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1.1 root 1: Info file emacs, produced by texinfo-format-buffer -*-Text-*-
2: from file emacs.tex
3:
4: This file documents the GNU Emacs editor.
5:
6: Copyright (C) 1985, 1986 Richard M. Stallman.
7:
8: Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
9: this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
10: are preserved on all copies.
11:
12: Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
13: manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
14: sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto", "Distribution" and "GNU Emacs
15: General Public License" are included exactly as in the original, and
16: provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the
17: terms of a permission notice identical to this one.
18:
19: Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
20: into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
21: except that the sections entitled "The GNU Manifesto", "Distribution"
22: and "GNU Emacs General Public License" may be included in a translation
23: approved by the author instead of in the original English.
24:
25:
26: File: emacs Node: Mail Format, Prev: Sending Mail, Up: Sending Mail, Next: Mail Headers
27:
28: The Format of the Mail Buffer
29: =============================
30:
31: In addition to the "text" or contents, a message has "header
32: fields" which say who sent it, when, to whom, why, and so on. Some header
33: fields such as the date and sender are created automatically after the
34: message is sent. Others, such as the recipient names, must be specified by
35: you in order to send the message properly.
36:
37: Mail mode provides a few commands to help you edit some header fields,
38: and some are preinitialized in the buffer automatically at times. You can
39: insert or edit any header fields using ordinary editing commands.
40:
41: The line in the buffer that says
42:
43: --text follows this line--
44:
45: is a special delimiter that separates the headers you have specified from
46: the text. Whatever follows this line is the text of the message; the
47: headers precede it. The delimiter line itself does not appear in the
48: message actually sent. The text used for the delimiter line is controlled
49: by the variable `mail-header-separator'.
50:
51: Here is an example of what the headers and text in the `*mail*' buffer
52: might look like.
53:
54: To: rms@mc
55: CC: mly@mc, rg@oz
56: Subject: The Emacs Manual
57: --Text follows this line--
58: Please ignore this message.
59:
60:
61: File: emacs Node: Mail Headers, Prev: Mail Format, Up: Sending Mail, Next: Mail Mode
62:
63: Mail Header Fields
64: ==================
65:
66: There are several header fields you can use in the `*mail*' buffer.
67: Each header field starts with a field name at the beginning of a line,
68: terminated by a colon. It does not matter whether you use upper or lower
69: case in the field name. After the colon and optional whitespace comes the
70: contents of the field.
71:
72: `To'
73: This field contains the mailing addresses to which the message is
74: addressed.
75:
76: `Subject'
77: The contents of the `Subject' field should be a piece of text
78: that says what the message is about. The reason `Subject' fields
79: are useful is that most mail-reading programs can provide a summary of
80: messages, listing the subject of each message but not its text.
81:
82: `CC'
83: This field contains additional mailing addresses to send the message
84: to, but whose readers should not regard the message as addressed to
85: them.
86:
87: `BCC'
88: This field contains additional mailing addresses to send the message
89: to, but which should not appear in the header of the message actually
90: sent.
91:
92: `FCC'
93: This field contains the name of one file (in Unix mail file format) to
94: which a copy of the message should be appended when the message is
95: sent.
96:
97: `From'
98: Use the `From' field to say who you are, when the account you are
99: using to send the mail is not your own. The contents of the
100: `From' field should be a valid mailing address, since replies
101: will normally go there.
102:
103: `Reply-To'
104: Use the `Reply-to' field to direct replies to a different
105: address, not your own. There is no difference between `From' and
106: `Reply-to' in their effect on where replies go, but they convey a
107: different meaning to the human who reads the message.
108:
109: `In-Reply-To'
110: This field contains a piece of text describing a message you are
111: replying to. Some mail systems can use this information to correlate
112: related pieces of mail. Normally this field is filled in by Rmail
113: when you are replying to a message in Rmail, and you never need to
114: think about it (*Note Rmail::).
115:
116: The `To', `CC', `BCC' and `FCC' fields can appear
117: any number of times, to specify many places to send the message.
118:
119: The `To', `CC', and `BCC' fields can have continuation lines. All the
120: lines starting with whitespace, following the line on which the field
121: starts, are considered part of the field. For example,
122:
123: To: foo@here, this@there,
124: [email protected]
125:
126: If you have a `~/.mailrc' file, Emacs will scan it for mail aliases
127: the first time you try to send mail in an Emacs session. Aliases found
128: in the `To', `CC', and `BCC' fields will be expanded where
129: appropriate.
130:
131: If the variable `mail-archive-file-name' is non-`nil', it should be a
132: string naming a file; every time you start to edit a message to send,
133: an `FCC' field will be put in for that file. Unless you remove the
134: `FCC' field, every message will be written into that file when it is
135: sent.
136:
137:
138: File: emacs Node: Mail Mode, Prev: Mail Headers, Up: Sending Mail
139:
140: Mail Mode
141: =========
142:
143: The major mode used in the `*mail*' buffer is Mail mode, which is
144: much like Text mode except that various special commands are provided on
145: the `C-c' prefix. These commands all have to do specifically with
146: editing or sending the message.
147:
148: `C-c C-s'
149: Send the message, and leave the `*mail*' buffer selected
150: (`mail-send').
151: `C-c C-c'
152: Send the message, and select some other buffer (`mail-send-and-exit').
153: `C-c C-f C-t'
154: Move to the `To' header field, creating one if there is none
155: (`mail-to').
156: `C-c C-f C-s'
157: Move to the `Subject' header field, creating one if there is
158: none (`mail-subject').
159: `C-c C-f C-c'
160: Move to the `CC' header field, creating one if there is none
161: (`mail-cc').
162: `C-c C-w'
163: Insert the file `~/.signature' at the end of the message text
164: (`mail-signature').
165: `C-c C-y'
166: Yank the selected message from Rmail (`mail-yank-original').
167: This command does nothing unless your command to start sending a
168: message was issued with Rmail.
169: `C-c C-q'
170: Fill all paragraphs of yanked old messages, each individually
171: (`mail-fill-yanked-message').
172:
173: There are two ways to send the message. `C-c C-s' (`mail-send')
174: sends the message and marks the `*mail*' buffer unmodified, but leaves
175: that buffer selected so that you can modify the message (perhaps with new
176: recipients) and send it again. `C-c C-c' (`mail-send-and-exit')
177: sends and then deletes the window (if there is another window) or switches
178: to another buffer. It puts the `*mail*' buffer at the lowest priority
179: for automatic reselection, since you are finished with using it. This is
180: the usual way to send the message.
181:
182: Mail mode provides some other special commands that are useful for
183: editing the headers and text of the message before you send it. There are
184: three commands defined to move point to particular header fields, all based
185: on the prefix `C-c C-f' (`C-f' is for "field"). They are
186: `C-c C-f C-t' (`mail-to') to move to the `To' field, `C-c
187: C-f C-s' (`mail-subject') for the `Subject' field, and `C-c
188: C-f C-c' (`mail-cc') for the `CC' field. These fields have
189: special motion commands because they are the most common fields for the
190: user to want to edit.
191:
192: `C-c C-w' (`mail-signature') adds a standard piece text at the end of the
193: message to say more about who you are. The text comes from the file
194: `.signature' in your home directory.
195:
196: When mail sending is invoked from the Rmail mail reader using an Rmail
197: command, `C-c C-y' can be used inside the `*mail*' buffer to insert the
198: text of the message you are replying to. Normally it indents each line of
199: that message four spaces and eliminates most header fields. A numeric
200: argument specifies the number of spaces to indent. An argument of just
201: `C-u' says not to indent at all and not to eliminate anything. `C-c C-y'
202: always uses the current message from the `RMAIL' buffer, so you can insert
203: several old messages by selecting one in `RMAIL', switching to `*mail*' and
204: yanking it, then switching back to `RMAIL' to select another.
205:
206: After using `C-c C-y', the command `C-c C-q' (`mail-fill-yanked-message') can
207: be used to fill the paragraphs of the yanked old message or messages. One
208: use of `C-c C-q' fills all such paragraphs, each one separately.
209:
210: Turning on Mail mode (which `C-x m' does automatically) calls the
211: value of `text-mode-hook', if it is not void or `nil', and then calls
212: the value of `mail-mode-hook' if that is not void or `nil'.
213:
214:
215: File: emacs Node: Rmail, Prev: Sending Mail, Up: Top, Next: Recursive Edit
216:
217: Reading Mail with Rmail
218: ***********************
219:
220: Rmail is an Emacs subsystem for reading and disposing of mail that you
221: receive. Rmail stores mail messages in files called Rmail files. Reading
222: the message in an Rmail file is done in a special major mode, Rmail mode,
223: which redefines most letters to run commands for managing mail. To enter
224: Rmail, type `M-x rmail'. This reads your primary mail file, merges
225: new mail in from your inboxes, displays the first new message, and lets
226: you begin reading.
227:
228: Using Rmail in the simplest fashion, you have one Rmail file `~/RMAIL'
229: in which all of your mail is saved. It is called your "primary mail
230: file". In more sophisticated usage, you can copy messages into other Rmail
231: files and then edit those files with Rmail.
232:
233: Rmail displays only one message at a time. It is called the "current
234: message". Rmail mode's special commands can do such things as move to
235: another message, delete the message, copy the message into another file, or
236: send a reply.
237:
238: Within the Rmail file, messages are arranged sequentially in order
239: of receipt. They are also assigned consecutive integers as their
240: "message numbers". The number of the current message is displayed
241: in Rmail's mode line, followed by the total number of messages in the
242: file. You can move to a message by specifying its message number
243: using the `j' key (*Note Rmail Motion::).
244:
245: Following the usual conventions of Emacs, changes in an Rmail file become
246: permanent only when the file is saved. You can do this with `s'
247: (`rmail-save'), which also expunges deleted messages from the file
248: first (*Note Rmail Deletion::). To save the file without expunging, use
249: `C-x C-s'. Rmail saves the Rmail file spontaneously when moving new
250: mail from an inbox file (*Note Rmail Inbox::).
251:
252: You can exit Rmail with `q' (`rmail-quit'); this expunges and saves the
253: Rmail file and then switches to another buffer. But there is no need to
254: `exit' formally. If you switch from Rmail to editing in other buffers, and
255: never happen to switch back, you have exited. Just make sure to save the
256: Rmail file eventually (like any other file you have changed). `C-x s'
257: is a good enough way to do this (*Note Saving::).
258:
259: * Menu:
260:
261: * Scroll: Rmail Scrolling. Scrolling through a message.
262: * Motion: Rmail Motion. Moving to another message.
263: * Deletion: Rmail Deletion. Deleting and expunging messages.
264: * Inbox: Rmail Inbox. How mail gets into the Rmail file.
265: * Files: Rmail Files. Using multiple Rmail files.
266: * Output: Rmail Output. Copying message out to files.
267: * Labels: Rmail Labels. Classifying messages by labeling them.
268: * Summary: Rmail Summary. Summaries show brief info on many messages.
269: * Reply: Rmail Reply. Sending replies to messages you are viewing.
270: * Editing: Rmail Editing. Editing message text and headers in Rmail.
271: * Digest: Rmail Digest. Extracting the messages from a digest message.
272:
273:
274: File: emacs Node: Rmail Scrolling, Prev: Rmail, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Motion
275:
276: Scrolling Within a Message
277: ==========================
278:
279: When Rmail displays a message that does not fit on the screen, it is
280: necessary to scroll through it. This could be done with `C-v', `M-v'
281: and `M-<', but in Rmail scrolling is so frequent that it deserves to be
282: easier to type.
283:
284: `SPC'
285: Scroll forward (`scroll-up').
286: `DEL'
287: Scroll backward (`scroll-down').
288: `.'
289: Scroll to start of message (`rmail-beginning-of-message').
290:
291: Since the most common thing to do while reading a message is to scroll
292: through it by screenfuls, Rmail makes SPC and DEL synonyms of
293: `C-v' (`scroll-up') and `M-v' (`scroll-down')
294:
295: The command `.' (`rmail-beginning-of-message') scrolls back to the
296: beginning of the selected message. This is not quite the same as `M-<':
297: for one thing, it does not set the mark; for another, it resets the buffer
298: boundaries to the current message if you have changed them.
299:
300:
301: File: emacs Node: Rmail Motion, Prev: Rmail Scrolling, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Deletion
302:
303: Moving Among Messages
304: =====================
305:
306: The most basic thing to do with a message is to read it. The way to do
307: this in Rmail is to make the message current. You can make any message
308: current given its message number using the `j' command, but the usual
309: thing to do is to move sequentially through the file, since this is the
310: order of receipt of messages. When you enter Rmail, you are positioned at
311: the first new message (new messages are those received since the previous
312: use of Rmail), or at the last message if there are no new messages this
313: time. Move forward to see the other new messages; move backward to
314: reexamine old messages.
315:
316: `n'
317: Move to the next nondeleted message, skipping any intervening deleted
318: messages (`rmail-next-undeleted-message').
319: `p'
320: Move to the previous nondeleted message
321: (`rmail-previous-undeleted-message').
322: `M-n'
323: Move to the next message, including deleted messages
324: (`rmail-next-message').
325: `M-p'
326: Move to the previous message, including deleted messages
327: (`rmail-previous-message').
328: `j'
329: Move to the first message. With argument N, move to
330: message number N (`rmail-show-message').
331: `>'
332: Move to the last message (`rmail-last-message').
333:
334: `M-s REGEXP RET'
335: Move to the next message containing a match for REGEXP
336: (`rmail-search'). If REGEXP is empty, the last regexp used is
337: used again.
338:
339: `- M-s REGEXP RET'
340: Move to the previous message containing a match for REGEXP.
341: If REGEXP is empty, the last regexp used is used again.
342:
343: `n' and `p' are the usual way of moving among messages in Rmail. They
344: move through the messages sequentially, but skip over deleted messages,
345: which is usually what you want to do. Their command definitions are named
346: `rmail-next-undeleted-message' and `rmail-previous-undeleted-message'. If
347: you do not want to skip deleted messages---for example, if you want to move
348: to a message to undelete it---use the variants `M-n' and `M-p'
349: (`rmail-next-message' and `rmail-previous-message'). A numeric argument to
350: any of these commands serves as a repeat count.
351:
352: In Rmail, you can specify a numeric argument by typing the digits.
353: It is not necessary to type `C-u' first.
354:
355: The `M-s' (`rmail-search') command is Rmail's version of search. The
356: usual incremental search command `C-s' works in Rmail, but it searches
357: only within the current message. The purpose of `M-s' is to search for
358: another message. It reads a regular expression (*Note Regexps::)
359: nonincrementally, then searches starting at the beginning of the following
360: message for a match. The message containing the match is selected.
361:
362: To search backward in the file for another message, give `M-s' a
363: negative argument. In Rmail this can be done with `- M-s'.
364:
365: It is also possible to search for a message based on labels.
366: *Note Rmail Labels::.
367:
368: To move to a message specified by absolute message number, use `j'
369: (`rmail-show-message') with the message number as argument. With no
370: argument, `j' selects the first message. `>' (`rmail-last-message') selects
371: the last message.
372:
373:
374: File: emacs Node: Rmail Deletion, Prev: Rmail Motion, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Inbox
375:
376: Deleting Messages
377: =================
378:
379: When you no longer need to keep a message, you can "delete" it. This
380: flags it as ignorable, and some Rmail commands will pretend it is no longer
381: present; but it still has its place in the Rmail file, and still has its
382: message number.
383:
384: "Expunging" the Rmail file actually removes the deleted messages.
385: The remaining messages are renumbered consecutively. Expunging is the only
386: action that changes the message number of any message, except for
387: undigestifying (*Note Rmail Digest::).
388:
389: `d'
390: Delete the current message, and move to the next nondeleted message
391: (`rmail-delete-forward').
392: `C-d'
393: Delete the current message, and move to the previous nondeleted
394: message (`rmail-delete-backward').
395: `u'
396: Undelete the current message, or move back to a deleted message and
397: undelete it (`rmail-undelete-previous-message').
398: `x'
399: `e'
400: Expunge the Rmail file (`rmail-expunge'). These two
401: commands are synonyms.
402:
403: There are two Rmail commands for deleting messages. Both delete the
404: current message and select another message. `d' (`rmail-delete-forward')
405: moves to the following message, skipping messages already deleted, while
406: `C-d' (`rmail-delete-backward') moves to the previous nondeleted message.
407: If there is no nondeleted message to move to in the specified direction,
408: the message that was just deleted remains current.
409:
410: To make all the deleted messages finally vanish from the Rmail file,
411: type `e' (`rmail-expunge'). Until you do this, you can still "undelete"
412: the deleted messages.
413:
414: To undelete, type
415: `u' (`rmail-undelete-previous-message'), which is designed to cancel the
416: effect of a `d' command (usually). It undeletes the current message
417: if the current message is deleted. Otherwise it moves backward to previous
418: messages until a deleted message is found, and undeletes that message.
419:
420: You can usually undo a `d' with a `u' because the `u' moves back to and
421: undeletes the message that the `d' deleted. But this does not work when
422: the `d' skips a few already-deleted messages that follow the message being
423: deleted; then the `u' command will undelete the last of the messages that
424: were skipped. There is no clean way to avoid this problem. However, by
425: repeating the `u' command, you can eventually get back to the message that
426: you intended to undelete. You can also reach that message with `M-p'
427: commands and then type `u'.
428:
429: A deleted message has the `deleted' attribute, and as a result
430: `deleted' appears in the mode line when the current message is
431: deleted. In fact, deleting or undeleting a message is nothing more than
432: adding or removing this attribute. *Note Rmail Labels::.
433:
434:
435: File: emacs Node: Rmail Inbox, Prev: Rmail Deletion, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Files
436:
437: Rmail Files and Inboxes
438: =======================
439:
440: Unix places incoming mail for you in a file that we call your "inbox".
441: When you start up Rmail, it copies the new messages from your inbox into
442: your primary mail file, an Rmail file, which also contains other messages
443: saved from previous Rmail sessions. It is in this file that you actually
444: read the mail with Rmail. This operation is called "getting new mail".
445: It can be repeated at any time using the `g' key in Rmail. The inbox
446: file name is `/usr/spool/mail/USERNAME' in Berkeley Unix,
447: `/usr/mail/USERNAME' in system V.
448:
449: There are two reason for having separate Rmail files and inboxes.
450:
451: 1. The format in which Unix delivers the mail in the inbox is not
452: adequate for Rmail mail storage. It has no way to record attributes
453: (such as `deleted') or user-specified labels; it has no way to record
454: old headers and reformatted headers; it has no way to record cached
455: summary line information.
456:
457: 2. It is very cumbersome to access an inbox file without danger of losing
458: mail, because it is necessary to interlock with mail delivery.
459: Moreover, different Unix systems use different interlocking
460: techniques. The strategy of moving mail out of the inbox once and for
461: all into a separate Rmail file avoids the need for interlocking in all
462: the rest of Rmail, since only Rmail operates on the Rmail file.
463:
464: When getting new mail, Rmail first copies the new mail from the inbox
465: file to the Rmail file; then it saves the Rmail file; then it deletes the
466: inbox file. This way, a system crash may cause duplication of mail between
467: the inbox and the Rmail file, but cannot lose mail.
468:
469: Copying mail from an inbox in the system's mailer directory actually puts
470: it in an intermediate file `~/.newmail'. This is because the
471: interlocking is done by a C program that copies to another file.
472: `~/.newmail' is deleted after mail merging is successful. If there is
473: a crash at the wrong time, this file will continue to exist and will be
474: used as an inbox the next time you get new mail.
475:
476:
477: File: emacs Node: Rmail Files, Prev: Rmail Inbox, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Output
478:
479: Multiple Mail Files
480: ===================
481:
482: Rmail operates by default on your "primary mail file", which is named
483: `~/RMAIL' and receives your incoming mail from your system inbox file.
484: But you can also have other mail files and edit them with Rmail. These
485: files can receive mail through their own inboxes, or you can move messages
486: into them by explicit command in Rmail (*Note Rmail Output::).
487:
488: `i FILE RET'
489: Read FILE into Emacs and run Rmail on it (`rmail-input').
490:
491: `M-x set-rmail-inbox-list RET FILES RET'
492: Specify inbox file names for current Rmail file to get mail from.
493:
494: `g'
495: Merge new mail from current Rmail file's inboxes
496: (`rmail-get-new-mail').
497:
498: `C-u g FILE'
499: Merge new mail from inbox file FILE.
500:
501: To run Rmail on a file other than your primary mail file, you may use the
502: `i' (`rmail-input') command in Rmail. This visits the file, puts it in
503: Rmail mode, and then gets new mail from the file's inboxes if any.
504: You can also use `M-x rmail-input' even when not in Rmail.
505:
506: The file you read with `i' does not have to be in Rmail file format.
507: It could also be Unix mail format, or mmdf format; or it could be a mixture
508: of all three, as long as each message belongs to one of the three formats.
509: Rmail recognizes all three and converts all the messages to proper Rmail
510: format before showing you the file.
511:
512: Each Rmail file can contain a list of inbox file names; you can specify
513: this list with `M-x set-rmail-inbox-list RET FILES RET'. The argument can
514: contain any number of file names, separated by commas. It can also be
515: empty, which specifies that this file should have no inboxes. Once a list
516: of inboxes is specified, the Rmail file remembers it permanently until it
517: is explicitly changed.
518:
519: If an Rmail file has inboxes, new mail is merged in from the inboxes when
520: the Rmail file is brought into Rmail, and when the `g' (`rmail-get-new-mail')
521: command is used. If the Rmail file specifies no inboxes, then no new mail
522: is merged in at these times. A special exception is made for your primary
523: mail file in using the standard system inbox for it if it does not specify
524: any.
525:
526: To merge mail from a file that is not the usual inbox, give the `g'
527: key a numeric argument, as in `C-u g'. Then it reads a file name and
528: merges mail from that file. The inbox file is not deleted or changed in
529: any way when `g' with an argument is used. This is, therefore, a
530: general way of merging one file of messages into another.
531:
532:
533: File: emacs Node: Rmail Output, Prev: Rmail Files, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Labels
534:
535: Copying Messages Out to Files
536: =============================
537:
538: `o FILE RET'
539: Append a copy of the current message to the file FILE,
540: writing it in Rmail file format (`rmail-output-to-rmail-file').
541:
542: `C-o FILE RET'
543: Append a copy of the current message to the file FILE,
544: writing it in Unix mail file format (`rmail-output').
545:
546: If an Rmail file has no inboxes, how does it get anything in it? By
547: explicit `o' commands.
548:
549: `o' (`rmail-output-to-rmail-file') appends the current message
550: in Rmail format to the end of the specified file. This is the best command
551: to use to move messages between Rmail files. If the other Rmail file is
552: currently visited, the copying is done into the other file's Emacs buffer
553: instead. You should eventually save it on disk.
554:
555: The `C-o' (`rmail-output') command in Rmail appends a copy of the current
556: message to a specified file, in Unix mail file format. This is useful for
557: moving messages into files to be read by other mail processors that do not
558: understand Rmail format.
559:
560: Copying a message with `o' or `C-o' gives the original copy of the
561: message the `filed' attribute, so that `filed' appears in the mode
562: line when such a message is current.
563:
564: Normally you should use only `o' to output messages to other Rmail
565: files, never `C-o'. But it is also safe if you always use `C-o',
566: never `o'. When a file is visited in Rmail, the last message is
567: checked, and if it is in Unix format, the entire file is scanned and all
568: Unix-format messages are converted to Rmail format. (The reason for
569: checking the last message is that scanning the file is slow and most Rmail
570: files have only Rmail format messages.) If you use `C-o' consistently,
571: the last message is sure to be in Unix format, so Rmail will convert all
572: messages properly.
573:
574: The case where you might want to use `C-o' always, instead of `o'
575: always, is when you or other users want to append mail to the same file
576: from other mail processors. Other mail processors probably do not know
577: Rmail format but do know Unix format.
578:
579: In any case, always use `o' to add to an Rmail file that is being
580: visited in Rmail. Adding messages with `C-o' to the actual disk file
581: will trigger a "simultaneous editing" warning when you ask to save the
582: Emacs buffer, and will be lost if you do save.
583:
584:
585: File: emacs Node: Rmail Labels, Prev: Rmail Output, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Summary
586:
587: Labels
588: ======
589:
590: Each message can have various "labels" assigned to it as a means of
591: classification. A label has a name; different names mean different labels.
592: Any given label is either present or absent on a particular message. A few
593: label names have standard meanings and are given to messages automatically
594: by Rmail when appropriate; these special labels are called "attributes".
595: All other labels are assigned by the user.
596:
597: `a LABEL RET'
598: Assign the label LABEL to the current message (`rmail-add-label').
599: `k LABEL RET'
600: Remove the label LABEL from the current message (`rmail-kill-label').
601: `C-M-n LABELS RET'
602: Move to the next message that has one of the labels LABELS
603: (`rmail-next-labeled-message').
604: `C-M-p LABELS RET'
605: Move to the previous message that has one of the labels LABELS
606: (`rmail-previous-labeled-message').
607: `C-M-l LABELS RET'
608: Make a summary of all messages containing any of the labels LABELS
609: (`rmail-summary-by-labels').
610:
611: Specifying an empty string for one these commands means to use the last
612: label specified for any of these commands.
613:
614: The `a' (`rmail-add-label') and `k' (`rmail-kill-label') commands allow
615: you to assign or remove any label on the current message. If the LABEL
616: argument is empty, it means to assign or remove the same label most
617: recently assigned or removed.
618:
619: Once you have given messages labels to classify them as you wish, there
620: are two ways to use the labels: in moving and in summaries.
621:
622: The command `C-M-n LABELS RET' (`rmail-next-labeled-message') moves to
623: the next message that has one of the labels LABELS. LABELS is one or more
624: label names, separated by commas. `C-M-p'
625: (`rmail-previous-labeled-message') is similar, but moves backwards to
626: previous messages. A preceding numeric argument to either one serves as a
627: repeat count.
628:
629: The command `C-M-l LABELS RET' (`rmail-summary-by-labels') displays a
630: summary containing only the messages that have at least one of a specified
631: set of messages. The argument LABELS is one or more label names, separated
632: by commas. *Note Rmail Summary::, for information on summaries.
633:
634: If the LABELS argument to `C-M-n', `C-M-p' or `C-M-l' is empty, it means
635: to use the last set of labels specified for any of these commands.
636:
637: Some labels such as `deleted' and `filed' have built-in meanings and
638: are assigned to or removed from messages automatically at appropriate
639: times; these labels are called "attributes". Here is a list of Rmail
640: attributes:
641:
642: `unseen'
643: Means the message has never been current. Assigned to messages when
644: they come from an inbox file, and removed when a message is made
645: current.
646: `deleted'
647: Means the message is deleted. Assigned by deletion commands and
648: removed by undeletion commands (*Note Rmail Deletion::).
649: `filed'
650: Means the message has been copied to some other file. Assigned by the
651: file output commands (*Note Rmail Files::).
652: `answered'
653: Means you have mailed an answer to the message. Assigned by the `r'
654: command (`rmail-reply'). *Note Rmail Reply::.
655: `forwarded'
656: Means you have forwarded the message to other users. Assigned by the
657: `f' command (`rmail-forward'). *Note Rmail Reply::.
658: `edited'
659: Means you have edited the text of the message within Rmail.
660: *Note Rmail Editing::.
661:
662: All other labels are assigned or removed only by the user, and it is up
663: to the user to decide what they mean.
664:
665:
666: File: emacs Node: Rmail Summary, Prev: Rmail Labels, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Reply
667:
668: Summaries
669: =========
670:
671: A "summary" is a buffer containing one line per message that Rmail
672: can make and display to give you an overview of the mail in an Rmail file.
673: Each line shows the message number, the sender, the labels, and the
674: subject. When the summary buffer is selected, various commands can be used
675: to select messages by moving in the summary buffer, or delete or undelete
676: messages.
677:
678: A summary buffer applies to a single Rmail file only; if you are
679: editing multiple Rmail files, they have separate summary buffers. The
680: summary buffer name is made by appending `-summary' to the Rmail buffer's
681: name. Only one summary buffer will be displayed at a time unless you make
682: several windows and select the summary buffers by hand.
683:
684: * Menu:
685:
686: * Rmail Make Summary:: Making various sorts of summaries.
687: * Rmail Summary Edit:: Manipulating messages from the summary.
688:
689:
690: File: emacs Node: Rmail Make Summary, Prev: Rmail Summary, Up: Rmail Summary, Next: Rmail Summary Edit
691:
692: Making Summaries
693: ----------------
694:
695: Here are the commands to create a summary for the current Rmail file.
696: Summaries do not update automatically; to make an updated summary, you
697: must use one of these commands again.
698:
699: `h'
700: `C-M-h'
701: Summarize all messages (`rmail-summary').
702: `l LABELS RET'
703: `C-M-l LABELS RET'
704: Summarize message that have one or more of the specified labels
705: (`rmail-summary-by-labels').
706: `C-M-r RCPTS RET'
707: Summarize messages that have one or more of the specified recipients
708: (`rmail-summary-by-recipients')
709:
710: The `h' or `C-M-h' (`rmail-summary') command fills the summary buffer
711: for the current Rmail file with a summary of all the messages in the file.
712: It then displays and selects the summary buffer in another window.
713:
714: `C-M-l LABELS RET' (`rmail-summary-by-labels') makes a partial summary
715: mentioning only the messages that have one or more of the labels LABELS.
716: LABELS should contain label names separated by commas.
717:
718: `C-M-r RCPTS RET' (`rmail-summary-by-recipients') makes a partial summary
719: mentioning only the messages that have one or more of the recipients RCPTS.
720: RCPTS should contain mailing addresses separated by commas.
721:
722: Note that there is only one summary buffer for any Rmail file; making one
723: kind of summary discards any previously made summary.
724:
725:
726: File: emacs Node: Rmail Summary Edit, Prev: Rmail Make Summary, Up: Rmail Summary
727:
728: Editing in Summaries
729: --------------------
730:
731: Summary buffers are given the major mode Rmail Summary mode, which
732: provides the following special commands:
733:
734: `j'
735: Select the message described by the line that point is on
736: (`rmail-summary-goto-msg').
737: `C-n'
738: Move to next line and select its message in Rmail
739: (`rmail-summary-next-all').
740: `C-p'
741: Move to previous line and select its message
742: (`rmail-summary-previous-all').
743: `n'
744: Move to next line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select its
745: message (`rmail-summary-next-msg').
746: `p'
747: Move to previous line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select
748: its message (`rmail-summary-previous-msg').
749: `d'
750: Delete the current line's message, then do like `n'
751: (`rmail-summary-delete-forward').
752: `u'
753: Undelete and select this message or the previous deleted message in
754: the summary (`rmail-summary-undelete').
755: `SPC'
756: Scroll the other window (presumably Rmail) forward
757: (`rmail-summary-scroll-msg-up').
758: `DEL'
759: Scroll the other window backward (`rmail-summary-scroll-msg-down').
760: `x'
761: Kill the summary window (`rmail-summary-exit').
762: `q'
763: Exit Rmail (`rmail-summary-quit').
764:
765: The keys `C-n' and `C-p' are modified in Rmail Summary mode so that in
766: addition to moving point in the summary buffer they also cause the line's
767: message to become current in the associated Rmail buffer. That buffer is
768: also made visible in another window if it is not already so.
769:
770: `n' and `p' are similar to `C-n' and `C-p', but skip lines that say
771: `message deleted'. They are like the `n' and `p' keys of Rmail itself.
772: Note, however, that in a partial summary these commands move only among the
773: message listed in the summary.
774:
775: The other Emacs cursor motion commands are not changed in Rmail Summary
776: mode, so it is easy to get the point on a line whose message is not
777: selected in Rmail. This can also happen if you switch to the Rmail window
778: and switch messages there. To get the Rmail buffer back in sync with the
779: summary, use the `j' (`rmail-summary-goto-msg') command, which selects
780: in Rmail the message of the current summary line.
781:
782: Deletion and undeletion can also be done from the summary buffer. They
783: always work based on where point is located in the summary buffer, ignoring
784: which message is selected in Rmail. `d' (`rmail-summary-delete-forward')
785: deletes the current line's message, then moves to the next line whose
786: message is not deleted and selects that message. The inverse of this is
787: `u' (`rmail-summary-undelete'), which moves back (if necessary) to a line
788: whose message is deleted, undeletes that message, and selects it in Rmail.
789:
790: When moving through messages with the summary buffer, it is convenient to
791: be able to scroll the message while remaining in the summary window. The
792: commands SPC (`rmail-summary-scroll-up') and DEL
793: (`rmail-summary-scroll-down') do this. They scroll the message just as
794: those same keys do when the Rmail buffer is selected.
795:
796: When you are finished using the summary, type `x' (`rmail-summary-exit')
797: to kill the summary buffer's window.
798:
799: You can also exit Rmail while in the summary. `q' (`rmail-summary-quit')
800: kills the summary window, then saves the Rmail file and switches to another
801: buffer.
802:
803:
804: File: emacs Node: Rmail Reply, Prev: Rmail Summary, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Editing
805:
806: Sending Replies
807: ===============
808:
809: Rmail has several commands that use Mail mode to send outgoing mail.
810: *Note Sending Mail::, for information on using Mail mode. What are
811: documented here are the special commands of Rmail for entering Mail mode.
812: Note that the usual keys for sending mail, `C-x m' and `C-x 4 m', are
813: available in Rmail mode and work just as they usually do.
814:
815: `m'
816: Send a message (`rmail-mail').
817: `c'
818: Continue editing already started outgoing message (`rmail-continue').
819: `r'
820: Send a reply to the current Rmail message (`rmail-reply').
821: `f'
822: Forward current message to other users (`rmail-forward').
823:
824: The most common reason to send a message while in Rmail is to reply to
825: the message you are reading. To do this, type `r' (`rmail-reply'). This
826: displays the `*mail*' buffer in another window, much like `C-x 4 m', but
827: preinitializes the `Subject', `To', `CC' and `In-reply-to' header fields
828: based on the message being replied to. The `To' field is given the sender
829: of that message, and the `CC' gets all the recipients of that message (but
830: recipients that match elements of the list `rmail-dont-reply-to' are
831: omitted; by default, this list contains your own mailing address).
832:
833: Once you have initialized the `*mail*' buffer this way, sending the
834: mail goes as usual (*Note Sending Mail::). You can edit the presupplied
835: header fields if they are not right for you.
836:
837: One additional Mail mode command is available when mailing is invoked
838: from Rmail: `C-c C-y' (`mail-yank-original') inserts into the outgoing
839: message a copy of the current Rmail message; normally this is the message
840: you are replying to, but you can also switch to the Rmail buffer, select a
841: different message, switch back, and yank new current message. Normally the
842: yanked message is indented four spaces and has most header fields deleted
843: from it; an argument to `C-c y' specifies the amount to indent, and `C-u
844: C-c C-y' does not indent at all and does not delete any header fields.
845:
846: Another frequent reason to send mail in Rmail is to forward the current
847: message to other users. `f' (`rmail-forward') makes this easy by
848: preinitializing the `*mail*' buffer with the current message as the text,
849: and a subject designating a forwarded message. All you have to do is fill
850: in the recipients and send.
851:
852: The `m' (`rmail-mail') command is used to start editing an outgoing
853: message that is not a reply. It leaves the header fields empty. Its only
854: difference from `C-x 4 m' is that it makes the Rmail buffer accessible for
855: `C-c y', just as `r' does. Thus, `m' can be used to reply to or forward a
856: message; it can do anything `r' or `f' can do.
857:
858: The `c' (`rmail-continue') command resumes editing the `*mail*' buffer,
859: to finish editing an outgoing message you were already composing, or to
860: alter a message you have sent.
861:
862:
863: File: emacs Node: Rmail Editing, Prev: Rmail Reply, Up: Rmail, Next: Rmail Digest
864:
865: Editing Within a Message
866: ========================
867:
868: Rmail mode provides a few special commands for moving within and editing
869: the current message. In addition, the usual Emacs commands are available
870: (except for a few, such as `C-M-n' and `C-M-h', that are redefined by Rmail for
871: other purposes). However, the Rmail buffer is normally read-only, and to
872: alter it you must use the Rmail command `w' described below.
873:
874: `t'
875: Toggle display of original headers (`rmail-toggle-headers').
876: `w'
877: Edit current message (`rmail-edit-current-message').
878:
879: Rmail reformats the header of each message before displaying it.
880: Normally this involves deleting most header fields, on the grounds that
881: they are not interesting. The variable `rmail-ignored-headers' should
882: contain a regexp that matches the header fields to discard in this way.
883: The original headers are saved permanently, and to see what they look like,
884: use the `t' (`rmail-toggle-headers') command. This discards the reformatted
885: headers of the current message and displays it with the original headers.
886: Repeating `t' reformats the message again. Selecting the message again
887: also reformats.
888:
889: The Rmail buffer is normally read only, and most of the characters you
890: would type to modify it (including most letters) are redefined as Rmail
891: commands. This is usually not a problem since it is rare to want to change
892: the text of a message. When you do want to do this, the way is to type
893: `w' (`rmail-edit-current-message'), which changes from Rmail mode into
894: Rmail Edit mode, another major mode which is nearly the same as Text mode.
895: The mode line illustrates this change.
896:
897: In Rmail Edit mode, letters insert themselves as usual and the Rmail
898: commands are not available. When you are finished editing the message and
899: are ready to go back to Rmail, type `C-c C-c', which switches back to
900: Rmail mode. Alternatively, you can return to Rmail mode but cancel all the
901: editing that you have done by typing `C-c C-]'.
902:
903: Entering Rmail Edit mode calls with no arguments the value of the variable
904: `text-mode-hook', if that value exists and is not `nil'; then it
905: does the same with the variable `rmail-edit-mode-hook'. It adds the
906: attribute `edited' to the message.
907:
908:
909: File: emacs Node: Rmail Digest, Prev: Rmail Editing, Up: Rmail
910:
911: Digest Messages
912: ===============
913:
914: A "digest message" is a message which exists to contain and carry
915: several other messages. Digests are used on moderated mailing lists; all
916: the messages that arrive for the list during a period of time such as one
917: day are put inside a single digest which is then sent to the subscribers.
918: Transmitting the single digest uses much less computer time than
919: transmitting the individual messages even though the total size is the
920: same, because the per-message overhead in network mail transmission is
921: considerable.
922:
923: When you receive a digest message, the most convenient way to read it is
924: to "undigestify" it: to turn it back into many individual messages.
925: Then you can read and delete the individual messages as it suits you.
926:
927: To undigestify a message, select it and then type `M-x
928: undigestify-rmail-message'. This copies each submessage as a separate
929: Rmail message and inserts them all following the digest. The digest
930: message itself is flagged as deleted.
931:
932:
933: File: emacs Node: Recursive Edit, Prev: Rmail, Up: Top, Next: Narrowing
934:
935: Recursive Editing Levels
936: ========================
937:
938: A "recursive edit" is a situation in which you are using Emacs
939: commands to perform arbitrary editing while in the middle of another Emacs
940: command. For example, when you type `C-r' inside of a `query-replace',
941: you enter a recursive edit in which you can change the current buffer. On
942: exiting from the recursive edit, you go back to the `query-replace'.
943:
944: "Exiting" the recursive edit means returning to the unfinished
945: command, which continues execution. For example, exiting the recursive
946: edit requested by `C-r' in `query-replace' causes query replacing
947: to resume. Exiting is done with `C-M-c' (`exit-recursive-edit').
948:
949: You can also "abort" the recursive edit. This is like exiting, but
950: also quits the unfinished command immediately. Use the command `C-]'
951: (`abort-recursive-edit') for this. *Note Quitting::.
952:
953: The mode line shows you when you are in a recursive edit by displaying
954: square brackets around the parentheses that always surround the major and
955: minor mode names. Every window's mode line shows this, in the same way,
956: since being in a recursive edit is true of Emacs as a whole rather than
957: any particular buffer.
958:
959: It is possible to be in recursive edits within recursive edits. For
960: example, after typing `C-r' in a `query-replace', you might type a
961: command that entered the debugger. In such circumstances, two or more sets
962: of square brackets appear in the mode line. Exiting the inner recursive
963: edit (such as, with the debugger `c' command) would resume the command
964: where it called the debugger. After the end of this command, you would be
965: able to exit the first recursive edit. Aborting also gets out of only one
966: level of recursive edit; it returns immediately to the command level of the
967: previous recursive edit. So you could immediately abort that one too.
968:
969: Alternatively, the command `M-x top-level' aborts all levels of
970: recursive edits, returning immediately to the top level command reader.
971:
972: The text being edited inside the recursive edit need not be the same text
973: that you were editing at top level. It depends on what the recursive edit
974: is for. If the command that invokes the recursive edit selects a different
975: buffer first, that is the buffer you will edit recursively. In any case,
976: you can switch buffers within the recursive edit in the normal manner (as
977: long as the buffer-switching keys have not been rebound). You could
978: probably do all the rest of your editing inside the recursive edit,
979: visiting files and all. But this could have surprising effects (such as
980: stack overflow) from time to time. So remember to exit or abort the
981: recursive edit when you no longer need it.
982:
983: In general, GNU Emacs tries to avoid using recursive edits. It is
984: usually preferable to allow the user to switch among the possible editing
985: modes in any order he likes. With recursive edits, the only way to get to
986: another state is to go "back" to the state that the recursive edit was
987: invoked from.
988:
989:
990: File: emacs Node: Narrowing, Prev: Recursive Edit, Up: Top, Next: Sorting
991:
992: Narrowing
993: =========
994:
995: "Narrowing" means focusing in on some portion of the buffer, making
996: the rest temporarily invisible and inaccessible. Cancelling the narrowing,
997: and making the entire buffer once again visible, is called "widening".
998: The amount of narrowing in effect in a buffer at any time is called the
999: buffer's "restriction".
1000:
1001: `C-x n'
1002: Narrow down to between point and mark (`narrow-to-region').
1003: `C-x w'
1004: Widen to make the entire buffer visible again (`widen').
1005:
1006: When you have narrowed down to a part of the buffer, that part appears to
1007: be all there is. You can't see the rest, you can't move into it (motion
1008: commands won't go outside the visible part), you can't change it in any
1009: way. However, it is not gone, and if you save the file all the invisible
1010: text will be saved. In addition to sometimes making it easier to
1011: concentrate on a single subroutine or paragraph by eliminating clutter,
1012: narrowing can be used to restrict the range of operation of a replace
1013: command or repeating keyboard macro. The word `Narrow' appears in the
1014: mode line whenever narrowing is in effect.
1015:
1016: The primary narrowing command is `C-x n' (`narrow-to-region').
1017: It sets the current buffer's restrictions so that the text in the current
1018: region remains visible but all text before the region or after the region
1019: is invisible. Point and mark do not change.
1020:
1021: Because narrowing can easily confuse users who do not understand it,
1022: `narrow-to-region' is normally a disabled command. Attempting to use
1023: this command asks for confirmation and gives you the option of enabling it;
1024: once you enable the command, confirmation will no longer be required for
1025: it. *Note Disabling::.
1026:
1027: The way to undo narrowing is to widen with `C-x w' (`widen').
1028: This makes all text in the buffer accessible again.
1029:
1030: You can get information on what part of the buffer you are narrowed down
1031: to using the `C-x =' command. *Note Position Info::.
1032:
1033:
1034: File: emacs Node: Sorting, Prev: Narrowing, Up: Top, Next: Shell
1035:
1036: Sorting Text
1037: ============
1038:
1039: Emacs provides several commands for sorting text in the buffer. All
1040: operate on the contents of the region (the text between point and the
1041: mark). They divide the text of the region into many "sort records",
1042: identify a "sort key" for each record, and then reorder the records
1043: into the order determined by the sort keys. The records are ordered so
1044: that their keys are in alphabetical order, or, for numeric sorting, in
1045: numeric order. In alphabetic sorting, all upper case letters `A' through
1046: `Z' come before lower case `a', in accord with the ASCII character
1047: sequence.
1048:
1049: The various sort commands differ in how they divide the text into sort
1050: records and in which part of each record is used as the sort key. Most of
1051: the commands make each line a separate sort record, but some commands use
1052: paragraphs or pages as sort records. Most of the sort commands use each
1053: entire sort record as its own sort key, but some use only a portion of the
1054: record as the sort key.
1055:
1056: `M-x sort-lines'
1057: Divide the region into lines, and sort by comparing the entire
1058: text of a line. A prefix argument means sort into descending order.
1059:
1060: `M-x sort-paragraphs'
1061: Divide the region into paragraphs, and sort by comparing the entire
1062: text of a paragraph (except for leading blank lines). A prefix
1063: argument means sort into descending order.
1064:
1065: `M-x sort-pages'
1066: Divide the region into pages, and sort by comparing the entire
1067: text of a page (except for leading blank lines). A prefix
1068: argument means sort into descending order.
1069:
1070: `M-x sort-fields'
1071: Divide the region into lines, and sort by comparing the contents of
1072: one field in each line. Fields are defined as separated by
1073: whitespace, so the first run of consecutive non-whitespace characters
1074: in a line constitutes field 1, the second such run constitutes field
1075: 2, etc.
1076:
1077: You specify which field to sort by with a numeric argument: 1 to sort
1078: by field 1, etc. A negative argument means sort into descending
1079: order. Thus, minus 2 means sort by field 2 in reverse-alphabetical
1080: order.
1081:
1082: `M-x sort-numeric-fields'
1083: Like `M-x sort-fields' except the specified field is converted
1084: to a number for each line, and the numbers are compared. `10'
1085: comes before `2' when considered as text, but after it when
1086: considered as a number.
1087:
1088: `M-x sort-columns'
1089: Like `M-x sort-fields' except that the text within each line
1090: used for comparison comes from a fixed range of columns. See below
1091: for an explanation.
1092:
1093: For example, if the buffer contains
1094:
1095: On systems where clash detection (locking of files being edited) is
1096: implemented, Emacs also checks the first time you modify a buffer
1097: whether the file has changed on disk since it was last visited or
1098: saved. If it has, you are asked to confirm that you want to change
1099: the buffer.
1100:
1101: then if you apply `M-x sort-lines' to the entire buffer you get
1102:
1103: On systems where clash detection (locking of files being edited) is
1104: implemented, Emacs also checks the first time you modify a buffer
1105: saved. If it has, you are asked to confirm that you want to change
1106: the buffer.
1107: whether the file has changed on disk since it was last visited or
1108:
1109: where the upper case `O' comes before all lower case letters. If you apply
1110: instead `C-u 2 M-x sort-fields' you get
1111:
1112: implemented, Emacs also checks the first time you modify a buffer
1113: saved. If it has, you are asked to confirm that you want to change
1114: the buffer.
1115: On systems where clash detection (locking of files being edited) is
1116: whether the file has changed on disk since it was last visited or
1117:
1118: where the sort keys were `Emacs', `If', `buffer', `systems' and `the'.
1119:
1120: `M-x sort-columns' requires more explanation. You specify the
1121: columns by putting point at one of the columns and the mark at the other
1122: column. Because this means you cannot put point or the mark at the
1123: beginning of the first line to sort, this command uses an unusual
1124: definition of `region': all of the line point is in is considered part of
1125: the region, and so is all of the line the mark is in.
1126:
1127: For example, to sort a table by information found in columns 10 to 15,
1128: you could put the mark on column 10 in the first line of the table, and
1129: point on column 15 in the last line of the table, and then use this command.
1130: Or you could put the mark on column 15 in the first line and point on
1131: column 10 in the last line.
1132:
1133: This can be thought of as sorting the rectangle specified by point and
1134: the mark, except that the text on each line to the left or right of the
1135: rectangle moves along with the text inside the rectangle.
1136: *Note Rectangles::.
1137:
1138:
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