within the parenthesis since it looks better to highlight
8148 these items as well. The highlighting is done with the face
8149 @code{mh-folder-cur-msg-number}. This regular expression should be
8150 correct as it is needed by non-fontification functions. See also
8152 @c -------------------------
8153 @vindex mh-folder-date
8154 @vindex mh-folder-font-lock-keywords
8155 @vindex mh-scan-sent-to-me-sender-regexp
8156 @item mh-scan-date-regexp
8157 This regular expression matches a valid date. It must @strong{not} be
8158 anchored to the beginning or the end of the line. Note that the
8159 default setting of @code{mh-folder-font-lock-keywords} expects this
8160 expression to contain only one parenthesized expression which matches
8161 the date field as in the default of
8162 @code{"\\([0-9][0-9]/[0-9][0-9]\\)"}. If this regular expression is
8163 not correct, the date will not be highlighted with the face
8164 @code{mh-folder-date}.
8165 @c -------------------------
8166 @vindex mh-folder-deleted
8167 @vindex mh-folder-font-lock-keywords
8168 @vindex mh-note-deleted
8169 @item mh-scan-deleted-msg-regexp
8170 This regular expression matches deleted messages. It must match from
8171 the beginning of the line. Note that the default setting of
8172 @code{mh-folder-font-lock-keywords} expects this expression to contain
8173 at least one parenthesized expression which matches the message number
8174 as in the default of @code{"^\\( *[0-9]+\\)D"}. This expression
8175 includes the leading space within the parenthesis since it looks
8176 better to highlight it as well. The highlighting is done with the face
8177 @code{mh-folder-deleted}. This regular expression should be correct as
8178 it is needed by non-fontification functions. See also
8179 @code{mh-note-deleted}.
8180 @c -------------------------
8181 @vindex mh-folder-font-lock-keywords
8182 @vindex mh-folder-msg-number
8183 @item mh-scan-good-msg-regexp
8184 This regular expression matches ``good'' messages. It must match from
8185 the beginning of the line. Note that the default setting of
8186 @code{mh-folder-font-lock-keywords} expects this expression to contain
8187 at least one parenthesized expression which matches the message number
8188 as in the default of @w{@code{"^\\( *[0-9]+\\)[^D^0-9]"}}. This
8189 expression includes the leading space within the parenthesis since it
8190 looks better to highlight it as well. The highlighting is done with
8191 the face @code{mh-folder-msg-number}. This regular expression should
8192 be correct as it is needed by non-fontification functions.
8193 @c -------------------------
8194 @vindex mh-scan-format-file
8195 @item mh-scan-msg-format-regexp
8196 This regular expression finds the message number width in a scan
8197 format. Note that the message number must be placed in a parenthesized
8198 expression as in the default of @code{"%\\([0-9]*\\)(msg)"}. This
8199 variable is only consulted if @code{mh-scan-format-file} is set to
8200 @samp{Use MH-E scan Format}.
8201 @c -------------------------
8202 @vindex mh-scan-format-file
8203 @item mh-scan-msg-format-string
8204 This is a format string for the width of the message number in a scan
8205 format. Use @samp{0%d} for zero-filled message numbers. This variable
8206 is only consulted if @code{mh-scan-format-file} is set to @samp{Use
8207 MH-E scan Format} (default: @code{"%d"}).
8208 @c -------------------------
8209 @item mh-scan-msg-number-regexp
8210 This regular expression extracts the message number. It must match
8211 from the beginning of the line. Note that the message number must be
8212 placed in a parenthesized expression as in the default of @w{@code{"^
8214 @c -------------------------
8215 @item mh-scan-msg-overflow-regexp
8216 This regular expression matches overflowed message numbers (default:
8217 @code{"^[?0-9][0-9]"}).
8218 @c -------------------------
8219 @item mh-scan-msg-search-regexp
8220 This regular expression matches a particular message. It is a format
8221 string; use @samp{%d} to represent the location of the message number
8222 within the expression as in the default of @code{"^[^0-9]*%d[^0-9]"}.
8223 @c -------------------------
8224 @vindex mh-folder-address
8225 @vindex mh-folder-font-lock-keywords
8226 @vindex mh-folder-to
8227 @item mh-scan-rcpt-regexp
8228 This regular expression specifies the recipient in messages you sent.
8229 Note that the default setting of @code{mh-folder-font-lock-keywords}
8230 expects this expression to contain two parenthesized expressions. The
8231 first is expected to match the @samp{To:} that the default scan format
8232 file generates. The second is expected to match the recipient's name
8233 as in the default of @code{"\\(To:\\)\\(..............\\)"}. If this
8234 regular expression is not correct, the @samp{To:} string will not be
8235 highlighted with the face @code{mh-folder-to} and the recipient will not be
8236 highlighted with the face @code{mh-folder-address}.
8237 @c -------------------------
8238 @vindex mh-folder-font-lock-keywords
8239 @vindex mh-folder-refiled
8240 @vindex mh-note-refiled
8241 @item mh-scan-refiled-msg-regexp
8242 This regular expression matches refiled messages. It must match from
8243 the beginning of the line. Note that the default setting of
8244 @code{mh-folder-font-lock-keywords} expects this expression to contain
8245 at least one parenthesized expression which matches the message number
8246 as in the default of @w{@code{"^\\( *[0-9]+\\)\\^"}}. This expression
8247 includes the leading space within the parenthesis since it looks
8248 better to highlight it as well. The highlighting is done with the face
8249 @code{mh-folder-refiled}. This regular expression should be correct as
8250 it is needed by non-fontification functions. See also
8251 @code{mh-note-refiled}.
8252 @c -------------------------
8253 @vindex mh-folder-font-lock-keywords
8254 @vindex mh-folder-sent-to-me-sender
8255 @vindex mh-mh-folder-sent-to-me-hint
8256 @vindex mh-scan-format-nmh
8257 @item mh-scan-sent-to-me-sender-regexp
8258 This regular expression matches messages sent to us. Note that the
8259 default setting of @code{mh-folder-font-lock-keywords} expects this
8260 expression to contain at least two parenthesized expressions. The
8261 first should match the fontification hint (see
8262 @code{mh-scan-format-nmh}) and the second should match the user name
8263 as in the default of
8264 @w{@code{"^ *[0-9]+.\\([bct]\\).....[ ]*\\(..................\\)"}}.
8265 If this regular expression is not correct, the notation hints will not
8266 be highlighted with the face @code{mh-mh-folder-sent-to-me-hint} and
8267 the sender will not be highlighted with the face
8268 @code{mh-folder-sent-to-me-sender}.
8269 @c -------------------------
8270 @vindex mh-folder-followup
8271 @vindex mh-folder-font-lock-keywords
8272 @vindex mh-folder-subject
8273 @item mh-scan-subject-regexp
8274 This regular expression matches the subject. It must match from the
8275 beginning of the line. Note that the default setting of
8276 @samp{mh-folder-font-lock-keywords} expects this expression to contain
8277 at least three parenthesized expressions. The first is expected to
8278 match the @samp{Re:} string, if any, and is highlighted with the face
8279 @code{mh-folder-followup}. The second matches an optional bracketed
8280 number after @samp{Re:}, such as in @samp{Re[2]:} (and is thus a
8281 sub-expression of the first expression). The third is expected to
8282 match the subject line itself which is highlighted with the face
8283 @code{mh-folder-subject}. For example, the default is
8284 @w{@code{"^ *[0-9]+........[ ]*...................}}@*
8285 @w{@code{\\([Rr][Ee]\\(\\[[0-9]+\\]\\)?:\\s-*\\)*\\([^<\n]*\\)"}}.
8286 This regular expression should be correct as it is needed by
8287 non-fontification functions. Note that this example is broken up on
8288 two lines for readability, but is actually a single string.
8291 Finally, there are a slew of variables that control how MH-E annotates
8295 @findex mh-set-cmd-note
8296 @vindex mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag
8298 Column for notations (default: 4). This variable should be set with
8299 the function @code{mh-set-cmd-note}. This variable may be updated
8300 dynamically if @code{mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag} is on. The following
8301 variables contain the notational characters. Note that columns in
8303 @c -------------------------
8304 @item mh-note-copied
8305 Messages that have been copied are marked by this character (default:
8307 @c -------------------------
8308 @vindex mh-scan-cur-msg-number-regexp
8310 The current message (in MH, not in MH-E) is marked by this character
8311 (default: @code{?+}). See also @code{mh-scan-cur-msg-number-regexp}.
8312 @c -------------------------
8313 @vindex mh-scan-deleted-msg-regexp
8314 @item mh-note-deleted
8315 Messages that have been deleted are marked by this character (default:
8316 @code{?D}). See also @code{mh-scan-deleted-msg-regexp}.
8317 @c -------------------------
8319 Messages that have been redistributed are marked by this character
8320 (default: @code{?R}).
8321 @c -------------------------
8323 Messages that have been forwarded are marked by this character
8324 (default: @code{?F}).
8325 @c -------------------------
8326 @item mh-note-printed
8327 Messages that have been printed are marked by this character (default:
8329 @c -------------------------
8330 @vindex mh-scan-refiled-msg-regexp
8331 @item mh-note-refiled
8332 Messages that have been refiled are marked by this character (default:
8333 @code{?^}). See also @code{mh-scan-refiled-msg-regexp}.
8334 @c -------------------------
8336 Messages that have been replied to are marked by this character
8337 (default: @code{?-}).
8338 @c -------------------------
8340 Messages in a user-defined sequence are marked by this character
8341 (default: @code{?%}). Messages in the @samp{search} sequence are
8342 marked by this character as well.
8345 For example, let's say I have the following in @file{scan.format}
8346 which displays the sender, the subject, and the message number. This
8347 format places a @samp{+} after the message number for the current
8348 message according to MH; it also uses that column for notations.
8351 %20(decode(friendly@{from@})) %50(decode@{subject@}) %4(msg)%<(cur)+%| %>
8354 @vindex mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag
8355 @vindex mh-scan-format-file
8356 @vindex mh-scan-format-file, example
8358 The first thing you have to do is tell MH-E to use this file.
8359 Customize @code{mh-scan-format-file} and set its value to @samp{Use
8360 Default scan Format}. If you didn't get already turn off
8361 @code{mh-adaptive-cmd-note-flag}, you'll need to do that first.
8363 Next, tell MH-E what a valid scan line looks like so that you can at
8364 least display the output of scan in your MH-Folder buffer.
8366 @vindex mh-scan-valid-regexp, example
8369 (setq mh-scan-valid-regexp "[0-9]+[+D^ ]$")
8372 Now, in order to get rid of the @samp{Cursor not pointing to message}
8373 message, you need to tell MH-E how to access the message number. You
8374 should also see why MH-E requires that you include a message number in
8377 @vindex mh-scan-msg-number-regexp, example
8378 @vindex mh-scan-msg-search-regexp, example
8381 (setq mh-scan-msg-number-regexp "^.* \\([0-9]+\\)[+D^ ]$")
8382 (setq mh-scan-msg-search-regexp " %d[+D^ ]$")
8385 In order to get the next and previous commands working, add this.
8387 @vindex mh-scan-good-msg-regexp, example
8390 (setq mh-scan-good-msg-regexp "^.* \\([0-9]+\\)[+D^ ]$")
8393 Note that the current message isn't marked with a @samp{+} when moving
8394 between the next and previous messages. Here is the code required to
8397 @vindex set-mh-cmd-note, example
8398 @vindex mh-scan-cur-msg-number-regexp, example
8401 (set-mh-cmd-note 76)
8402 (setq mh-scan-cur-msg-number-regexp "^.* \\([0-9]+\\)\\+$")
8405 Finally, add the following to delete and refile messages.
8407 @vindex mh-scan-deleted-msg-regexp, example
8408 @vindex mh-scan-refiled-msg-regexp, example
8411 (setq mh-scan-deleted-msg-regexp "^.* \\([0-9]+\\)D$")
8412 (setq mh-scan-refiled-msg-regexp "^.* \\([0-9]+\\)\\^$")
8415 This is just a bare minimum; it's best to adjust all of the regular
8416 expressions to ensure that MH-E and highlighting perform well.
8418 @node Procmail, Odds and Ends, Scan Line Formats, Top
8419 @appendix Reading Mailing Lists Effectively
8421 @cindex @command{procmail}
8422 @cindex @command{slocal}
8424 @cindex MH commands, @command{slocal}
8425 @cindex Unix commands, @command{procmail}
8426 @cindex mailing lists, reading
8428 This appendix explains how to use @uref{http://www.procmail.org/,
8429 procmail} to file mail from mailing lists into folders which can then
8430 be read easily with MH-E@footnote{The MH equivalent, @command{slocal},
8431 can be used as well, but procmail is more flexible and more packages
8432 exist for procmail than for slocal.}. Some mailing lists have such
8433 high traffic that Gnus must be used and I discuss how to use Gnus
8434 side-by-side with MH-E.
8436 @cindex @file{.procmailrc}
8437 @cindex files, @file{.procmailrc}
8439 First, I'll describe how to put mail from your mailing lists directly
8440 into an MH folder using @command{procmail}. First, add the following
8441 to @file{~/.procmailrc}. While the logging variables aren't strictly
8442 necessary, they are extremely useful.
8445 [1] # Update PATH so procmail can find myrcvstore, rcvstore and mhparam.
8446 [2] PATH=$PATH:/usr/lib/mh:/usr/bin/mh:$HOME/bin
8448 [4] # Point LOGFILE at the actual log file.
8449 [5] LOGFILE=$HOME/.procmail.log
8451 [7] # This setting provides just the right amount of information.
8454 [10] # Uncomment the following line to see how your patterns match.
8457 [13] # Place mail sent to any MH-E mailing list in +mh-e.
8458 [14] :0 w: mh-e$LOCKEXT
8459 [15] * ^TO.*mh-e-.*@.*sourceforge.net
8460 [16] | myrcvstore -create +mh-e
8463 @cindex @command{rcvstore}
8464 @cindex MH commands, @command{rcvstore}
8466 Line 14 creates a lock file in your mail directory based upon the name
8467 of the folder. This is done because @command{rcvstore} does not
8468 perform locking. While this lock file will prevent @command{procmail}
8469 from writing to a folder concurrently, there is a slight chance that
8470 you might lose a message if you're performing operations on a folder
8471 at the same time @command{rcvstore} is placing a message there. You
8472 have been warned. Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, note
8473 that I've been using this set-up for over a decade and haven't lost
8474 anything to my knowledge@footnote{See
8475 @uref{https://savannah.nongnu.org/bugs/?func=detailbug&bug_id=4361&group_id=2166,
8476 Savannah issue #4361} to see if @command{rcvstore} locking is still an
8479 @cindex @samp{Unseen-Sequence:} MH profile component
8480 @cindex MH profile component, @samp{Unseen-Sequence:}
8482 Line 16 uses the following script, @code{myrcvstore}, to massage the
8483 message as described in the comment and file the message in the given
8484 folder@footnote{The @samp{-create} argument wasn't always the default
8485 to @command{rcvstore}.}.
8490 # Accepts a message on standard input and passes it through rcvstore
8491 # after first passing it through any filters. All arguments are passed
8494 # Force the "From user date" to become part of header. One reason this
8495 # is done is because the presence of the From field confuses dist so
8496 # that dist adds a new header, rather than using the existing header.
8497 # Note that this should not be done for any message that goes into a
8498 # Gnus incoming file (Gnus will thrown an error) nor should it be
8499 # applied to any message that goes to the system mailbox because the
8500 # entire mailbox will be incorporated as a single message.
8501 formail -c -z -R 'From ' X-Envelope-From: |
8505 If your version of @command{rcvstore} doesn't add messages to the
8506 @samp{unseen} sequence by default, add the following line to your MH
8510 Unseen-Sequence: unseen
8513 Now view your new messages with the speedbar (@pxref{Speedbar}) or with
8514 @kbd{F n} (@code{mh-index-new-messages}). @xref{Folders}.
8516 If you're on a mailing list that is so voluminous that it is
8517 impossible to read every message, it usually better to read the
8518 mailing list like a newsgroup in a news reader. Emacs has a built-in
8519 newsreader called Gnus. The remainder of this appendix talks about how
8520 to use Gnus with an MH message store. The version of Gnus that was
8521 used to prepare this manual was 5.10. Versions 5.8 through 5.10 should
8522 work but versions prior to 5.8 use different options.
8524 This table contains a list of Gnus options that you will have to
8525 modify. Note that for them to become accessible, you'll have to load
8526 @file{nnml.el} first. This can be done with @kbd{M-x load-library
8527 @key{RET} nnml @key{RET}}.
8530 @item gnus-secondary-select-methods
8531 Select the @samp{nnml} value. This select method uses directories for
8532 folders and individual files for messages, just like MH. You do not
8533 have to set an address.
8534 @c -------------------------
8536 Select the @samp{Several files in a directory} value, check the
8537 @samp{Path} box and enter @file{~/Mail} to tell Gnus where to find
8539 @c -------------------------
8540 @vindex mail-user-agent
8541 @item message-mail-user-agent
8542 In order to send mail within Gnus using MH-E, set this option to
8543 @samp{mail-user-agent} and set the @code{mail-user-agent} option to
8544 @samp{Emacs interface to MH}.
8545 @c -------------------------
8546 @item nnmail-keep-last-article
8547 Since Gnus keeps track of which messages you have read, it would be
8548 bad if Gnus expired the last message, for example, message 100, and
8549 @command{rcvstore} gave the next new message number 1. Gnus would then
8550 ignore it since it thinks that you've read messages 1-100. Turning on
8551 this option ensures that the last message is never removed thereby
8552 eliminating this problem.
8555 Next add the following to @file{~/.procmailrc}. If you don't subscribe
8556 to the GnuCash mailing list, substitute one to which you are
8560 PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin/mh
8561 MAILDIR=$HOME/`mhparam Path`
8562 # Place mail sent to the GnuCash mailing list in gnucash.spool, where
8563 # Gnus will pick it up.
8565 * ^TO.*gnucash.*@.*gnucash.org
8569 Wait for some messages to appear in @file{gnucash.spool} and run Gnus
8570 with @kbd{M-x gnus @key{RET}}. To view the folder created in the
8571 example above, you would tell Gnus about it the first time only with
8572 @kbd{G m gnucash @key{RET} nnml @key{RET}}. In MH-E, this folder is
8573 known as @samp{+gnucash}.
8575 @node Odds and Ends, History, Procmail, Top
8576 @appendix Odds and Ends
8578 This appendix covers a few topics that don't fit elsewhere. Here I
8579 tell you how to report bugs and how to get on the MH-E mailing lists.
8580 I also point out some additional sources of information.
8585 * MH FAQ and Support::
8589 @node Bug Reports, Mailing Lists, Odds and Ends, Odds and Ends
8590 @appendixsec Bug Reports
8594 @kindex M-x mh-version
8596 Bug reports should be filed at
8597 @uref{https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=13357&atid=113357,
8598 SourceForge}. You need to be a SourceForge user to submit bug reports,
8599 but this is easy enough to do that it shouldn't be a restriction for
8600 you. Please include the output of @kbd{M-x mh-version}
8601 (@pxref{Miscellaneous}) in any bug report you send unless you're 110%
8602 positive we won't ask for it.
8604 @node Mailing Lists, MH FAQ and Support, Bug Reports, Odds and Ends
8605 @appendixsec MH-E Mailing Lists
8608 @cindex mailing lists
8610 There are several mailing lists for MH-E. They are @i{mh-e-users at
8611 lists.sourceforge.net}, @i{mh-e-announce at lists.sourceforge.net},
8612 and @i{mh-e-devel at lists.sourceforge.net}. You can subscribe or view
8613 the archives at @uref{https://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=13357,
8614 SourceForge}. Do not report bugs on these lists; please submit them
8615 via SourceForge (@pxref{Bug Reports}).
8617 @node MH FAQ and Support, Getting MH-E, Mailing Lists, Odds and Ends
8618 @appendixsec MH FAQ and Support
8623 The article @uref{http://www.newt.com/faq/mh.html, @cite{MH Frequently
8624 Asked Questions (FAQ) with Answers}} appears monthly in the newsgroup
8625 @samp{comp.mail.mh}. While very little is there that deals with MH-E
8626 specifically, there is an incredible wealth of material about MH
8627 itself which you will find useful.
8631 You can find FAQs on MH-E at the
8632 @uref{https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=13357&atid=213357,
8633 Support Requests} page on SourceForge. If you don't find the answer to
8634 your question, file a support request and your question will become a
8637 @node Getting MH-E, , MH FAQ and Support, Odds and Ends
8638 @appendixsec Getting MH-E
8640 @cindex MH-E, obtaining
8641 @cindex getting MH-E
8642 @cindex obtaining MH-E
8644 Because MH-E is undergoing a phase of sustained growth, the version of
8645 MH-E in your Emacs is likely to be out of date although it is most
8646 likely to be more up to date than the copy that comes with the MH
8647 distribution in @file{miscellany/mh-e}.
8650 @cindex release notes
8652 New MH-E releases are always available for downloading at
8653 @uref{https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=13357,
8654 SourceForge} before they appear in an Emacs release. You can read the
8655 release notes on that page to determine if the given release of MH-E
8656 is already installed in your version of Emacs. You can also read the
8657 change log to see if you are interested in what the given release of
8658 MH-E has to offer (although we have no doubt that you will be
8659 extremely interested in all new releases).
8663 If you use Debian, you can install the Debian
8664 @uref{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/mail/mh-e, mh-e package}
8667 @cindex files, @samp{MH-E-NEWS}
8668 @cindex files, @samp{README}
8670 @cindex @samp{MH-E-NEWS}
8671 @cindex @samp{README}
8672 @kindex M-x mh-version
8674 After you download and extract the MH-E tarball, read the
8675 @file{README} file and @file{MH-E-NEWS}. These correspond to the
8676 release notes and change log mentioned above. The file @file{README}
8677 contains instructions on installing MH-E. If you're already running
8678 Emacs, please quit that session and start again to load in the new
8679 MH-E. Check that you're running the new version with the command
8680 @kbd{M-x mh-version}.
8682 @cindex contributed software
8684 @cindex documentation
8686 In addition to the mh-e package, the
8687 @uref{https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=13357,
8688 SourceForge} site also contains doc and contrib packages. The former
8689 is the latest release of this manual, and the latter contains a few
8690 contributed packages you might find useful.
8692 @node History, GFDL, Odds and Ends, Top
8693 @appendix History of MH-E
8697 @cindex Gildea, Stephen
8700 @cindex MH-E, versions
8703 @cindex Stephen Gildea
8704 @cindex Wohler, Bill
8705 @cindex history of MH-E
8706 @cindex versions of MH-E
8708 MH-E was originally written by Brian Reid in 1983 and has changed
8709 hands several times since then. Jim Larus wanted to do something
8710 similar for GNU Emacs, and ended up completely rewriting it that same
8711 year. In 1989, Stephen Gildea picked it up and added many
8712 improvements. Bill Wohler then took over in 2000 and moved its
8713 development to @uref{http://sourceforge.net/, SourceForge} where it
8719 * From Stephen Gildea::
8720 * From Bill Wohler::
8723 @node From Brian Reid, From Jim Larus, History, History
8724 @appendixsec From Brian Reid
8729 One day in 1983 I got the flu and had to stay home from work for three
8730 days with nothing to do. I used that time to write MHE@. The
8731 fundamental idea behind MHE was that it was a ``puppeteer'' driving
8732 the MH programs underneath it. MH had a model that the editor was
8733 supposed to run as a sub-process of the mailer, which seemed to me at
8734 the time to be the tail wagging the dog. So I turned it around and
8735 made the editor drive the MH programs. I made sure that the UCI people
8736 (who were maintaining MH at the time) took in my changes and made them
8739 Today, I still use my own version of MHE because I don't at all like
8740 the way that GNU MH-E works and I've never gotten to be good enough at
8741 hacking Emacs Lisp to make GNU MH-E do what I want. The Gosling-emacs
8742 version of MHE and the GNU Emacs version of MH-E have almost nothing
8743 in common except similar names. They work differently, have different
8744 conceptual models, and have different key bindings@footnote{After
8745 reading this article, I questioned Brian about his version of MHE, and
8746 received some great ideas for improving MH-E such as a dired-like
8747 method of selecting folders; and removing the prompting when sending
8748 mail, filling in the blanks in the draft buffer instead. I passed them
8749 on to Stephen Gildea, the current maintainer, and he was excited about
8750 the ideas as well. Perhaps one day, MH-E will again resemble MHE
8751 (draft form editing was introduced in version 7.4).}.
8753 Brian Reid, June 1994
8755 @node From Jim Larus, From Stephen Gildea, From Brian Reid, History
8756 @appendixsec From Jim Larus
8761 Brian Reid, while at CMU or shortly after going to Stanford wrote a
8762 mail reading program called MHE for Gosling Emacs. It had much the
8763 same structure as MH-E (i.e., invoked MH programs), though it was
8764 simpler and the commands were slightly different. Unfortunately, I no
8765 longer have a copy so the differences are lost in the mists of time.
8767 In '82-83, I was working at BBN and wrote a lot of mlisp code in
8768 Gosling Emacs to make it look more like Tennex Emacs. One of the
8769 packages that I picked up and improved was Reid's mail system. In '83,
8770 I went back to Berkeley. About that time, Stallman's first version of
8771 GNU Emacs came out and people started to move to it from Gosling Emacs
8772 (as I recall, the transition took a year or two). I decided to port
8773 Reid's MHE and used the mlisp to Emacs Lisp translator that came with
8774 GNU Emacs. It did a lousy job and the resulting code didn't work, so I
8775 bit the bullet and rewrote the code by hand (it was a lot smaller and
8776 simpler then, so it took only a day or two).
8778 Soon after that, MH-E became part of the standard Emacs distribution
8779 and suggestions kept dribbling in for improvements. MH-E soon reached
8780 sufficient functionality to keep me happy, but I kept on improving it
8781 because I was a graduate student with plenty of time on my hands and
8782 it was more fun than my dissertation. In retrospect, the one thing
8783 that I regret is not writing any documentation, which seriously
8784 limited the use and appeal of the package.
8786 @cindex @command{xmh}, in MH-E history
8788 In '89, I came to Wisconsin as a professor and decided not to work on
8789 MH-E. It was stable, except for minor bugs, and had enough
8790 functionality, so I let it be for a few years. Stephen Gildea of BBN
8791 began to pester me about the bugs, but I ignored them. In 1990, he
8792 went off to the X Consortium, said good bye, and said that he would
8793 now be using @command{xmh}. A few months later, he came back and said
8794 that he couldn't stand @command{xmh} and could I put a few more bug fixes
8795 into MH-E. At that point, I had no interest in fixing MH-E, so I gave
8796 the responsibility of maintenance to him and he has done a fine job
8799 Jim Larus, June 1994
8801 @node From Stephen Gildea, From Bill Wohler, From Jim Larus, History
8802 @appendixsec From Stephen Gildea
8804 @cindex Gildea, Stephen
8805 @cindex Stephen Gildea
8807 In 1987 I went to work for Bolt Beranek and Newman, as Jim had before
8808 me. In my previous job, I had been using RMAIL, but as my folders tend
8809 to run large, I was frustrated with the speed of RMAIL@. However, I
8810 stuck with it because I wanted the GNU Emacs interface. I am very
8811 familiar and comfortable with the Emacs interface (with just a few
8812 modifications of my own) and dislike having to use applications with
8813 embedded editors; they never live up to Emacs.
8815 MH is the mail reader of choice at BBN, so I converted to it. Since I
8816 didn't want to give up using an Emacs interface, I started using MH-E.
8817 As is my wont, I started hacking on it almost immediately. I first
8818 used version 3.4m. One of the first features I added was to treat the
8819 folder buffer as a file-visiting buffer: you could lock it, save it,
8820 and be warned of unsaved changes when killing it. I also worked to
8821 bring its functionality a little closer to RMAIL@. Jim Larus was very
8822 cooperative about merging in my changes, and my efforts first appeared
8823 in version 3.6, distributed with Emacs 18.52 in 1988. Next I decided
8824 MH-E was too slow and optimized it a lot. Version, 3.7, distributed
8825 with Emacs 18.56 in 1990, was noticeably faster.
8827 When I moved to the X Consortium I became the first person there to
8828 not use xmh. (There is now one other engineer there using MH-E.) About
8829 this point I took over maintenance of MH-E from Jim and was finally
8830 able to add some features Jim hadn't accepted, such as the backward
8831 searching undo. My first release was 3.8 (Emacs 18.58) in 1992.
8833 Now, in 1994, we see a flurry of releases, with both 4.0 and 5.0.
8834 Version 4.0 added many new features, including background folder
8835 collection and support for composing @sc{mime} messages. (Reading
8836 @sc{mime} messages remains to be done, alas.) While writing this book,
8837 Bill Wohler gave MH-E its closest examination ever, uncovering bugs
8838 and inconsistencies that required a new major version to fix, and so
8839 version 5 was released.
8841 Stephen Gildea, June 1994
8843 @node From Bill Wohler, , From Stephen Gildea, History
8844 @appendixsec From Bill Wohler
8846 @cindex Wohler, Bill
8849 The preface originally included the following text which I use to
8853 But it's important to note a brief history of MH-E.
8855 @w{Version 3} was prevalent through the @w{Emacs 18} and early
8856 @w{Emacs 19} years. Then @w{Version 4} came out (@w{Emacs 19.23}),
8857 which introduced several new and changed commands. Next, @w{Version
8858 5.0} was released, which fixed some bugs and incompatibilities, and
8859 was incorporated into @w{Emacs 19.29}.
8862 After a long break, Stephen handed the reins over to me in 2000. I
8863 moved the project to a new site called SourceForge and organized a
8864 great team of developers. Our first release in late 2001 was version
8865 6. It appeared around the time of Emacs 21.2 and had menus and tool
8868 Then, indexed searches, improved MIME handling, a speedbar, multiple
8869 identities, alias completion, an index view of unseen messages, spam
8870 software support, Face and X-Image-URL header field support, Fcc
8871 completion, arbitrary range handling, and draft form editing were
8872 introduced in the version 7 series around the time of Emacs 21.4
8873 (2004). Still, Emacs itself contained version 5 of MH-E released back
8876 Version 8 development was mostly driven by the rewrite of the manual.
8877 It also brought mailutils support, S/MIME support, picon support, and
8878 an improved interface for hiding header fields. The CVS repository was
8879 migrated from SourceForge to Savannah (only for those files that were
8880 already part of Emacs) and the software was completely reorganized to
8881 push back two decades of entropy. Version 8 will appear in Emacs 22.1,
8882 expected to be released in 2006.
8884 Bill Wohler, February 2006
8886 @node GFDL, Key Index, History, Top
8887 @appendix GNU FREE DOCUMENTATION LICENSE
8888 @include doclicense.texi
8890 @node Key Index, Command Index, GFDL, Top
8891 @unnumbered Key (Character) Index
8894 @node Command Index, Option Index, Key Index, Top
8895 @unnumbered Command Index
8898 @node Option Index, Concept Index, Command Index, Top
8899 @unnumbered Option (Variable) Index
8902 @node Concept Index, , Option Index, Top
8903 @unnumbered Concept Index
8910 @c The following are words that ispell should ignore that would not
8911 @c normally be in a dictionary (global or personal). Be careful not to
8912 @c include words here that could potentially be typos of other words
8913 @c (such as url, elisp, or MHE).
8915 @c LocalWords: CTRL ESC SPC f's
8916 @c LocalWords: addr Aliasfile alist
8917 @c LocalWords: Baushke Bcc BBN Beranek bogofilter bogofilter's
8918 @c LocalWords: cmd CMU contrib cron
8919 @c LocalWords: DesBrisay Dcc devel dir dired docstring filll forw
8920 @c LocalWords: GECOS Gildea Gildea's Ginnean GnuCash goto gnuserv htm
8921 @c LocalWords: ImageMagick inbox ispell keychain
8922 @c LocalWords: Larus licensor LocalWords lookup lpr
8923 @c LocalWords: makeinfo mairix mbox mh mhbuild mhl mhpath mlisp
8924 @c LocalWords: MML msg multipart
8925 @c LocalWords: Namazu NIS nenscript nnml num
8926 @c LocalWords: packmbox passphrase pathname prev procmail prog repl
8927 @c LocalWords: slocal sortm SpamAssassin spammers SpamProbe SpamProbe's
8928 @c LocalWords: sublicense supercite speedbar
8929 @c LocalWords: Tennex texi texinfo Thelen thelenm
8930 @c LocalWords: UCI undeleted whatnow wohler xmh ypcat
8932 @c See http://www.oreilly.com/oreilly/author/stylesheet.html.
8933 @c See http://en.wikipedia.org/.
8935 @c Note the lowercase mh which is needed to avoid hits in the
8936 @c functions and variables. Occasionally, check for accidental
8937 @c inclusion of mh in text by uncommenting the following and executing
8938 @c it with C-x C-e. You want to see "Search failed"
8939 @c (let ((case-fold-search nil))
8940 @c (goto-char (point-min))
8941 @c (search-forward-regexp "^mh\\( \\|$\\)"))
8943 @c An extremely useful setting for texinfo-mode-hook is:
8945 @c 'ispell-skip-region-alist
8947 @c (concat "\\(@\\(small\\)?\\(example\\|lisp\\)"
8948 @c "\\(@\\([irw]\\|code\\|var\\){[^}]+}\\|"
8951 @c "@\\(end \\)?group\\|"
8952 @c "@\\(end \\)?cartouche\\)+"
8953 @c "@end \\(small\\)?\\(example\\|lisp\\)\\|"
8954 @c "@\\(code\\|command\\|file\\|kbd\\|sc\\){[^}]+}\\|"
8955 @c "^@end [a-z]+$\\|"
8956 @c "^@\\([fv]\\|print\\)index .*$\\|"
8957 @c "@uref{[^,]+,\\|"
8959 @c "/[a-z.]+[/}]\\)")))))
8963 @c See existing cross-references to the Emacs manual and the Emacs
8964 @c Lisp manual (search for ``GNU Emacs Manual'' and ``GNU
8965 @c Emacs Lisp Reference Manual'' respectively).
8969 @c As per index (sort of): Punctuation, keyboard characters (such as
8970 @c RET and BS) upper and lowercase mixed (lower comes before
8971 @c uppercase), control characters go with uppercase C, meta characters
8972 @c go with uppercase M.
8973 @c In some cases, the sort isn't strictly ASCII.
8974 @c For example, SPC (mh-page-msg) reads better before BS
8975 @c (mh-previous-page) and . (mh-show) is better before ,
8976 @c (mh-header-display).
8980 @c Alphabetical, pull hooks into their own table.
8983 @c sentence-end-double-space: nil
8987 arch-tag: b778477d-1a10-4a99-84de-f877a2ea6bef