rmail.texi 54 KB

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  1. @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
  2. @c Copyright (C) 1985,86,87,93,94,95,1997,2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
  3. @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
  4. @node Rmail, Dired, Sending Mail, Top
  5. @chapter Reading Mail with Rmail
  6. @cindex Rmail
  7. @cindex reading mail
  8. @findex rmail
  9. @findex rmail-mode
  10. @vindex rmail-mode-hook
  11. Rmail is an Emacs subsystem for reading and disposing of mail that you
  12. receive. Rmail stores mail messages in files called Rmail files.
  13. Reading the message in an Rmail file is done in a special major mode,
  14. Rmail mode, which redefines most letters to run commands for managing
  15. mail. The command @code{rmail-mode} is used to switch into Rmail mode,
  16. and it runs the hook @code{rmail-mode-hook} as usual, but don't run this
  17. command by hand; it can't do a reasonable job unless the buffer is
  18. visiting a proper Rmail file.
  19. @menu
  20. * Basic: Rmail Basics. Basic concepts of Rmail, and simple use.
  21. * Scroll: Rmail Scrolling. Scrolling through a message.
  22. * Motion: Rmail Motion. Moving to another message.
  23. * Deletion: Rmail Deletion. Deleting and expunging messages.
  24. * Inbox: Rmail Inbox. How mail gets into the Rmail file.
  25. * Files: Rmail Files. Using multiple Rmail files.
  26. * Output: Rmail Output. Copying message out to files.
  27. * Labels: Rmail Labels. Classifying messages by labeling them.
  28. * Attrs: Rmail Attributes. Certain standard labels, called attributes.
  29. * Reply: Rmail Reply. Sending replies to messages you are viewing.
  30. * Summary: Rmail Summary. Summaries show brief info on many messages.
  31. * Sort: Rmail Sorting. Sorting messages in Rmail.
  32. * Display: Rmail Display. How Rmail displays a message; customization.
  33. * Coding: Rmail Coding. How Rmail handles decoding character sets.
  34. * Editing: Rmail Editing. Editing message text and headers in Rmail.
  35. * Digest: Rmail Digest. Extracting the messages from a digest message.
  36. * Out of Rmail:: Converting an Rmail file to mailbox format.
  37. * Rot13: Rmail Rot13. Reading messages encoded in the rot13 code.
  38. * Movemail: Movemail. More details of fetching new mail.
  39. @end menu
  40. @node Rmail Basics
  41. @section Basic Concepts of Rmail
  42. @cindex primary Rmail file
  43. @vindex rmail-file-name
  44. Using Rmail in the simplest fashion, you have one Rmail file
  45. @file{~/RMAIL} in which all of your mail is saved. It is called your
  46. @dfn{primary Rmail file}. The command @kbd{M-x rmail} reads your primary
  47. Rmail file, merges new mail in from your inboxes, displays the first
  48. message you haven't read yet, and lets you begin reading. The variable
  49. @code{rmail-file-name} specifies the name of the primary Rmail file.
  50. Rmail uses narrowing to hide all but one message in the Rmail file.
  51. The message that is shown is called the @dfn{current message}. Rmail
  52. mode's special commands can do such things as delete the current
  53. message, copy it into another file, send a reply, or move to another
  54. message. You can also create multiple Rmail files and use Rmail to move
  55. messages between them.
  56. @cindex message number
  57. Within the Rmail file, messages are normally arranged sequentially in
  58. order of receipt; you can specify other ways to sort them. Messages are
  59. assigned consecutive integers as their @dfn{message numbers}. The
  60. number of the current message is displayed in Rmail's mode line,
  61. followed by the total number of messages in the file. You can move to a
  62. message by specifying its message number with the @kbd{j} key
  63. (@pxref{Rmail Motion}).
  64. @kindex s @r{(Rmail)}
  65. @findex rmail-expunge-and-save
  66. Following the usual conventions of Emacs, changes in an Rmail file
  67. become permanent only when the file is saved. You can save it with
  68. @kbd{s} (@code{rmail-expunge-and-save}), which also expunges deleted
  69. messages from the file first (@pxref{Rmail Deletion}). To save the
  70. file without expunging, use @kbd{C-x C-s}. Rmail also saves the Rmail
  71. file after merging new mail from an inbox file (@pxref{Rmail Inbox}).
  72. @kindex q @r{(Rmail)}
  73. @findex rmail-quit
  74. @kindex b @r{(Rmail)}
  75. @findex rmail-bury
  76. You can exit Rmail with @kbd{q} (@code{rmail-quit}); this expunges and
  77. saves the Rmail file and then switches to another buffer. But there is
  78. no need to ``exit'' formally. If you switch from Rmail to editing in
  79. other buffers, and never happen to switch back, you have exited. (The
  80. Rmail command @kbd{b}, @code{rmail-bury}, does this for you.) Just make
  81. sure to save the Rmail file eventually (like any other file you have
  82. changed). @kbd{C-x s} is a good enough way to do this
  83. (@pxref{Saving}).
  84. @node Rmail Scrolling
  85. @section Scrolling Within a Message
  86. When Rmail displays a message that does not fit on the screen, you
  87. must scroll through it to read the rest. You could do this with
  88. @kbd{C-v}, @kbd{M-v} and @kbd{M-<}, but in Rmail scrolling is so
  89. frequent that it deserves to be easier to type.
  90. @table @kbd
  91. @item @key{SPC}
  92. Scroll forward (@code{scroll-up}).
  93. @item @key{DEL}
  94. Scroll backward (@code{scroll-down}).
  95. @item .
  96. Scroll to start of message (@code{rmail-beginning-of-message}).
  97. @end table
  98. @kindex SPC @r{(Rmail)}
  99. @kindex DEL @r{(Rmail)}
  100. Since the most common thing to do while reading a message is to scroll
  101. through it by screenfuls, Rmail makes @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} synonyms of
  102. @kbd{C-v} (@code{scroll-up}) and @kbd{M-v} (@code{scroll-down})
  103. @kindex . @r{(Rmail)}
  104. @findex rmail-beginning-of-message
  105. The command @kbd{.} (@code{rmail-beginning-of-message}) scrolls back to the
  106. beginning of the selected message. This is not quite the same as @kbd{M-<}:
  107. for one thing, it does not set the mark; for another, it resets the buffer
  108. boundaries to the current message if you have changed them.
  109. @node Rmail Motion
  110. @section Moving Among Messages
  111. The most basic thing to do with a message is to read it. The way to
  112. do this in Rmail is to make the message current. The usual practice is
  113. to move sequentially through the file, since this is the order of
  114. receipt of messages. When you enter Rmail, you are positioned at the
  115. first message that you have not yet made current (that is, the first one
  116. that has the @samp{unseen} attribute; @pxref{Rmail Attributes}). Move
  117. forward to see the other new messages; move backward to re-examine old
  118. messages.
  119. @table @kbd
  120. @item n
  121. Move to the next nondeleted message, skipping any intervening deleted
  122. messages (@code{rmail-next-undeleted-message}).
  123. @item p
  124. Move to the previous nondeleted message
  125. (@code{rmail-previous-undeleted-message}).
  126. @item M-n
  127. Move to the next message, including deleted messages
  128. (@code{rmail-next-message}).
  129. @item M-p
  130. Move to the previous message, including deleted messages
  131. (@code{rmail-previous-message}).
  132. @item j
  133. Move to the first message. With argument @var{n}, move to
  134. message number @var{n} (@code{rmail-show-message}).
  135. @item >
  136. Move to the last message (@code{rmail-last-message}).
  137. @item <
  138. Move to the first message (@code{rmail-first-message}).
  139. @item M-s @var{regexp} @key{RET}
  140. Move to the next message containing a match for @var{regexp}
  141. (@code{rmail-search}).
  142. @item - M-s @var{regexp} @key{RET}
  143. Move to the previous message containing a match for @var{regexp}.
  144. @end table
  145. @kindex n @r{(Rmail)}
  146. @kindex p @r{(Rmail)}
  147. @kindex M-n @r{(Rmail)}
  148. @kindex M-p @r{(Rmail)}
  149. @findex rmail-next-undeleted-message
  150. @findex rmail-previous-undeleted-message
  151. @findex rmail-next-message
  152. @findex rmail-previous-message
  153. @kbd{n} and @kbd{p} are the usual way of moving among messages in
  154. Rmail. They move through the messages sequentially, but skip over
  155. deleted messages, which is usually what you want to do. Their command
  156. definitions are named @code{rmail-next-undeleted-message} and
  157. @code{rmail-previous-undeleted-message}. If you do not want to skip
  158. deleted messages---for example, if you want to move to a message to
  159. undelete it---use the variants @kbd{M-n} and @kbd{M-p}
  160. (@code{rmail-next-message} and @code{rmail-previous-message}). A
  161. numeric argument to any of these commands serves as a repeat
  162. count.@refill
  163. In Rmail, you can specify a numeric argument by typing just the
  164. digits. You don't need to type @kbd{C-u} first.
  165. @kindex M-s @r{(Rmail)}
  166. @findex rmail-search
  167. @cindex searching in Rmail
  168. The @kbd{M-s} (@code{rmail-search}) command is Rmail's version of
  169. search. The usual incremental search command @kbd{C-s} works in Rmail,
  170. but it searches only within the current message. The purpose of
  171. @kbd{M-s} is to search for another message. It reads a regular
  172. expression (@pxref{Regexps}) nonincrementally, then searches starting at
  173. the beginning of the following message for a match. It then selects
  174. that message. If @var{regexp} is empty, @kbd{M-s} reuses the regexp
  175. used the previous time.
  176. To search backward in the file for another message, give @kbd{M-s} a
  177. negative argument. In Rmail you can do this with @kbd{- M-s}.
  178. It is also possible to search for a message based on labels.
  179. @xref{Rmail Labels}.
  180. @kindex j @r{(Rmail)}
  181. @kindex > @r{(Rmail)}
  182. @kindex < @r{(Rmail)}
  183. @findex rmail-show-message
  184. @findex rmail-last-message
  185. @findex rmail-first-message
  186. To move to a message specified by absolute message number, use @kbd{j}
  187. (@code{rmail-show-message}) with the message number as argument. With
  188. no argument, @kbd{j} selects the first message. @kbd{<}
  189. (@code{rmail-first-message}) also selects the first message. @kbd{>}
  190. (@code{rmail-last-message}) selects the last message.
  191. @node Rmail Deletion
  192. @section Deleting Messages
  193. @cindex deletion (Rmail)
  194. When you no longer need to keep a message, you can @dfn{delete} it. This
  195. flags it as ignorable, and some Rmail commands pretend it is no longer
  196. present; but it still has its place in the Rmail file, and still has its
  197. message number.
  198. @cindex expunging (Rmail)
  199. @dfn{Expunging} the Rmail file actually removes the deleted messages.
  200. The remaining messages are renumbered consecutively. Expunging is the only
  201. action that changes the message number of any message, except for
  202. undigestifying (@pxref{Rmail Digest}).
  203. @table @kbd
  204. @item d
  205. Delete the current message, and move to the next nondeleted message
  206. (@code{rmail-delete-forward}).
  207. @item C-d
  208. Delete the current message, and move to the previous nondeleted
  209. message (@code{rmail-delete-backward}).
  210. @item u
  211. Undelete the current message, or move back to a deleted message and
  212. undelete it (@code{rmail-undelete-previous-message}).
  213. @item x
  214. Expunge the Rmail file (@code{rmail-expunge}).
  215. @end table
  216. @kindex d @r{(Rmail)}
  217. @kindex C-d @r{(Rmail)}
  218. @findex rmail-delete-forward
  219. @findex rmail-delete-backward
  220. There are two Rmail commands for deleting messages. Both delete the
  221. current message and select another message. @kbd{d}
  222. (@code{rmail-delete-forward}) moves to the following message, skipping
  223. messages already deleted, while @kbd{C-d} (@code{rmail-delete-backward})
  224. moves to the previous nondeleted message. If there is no nondeleted
  225. message to move to in the specified direction, the message that was just
  226. deleted remains current. A numeric argument to either command reverses
  227. the direction of motion after deletion.
  228. @vindex rmail-delete-message-hook
  229. Whenever Rmail deletes a message, it runs the hook
  230. @code{rmail-delete-message-hook}. When the hook functions are invoked,
  231. the message has been marked deleted, but it is still the current message
  232. in the Rmail buffer.
  233. @cindex undeletion (Rmail)
  234. @kindex x @r{(Rmail)}
  235. @findex rmail-expunge
  236. @kindex u @r{(Rmail)}
  237. @findex rmail-undelete-previous-message
  238. To make all the deleted messages finally vanish from the Rmail file,
  239. type @kbd{x} (@code{rmail-expunge}). Until you do this, you can still
  240. @dfn{undelete} the deleted messages. The undeletion command, @kbd{u}
  241. (@code{rmail-undelete-previous-message}), is designed to cancel the
  242. effect of a @kbd{d} command in most cases. It undeletes the current
  243. message if the current message is deleted. Otherwise it moves backward
  244. to previous messages until a deleted message is found, and undeletes
  245. that message.
  246. You can usually undo a @kbd{d} with a @kbd{u} because the @kbd{u}
  247. moves back to and undeletes the message that the @kbd{d} deleted. But
  248. this does not work when the @kbd{d} skips a few already-deleted messages
  249. that follow the message being deleted; then the @kbd{u} command
  250. undeletes the last of the messages that were skipped. There is no clean
  251. way to avoid this problem. However, by repeating the @kbd{u} command,
  252. you can eventually get back to the message that you intend to
  253. undelete. You can also select a particular deleted message with
  254. the @kbd{M-p} command, then type @kbd{u} to undelete it.
  255. A deleted message has the @samp{deleted} attribute, and as a result
  256. @samp{deleted} appears in the mode line when the current message is
  257. deleted. In fact, deleting or undeleting a message is nothing more than
  258. adding or removing this attribute. @xref{Rmail Attributes}.
  259. @node Rmail Inbox
  260. @section Rmail Files and Inboxes
  261. @cindex inbox file
  262. The operating system places incoming mail for you in a file that we
  263. call your @dfn{inbox}. When you start up Rmail, it runs a C program
  264. called @code{movemail} to copy the new messages from your inbox into
  265. your primary Rmail file, which also contains other messages saved from
  266. previous Rmail sessions. It is in this file that you actually read the
  267. mail with Rmail. This operation is called @dfn{getting new mail}. You
  268. can get new mail at any time in Rmail by typing @kbd{g}.
  269. @vindex rmail-primary-inbox-list
  270. @cindex @env{MAIL} environment variable
  271. The variable @code{rmail-primary-inbox-list} contains a list of the
  272. files which are inboxes for your primary Rmail file. If you don't set
  273. this variable explicitly, it is initialized from the @env{MAIL}
  274. environment variable, or, as a last resort, set to @code{nil}, which
  275. means to use the default inbox. The default inbox is
  276. @file{/var/mail/@var{username}}, @file{/usr/spool/mail/@var{username}},
  277. or @file{/usr/mail/@var{username}}, depending on your operating system.
  278. To see what the default is on your system, use @kbd{C-h v
  279. rmail-primary-inbox @key{RET}}. You can specify the inbox file(s) for
  280. any Rmail file with the command @code{set-rmail-inbox-list}; see
  281. @ref{Rmail Files}.
  282. There are two reasons for having separate Rmail files and inboxes.
  283. @enumerate
  284. @item
  285. The inbox file format varies between operating systems and according to
  286. the other mail software in use. Only one part of Rmail needs to know
  287. about the alternatives, and it need only understand how to convert all
  288. of them to Rmail's own format.
  289. @item
  290. It is very cumbersome to access an inbox file without danger of losing
  291. mail, because it is necessary to interlock with mail delivery.
  292. Moreover, different operating systems use different interlocking
  293. techniques. The strategy of moving mail out of the inbox once and for
  294. all into a separate Rmail file avoids the need for interlocking in all
  295. the rest of Rmail, since only Rmail operates on the Rmail file.
  296. @end enumerate
  297. Rmail was written to use Babyl format as its internal format. Since
  298. then, we have recognized that the usual inbox format on Unix and GNU
  299. systems is adequate for the job, and we plan to change Rmail to use that
  300. as its internal format. However, the Rmail file will still be separate
  301. from the inbox file, even on systems where their format is the same.
  302. @node Rmail Files
  303. @section Multiple Rmail Files
  304. Rmail operates by default on your @dfn{primary Rmail file}, which is named
  305. @file{~/RMAIL} and receives your incoming mail from your system inbox file.
  306. But you can also have other Rmail files and edit them with Rmail. These
  307. files can receive mail through their own inboxes, or you can move messages
  308. into them with explicit Rmail commands (@pxref{Rmail Output}).
  309. @table @kbd
  310. @item i @var{file} @key{RET}
  311. Read @var{file} into Emacs and run Rmail on it (@code{rmail-input}).
  312. @item M-x set-rmail-inbox-list @key{RET} @var{files} @key{RET}
  313. Specify inbox file names for current Rmail file to get mail from.
  314. @item g
  315. Merge new mail from current Rmail file's inboxes
  316. (@code{rmail-get-new-mail}).
  317. @item C-u g @var{file} @key{RET}
  318. Merge new mail from inbox file @var{file}.
  319. @end table
  320. @kindex i @r{(Rmail)}
  321. @findex rmail-input
  322. To run Rmail on a file other than your primary Rmail file, you may use
  323. the @kbd{i} (@code{rmail-input}) command in Rmail. This visits the file
  324. in Rmail mode. You can use @kbd{M-x rmail-input} even when not in
  325. Rmail.
  326. The file you read with @kbd{i} should normally be a valid Rmail file.
  327. If it is not, Rmail tries to decompose it into a stream of messages in
  328. various known formats. If it succeeds, it converts the whole file to an
  329. Rmail file. If you specify a file name that doesn't exist, @kbd{i}
  330. initializes a new buffer for creating a new Rmail file.
  331. @vindex rmail-secondary-file-directory
  332. @vindex rmail-secondary-file-regexp
  333. You can also select an Rmail file from a menu. Choose first the menu
  334. bar Classify item, then from the Classify menu choose the Input Rmail
  335. File item; then choose the Rmail file you want. The variables
  336. @code{rmail-secondary-file-directory} and
  337. @code{rmail-secondary-file-regexp} specify which files to offer in the
  338. menu: the first variable says which directory to find them in; the
  339. second says which files in that directory to offer (all those that match
  340. the regular expression). These variables also apply to choosing a file
  341. for output (@pxref{Rmail Output}).
  342. @findex set-rmail-inbox-list
  343. Each Rmail file can contain a list of inbox file names; you can specify
  344. this list with @kbd{M-x set-rmail-inbox-list @key{RET} @var{files}
  345. @key{RET}}. The argument can contain any number of file names, separated
  346. by commas. It can also be empty, which specifies that this file should
  347. have no inboxes. Once a list of inboxes is specified, the Rmail file
  348. remembers it permanently until you specify a different list.
  349. As a special exception, if your primary Rmail file does not specify any
  350. inbox files, it uses your standard system inbox.
  351. @kindex g @r{(Rmail)}
  352. @findex rmail-get-new-mail
  353. The @kbd{g} command (@code{rmail-get-new-mail}) merges mail into the
  354. current Rmail file from its specified inboxes. If the Rmail file
  355. has no inboxes, @kbd{g} does nothing. The command @kbd{M-x rmail}
  356. also merges new mail into your primary Rmail file.
  357. To merge mail from a file that is not the usual inbox, give the
  358. @kbd{g} key a numeric argument, as in @kbd{C-u g}. Then it reads a file
  359. name and merges mail from that file. The inbox file is not deleted or
  360. changed in any way when @kbd{g} with an argument is used. This is,
  361. therefore, a general way of merging one file of messages into another.
  362. @node Rmail Output
  363. @section Copying Messages Out to Files
  364. These commands copy messages from an Rmail file into another file.
  365. @table @kbd
  366. @item o @var{file} @key{RET}
  367. Append a copy of the current message to the file @var{file}, using Rmail
  368. file format by default (@code{rmail-output-to-rmail-file}).
  369. @item C-o @var{file} @key{RET}
  370. Append a copy of the current message to the file @var{file}, using
  371. system inbox file format by default (@code{rmail-output}).
  372. @item w @var{file} @key{RET}
  373. Output just the message body to the file @var{file}, taking the default
  374. file name from the message @samp{Subject} header.
  375. @end table
  376. @kindex o @r{(Rmail)}
  377. @findex rmail-output-to-rmail-file
  378. @kindex C-o @r{(Rmail)}
  379. @findex rmail-output
  380. The commands @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} copy the current message into a
  381. specified file. This file may be an Rmail file or it may be in system
  382. inbox format; the output commands ascertain the file's format and write
  383. the copied message in that format.
  384. The @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} commands differ in two ways: each has its
  385. own separate default file name, and each specifies a choice of format to
  386. use when the file does not already exist. The @kbd{o} command uses
  387. Rmail format when it creates a new file, while @kbd{C-o} uses system
  388. inbox format for a new file. The default file name for @kbd{o} is the
  389. file name used last with @kbd{o}, and the default file name for
  390. @kbd{C-o} is the file name used last with @kbd{C-o}.
  391. If the output file is an Rmail file currently visited in an Emacs buffer,
  392. the output commands copy the message into that buffer. It is up to you
  393. to save the buffer eventually in its file.
  394. @kindex w @r{(Rmail)}
  395. @findex rmail-output-body-to-file
  396. Sometimes you may receive a message whose body holds the contents of a
  397. file. You can save the body to a file (excluding the message header)
  398. with the @kbd{w} command (@code{rmail-output-body-to-file}). Often
  399. these messages contain the intended file name in the @samp{Subject}
  400. field, so the @kbd{w} command uses the @samp{Subject} field as the
  401. default for the output file name. However, the file name is read using
  402. the minibuffer, so you can specify a different name if you wish.
  403. You can also output a message to an Rmail file chosen with a menu.
  404. Choose first the menu bar Classify item, then from the Classify menu
  405. choose the Output Rmail File menu item; then choose the Rmail file you want.
  406. This outputs the current message to that file, like the @kbd{o} command.
  407. The variables @code{rmail-secondary-file-directory} and
  408. @code{rmail-secondary-file-regexp} specify which files to offer in the
  409. menu: the first variable says which directory to find them in; the
  410. second says which files in that directory to offer (all those that match
  411. the regular expression).
  412. @vindex rmail-delete-after-output
  413. Copying a message gives the original copy of the message the
  414. @samp{filed} attribute, so that @samp{filed} appears in the mode line
  415. when such a message is current. If you like to keep just a single copy
  416. of every mail message, set the variable @code{rmail-delete-after-output}
  417. to @code{t}; then the @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} commands delete the original
  418. message after copying it. (You can undelete the original afterward if
  419. you wish.)
  420. Copying messages into files in system inbox format uses the header
  421. fields that are displayed in Rmail at the time. Thus, if you use the
  422. @kbd{t} command to view the entire header and then copy the message, the
  423. entire header is copied. @xref{Rmail Display}.
  424. @vindex rmail-output-file-alist
  425. The variable @code{rmail-output-file-alist} lets you specify
  426. intelligent defaults for the output file, based on the contents of the
  427. current message. The value should be a list whose elements have this
  428. form:
  429. @example
  430. (@var{regexp} . @var{name-exp})
  431. @end example
  432. @noindent
  433. If there's a match for @var{regexp} in the current message, then the
  434. default file name for output is @var{name-exp}. If multiple elements
  435. match the message, the first matching element decides the default file
  436. name. The subexpression @var{name-exp} may be a string constant giving
  437. the file name to use, or more generally it may be any Lisp expression
  438. that returns a file name as a string. @code{rmail-output-file-alist}
  439. applies to both @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o}.
  440. @node Rmail Labels
  441. @section Labels
  442. @cindex label (Rmail)
  443. @cindex attribute (Rmail)
  444. Each message can have various @dfn{labels} assigned to it as a means
  445. of classification. Each label has a name; different names are different
  446. labels. Any given label is either present or absent on a particular
  447. message. A few label names have standard meanings and are given to
  448. messages automatically by Rmail when appropriate; these special labels
  449. are called @dfn{attributes}.
  450. @ifinfo
  451. (@xref{Rmail Attributes}.)
  452. @end ifinfo
  453. All other labels are assigned only by users.
  454. @table @kbd
  455. @item a @var{label} @key{RET}
  456. Assign the label @var{label} to the current message (@code{rmail-add-label}).
  457. @item k @var{label} @key{RET}
  458. Remove the label @var{label} from the current message (@code{rmail-kill-label}).
  459. @item C-M-n @var{labels} @key{RET}
  460. Move to the next message that has one of the labels @var{labels}
  461. (@code{rmail-next-labeled-message}).
  462. @item C-M-p @var{labels} @key{RET}
  463. Move to the previous message that has one of the labels @var{labels}
  464. (@code{rmail-previous-labeled-message}).
  465. @item C-M-l @var{labels} @key{RET}
  466. Make a summary of all messages containing any of the labels @var{labels}
  467. (@code{rmail-summary-by-labels}).
  468. @end table
  469. @kindex a @r{(Rmail)}
  470. @kindex k @r{(Rmail)}
  471. @findex rmail-add-label
  472. @findex rmail-kill-label
  473. The @kbd{a} (@code{rmail-add-label}) and @kbd{k}
  474. (@code{rmail-kill-label}) commands allow you to assign or remove any
  475. label on the current message. If the @var{label} argument is empty, it
  476. means to assign or remove the same label most recently assigned or
  477. removed.
  478. Once you have given messages labels to classify them as you wish, there
  479. are two ways to use the labels: in moving and in summaries.
  480. @kindex C-M-n @r{(Rmail)}
  481. @kindex C-M-p @r{(Rmail)}
  482. @findex rmail-next-labeled-message
  483. @findex rmail-previous-labeled-message
  484. The command @kbd{C-M-n @var{labels} @key{RET}}
  485. (@code{rmail-next-labeled-message}) moves to the next message that has
  486. one of the labels @var{labels}. The argument @var{labels} specifies one
  487. or more label names, separated by commas. @kbd{C-M-p}
  488. (@code{rmail-previous-labeled-message}) is similar, but moves backwards
  489. to previous messages. A numeric argument to either command serves as a
  490. repeat count.
  491. The command @kbd{C-M-l @var{labels} @key{RET}}
  492. (@code{rmail-summary-by-labels}) displays a summary containing only the
  493. messages that have at least one of a specified set of labels. The
  494. argument @var{labels} is one or more label names, separated by commas.
  495. @xref{Rmail Summary}, for information on summaries.@refill
  496. If the @var{labels} argument to @kbd{C-M-n}, @kbd{C-M-p} or
  497. @kbd{C-M-l} is empty, it means to use the last set of labels specified
  498. for any of these commands.
  499. @node Rmail Attributes
  500. @section Rmail Attributes
  501. Some labels such as @samp{deleted} and @samp{filed} have built-in
  502. meanings and are assigned to or removed from messages automatically at
  503. appropriate times; these labels are called @dfn{attributes}. Here is a
  504. list of Rmail attributes:
  505. @table @samp
  506. @item unseen
  507. Means the message has never been current. Assigned to messages when
  508. they come from an inbox file, and removed when a message is made
  509. current. When you start Rmail, it initially shows the first message
  510. that has this attribute.
  511. @item deleted
  512. Means the message is deleted. Assigned by deletion commands and
  513. removed by undeletion commands (@pxref{Rmail Deletion}).
  514. @item filed
  515. Means the message has been copied to some other file. Assigned by the
  516. file output commands (@pxref{Rmail Files}).
  517. @item answered
  518. Means you have mailed an answer to the message. Assigned by the @kbd{r}
  519. command (@code{rmail-reply}). @xref{Rmail Reply}.
  520. @item forwarded
  521. Means you have forwarded the message. Assigned by the @kbd{f} command
  522. (@code{rmail-forward}). @xref{Rmail Reply}.
  523. @item edited
  524. Means you have edited the text of the message within Rmail.
  525. @xref{Rmail Editing}.
  526. @item resent
  527. Means you have resent the message. Assigned by the command @kbd{M-x
  528. rmail-resend}. @xref{Rmail Reply}.
  529. @end table
  530. All other labels are assigned or removed only by the user, and have no
  531. standard meaning.
  532. @node Rmail Reply
  533. @section Sending Replies
  534. Rmail has several commands that use Mail mode to send outgoing mail.
  535. @xref{Sending Mail}, for information on using Mail mode, including
  536. certain features meant to work with Rmail. What this section documents
  537. are the special commands of Rmail for entering Mail mode. Note that the
  538. usual keys for sending mail---@kbd{C-x m}, @kbd{C-x 4 m}, and @kbd{C-x 5
  539. m}---are available in Rmail mode and work just as they usually do.
  540. @table @kbd
  541. @item m
  542. Send a message (@code{rmail-mail}).
  543. @item c
  544. Continue editing the already started outgoing message (@code{rmail-continue}).
  545. @item r
  546. Send a reply to the current Rmail message (@code{rmail-reply}).
  547. @item f
  548. Forward the current message to other users (@code{rmail-forward}).
  549. @item C-u f
  550. Resend the current message to other users (@code{rmail-resend}).
  551. @item M-m
  552. Try sending a bounced message a second time (@code{rmail-retry-failure}).
  553. @end table
  554. @kindex r @r{(Rmail)}
  555. @findex rmail-reply
  556. @cindex reply to a message
  557. The most common reason to send a message while in Rmail is to reply to
  558. the message you are reading. To do this, type @kbd{r}
  559. (@code{rmail-reply}). This displays the @samp{*mail*} buffer in another
  560. window, much like @kbd{C-x 4 m}, but preinitializes the @samp{Subject},
  561. @samp{To}, @samp{CC} and @samp{In-reply-to} header fields based on the
  562. message you are replying to. The @samp{To} field starts out as the
  563. address of the person who sent the message you received, and the
  564. @samp{CC} field starts out with all the other recipients of that
  565. message.
  566. @vindex rmail-dont-reply-to-names
  567. You can exclude certain recipients from being placed automatically in
  568. the @samp{CC}, using the variable @code{rmail-dont-reply-to-names}. Its
  569. value should be a regular expression (as a string); any recipient that
  570. the regular expression matches, is excluded from the @samp{CC} field.
  571. The default value matches your own name, and any name starting with
  572. @samp{info-}. (Those names are excluded because there is a convention
  573. of using them for large mailing lists to broadcast announcements.)
  574. To omit the @samp{CC} field completely for a particular reply, enter
  575. the reply command with a numeric argument: @kbd{C-u r} or @kbd{1 r}.
  576. Once the @samp{*mail*} buffer has been initialized, editing and
  577. sending the mail goes as usual (@pxref{Sending Mail}). You can edit the
  578. presupplied header fields if they are not right for you. You can also
  579. use the commands of Mail mode (@pxref{Mail Mode}), including @kbd{C-c
  580. C-y} which yanks in the message that you are replying to. You can
  581. switch to the Rmail buffer, select a different message there, switch
  582. back, and yank the new current message.
  583. @kindex M-m @r{(Rmail)}
  584. @findex rmail-retry-failure
  585. @cindex retrying a failed message
  586. @vindex rmail-retry-ignored-headers
  587. Sometimes a message does not reach its destination. Mailers usually
  588. send the failed message back to you, enclosed in a @dfn{failure
  589. message}. The Rmail command @kbd{M-m} (@code{rmail-retry-failure})
  590. prepares to send the same message a second time: it sets up a
  591. @samp{*mail*} buffer with the same text and header fields as before. If
  592. you type @kbd{C-c C-c} right away, you send the message again exactly
  593. the same as the first time. Alternatively, you can edit the text or
  594. headers and then send it. The variable
  595. @code{rmail-retry-ignored-headers}, in the same format as
  596. @code{rmail-ignored-headers} (@pxref{Rmail Display}), controls which
  597. headers are stripped from the failed message when retrying it.
  598. @kindex f @r{(Rmail)}
  599. @findex rmail-forward
  600. @cindex forwarding a message
  601. Another frequent reason to send mail in Rmail is to @dfn{forward} the
  602. current message to other users. @kbd{f} (@code{rmail-forward}) makes
  603. this easy by preinitializing the @samp{*mail*} buffer with the current
  604. message as the text, and a subject designating a forwarded message. All
  605. you have to do is fill in the recipients and send. When you forward a
  606. message, recipients get a message which is ``from'' you, and which has
  607. the original message in its contents.
  608. @findex unforward-rmail-message
  609. Forwarding a message encloses it between two delimiter lines. It also
  610. modifies every line that starts with a dash, by inserting @w{@samp{- }}
  611. at the start of the line. When you receive a forwarded message, if it
  612. contains something besides ordinary text---for example, program source
  613. code---you might find it useful to undo that transformation. You can do
  614. this by selecting the forwarded message and typing @kbd{M-x
  615. unforward-rmail-message}. This command extracts the original forwarded
  616. message, deleting the inserted @w{@samp{- }} strings, and inserts it
  617. into the Rmail file as a separate message immediately following the
  618. current one.
  619. @findex rmail-resend
  620. @dfn{Resending} is an alternative similar to forwarding; the
  621. difference is that resending sends a message that is ``from'' the
  622. original sender, just as it reached you---with a few added header fields
  623. @samp{Resent-From} and @samp{Resent-To} to indicate that it came via
  624. you. To resend a message in Rmail, use @kbd{C-u f}. (@kbd{f} runs
  625. @code{rmail-forward}, which is programmed to invoke @code{rmail-resend}
  626. if you provide a numeric argument.)
  627. @kindex m @r{(Rmail)}
  628. @findex rmail-mail
  629. The @kbd{m} (@code{rmail-mail}) command is used to start editing an
  630. outgoing message that is not a reply. It leaves the header fields empty.
  631. Its only difference from @kbd{C-x 4 m} is that it makes the Rmail buffer
  632. accessible for @kbd{C-c C-y}, just as @kbd{r} does. Thus, @kbd{m} can be
  633. used to reply to or forward a message; it can do anything @kbd{r} or @kbd{f}
  634. can do.@refill
  635. @kindex c @r{(Rmail)}
  636. @findex rmail-continue
  637. The @kbd{c} (@code{rmail-continue}) command resumes editing the
  638. @samp{*mail*} buffer, to finish editing an outgoing message you were
  639. already composing, or to alter a message you have sent.@refill
  640. @vindex rmail-mail-new-frame
  641. If you set the variable @code{rmail-mail-new-frame} to a
  642. non-@code{nil} value, then all the Rmail commands to start sending a
  643. message create a new frame to edit it in. This frame is deleted when
  644. you send the message, or when you use the @samp{Cancel} item in the
  645. @samp{Mail} menu.
  646. All the Rmail commands to send a message use the mail-composition
  647. method that you have chosen (@pxref{Mail Methods}).
  648. @node Rmail Summary
  649. @section Summaries
  650. @cindex summary (Rmail)
  651. A @dfn{summary} is a buffer containing one line per message to give
  652. you an overview of the mail in an Rmail file. Each line shows the
  653. message number and date, the sender, the line count, the labels, and
  654. the subject. Moving point in the summary buffer selects messages as
  655. you move to their summary lines. Almost all Rmail commands are valid
  656. in the summary buffer also; when used there, they apply to the message
  657. described by the current line of the summary.
  658. A summary buffer applies to a single Rmail file only; if you are
  659. editing multiple Rmail files, each one can have its own summary buffer.
  660. The summary buffer name is made by appending @samp{-summary} to the
  661. Rmail buffer's name. Normally only one summary buffer is displayed at a
  662. time.
  663. @menu
  664. * Rmail Make Summary:: Making various sorts of summaries.
  665. * Rmail Summary Edit:: Manipulating messages from the summary.
  666. @end menu
  667. @node Rmail Make Summary
  668. @subsection Making Summaries
  669. Here are the commands to create a summary for the current Rmail file.
  670. Once the Rmail file has a summary buffer, changes in the Rmail file
  671. (such as deleting or expunging messages, and getting new mail)
  672. automatically update the summary.
  673. @table @kbd
  674. @item h
  675. @itemx C-M-h
  676. Summarize all messages (@code{rmail-summary}).
  677. @item l @var{labels} @key{RET}
  678. @itemx C-M-l @var{labels} @key{RET}
  679. Summarize messages that have one or more of the specified labels
  680. (@code{rmail-summary-by-labels}).
  681. @item C-M-r @var{rcpts} @key{RET}
  682. Summarize messages that have one or more of the specified recipients
  683. (@code{rmail-summary-by-recipients}).
  684. @item C-M-t @var{topic} @key{RET}
  685. Summarize messages that have a match for the specified regexp
  686. @var{topic} in their subjects (@code{rmail-summary-by-topic}).
  687. @item C-M-s @var{regexp}
  688. Summarize messages whose headers and the subject line match the
  689. specified regular expression @var{regexp}
  690. (@code{rmail-summary-by-regexp}).
  691. @end table
  692. @kindex h @r{(Rmail)}
  693. @findex rmail-summary
  694. The @kbd{h} or @kbd{C-M-h} (@code{rmail-summary}) command fills the summary buffer
  695. for the current Rmail file with a summary of all the messages in the file.
  696. It then displays and selects the summary buffer in another window.
  697. @kindex l @r{(Rmail)}
  698. @kindex C-M-l @r{(Rmail)}
  699. @findex rmail-summary-by-labels
  700. @kbd{C-M-l @var{labels} @key{RET}} (@code{rmail-summary-by-labels}) makes
  701. a partial summary mentioning only the messages that have one or more of the
  702. labels @var{labels}. @var{labels} should contain label names separated by
  703. commas.@refill
  704. @kindex C-M-r @r{(Rmail)}
  705. @findex rmail-summary-by-recipients
  706. @kbd{C-M-r @var{rcpts} @key{RET}} (@code{rmail-summary-by-recipients})
  707. makes a partial summary mentioning only the messages that have one or more
  708. of the recipients @var{rcpts}. @var{rcpts} should contain mailing
  709. addresses separated by commas.@refill
  710. @kindex C-M-t @r{(Rmail)}
  711. @findex rmail-summary-by-topic
  712. @kbd{C-M-t @var{topic} @key{RET}} (@code{rmail-summary-by-topic})
  713. makes a partial summary mentioning only the messages whose subjects have
  714. a match for the regular expression @var{topic}.
  715. @kindex C-M-s @r{(Rmail)}
  716. @findex rmail-summary-by-regexp
  717. @kbd{C-M-s @var{regexp} @key{RET}} (@code{rmail-summary-by-regexp})
  718. makes a partial summary which mentions only the messages whose headers
  719. (including the date and the subject lines) match the regular
  720. expression @var{regexp}.
  721. Note that there is only one summary buffer for any Rmail file; making one
  722. kind of summary discards any previously made summary.
  723. @vindex rmail-summary-window-size
  724. @vindex rmail-summary-line-count-flag
  725. The variable @code{rmail-summary-window-size} says how many lines to
  726. use for the summary window. The variable
  727. @code{rmail-summary-line-count-flag} controls whether the summary line
  728. for a message should include the line count of the message.
  729. @node Rmail Summary Edit
  730. @subsection Editing in Summaries
  731. You can use the Rmail summary buffer to do almost anything you can do
  732. in the Rmail buffer itself. In fact, once you have a summary buffer,
  733. there's no need to switch back to the Rmail buffer.
  734. You can select and display various messages in the Rmail buffer, from
  735. the summary buffer, just by moving point in the summary buffer to
  736. different lines. It doesn't matter what Emacs command you use to move
  737. point; whichever line point is on at the end of the command, that
  738. message is selected in the Rmail buffer.
  739. Almost all Rmail commands work in the summary buffer as well as in the
  740. Rmail buffer. Thus, @kbd{d} in the summary buffer deletes the current
  741. message, @kbd{u} undeletes, and @kbd{x} expunges. @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o}
  742. output the current message to a file; @kbd{r} starts a reply to it. You
  743. can scroll the current message while remaining in the summary buffer
  744. using @key{SPC} and @key{DEL}.
  745. The Rmail commands to move between messages also work in the summary
  746. buffer, but with a twist: they move through the set of messages included
  747. in the summary. They also ensure the Rmail buffer appears on the screen
  748. (unlike cursor motion commands, which update the contents of the Rmail
  749. buffer but don't display it in a window unless it already appears).
  750. Here is a list of these commands:
  751. @table @kbd
  752. @item n
  753. Move to next line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select its
  754. message.
  755. @item p
  756. Move to previous line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select
  757. its message.
  758. @item M-n
  759. Move to next line and select its message.
  760. @item M-p
  761. Move to previous line and select its message.
  762. @item >
  763. Move to the last line, and select its message.
  764. @item <
  765. Move to the first line, and select its message.
  766. @item M-s @var{pattern} @key{RET}
  767. Search through messages for @var{pattern} starting with the current
  768. message; select the message found, and move point in the summary buffer
  769. to that message's line.
  770. @end table
  771. @vindex rmail-redisplay-summary
  772. Deletion, undeletion, and getting new mail, and even selection of a
  773. different message all update the summary buffer when you do them in the
  774. Rmail buffer. If the variable @code{rmail-redisplay-summary} is
  775. non-@code{nil}, these actions also bring the summary buffer back onto
  776. the screen.
  777. @kindex Q @r{(Rmail summary)}
  778. @findex rmail-summary-wipe
  779. @kindex q @r{(Rmail summary)}
  780. @findex rmail-summary-quit
  781. When you are finished using the summary, type @kbd{Q}
  782. (@code{rmail-summary-wipe}) to delete the summary buffer's window. You
  783. can also exit Rmail while in the summary: @kbd{q}
  784. (@code{rmail-summary-quit}) deletes the summary window, then exits from
  785. Rmail by saving the Rmail file and switching to another buffer.
  786. @node Rmail Sorting
  787. @section Sorting the Rmail File
  788. @table @kbd
  789. @item M-x rmail-sort-by-date
  790. Sort messages of current Rmail file by date.
  791. @item M-x rmail-sort-by-subject
  792. Sort messages of current Rmail file by subject.
  793. @item M-x rmail-sort-by-author
  794. Sort messages of current Rmail file by author's name.
  795. @item M-x rmail-sort-by-recipient
  796. Sort messages of current Rmail file by recipient's names.
  797. @item M-x rmail-sort-by-correspondent
  798. Sort messages of current Rmail file by the name of the other
  799. correspondent.
  800. @item M-x rmail-sort-by-lines
  801. Sort messages of current Rmail file by size (number of lines).
  802. @item M-x rmail-sort-by-keywords @key{RET} @var{labels} @key{RET}
  803. Sort messages of current Rmail file by labels. The argument
  804. @var{labels} should be a comma-separated list of labels. The order of
  805. these labels specifies the order of messages; messages with the first
  806. label come first, messages with the second label come second, and so on.
  807. Messages which have none of these labels come last.
  808. @end table
  809. The Rmail sort commands perform a @emph{stable sort}: if there is no
  810. reason to prefer either one of two messages, their order remains
  811. unchanged. You can use this to sort by more than one criterion. For
  812. example, if you use @code{rmail-sort-by-date} and then
  813. @code{rmail-sort-by-author}, messages from the same author appear in
  814. order by date.
  815. With a numeric argument, all these commands reverse the order of
  816. comparison. This means they sort messages from newest to oldest, from
  817. biggest to smallest, or in reverse alphabetical order.
  818. @node Rmail Display
  819. @section Display of Messages
  820. Rmail reformats the header of each message before displaying it for
  821. the first time. Reformatting hides uninteresting header fields to
  822. reduce clutter. You can use the @kbd{t} command to show the entire
  823. header or to repeat the header reformatting operation.
  824. @table @kbd
  825. @item t
  826. Toggle display of complete header (@code{rmail-toggle-header}).
  827. @end table
  828. @vindex rmail-ignored-headers
  829. Reformatting the header involves deleting most header fields, on the
  830. grounds that they are not interesting. The variable
  831. @code{rmail-ignored-headers} holds a regular expression that specifies
  832. which header fields to hide in this way---if it matches the beginning of
  833. a header field, that whole field is hidden.
  834. @kindex t @r{(Rmail)}
  835. @findex rmail-toggle-header
  836. Rmail saves the complete original header before reformatting; to see
  837. it, use the @kbd{t} command (@code{rmail-toggle-header}). This
  838. discards the reformatted headers of the current message and displays it
  839. with the original header. Repeating @kbd{t} reformats the message
  840. again. Selecting the message again also reformats.
  841. One consequence of this is that if you edit the reformatted header
  842. (using @kbd{e}; @pxref{Rmail Editing}), subsequent use of @kbd{t} will
  843. discard your edits. On the other hand, if you use @kbd{e} after
  844. @kbd{t}, to edit the original (unreformatted) header, those changes are
  845. permanent.
  846. When the @kbd{t} command has a prefix argument, a positive argument
  847. means to show the reformatted header, and a zero or negative argument
  848. means to show the full header.
  849. @vindex rmail-highlighted-headers
  850. When the terminal supports multiple fonts or colors, Rmail
  851. highlights certain header fields that are especially interesting---by
  852. default, the @samp{From} and @samp{Subject} fields. The variable
  853. @code{rmail-highlighted-headers} holds a regular expression that
  854. specifies the header fields to highlight; if it matches the beginning
  855. of a header field, that whole field is highlighted.
  856. If you specify unusual colors for your text foreground and
  857. background, the colors used for highlighting may not go well with
  858. them. If so, specify different colors for the face
  859. @code{rmail-highlight-face}. @xref{Faces}, for how to do this. To
  860. turn off highlighting entirely in Rmail, set
  861. @code{rmail-highlighted-headers} to @code{nil}.
  862. You can highlight and activate URLs in incoming messages by adding
  863. the function @code{goto-address} to the hook
  864. @code{rmail-show-message-hook}. Then you can browse these URLs by
  865. clicking on them with @kbd{Mouse-2} or by moving to one and typing
  866. @kbd{C-c @key{RET}}. @xref{Goto-address, Activating URLs, Activating URLs}.
  867. @node Rmail Coding
  868. @section Rmail and Coding Systems
  869. @cindex decoding mail messages (Rmail)
  870. Rmail automatically decodes messages which contain non-ASCII
  871. characters, just as Emacs does with files you visit and with subprocess
  872. output. Rmail uses the standard @samp{charset=@var{charset}} header in
  873. the message, if any, to determine how the message was encoded by the
  874. sender. It maps @var{charset} into the corresponding Emacs coding
  875. system (@pxref{Coding Systems}), and uses that coding system to decode
  876. message text. If the message header doesn't have the @samp{charset}
  877. specification, or if @var{charset} is not recognized,
  878. Rmail chooses the coding system with the usual Emacs heuristics and
  879. defaults (@pxref{Recognize Coding}).
  880. @cindex fixing incorrectly decoded mail messages
  881. Occasionally, a message is decoded incorrectly, either because Emacs
  882. guessed the wrong coding system in the absence of the @samp{charset}
  883. specification, or because the specification was inaccurate. For
  884. example, a misconfigured mailer could send a message with a
  885. @samp{charset=iso-8859-1} header when the message is actually encoded
  886. in @code{koi8-r}. When you see the message text garbled, or some of
  887. its characters displayed as empty boxes, this may have happened.
  888. @findex rmail-redecode-body
  889. You can correct the problem by decoding the message again using the
  890. right coding system, if you can figure out or guess which one is
  891. right. To do this, invoke the @kbd{M-x rmail-redecode-body} command.
  892. It reads the name of a coding system, encodes the message body using
  893. whichever coding system was used to decode it before, then redecodes
  894. it using the coding system you specified. If you specified the right
  895. coding system, the result should be readable.
  896. Decoding and encoding using the wrong coding system is lossless for
  897. most encodings, in particular with 8-bit encodings such as iso-8859 or
  898. koi8. So, if the initial attempt to redecode the message didn't
  899. result in a legible text, you can try other coding systems until you
  900. succeed.
  901. With some coding systems, notably those from the iso-2022 family,
  902. information can be lost in decoding, so that encoding the message
  903. again won't bring back the original incoming text. In such a case,
  904. @code{rmail-redecode-body} cannot work. However, the problems that
  905. call for use of @code{rmail-redecode-body} rarely occur with those
  906. coding systems. So in practice the command works when you need it.
  907. @node Rmail Editing
  908. @section Editing Within a Message
  909. Most of the usual Emacs commands are available in Rmail mode, though a
  910. few, such as @kbd{C-M-n} and @kbd{C-M-h}, are redefined by Rmail for
  911. other purposes. However, the Rmail buffer is normally read only, and
  912. most of the letters are redefined as Rmail commands. If you want to
  913. edit the text of a message, you must use the Rmail command @kbd{e}.
  914. @table @kbd
  915. @item e
  916. Edit the current message as ordinary text.
  917. @end table
  918. @kindex e @r{(Rmail)}
  919. @findex rmail-edit-current-message
  920. The @kbd{e} command (@code{rmail-edit-current-message}) switches from
  921. Rmail mode into Rmail Edit mode, another major mode which is nearly the
  922. same as Text mode. The mode line indicates this change.
  923. In Rmail Edit mode, letters insert themselves as usual and the Rmail
  924. commands are not available. When you are finished editing the message and
  925. are ready to go back to Rmail, type @kbd{C-c C-c}, which switches back to
  926. Rmail mode. Alternatively, you can return to Rmail mode but cancel all the
  927. editing that you have done, by typing @kbd{C-c C-]}.
  928. @vindex rmail-edit-mode-hook
  929. Entering Rmail Edit mode runs the hook @code{text-mode-hook}; then it
  930. runs the hook @code{rmail-edit-mode-hook} (@pxref{Hooks}). It adds the
  931. attribute @samp{edited} to the message. It also displays the full
  932. headers of the message, so that you can edit the headers as well as the
  933. body of the message, and your changes in the headers will be
  934. permanent.
  935. @node Rmail Digest
  936. @section Digest Messages
  937. @cindex digest message
  938. @cindex undigestify
  939. A @dfn{digest message} is a message which exists to contain and carry
  940. several other messages. Digests are used on some moderated mailing
  941. lists; all the messages that arrive for the list during a period of time
  942. such as one day are put inside a single digest which is then sent to the
  943. subscribers. Transmitting the single digest uses much less computer
  944. time than transmitting the individual messages even though the total
  945. size is the same, because the per-message overhead in network mail
  946. transmission is considerable.
  947. @findex undigestify-rmail-message
  948. When you receive a digest message, the most convenient way to read it is
  949. to @dfn{undigestify} it: to turn it back into many individual messages.
  950. Then you can read and delete the individual messages as it suits you.
  951. To do this, select the digest message and type the command @kbd{M-x
  952. undigestify-rmail-message}. This extracts the submessages as separate
  953. Rmail messages, and inserts them following the digest. The digest
  954. message itself is flagged as deleted.
  955. @node Out of Rmail
  956. @section Converting an Rmail File to Inbox Format
  957. @cindex Babyl format to Inbox format
  958. @cindex converting Rmail file to mailbox format
  959. @findex unrmail
  960. The command @kbd{M-x unrmail} converts a file in Rmail format to inbox
  961. format (also known as the system mailbox, or mbox, format), so that
  962. you can use it with other mail-editing tools. You must specify two
  963. arguments, the name of the Rmail file and the name to use for the
  964. converted file. @kbd{M-x unrmail} does not alter the Rmail file itself.
  965. @pindex b2m
  966. @kbd{M-x unrmail} is useful if you can run Emacs on the machine
  967. where the Rmail file resides, or can access the Rmail file remotely
  968. (@pxref{Remote Files}) from a machine where Emacs is installed. If
  969. accessing Rmail files from Emacs is impossible, you can use the
  970. @command{b2m} program instead. @command{b2m} is part of the Emacs
  971. distribution, it is installed into the same directory where all the
  972. other auxiliary programs (@command{etags} etc.) are installed, and its
  973. source is available in the Emacs source distribution, so that you
  974. could copy the source to the target machine and compile it there.
  975. To convert a file @file{@var{babyl-file}} into @file{@var{mbox-file}},
  976. invoke @command{b2m} like this:
  977. @example
  978. b2m < @var{babyl-file} > @var{mbox-file}
  979. @end example
  980. @node Rmail Rot13
  981. @section Reading Rot13 Messages
  982. @cindex rot13 code
  983. Mailing list messages that might offend some readers are sometimes
  984. encoded in a simple code called @dfn{rot13}---so named because it
  985. rotates the alphabet by 13 letters. This code is not for secrecy, as it
  986. provides none; rather, it enables those who might be offended to avoid
  987. ever seeing the real text of the message.
  988. @findex rot13-other-window
  989. To view a buffer using the rot13 code, use the command @kbd{M-x
  990. rot13-other-window}. This displays the current buffer in another window
  991. which applies the code when displaying the text.
  992. @node Movemail
  993. @section @code{movemail} and POP
  994. @cindex @code{movemail} program
  995. @vindex rmail-preserve-inbox
  996. When getting new mail, Rmail first copies the new mail from the inbox
  997. file to the Rmail file; then it saves the Rmail file; then it truncates
  998. the inbox file. This way, a system crash may cause duplication of mail
  999. between the inbox and the Rmail file, but cannot lose mail. If
  1000. @code{rmail-preserve-inbox} is non-@code{nil}, then Rmail will copy new
  1001. mail from the inbox file to the Rmail file without truncating the inbox
  1002. file. You may wish to set this, for example, on a portable computer you
  1003. use to check your mail via POP while traveling, so that your mail will
  1004. remain on the server and you can save it later on your workstation.
  1005. In some cases, Rmail copies the new mail from the inbox file
  1006. indirectly. First it runs the @code{movemail} program to move the mail
  1007. from the inbox to an intermediate file called
  1008. @file{~/.newmail-@var{inboxname}}. Then Rmail merges the new mail from
  1009. that file, saves the Rmail file, and only then deletes the intermediate
  1010. file. If there is a crash at the wrong time, this file continues to
  1011. exist, and Rmail will use it again the next time it gets new mail from
  1012. that inbox.
  1013. @pindex movemail
  1014. If Rmail is unable to convert the data in
  1015. @file{~/.newmail-@var{inboxname}} into Babyl format, it renames the file
  1016. to @file{~/RMAILOSE.@var{n}} (@var{n} is an integer chosen to make the
  1017. name unique) so that Rmail will not have trouble with the data again.
  1018. You should look at the file, find whatever message confuses Rmail
  1019. (probably one that includes the control-underscore character, octal code
  1020. 037), and delete it. Then you can use @kbd{1 g} to get new mail from
  1021. the corrected file.
  1022. Some sites use a method called POP for accessing users' inbox data
  1023. instead of storing the data in inbox files. @code{movemail} can work
  1024. with POP if you compile it with the macro @code{MAIL_USE_POP} defined.
  1025. (You can achieve that by specifying @samp{--with-pop} when you run
  1026. @code{configure} during the installation of Emacs.)
  1027. @code{movemail} only works with POP3, not with older
  1028. versions of POP.
  1029. @cindex @env{MAILHOST} environment variable
  1030. @cindex POP inboxes
  1031. Assuming you have compiled and installed @code{movemail}
  1032. appropriately, you can specify a POP inbox by using a ``file name'' of
  1033. the form @samp{po:@var{username}}, in the inbox list of an Rmail file.
  1034. @code{movemail} handles such a name by opening a connection to the POP
  1035. server. The @env{MAILHOST} environment variable specifies the machine
  1036. to look for the server on; alternatively, you can specify the POP server
  1037. host name as part of the mailbox name using the syntax
  1038. @samp{po:@var{username}:@var{hostname}}.
  1039. @vindex rmail-pop-password
  1040. @vindex rmail-pop-password-required
  1041. Accessing mail via POP may require a password. If the variable
  1042. @code{rmail-pop-password} is non-@code{nil}, it specifies the password
  1043. to use for POP. Alternatively, if @code{rmail-pop-password-required} is
  1044. non-@code{nil}, then Rmail asks you for the password to use.
  1045. @vindex rmail-movemail-flags
  1046. If you need to pass additional command-line flags to @code{movemail},
  1047. set the variable @code{rmail-movemail-flags} a list of the flags you
  1048. wish to use. Do not use this variable to pass the @samp{-p} flag to
  1049. preserve your inbox contents; use @code{rmail-preserve-inbox} instead.
  1050. @cindex Kerberos POP authentication
  1051. The @code{movemail} program installed at your site may support
  1052. Kerberos authentication. If it is
  1053. supported, it is used by default whenever you attempt to retrieve
  1054. POP mail when @code{rmail-pop-password} and
  1055. @code{rmail-pop-password-required} are unset.
  1056. @cindex reverse order in POP inboxes
  1057. Some POP servers store messages in reverse order. If your server does
  1058. this, and you would rather read your mail in the order in which it was
  1059. received, you can tell @code{movemail} to reverse the order of
  1060. downloaded messages by adding the @samp{-r} flag to
  1061. @code{rmail-movemail-flags}.