~ubuntu-branches/ubuntu/trusty/xemacs21-packages/trusty : revision 10

1

\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-

2

@c $Id: mh-e.texi,v 1.6 2003-04-30 01:28:04 youngs Exp $

3

@c %**start of header

4

@setfilename ../info/mh-e

5

@settitle mh-e

6

@c %**end of header

7

8

@setchapternewpage odd

9

10

@dircategory Emacs

11

@direntry

12

* MH-E: (mh-e). Emacs interface to the MH mail system.

13

@end direntry

14

15

@c Version variables.

16

@set EDITION 1.3

17

@set VERSION 5.0.2

18

@set UPDATED 18 February 2001

19

@set UPDATE-MONTH February 2001

20

21

@ifinfo

22

This is Edition @value{EDITION}, last updated @value{UPDATED}, of

23

@cite{mh-e, The Emacs Interface to MH}, for mh-e, Version

24

@value{VERSION}.

25

26

27

28

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

29

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or

30

any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no

31

Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU

32

Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the

33

license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation

34

License'' in the Emacs manual.

35

36

(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify

37

this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free

38

Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''

39

40

This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free

41

Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document

42

separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the

43

license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.

44

@end ifinfo

45

46

@titlepage

47

@sp 10

48

@center @titlefont{mh-e}

49

@sp 2

50

@center The Emacs Interface to MH

51

@sp 2

52

@center by Bill Wohler

53

@sp 2

54

@center Edition @value{EDITION} for mh-e Version @value{VERSION}

55

@sp 2

56

@center @value{UPDATE-MONTH}

57

58

@page

59

@vskip 0pt plus 1filll

60

Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

61

62

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

63

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or

64

any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no

65

Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU

66

Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the

67

license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation

68

License'' in the Emacs manual.

69

70

(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify

71

this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free

72

Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''

73

74

This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free

75

Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document

76

separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the

77

license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.

78

@end titlepage

79

80

@ifinfo

81

@node Top, Preface, (dir), (dir)

82

@top MH and Emacs

83

This is Edition @value{EDITION} of @cite{mh-e, The Emacs Interface to

84

MH}, last updated @value{UPDATED} for mh-e Version @value{VERSION}.

85

86

@menu

87

* Preface:: Introduction to mh-e.

88

* Tour Through mh-e:: Use mh-e quickly!

89

* Using mh-e:: Documentation for all commands.

90

* Customizing mh-e:: Documentation for all variables.

91

* Odds and Ends:: Getting mh-e, reporting bugs, mailing

92

list and FAQ.

93

* History:: The authors speak up!

94

* Copying:: The GNU General Public License

95

* Command Index::

96

* Variable Index::

97

* Concept Index::

98

@end menu

99

@end ifinfo

100

101

@node Preface, Tour Through mh-e, Top, Top

102

@unnumbered Preface

103

104

@cindex Emacs

105

@cindex Unix commands, Emacs

106

107

These chapters introduce another interface to MH that is accessible

108

through the GNU Emacs editor, namely, @emph{mh-e}. mh-e is easy to use.

109

I don't assume that you know GNU Emacs or even MH at this point, since I

110

didn't know either of them when I discovered mh-e. However, mh-e was

111

the tip of the iceberg, and I discovered more and more niceties about

112

GNU Emacs and MH@. Now I'm fully hooked on both of them.

113

114

@cindex history

115

116

The mh-e package is distributed with GNU Emacs, @footnote{Note that

117

mh-e is supported with MH 6 and @w{Emacs 18} through @w{Emacs 21}.

118

Reportedly, large parts of it work with @w{MH 5} and also with

119

Lucid/XEmacs and Epoch, but there are no guarantees. It is also

120

distributed with Lucid/XEmacs, as well as with MH itself.} so you

121

shouldn't have to do anything special to use it. But it's important to

122

note a brief history of mh-e. @w{Version 3} was prevalent through the

123

@w{Emacs 18} and early @w{Emacs 19} years. Then @w{Version 4} came out

124

(@w{Emacs 19.23}), which introduced several new and changed commands.

125

Finally, @w{Version 5.0} was released, which fixed some bugs and

126

incompatibilities, and was incorporated into @w{Emacs 19.29}. This is

127

the version covered by this manual. @ref{Getting Started} will help

128

you decide which version you have.

129

130

If you don't already use GNU Emacs but want to learn more, you can read

131

an online tutorial by starting GNU Emacs and typing @kbd{C-h t}

132

(@code{help-with-tutorial}). (This notation is described in

133

@ref{Conventions}.) If you want to take the plunge, consult the

134

@iftex

135

@cite{GNU Emacs Manual},

136

@end iftex

137

@ifinfo

138

@ref{top, , GNU Emacs Manual, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual},

139

@end ifinfo

140

from the Free Software Foundation.

141

142

If more information is needed, you can go to the Unix manual pages of

143

the individual MH commands. When the name is not obvious, I'll guide

144

you to a relevant MH manual page that describes the action more fully.

145

146

I hope you enjoy these chapters! If you have any comments, or

147

suggestions for this document, please let me know.

148

149

@noindent

150

Bill Wohler <@i{wohler@@newt.com}>@*

151

8 February 1995

152

153

@node Tour Through mh-e, Using mh-e, Preface, Top

154

@chapter Tour Through mh-e

155

156

This chapter introduces some of the terms you'll need to know and then

157

takes you on a tour of mh-e. @footnote{The keys mentioned in these

158

chapters refer to the default key bindings. If you've changed the

159

bindings, refer to the command summaries at the beginning of each major

160

section in @ref{Using mh-e}, for a mapping between default key bindings

161

and function names.} When you're done, you'll be able to send, read,

162

and file mail, which is all that a lot of people ever do. But if you're

163

the curious type, you'll read @ref{Using mh-e} to be able to use all

164

the features of mh-e. If you're the adventurous type, you'll read

165

@ref{Customizing mh-e} to make mh-e do what you want. I suggest you

166

read this chapter first to get the big picture, and then you can read

167

the other two as you wish.

168

169

@menu

170

* Conventions:: GNU Emacs Terms and Conventions

171

* Getting Started::

172

* Sending Mail Tour::

173

* Reading Mail Tour::

174

* Processing Mail Tour::

175

* Leaving mh-e::

176

* More About mh-e::

177

@end menu

178

179

@node Conventions, Getting Started, Tour Through mh-e, Tour Through mh-e

180

@section GNU Emacs Terms and Conventions

181

182

@cindex Emacs, terms and conventions

183

184

@cindex Emacs

185

@cindex Unix commands, Emacs

186

187

If you're an experienced Emacs user, you can skip the following

188

conventions and definition of terms and go directly to @ref{Getting

189

Started} below. The conventions are as follows:

190

191

@table @kbd

192

@item C-x

193

Hold down the @key{CTRL} (Control) key and press the @kbd{x} key.

194

@item M-x

195

Hold down the @key{META} or @key{ALT} key and press the @kbd{x} key.

196

197

Since some keyboards don't have a @key{META} key, you can generate

198

@kbd{M-x}, for example, by pressing @key{ESC} (Escape), @emph{releasing

199

it}, @footnote{This is emphasized because pressing ESC twice or holding

200

it down a second too long so that it repeats gives you an error message.}

201

and then pressing the @kbd{x} key.

202

@item RET

203

Press the @key{RETURN} or @key{ENTER} key. This is normally used to

204

complete a command.

205

@item SPC

206

Press the space bar.

207

@item TAB

208

Press the @key{TAB} key.

209

@item DEL

210

Press the @key{DELETE} key.

211

@item BS

212

Press the @key{BACKSPACE} key. @footnote{If you are using Version 20

213

or earlier of Emacs, you will need to use the @key{DEL} key.}

214

@end table

215

216

@cindex Emacs, prefix argument

217

@cindex prefix argument

218

219

A @dfn{prefix argument} allows you to pass an argument to any Emacs

220

function. To pass an argument, type @kbd{C-u} before the Emacs command

221

or keystroke. Numeric arguments can be passed as well. For example, to

222

insert five f's, use @kbd{C-u 5 f}. There is a default of four when

223

using @kbd{C-u}, and you can use multiple prefix arguments to provide

224

arguments of powers of four. To continue our example, you could insert

225

four f's with @kbd{C-u f}, 16 f's with @kbd{C-u C-u f}, 64 f's with

226

@kbd{C-u C-u C-u f}, and so on. Numeric and valueless negative

227

arguments can also be inserted with the @key{META} key. Examples

228

include @kbd{M-5} to specify an argument of 5, or @kbd{M--} which

229

specifies a negative argument with no particular value.

230

231

@sp 2

232

@need 1000

233

@center @strong{NOTE}

234

235

@quotation

236

The prefix @kbd{C-u} or @kbd{M-} is not necessary in mh-e's MH-Folder

237

modes (@pxref{Reading Mail Tour}). In these modes, simply enter the

238

numerical argument before entering the command.

239

@end quotation

240

241

@cindex point

242

@cindex Emacs, point

243

@cindex mark

244

@cindex Emacs, mark

245

@cindex region

246

@cindex Emacs, region

247

248

There are several other terms that are used in Emacs that you should

249

know. The @dfn{point} is where the cursor currently is. You can save

250

your current place in the file by setting a @dfn{mark}. This operation

251

is useful in several ways. The mark can be later used when defining a

252

@dfn{region}, which is the text between the point and mark. Many

253

commands operate on regions, such as those for deleting text or filling

254

paragraphs. A mark can be set with @kbd{C-@@} (or @kbd{C-SPC}).

255

256

@cindex minibuffer

257

@cindex Emacs, minibuffer

258

@cindex file completion

259

@cindex Emacs, file completion

260

261

The @dfn{minibuffer} is the bottom line of the Emacs window, where all

262

prompting and multiple-character input is directed. If you are prompted

263

for information in the minibuffer, such as a filename, Emacs can help

264

you complete your answer if you type @key{SPC} or @key{TAB}. A second

265

@key{SPC} or @key{TAB} will list all possibilities at that point. The

266

minibuffer is also where you enter Emacs function names after typing

267

@kbd{M-x}. For example, in the first paragraph, I mentioned that you

268

could obtain help with @kbd{C-h t} (@code{help-with-tutorial}). What

269

this means is that you can get a tutorial by typing either @kbd{C-h t}

270

or @kbd{M-x help-with-tutorial}. In the latter case, you are prompted

271

for @samp{help-with-tutorial} in the minibuffer after typing @kbd{M-x}.

272

273

@cindex interrupting

274

@cindex Emacs, interrupting

275

@cindex quitting

276

@cindex Emacs, quitting

277

278

@i{In case of trouble:} Emacs can be interrupted at any time with

279

@kbd{C-g}. For example, if you've started a command that requests that

280

you enter something in the minibuffer, but then you change your mind,

281

type @kbd{C-g} and you'll be back where you started. If you want to

282

exit Emacs entirely, use @kbd{C-x C-c}.

283

284

@node Getting Started, Sending Mail Tour, Conventions, Tour Through mh-e

285

@section Getting Started

286

287

Because there are many old versions of mh-e out there, it is important to

288

know which version you have. I'll be talking about @w{Version 5} which

289

is similar to @w{Version 4} and vastly different from @w{Version 3}.

290

291

First, enter @kbd{M-x load-library @key{RET} mh-e

292

@key{RET}}. @footnote{You wouldn't ordinarily do this.} The message,

293

@samp{Loading mh-e...done}, should be displayed in the minibuffer. If

294

you get @samp{Cannot open load file: mh-e}, then your Emacs is very

295

badly configured, or mh-e is missing. You may wish to have your system

296

administrator install a new Emacs or at least the latest mh-e files.

297

298

Having loaded mh-e successfully, enter @kbd{M-x mh-version @key{RET}}.

299

The version of mh-e should be displayed. Hopefully it says that you're

300

running @w{Version @value{VERSION}} which is the latest version as of

301

this printing. If instead Emacs beeps and says @samp{[No match]}, then

302

you're running an old version of mh-e.

303

304

If these tests reveal a non-existent or old version of mh-e, please

305

consider obtaining a new version. You can have your system

306

administrator upgrade the system-wide version, or you can install your

307

own personal version. It's really quite easy; instructions for getting

308

and installing mh-e are in @ref{Getting mh-e}.

309

310

@cindex @code{install-mh}

311

@cindex MH commands, @code{install-mh}

312

313

Also, older versions of mh-e assumed that you had already set up your MH

314

environment. Newer versions set up a new MH environment for you by

315

running @code{install-mh} and notifying you of this fact with the

316

message in a temporary buffer:

317

318

@example

319

I'm going to create the standard MH path for you.

320

@end example

321

322

Therefore, if you've never run MH before and you're using an old version

323

of mh-e, you need to run @code{install-mh} from the shell before you

324

continue the tour. If you don't, you'll be greeted with the error

325

message: @samp{Can't find MH profile}.

326

327

@cindex @file{.emacs}

328

@cindex files, @file{.emacs}

329

330

If, during the tour described in this chapter, you see a message like:

331

@samp{Searching for program: no such file or directory,

332

/usr/local/bin/mhpath}, it means that the MH programs and files are kept

333

in a nonstandard directory. In this case, simply add the following to

334

@file{~/.emacs} and restart @code{emacs}.

335

336

@vindex @code{mh-progs}, example

337

@vindex @code{mh-lib}, example

338

339

@c XXX Real example for really naive user?

340

@example

341

@group

342

(setq mh-progs "@var{/path/to/MH/binary/directory/}")

343

(setq mh-lib "@var{/path/to/MH/library/directory/}")

344

@end group

345

@end example

346

347

@cindex ~

348

349

The @samp{~} notation used by @file{~/.emacs} above represents your home

350

directory. This is used by the @code{bash} and @code{csh} shells. If

351

your shell does not support this feature, you could use the environment

352

variable @samp{$HOME} (such as @file{$HOME/.emacs}) or the absolute path

353

(as in @file{/home/wohler/.emacs}) instead.

354

355

At this point, you should see something like the screen in the

356

figure in @ref{Reading Mail Tour}. We're now ready to move on.

357

358

@node Sending Mail Tour, Reading Mail Tour, Getting Started, Tour Through mh-e

359

@section Sending Mail

360

361

@cindex sending mail

362

@findex @code{mh-smail}

363

364

Let's start our tour by sending ourselves a message which we can later

365

read and process. Enter @kbd{M-x mh-smail} to invoke the mh-e program

366

to send messages. You will be prompted in the minibuffer by @samp{To:}.

367

Enter your login name. The next prompt is @samp{cc:}. Hit @key{RET} to

368

indicate that no carbon copies are to be sent. At the @samp{Subject:}

369

prompt, enter @kbd{Test} or anything else that comes to mind.

370

371

@cindex MH-Letter mode

372

@cindex modes, MH-Letter

373

@cindex mode

374

375

Once you've specified the recipients and subject, your message appears

376

in an Emacs buffer whose mode @footnote{A @dfn{mode} changes Emacs to

377

make it easier to edit a particular type of text.} is MH-Letter.

378

Enter some text in the body of the message, using normal Emacs commands.

379

You should now have something like this: @footnote{If you're running Emacs

380

under the X Window System, then you would also see a menubar. I've left

381

out the menubar in all of the example screens.}

382

383

@example

384

@group

385

@cartouche

386

387

388

389

390

391

392

-----Emacs: *scratch* (Lisp Interaction)--All---------------------

393

To: wohler

394

cc:

395

Subject: Test

396

--------

397

This is a test message to get the wheels churning...#

398

399

400

--**-@{draft@} (MH-Letter)--All----------------------------------------

401

402

@end cartouche

403

@i{mh-e message composition window}

404

@end group

405

@end example

406

407

@cindex MH-Letter mode

408

@cindex modes, MH-Letter

409

410

Note the line of dashes that separates the header and the body of the

411

message. It is essential that these dashes (or a blank line) are

412

present or the body of your message will be considered to be part of

413

the header.

414

415

There are several commands specific to MH-Letter mode, but at

416

this time we'll only use @kbd{C-c C-c} to send your message. Type

417

@kbd{C-c C-c} now. That's all there is to it!

418

419

@node Reading Mail Tour, Processing Mail Tour, Sending Mail Tour, Tour Through mh-e

420

@section Receiving Mail

421

422

@cindex reading mail

423

@findex @code{mh-rmail}

424

@cindex @code{inc}

425

@cindex MH commands, @code{inc}

426

@cindex @code{scan}

427

@cindex MH commands, @code{scan}

428

@cindex MH-Folder mode

429

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

430

431

To read the mail you've just sent yourself, enter @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}.

432

This incorporates the new mail and put the output from @code{inc}

433

(called @dfn{scan lines} after the MH program @code{scan} which prints a

434

one-line summary of each message) into a buffer called @samp{+inbox}

435

whose major mode is MH-Folder.

436

437

@sp 2

438

@need 1000

439

@center @strong{NOTE}

440

441

@quotation

442

The @kbd{M-x mh-rmail} command will show you only new mail, not old

443

mail. If you were to run this tour again, you would use @kbd{M-r} to

444

pull all your messages into mh-e.

445

@end quotation

446

447

You should see the scan line for your message, and perhaps others. Use

448

@kbd{n} or @kbd{p} to move the cursor to your test message and type

449

@key{RET} to read your message. You should see something like:

450

451

@example

452

@group

453

@cartouche

454

3 24Aug root received fax files on Wed Aug 24 11:00:13 PDT 1994

455

# 4+ 24Aug To:wohler Test<<This is a test message to get the wheels chu

456

457

--%%-@{+inbox@} 4 msgs (1-4) (MH-Folder Show)--Bot---------------------

458

To: wohler

459

Subject: Test

460

Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 13:01:13 -0700

461

From: Bill Wohler <wohler@@newt.com>

462

463

This is a test message to get the wheels churning...

464

465

466

467

468

469

-----@{show-+inbox@} 4 (MH-Show)--Bot----------------------------------

470

471

@end cartouche

472

@i{After incorporating new messages}

473

@end group

474

@end example

475

476

If you typed a long message, you can view subsequent pages with @key{SPC}

477

and previous pages with @key{DEL}.

478

479

@node Processing Mail Tour, Leaving mh-e, Reading Mail Tour, Tour Through mh-e

480

@section Processing Mail

481

482

@cindex processing mail

483

484

The first thing we want to do is reply to the message that we sent

485

ourselves. Ensure that the cursor is still on the same line as your

486

test message and type @kbd{r}. You are prompted in the minibuffer with

487

@samp{Reply to whom:}. Here mh-e is asking whether you'd like to reply

488

to the original sender only, to the sender and primary recipients, or to

489

the sender and all recipients. If you simply hit @key{RET}, you'll

490

reply only to the sender. Hit @key{RET} now.

491

492

You'll find yourself in an Emacs buffer similar to that when you were

493

sending the original message, like this:

494

495

@example

496

@group

497

@cartouche

498

To: wohler

499

Subject: Re: Test

500

In-reply-to: Bill Wohler's message of Wed, 24 Aug 1994 13:01:13 -0700

501

<199408242001.NAA00505@@newt.com>

502

--------

503

#

504

505

--**-@{draft@} (MH-Letter)--All----------------------------------------

506

To: wohler

507

Subject: Test

508

Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 13:01:13 -0700

509

From: Bill Wohler <wohler@@newt.com>

510

511

This is a test message to get the wheels churning...

512

513

-----@{show-+inbox@} 4 (MH-Show)--Bot----------------------------------

514

Composing a reply...done

515

@end cartouche

516

@i{Composition window during reply}

517

@end group

518

@end example

519

520

By default, MH will not add you to the address list of your replies, so

521

if you find that the @samp{To:} header field is missing, don't worry.

522

In this case, type @kbd{C-c C-f C-t} to create and go to the @samp{To:}

523

field, where you can type your login name again. You can move around

524

with the arrow keys or with @kbd{C-p} (@code{previous-line}), @kbd{C-n}

525

(@code{next-line}), @kbd{C-b} (@code{backward-char}), and @kbd{C-f}

526

(@code{forward-char}) and can delete the previous character with

527

@key{BS}. When you're finished editing your message, send it with

528

@kbd{C-c C-c} as before.

529

530

@cindex folder

531

532

You'll often want to save messages that were sent to you in an organized

533

fashion. This is done with @dfn{folders}. You can use folders to keep

534

messages from your friends, or messages related to a particular topic.

535

With your cursor in the MH-Folder buffer and positioned on the message

536

you sent to yourself, type @kbd{o} to output (@code{refile} in MH

537

parlance) that message to a folder. Enter @kbd{test} at the

538

@samp{Destination:} prompt and type @kbd{y} (or @key{SPC}) when mh-e

539

asks to create the folder @samp{+test}. Note that a @samp{^} (caret)

540

appears next to the message number, which means that the message has

541

been marked for refiling but has not yet been refiled. We'll talk about

542

how the refile is actually carried out in a moment.

543

544

@cindex MH-Folder mode

545

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

546

547

Your previous reply is now waiting in the system mailbox. You

548

incorporate this mail into your MH-Folder buffer named @samp{+inbox}

549

with the @kbd{i} command. Do this now. After the mail is incorporated,

550

use @kbd{n} or @kbd{p} to move the cursor to the new message, and read

551

it with @key{RET}. Let's delete this message by typing @kbd{d}. Note

552

that a @samp{D} appears next to the message number. This means that the

553

message is marked for deletion but is not yet deleted. To perform the

554

deletion (and the refile we did previously), use the @kbd{x} command.

555

556

@findex @code{mh-smail}

557

558

If you want to send another message you can use @kbd{m} instead of

559

@kbd{M-x mh-smail}. So go ahead, send some mail to your friends!

560

561

@node Leaving mh-e, More About mh-e, Processing Mail Tour, Tour Through mh-e

562

@section Leaving mh-e

563

564

@cindex Emacs, quitting

565

@cindex quitting

566

567

You may now wish to exit @code{emacs} entirely. Use @kbd{C-x C-c} to

568

exit @code{emacs}. If you exited without running @kbd{x} in the

569

@samp{+inbox} buffer, Emacs will offer to save it for you. Type @kbd{y}

570

or @key{SPC} to save @samp{+inbox} changes, which means to perform any refiles

571

and deletes that you did there.

572

573

If you don't want to leave Emacs, you can type @kbd{q} to bury (hide)

574

the mh-e folder or delete them entirely with @kbd{C-x k}. You can then

575

later recall them with @kbd{C-x b} or @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}.

576

577

@node More About mh-e, , Leaving mh-e, Tour Through mh-e

578

@section More About mh-e

579

580

These are the basic commands to get you going, but there are plenty

581

more. If you think that mh-e is for you, read @ref{Using mh-e} and

582

@ref{Customizing mh-e} to find out how you can:

583

584

@itemize @bullet

585

@item

586

Print your messages. (@ref{Printing} and @ref{Customizing Printing}.)

587

@item

588

Edit messages and include your signature. (@ref{Draft Editing}

589

and @ref{Customizing Draft Editing}.)

590

@item

591

Forward messages. (@ref{Forwarding} and @ref{Customizing Forwarding}.)

592

@item

593

Read digests. (@ref{Viewing}.)

594

@item

595

Edit bounced messages. (@ref{Old Drafts} and @ref{Customizing Old Drafts}.)

596

@item

597

Send multimedia messages. (@ref{Editing MIME} and @ref{Customizing Editing MIME}.)

598

@item

599

Process mail that was sent with @code{shar} or @code{uuencode}.

600

(@ref{Files and Pipes}.)

601

@item

602

Use sequences conveniently. (@ref{Sequences}.)

603

@item

604

Show header fields in different fonts. (@ref{Customizing Viewing}.)

605

@item

606

Find previously refiled messages. (@ref{Searching}.)

607

@item

608

Place messages in a file. (@ref{Files and Pipes}.)

609

@end itemize

610

611

Remember that you can also use MH commands when you're not running mh-e

612

(and when you are!).

613

614

@node Using mh-e, Customizing mh-e, Tour Through mh-e, Top

615

@chapter Using mh-e

616

617

This chapter leaves the tutorial style and goes into more detail about

618

every mh-e command. The default, or "out of the box," behavior is

619

documented. If this is not to your liking (for instance, you print with

620

something other than @code{lpr)}, see the associated section in

621

@ref{Customizing mh-e} which is organized exactly like this chapter.

622

623

@cindex Emacs, functions; describe-mode

624

@cindex Emacs, online help

625

@cindex online help

626

627

There are many commands, but don't get intimidated. There are command

628

summaries at the beginning of each section. In case you have or would

629

like to rebind the keys, the command summaries also list the associated

630

Emacs Lisp function. Furthermore, even if you're stranded on a desert

631

island with a laptop and are without your manuals, you can get a summary

632

of all these commands with GNU Emacs online help: use @kbd{C-h m}

633

(@code{describe-mode}) for a brief summary of commands or @kbd{C-h i} to

634

read this manual via Info. The online help is quite good; try running

635

@kbd{C-h C-h C-h}. This brings up a list of available help topics, one

636

of which displays the documentation for a given key (like @kbd{C-h k

637

C-n}). In addition, review @ref{Conventions}, if any of the GNU Emacs

638

conventions are strange to you.

639

640

Let's get started!

641

642

@menu

643

* Reading Mail::

644

* Sending Mail::

645

* Draft Editing::

646

* Moving Mail::

647

* Searching::

648

* Sequences::

649

* Miscellaneous::

650

@end menu

651

652

@node Reading Mail, Sending Mail, Using mh-e, Using mh-e

653

@section Reading Your Mail

654

655

@cindex reading mail

656

@findex @code{mh-rmail}

657

@cindex MH-Folder mode

658

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

659

660

The mh-e entry point for reading mail is @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}. This

661

command incorporates your mail and creates a buffer called @samp{+inbox}

662

in MH-Folder mode. The @kbd{M-x mh-rmail} command shows you only new

663

mail, not old mail. @footnote{If you want to see your old mail as well,

664

use @kbd{M-r} to pull all your messages into mh-e. Or, give a prefix

665

argument to @code{mh-rmail} so it will prompt you for folder to visit

666

like @kbd{M-f} (for example, @kbd{C-u M-x mh-rmail @key{RET} bob

667

@key{RET}}). Both @kbd{M-r} and @kbd{M-f} are described in

668

@ref{Organizing}.} The @samp{+inbox} buffer contains @dfn{scan lines},

669

which are one-line summaries of each incorporated message. You can

670

perform most MH commands on these messages via one-letter commands

671

discussed in this chapter. See @code{scan}(1) for a description of the

672

contents of the scan lines, and see the Figure in @ref{Reading Mail

673

Tour}, for an example.

674

675

@table @kbd

676

@item RET

677

Display a message (@code{mh-show}).

678

679

@item SPC

680

Go to next page in message (@code{mh-page-msg}).

681

682

@item BS

683

Go to previous page in message (@code{mh-previous-page}).

684

685

@item , (comma)

686

Display a message with all header fields (@code{mh-header-display}).

687

688

@item M-SPC

689

Go to next message in digest (@code{mh-page-digest}).

690

691

@item M-BS

692

Go to previous message in digest (@code{mh-page-digest-backwards}).

693

694

@item M-b

695

Break up digest into separate messages (@code{mh-burst-digest}).

696

697

@item n

698

Display next message (@code{mh-next-undeleted-msg}).

699

700

@item p

701

Display previous message (@code{mh-previous-undeleted-msg}).

702

703

@item g

704

Go to a message (@code{mh-goto-msg}).

705

706

@item M-<

707

Go to first message (@code{mh-first-msg}).

708

709

@item M->

710

Go to last message (@code{mh-last-msg}).

711

712

@item t

713

Toggle between MH-Folder and MH-Folder Show modes (@code{mh-toggle-showing}).

714

@end table

715

716

@menu

717

* Viewing::

718

* Moving Around::

719

@end menu

720

721

@node Viewing, Moving Around, Reading Mail, Reading Mail

722

@subsection Viewing Your Mail

723

724

@findex @code{mh-show}

725

@findex @code{mh-page-msg}

726

@findex @code{mh-previous-page}

727

@findex @code{mh-header-display}

728

729

The @kbd{RET} (@code{mh-show}) command displays the message that the

730

cursor is on. If the message is already displayed, it scrolls to the

731

beginning of the message. Use @key{SPC} (@code{mh-page-msg}) and

732

@key{BS} (@code{mh-previous-page}) to move forwards and backwards one

733

page at a time through the message. You can give either of these

734

commands a prefix argument that specifies the number of lines to scroll

735

(such as @kbd{10 SPC}). mh-e normally hides a lot of the

736

superfluous header fields that mailers add to a message, but if you wish

737

to see all of them, use the @kbd{,} (comma; @code{mh-header-display})

738

command.

739

740

@menu

741

* Reading Digests::

742

* Reading MIME::

743

@end menu

744

745

@node Reading Digests, Reading MIME, Viewing, Viewing

746

@subsubsection Reading Digests

747

748

@cindex digests

749

@findex @code{mh-page-digest}

750

@findex @code{mh-page-digest-backwards}

751

752

A digest is a message that contains other messages. Special mh-e

753

commands let you read digests conveniently. You can use @key{SPC} and

754

@key{BS} to page through the digest as if it were a normal message, but

755

if you wish to skip to the next message in the digest, use @kbd{M-SPC}

756

(@code{mh-page-digest}). To return to a previous message, use

757

@kbd{M-BS} (@code{mh-page-digest-backwards}).

758

759

@cindex @code{burst}

760

@cindex MH commands, @code{burst}

761

@cindex MH-Folder Show mode

762

@cindex modes, MH-Folder Show

763

@findex @code{mh-burst-digest}

764

765

@c There was a page break at the colon in the following paragraph which

766

@c broke the transition to the example.

767

@need 2000

768

769

Another handy command is @kbd{M-b} (@code{mh-burst-digest}). This

770

command uses the MH command @code{burst} to break out each message in

771

the digest into its own message. Using this command, you can quickly

772

delete unwanted messages, like this: Once the digest is split up, toggle

773

out of MH-Folder Show mode with @kbd{t} (@pxref{Moving Around}) so that

774

the scan lines fill the screen and messages aren't displayed. Then use

775

@kbd{d} (@pxref{Deleting}) to quickly delete messages that you don't

776

want to read (based on the @samp{Subject:} header field). You can also

777

burst the digest to reply directly to the people who posted the messages

778

in the digest. One problem you may encounter is that the @samp{From:}

779

header fields are preceded with a @samp{>} so that your reply can't

780

create the @samp{To:} field correctly. In this case, you must correct

781

the @samp{To:} field yourself. This is described later in @ref{Editing

782

Textual}.

783

784

@node Reading MIME, , Reading Digests, Viewing

785

@subsubsection Reading Multimedia Mail

786

787

@cindex multimedia mail

788

@cindex MIME

789

@cindex @code{show}

790

@cindex MH commands, @code{show}

791

@cindex @code{mhshow}

792

@cindex MH commands, @code{mhshow}

793

794

MH has the ability to read @dfn{@sc{mime}} (Multipurpose Internet Mail

795

Extensions) messages. Unfortunately, mh-e does not yet have this

796

ability, so you have to use the MH commands @code{show} or @code{mhshow}

797

from the shell to read @sc{mime} messages. @footnote{You can call them

798

directly from Emacs if you're running the X Window System: type @kbd{M-!

799

xterm -e mhshow @var{message-number}}. You can leave out the @code{xterm

800

-e} if you use @code{mhlist} or @code{mhstore}.}

801

802

@node Moving Around, , Viewing, Reading Mail

803

@subsection Moving Around

804

805

@cindex moving between messages

806

@findex @code{mh-next-undeleted-msg}

807

@findex @code{mh-previous-undeleted-msg}

808

@findex @code{mh-goto-msg}

809

@findex @code{mh-last-msg}

810

@findex @code{mh-first-msg}

811

812

To move on to the next message, use the @kbd{n}

813

(@code{mh-next-undeleted-msg}) command; use the @kbd{p}

814

(@code{mh-previous-undeleted-msg}) command to read the previous message.

815

Both of these commands can be given a prefix argument to specify how

816

many messages to skip (for example, @kbd{5 n}). You can also move to a

817

specific message with @kbd{g} (@code{mh-goto-msg}). You can enter the

818

message number either before or after typing @kbd{g}. In the latter

819

case, Emacs prompts you. Finally, you can go to the first or last

820

message with @kbd{M-<} (@code{mh-first-msg}) and @kbd{M->}

821

(@code{mh-last-msg}) respectively.

822

823

@cindex MH-Folder mode

824

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

825

826

You can also use the Emacs commands @kbd{C-p} (@code{previous-line}) and

827

@kbd{C-n} (@code{next-line}) to move up and down the scan lines in the

828

MH-Folder window. These commands can be used in conjunction with

829

@kbd{RET} to look at deleted or refiled messages.

830

831

@cindex MH-Folder mode

832

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

833

@cindex MH-Folder Show mode

834

@cindex modes, MH-Folder Show

835

@cindex junk mail

836

@findex @code{mh-toggle-showing}

837

838

The command @kbd{t} (@code{mh-toggle-showing}) switches between

839

MH-Folder mode and MH-Folder Show mode. @footnote{For you Emacs

840

wizards, this is implemented as an Emacs minor mode.} MH-Folder mode

841

turns off the associated show buffer so that you can perform operations

842

on the messages quickly without reading them. This is an excellent way

843

to prune out your junk mail or to refile a group of messages to another

844

folder for later examination.

845

846

@node Sending Mail, Draft Editing, Reading Mail, Using mh-e

847

@section Sending Mail

848

849

@cindex sending mail

850

@findex @code{mh-smail}

851

852

You can send a mail message in several ways. You can call @kbd{M-x

853

mh-smail} directly, or from the command line like this:

854

855

@cindex starting from command line

856

857

@example

858

% @kbd{emacs -f mh-smail}

859

@end example

860

861

From within mh-e's MH-Folder mode, other methods of sending mail

862

are available as well:

863

864

@table @kbd

865

@item m

866

Compose a message (@code{mh-send}).

867

868

@item r

869

Reply to a message (@code{mh-reply}).

870

871

@item f

872

Forward message(s) (@code{mh-forward}).

873

874

@item M-d

875

Redistribute a message (@code{mh-redistribute}).

876

877

@item M-e

878

Edit a message that was bounced by mailer (@code{mh-extract-rejected-mail}).

879

880

@item M-a

881

Edit a message to send it again (@code{mh-edit-again}).

882

@end table

883

884

@cindex MH-Folder mode

885

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

886

@cindex MH-Letter mode

887

@cindex modes, MH-Letter

888

@findex @code{mh-send}

889

890

From within a MH-Folder buffer, you can simply use the command @kbd{m}

891

(@code{mh-send}). However you invoke @code{mh-send}, you are prompted

892

for the @samp{To:}, @samp{cc:}, and @samp{Subject:} header fields. Once

893

you've specified the recipients and subject, your message appears in an

894

Emacs buffer whose mode is MH-Letter (see the Figure in @ref{Sending

895

Mail} to see what the buffer looks like). MH-Letter mode allows you to

896

edit your message, to check the validity of the recipients, to insert

897

other messages into your message, and to send the message. We'll go

898

more into depth about editing a @dfn{draft} @footnote{I highly recommend

899

that you use a @dfn{draft folder} so that you can edit several drafts in

900

parallel. To do so, create a folder (e.g., @file{+drafts}), and add a

901

profile component called @samp{Draft-Folder:} which contains

902

@file{+drafts} (see @code{mh-profile}(5)).} (a message you're composing)

903

in just a moment.

904

905

@findex @code{mh-smail}

906

@findex @code{mh-smail-other-window}

907

908

@code{mh-smail} always creates a two-window layout with the current

909

buffer on top and the draft on the bottom. If you would rather preserve

910

the window layout, use @kbd{M-x mh-smail-other-window}.

911

912

@menu

913

* Replying::

914

* Forwarding::

915

* Redistributing::

916

* Old Drafts::

917

@end menu

918

919

@node Replying, Forwarding, Sending Mail, Sending Mail

920

@subsection Replying to Mail

921

922

@cindex replying

923

@cindex @code{mhl}

924

@cindex MH commands, @code{mhl}

925

@cindex @file{mhl.reply}

926

@cindex files, @file{mhl.reply}

927

@findex @code{mh-reply}

928

929

To compose a reply to a message, use the @kbd{r} (@code{mh-reply})

930

command. If you supply a prefix argument (as in @kbd{C-u r}), the

931

message you are replying to is inserted in your reply after having first

932

been run through @code{mhl} with the format file @file{mhl.reply}. See

933

@code{mhl}(1) to see how you can modify the default @file{mhl.reply}

934

file.

935

936

When you reply to a message, you are first prompted with @samp{Reply to

937

whom?}. You have several choices here.

938

939

@example

940

@group

941

@b{Response} @b{Reply Goes To}

942

943

@kbd{from} @r{The person who sent the message. This is the default,}

944

@r{so @key{RET} is sufficient.}

945

946

@kbd{to} @r{Replies to the sender, plus all recipients in the}

947

@r{@samp{To:} header field.}

948

949

@kbd{all}

950

@kbd{cc} @r{Forms a reply to the sender, plus all recipients.}

951

@end group

952

@end example

953

954

@cindex @code{repl}

955

@cindex MH commands, @code{repl}

956

957

Depending on your answer, @code{repl} is given a different argument to

958

form your reply. Specifically, a choice of @kbd{from} or none at all

959

runs @code{repl -nocc all}, and a choice of @kbd{to} runs @code{repl -cc

960

to}. Finally, either @kbd{cc} or @kbd{all} runs @code{repl -cc all

961

-nocc me}.

962

963

@cindex MH-Letter mode

964

@cindex modes, MH-Letter

965

966

Two windows are then created. One window contains the message to which

967

you are replying. Your draft, in MH-Letter mode (described in

968

@ref{Draft Editing}), is in the other window.

969

970

If you wish to customize the header or other parts of the reply draft,

971

please see @code{repl}(1) and @code{mh-format}(5).

972

973

@node Forwarding, Redistributing, Replying, Sending Mail

974

@subsection Forwarding Mail

975

976

@cindex forwarding

977

@cindex @code{forw}

978

@cindex MH commands, @code{forw}

979

@findex @code{mh-forward}

980

981

To forward a message, use the @kbd{f} (@code{mh-forward}) command. You

982

are given a draft to edit that looks like it would if you had run the MH

983

command @code{forw}. You are given a chance to add some text (see

984

@ref{Draft Editing}).

985

986

You can forward several messages by using a prefix argument; in this

987

case, you are prompted for the name of a @dfn{sequence}, a symbolic name

988

that represents a list or range of message numbers (for example,

989

@kbd{C-u f forbob @key{RET}}). All of the messages in the sequence are

990

inserted into your draft. By the way, although sequences are often

991

mentioned in this chapter, you don't have to worry about them for now;

992

the full description of sequences in mh-e is at the end in

993

@ref{Sequences}. To learn more about sequences in general, please see

994

@code{mh-sequence}(5).

995

996

@node Redistributing, Old Drafts, Forwarding, Sending Mail

997

@subsection Redistributing Your Mail

998

999

@cindex redistributing

1000

@findex @code{mh-redistribute}

1001

1002

The command @kbd{M-d} (@code{mh-redistribute}) is similar in function to

1003

forwarding mail, but it does not allow you to edit the message, nor does

1004

it add your name to the @samp{From:} header field. It appears to the

1005

recipient as if the message had come from the original sender. For more

1006

information on redistributing messages, see @code{dist}(1). Also

1007

investigate the @kbd{M-a} (@code{mh-edit-again}) command in @ref{Old

1008

Drafts}, for another way to redistribute messages.

1009

1010

@node Old Drafts, , Redistributing, Sending Mail

1011

@subsection Editing Old Drafts and Bounced Messages

1012

1013

@cindex re-editing drafts

1014

@cindex @file{draft}

1015

@cindex files, @file{draft}

1016

@findex @code{mh-edit-again}

1017

1018

If you don't complete a draft for one reason or another, and if the

1019

draft buffer is no longer available, you can pick your draft up again

1020

with @kbd{M-a} (@code{mh-edit-again}). If you don't use a draft folder,

1021

your last @file{draft} file will be used. If you use draft folders,

1022

you'll need to visit the draft folder with @kbd{M-f drafts @key{RET}},

1023

use @kbd{n} to move to the appropriate message, and then use @kbd{M-a}

1024

to prepare the message for editing.

1025

1026

The @kbd{M-a} command can also be used to take messages that were sent

1027

to you and to send them to more people.

1028

1029

@cindex Mailer-Daemon

1030

@findex @code{mh-extract-rejected-mail}

1031

1032

Don't use @kbd{M-a} to re-edit a message from a @i{Mailer-Daemon} who

1033

complained that your mail wasn't posted for some reason or another. In

1034

this case, use @kbd{M-e} (@code{mh-extract-rejected-mail}) to prepare

1035

the message for editing by removing the @i{Mailer-Daemon} envelope and

1036

unneeded header fields. Fix whatever addressing problem you had, and

1037

send the message again with @kbd{C-c C-c}.

1038

1039

@node Draft Editing, Moving Mail, Sending Mail, Using mh-e

1040

@section Editing a Draft

1041

1042

@cindex editing draft

1043

@cindex MH-Letter mode

1044

@cindex modes, MH-Letter

1045

1046

When you edit a message that you want to send (called a @dfn{draft} in

1047

this case), the mode used is MH-Letter. This mode provides

1048

several commands in addition to the normal Emacs editing commands to

1049

help you edit your draft.

1050

1051

@table @kbd

1052

@item C-c C-y

1053

Insert contents of message to which you're replying (@code{mh-yank-cur-msg}).

1054

1055

@item C-c C-i

1056

Insert a message from a folder (@code{mh-insert-letter}).

1057

1058

@item C-c C-f C-t

1059

Move to @samp{To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1060

1061

@item C-c C-f C-c

1062

Move to @samp{cc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1063

1064

@item C-c C-f C-s

1065

Move to @samp{Subject:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1066

1067

@item C-c C-f C-f

1068

Move to @samp{From:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1069

1070

@item C-c C-f C-b

1071

Move to @samp{Bcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1072

1073

@item C-c C-f C-f

1074

Move to @samp{Fcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-fcc}).

1075

1076

@item C-c C-f C-d

1077

Move to @samp{Dcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1078

1079

@item C-c C-w

1080

Display expanded recipient list (@code{mh-check-whom}).

1081

1082

@item C-c C-s

1083

Insert signature in message (@code{mh-insert-signature}).

1084

1085

@item C-c C-m C-f

1086

Include forwarded message (@sc{mime}) (@code{mh-mhn-compose-forw}).

1087

1088

@item C-c C-m C-e

1089

Include anonymous ftp reference (@sc{mime}) (@code{mh-mhn-compose-anon-ftp}).

1090

1091

@item C-c C-m C-t

1092

Include anonymous ftp reference to compressed tar file (@sc{mime})

1093

(@code{mh-mhn-compose-external-compressed-tar}).

1094

1095

@item C-c C-m C-i

1096

Include binary, image, sound, etc. (@sc{mime})

1097

(@code{mh-mhn-compose-insertion}).

1098

1099

@item C-c C-e

1100

Run through @code{mhn} before sending (@code{mh-edit-mhn}).

1101

1102

@item C-c C-m C-u

1103

Undo effects of @code{mhn} (@code{mh-revert-mhn-edit}).

1104

1105

@item C-c C-c

1106

Save draft and send message (@code{mh-send-letter}).

1107

1108

@item C-c C-q

1109

Quit editing and delete draft message (@code{mh-fully-kill-draft}).

1110

@end table

1111

1112

@menu

1113

* Editing Textual::

1114

* Editing MIME::

1115

* Sending Message::

1116

* Killing Draft::

1117

@end menu

1118

1119

@node Editing Textual, Editing MIME, Draft Editing, Draft Editing

1120

@subsection Editing Textual Messages

1121

1122

The following sections show you how to edit a draft.

1123

The commands described here are also applicable to messages that have

1124

multimedia components.

1125

1126

@menu

1127

* Inserting Letter::

1128

* Inserting Messages::

1129

* Header::

1130

* Recipients::

1131

* Signature::

1132

@end menu

1133

1134

@node Inserting Letter, Inserting Messages, Editing Textual, Editing Textual

1135

@subsubsection Inserting letter to which you're replying

1136

1137

@cindex inserting messages

1138

@findex @code{mh-yank-cur-msg}

1139

1140

It is often useful to insert a snippet of text from a letter that

1141

someone mailed to provide some context for your reply. The command

1142

@kbd{C-c C-y} (@code{mh-yank-cur-msg}) does this by yanking a portion of

1143

text from the message to which you're replying and inserting @samp{> }

1144

before each line.

1145

1146

@cindex mark

1147

@cindex Emacs, mark

1148

@cindex point

1149

@cindex Emacs, point

1150

@cindex region

1151

@cindex Emacs, region

1152

1153

You can control how much text is included when you run this command. If

1154

you run this command right away, without entering the buffer containing

1155

the message to you, this command will yank the entire message, as is,

1156

into your reply. @footnote{If you'd rather have the header cleaned up,

1157

use @kbd{C-u r} instead of @kbd{r} when replying (see @ref{Replying}).}

1158

If you enter the buffer containing the message sent to you and move the

1159

cursor to a certain point and return to your reply and run @kbd{C-c

1160

C-y}, then the text yanked will range from that point to the end of the

1161

message. Finally, the most common action you'll perform is to enter the

1162

message sent to you, move the cursor to the beginning of a paragraph or

1163

phrase, set the @dfn{mark} with @kbd{C-SPC} or @kbd{C-@@}, and move the

1164

cursor to the end of the paragraph or phrase. The cursor position is

1165

called the @dfn{point}, and the space between the mark and point is

1166

called the @dfn{region}. Having done that, @kbd{C-c C-y} will insert

1167

the region you selected.

1168

1169

@node Inserting Messages, Header, Inserting Letter, Editing Textual

1170

@subsubsection Inserting messages

1171

1172

@cindex inserting messages

1173

@findex @code{mh-insert-letter}

1174

1175

Messages can be inserted with @kbd{C-c C-i} (@code{mh-insert-letter}).

1176

This command prompts you for the folder and message number and inserts

1177

the message, indented by @samp{> }. Certain undesirable header fields

1178

are removed before insertion. If given a prefix argument (like @kbd{C-u

1179

C-c C-i}), the header is left intact, the message is not indented, and

1180

@samp{> } is not inserted before each line.

1181

1182

@node Header, Recipients, Inserting Messages, Editing Textual

1183

@subsubsection Editing the header

1184

1185

@cindex editing header

1186

@findex @code{mh-to-field}

1187

1188

Because the header is part of the message, you can edit the header

1189

fields as you wish. However, several convenience functions exist to

1190

help you create and edit them. For example, the command @kbd{C-c C-f

1191

C-t} (@code{mh-to-field}; alternatively, @kbd{C-c C-f t}) moves the

1192

cursor to the @samp{To:} header field, creating it if necessary. The

1193

functions to move to the @samp{cc:}, @samp{Subject:}, @samp{From:},

1194

@samp{Bcc:}, and @samp{Dcc:} header fields are similar.

1195

1196

@findex @code{mh-to-fcc}

1197

1198

One function behaves differently from the others, namely, @kbd{C-c C-f

1199

C-f} (@code{mh-to-fcc}; alternatively, @kbd{C-c C-f f}). This function

1200

will prompt you for the folder name in which to file a copy of the draft.

1201

1202

Be sure to leave a row of dashes or a blank line between the header and

1203

the body of the message.

1204

1205

@node Recipients, Signature, Header, Editing Textual

1206

@subsubsection Checking recipients

1207

1208

@cindex checking recipients

1209

@cindex @code{whom}

1210

@cindex MH commands, @code{whom}

1211

@findex @code{mh-check-whom}

1212

1213

The @kbd{C-c C-w} (@code{mh-check-whom}) command expands aliases so you

1214

can check the actual address(es) in the alias. A new buffer is created

1215

with the output of @code{whom}.

1216

1217

@node Signature, , Recipients, Editing Textual

1218

@subsubsection Inserting your signature

1219

1220

@cindex inserting signature

1221

@cindex signature

1222

@cindex @file{.signature}

1223

@cindex files, @file{.signature}

1224

@findex @code{mh-insert-signature}

1225

1226

You can insert your signature at the current cursor location with the

1227

@kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{mh-insert-signature}) command. The text of your

1228

signature is taken from the file @file{~/.signature}.

1229

1230

@node Editing MIME, Sending Message, Editing Textual, Draft Editing

1231

@subsection Editing Multimedia Messages

1232

1233

@cindex MIME

1234

@cindex multimedia mail

1235

@cindex @code{mhn}

1236

@cindex MH commands, @code{mhn}

1237

1238

mh-e has the capability to create multimedia messages. It uses the

1239

@sc{mime} (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) protocol. The

1240

@sc{mime} protocol allows you to incorporate images, sound, video,

1241

binary files, and even commands that fetch a file with @samp{ftp} when

1242

your recipient reads the message! If you were to create a multimedia

1243

message with plain MH commands, you would use @code{mhn}. Indeed, the

1244

mh-e @sc{mime} commands merely insert @code{mhn} directives which are

1245

later expanded by @code{mhn}.

1246

1247

Each of the mh-e commands for editing multimedia messages or for

1248

incorporating multimedia objects is prefixed with @kbd{C-c C-m} .

1249

1250

@cindex content types

1251

@cindex MIME, content types

1252

1253

Several @sc{mime} objects are defined. They are called @dfn{content

1254

types}. The table in @ref{Customizing Draft Editing} contains a list of

1255

the content types that mh-e currently knows about. Several of the mh-e

1256

commands fill in the content type for you, whereas others require you to

1257

enter one. Most of the time, it should be obvious which one to use

1258

(e.g., use @kbd{image/jpeg} to include a @sc{jpeg} image). If not, you

1259

can refer to @sc{rfc} 1521,

1260

@c Footnotes are very fragile. Hence the duplication.

1261

@c The line break in the footnote was necessary since TeX wasn't creating one.

1262

@ifclear html

1263

@footnote{This @sc{rfc} (Request For Comments) is

1264

available via the @sc{url} @*

1265

@file{ftp://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc1521.txt}.}

1266

@end ifclear

1267

@ifset html

1268

@footnote{This @sc{rfc} (Request For Comments) is

1269

available via the @sc{url} @*

1270

@file{<A HREF="ftp://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc1521.txt">ftp://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc1521.txt</A>}.}

1271

@end ifset

1272

which defines the @sc{mime} protocol, for a list of valid content types.

1273

1274

@cindex content description

1275

@cindex MIME, content description

1276

1277

You are also sometimes asked for a @dfn{content description}. This is

1278

simply an optional brief phrase, in your own words, that describes the

1279

object. If you don't care to enter a content description, just press

1280

return and none will be included; however, a reader may skip over

1281

multimedia fields unless the content description is compelling.

1282

1283

Remember: you can always add @code{mhn} directives by hand.

1284

1285

@menu

1286

* Forwarding MIME::

1287

* FTP::

1288

* Tar::

1289

* Other MIME Objects::

1290

* Sending MIME::

1291

@end menu

1292

1293

@node Forwarding MIME, FTP, Editing MIME, Editing MIME

1294

@subsubsection Forwarding multimedia messages

1295

1296

@findex @code{mh-mhn-compose-forw}

1297

1298

Mail may be forwarded with @sc{mime} using the command @kbd{C-c C-m C-f}

1299

(@code{mh-mhn-compose-forw}). You are prompted for a content

1300

description, the name of the folder in which the messages to forward are

1301

located, and the messages' numbers.

1302

1303

@node FTP, Tar, Forwarding MIME, Editing MIME

1304

@subsubsection Including an ftp reference

1305

1306

@cindex @code{ftp}

1307

@cindex Unix commands, @code{ftp}

1308

@cindex MIME, @code{ftp}

1309

@findex @code{mh-mhn-compose-anon-ftp}

1310

1311

You can even have your message initiate an @code{ftp} transfer when the

1312

recipient reads the message. To do this, use the @kbd{C-c C-m C-e}

1313

(@code{mh-mhn-compose-anon-ftp}) command. You are prompted for the

1314

remote host and pathname, the content type, and the content description.

1315

1316

@node Tar, Other MIME Objects, FTP, Editing MIME

1317

@subsubsection Including tar files

1318

1319

@cindex @code{tar}

1320

@cindex Unix commands, @code{tar}

1321

@cindex MIME, @code{tar}

1322

@cindex @code{ftp}

1323

@cindex Unix commands, @code{ftp}

1324

@cindex MIME, @code{ftp}

1325

@findex @code{mh-mhn-compose-external-compressed-tar}

1326

1327

If the remote file (@pxref{FTP}) is a compressed tar file, you can use

1328

@kbd{C-c C-m C-t} (@code{mh-mhn-compose-external-compressed-tar}).

1329

Then, in addition to retrieving the file via anonymous @emph{ftp}, the

1330

file will also be uncompressed and untarred. You are prompted for the

1331

remote host and pathname and the content description. The pathname

1332

should contain at least one @samp{/} (slash), because the pathname is

1333

broken up into directory and name components.

1334

1335

@node Other MIME Objects, Sending MIME, Tar, Editing MIME

1336

@subsubsection Including other multimedia objects

1337

1338

@cindex images

1339

@cindex MIME, images

1340

@cindex sound

1341

@cindex MIME, sound

1342

@cindex video

1343

@cindex MIME, video

1344

@findex @code{mh-mhn-compose-insertion}

1345

1346

Images, sound, and video can be inserted in your message with the

1347

@kbd{C-c C-m C-i} (@code{mh-mhn-compose-insertion}) command. You are

1348

prompted for the filename containing the object, the content type, and a

1349

content description of the object.

1350

1351

@node Sending MIME, , Other MIME Objects, Editing MIME

1352

@subsubsection Readying multimedia messages for sending

1353

1354

When you are finished editing a @sc{mime} message, it might look like this:

1355

1356

@example

1357

@group

1358

@cartouche

1359

3 24Aug root received fax files on Wed Aug 24 11:00:13

1360

4+ 24Aug To:wohler Test<<This is a test message to get the wh

1361

1362

1363

1364

1365

1366

--%%-@{+inbox@} 4 msgs (1-4) (MH-Folder Show)--Bot-------------------

1367

To: wohler

1368

cc:

1369

Subject: Test of MIME

1370

--------

1371

#@@application/octet-stream [Nonexistent ftp test file] \

1372

access-type=anon-ftp; site=berzerk.com; name=panacea.tar.gz; \

1373

directory="/pub/"

1374

#audio/basic [Test sound bite] /tmp/noise.au

1375

--**-@{draft@} (MH-Letter)--All--------------------------------------

1376

1377

@end cartouche

1378

@i{mh-e @sc{mime} draft}

1379

@end group

1380

@end example

1381

1382

@cindex @code{mhn}

1383

@cindex MH commands, @code{mhn}

1384

@findex @code{mh-edit-mhn}

1385

1386

The lines added by the previous commands are @code{mhn} directives and

1387

need to be converted to @sc{mime} directives before sending. This is

1388

accomplished by the command @kbd{C-c C-e} (@code{mh-edit-mhn}), which

1389

runs @code{mhn} on the message. The following screen shows what those

1390

commands look like in full @sc{mime} format. You can see why mail user

1391

agents are usually built to hide these details from the user.

1392

1393

@example

1394

@group

1395

@cartouche

1396

To: wohler

1397

cc:

1398

Subject: Test of MIME

1399

MIME-Version: 1.0

1400

Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----- =_aaaaaaaaaa0"

1401

Content-ID: <1623.777796162.0@@newt.com>

1402

1403

------- =_aaaaaaaaaa0

1404

Content-Type: message/external-body; access-type="anon-ftp";

1405

site="berzerk.com"; name="panacea.tar.gz"; directory="/pub/"

1406

1407

Content-Type: application/octet-stream

1408

Content-ID: <1623.777796162.1@@newt.com>

1409

Content-Description: Nonexistent ftp test file

1410

1411

------- =_aaaaaaaaaa0

1412

Content-Type: audio/basic

1413

Content-ID: <1623.777796162.2@@newt.com>

1414

Content-Description: Test sound bite

1415

Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64

1416

1417

Q3JlYXRpdmUgVm9pY2UgRmlsZRoaAAoBKREBQh8AgwCAgH9/f35+fn59fX5+fn5+f39/f39/f3

1418

f4B/f39/f39/f39/f39/f39+f39+f39/f39/f4B/f39/fn5/f39/f3+Af39/f39/gH9/f39/fn

1419

-----@{draft@} (MH-Letter)--Top--------------------------------------

1420

1421

@end cartouche

1422

@i{mh-e @sc{mime} draft ready to send}

1423

@end group

1424

@end example

1425

1426

@findex @code{mh-revert-mhn-edit}

1427

1428

This action can be undone by running @kbd{C-c C-m C-u}

1429

(@code{mh-revert-mhn-edit}). It does this by reverting to a backup

1430

file. You are prompted to confirm this action, but you can avoid the

1431

confirmation by adding an argument (for example, @kbd{C-u C-c C-m C-u}).

1432

1433

@node Sending Message, Killing Draft, Editing MIME, Draft Editing

1434

@subsection Sending a Message

1435

1436

@cindex sending mail

1437

@findex @code{mh-send-letter}

1438

1439

When you are all through editing a message, you send it with the

1440

@kbd{C-c C-c} (@code{mh-send-letter}) command. You can give an argument

1441

(as in @kbd{C-u C-c C-c}) to monitor the first stage of the delivery.

1442

1443

@node Killing Draft, , Sending Message, Draft Editing

1444

@subsection Killing the Draft

1445

1446

@cindex killing draft

1447

@findex @code{mh-fully-kill-draft}

1448

1449

If for some reason you are not happy with the draft, you can kill it

1450

instead with @kbd{C-c C-q} (@code{mh-fully-kill-draft}). Emacs then

1451

kills the draft buffer and deletes the draft message.

1452

1453

@node Moving Mail, Searching, Draft Editing, Using mh-e

1454

@section Moving Your Mail Around

1455

1456

@cindex processing mail

1457

1458

This section covers how messages and folders can be moved about or

1459

manipulated. Messages may be incorporated into your @file{+inbox},

1460

deleted, and refiled. Messages containing @code{shar} or

1461

@code{uuencode} output can be stored. Folders can be visited, sorted,

1462

packed, or deleted. Here's a list of the available commands to do these

1463

things:

1464

1465

@c Stephen thinks that ? should be documented here, since it also shows

1466

@c which folders a message will be refiled to. XXX

1467

1468

@table @kbd

1469

@item i

1470

Incorporate new mail into folder (@code{mh-inc-folder}).

1471

1472

@item d

1473

Delete message (@code{mh-delete-msg}).

1474

1475

@item C-d

1476

Delete message, don't move to next message (@code{mh-delete-msg-no-motion}).

1477

1478

@item M-s

1479

Find messages that meet search criteria (@code{mh-search-folder}).

1480

1481

@item o

1482

Output (refile) message to folder (@code{mh-refile-msg}).

1483

1484

@item c

1485

Copy message to folder (@code{mh-copy-msg}).

1486

1487

@item C-o

1488

Output (write) message to file (@code{mh-write-msg-to-file}).

1489

1490

@item !

1491

Repeat last output command (@code{mh-refile-or-write-again}).

1492

1493

@item l

1494

Print message with @code{lpr} (@code{mh-print-msg}).

1495

1496

@item |

1497

Pipe message through shell command (@code{mh-pipe-msg}).

1498

1499

@item M-n

1500

Unpack message created with @code{uudecode} or @code{shar}

1501

(@code{mh-store-msg}).

1502

1503

@item M-l

1504

List all folders (@code{mh-list-folders}).

1505

1506

@item M-f

1507

Visit folder (@code{mh-visit-folder}).

1508

1509

@item M-r

1510

Regenerate scan lines (@code{mh-rescan-folder}).

1511

1512

@item M-x mh-sort-folder

1513

Sort folder.

1514

1515

@item M-p

1516

Pack folder (@code{mh-pack-folder}).

1517

1518

@item M-k

1519

Remove folder (@code{mh-kill-folder}).

1520

1521

@item x

1522

Execute pending refiles and deletes (@code{mh-execute-commands}).

1523

1524

@item u

1525

Undo pending refile or delete (@code{mh-undo}).

1526

1527

@item M-u

1528

Undo all pending refiles and deletes (@code{mh-undo-folder}).

1529

1530

@item q

1531

Quit (@code{mh-quit}).

1532

@end table

1533

1534

@menu

1535

* Incorporating::

1536

* Deleting::

1537

* Organizing::

1538

* Printing::

1539

* Files and Pipes::

1540

* Finishing Up::

1541

@end menu

1542

1543

@node Incorporating, Deleting, Moving Mail, Moving Mail

1544

@subsection Incorporating Your Mail

1545

1546

@cindex incorporating

1547

@findex @code{mh-inc-folder}

1548

1549

If at any time you receive new mail, incorporate the new mail into your

1550

@samp{+inbox} buffer with @kbd{i} (@code{mh-inc-folder}). Note that

1551

@kbd{i} will display the @samp{+inbox} buffer, even if there isn't any

1552

new mail. You can incorporate mail from any file into the current

1553

folder by specifying a prefix argument; you'll be prompted for the name

1554

of the file to use (for example, @kbd{C-u i ~/mbox @key{RET}}).

1555

1556

@cindex Emacs, notification of new mail

1557

@cindex notification of new mail

1558

@cindex new mail

1559

@cindex @file{.emacs}

1560

@cindex files, @file{.emacs}

1561

1562

Emacs can notify you when you have new mail by displaying @samp{Mail} in

1563

the mode line. To enable this behavior, and to have a clock in the mode

1564

line besides, add the following to @file{~/.emacs}:

1565

1566

@findex @code{display-time}

1567

1568

@lisp

1569

(display-time)

1570

@end lisp

1571

1572

@node Deleting, Organizing, Incorporating, Moving Mail

1573

@subsection Deleting Your Mail

1574

1575

@cindex deleting

1576

@findex @code{mh-delete-msg}

1577

@findex @code{mh-delete-msg-no-motion}

1578

1579

To mark a message for deletion, use the @kbd{d} (@code{mh-delete-msg})

1580

command. A @samp{D} is placed by the message in the scan window, and

1581

the next message is displayed. If the previous command had been

1582

@kbd{p}, then the next message displayed is the message previous to the

1583

message just deleted. If you specify a prefix argument, you will be

1584

prompted for a sequence (@pxref{Sequences}) to delete (for example,

1585

@kbd{C-u d frombob RET}). The @kbd{x} command actually carries out the

1586

deletion (@pxref{Finishing Up}). @kbd{C-d}

1587

(@code{mh-delete-msg-no-motion}) marks the message for deletion but

1588

leaves the cursor at the current message in case you wish to perform

1589

other operations on the message.

1590

1591

@node Organizing, Printing, Deleting, Moving Mail

1592

@subsection Organizing Your Mail with Folders

1593

1594

@cindex using folders

1595

@cindex @code{folder}

1596

@cindex MH commands, @code{folder}

1597

@cindex @code{refile}

1598

@cindex MH commands, @code{refile}

1599

@findex @code{mh-refile-msg}

1600

1601

mh-e has analogies for each of the MH @code{folder} and @code{refile}

1602

commands. To refile a message in another folder, use the @kbd{o}

1603

(@code{mh-refile-msg}) (mnemonic: ``output'') command. You are prompted

1604

for the folder name.

1605

1606

@findex @code{mh-refile-or-write-again}

1607

1608

If you are refiling several messages into the same folder, you can use

1609

the @kbd{!} (@code{mh-refile-or-write-again}) command to repeat the last

1610

refile or write (see the description of @kbd{C-o} in @ref{Files and

1611

Pipes}). Or, place the messages into a sequence (@ref{Sequences}) and

1612

specify a prefix argument to @kbd{o}, in which case you'll be prompted

1613

for the name of the sequence (for example, @kbd{C-u o search RET}).

1614

1615

@findex @code{mh-copy-msg}

1616

1617

If you wish to copy a message to another folder, you can use the @kbd{c}

1618

(@code{mh-copy-msg}) command (see the @code{-link} argument to

1619

@code{refile}(1)). You are prompted for a folder, and you can specify a

1620

prefix argument if you want to copy a sequence into another folder. In

1621

this case, you are then prompted for the sequence. Note that unlike the

1622

@kbd{o} command, the copy takes place immediately. The original copy

1623

remains in the current folder.

1624

1625

@findex @code{mh-visit-folder}

1626

1627

When you want to read the messages that you have refiled into folders,

1628

use the @kbd{M-f} (@code{mh-visit-folder}) command to visit the folder.

1629

You are prompted for the folder name.

1630

1631

@findex @code{mh-list-folders}

1632

@findex @code{mh-kill-folder}

1633

@findex @code{mh-visit-folder}

1634

@findex @code{mh-sort-folder}

1635

@findex @code{mh-pack-folder}

1636

@findex @code{mh-rescan-folder}

1637

1638

Other commands you can perform on folders include: @kbd{M-l}

1639

(@code{mh-list-folders}), to list all the folders in your mail

1640

directory; @kbd{M-k} (@code{mh-kill-folder}), to remove a folder;

1641

@kbd{M-x mh-sort-folder}, to sort the messages by date (see

1642

@code{sortm}(1) to see how to sort by other criteria); @kbd{M-p}

1643

(@code{mh-pack-folder}), to pack a folder, removing gaps from the

1644

numbering sequence; and @kbd{M-r} (@code{mh-rescan-folder}), to rescan

1645

the folder, which is useful to grab all messages in your @file{+inbox}

1646

after processing your new mail for the first time. If you don't want to

1647

rescan the entire folder, give @kbd{M-r} or @kbd{M-p} a prefix argument

1648

and you'll be prompted for a range of messages to display (for instance,

1649

@kbd{C-u M-r last:50 RET}).

1650

1651

@node Printing, Files and Pipes, Organizing, Moving Mail

1652

@subsection Printing Your Mail

1653

1654

@cindex printing

1655

@cindex @code{mhl}

1656

@cindex MH commands, @code{mhl}

1657

@cindex @code{lpr}

1658

@cindex Unix commands, @code{lpr}

1659

@findex @code{mh-print-msg}

1660

1661

Printing mail is simple. Enter @kbd{l} (@code{mh-print-msg}) (for

1662

@i{l}ine printer or @i{l}pr). The message is formatted with @code{mhl}

1663

and printed with the @code{lpr} command. You can print all the messages

1664

in a sequence by specifying a prefix argument, in which case you are

1665

prompted for the name of the sequence (as in @kbd{C-u l frombob RET}).

1666

1667

@node Files and Pipes, Finishing Up, Printing, Moving Mail

1668

@subsection Files and Pipes

1669

1670

@cindex using files

1671

@cindex using pipes

1672

@findex @code{mh-write-msg-to-file}

1673

1674

mh-e does offer a couple of commands that are not a part of MH@. The

1675

first one, @kbd{C-o} (@code{mh-write-msg-to-file}), writes a message to

1676

a file (think of the @kbd{o} as in "output"). You are prompted for the

1677

filename. If the file already exists, the message is appended to it.

1678

You can also write the message to the file without the header by

1679

specifying a prefix argument (such as @kbd{C-u C-o /tmp/foobar RET}).

1680

Subsequent writes to the same file can be made with the @kbd{!}

1681

command.

1682

1683

@findex @code{mh-pipe-msg}

1684

1685

You can also pipe the message through a Unix shell command with the

1686

@kbd{|} (@code{mh-pipe-msg}) command. You are prompted for the

1687

Unix command through which you wish to run your message. If you

1688

give an argument to this command, the message header is included in the

1689

text passed to the command (the contrived example @kbd{C-u | lpr}

1690

would be done with the @kbd{l} command instead).

1691

1692

@cindex @code{shar}

1693

@cindex Unix commands, @code{shar}

1694

@cindex @code{uuencode}

1695

@cindex Unix commands, @code{uuencode}

1696

@findex @code{mh-store-msg}

1697

1698

If the message is a shell archive @code{shar} or has been run through

1699

@code{uuencode} use @kbd{M-n} (@code{mh-store-msg}) to extract the body

1700

of the message. The default directory for extraction is the current

1701

directory, and you have a chance to specify a different extraction

1702

directory. The next time you use this command, the default directory is

1703

the last directory you used.

1704

1705

@node Finishing Up, , Files and Pipes, Moving Mail

1706

@subsection Finishing Up

1707

1708

@cindex expunging refiles and deletes

1709

@findex @code{mh-undo}

1710

@findex @code{mh-undo-folder}

1711

1712

If you've deleted a message or refiled it, but changed your mind, you

1713

can cancel the action before you've executed it. Use @kbd{u}

1714

(@code{mh-undo}) to undo a refile on or deletion of a single message.

1715

You can also undo refiles and deletes for messages that belong to a

1716

given sequence by specifying a prefix argument. You'll be prompted for

1717

the name of the sequence (as in @kbd{C-u u frombob RET}).

1718

Alternatively, you can use @kbd{M-u} (@code{mh-undo-folder}) to undo all

1719

refiles or deletes in the current folder.

1720

1721

@findex @code{mh-execute-commands}

1722

1723

If you've marked messages to be deleted or refiled and you want to go

1724

ahead and delete or refile the messages, use @kbd{x}

1725

(@code{mh-execute-commands}). Many mh-e commands that may affect the

1726

numbering of the messages (such as @kbd{M-r} or @kbd{M-p}) will ask if you

1727

want to process refiles or deletes first and then either run @kbd{x} for

1728

you or undo the pending refiles and deletes, which are lost.

1729

1730

@findex @code{mh-rmail}

1731

@findex @code{mh-quit}

1732

1733

When you want to quit using mh-e and go back to editing, you can use the

1734

@kbd{q} (@code{mh-quit}) command. This buries the buffers of the

1735

current mh-e folder and restores the buffers that were present when you

1736

first ran @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}. You can later restore your mh-e session

1737

by selecting the @samp{+inbox} buffer or by running @kbd{M-x mh-rmail}

1738

again.

1739

1740

@node Searching, Sequences, Moving Mail, Using mh-e

1741

@section Searching Through Messages

1742

1743

@cindex searching

1744

@findex @code{mh-search-folder}

1745

1746

You can search a folder for messages to or from a particular person or

1747

about a particular subject. In fact, you can also search for messages

1748

containing selected strings in any arbitrary header field or any string

1749

found within the messages. Use the @kbd{M-s} (@code{mh-search-folder})

1750

command. You are first prompted for the name of the folder to search

1751

and then placed in the following buffer in MH-Pick mode:

1752

1753

@example

1754

@group

1755

@cartouche

1756

From: #

1757

To:

1758

Cc:

1759

Date:

1760

Subject:

1761

--------

1762

1763

1764

1765

1766

1767

1768

1769

1770

1771

--**-Emacs: pick-pattern (MH-Pick)------All----------------------------

1772

1773

@end cartouche

1774

@i{Pick window}

1775

@end group

1776

@end example

1777

1778

@cindex @code{pick}

1779

@cindex MH commands, @code{pick}

1780

1781

Edit this template by entering your search criteria in an appropriate

1782

header field that is already there, or create a new field yourself. If

1783

the string you're looking for could be anywhere in a message, then place

1784

the string underneath the row of dashes. The @kbd{M-s} command uses the

1785

MH command @code{pick} to do the real work, so read @code{pick}(1) to

1786

find out more about how to enter the criteria.

1787

1788

There are no semantics associated with the search criteria---they are

1789

simply treated as strings. Case is ignored when all lowercase is used,

1790

and regular expressions (a la @code{ed}) are available. It is all right

1791

to specify several search criteria. What happens then is that a logical

1792

@emph{and} of the various fields is performed. If you prefer a logical

1793

@emph{or} operation, run @kbd{M-s} multiple times.

1794

1795

As an example, let's say that we want to find messages from Ginnean

1796

about horseback riding in the Kosciusko National Park (Australia) during

1797

January, 1994. Normally we would start with a broad search and narrow

1798

it down if necessary to produce a manageable amount of data, but we'll

1799

cut to the chase and create a fairly restrictive set of criteria as

1800

follows:

1801

1802

@example

1803

@group

1804

From: ginnean

1805

To:

1806

Cc:

1807

Date: Jan 1994

1808

Subject: horse.*kosciusko

1809

--------

1810

@end group

1811

@end example

1812

1813

@findex @code{mh-to-field}

1814

1815

As with MH-Letter mode, MH-Pick provides commands like

1816

@kbd{C-c C-f C-t} to help you fill in the blanks.

1817

1818

@table @kbd

1819

@item C-c C-f C-t

1820

Move to @samp{To:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1821

1822

@item C-c C-f C-c

1823

Move to @samp{cc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1824

1825

@item C-c C-f C-s

1826

Move to @samp{Subject:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1827

1828

@item C-c C-f C-f

1829

Move to @samp{From:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1830

1831

@item C-c C-f C-b

1832

Move to @samp{Bcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1833

1834

@item C-c C-f C-f

1835

Move to @samp{Fcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1836

1837

@item C-c C-f C-d

1838

Move to @samp{Dcc:} header field (@code{mh-to-field}).

1839

1840

@item C-c C-c

1841

Execute the search (@code{mh-do-pick-search}).

1842

@end table

1843

1844

@findex @code{mh-do-pick-search}

1845

1846

To perform the search, type @kbd{C-c C-c} (@code{mh-do-pick-search}).

1847

The selected messages are placed in the @i{search} sequence, which you

1848

can use later in forwarding (@pxref{Forwarding}), printing

1849

(@pxref{Printing}), or narrowing your field of view (@pxref{Sequences}).

1850

Subsequent searches are appended to the @i{search} sequence. If,

1851

however, you wish to start with a clean slate, first delete the

1852

@i{search} sequence (how to do this is discussed in @ref{Sequences}).

1853

1854

@cindex MH-Folder mode

1855

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

1856

1857

If you're searching in a folder that is already displayed in a

1858

MH-Folder buffer, only those messages contained in the buffer are

1859

used for the search. Therefore, if you want to search in all messages,

1860

first kill the folder's buffer with @kbd{C-x k} or scan the entire

1861

folder with @kbd{M-r}.

1862

1863

@node Sequences, Miscellaneous, Searching, Using mh-e

1864

@section Using Sequences

1865

1866

@cindex sequences

1867

1868

For the whole scoop on MH sequences, refer to @code{mh-sequence}(5). As

1869

you've read, several of the mh-e commands can operate on a sequence,

1870

which is a shorthand for a range or group of messages. For example, you

1871

might want to forward several messages to a friend or colleague. Here's

1872

how to manipulate sequences.

1873

1874

@table @kbd

1875

@item %

1876

Put message in a sequence (@code{mh-put-msg-in-seq}).

1877

1878

@item ?

1879

Display sequences that message belongs to (@code{mh-msg-is-in-seq}).

1880

1881

@item M-q

1882

List all sequences in folder (@code{mh-list-sequences}).

1883

1884

@item M-%

1885

Remove message from sequence (@code{mh-delete-msg-from-seq}).

1886

1887

@item M-#

1888

Delete sequence (@code{mh-delete-seq}).

1889

1890

@item C-x n

1891

Restrict display to messages in sequence (@code{mh-narrow-to-seq}).

1892

1893

@item C-x w

1894

Remove restriction; display all messages (@code{mh-widen}).

1895

1896

@item M-x mh-update-sequences

1897

Push mh-e's state out to MH@.

1898

@end table

1899

1900

@cindex @code{pick}

1901

@cindex MH commands, @code{pick}

1902

@findex @code{mh-put-msg-in-seq}

1903

1904

To place a message in a sequence, use @kbd{%} (@code{mh-put-msg-in-seq})

1905

to do it manually, or use the MH command @code{pick} or the mh-e version

1906

of @code{pick} (@ref{Searching}) which create a sequence automatically.

1907

Give @kbd{%} a prefix argument and you can add all the messages in one

1908

sequence to another sequence (for example, @kbd{C-u % SourceSequence

1909

RET}).

1910

1911

@cindex MH-Folder mode

1912

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

1913

@findex @code{mh-narrow-to-seq}

1914

@findex @code{mh-widen}

1915

1916

Once you've placed some messages in a sequence, you may wish to narrow

1917

the field of view to just those messages in the sequence you've created.

1918

To do this, use @kbd{C-x n} (@code{mh-narrow-to-seq}). You are prompted

1919

for the name of the sequence. What this does is show only those

1920

messages that are in the selected sequence in the MH-Folder buffer. In

1921

addition, it limits further mh-e searches to just those messages. When

1922

you want to widen the view to all your messages again, use @kbd{C-x w}

1923

(@code{mh-widen}).

1924

1925

@findex @code{mh-msg-is-in-seq}

1926

@findex @code{mh-list-sequences}

1927

1928

You can see which sequences a message is in with the @kbd{?}

1929

(@code{mh-msg-is-in-seq}) command.

1930

@c Doesn't work:

1931

@c use a prefix argument to query a

1932

@c message other than the current one (as in @kbd{C-u ? 42 RET}). XXX

1933

Or, you can list all sequences in a selected folder (default is current

1934

folder) with @kbd{M-q} (@code{mh-list-sequences}).

1935

1936

@findex @code{mh-delete-msg-from-seq}

1937

@findex @code{mh-delete-seq}

1938

1939

If you want to remove a message from a sequence, use @kbd{M-%}

1940

(@code{mh-delete-msg-from-seq}), and if you want to delete an entire

1941

sequence, use @kbd{M-#} (@code{mh-delete-seq}). In the latter case you

1942

are prompted for the sequence to delete. Note that this deletes only

1943

the sequence, not the messages in the sequence. If you want to delete

1944

the messages, use @kbd{C-u d} (see @ref{Deleting} above).

1945

1946

@cindex @code{mark}

1947

@cindex MH commands, @code{mark}

1948

1949

@findex @code{mh-update-sequences}

1950

1951

Two sequences are maintained internally by mh-e and pushed out to MH

1952

when you type either the @kbd{x} or @kbd{q} command. They are the

1953

sequence specified by your @samp{Unseen-Sequence:} profile entry and

1954

@i{cur}. However, you can also just update MH's state with the command

1955

@kbd{M-x mh-update-sequences}. See @ref{Customizing Viewing} for an

1956

example of how this command might be used.

1957

1958

With the exceptions of @kbd{C-x n} and @kbd{C-x w}, the underlying MH

1959

command dealing with sequences is @code{mark}.

1960

1961

@node Miscellaneous, , Sequences, Using mh-e

1962

@section Miscellaneous Commands

1963

1964

@findex @code{mh-version}

1965

1966

One other command worth noting is @kbd{M-x mh-version}. You can

1967

compare the version this command prints to the latest release

1968

(@pxref{Getting mh-e}). The output of @kbd{M-x mh-version} should

1969

always be included with any bug report you submit (@pxref{Bug Reports}).

1970

1971

@node Customizing mh-e, Odds and Ends, Using mh-e, Top

1972

@chapter Customizing mh-e

1973

1974

Until now, we've talked about the mh-e commands as they work ``out of the

1975

box.'' Of course, it is also possible to reconfigure mh-e

1976

to fit the needs of even the most demanding user.

1977

The following sections describe all of the

1978

customization variables, show the defaults, and make recommendations for

1979

customization. The outline of this chapter is identical to that of

1980

@ref{Using mh-e}, to make it easier to find the variables you'd need to

1981

modify to affect a particular command.

1982

1983

However, when customizing your mail environment, first try to change

1984

what you want in MH, and only change mh-e if changing MH is not

1985

possible. That way you will get the same behavior inside and outside

1986

GNU Emacs. Note that mh-e does not provide hooks for customizations

1987

that can be done in MH; this omission is intentional.

1988

1989

@cindex @file{.emacs}

1990

@cindex files, @file{.emacs}

1991

1992

Many string or integer variables are easy enough to modify using Emacs

1993

Lisp. Any such modifications should be placed in a file called

1994

@file{.emacs} in your home directory (that is, @file{~/.emacs}). For

1995

example, to modify the variable that controls printing, you could add:

1996

1997

@vindex @code{mh-lpr-command-format}, example

1998

1999

@lisp

2000

(setq mh-lpr-command-format "nenscript -G -r -2 -i'%s'")

2001

@end lisp

2002

2003

@ref{Customizing Printing} talks more about this variable.

2004

2005

@cindex setting variables

2006

@cindex Emacs, setting variables

2007

2008

Variables can also hold Boolean values. In Emacs Lisp, the Boolean

2009

values are @code{nil}, which means false, and @code{t}, which means true.

2010

Usually, variables are turned off by setting their value to @code{nil}, as

2011

in

2012

2013

@vindex @code{mh-bury-show-buffer}, example

2014

2015

@lisp

2016

(setq mh-bury-show-buffer nil)

2017

@end lisp

2018

2019

which keeps the MH-Show buffer at the top of the buffer stack.

2020

To turn a variable on, you use

2021

2022

@lisp

2023

(setq mh-bury-show-buffer t)

2024

@end lisp

2025

2026

which places the MH-Show buffer at the bottom of the buffer

2027

stack. However, the text says to turn on a variable by setting it to a

2028

@emph{non-@code{nil}} value, because sometimes values other than @code{t} are

2029

meaningful (for example, see @code{mhl-formfile}, described in

2030

@ref{Customizing Viewing}). Other variables, such as hooks, involve a

2031

little more Emacs Lisp programming expertise.

2032

2033

You can also ``preview'' the effects of changing variables before

2034

committing the changes to @file{~/.emacs}. Variables can be changed in

2035

the current Emacs session by using @kbd{M-x set-variable}.

2036

2037

@c XXX Stephen says: would be easier to just call them functions, which

2038

@c you mostly do.

2039

In general, @dfn{commands} in this text refer to Emacs Lisp functions.

2040

Programs outside of Emacs are specifically called MH commands, shell

2041

commands, or Unix commands.

2042

2043

@cindex Emacs, Emacs Lisp manual

2044

@cindex Emacs, online help

2045

@cindex online help

2046

@cindex Emacs, info

2047

@cindex info

2048

2049

I hope I've included enough examples here to get you well on your way.

2050

If you want to explore Emacs Lisp further, a programming manual does

2051

exist,

2052

@c Yes, some of the stuff in the following sections is redundant, but

2053

@c TeX barfs if the @ifs are inside the @footnote.

2054

@iftex

2055

@footnote{The @cite{GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual} may be available

2056

online in the Info system by typing @kbd{C-h i m Emacs Lisp RET}. If

2057

not, you can order a printed manual, which has the desirable side-effect

2058

of helping to support the Free Software Foundation which made all this

2059

great software available. You can find an order form by running

2060

@kbd{C-h C-d}, or you can request an order form from

2061

@i{gnu@@gnu.org}.}

2062

@end iftex

2063

@ifinfo

2064

@footnote{Perhaps you can find the online version of @ref{Top, The GNU

2065

Emacs Lisp Reference Manual, , elisp, GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.

2066

If not, you can order a printed manual, which has the desirable

2067

side-effect of helping to support the Free Software Foundation which

2068

made all this great software available. You can find an order form by

2069

running @kbd{C-h C-d}, or you can request an order form from

2070

@i{gnu@@gnu.org}.}

2071

@end ifinfo

2072

and you can look at the code itself for examples. Look in the Emacs

2073

Lisp directory on your system (such as @file{/usr/local/lib/emacs/lisp})

2074

and find all the @file{mh-*.el} files there. When calling mh-e and

2075

other Emacs Lisp functions directly from Emacs Lisp code, you'll need to

2076

know the correct arguments. Use the online help for this. For example,

2077

try @kbd{C-h f mh-execute-commands RET}. If you write your own

2078

functions, please do not prefix your symbols (variables and functions)

2079

with @code{mh-}. This prefix is reserved for the mh-e package. To

2080

avoid conflicts with existing mh-e symbols, use a prefix like @code{my-}

2081

or your initials.

2082

2083

@menu

2084

* Customizing Reading::

2085

* Customizing Sending::

2086

* Customizing Draft Editing::

2087

* Customizing Moving Mail::

2088

* Customizing Searching::

2089

@end menu

2090

2091

@node Customizing Reading, Customizing Sending, Customizing mh-e, Customizing mh-e

2092

@section Reading Your Mail

2093

2094

@cindex reading mail

2095

@cindex @file{.emacs}

2096

@cindex files, @file{.emacs}

2097

2098

I'll start out by including a function that I use as a front end to

2099

mh-e. @footnote{Stephen Gildea's favorite binding is

2100

@kbd{(global-set-key "\C-cr" 'mh-rmail)}.} It toggles between your

2101

working window configuration, which may be quite involved---windows

2102

filled with source, compilation output, man pages, and other

2103

documentation---and your mh-e window configuration. Like the rest of

2104

the customization described in this chapter, simply add the following

2105

code to @file{~/.emacs}. Don't be intimidated by the size of this

2106

example; most customizations are only one line.

2107

2108

@iftex

2109

@filbreak

2110

@end iftex

2111

2112

@findex @code{mh-rmail}, example

2113

2114

@lisp

2115

@group

2116

@i{Starting mh-e}

2117

2118

(defvar my-mh-screen-saved nil

2119

"Set to non-@code{nil} when mh-e window configuration shown.")

2120

(defvar my-normal-screen nil "Normal window configuration.")

2121

(defvar my-mh-screen nil "mh-e window configuration.")

2122

2123

(defun my-mh-rmail (&optional arg)

2124

"Toggle between mh-e and normal screen configurations.

2125

With non-@code{nil} or prefix argument, @i{inc} mailbox as well

2126

when going into mail."

2127

(interactive "P") ; @r{user callable function, P=prefix arg}

2128

(setq my-mh-screen-saved ; @r{save state}

2129

(cond

2130

;; @r{Bring up mh-e screen if arg or normal window configuration.}

2131

;; @r{If arg or +inbox buffer doesn't exist, run mh-rmail.}

2132

((or arg (null my-mh-screen-saved))

2133

(setq my-normal-screen (current-window-configuration))

2134

(if (or arg (null (get-buffer "+inbox")))

2135

(mh-rmail)

2136

(set-window-configuration my-mh-screen))

2137

t) ; @r{set my-mh-screen-saved to @code{t}}

2138

;; @r{Otherwise, save mh-e screen and restore normal screen.}

2139

(t

2140

(setq my-mh-screen (current-window-configuration))

2141

(set-window-configuration my-normal-screen)

2142

nil)))) ; @r{set my-mh-screen-saved to nil}

2143

2144

(global-set-key "\C-x\r" 'my-mh-rmail) ;@r{ call with C-x RET}

2145

@end group

2146

@end lisp

2147

2148

If you type an argument (@kbd{C-u}) or if @code{my-mh-screen-saved}

2149

is @code{nil} (meaning a non-mh-e window configuration), the current window

2150

configuration is saved, either +inbox is displayed or @code{mh-rmail} is

2151

run, and the mh-e window configuration is shown. Otherwise, the mh-e

2152

window configuration is saved and the original configuration is

2153

displayed.

2154

2155

Now to configure mh-e. The following table lists general mh-e variables

2156

and variables that are used while reading mail.

2157

@c XXX Seth wishes the descriptions to be more parallel. That is,

2158

@c some are actions, and some are objects. Hmmm.

2159

2160

@table @code

2161

@item mh-progs

2162

Directory containing MH programs (default: dynamic).

2163

2164

@item mh-lib

2165

Directory containing MH support files and programs (default: dynamic).

2166

2167

@item mh-do-not-confirm

2168

Don't confirm on non-reversible commands (default: @code{nil}).

2169

2170

@item mh-summary-height

2171

Number of scan lines to show (includes mode line) (default: 4).

2172

2173

@item mh-folder-mode-hook

2174

Functions to run in MH-Folder mode (default: @code{nil}).

2175

2176

@item mh-clean-message-header

2177

Remove extraneous headers (default: @code{nil}).

2178

2179

@item mh-invisible-headers

2180

Headers to hide (default: @samp{"^Received: \\| ^Message-Id: \\|

2181

^Remailed-\\| ^Via: \\| ^Mail-from: \\| ^Return-Path: \\| ^In-Reply-To:

2182

\\| ^Resent-"}).

2183

2184

@item mh-visible-headers

2185

Headers to display (default: @code{nil}).

2186

2187

@item mhl-formfile

2188

Format file for @code{mhl} (default: @code{nil}).

2189

2190

@item mh-show-hook

2191

Functions to run when showing message (default: @code{nil}).

2192

2193

@item mh-show-mode-hook

2194

Functions to run when showing message (default: @code{nil}).

2195

2196

@item mh-bury-show-buffer

2197

Leave show buffer at bottom of stack (default: @code{t}).

2198

2199

@item mh-show-buffer-mode-line-buffer-id

2200

Name of show buffer in mode line (default: @samp{"@{show-%s@} %d"}).

2201

@end table

2202

2203

@vindex @code{mh-progs}

2204

@vindex @code{mh-lib}

2205

2206

The two variables @code{mh-progs} and @code{mh-lib} are used to tell

2207

mh-e where the MH programs and supporting files are kept, respectively.

2208

mh-e does try to figure out where they are kept for itself by looking in

2209

common places and in the user's @samp{PATH} environment variable, but if

2210

it cannot find the directories, or finds the wrong ones, you should set

2211

these variables. The name of the directory should be placed in double

2212

quotes, and there should be a

2213

trailing slash (@samp{/}). See the example in @ref{Getting Started}.

2214

2215

@vindex @code{mh-do-not-confirm}

2216

@findex @code{mh-kill-folder}

2217

2218

If you never make mistakes, and you do not like confirmations for your

2219

actions, you can set @code{mh-do-not-confirm} to a non-@code{nil} value to

2220

disable confirmation for unrecoverable commands such as @kbd{M-k}

2221

(@code{mh-kill-folder}) and @kbd{M-u} (@code{mh-undo-folder}). Here's

2222

how you set boolean values:

2223

2224

@lisp

2225

(setq mh-do-not-confirm t)

2226

@end lisp

2227

2228

@vindex @code{mh-summary-height}

2229

@cindex MH-Folder mode

2230

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

2231

2232

@c Prevent page break between paragraph and example.

2233

@need 2000

2234

The variable @code{mh-summary-height} controls the number of scan lines

2235

displayed in the MH-Folder window, including the mode line. The

2236

default value of 4 means that 3 scan lines are displayed. Here's how

2237

you set numerical values:

2238

2239

@lisp

2240

(setq mh-summary-height 2) ; @r{only show the current scan line}

2241

@end lisp

2242

2243

@vindex @code{mh-bury-show-buffer}

2244

@cindex MH-Folder mode

2245

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

2246

2247

Normally the buffer for displaying messages is buried at the bottom at

2248

the buffer stack. You may wish to disable this feature by setting

2249

@code{mh-bury-show-buffer} to @code{nil}. One advantage of not burying the

2250

show buffer is that one can delete the show buffer more easily in an

2251

electric buffer list because of its proximity to its associated

2252

MH-Folder buffer. Try running @kbd{M-x electric-buffer-list} to

2253

see what I mean.

2254

2255

@vindex @code{mh-folder-mode-hook}

2256

@cindex MH-Folder mode

2257

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

2258

2259

The hook @code{mh-folder-mode-hook} is called when a new folder is

2260

created with MH-Folder mode. This could be used to set your own

2261

key bindings, for example:

2262

2263

@vindex @code{mh-folder-mode-hook}, example

2264

2265

@lisp

2266

@group

2267

@i{Create additional key bindings via mh-folder-mode-hook}

2268

2269

(defvar my-mh-init-done nil "Non-@code{nil} when one-time mh-e settings made.")

2270

2271

(defun my-mh-folder-mode-hook ()

2272

"Hook to set key bindings in MH-Folder mode."

2273

(if (not my-mh-init-done) ; @r{only need to bind the keys once }

2274

(progn

2275

(local-set-key "/" 'search-msg)

2276

(local-set-key "b" 'mh-burst-digest) ; @r{better use of @kbd{b}}

2277

(setq my-mh-init-done t))))

2278

2279

;;; @r{Emacs 19}

2280

(add-hook 'mh-folder-mode-hook 'my-mh-folder-mode-hook)

2281

;;; @r{Emacs 18}

2282

;;; @r{(setq mh-folder-mode-hook (cons 'my-mh-folder-mode-hook}

2283

;;; @r{mh-folder-mode-hook))}

2284

2285

(defun search-msg ()

2286

"Search for a regexp in the current message."

2287

(interactive) ; @r{user function}

2288

(save-window-excursion

2289

(other-window 1) ; @r{go to next window}

2290

(isearch-forward-regexp))) ; @r{string search; hit return (ESC}

2291

; @r{in Emacs 18) when done}

2292

@end group

2293

@end lisp

2294

2295

@menu

2296

* Customizing Viewing::

2297

* Customizing Moving Around::

2298

@end menu

2299

2300

@node Customizing Viewing, Customizing Moving Around, Customizing Reading, Customizing Reading

2301

@subsection Viewing Your Mail

2302

2303

@vindex @code{mh-clean-message-header}

2304

@vindex @code{mh-invisible-headers}

2305

@vindex @code{mh-visible-headers}

2306

2307

Several variables control what displayed messages look like. Normally

2308

messages are delivered with a handful of uninteresting header fields.

2309

You can make them go away by setting @code{mh-clean-message-header} to a

2310

non-@code{nil} value. The header can then be cleaned up in two ways. By

2311

default, the header fields in @code{mh-invisible-headers} are removed.

2312

On the other hand, you could set @code{mh-visible-headers} to the fields

2313

that you would like to see. If this variable is set,

2314

@code{mh-invisible-headers} is ignored. I suggest that you not set

2315

@code{mh-visible-headers} since if you use this variable, you might miss

2316

a lot of header fields that you'd rather not miss. As an example of how

2317

to set a string variable, @code{mh-visible-headers} can be set to show a

2318

minimum set of header fields (see (@ref{Regexps, , Syntax of Regular

2319

Expressions, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}, for a description of the

2320

special characters in this string):

2321

2322

@lisp

2323

(setq mh-visible-headers "^From: \\|^Subject: \\|^Date: ")

2324

@end lisp

2325

2326

@cindex @code{mhl}

2327

@cindex MH commands, @code{mhl}

2328

@vindex @code{mhl-formfile}

2329

2330

Normally mh-e takes care of displaying messages itself (rather than

2331

calling an MH program to do the work). If you'd rather have @code{mhl}

2332

display the message (within mh-e), set the variable @code{mhl-formfile}

2333

to a non-@code{nil} value. You can set this variable either to @code{t}

2334

to use the default format file or to a filename if you have your own

2335

format file (@code{mhl}(1) tells you how to write one). When writing

2336

your own format file, use a nonzero value for @code{overflowoffset} to

2337

ensure the header is RFC 822 compliant and parsable by mh-e.

2338

@code{mhl} is always used for printing and forwarding; in this case, the

2339

value of @code{mhl-formfile} is consulted if it is a filename.

2340

2341

@vindex @code{mh-show-mode-hook}

2342

2343

Two hooks can be used to control how messages are displayed. The first

2344

hook, @code{mh-show-mode-hook}, is called early on in the process of

2345

displaying of messages. It is used to perform some actions on the

2346

contents of messages, such as highlighting the header fields. If you're

2347

running Emacs 19 under the X Window System, the following example will

2348

highlight the @samp{From:} and @samp{Subject:} header fields. This is a

2349

very nice feature indeed.

2350

2351

@vindex @code{mh-show-mode-hook}, example

2352

2353

@lisp

2354

@group

2355

@i{Emphasize header fields in different fonts via mh-show-mode-hook}

2356

2357

(defvar my-mh-keywords

2358

'(("^From: \$.*\$" 1 'bold t)

2359

("^Subject: \$.*\$" 1 'highlight t))

2360

"mh-e additions for font-lock-keywords.")

2361

2362

(defun my-mh-show-mode-hook ()

2363

"Hook to turn on and customize fonts."

2364

(font-lock-add-keywords nil my-mh-keywords))

2365

2366

(add-hook 'mh-show-mode-hook 'my-mh-show-mode-hook))

2367

@end group

2368

@end lisp

2369

2370

@vindex @code{mh-show-hook}

2371

2372

The second hook, @code{mh-show-hook}, is the last thing called after

2373

messages are displayed. It's used to affect the behavior of mh-e in

2374

general or when @code{mh-show-mode-hook} is too early. For example, if

2375

you wanted to keep mh-e in sync with MH, you could use

2376

@code{mh-show-hook} as follows:

2377

2378

@vindex @code{mh-show-hook}, example

2379

2380

@lisp

2381

(add-hook 'mh-show-hook 'mh-update-sequences)

2382

@end lisp

2383

2384

@vindex @code{mh-show-buffer-mode-line-buffer-id}

2385

@cindex MH-Show mode

2386

@cindex modes, MH-Show

2387

2388

The function @code{mh-update-sequences} is documented in @ref{Finishing

2389

Up}. For those who like to modify their mode lines, use

2390

@code{mh-show-buffer-mode-line-buffer-id} to modify the mode line in the

2391

MH-Show buffers. Place the two escape strings @samp{%s} and @samp{%d},

2392

which will display the folder name and the message number, respectively,

2393

somewhere in the string in that order. The default value of

2394

@samp{"@{show-%s@} %d"} yields a mode line of

2395

2396

@example

2397

-----@{show-+inbox@} 4 (MH-Show)--Bot----------------------------------

2398

@end example

2399

2400

@node Customizing Moving Around, , Customizing Viewing, Customizing Reading

2401

@subsection Moving Around

2402

2403

@cindex moving between messages

2404

@cindex MH-Show mode

2405

@cindex modes, MH-Show

2406

@cindex MH-Folder mode

2407

@cindex modes, MH-Folder

2408

@vindex @code{mh-recenter-summary-p}

2409

2410

When you use @kbd{t} (@code{mh-toggle-showing}) to toggle between show

2411

mode and scan mode, the MH-Show buffer is hidden and the

2412

MH-Folder buffer is left alone. Setting

2413

@code{mh-recenter-summary-p} to a non-@code{nil} value causes the toggle to

2414

display as many scan lines as possible, with the cursor at the middle.

2415

The effect of @code{mh-recenter-summary-p} is rather useful, but it can

2416

be annoying on a slow network connection.

2417

2418

@node Customizing Sending, Customizing Draft Editing, Customizing Reading, Customizing mh-e

2419

@section Sending Mail

2420

2421

@cindex sending mail

2422

2423

You may wish to start off by adding the following useful key bindings to

2424

your @file{.emacs} file:

2425

2426

@lisp

2427

(global-set-key "\C-xm" 'mh-smail)

2428

(global-set-key "\C-x4m" 'mh-smail-other-window)

2429

@end lisp

2430

2431

In addition, several variables are useful when sending mail or replying

2432

to mail. They are summarized in the following table.

2433

2434

@table @code

2435

@item mh-comp-formfile

2436

Format file for drafts (default: @samp{"components"}).

2437

2438

@item mh-repl-formfile

2439

Format file for replies (default: @samp{"replcomps"}).

2440

2441

@item mh-letter-mode-hook

2442

Functions to run in MH-Letter mode (default: @code{nil}).

2443

2444

@item mh-compose-letter-function

2445

Functions to run when starting a new draft (default: @code{nil}).

2446

2447

@item mh-reply-default-reply-to

2448

Whom reply goes to (default: @code{nil}).

2449

2450

@item mh-forward-subject-format

2451

Format string for forwarded message subject (default: @samp{"%s: %s"}).

2452

2453

@item mh-redist-full-contents

2454

@code{send} requires entire message (default: @code{nil}).

2455

2456

@item mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers

2457

Remove these header fields from re-edited draft (default:

2458

@samp{"^Date:\\| ^Received:\\| ^Message-Id:\\| ^From:\\| ^Sender:\\|

2459

^Delivery-Date:\\| ^Return-Path:"}).

2460

@end table

2461

2462

@cindex @code{comp}

2463

@cindex MH commands, @code{comp}

2464

@vindex @code{mh-comp-formfile}

2465

@cindex @file{components}

2466

@cindex files, @file{components}

2467

@cindex @code{repl}

2468

@cindex MH commands, @code{repl}

2469

@cindex @file{replcomps}

2470

@cindex files, @file{replcomps}

2471

@vindex @code{mh-repl-formfile}

2472

2473

Since mh-e does not use @code{comp} to create the initial draft, you

2474

need to set @code{mh-comp-formfile} to the name of your components file

2475

if it isn't @file{components}. This is the name of the file that

2476

contains the form for composing messages. If it does not contain an

2477

absolute pathname, mh-e searches for the file first in your MH directory

2478

and then in the system MH library directory (such as

2479

@file{/usr/local/lib/mh}). Replies, on the other hand, are built using

2480

@code{repl}. You can change the location of the field file from the

2481

default of @file{replcomps} by modifying @code{mh-repl-formfile}.

2482

2483

@vindex @code{mh-letter-mode-hook}

2484

@cindex @code{repl}

2485

@cindex MH commands, @code{repl}

2486

@cindex @file{components}

2487

@cindex files, @file{components}

2488

2489

Two hooks are provided to run commands on your freshly created draft.

2490

The first hook, @code{mh-letter-mode-hook}, allows you to do some

2491

processing before editing a letter. For example, you may wish to modify

2492

the header after @code{repl} has done its work, or you may have a

2493

complicated @file{components} file and need to tell mh-e where the

2494

cursor should go. Here's an example of how you would use this hook---all

2495

of the other hooks are set in this fashion as well.

2496

2497

@findex @code{mh-insert-signature}, example

2498

2499

@lisp

2500

@group

2501

@i{Prepare draft for editing via mh-letter-mode-hook}

2502

2503

(defvar letter-mode-init-done nil

2504

"Non-@code{nil} when one-time mh-e settings have made.")

2505

2506

(defun my-mh-letter-mode-hook ()

2507

"Hook to prepare letter for editing."

2508

(if (not letter-mode-init-done) ; @r{only need to bind the keys once}

2509

(progn

2510

(local-set-key "\C-ctb" 'add-enriched-text)

2511

(local-set-key "\C-cti" 'add-enriched-text)

2512

(local-set-key "\C-ctf" 'add-enriched-text)

2513

(local-set-key "\C-cts" 'add-enriched-text)

2514

(local-set-key "\C-ctB" 'add-enriched-text)

2515

(local-set-key "\C-ctu" 'add-enriched-text)

2516

(local-set-key "\C-ctc" 'add-enriched-text)

2517

(setq letter-mode-init-done t)))

2518

(setq fill-prefix " ") ; @r{I find indented text easier to read}

2519

(save-excursion

2520

(goto-char (point-max)) ; @r{go to end of message to}

2521

(mh-insert-signature))) ; @r{insert signature}

2522

2523

(add-hook 'mh-letter-mode-hook 'my-mh-letter-mode-hook)

2524

@end group

2525

@end lisp

2526

2527

The function, @code{add-enriched-text} is defined in the example in

2528

@ref{Customizing Editing MIME}.

2529

2530

@vindex @code{mh-compose-letter-function}

2531

2532

The second hook, a function really, is

2533

@code{mh-compose-letter-function}. Like @code{mh-letter-mode-hook}, it

2534

is called just before editing a new message; however, it is the last

2535

function called before you edit your message. The consequence of this

2536

is that you can write a function to write and send the message for you.

2537

This function is passed three arguments: the contents of the @samp{To:},

2538

@samp{Subject:}, and @samp{cc:} header fields.

2539

2540

@menu

2541

* Customizing Replying::

2542

* Customizing Forwarding::

2543

* Customizing Redistributing::

2544

* Customizing Old Drafts::

2545

@end menu

2546

2547

@node Customizing Replying, Customizing Forwarding, Customizing Sending, Customizing Sending

2548

@subsection Replying to Mail

2549

2550

@cindex replying

2551

@vindex @code{mh-reply-default-reply-to}

2552

2553

If you find that most of the time that you specify @kbd{cc} when you

2554

reply to a message, set @code{mh-reply-default-reply-to} to @samp{cc}.

2555

This variable is normally set to @code{nil} so that you are prompted for

2556

the recipient of a reply. It can be set to one of @samp{from},

2557

@samp{to}, or @samp{cc}; you are then no longer prompted for the

2558

recipient(s) of your reply.

2559

2560

@node Customizing Forwarding, Customizing Redistributing, Customizing Replying, Customizing Sending

2561

@subsection Forwarding Mail

2562

2563

@cindex forwarding

2564

@vindex @code{mh-forward-subject-format}

2565

2566

When forwarding a message, the format of the @samp{Subject:} header

2567

field can be modified by the variable @code{mh-forward-subject-format}.

2568

This variable is a string which includes two escapes (@samp{%s}). The

2569

first @samp{%s} is replaced with the sender of the original message, and

2570

the second one is replaced with the original @samp{Subject:}. The

2571

default value of @samp{"%s: %s"} takes a message with the header:

2572

2573

@example

2574

@group

2575

To: Bill Wohler <wohler@@newt.com>

2576

Subject: Re: 49er football

2577

From: Greg DesBrisay <gd@@cellnet.com>

2578

@end group

2579

@end example

2580

2581

and creates a subject header field of:

2582

2583

@example

2584

Subject: Greg DesBrisay: Re: 49er football

2585

@end example

2586

2587

@node Customizing Redistributing, Customizing Old Drafts, Customizing Forwarding, Customizing Sending

2588

@subsection Redistributing Your Mail

2589

2590

@cindex redistributing

2591

@vindex @code{mh-redist-full-contents}

2592

@cindex @code{dist}

2593

@cindex MH commands, @code{dist}

2594

@cindex @code{send}

2595

@cindex MH commands, @code{send}

2596

2597

The variable @code{mh-redist-full-contents} must be set to non-@code{nil} if

2598

@code{dist} requires the whole letter for redistribution, which is the

2599

case if @code{send} is compiled with the @sc{berk} @footnote{To see which

2600

options your copy of MH was compiled with, use @kbd{M-x mh-version}

2601

(@ref{Miscellaneous}).} option (which many people abhor). If you find

2602

that MH will not allow you to redistribute a message that has been

2603

redistributed before, this variable should be set to @code{nil}.

2604

2605

@node Customizing Old Drafts, , Customizing Redistributing, Customizing Sending

2606

@subsection Editing Old Drafts and Bounced Messages

2607

2608

@cindex re-editing drafts

2609

@vindex @code{mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers}

2610

2611

The header fields specified by @code{mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers} are

2612

removed from an old draft that has been recreated with @kbd{M-e}

2613

(@code{mh-extract-rejected-mail}) or @kbd{M-a} (@code{mh-edit-again}).

2614

If when you edit an old draft with these commands you find that there

2615

are header fields that you don't want included, you can append them to

2616

this variable. For example,

2617

2618

@vindex @code{mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers}, example

2619

2620

@lisp

2621

(setq mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers

2622

(concat mh-new-draft-cleaned-headers "\\|^Some-Field:"))

2623

@end lisp

2624

2625

@cindex regular expressions

2626

2627

This appends the regular expression @samp{\\|^Some-Field:} to the

2628

variable (@pxref{Regexps, , Syntax of Regular Expressions, emacs, The

2629

GNU Emacs Manual}). The @samp{\\|} means @emph{or}, and the @samp{^}

2630

(caret) matches the beginning of the line. This is done to be very

2631

specific about which fields match. The literal @samp{:} is appended for

2632

the same reason.

2633

2634

@node Customizing Draft Editing, Customizing Moving Mail, Customizing Sending, Customizing mh-e

2635

@section Editing a Draft

2636

2637

@cindex editing draft

2638

2639

There are several variables used during the draft editing phase.

2640

Examples include changing the name of the file that holds your signature

2641

or telling mh-e about new multimedia types. They are:

2642

2643

@table @code

2644

@item mh-yank-from-start-of-msg

2645

How to yank when region not set (default: @code{t}).

2646

2647

@item mh-ins-buf-prefix

2648

Indent for yanked messages (default: @samp{"> "}).

2649

2650

@item mail-citation-hook

2651

Functions to run on yanked messages (default: @code{nil}).

2652

2653

@item mh-delete-yanked-msg-window

2654

Delete message window on yank (default: @code{nil}).

2655

2656

@c Need the @* because otherwise TeX fills it wrong and complains

2657

@c about overfull hbox.

2658

@item mh-mime-content-types

2659

List of valid content types (default: @samp{'(("text/plain")@*

2660

("text/richtext") ("multipart/mixed") ("multipart/alternative")@*

2661

("multipart/digest") ("multipart/parallel") ("message/rfc822")@*

2662

("message/partial") ("message/external-body")@*

2663

("application/octet-stream") ("application/postscript")@*

2664

("image/jpeg") ("image/gif") ("audio/basic") ("video/mpeg"))}).

2665

2666

@item mh-mhn-args

2667

Additional arguments for @code{mhn} (default: @code{nil}).

2668

2669

@item mh-signature-file-name

2670

File containing signature (default: @samp{"~/.signature"}).

2671

2672

@item mh-before-send-letter-hook

2673

Functions to run before sending draft (default: @code{nil}).

2674

2675

@item mh-send-prog

2676

MH program used to send messages (default: @samp{"send"}).

2677

@end table

2678

2679

@menu

2680

* Customizing Editing Textual::

2681

* Customizing Editing MIME::

2682

* Customizing Sending Message::

2683

@end menu

2684

2685

@node Customizing Editing Textual, Customizing Editing MIME, Customizing Draft Editing, Customizing Draft Editing

2686

@subsection Editing Textual Messages

2687

2688

The following two sections include variables that customize the way you

2689

edit a draft. The discussion here applies to editing multimedia

2690

messages as well.

2691

2692

@menu

2693

* Customizing Inserting Letter::

2694

* Customizing Signature::

2695

@end menu

2696

2697

@node Customizing Inserting Letter, Customizing Signature, Customizing Editing Textual, Customizing Editing Textual

2698

@subsubsection Inserting letter to which you're replying

2699

2700

@cindex inserting messages

2701

@vindex @code{mh-yank-from-start-of-msg}

2702

@vindex @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}

2703

@vindex @code{mail-citation-hook}

2704

@vindex @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}

2705

@vindex @code{mh-delete-yanked-msg-window}

2706

2707

To control how much of the message to which you are replying is yanked

2708

by @kbd{C-c C-y} (@code{mh-yank-cur-msg}) into your reply, modify

2709

@code{mh-yank-from-start-of-msg}. The default value of @code{t} means

2710

that the entire message is copied. If it is set to @code{'body} (don't

2711

forget the apostrophe), then only the message body is copied. If it is

2712

set to @code{nil}, only the part of the message following point (the

2713

current cursor position in the message's buffer) is copied. In any

2714

case, this variable is ignored if a region is set in the message you are

2715

replying to. The string contained in @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix} is

2716

inserted before each line of a message that is inserted into a draft

2717

with @kbd{C-c C-y} (@code{mh-yank-cur-msg}). I suggest that you not

2718

modify this variable. The default value of @samp{"> "} is the default

2719

string for many mailers and news readers: messages are far easier to

2720

read if several included messages have all been indented by the same

2721

string. The variable @code{mail-citation-hook} is @code{nil} by

2722

default, which means that when a message is inserted into the letter,

2723

each line is prefixed by @code{mh-ins-buf-prefix}. Otherwise, it can be

2724

set to a function that modifies an included

2725

@cindex Emacs, packages, supercite

2726

citation.

2727

@c Footnotes are fragile; hence the redundancy.

2728

@c TeX not inserting a line break; hence the @*

2729

@ifclear html

2730

@footnote{@emph{Supercite} is an example of a full-bodied, full-featured

2731

citation package. It is in Emacs versions 19.15 and later, and can be

2732

found via anonymous @code{ftp} on @samp{archive.cis.ohio-state.edu} in

2733

@* @file{/pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/packages/sc3.1.tar.Z}}

2734

@end ifclear

2735

@ifset html

2736

@footnote{@emph{Supercite} is an example of a full-bodied,

2737

full-featured citation package. It is in Emacs versions 19.15 and

2738

later, and its @sc{url} is @*

2739

@file{<A HREF="ftp://archive.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/packages/sc3.1.tar.Z">ftp://archive.cis.ohio-state.edu/pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/packages/sc3.1.tar.Z</A>}}

2740

@end ifset

2741

If you like to yank all the text from the message you're replying to in

2742

one go, set @code{mh-delete-yanked-msg-window} to non-@code{nil} to delete

2743

the window containing the original message after yanking it to make more

2744

room on your screen for your reply.

2745

2746

@node Customizing Signature, , Customizing Inserting Letter, Customizing Editing Textual

2747

@subsubsection Inserting your signature

2748

2749

@cindex inserting signature

2750

@cindex signature

2751

@vindex @code{mh-signature-file-name}

2752

@cindex @file{.signature}

2753

@cindex files, @file{.signature}

2754

2755

You can change the name of the file inserted with @kbd{C-c C-s}

2756

(@code{mh-insert-signature}) by changing @code{mh-signature-file-name}

2757

(default: @file{"~/.signature"}).

2758

2759

@node Customizing Editing MIME, Customizing Sending Message, Customizing Editing Textual, Customizing Draft Editing

2760

@subsection Editing Multimedia Messages

2761

2762

@cindex MIME

2763

@cindex multimedia mail

2764

@vindex @code{mh-mime-content-types}

2765

2766

The variable @code{mh-mime-content-types} contains a list of the

2767

currently valid content types. They are listed in the table in

2768

@ref{Customizing Draft Editing}. If you encounter a new content type,

2769

you can add it like this:

2770

2771

@vindex @code{mh-mime-content-types}, example

2772

2773

@lisp

2774

(setq mh-mime-content-types (append mh-mime-content-types

2775

'(("@var{new/type}"))))

2776

@end lisp

2777

2778

Emacs macros can be used to insert enriched text directives like

2779

@samp{<bold>}. The following code will make, for example, @kbd{C-c t

2780

b} insert the @samp{<bold>} directive.

2781

2782

@lisp

2783

@group

2784

@i{Emacs macros for entering enriched text}

2785

2786

(defvar enriched-text-types '(("b" . "bold") ("i" . "italic") ("f" . "fixed")

2787

("s" . "smaller") ("B" . "bigger")

2788

("u" . "underline") ("c" . "center"))

2789

"Alist of (final-character . directive) choices for add-enriched-text.

2790

Additional types can be found in RFC 1563.")

2791

2792

(defun add-enriched-text (begin end)

2793

"Add enriched text directives around region.

2794

The directive used comes from the list enriched-text-types and is

2795

specified by the last keystroke of the command. When called from Lisp,

2796

arguments are BEGIN and END@."

2797

(interactive "r")

2798

;; @r{Set type to the directive indicated by the last keystroke.}

2799

(let ((type (cdr (assoc (char-to-string (logior last-input-char ?@w{`}))

2800

enriched-text-types))))

2801

(save-restriction ; @r{restores state from narrow-to-region}

2802

(narrow-to-region begin end) ; @r{narrow view to region}

2803

(goto-char (point-min)) ; @r{move to beginning of text}

2804

(insert "<" type ">") ; @r{insert beginning directive}

2805

(goto-char (point-max)) ; @r{move to end of text}

2806

(insert "</" type ">")))) ; @r{insert terminating directive}

2807

@end group

2808

@end lisp

2809

2810

To use the function @code{add-enriched-text}, first create keybindings

2811

for it (@pxref{Customizing Sending}). Then, set the mark with

2812

@kbd{C-@@} or @kbd{C-SPC}, type in the text to be highlighted, and type

2813

@kbd{C-c t b}. This adds @samp{<bold>} where you set the mark and

2814

adds @samp{</bold>} at the location of your cursor, giving you something

2815

like: @samp{You should be <bold>very</bold>}. You may also be

2816

interested in investigating @code{sgml-mode}.

2817

2818

@menu

2819

* Customizing Sending MIME::

2820

@end menu

2821

2822

@node Customizing Sending MIME, , Customizing Editing MIME, Customizing Editing MIME

2823

@subsubsection Readying multimedia messages for sending

2824

2825

@vindex @code{mh-mhn-args}

2826

2827

If you wish to pass additional arguments to @code{mhn} to affect how it

2828

builds your message, use the variable @code{mh-mhn-args}. For example,

2829

you can build a consistency check into the message by setting

2830

@code{mh-mhn-args} to @code{-check}. The recipient of your message can

2831

then run @code{mhn -check} on the message---@code{mhn} will complain if

2832

the message has been corrupted on the way. The @kbd{C-c C-e}

2833

(@code{mh-mhn-edit}) command only consults this variable when given a

2834

prefix argument.

2835

2836

@node Customizing Sending Message, , Customizing Editing MIME, Customizing Draft Editing

2837

@subsection Sending a Message

2838

2839

@cindex sending mail

2840

@cindex spell check

2841

@vindex @code{mh-before-send-letter-hook}

2842

2843

If you want to check your spelling in your message before sending, use

2844

@code{mh-before-send-letter-hook} like this:

2845

2846

@i{Spell-check message via mh-before-send-letter-hook}

2847

2848

@vindex @code{mh-before-send-letter-hook}, example

2849

2850

@lisp

2851

(add-hook 'mh-before-send-letter-hook 'ispell-message)

2852

@end lisp

2853

2854

@cindex @code{send}

2855

@cindex MH commands, @code{send}

2856

@vindex @code{mh-send-prog}

2857

2858

In case the MH @code{send} program is installed under a different name,

2859

use @code{mh-send-prog} to tell mh-e the name.

2860

2861

@node Customizing Moving Mail, Customizing Searching, Customizing Draft Editing, Customizing mh-e

2862

@section Moving Your Mail Around

2863

2864

@cindex processing mail

2865

2866

If you change the name of some of the MH programs or have your own

2867

printing programs, the following variables can help you.

2868

They are described in detail in the subsequent sections.

2869

2870

@table @code

2871

@item mh-inc-prog

2872

Program to incorporate mail (default: @samp{"inc"}).

2873

2874

@item mh-inc-folder-hook

2875

Functions to run when incorporating mail (default: @code{nil}).

2876

2877

@item mh-delete-msg-hook

2878

Functions to run when deleting messages (default: @code{nil}).

2879

2880

@item mh-print-background

2881

Print in foreground or background (default: @code{nil}).

2882

2883

@item mh-lpr-command-format

2884

Command used to print (default: @samp{"lpr -J '%s'"}).

2885

2886

@item mh-default-folder-for-message-function

2887

Function to generate a default folder (default: @code{nil}).

2888

2889

@item mh-auto-folder-collect

2890

Collect folder names in background at startup (default: @code{t}).

2891

2892

@item mh-recursive-folders

2893

Collect nested folders (default: @code{nil}).

2894

2895

@item mh-refile-msg-hook

2896

Functions to run when refiling message (default: @code{nil}).

2897

2898

@item mh-store-default-directory

2899

Default directory for storing files created by @code{uuencode} or @code{shar}

2900

(default: @code{nil}).

2901

2902

@item mh-sortm-args

2903

Additional arguments for @code{sortm} (default: @code{nil}).

2904

2905

@item mh-scan-prog

2906

Program to scan messages (default: @samp{"scan"}).

2907

2908

@item mh-before-quit-hook

2909

Functions to run before quitting (default: @code{nil}). See also

2910

@code{mh-quit-hook}.

2911

2912

@item mh-quit-hook

2913

Functions to run after quitting (default: @code{nil}). See also

2914

@code{mh-before-quit-hook}.

2915

@end table

2916

2917

@menu

2918

* Customizing Incorporating::

2919

* Customizing Deleting::

2920

* Customizing Organizing::

2921

* Customizing Printing::

2922

* Customizing Files and Pipes::

2923

* Customizing Finishing Up::

2924

@end menu

2925

2926

@node Customizing Incorporating, Customizing Deleting, Customizing Moving Mail, Customizing Moving Mail

2927

@subsection Incorporating Your Mail

2928

2929

@cindex incorporating

2930

@vindex @code{mh-inc-prog}

2931

@cindex @code{inc}

2932

@cindex MH commands, @code{inc}

2933

@vindex @code{mh-progs}

2934

@vindex @code{mh-scan-prog}

2935

@vindex @code{mh-inc-folder-hook}

2936

2937

The name of the program that incorporates new mail is stored in

2938

@code{mh-inc-prog}; it is @samp{"inc"} by default. This program

2939

generates a one-line summary for each of the new messages. Unless it is

2940

an absolute pathname, the file is assumed to be in the @code{mh-progs}

2941

directory. You may also link a file to @code{inc} that uses a different

2942

format (see @code{mh-profile}(5)). You'll then need to modify several

2943

variables appropriately; see @code{mh-scan-prog} below. You can set the

2944

hook @code{mh-inc-folder-hook}, which is called after new mail is

2945

incorporated by the @kbd{i} (@code{mh-inc-folder}) command. A good use

2946

of this hook is to rescan the whole folder either after running @kbd{M-x

2947

mh-rmail} the first time or when you've changed the message numbers from

2948

outside of mh-e.

2949

2950

@findex @code{mh-execute-commands}

2951

@findex @code{mh-rescan-folder}, example

2952

@findex @code{mh-show}, example

2953

@vindex @code{mh-inc-folder-hook}, example

2954

2955

@lisp

2956

@group

2957

@i{Rescan folder after incorporating new mail via mh-inc-folder-hook}

2958

2959

(defun my-mh-inc-folder-hook ()

2960

"Hook to rescan folder after incorporating mail."

2961

(if (buffer-modified-p) ; @r{if outstanding refiles and deletes,}

2962

(mh-execute-commands)) ; @r{carry them out}

2963

(mh-rescan-folder) ; @r{synchronize with +inbox}

2964

(mh-show)) ; @r{show the current message}

2965

2966

(add-hook 'mh-inc-folder-hook 'my-mh-inc-folder-hook)

2967

@end group

2968

@end lisp

2969

2970

@node Customizing Deleting, Customizing Organizing, Customizing Incorporating, Customizing Moving Mail

2971

@subsection Deleting Your Mail

2972

2973

@cindex deleting

2974

@vindex @code{mh-delete-msg-hook}

2975

2976

The hook @code{mh-delete-msg-hook} is called after you mark a message

2977

for deletion. For example, the current maintainer of mh-e used this

2978

once when he kept statistics on his mail usage.

2979

2980

@node Customizing Organizing, Customizing Printing, Customizing Deleting, Customizing Moving Mail

2981

@subsection Organizing Your Mail with Folders

2982

2983

@cindex using folders

2984

@vindex @code{mh-recursive-folders}

2985

@vindex @code{mh-auto-folder-collect}

2986

2987

By default, operations on folders work only one level at a time. Set

2988

@code{mh-recursive-folders} to non-@code{nil} to operate on all folders.

2989

This mostly means that you'll be able to see all your folders when you

2990

press @key{TAB} when prompted for a folder name. The variable

2991

@code{mh-auto-folder-collect} is normally turned on to generate a list

2992

of folder names in the background as soon as mh-e is loaded. Otherwise,

2993

the list is generated when you need a folder name the first time (as

2994

with @kbd{o} (@code{mh-refile-msg})). If you have a lot of folders and

2995

you have @code{mh-recursive-folders} set, this could take a while, which

2996

is why it's nice to do the folder collection in the background.

2997

2998

@vindex @code{mh-default-folder-for-message-function}

2999

@findex @code{mh-refile-msg}

3000

@findex @code{mh-to-fcc}

3001

@cindex @file{.emacs}

3002

@cindex files, @file{.emacs}

3003

3004

The function @code{mh-default-folder-for-message-function} is used by

3005

@kbd{o} (@code{mh-refile-msg}) and @kbd{C-c C-f C-f} (@code{mh-to-fcc})

3006

to generate a default folder. The generated folder name should be a

3007

string with a @samp{+} before it. For each of my correspondents, I use the

3008

same name for both an alias and a folder. So, I wrote a function that

3009

takes the address in the @samp{From:} header field, finds it in my alias

3010

file, and returns the alias, which is used as a default folder name.

3011

This is the most complicated example given here, and it demonstrates

3012

several features of Emacs Lisp programming. You should be able to drop

3013

this into @file{~/.emacs}, however. If you use this to store messages

3014

in a subfolder of your Mail directory, you can modify the line that

3015

starts @samp{(format +%s...} and insert your subfolder after the folder

3016

symbol @samp{+}.

3017

@c Note for me: if I insert a new version, don't forget to remove the

3018

@c "a/" from the folder name.

3019

3020

@iftex

3021

@filbreak

3022

@end iftex

3023

3024

@vindex @code{mh-default-folder-for-message-function}, example

3025

@vindex @code{mh-user-path}, example

3026

3027

@lisp

3028

@group

3029

@i{Creating useful default folder for refiling via mh-default-folder-for-message-function}

3030

3031

(defun my-mh-folder-from-address ()

3032

"Determine folder name from address.

3033

Takes the address in the From: header field, and returns its corresponding

3034

alias from the user's personal aliases file. Returns @code{nil} if the address

3035

was not found."

3036

(require 'rfc822) ; @r{for the rfc822 functions}

3037

(search-forward-regexp "^From: \$.*\$") ; @r{grab header field contents}

3038

(save-excursion ; @r{save state}

3039

(let ((addr (car (rfc822-addresses ; @r{get address}

3040

(buffer-substring (match-beginning 1)

3041

(match-end 1)))))

3042

(buffer (get-buffer-create " *temp*")) ; @r{set local variables}

3043

folder)

3044

(set-buffer buffer) ; @r{jump to temporary buffer}

3045

(unwind-protect ; @r{run kill-buffer when done}

3046

(progn ; @r{function grouping construct}

3047

(insert-file-contents (expand-file-name "aliases"

3048

mh-user-path))

3049

(goto-char (point-min)) ; @r{grab aliases file and go to start}

3050

(setq folder

3051

;; @r{Search for the given address, even commented-out}

3052

;; @r{addresses are found!}

3053

;; @r{The function search-forward-regexp sets values that are}

3054

;; @r{later used by match-beginning and match-end.}

3055

(if (search-forward-regexp (format "^;*\$.*\$:.*%s"

3056

addr) nil t)

3057

;; @r{NOTE WELL: this is what the return value looks like.}

3058

;; @r{You can modify the format string to match your own}

3059

;; @r{Mail hierarchy.}

3060

(format "+%s" (buffer-substring (match-beginning 1)

3061

(match-end 1))))))

3062

(kill-buffer buffer)) ; @r{get rid of our temporary buffer}

3063

folder))) ; @r{function's return value}

3064

3065

(setq mh-default-folder-for-message-function 'my-mh-folder-from-address)

3066

@end group

3067

@end lisp

3068

3069

@vindex @code{mh-refile-msg-hook}

3070

3071

The hook @code{mh-refile-msg-hook} is called after a message is marked

3072

to be refiled.

3073

3074

@vindex @code{mh-sortm-args}

3075

@cindex @code{sortm}

3076

@cindex MH commands, @code{sortm}

3077

@findex @code{mh-sort-folder}

3078

@cindex MH profile components, @code{sortm}

3079

@cindex @file{.mh_profile}

3080

@cindex files, @file{.mh_profile}

3081

3082

The variable @code{mh-sortm-args} holds extra arguments to pass on to

3083

the @code{sortm} command. Note: this variable is only consulted when a

3084

prefix argument is given to @kbd{M-x mh-sort-folder}. It is used to

3085

override any arguments given in a @code{sortm:} entry in your MH profile

3086

(@file{~/.mh_profile}).

3087

3088

@menu

3089

* Customizing Scan Line Formats::

3090

@end menu

3091

3092

@node Customizing Scan Line Formats, , Customizing Organizing, Customizing Organizing

3093

@subsubsection Scan line formatting

3094

3095

@vindex @code{mh-scan-prog}

3096

@cindex @code{scan}

3097

@cindex MH commands, @code{scan}

3098

@vindex @code{mh-progs}

3099

3100

The name of the program that generates a listing of one line per message

3101

is held in @code{mh-scan-prog} (default: @samp{"scan"}). Unless this

3102

variable contains an absolute pathname, it is assumed to be in the

3103

@code{mh-progs} directory. You may link another program to @code{scan}

3104

(see @code{mh-profile}(5)) to produce a different type of listing.

3105

3106

If you change the format of the scan lines you'll need to tell mh-e how

3107

to parse the new format. As you see, quite a lot of variables are

3108

involved to do that. The first variable has to do with pruning out

3109

garbage.

3110

3111

@table @code

3112

@item mh-valid-scan-line

3113

@vindex @code{mh-valid-scan-line}

3114

@cindex @code{inc}

3115

@cindex MH commands, @code{inc}

3116

@cindex @code{scan}

3117

@cindex MH commands, @code{scan}

3118

This regular expression describes a valid scan line. This is used to

3119

eliminate error messages that are occasionally produced by @code{inc} or

3120

@code{scan} (default: @samp{"^ *[0-9]"}).

3121

@end table

3122

3123

Next, two variables control how the message numbers are parsed.

3124

3125

@table @code

3126

3127

@item mh-msg-number-regexp

3128

@vindex @code{mh-msg-number-regexp}

3129

This regular expression is used to extract the message number from a

3130

scan line. Note that the message number must be placed in quoted

3131

parentheses, (\$...\$), as in the default of @w{@samp{"^

3132

*\$[0-9]+\$"}}.

3133

3134

@item mh-msg-search-regexp

3135

@vindex @code{mh-msg-search-regexp}

3136

Given a message number (which is inserted in @samp{%d}), this regular

3137

expression will match the scan line that it represents (default:

3138

@samp{"^[^0-9]*%d[^0-9]"}).

3139

@end table

3140

3141

Finally, there are a slew of variables that control how mh-e marks up

3142

the scan lines.

3143

3144

@table @code

3145

@item mh-cmd-note

3146

@vindex @code{mh-cmd-note}

3147

Number of characters to skip over before inserting notation (default:

3148

4). Note how it relates to the following regular expressions.

3149

3150

@item mh-deleted-msg-regexp

3151

@vindex @code{mh-deleted-msg-regexp}

3152

This regular expression describes deleted messages (default:

3153

@samp{"^....D"}). See also @code{mh-note-deleted}.

3154

3155

@item mh-refiled-msg-regexp

3156

@vindex @code{mh-refiled-msg-regexp}

3157

This regular expression describes refiled messages (default:

3158

@samp{"^....\\^"}). See also @code{mh-note-refiled}.

3159

3160

@item mh-cur-scan-msg-regexp

3161

@vindex @code{mh-cur-scan-msg-regexp}

3162

This regular expression matches the current message (default:

3163

@samp{"^....\\+"}). See also @code{mh-note-cur}.

3164

3165

@item mh-good-msg-regexp

3166

@vindex @code{mh-good-msg-regexp}

3167

This regular expression describes which messages should be shown when

3168

mh-e goes to the next or previous message. Normally, deleted or refiled

3169

messages are skipped over (default: @samp{"^....[^D^]"}).

3170

3171

@item mh-note-deleted

3172

@vindex @code{mh-note-deleted}

3173

Messages that have been deleted to are marked by this string (default:

3174

@samp{"D"}). See also @code{mh-deleted-msg-regexp}.

3175

3176

@item mh-note-refiled

3177

@vindex @code{mh-note-refiled}

3178

Messages that have been refiled are marked by this string (default:

3179

@samp{"^"}). See also @code{mh-refiled-msg-regexp}.

3180

3181

@item mh-note-copied

3182

@vindex @code{mh-note-copied}

3183

Messages that have been copied are marked by this string (default:

3184

@samp{"C"}).

3185

3186

@item mh-note-cur

3187

@vindex @code{mh-note-cur}

3188

The current message (in MH, not in mh-e) is marked by this string

3189

(default: @samp{"+"}). See also @code{mh-cur-scan-msg-regexp}.

3190

3191

@item mh-note-repl

3192

@vindex @code{mh-note-repl}

3193

Messages that have been replied to are marked by this string (default:

3194

@samp{"-"}).

3195

3196

@item mh-note-forw

3197

@vindex @code{mh-note-forw}

3198

Messages that have been forwarded are marked by this string (default:

3199

@samp{"F"}).

3200

3201

@item mh-note-dist

3202

@vindex @code{mh-note-dist}

3203

Messages that have been redistributed are marked by this string

3204

(default: @samp{"R"}).

3205

3206

@item mh-note-printed

3207

@vindex @code{mh-note-printed}

3208

Messages that have been printed are marked by this string (default:

3209

@samp{"P"}).

3210

3211

@item mh-note-seq

3212

@vindex @code{mh-note-seq}

3213

Messages in a sequence are marked by this string (default: @samp{"%"}).

3214

@end table

3215

3216

@node Customizing Printing, Customizing Files and Pipes, Customizing Organizing, Customizing Moving Mail

3217

@subsection Printing Your Mail

3218

3219

@cindex printing

3220

@vindex @code{mh-print-background}

3221

@vindex @code{mh-lpr-command-format}

3222

@cindex @code{lpr}

3223

@cindex Unix commands, @code{lpr}

3224

3225

Normally messages are printed in the foreground. If this is slow on

3226

your system, you may elect to set @code{mh-print-background} to

3227

non-@code{nil} to print in the background. If you do this, do not delete

3228

the message until it is printed or else the output may be truncated.

3229

The variable @code{mh-lpr-command-format} controls how the printing is

3230

actually done. The string can contain one escape, @samp{%s}, which is

3231

filled with the name of the folder and the message number and is useful

3232

for print job names. As an example, the default is @samp{"lpr -J

3233

'%s'"}.

3234

3235

@node Customizing Files and Pipes, Customizing Finishing Up, Customizing Printing, Customizing Moving Mail

3236

@subsection Files and Pipes

3237

3238

@cindex using files

3239

@cindex using pipes

3240

@findex @code{mh-store-msg}

3241

@vindex @code{mh-store-default-directory}

3242

3243

The initial directory for the @code{mh-store-msg} command is held in

3244

@code{mh-store-default-directory}. Since I almost always run

3245

@code{mh-store-msg} on sources, I set it to my personal source directory

3246

like this:

3247

3248

@vindex @code{mh-store-default-directory}, example

3249

3250

@lisp

3251

(setq mh-store-default-directory (expand-file-name "~/src/"))

3252

@end lisp

3253

3254

@findex @code{mh-store-buffer}

3255

@cindex @code{uuencode}

3256

@cindex Unix commands, @code{uuencode}

3257

@cindex @code{shar}

3258

@cindex Unix commands, @code{shar}

3259

3260

Subsequent incarnations of @code{mh-store-msg} offer the last directory

3261

used as the default. By the way, @code{mh-store-msg} calls the Emacs

3262

Lisp function @code{mh-store-buffer}. I mention this because you can use

3263

it directly if you're editing a buffer that contains a file that has

3264

been run through @code{uuencode} or @code{shar}. For example, you can

3265

extract the contents of the current buffer in your home directory by

3266

typing @kbd{M-x mh-store-buffer @key{RET} ~ @key{RET}}.

3267

3268

@node Customizing Finishing Up, , Customizing Files and Pipes, Customizing Moving Mail

3269

@subsection Finishing Up

3270

3271

@cindex quitting

3272

@vindex @code{mh-before-quit-hook}

3273

@vindex @code{mh-quit-hook}

3274

@findex @code{mh-execute-commands}

3275

3276

The two variables @code{mh-before-quit-hook} and @code{mh-quit-hook} are

3277

called by @kbd{q} (@code{mh-quit}). The former one is called before the

3278

quit occurs, so you might use it to perform any mh-e operations; you

3279

could perform some query and abort the quit or call

3280

@code{mh-execute-commands}, for example. The latter is not run in an

3281

mh-e context, so you might use it to modify the window setup.

3282

3283

@node Customizing Searching, , Customizing Moving Mail, Customizing mh-e

3284

@section Searching Through Messages

3285

3286

@cindex searching

3287

@vindex @code{mh-pick-mode-hook}

3288

@vindex @code{mh-partial-folder-mode-line-annotation}

3289

3290

If you find that you do the same thing over and over when editing the

3291

search template, you may wish to bind some shortcuts to keys. This can

3292

be done with the variable @code{mh-pick-mode-hook}, which is called when

3293

@kbd{M-s} (@code{mh-search-folder}) is run on a new pattern.

3294

3295

The string

3296

@code{mh-partial-folder-mode-line-annotation} is used to annotate the

3297

mode line when only a portion of the folder is shown. For example, this

3298

will be displayed after running @kbd{M-s} (@code{mh-search-folder}) to

3299

list messages based on some search criteria (see @ref{Searching}). The

3300

default annotation of @samp{"select"} yields a mode line that looks

3301

like:

3302

3303

@example

3304

--%%-@{+inbox/select@} 2 msgs (2-3) (MH-Folder)--All-----------------

3305

@end example

3306

3307

@node Odds and Ends, History, Customizing mh-e, Top

3308

@appendix Odds and Ends

3309

3310

This appendix covers a few topics that don't fit elsewhere. Here I tell

3311

you how to report bugs and how to get on the mh-e mailing list. I also

3312

point out some additional sources of information.

3313

3314

@menu

3315

* Bug Reports::

3316

* Mailing List::

3317

* MH FAQ::

3318

* Getting mh-e::

3319

@end menu

3320

3321

@node Bug Reports, Mailing List, Odds and Ends, Odds and Ends

3322

@appendixsec Bug Reports

3323

3324

@cindex bugs

3325

@cindex Wohler, Bill

3326

@cindex SourceForge

3327

3328

The current maintainer of mh-e is Bill Wohler

3329

<@i{wohler@@newt.com}>. Bug reports should be filed at

3330

@uref{https://sourceforge.net/bugs/?group_id=13357, SourceForge}.

3331

Please include the output of

3332

@kbd{M-x mh-version} (@pxref{Miscellaneous}) in any bug report you send.

3333

3334

@node Mailing List, MH FAQ, Bug Reports, Odds and Ends

3335

@appendixsec mh-e Mailing List

3336

3337

@cindex mailing list

3338

@cindex SourceForge

3339

3340

There are actually several mailing lists for mh-e. They are

3341

@i{mh-e-users@@lists.sourceforge.net},

3342

@i{mh-e-announce@@lists.sourceforge.net}, and

3343

@i{mh-e-devel@@lists.sourceforge.net}. You can subscribe or view the

3344

archives at @uref{https://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=13357,

3345

SourceForge}. Do not report bugs on these lists; please submit them

3346

via SourceForge (@pxref{Bug Reports}).

3347

3348

@node MH FAQ, Getting mh-e, Mailing List, Odds and Ends

3349

@appendixsec MH FAQ

3350

3351

@cindex MH FAQ

3352

@cindex FAQ

3353

3354

An FAQ appears monthly in the newsgroup @samp{comp.mail.mh}. While very

3355

little is there that deals with mh-e specifically, there is an

3356

incredible wealth of material about MH itself which you will find

3357

useful. The subject of the FAQ is @cite{MH Frequently Asked Questions

3358

(FAQ) with Answers}.

3359

3360

The FAQ is available via the World Wide Web (WWW) at

3361

@uref{http://www.faqs.org/faqs/mail/mh-faq/part1/preamble.html, faqs.org}.

3362

3363

@node Getting mh-e, , MH FAQ, Odds and Ends

3364

@appendixsec Getting mh-e

3365

3366

@cindex obtaining mh-e

3367

3368

The version of mh-e in the current version of Emacs should be up to

3369

date. It is most likely to be more up to date than the copy that comes

3370

with the the MH distribution in @file{miscellany/mh-e}.

3371

3372

New mh-e releases will appear at

3373

@uref{https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=13357,

3374

SourceForge} before they appear in an Emacs release. You can read the

3375

release notes on that page to determine if the given release of mh-e

3376

is already installed in your version of Emacs.

3377

3378

If you go this route, I suggest that you extract the files from

3379

@file{mh-e-@var{m.n}.tgz} in the following fashion:

3380

3381

@example

3382

@group

3383

% @kbd{cd} # @r{Start in your home directory}

3384

% @kbd{mkdir lib lib/emacs} # @r{Create directory for mh-e}

3385

% @kbd{cd lib/emacs}

3386

% @kbd{zcat @var{path/to/}mh-e-@var{m.n}.tgz | tar xvf -} # @r{Extract files}

3387

@end group

3388

@end example

3389

3390

@cindex @file{.emacs}

3391

@cindex files, @file{.emacs}

3392

3393

To use these new files, add the following to @file{~/.emacs}:

3394

3395

@lisp

3396

(setq load-path (cons (expand-file-name "~/lib/emacs") load-path))

3397

@end lisp

3398

3399

@cindex news

3400

@cindex files, @samp{MH-E-NEWS}

3401

3402

That's it! If you're already running Emacs, please quit that session

3403

and start again to load in the new mh-e. Check that you're running the

3404

new version with the command @kbd{M-x mh-version} after running any mh-e

3405

command. The distribution comes with a file called @file{MH-E-NEWS} so

3406

you can see what's new.

3407

3408

@node History, Copying, Odds and Ends, Top

3409

@appendix History of mh-e

3410

3411

@cindex Gildea, Stephen

3412

@cindex Larus, Jim

3413

@cindex Reid, Brian

3414

@cindex SourceForge

3415

@cindex history of mh-e

3416

3417

mh-e was originally written by Brian Reid in 1983 and has changed

3418

hands several times since then. Jim Larus wanted to do something

3419

similar for GNU Emacs, and ended up completely rewriting it that same

3420

year. In 1989, Stephen Gildea picked it up and added many improvements.

3421

Bill Wohler then took over in 2000 and moved its development to

3422

@uref{http://sourceforge.net/, SourceForge}.

3423

3424

@menu

3425

* From Brian Reid::

3426

* From Jim Larus::

3427

* From Stephen Gildea::

3428

@end menu

3429

3430

@node From Brian Reid, From Jim Larus, History, History

3431

@appendixsec From Brian Reid

3432

3433

@cindex Reid, Brian

3434

3435

One day in 1983 I got the flu and had to stay home from work for three

3436

days with nothing to do. I used that time to write MHE@. The

3437

fundamental idea behind MHE was that it was a ``puppeteer'' driving the MH

3438

programs underneath it. MH had a model that the editor was supposed to

3439

run as a subprocess of the mailer, which seemed to me at the time to be

3440

the tail wagging the dog. So I turned it around and made the editor

3441

drive the MH programs. I made sure that the UCI people (who were

3442

maintaining MH at the time) took in my changes and made them stick.

3443

3444

Today, I still use my own version of MHE because I don't at all like the

3445

way that GNU mh-e works and I've never gotten to be good enough at

3446

hacking Emacs Lisp to make GNU mh-e do what I want. The Gosling-emacs

3447

version of MHE and the GNU Emacs version of mh-e have almost nothing in

3448

common except similar names. They work differently, have different

3449

conceptual models, and have different key bindings. @footnote{After

3450

reading this article, I questioned Brian about his version of MHE, and

3451

received some great ideas for improving mh-e such as a dired-like method

3452

of selecting folders; and removing the prompting when sending mail,

3453

filling in the blanks in the draft buffer instead. I passed them on to

3454

Stephen Gildea, the current maintainer, and he was excited about the

3455

ideas as well. Perhaps one day, mh-e will again resemble MHE, although

3456

none of these ideas are manifest in Version 5.0.}

3457

3458

Brian Reid, June 1994

3459

3460

@node From Jim Larus, From Stephen Gildea, From Brian Reid, History

3461

@appendixsec From Jim Larus

3462

3463

@cindex Larus, Jim

3464

3465

Brian Reid, while at CMU or shortly after going to Stanford wrote a mail

3466

reading program called MHE for Gosling Emacs. It had much the same

3467

structure as mh-e (i.e., invoked MH programs), though it was simpler and

3468

the commands were slightly different. Unfortunately, I no longer have a

3469

copy so the differences are lost in the mists of time.

3470

3471

In '82-83, I was working at BBN and wrote a lot of mlisp code in Gosling

3472

Emacs to make it look more like Tennex Emacs. One of the packages that

3473

I picked up and improved was Reid's mail system. In '83, I went back to

3474

Berkeley. About that time, Stallman's first version of GNU Emacs came

3475

out and people started to move to it from Gosling Emacs (as I recall,

3476

the transition took a year or two). I decided to port Reid's MHE and

3477

used the mlisp to Emacs Lisp translator that came with GNU Emacs. It

3478

did a lousy job and the resulting code didn't work, so I bit the bullet

3479

and rewrote the code by hand (it was a lot smaller and simpler then, so

3480

it took only a day or two).

3481

3482

Soon after that, mh-e became part of the standard Emacs distribution and

3483

suggestions kept dribbling in for improvements. mh-e soon reached

3484

sufficient functionality to keep me happy, but I kept on improving it

3485

because I was a graduate student with plenty of time on my hands and it

3486

was more fun than my dissertation. In retrospect, the one thing that I

3487

regret is not writing any documentation, which seriously limited the use

3488

and appeal of the package.

3489

3490

@cindex @code{xmh}, in mh-e history

3491

3492

In '89, I came to Wisconsin as a professor and decided not to work on

3493

mh-e. It was stable, except for minor bugs, and had enough

3494

functionality, so I let it be for a few years. Stephen Gildea of BBN

3495

began to pester me about the bugs, but I ignored them. In 1990, he went

3496

off to the X Consortium, said good bye, and said that he would now be

3497

using @code{xmh}. A few months later, he came back and said that he

3498

couldn't stand @code{xmh} and could I put a few more bug fixes into

3499

mh-e. At that point, I had no interest in fixing mh-e, so I gave the

3500

responsibility of maintenance to him and he has done a fine job since

3501

then.

3502

3503

Jim Larus, June 1994

3504

3505

@node From Stephen Gildea, , From Jim Larus, History

3506

@appendixsec From Stephen Gildea

3507

3508

@cindex Gildea, Stephen

3509

3510

In 1987 I went to work for Bolt Beranek and Newman, as Jim had before

3511

me. In my previous job, I had been using RMAIL, but as my folders tend

3512

to run large, I was frustrated with the speed of RMAIL@. However, I

3513

stuck with it because I wanted the GNU Emacs interface. I am very

3514

familiar and comfortable with the Emacs interface (with just a few

3515

modifications of my own) and dislike having to use applications with

3516

embedded editors; they never live up to Emacs.

3517

3518

MH is the mail reader of choice at BBN, so I converted to it. Since I

3519

didn't want to give up using an Emacs interface, I started using mh-e.

3520

As is my wont, I started hacking on it almost immediately. I first used

3521

version 3.4m. One of the first features I added was to treat the folder

3522

buffer as a file-visiting buffer: you could lock it, save it, and be

3523

warned of unsaved changes when killing it. I also worked to bring its

3524

functionality a little closer to RMAIL@. Jim Larus was very cooperative

3525

about merging in my changes, and my efforts first appeared in version

3526

3.6, distributed with Emacs 18.52 in 1988. Next I decided mh-e was too

3527

slow and optimized it a lot. Version, 3.7, distributed with Emacs 18.56

3528

in 1990, was noticeably faster.

3529

3530

When I moved to the X Consortium I became the first person there to not

3531

use xmh. (There is now one other engineer there using mh-e.) About

3532

this point I took over maintenance of mh-e from Jim and was finally able

3533

to add some features Jim hadn't accepted, such as the backward searching

3534

undo. My first release was 3.8 (Emacs 18.58) in 1992.

3535

3536

Now, in 1994, we see a flurry of releases, with both 4.0 and 5.0.

3537

Version 4.0 added many new features, including background folder

3538

collection and support for composing @sc{mime} messages. (Reading

3539

@sc{mime} messages remains to be done, alas.) While writing this book,

3540

Bill Wohler gave mh-e its closest examination ever, uncovering bugs and

3541

inconsistencies that required a new major version to fix, and so version

3542

5 was released.

3543

3544

Stephen Gildea, June 1994

3545

3546

@node Copying, Command Index, History, Top

3547

@appendix GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

3548

3549

@center Version 2, June 1991

3550

3551

@display

3552

3553

59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA

3554

3555

Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies

3556

of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

3557

@end display

3558

3559

@appendixsec Preamble

3560

3561

The licenses for most software are designed to take away your

3562

freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public

3563

License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free

3564

software---to make sure the software is free for all its users. This

3565

General Public License applies to most of the Free Software

3566

Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to

3567

using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by

3568

the GNU Library General Public License instead.) You can apply it to

3569

your programs, too.

3570

3571

When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not

3572

price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you

3573

have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for

3574

this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it

3575

if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it

3576

in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.

3577

3578

To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid

3579

anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights.

3580

These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you

3581

distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.

3582

3583

For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether

3584

gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that

3585

you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the

3586

source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their

3587

rights.

3588

3589

We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and

3590

(2) offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy,

3591

distribute and/or modify the software.

3592

3593

Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain

3594

that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free

3595

software. If the software is modified by someone else and passed on, we

3596

want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so

3597

that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original

3598

authors' reputations.

3599

3600

Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software

3601

patents. We wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free

3602

program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the

3603

program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any

3604

patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all.

3605

3606

The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and

3607

modification follow.

3608

3609

@iftex

3610

@appendixsec TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

3611

@end iftex

3612

@ifinfo

3613

@center TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

3614

@end ifinfo

3615

3616

@enumerate 0

3617

@item

3618

This License applies to any program or other work which contains

3619

a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed

3620

under the terms of this General Public License. The ``Program,'' below,

3621

refers to any such program or work, and a ``work based on the Program''

3622

means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law:

3623

that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it,

3624

either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another

3625

language. (Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in

3626

the term ``modification.'') Each licensee is addressed as ``you.''

3627

3628

Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not

3629

covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of

3630

running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program

3631

is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the

3632

Program (independent of having been made by running the Program).

3633

Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.

3634

3635

@item

3636

You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's

3637

source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you

3638

conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate

3639

copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the

3640

notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty;

3641

and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License

3642

along with the Program.

3643

3644

You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and

3645

you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.

3646

3647

@item

3648

You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion

3649

of it, thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and

3650

distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1

3651

above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:

3652

3653

@enumerate a

3654

@item

3655

You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices

3656

stating that you changed the files and the date of any change.

3657

3658

@item

3659

You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in

3660

whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any

3661

part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third

3662

parties under the terms of this License.

3663

3664

@item

3665

If the modified program normally reads commands interactively

3666

when run, you must cause it, when started running for such

3667

interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an

3668

announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a

3669

notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you provide

3670

a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under

3671

these conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this

3672

License. (Exception: if the Program itself is interactive but

3673

does not normally print such an announcement, your work based on

3674

the Program is not required to print an announcement.)

3675

@end enumerate

3676

3677

These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If

3678

identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program,

3679

and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in

3680

themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those

3681

sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you

3682

distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based

3683

on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of

3684

this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the

3685

entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it.

3686

3687

Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest

3688

your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to

3689

exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or

3690

collective works based on the Program.

3691

3692

In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program

3693

with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of

3694

a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under

3695

the scope of this License.

3696

3697

@item

3698

You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it,

3699

under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of

3700

Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:

3701

3702

@enumerate a

3703

@item

3704

Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable

3705

source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections

3706

1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,

3707

3708

@item

3709

Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three

3710

years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your

3711

cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete

3712

machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be

3713

distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium

3714

customarily used for software interchange; or,

3715

3716

@item

3717

Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer

3718

to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is

3719

allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you

3720

received the program in object code or executable form with such

3721

an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)

3722

@end enumerate

3723

3724

The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for

3725

making modifications to it. For an executable work, complete source

3726

code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any

3727

associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to

3728

control compilation and installation of the executable. However, as a

3729

special exception, the source code distributed need not include

3730

anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary

3731

form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the

3732

operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component

3733

itself accompanies the executable.

3734

3735

If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering

3736

access to copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent

3737

access to copy the source code from the same place counts as

3738

distribution of the source code, even though third parties are not

3739

compelled to copy the source along with the object code.

3740

3741

@item

3742

You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program

3743

except as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt

3744

otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or distribute the Program is

3745

void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this License.

3746

However, parties who have received copies, or rights, from you under

3747

this License will not have their licenses terminated so long as such

3748

parties remain in full compliance.

3749

3750

@item

3751

You are not required to accept this License, since you have not

3752

signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to modify or

3753

distribute the Program or its derivative works. These actions are

3754

prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by

3755

modifying or distributing the Program (or any work based on the

3756

Program), you indicate your acceptance of this License to do so, and

3757

all its terms and conditions for copying, distributing or modifying

3758

the Program or works based on it.

3759

3760

@item

3761

Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the

3762

Program), the recipient automatically receives a license from the

3763

original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program subject to

3764

these terms and conditions. You may not impose any further

3765

restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein.

3766

You are not responsible for enforcing compliance by third parties to

3767

this License.

3768

3769

@item

3770

If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent

3771

infringement or for any other reason (not limited to patent issues),

3772

conditions are imposed on you (whether by court order, agreement or

3773

otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this License, they do not

3774

excuse you from the conditions of this License. If you cannot

3775

distribute so as to satisfy simultaneously your obligations under this

3776

License and any other pertinent obligations, then as a consequence you

3777

may not distribute the Program at all. For example, if a patent

3778

license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program by

3779

all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then

3780

the only way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to

3781

refrain entirely from distribution of the Program.

3782

3783

If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under

3784

any particular circumstance, the balance of the section is intended to

3785

apply and the section as a whole is intended to apply in other

3786

circumstances.

3787

3788

It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any

3789

patents or other property right claims or to contest validity of any

3790

such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting the

3791

integrity of the free software distribution system, which is

3792

implemented by public license practices. Many people have made

3793

generous contributions to the wide range of software distributed

3794

through that system in reliance on consistent application of that

3795

system; it is up to the author/donor to decide if he or she is willing

3796

to distribute software through any other system and a licensee cannot

3797

impose that choice.

3798

3799

This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to

3800

be a consequence of the rest of this License.

3801

3802

@item

3803

If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in

3804

certain countries either by patents or by copyrighted interfaces, the

3805

original copyright holder who places the Program under this License

3806

may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation excluding

3807

those countries, so that distribution is permitted only in or among

3808

countries not thus excluded. In such case, this License incorporates

3809

the limitation as if written in the body of this License.

3810

3811

@item

3812

The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new versions

3813

of the General Public License from time to time. Such new versions will

3814

be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to

3815

address new problems or concerns.

3816

3817

Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the Program

3818

specifies a version number of this License which applies to it and ``any

3819

later version,'' you have the option of following the terms and conditions

3820

either of that version or of any later version published by the Free

3821

Software Foundation. If the Program does not specify a version number of

3822

this License, you may choose any version ever published by the Free Software

3823

Foundation.

3824

3825

@item

3826

If you wish to incorporate parts of the Program into other free

3827

programs whose distribution conditions are different, write to the author

3828

to ask for permission. For software which is copyrighted by the Free

3829

Software Foundation, write to the Free Software Foundation; we sometimes

3830

make exceptions for this. Our decision will be guided by the two goals

3831

of preserving the free status of all derivatives of our free software and

3832

of promoting the sharing and reuse of software generally.

3833

3834

@iftex

3835

@heading NO WARRANTY

3836

@end iftex

3837

@ifinfo

3838

@center NO WARRANTY

3839

@end ifinfo

3840

3841

@item

3842

BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY

3843

FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW@. EXCEPT WHEN

3844

OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES

3845

PROVIDE THE PROGRAM ``AS IS'' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED

3846

OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF

3847

MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE@. THE ENTIRE RISK AS

3848

TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU@. SHOULD THE

3849

PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING,

3850

REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

3851

3852

@item

3853

IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING

3854

WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR

3855

REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES,

3856

INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING

3857

OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED

3858

TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY

3859

YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER

3860

PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE

3861

POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

3862

@end enumerate

3863

3864

@iftex

3865

@heading END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

3866

@end iftex

3867

@ifinfo

3868

@center END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

3869

@end ifinfo

3870

3871

@page

3872

@appendixsec How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs

3873

3874

If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest

3875

possible use to the public, the best way to achieve this is to make it

3876

free software which everyone can redistribute and change under these terms.

3877

3878

To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest

3879

to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively

3880

convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least

3881

the ``copyright'' line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.

3882

3883

@smallexample

3884

@var{one line to give the program's name and an idea of what it does.}

3885

Copyright (C) 20@var{yy} @var{name of author}

3886

3887

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or

3888

modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License

3889

as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2

3890

of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

3891

3892

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,

3893

but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of

3894

MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE@. See the

3895

GNU General Public License for more details.

3896

3897

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along

3898

with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,

3899

59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.

3900

@end smallexample

3901

3902

Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.

3903

3904

If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this

3905

when it starts in an interactive mode:

3906

3907

@smallexample

3908

Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) 20@var{yy} @var{name of author}

3909

Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details

3910

type `show w'. This is free software, and you are welcome

3911

to redistribute it under certain conditions; type `show c'

3912

for details.

3913

@end smallexample

3914

3915

The hypothetical commands @samp{show w} and @samp{show c} should show

3916

the appropriate parts of the General Public License. Of course, the

3917

commands you use may be called something other than @samp{show w} and

3918

@samp{show c}; they could even be mouse-clicks or menu items---whatever

3919

suits your program.

3920

3921

You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your

3922

school, if any, to sign a ``copyright disclaimer'' for the program, if

3923

necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names:

3924

3925

@smallexample

3926

@group

3927

Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright

3928

interest in the program `Gnomovision'

3929

(which makes passes at compilers) written

3930

by James Hacker.

3931

3932

@var{signature of Ty Coon}, 1 April 1989

3933

Ty Coon, President of Vice

3934

@end group

3935

@end smallexample

3936

3937

This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into

3938

proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may

3939

consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the

3940

library. If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Library General

3941

Public License instead of this License.

3942

3943

@node Command Index, Variable Index, Copying, Top

3944

@unnumbered Command Index

3945

3946

@printindex fn

3947

3948

@node Variable Index, Concept Index, Command Index, Top

3949

@unnumbered Variable Index

3950

3951

@printindex vr

3952

3953

@node Concept Index, , Variable Index, Top

3954

@unnumbered Concept Index

3955

3956

@printindex cp

3957

3958

@contents

3959

@bye

3960

3961

@c XXX In the sections on customizing mh-e, you can add cross-references

3962

@c to the Emacs manual and the Emacs Lisp manual wherever they are

3963

@c useful. @pxref{node, , section, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}