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This is Info file ../info/mh-e, produced by Makeinfo-1.63 from the input file mh-e.texi. This is Edition 1.2, last updated 22 August 1995, of `mh-e, The Emacs Interface to MH', for mh-e, Version 5.0.2. Copyright 1995 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the section entitled "Copying" is included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved by the Free Software Foundation. File: mh-e, Node: Top, Next: Preface, Prev: (dir), Up: (dir) MH and Emacs ************ This is Edition 1.2 of `mh-e, The Emacs Interface to MH', last updated 22 August 1995 for mh-e Version 5.0.2. * Menu: * Preface:: Introduction to mh-e. * Tour Through mh-e:: Use mh-e quickly! * Using mh-e:: Documentation for all commands. * Customizing mh-e:: Documentation for all variables. * Odds and Ends:: Getting mh-e, reporting bugs, mailing list and FAQ. * History:: The authors speak up! * Changes to mh-e:: Actual changes between Versions 3 and beyond. * Copying:: The GNU General Public License * Command Index:: * Variable Index:: * Concept Index:: File: mh-e, Node: Preface, Next: Tour Through mh-e, Prev: Top, Up: Top Preface ******* These chapters introduce another interface to MH that is accessible through the GNU Emacs editor, namely, *mh-e*. mh-e is easy to use. I don't assume that you know GNU Emacs or even MH at this point, since I didn't know either of them when I discovered mh-e. However, mh-e was the tip of the iceberg, and I discovered more and more niceties about GNU Emacs and MH. Now I'm fully hooked on both of them. The mh-e package is distributed with GNU Emacs, (1) so you shouldn't have to do anything special to use it. But it's important to note a brief history of mh-e. Version 3 was prevalent through the Emacs 18 and early Emacs 19 years. Then Version 4 came out (Emacs 19.23), which introduced several new and changed commands. Finally, Version 5.0 was released, which fixed some bugs and incompatibilities. This is the version covered by this manual. *Note Getting Started:: will help you decide which version you have. If you don't already use GNU Emacs but want to learn more, you can read an online tutorial by starting GNU Emacs and typing `C-h t' (`help-with-tutorial'). (This notation is described in *Note Conventions::.) If you want to take the plunge, consult the *Note GNU Emacs Manual: (emacs)top, from the Free Software Foundation. If more information is needed, you can go to the Unix manual pages of the individual MH commands. When the name is not obvious, I'll guide you to a relevant MH manual page that describes the action more fully. I hope you enjoy these chapters! If you have any comments, or suggestions for this document, please let me know. Bill Wohler <wohler@newt.com> 8 February 1995 ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) Note that mh-e is supported with MH 6 and either Emacs 18 or Emacs 19. Reportedly, large parts of it work with MH 5 and also with Lucid/XEmacs and Epoch, but there are no guarantees. It is also distributed with Lucid/XEmacs, as well as with MH itself. File: mh-e, Node: Tour Through mh-e, Next: Using mh-e, Prev: Preface, Up: Top Tour Through mh-e ***************** This chapter introduces some of the terms you'll need to know and then takes you on a tour of mh-e. (1) When you're done, you'll be able to send, read, and file mail, which is all that a lot of people ever do. But if you're the curious type, you'll read *Note Using mh-e:: to be able to use all the features of mh-e. If you're the adventurous type, you'll read *Note Customizing mh-e:: to make mh-e do what you want. I suggest you read this chapter first to get the big picture, and then you can read the other two as you wish. * Menu: * Conventions:: GNU Emacs Terms and Conventions * Getting Started:: * Sending Mail Tour:: * Reading Mail Tour:: * Processing Mail Tour:: * Leaving mh-e:: * More About mh-e:: ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) The keys mentioned in these chapters refer to the default key bindings. If you've changed the bindings, refer to the command summaries at the beginning of each major section in *Note Using mh-e::, for a mapping between default key bindings and function names. File: mh-e, Node: Conventions, Next: Getting Started, Prev: Tour Through mh-e, Up: Tour Through mh-e GNU Emacs Terms and Conventions =============================== If you're an experienced Emacs user, you can skip the following conventions and definition of terms and go directly to *Note Getting Started:: below. The conventions are as follows: `C-x' Hold down the CTRL (Control) key and press the `x' key. `M-x' Hold down the META or ALT key and press the `x' key. Since some keyboards don't have a META key, you can generate `M-x', for example, by pressing ESC (Escape), *releasing it*, (1) and then pressing the `x' key. `RET' Press the RETURN or ENTER key. This is normally used to complete a command. `SPC' Press the space bar. `TAB' Press the TAB key. `DEL' Press the DELETE key. This may also be a Backspace key, depending on your keyboard or Emacs configuration. A "prefix argument" allows you to pass an argument to any Emacs function. To pass an argument, type `C-u' before the Emacs command or keystroke. Numeric arguments can be passed as well. For example, to insert five f's, use `C-u 5 f'. There is a default of four when using `C-u', and you can use multiple prefix arguments to provide arguments of powers of four. To continue our example, you could insert four f's with `C-u f', 16 f's with `C-u C-u f', 64 f's with `C-u C-u C-u f', and so on. Numeric and valueless negative arguments can also be inserted with the META key. Examples include `M-5' to specify an argument of 5, or `M--' which specifies a negative argument with no particular value. *NOTE* The prefix `C-u' or `M-' is not necessary in mh-e's MH-Folder modes (*note Reading Mail Tour::.). In these modes, simply enter the numerical argument before entering the command. There are several other terms that are used in Emacs that you should know. The "point" is where the cursor currently is. You can save your current place in the file by setting a "mark". This operation is useful in several ways. The mark can be later used when defining a "region", which is the text between the point and mark. Many commands operate on regions, such as those for deleting text or filling paragraphs. A mark can be set with `C-@' (or `C-SPC'). The "minibuffer" is the bottom line of the Emacs window, where all prompting and multiple-character input is directed. If you are prompted for information in the minibuffer, such as a filename, Emacs can help you complete your answer if you type SPC or TAB. A second SPC or TAB will list all possibilities at that point. The minibuffer is also where you enter Emacs function names after typing `M-x'. For example, in the first paragraph, I mentioned that you could obtain help with `C-h t' (`help-with-tutorial'). What this means is that you can get a tutorial by typing either `C-h t' or `M-x help-with-tutorial'. In the latter case, you are prompted for `help-with-tutorial' in the minibuffer after typing `M-x'. In case of trouble: Emacs can be interrupted at any time with `C-g'. For example, if you've started a command that requests that you enter something in the minibuffer, but then you change your mind, type `C-g' and you'll be back where you started. If you want to exit Emacs entirely, use `C-x C-c'. ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) This is emphasized because pressing ESC twice or holding it down a second too long so that it repeats gives you an error message. File: mh-e, Node: Getting Started, Next: Sending Mail Tour, Prev: Conventions, Up: Tour Through mh-e Getting Started =============== Because there are many old versions of mh-e out there, it is important to know which version you have. I'll be talking about Version 5 which is similar to Version 4 and vastly different from Version 3. First, enter `M-x load-library RET mh-e RET'. (1) The message, `Loading mh-e...done', should be displayed in the minibuffer. If you get `Cannot open load file: mh-e', then your Emacs is very badly configured, or mh-e is missing. You may wish to have your system administrator install a new Emacs or at least the latest mh-e files. Having loaded mh-e successfully, enter `M-x mh-version RET'. The version of mh-e should be displayed. Hopefully it says that you're running Version 5.0.2 which is the latest version as of this printing. If instead Emacs beeps and says `[No match]', then you're running an old version of mh-e. If these tests reveal a non-existent or old version of mh-e, please consider obtaining a new version. You can have your system administrator upgrade the system-wide version, or you can install your own personal version. It's really quite easy; instructions for getting and installing mh-e are in *Note Getting mh-e::. In the meantime, see *Note Changes to mh-e::, which compares the old and new names of commands, functions, variables, and buffers. Also, older versions of mh-e assumed that you had already set up your MH environment. Newer versions set up a new MH environment for you by running `install-mh' and notifying you of this fact with the message in a temporary buffer: I'm going to create the standard MH path for you. Therefore, if you've never run MH before and you're using an old version of mh-e, you need to run `install-mh' from the shell before you continue the tour. If you don't, you'll be greeted with the error message: `Can't find MH profile'. If, during the tour described in this chapter, you see a message like: `Searching for program: no such file or directory, /usr/local/bin/mhpath', it means that the MH programs and files are kept in a nonstandard directory. In this case, simply add the following to `~/.emacs' and restart `emacs'. (setq mh-progs "/PATH/TO/MH/BINARY/DIRECTORY/") (setq mh-lib "/PATH/TO/MH/LIBRARY/DIRECTORY/") The `~' notation used by `~/.emacs' above represents your home directory. This is used by the `bash' and `csh' shells. If your shell does not support this feature, you could use the environment variable `$HOME' (such as `$HOME/.emacs') or the absolute path (as in `/home/wohler/.emacs') instead. At this point, you should see something like the screen in the figure in *Note Reading Mail Tour::. We're now ready to move on. ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) You wouldn't ordinarily do this. File: mh-e, Node: Sending Mail Tour, Next: Reading Mail Tour, Prev: Getting Started, Up: Tour Through mh-e Sending Mail ============ Let's start our tour by sending ourselves a message which we can later read and process. Enter `M-x mh-smail' to invoke the mh-e program to send messages. You will be prompted in the minibuffer by `To:'. Enter your login name. The next prompt is `cc:'. Hit RET to indicate that no carbon copies are to be sent. At the `Subject:' prompt, enter `Test' or anything else that comes to mind. Once you've specified the recipients and subject, your message appears in an Emacs buffer whose mode (1) is MH-Letter. Enter some text in the body of the message, using normal Emacs commands. You should now have something like this: (2) -----Emacs: *scratch* (Lisp Interaction)--All--------------------- To: wohler cc: Subject: Test -------- This is a test message to get the wheels churning...# --**-{draft} (MH-Letter)--All---------------------------------------- mh-e message composition window Note the line of dashes that separates the header and the body of the message. It is essential that these dashes (or a blank line) are present or the body of your message will be considered to be part of the header. There are several commands specific to MH-Letter mode, but at this time we'll only use `C-c C-c' to send your message. Type `C-c C-c' now. That's all there is to it! ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) A "mode" changes Emacs to make it easier to edit a particular type of text. (2) If you're running Emacs under the X Window System, then you would also see a menubar. I've left out the menubar in all of the example screens. File: mh-e, Node: Reading Mail Tour, Next: Processing Mail Tour, Prev: Sending Mail Tour, Up: Tour Through mh-e Receiving Mail ============== To read the mail you've just sent yourself, enter `M-x mh-rmail'. This incorporates the new mail and put the output from `inc' (called "scan lines" after the MH program `scan' which prints a one-line summary of each message) into a buffer called `+inbox' whose major mode is MH-Folder. *NOTE* The `M-x mh-rmail' command will show you only new mail, not old mail. If you were to run this tour again, you would use `M-r' to pull all your messages into mh-e. You should see the scan line for your message, and perhaps others. Use `n' or `p' to move the cursor to your test message and type RET to read your message. You should see something like: 3 24Aug root received fax files on Wed Aug 24 11:00:13 PDT 1994 # 4+ 24Aug To:wohler Test<<This is a test message to get the wheels chu --%%-{+inbox} 4 msgs (1-4) (MH-Folder Show)--Bot--------------------- To: wohler Subject: Test Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 13:01:13 -0700 From: Bill Wohler <wohler@newt.com> This is a test message to get the wheels churning... -----{show-+inbox} 4 (MH-Show)--Bot---------------------------------- After incorporating new messages If you typed a long message, you can view subsequent pages with SPC and previous pages with DEL. File: mh-e, Node: Processing Mail Tour, Next: Leaving mh-e, Prev: Reading Mail Tour, Up: Tour Through mh-e Processing Mail =============== The first thing we want to do is reply to the message that we sent ourselves. Ensure that the cursor is still on the same line as your test message and type `r'. You are prompted in the minibuffer with `Reply to whom:'. Here mh-e is asking whether you'd like to reply to the original sender only, to the sender and primary recipients, or to the sender and all recipients. If you simply hit RET, you'll reply only to the sender. Hit RET now. You'll find yourself in an Emacs buffer similar to that when you were sending the original message, like this: To: wohler Subject: Re: Test In-reply-to: Bill Wohler's message of Wed, 24 Aug 1994 13:01:13 -0700 <199408242001.NAA00505@newt.com> -------- # --**-{draft} (MH-Letter)--All---------------------------------------- To: wohler Subject: Test Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 13:01:13 -0700 From: Bill Wohler <wohler@newt.com> This is a test message to get the wheels churning... -----{show-+inbox} 4 (MH-Show)--Bot---------------------------------- Composing a reply...done Composition window during reply By default, MH will not add you to the address list of your replies, so if you find that the `To:' header field is missing, don't worry. In this case, type `C-c C-f C-t' to create and go to the `To:' field, where you can type your login name again. You can move around with the arrow keys or with `C-p' (`previous-line'), `C-n' (`next-line'), `C-b' (`backward-char'), and `C-f' (`forward-char') and can delete the previous character with DEL. When you're finished editing your message, send it with `C-c C-c' as before. You'll often want to save messages that were sent to you in an organized fashion. This is done with "folders". You can use folders to keep messages from your friends, or messages related to a particular topic. With your cursor in the MH-Folder buffer and positioned on the message you sent to yourself, type `o' to output (`refile' in MH parlance) that message to a folder. Enter `test' at the `Destination:' prompt and type `y' (or SPC) when mh-e asks to create the folder `+test'. Note that a `^' (caret) appears next to the message number, which means that the message has been marked for refiling but has not yet been refiled. We'll talk about how the refile is actually carried out in a moment. Your previous reply is now waiting in the system mailbox. You incorporate this mail into your MH-Folder buffer named `+inbox' with the `i' command. Do this now. After the mail is incorporated, use `n' or `p' to move the cursor to the new message, and read it with RET. Let's delete this message by typing `d'. Note that a `D' appears next to the message number. This means that the message is marked for deletion but is not yet deleted. To perform the deletion (and the refile we did previously), use the `x' command. If you want to send another message you can use `m' instead of `M-x mh-smail'. So go ahead, send some mail to your friends! File: mh-e, Node: Leaving mh-e, Next: More About mh-e, Prev: Processing Mail Tour, Up: Tour Through mh-e Leaving mh-e ============ You may now wish to exit `emacs' entirely. Use `C-x C-c' to exit `emacs'. If you exited without running `x' in the `+inbox' buffer, Emacs will offer to save it for you. Type `y' or SPC to save `+inbox' changes, which means to perform any refiles and deletes that you did there. If you don't want to leave Emacs, you can type `q' to bury (hide) the mh-e folder or delete them entirely with `C-x k'. You can then later recall them with `C-x b' or `M-x mh-rmail'. File: mh-e, Node: More About mh-e, Prev: Leaving mh-e, Up: Tour Through mh-e More About mh-e =============== These are the basic commands to get you going, but there are plenty more. If you think that mh-e is for you, read *Note Using mh-e:: and *Note Customizing mh-e:: to find out how you can: * Print your messages. (*Note Printing:: and *Note Customizing Printing::.) * Edit messages and include your signature. (*Note Draft Editing:: and *Note Customizing Draft Editing::.) * Forward messages. (*Note Forwarding:: and *Note Customizing Forwarding::.) * Read digests. (*Note Viewing::.) * Edit bounced messages. (*Note Old Drafts:: and *Note Customizing Old Drafts::.) * Send multimedia messages. (*Note Editing MIME:: and *Note Customizing Editing MIME::.) * Process mail that was sent with `shar' or `uuencode'. (*Note Files and Pipes::.) * Use sequences conveniently. (*Note Sequences::.) * Show header fields in different fonts. (*Note Customizing Viewing::.) * Find previously refiled messages. (*Note Searching::.) * Place messages in a file. (*Note Files and Pipes::.) Remember that you can also use MH commands when you're not running mh-e (and when you are!). File: mh-e, Node: Using mh-e, Next: Customizing mh-e, Prev: Tour Through mh-e, Up: Top Using mh-e ********** This chapter leaves the tutorial style and goes into more detail about every mh-e command. The default, or "out of the box," behavior is documented. If this is not to your liking (for instance, you print with something other than `lpr)', see the associated section in *Note Customizing mh-e:: which is organized exactly like this chapter. There are many commands, but don't get intimidated. There are command summaries at the beginning of each section. In case you have or would like to rebind the keys, the command summaries also list the associated Emacs Lisp function. Furthermore, even if you're stranded on a desert island with a laptop and are without your manuals, you can get a summary of all these commands with GNU Emacs online help: use `C-h m' (`describe-mode') for a brief summary of commands or `C-h i' to read this manual via Info. The online help is quite good; try running `C-h C-h C-h'. This brings up a list of available help topics, one of which displays the documentation for a given key (like `C-h k C-n'). In addition, review *Note Conventions::, if any of the GNU Emacs conventions are strange to you. Let's get started! * Menu: * Reading Mail:: * Sending Mail:: * Draft Editing:: * Moving Mail:: * Searching:: * Sequences:: * Miscellaneous:: File: mh-e, Node: Reading Mail, Next: Sending Mail, Prev: Using mh-e, Up: Using mh-e Reading Your Mail ================= The mh-e entry point for reading mail is `M-x mh-rmail'. This command incorporates your mail and creates a buffer called `+inbox' in MH-Folder mode. The `M-x mh-rmail' command shows you only new mail, not old mail. (1) The `+inbox' buffer contains "scan lines", which are one-line summaries of each incorporated message. You can perform most MH commands on these messages via one-letter commands discussed in this chapter. See `scan'(1) for a description of the contents of the scan lines, and see the Figure in *Note Reading Mail Tour::, for an example. `RET' Display a message (`mh-show'). `SPC' Go to next page in message (`mh-page-msg'). `DEL' Go to previous page in message (`mh-previous-page'). `, (comma)' Display a message with all header fields (`mh-header-display'). `M-SPC' Go to next message in digest (`mh-page-digest'). `M-DEL' Go to previous message in digest (`mh-page-digest-backwards'). `M-b' Break up digest into separate messages (`mh-burst-digest'). Display next message (`mh-next-undeleted-msg'). Display previous message (`mh-previous-undeleted-msg'). Go to a message (`mh-goto-msg'). `M-<' Go to first message (`mh-first-msg'). `M->' Go to last message (`mh-last-msg'). Toggle between MH-Folder and MH-Folder Show modes (`mh-toggle-showing'). * Menu: * Viewing:: * Moving Around:: ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) If you want to see your old mail as well, use `M-r' to pull all your messages into mh-e. Or, give a prefix argument to `mh-rmail' so it will prompt you for folder to visit like `M-f' (for example, `C-u M-x mh-rmail RET bob RET'). Both `M-r' and `M-f' are described in *Note Organizing::. File: mh-e, Node: Viewing, Next: Moving Around, Prev: Reading Mail, Up: Reading Mail Viewing Your Mail ----------------- The `RET' (`mh-show') command displays the message that the cursor is on. If the message is already displayed, it scrolls to the beginning of the message. Use SPC (`mh-page-msg') and DEL (`mh-previous-page') to move forwards and backwards one page at a time through the message. You can give either of these commands a prefix argument that specifies the number of lines to scroll (such as `10 SPC'). mh-e normally hides a lot of the superfluous header fields that mailers add to a message, but if you wish to see all of them, use the `,' (comma; `mh-header-display') command. * Menu: * Reading Digests:: * Reading MIME:: File: mh-e, Node: Reading Digests, Next: Reading MIME, Prev: Viewing, Up: Viewing Reading Digests ............... A digest is a message that contains other messages. Special mh-e commands let you read digests conveniently. You can use SPC and DEL to page through the digest as if it were a normal message, but if you wish to skip to the next message in the digest, use `M-SPC' (`mh-page-digest'). To return to a previous message, use `M-DEL' (`mh-page-digest-backwards'). Another handy command is `M-b' (`mh-burst-digest'). This command uses the MH command `burst' to break out each message in the digest into its own message. Using this command, you can quickly delete unwanted messages, like this: Once the digest is split up, toggle out of MH-Folder Show mode with `t' (*note Moving Around::.) so that the scan lines fill the screen and messages aren't displayed. Then use `d' (*note Deleting::.) to quickly delete messages that you don't want to read (based on the `Subject:' header field). You can also burst the digest to reply directly to the people who posted the messages in the digest. One problem you may encounter is that the `From:' header fields are preceded with a `>' so that your reply can't create the `To:' field correctly. In this case, you must correct the `To:' field yourself. This is described later in *Note Editing Textual::. File: mh-e, Node: Reading MIME, Prev: Reading Digests, Up: Viewing Reading Multimedia Mail ....................... MH has the ability to read "MIME" (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) messages. Unfortunately, mh-e does not yet have this ability, so you have to use the MH commands `show' or `mhn' from the shell to read MIME messages. (1) ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) You can call them directly from Emacs if you're running the X Window System: type `M-! xterm -e mhn MESSAGE-NUMBER'. You can leave out the `xterm -e' if you use `mhn -list' or `mhn -store'. File: mh-e, Node: Moving Around, Prev: Viewing, Up: Reading Mail Moving Around ------------- To move on to the next message, use the `n' (`mh-next-undeleted-msg') command; use the `p' (`mh-previous-undeleted-msg') command to read the previous message. Both of these commands can be given a prefix argument to specify how many messages to skip (for example, `5 n'). You can also move to a specific message with `g' (`mh-goto-msg'). You can enter the message number either before or after typing `g'. In the latter case, Emacs prompts you. Finally, you can go to the first or last message with `M-<' (`mh-first-msg') and `M->' (`mh-last-msg') respectively. You can also use the Emacs commands `C-p' (`previous-line') and `C-n' (`next-line') to move up and down the scan lines in the MH-Folder window. These commands can be used in conjunction with `RET' to look at deleted or refiled messages. The command `t' (`mh-toggle-showing') switches between MH-Folder mode and MH-Folder Show mode. (1) MH-Folder mode turns off the associated show buffer so that you can perform operations on the messages quickly without reading them. This is an excellent way to prune out your junk mail or to refile a group of messages to another folder for later examination. ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) For you Emacs wizards, this is implemented as an Emacs minor mode. File: mh-e, Node: Sending Mail, Next: Draft Editing, Prev: Reading Mail, Up: Using mh-e Sending Mail ============ You can send a mail message in several ways. You can call `M-x mh-smail' directly, or from the command line like this: % `emacs -f mh-smail' From within mh-e's MH-Folder mode, other methods of sending mail are available as well: Compose a message (`mh-send'). Reply to a message (`mh-reply'). Forward message(s) (`mh-forward'). `M-d' Redistribute a message (`mh-redistribute'). `M-e' Edit a message that was bounced by mailer (`mh-extract-rejected-mail'). `M-a' Edit a message to send it again (`mh-edit-again'). From within a MH-Folder buffer, you can simply use the command `m' (`mh-send'). However you invoke `mh-send', you are prompted for the `To:', `cc:', and `Subject:' header fields. Once you've specified the recipients and subject, your message appears in an Emacs buffer whose mode is MH-Letter (see the Figure in *Note Sending Mail:: to see what the buffer looks like). MH-Letter mode allows you to edit your message, to check the validity of the recipients, to insert other messages into your message, and to send the message. We'll go more into depth about editing a "draft" (1) (a message you're composing) in just a moment. `mh-smail' always creates a two-window layout with the current buffer on top and the draft on the bottom. If you would rather preserve the window layout, use `M-x mh-smail-other-window'. * Menu: * Replying:: * Forwarding:: * Redistributing:: * Old Drafts:: ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) I highly recommend that you use a "draft folder" so that you can edit several drafts in parallel. To do so, create a folder (e.g., `+drafts'), and add a profile component called `Draft-Folder:' which contains `+drafts' (see `mh-profile'(5)). File: mh-e, Node: Replying, Next: Forwarding, Prev: Sending Mail, Up: Sending Mail Replying to Mail ---------------- To compose a reply to a message, use the `r' (`mh-reply') command. If you supply a prefix argument (as in `C-u r'), the message you are replying to is inserted in your reply after having first been run through `mhl' with the format file `mhl.reply'. See `mhl'(1) to see how you can modify the default `mhl.reply' file. When you reply to a message, you are first prompted with `Reply to whom?'. You have several choices here. Response Reply Goes To `from' The person who sent the message. This is the default, so RET is sufficient. `to' Replies to the sender, plus all recipients in the `To:' header field. `all' `cc' Forms a reply to the sender, plus all recipients. Depending on your answer, `repl' is given a different argument to form your reply. Specifically, a choice of `from' or none at all runs `repl -nocc all', and a choice of `to' runs `repl -cc to'. Finally, either `cc' or `all' runs `repl -cc all -nocc me'. Two windows are then created. One window contains the message to which you are replying. Your draft, in MH-Letter mode (described in *Note Draft Editing::), is in the other window. If you wish to customize the header or other parts of the reply draft, please see `repl'(1) and `mh-format'(5). File: mh-e, Node: Forwarding, Next: Redistributing, Prev: Replying, Up: Sending Mail Forwarding Mail --------------- To forward a message, use the `f' (`mh-forward') command. You are given a draft to edit that looks like it would if you had run the MH command `forw'. You are given a chance to add some text (see *Note Draft Editing::). You can forward several messages by using a prefix argument; in this case, you are prompted for the name of a "sequence", a symbolic name that represents a list or range of message numbers (for example, `C-u f forbob RET'). All of the messages in the sequence are inserted into your draft. By the way, although sequences are often mentioned in this chapter, you don't have to worry about them for now; the full description of sequences in mh-e is at the end in *Note Sequences::. To learn more about sequences in general, please see `mh-sequence'(5). File: mh-e, Node: Redistributing, Next: Old Drafts, Prev: Forwarding, Up: Sending Mail Redistributing Your Mail ------------------------ The command `M-d' (`mh-redistribute') is similar in function to forwarding mail, but it does not allow you to edit the message, nor does it add your name to the `From:' header field. It appears to the recipient as if the message had come from the original sender. For more information on redistributing messages, see `dist'(1). Also investigate the `M-a' (`mh-edit-again') command in *Note Old Drafts::, for another way to redistribute messages. File: mh-e, Node: Old Drafts, Prev: Redistributing, Up: Sending Mail Editing Old Drafts and Bounced Messages --------------------------------------- If you don't complete a draft for one reason or another, and if the draft buffer is no longer available, you can pick your draft up again with `M-a' (`mh-edit-again'). If you don't use a draft folder, your last `draft' file will be used. If you use draft folders, you'll need to visit the draft folder with `M-f drafts RET', use `n' to move to the appropriate message, and then use `M-a' to prepare the message for editing. The `M-a' command can also be used to take messages that were sent to you and to send them to more people. Don't use `M-a' to re-edit a message from a Mailer-Daemon who complained that your mail wasn't posted for some reason or another. In this case, use `M-e' (`mh-extract-rejected-mail') to prepare the message for editing by removing the Mailer-Daemon envelope and unneeded header fields. Fix whatever addressing problem you had, and send the message again with `C-c C-c'. File: mh-e, Node: Draft Editing, Next: Moving Mail, Prev: Sending Mail, Up: Using mh-e Editing a Draft =============== When you edit a message that you want to send (called a "draft" in this case), the mode used is MH-Letter. This mode provides several commands in addition to the normal Emacs editing commands to help you edit your draft. `C-c C-y' Insert contents of message to which you're replying (`mh-yank-cur-msg'). `C-c C-i' Insert a message from a folder (`mh-insert-letter'). `C-c C-f C-t' Move to `To:' header field (`mh-to-field'). `C-c C-f C-c' Move to `cc:' header field (`mh-to-field'). `C-c C-f C-s' Move to `Subject:' header field (`mh-to-field'). `C-c C-f C-f' Move to `From:' header field (`mh-to-field'). `C-c C-f C-b' Move to `Bcc:' header field (`mh-to-field'). `C-c C-f C-f' Move to `Fcc:' header field (`mh-to-fcc'). `C-c C-f C-d' Move to `Dcc:' header field (`mh-to-field'). `C-c C-w' Display expanded recipient list (`mh-check-whom'). `C-c C-s' Insert signature in message (`mh-insert-signature'). `C-c C-m C-f' Include forwarded message (MIME) (`mh-mhn-compose-forw'). `C-c C-m C-e' Include anonymous ftp reference (MIME) (`mh-mhn-compose-anon-ftp'). `C-c C-m C-t' Include anonymous ftp reference to compressed tar file (MIME) (`mh-mhn-compose-external-compressed-tar'). `C-c C-m C-i' Include binary, image, sound, etc. (MIME) (`mh-mhn-compose-insertion'). `C-c C-e' Run through `mhn' before sending (`mh-edit-mhn'). `C-c C-m C-u' Undo effects of `mhn' (`mh-revert-mhn-edit'). `C-c C-c' Save draft and send message (`mh-send-letter'). `C-c C-q' Quit editing and delete draft message (`mh-fully-kill-draft'). * Menu: * Editing Textual:: * Editing MIME:: * Sending Message:: * Killing Draft:: File: mh-e, Node: Editing Textual, Next: Editing MIME, Prev: Draft Editing, Up: Draft Editing Editing Textual Messages ------------------------ The following sections show you how to edit a draft. The commands described here are also applicable to messages that have multimedia components. * Menu: * Inserting Letter:: * Inserting Messages:: * Header:: * Recipients:: * Signature:: File: mh-e, Node: Inserting Letter, Next: Inserting Messages, Prev: Editing Textual, Up: Editing Textual Inserting letter to which you're replying ......................................... It is often useful to insert a snippet of text from a letter that someone mailed to provide some context for your reply. The command `C-c C-y' (`mh-yank-cur-msg') does this by yanking a portion of text from the message to which you're replying and inserting `> ' before each line. You can control how much text is included when you run this command. If you run this command right away, without entering the buffer containing the message to you, this command will yank the entire message, as is, into your reply. (1) If you enter the buffer containing the message sent to you and move the cursor to a certain point and return to your reply and run `C-c C-y', then the text yanked will range from that point to the end of the message. Finally, the most common action you'll perform is to enter the message sent to you, move the cursor to the beginning of a paragraph or phrase, set the "mark" with `C-SPC' or `C-@', and move the cursor to the end of the paragraph or phrase. The cursor position is called the "point", and the space between the mark and point is called the "region". Having done that, `C-c C-y' will insert the region you selected. ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) If you'd rather have the header cleaned up, use `C-u r' instead of `r' when replying (see *Note Replying::). File: mh-e, Node: Inserting Messages, Next: Header, Prev: Inserting Letter, Up: Editing Textual Inserting messages .................. Messages can be inserted with `C-c C-i' (`mh-insert-letter'). This command prompts you for the folder and message number and inserts the message, indented by `> '. Certain undesirable header fields are removed before insertion. If given a prefix argument (like `C-u C-c C-i'), the header is left intact, the message is not indented, and `> ' is not inserted before each line. File: mh-e, Node: Header, Next: Recipients, Prev: Inserting Messages, Up: Editing Textual Editing the header .................. Because the header is part of the message, you can edit the header fields as you wish. However, several convenience functions exist to help you create and edit them. For example, the command `C-c C-f C-t' (`mh-to-field'; alternatively, `C-c C-f t') moves the cursor to the `To:' header field, creating it if necessary. The functions to move to the `cc:', `Subject:', `From:', `Bcc:', and `Dcc:' header fields are similar. One function behaves differently from the others, namely, `C-c C-f C-f' (`mh-to-fcc'; alternatively, `C-c C-f f'). This function will prompt you for the folder name in which to file a copy of the draft. Be sure to leave a row of dashes or a blank line between the header and the body of the message. File: mh-e, Node: Recipients, Next: Signature, Prev: Header, Up: Editing Textual Checking recipients ................... The `C-c C-w' (`mh-check-whom') command expands aliases so you can check the actual address(es) in the alias. A new buffer is created with the output of `whom'. File: mh-e, Node: Signature, Prev: Recipients, Up: Editing Textual Inserting your signature ........................ You can insert your signature at the current cursor location with the `C-c C-s' (`mh-insert-signature') command. The text of your signature is taken from the file `~/.signature'. File: mh-e, Node: Editing MIME, Next: Sending Message, Prev: Editing Textual, Up: Draft Editing Editing Multimedia Messages --------------------------- mh-e has the capability to create multimedia messages. It uses the MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) protocol. The MIME protocol allows you to incorporate images, sound, video, binary files, and even commands that fetch a file with `ftp' when your recipient reads the message! If you were to create a multimedia message with plain MH commands, you would use `mhn'. Indeed, the mh-e MIME commands merely insert `mhn' directives which are later expanded by `mhn'. Each of the mh-e commands for editing multimedia messages or for incorporating multimedia objects is prefixed with `C-c C-m' . Several MIME objects are defined. They are called "content types". The table in *Note Customizing Draft Editing:: contains a list of the content types that mh-e currently knows about. Several of the mh-e commands fill in the content type for you, whereas others require you to enter one. Most of the time, it should be obvious which one to use (e.g., use `image/jpeg' to include a JPEG image). If not, you can refer to RFC 1521, (1) which defines the MIME protocol, for a list of valid content types. You are also sometimes asked for a "content description". This is simply an optional brief phrase, in your own words, that describes the object. If you don't care to enter a content description, just press return and none will be included; however, a reader may skip over multimedia fields unless the content description is compelling. Remember: you can always add `mhn' directives by hand. * Menu: * Forwarding MIME:: * FTP:: * Tar:: * Other MIME Objects:: * Sending MIME:: ---------- Footnotes ---------- (1) This RFC (Request For Comments) is available via the URL `ftp://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc1521.txt'. File: mh-e, Node: Forwarding MIME, Next: FTP, Prev: Editing MIME, Up: Editing MIME Forwarding multimedia messages .............................. Mail may be forwarded with MIME using the command `C-c C-m C-f' (`mh-mhn-compose-forw'). You are prompted for a content description, the name of the folder in which the messages to forward are located, and the messages' numbers. File: mh-e, Node: FTP, Next: Tar, Prev: Forwarding MIME, Up: Editing MIME Including an ftp reference .......................... You can even have your message initiate an `ftp' transfer when the recipient reads the message. To do this, use the `C-c C-m C-e' (`mh-mhn-compose-anon-ftp') command. You are prompted for the remote host and pathname, the content type, and the content description. File: mh-e, Node: Tar, Next: Other MIME Objects, Prev: FTP, Up: Editing MIME Including tar files ................... If the remote file (*note FTP::.) is a compressed tar file, you can use `C-c C-m C-t' (`mh-mhn-compose-external-compressed-tar'). Then, in addition to retrieving the file via anonymous *ftp*, the file will also be uncompressed and untarred. You are prompted for the remote host and pathname and the content description. The pathname should contain at least one `/' (slash), because the pathname is broken up into directory and name components. File: mh-e, Node: Other MIME Objects, Next: Sending MIME, Prev: Tar, Up: Editing MIME Including other multimedia objects .................................. Images, sound, and video can be inserted in your message with the `C-c C-m C-i' (`mh-mhn-compose-insertion') command. You are prompted for the filename containing the object, the content type, and a content description of the object. File: mh-e, Node: Sending MIME, Prev: Other MIME Objects, Up: Editing MIME Readying multimedia messages for sending ........................................ When you are finished editing a MIME message, it might look like this: 3 24Aug root received fax files on Wed Aug 24 11:00:13 4+ 24Aug To:wohler Test<<This is a test message to get the wh --%%-{+inbox} 4 msgs (1-4) (MH-Folder Show)--Bot------------------- To: wohler cc: Subject: Test of MIME -------- #@application/octet-stream [Nonexistent ftp test file] \ access-type=anon-ftp; site=berzerk.com; name=panacea.tar.gz; \ directory="/pub/" #audio/basic [Test sound bite] /tmp/noise.au --**-{draft} (MH-Letter)--All-------------------------------------- mh-e MIME draft The lines added by the previous commands are `mhn' directives and need to be converted to MIME directives before sending. This is accomplished by the command `C-c C-e' (`mh-edit-mhn'), which runs `mhn' on the message. The following screen shows what those commands look like in full MIME format. You can see why mail user agents are usually built to hide these details from the user. To: wohler cc: Subject: Test of MIME MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----- =_aaaaaaaaaa0" Content-ID: <1623.777796162.0@newt.com> ------- =_aaaaaaaaaa0 Content-Type: message/external-body; access-type="anon-ftp"; site="berzerk.com"; name="panacea.tar.gz"; directory="/pub/" Content-Type: application/octet-stream Content-ID: <1623.777796162.1@newt.com> Content-Description: Nonexistent ftp test file ------- =_aaaaaaaaaa0 Content-Type: audio/basic Content-ID: <1623.777796162.2@newt.com> Content-Description: Test sound bite Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 Q3JlYXRpdmUgVm9pY2UgRmlsZRoaAAoBKREBQh8AgwCAgH9/f35+fn59fX5+fn5+f39/f39/f3 f4B/f39/f39/f39/f39/f39+f39+f39/f39/f4B/f39/fn5/f39/f3+Af39/f39/gH9/f39/fn -----{draft} (MH-Letter)--Top-------------------------------------- mh-e MIME draft ready to send This action can be undone by running `C-c C-m C-u' (`mh-revert-mhn-edit'). It does this by reverting to a backup file. You are prompted to confirm this action, but you can avoid the confirmation by adding an argument (for example, `C-u C-c C-m C-u'). File: mh-e, Node: Sending Message, Next: Killing Draft, Prev: Editing MIME, Up: Draft Editing Sending a Message ----------------- When you are all through editing a message, you send it with the `C-c C-c' (`mh-send-letter') command. You can give an argument (as in `C-u C-c C-c') to monitor the first stage of the delivery. File: mh-e, Node: Killing Draft, Prev: Sending Message, Up: Draft Editing Killing the Draft ----------------- If for some reason you are not happy with the draft, you can kill it instead with `C-c C-q' (`mh-fully-kill-draft'). Emacs then kills the draft buffer and deletes the draft message. File: mh-e, Node: Moving Mail, Next: Searching, Prev: Draft Editing, Up: Using mh-e Moving Your Mail Around ======================= This section covers how messages and folders can be moved about or manipulated. Messages may be incorporated into your `+inbox', deleted, and refiled. Messages containing `shar' or `uuencode' output can be stored. Folders can be visited, sorted, packed, or deleted. Here's a list of the available commands to do these things: Incorporate new mail into folder (`mh-inc-folder'). Delete message (`mh-delete-msg'). `C-d' Delete message, don't move to next message (`mh-delete-msg-no-motion'). `M-s' Find messages that meet search criteria (`mh-search-folder'). Output (refile) message to folder (`mh-refile-msg'). Copy message to folder (`mh-copy-msg'). `C-o' Output (write) message to file (`mh-write-msg-to-file'). Repeat last output command (`mh-refile-or-write-again'). Print message with `lpr' (`mh-print-msg'). Pipe message through shell command (`mh-pipe-msg'). `M-n' Unpack message created with `uudecode' or `shar' (`mh-store-msg'). `M-l' List all folders (`mh-list-folders'). `M-f' Visit folder (`mh-visit-folder'). `M-r' Regenerate scan lines (`mh-rescan-folder'). `M-x mh-sort-folder' Sort folder. `M-p' Pack folder (`mh-pack-folder'). `M-k' Remove folder (`mh-kill-folder'). Execute pending refiles and deletes (`mh-execute-commands'). Undo pending refile or delete (`mh-undo'). `M-u' Undo all pending refiles and deletes (`mh-undo-folder'). Quit (`mh-quit'). * Menu: * Incorporating:: * Deleting:: * Organizing:: * Printing:: * Files and Pipes:: * Finishing Up:: File: mh-e, Node: Incorporating, Next: Deleting, Prev: Moving Mail, Up: Moving Mail Incorporating Your Mail ----------------------- If at any time you receive new mail, incorporate the new mail into your `+inbox' buffer with `i' (`mh-inc-folder'). Note that `i' will display the `+inbox' buffer, even if there isn't any new mail. You can incorporate mail from any file into the current folder by specifying a prefix argument; you'll be prompted for the name of the file to use (for example, `C-u i ~/mbox RET'). Emacs can notify you when you have new mail by displaying `Mail' in the mode line. To enable this behavior, and to have a clock in the mode line besides, add the following to `~/.emacs': (display-time) File: mh-e, Node: Deleting, Next: Organizing, Prev: Incorporating, Up: Moving Mail Deleting Your Mail ------------------ To mark a message for deletion, use the `d' (`mh-delete-msg') command. A `D' is placed by the message in the scan window, and the next message is displayed. If the previous command had been `p', then the next message displayed is the message previous to the message just deleted. If you specify a prefix argument, you will be prompted for a sequence (*note Sequences::.) to delete (for example, `C-u d frombob RET'). The `x' command actually carries out the deletion (*note Finishing Up::.). `C-d' (`mh-delete-msg-no-motion') marks the message for deletion but leaves the cursor at the current message in case you wish to perform other operations on the message.