877 lines
No EOL
92 KiB
HTML
877 lines
No EOL
92 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
|
||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><title>Chapter 2. Getting Started</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets Vsnapshot" /><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="The Mutt E-Mail Client" /><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="The Mutt E-Mail Client" /><link rel="prev" href="intro.html" title="Chapter 1. Introduction" /><link rel="next" href="configuration.html" title="Chapter 3. Configuration" /><style xmlns="" type="text/css">
|
||
body { margin-left:2%; margin-right:2%; font-family:serif; }
|
||
.toc, .list-of-tables, .list-of-examples { font-family:sans-serif; }
|
||
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 { font-family:sans-serif; }
|
||
p { text-align:justify; }
|
||
div.table p.title, div.example p.title { font-size:smaller; font-family:sans-serif; }
|
||
.email, .email a { font-family:monospace; }
|
||
div.table-contents table, div.informaltable table { border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #c0c0c0; }
|
||
div.table-contents table td, div.informaltable td, div.table-contents table th, div.informaltable table th { padding:5px; text-align:left; }
|
||
div.table-contents table th, div.informaltable table th {
|
||
font-family:sans-serif;
|
||
background:#d0d0d0;
|
||
font-weight:normal;
|
||
vertical-align:top;
|
||
}
|
||
div.cmdsynopsis { border-left:1px solid #707070; padding-left:5px; }
|
||
li div.cmdsynopsis { border-left:none; padding-left:0px; }
|
||
pre.screen, div.note { background:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #c0c0c0; padding:5px; margin-left:2%; margin-right:2%; }
|
||
div.example p.title { margin-left:2%; }
|
||
div.note h3 { font-size:small; font-style:italic; font-variant: small-caps; }
|
||
div.note h3:after { content: ":" }
|
||
div.note { margin-bottom: 5px; }
|
||
.command { font-family: monospace; font-weight: normal; }
|
||
.command strong { font-weight: normal; }
|
||
tr { vertical-align: top; }
|
||
.comment { color:#707070; }
|
||
|
||
</style></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 2. Getting Started</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="configuration.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr /></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="gettingstarted"></a>Chapter 2. Getting Started</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#core-concepts">1. Core Concepts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#concept-screens-and-menus">2. Screens and Menus</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-index">2.1. Index</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-pager">2.2. Pager</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-browser">2.3. File Browser</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-sidebar">2.4. Sidebar</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-help">2.5. Help</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-compose">2.6. Compose Menu</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-alias">2.7. Alias Menu</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-attach">2.8. Attachment Menu</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-list">2.9. List Menu</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#menus">3. Moving Around in Menus</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing">4. Editing Input Fields</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing-intro">4.1. Introduction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing-buffy-cycle">4.2. Buffy Cycle</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing-history">4.3. History</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#reading">5. Reading Mail</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#index-menu">5.1. The Message Index</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#pager-menu">5.2. The Pager</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#threads">5.3. Threaded Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#reading-misc">5.4. Miscellaneous Functions</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#sending">6. Sending Mail</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#sending-intro">6.1. Introduction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#edit-header">6.2. Editing the Message Header</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#sending-crypto">6.3. Sending Cryptographically Signed/Encrypted Messages</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#ff">6.4. Sending Format=Flowed Messages</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#bgedit">6.5. Background Editing</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#forwarding-mail">7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#postponing-mail">8. Postponing Mail</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#encryption">9. Encryption and Signing</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#enc-pgp">9.1. OpenPGP Configuration</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#enc-smime">9.2. S/MIME Configuration</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><p>
|
||
This section is intended as a brief overview of how to use Mutt. There
|
||
are many other features which are described elsewhere in the manual.
|
||
There is even more information available in the Mutt FAQ and various web
|
||
pages. See the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.mutt.org/" target="_top">Mutt homepage</a>
|
||
for more details.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The keybindings described in this section are the defaults as
|
||
distributed. Your local system administrator may have altered the
|
||
defaults for your site. You can always type <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">?</span>”</span> in any
|
||
menu to display the current bindings.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The first thing you need to do is invoke Mutt, simply by typing
|
||
<code class="literal">mutt</code> at the command line. There are various
|
||
command-line options, see either the Mutt man page or the <a class="link" href="reference.html#commandline" title="1. Command-Line Options">reference</a>.
|
||
</p><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="core-concepts"></a>1. Core Concepts</h2></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Mutt is a text-based application which interacts with users through
|
||
different menus which are mostly line-/entry-based or page-based. A
|
||
line-based menu is the so-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">index</span>”</span> menu (listing all
|
||
messages of the currently opened folder) or the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">alias</span>”</span>
|
||
menu (allowing you to select recipients from a list). Examples for
|
||
page-based menus are the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">pager</span>”</span> (showing one message at a
|
||
time) or the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">help</span>”</span> menu listing all available key
|
||
bindings.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The user interface consists of a context sensitive help line at the top,
|
||
the menu's contents followed by a context sensitive status line and
|
||
finally the command line. The command line is used to display
|
||
informational and error messages as well as for prompts and for entering
|
||
interactive commands.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Mutt is configured through variables which, if the user wants to
|
||
permanently use a non-default value, are written to configuration
|
||
files. Mutt supports a rich config file syntax to make even complex
|
||
configuration files readable and commentable.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Because Mutt allows for customizing almost all key bindings, there are
|
||
so-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">functions</span>”</span> which can be executed manually (using
|
||
the command line) or in macros. Macros allow the user to bind a sequence
|
||
of commands to a single key or a short key sequence instead of repeating
|
||
a sequence of actions over and over.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Many commands (such as saving or copying a message to another folder)
|
||
can be applied to a single message or a set of messages (so-called
|
||
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">tagged</span>”</span> messages). To help selecting messages, Mutt
|
||
provides a rich set of message patterns (such as recipients, sender,
|
||
body contents, date sent/received, etc.) which can be combined into
|
||
complex expressions using the boolean <span class="emphasis"><em>and</em></span> and
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>or</em></span> operations as well as negating. These patterns
|
||
can also be used to (for example) search for messages or to limit the
|
||
index to show only matching messages.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Mutt supports a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">hook</span>”</span> concept which allows the user to
|
||
execute arbitrary configuration commands and functions in certain
|
||
situations such as entering a folder, starting a new message or replying
|
||
to an existing one. These hooks can be used to highly customize Mutt's
|
||
behavior including managing multiple identities, customizing the
|
||
display for a folder or even implementing auto-archiving based on a
|
||
per-folder basis and much more.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Besides an interactive mode, Mutt can also be used as a command-line
|
||
tool to send messages. It also supports a
|
||
<code class="literal">mailx(1)</code>-compatible interface, see <a class="xref" href="reference.html#tab-commandline-options" title="Table 9.1. Command line options">Table 9.1, “Command line options”</a> for a complete list of command-line
|
||
options.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="concept-screens-and-menus"></a>2. Screens and Menus</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-index"></a>2.1. Index</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The index is the screen that you usually see first when you start
|
||
Mutt. It gives an overview over your emails in the currently opened
|
||
mailbox. By default, this is your system mailbox. The information you
|
||
see in the index is a list of emails, each with its number on the left,
|
||
its flags (new email, important email, email that has been forwarded or
|
||
replied to, tagged email, ...), the date when email was sent, its
|
||
sender, the email size, and the subject. Additionally, the index also
|
||
shows thread hierarchies: when you reply to an email, and the other
|
||
person replies back, you can see the other person's email in a
|
||
"sub-tree" below. This is especially useful for personal email between
|
||
a group of people or when you've subscribed to mailing lists.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-pager"></a>2.2. Pager</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The pager is responsible for showing the email content. On the top of
|
||
the pager you have an overview over the most important email headers
|
||
like the sender, the recipient, the subject, and much more
|
||
information. How much information you actually see depends on your
|
||
configuration, which we'll describe below.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Below the headers, you see the email body which usually contains the
|
||
message. If the email contains any attachments, you will see more
|
||
information about them below the email body, or, if the attachments are
|
||
text files, you can view them directly in the pager.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
To give the user a good overview, it is possible to configure Mutt to
|
||
show different things in the pager with different colors. Virtually
|
||
everything that can be described with a regular expression can be
|
||
colored, e.g. URLs, email addresses or smileys.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-browser"></a>2.3. File Browser</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The file browser is the interface to the local or remote file
|
||
system. When selecting a mailbox to open, the browser allows custom
|
||
sorting of items, limiting the items shown by a regular expression and a
|
||
freely adjustable format of what to display in which way. It also allows
|
||
for easy navigation through the file system when selecting file(s) to
|
||
attach to a message, select multiple files to attach and many more.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Some mail systems can nest mail folders inside other mail folders.
|
||
The normal open entry commands in mutt will open the mail folder and
|
||
you can't see the sub-folders. If you instead use the
|
||
<code class="literal"><descend-directory></code> function it will go into
|
||
the directory and not open it as a mail directory.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-sidebar"></a>2.4. Sidebar</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The Sidebar shows a list of all your mailboxes. The list can be
|
||
turned on and off, it can be themed and the list style can be
|
||
configured.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-help"></a>2.5. Help</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The help screen is meant to offer a quick help to the user. It lists the
|
||
current configuration of key bindings and their associated commands
|
||
including a short description, and currently unbound functions that
|
||
still need to be associated with a key binding (or alternatively, they
|
||
can be called via the Mutt command prompt).
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-compose"></a>2.6. Compose Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The compose menu features a split screen containing the information
|
||
which really matter before actually sending a message by mail: who gets
|
||
the message as what (recipients and who gets what kind of
|
||
copy). Additionally, users may set security options like deciding
|
||
whether to sign, encrypt or sign and encrypt a message with/for what
|
||
keys. Also, it's used to attach messages, to re-edit any attachment
|
||
including the message itself.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-alias"></a>2.7. Alias Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The alias menu is used to help users finding the recipients of
|
||
messages. For users who need to contact many people, there's no need to
|
||
remember addresses or names completely because it allows for searching,
|
||
too. The alias mechanism and thus the alias menu also features grouping
|
||
several addresses by a shorter nickname, the actual alias, so that users
|
||
don't have to select each single recipient manually.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-attach"></a>2.8. Attachment Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
As will be later discussed in detail, Mutt features a good and stable
|
||
MIME implementation, that is, it supports sending and receiving messages
|
||
of arbitrary MIME types. The attachment menu displays a message's
|
||
structure in detail: what content parts are attached to which parent
|
||
part (which gives a true tree structure), which type is of what type and
|
||
what size. Single parts may saved, deleted or modified to offer great
|
||
and easy access to message's internals.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-list"></a>2.9. List Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The list menu assists with operations on mailing lists. RFC 2369 defines
|
||
several interactions with mailing lists and list memberships that can
|
||
be specified within the email message: subscribe, unsubscribe, contact
|
||
the list owner, etc. When you invoke the list menu, these interactions
|
||
are made accessible as menu options.
|
||
</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="menus"></a>3. Moving Around in Menus</h2></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The most important navigation keys common to line- or entry-based menus
|
||
are shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-nav-line" title="Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus">Table 2.1, “Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus”</a> and in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-nav-page" title="Table 2.2. Most common navigation keys in page-based menus">Table 2.2, “Most common navigation keys in page-based menus”</a> for page-based menus.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-keys-nav-line"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>j or <Down></td><td><code class="literal"><next-entry></code></td><td>move to the next entry</td></tr><tr><td>k or <Up></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-entry></code></td><td>move to the previous entry</td></tr><tr><td>z or <PageDn></td><td><code class="literal"><page-down></code></td><td>go to the next page</td></tr><tr><td>Z or <PageUp></td><td><code class="literal"><page-up></code></td><td>go to the previous page</td></tr><tr><td>= or <Home></td><td><code class="literal"><first-entry></code></td><td>jump to the first entry</td></tr><tr><td>* or <End></td><td><code class="literal"><last-entry></code></td><td>jump to the last entry</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td><code class="literal"><quit></code></td><td>exit the current menu</td></tr><tr><td>?</td><td><code class="literal"><help></code></td><td>list all keybindings for the current menu</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-keys-nav-page"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.2. Most common navigation keys in page-based menus</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Most common navigation keys in page-based menus" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>J or <Return></td><td><code class="literal"><next-line></code></td><td>scroll down one line</td></tr><tr><td><Backspace></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-line></code></td><td>scroll up one line</td></tr><tr><td>K, <Space> or <PageDn></td><td><code class="literal"><next-page></code></td><td>move to the next page</td></tr><tr><td>- or <PageUp></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-page></code></td><td>move the previous page</td></tr><tr><td><Home></td><td><code class="literal"><top></code></td><td>move to the top</td></tr><tr><td><End></td><td><code class="literal"><bottom></code></td><td>move to the bottom</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="editing"></a>4. Editing Input Fields</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="editing-intro"></a>4.1. Introduction</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Mutt has a built-in line editor for inputting text, e.g. email addresses
|
||
or filenames. The keys used to manipulate text input are very similar to
|
||
those of Emacs. See <a class="xref" href="reference.html#editor-map" title="4.13. Editor Menu">Section 4.13, “Editor Menu”</a> for a full
|
||
reference of available functions, their default key bindings, and short
|
||
descriptions.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-keys-editor"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.3. Most common line editor keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Most common line editor keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>^A or <Home></td><td><code class="literal"><bol></code></td><td>move to the start of the line</td></tr><tr><td>^B or <Left></td><td><code class="literal"><backward-char></code></td><td>move back one char</td></tr><tr><td>Esc B</td><td><code class="literal"><backward-word></code></td><td>move back one word</td></tr><tr><td><Space></td><td><code class="literal"><buffy-cycle></code></td><td>cycle among incoming mailboxes</td></tr><tr><td>^D or <Delete></td><td><code class="literal"><delete-char></code></td><td>delete the char under the cursor</td></tr><tr><td>^E or <End></td><td><code class="literal"><eol></code></td><td>move to the end of the line</td></tr><tr><td>^F or <Right></td><td><code class="literal"><forward-char></code></td><td>move forward one char</td></tr><tr><td>Esc F</td><td><code class="literal"><forward-word></code></td><td>move forward one word</td></tr><tr><td><Tab></td><td><code class="literal"><complete></code></td><td>complete filename, alias, or label</td></tr><tr><td>^T</td><td><code class="literal"><complete-query></code></td><td>complete address with query</td></tr><tr><td>^K</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-eol></code></td><td>delete to the end of the line</td></tr><tr><td>Esc d</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-eow></code></td><td>delete to the end of the word</td></tr><tr><td>^W</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-word></code></td><td>kill the word in front of the cursor</td></tr><tr><td>^U</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-line></code></td><td>delete entire line</td></tr><tr><td>^V</td><td><code class="literal"><quote-char></code></td><td>quote the next typed key</td></tr><tr><td><Up></td><td><code class="literal"><history-up></code></td><td>recall previous string from history</td></tr><tr><td><Down></td><td><code class="literal"><history-down></code></td><td>recall next string from history</td></tr><tr><td>^R</td><td><code class="literal"><history-search></code></td><td>use current input to search history</td></tr><tr><td><BackSpace></td><td><code class="literal"><backspace></code></td><td>kill the char in front of the cursor</td></tr><tr><td>Esc u</td><td><code class="literal"><upcase-word></code></td><td>convert word to upper case</td></tr><tr><td>Esc l</td><td><code class="literal"><downcase-word></code></td><td>convert word to lower case</td></tr><tr><td>Esc c</td><td><code class="literal"><capitalize-word></code></td><td>capitalize the word</td></tr><tr><td>^G</td><td>n/a</td><td>abort</td></tr><tr><td><Return></td><td>n/a</td><td>finish editing</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
|
||
<code class="literal">^G</code> is the generic <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">abort</span>”</span> key
|
||
in Mutt. In addition to the line editor, it can also be used
|
||
to abort prompts. Generally, typing <code class="literal">^G</code> at a
|
||
confirmation prompt or line editor should abort the entire action.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
You can remap the <span class="emphasis"><em>editor</em></span> functions using the <a class="link" href="configuration.html#bind" title="6. Changing the Default Key Bindings"><span class="command"><strong>bind</strong></span></a> command. For example, to
|
||
make the <Delete> key delete the character in front of the cursor
|
||
rather than under, you could use:
|
||
</p><pre class="screen">
|
||
bind editor <delete> backspace
|
||
</pre></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="editing-buffy-cycle"></a>4.2. Buffy Cycle</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The <code class="literal"><buffy-cycle></code> function key binding is
|
||
enabled in the prompt for <code class="literal"><change-folder></code> or
|
||
<code class="literal"><change-folder-readonly></code>. Typing the key
|
||
will cycle through mailboxes with new mail.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
In other prompts for a mailbox or a file (such as for saving an
|
||
attachment), the key binding instead invokes the
|
||
<code class="literal"><complete></code> function.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
In either case, if you need to type the key literally (e.g. you need
|
||
to enter a file name with a space in it), use the
|
||
<code class="literal"><quote-char></code> function. For example, with the
|
||
default key bindings, by typing <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">^V</code></span>”</span>
|
||
and then <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal"><Space></code></span>”</span>.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
In all other input fields, the <code class="literal"><buffy-cycle></code>
|
||
key binding is ignored; typing the key simply adds it to the input
|
||
field text.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="editing-history"></a>4.3. History</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Mutt maintains a history for the built-in editor. The number of items
|
||
is controlled by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#history" title="3.124. history">$history</a> variable
|
||
and can be made persistent using an external file specified using <a class="link" href="reference.html#history-file" title="3.125. history_file">$history_file</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#save-history" title="3.295. save_history">$save_history</a>. You may cycle through them
|
||
at an editor prompt by using the <code class="literal"><history-up></code>
|
||
and/or <code class="literal"><history-down></code> commands. Mutt will
|
||
remember the currently entered text as you cycle through history, and
|
||
will wrap around to the initial entry line.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Mutt maintains several distinct history lists, one for each of the
|
||
following categories:
|
||
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p><code class="literal">.muttrc</code> commands</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>addresses and aliases</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>shell commands</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>filenames</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>mailboxes</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>patterns</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>everything else</p></li></ul></div><p>
|
||
Mutt automatically filters out consecutively repeated items from the
|
||
history. If <a class="link" href="reference.html#history-remove-dups" title="3.126. history_remove_dups">$history_remove_dups</a>
|
||
is set, all repeated items are removed from the history. It also mimics the
|
||
behavior of some shells by ignoring items starting with a space. The latter
|
||
feature can be useful in macros to not clobber the history's valuable entries
|
||
with unwanted entries.
|
||
</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="reading"></a>5. Reading Mail</h2></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Similar to many other mail clients, there are two modes in which mail is
|
||
read in Mutt. The first is a list of messages in the mailbox, which is
|
||
called the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">index</span>”</span> menu in Mutt. The second mode is the
|
||
display of the message contents. This is called the
|
||
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">pager.</span>”</span>
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The next few sections describe the functions provided in each of these
|
||
modes.
|
||
</p><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="index-menu"></a>5.1. The Message Index</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Common keys used to navigate through and manage messages in the index
|
||
are shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-index" title="Table 2.4. Most common message index keys">Table 2.4, “Most common message index keys”</a>. How messages are presented
|
||
in the index menu can be customized using the <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.161. index_format">$index_format</a> variable.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-index"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.4. Most common message index keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Most common message index keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>c</td><td>change to a different mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>Esc c</td><td>change to a folder in read-only mode</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>copy the current message to another mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>Esc C</td><td>decode a message and copy it to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>Esc s</td><td>decode a message and save it to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td>delete messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>delete the current message</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>mark as important</td></tr><tr><td>l</td><td>show messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>N</td><td>mark message as new</td></tr><tr><td>o</td><td>change the current sort method</td></tr><tr><td>O</td><td>reverse sort the mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td>save changes and exit</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td>save-message</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>tag messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>t</td><td>toggle the tag on a message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc t</td><td>toggle tag on entire message thread</td></tr><tr><td>U</td><td>undelete messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>u</td><td>undelete-message</td></tr><tr><td>v</td><td>view-attachments</td></tr><tr><td>x</td><td>abort changes and exit</td></tr><tr><td><Return></td><td>display-message</td></tr><tr><td><Tab></td><td>jump to the next new or unread message</td></tr><tr><td>@</td><td>show the author's full e-mail address</td></tr><tr><td>$</td><td>save changes to mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>/</td><td>search</td></tr><tr><td>Esc /</td><td>search-reverse</td></tr><tr><td>^L</td><td>clear and redraw the screen</td></tr><tr><td>^T</td><td>untag messages matching a pattern</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
|
||
In addition to who sent the message and the subject, a short summary of
|
||
the disposition of each message is printed beside the message number.
|
||
Zero or more of the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">flags</span>”</span> in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-msg-status-flags" title="Table 2.5. Message status flags">Table 2.5, “Message status flags”</a> may appear, some of which can be turned
|
||
on or off using these functions: <code class="literal"><set-flag></code> and
|
||
<code class="literal"><clear-flag></code> bound by default to
|
||
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">w</span>”</span> and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">W</span>”</span> respectively.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Furthermore, the flags in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-msg-recip-flags" title="Table 2.6. Message recipient flags">Table 2.6, “Message recipient flags”</a> reflect
|
||
who the message is addressed to. They can be customized with the <a class="link" href="reference.html#to-chars" title="3.400. to_chars">$to_chars</a> variable.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-msg-status-flags"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.5. Message status flags</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Message status flags" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Flag</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>D</td><td>message is deleted (is marked for deletion)</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>message has attachments marked for deletion</td></tr><tr><td>K</td><td>contains a PGP public key</td></tr><tr><td>N</td><td>message is new</td></tr><tr><td>O</td><td>message is old</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td>message is PGP encrypted</td></tr><tr><td>r</td><td>message has been replied to</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td>message is signed, and the signature is successfully verified</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td>message is signed</td></tr><tr><td>!</td><td>message is flagged</td></tr><tr><td>*</td><td>message is tagged</td></tr><tr><td>n</td><td>thread contains new messages (only if collapsed)</td></tr><tr><td>o</td><td>thread contains old messages (only if collapsed)</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-msg-recip-flags"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.6. Message recipient flags</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Message recipient flags" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Flag</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>+</td><td>message is to you and you only</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>message is to you, but also to or CC'ed to others</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>message is CC'ed to you</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>message is from you</td></tr><tr><td>L</td><td>message is sent to a subscribed mailing list</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="pager-menu"></a>5.2. The Pager</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
By default, Mutt uses its built-in pager to display the contents of
|
||
messages (an external pager such as <code class="literal">less(1)</code> can be
|
||
configured, see <a class="link" href="reference.html#pager" title="3.205. pager">$pager</a> variable). The
|
||
pager is very similar to the Unix program <code class="literal">less(1)</code>
|
||
though not nearly as featureful.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-pager"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.7. Most common pager keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Most common pager keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><Return></td><td>go down one line</td></tr><tr><td><Space></td><td>display the next page (or next message if at the end of a message)</td></tr><tr><td>-</td><td>go back to the previous page</td></tr><tr><td>n</td><td>search for next match</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td>skip beyond quoted text</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>toggle display of quoted text</td></tr><tr><td>?</td><td>show keybindings</td></tr><tr><td>/</td><td>regular expression search</td></tr><tr><td>Esc /</td><td>backward regular expression search</td></tr><tr><td>\</td><td>toggle highlighting of search matches</td></tr><tr><td>^</td><td>jump to the top of the message</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
|
||
In addition to key bindings in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-pager" title="Table 2.7. Most common pager keys">Table 2.7, “Most common pager keys”</a>, many of
|
||
the functions from the index menu are also available in the pager, such
|
||
as <code class="literal"><delete-message></code> or
|
||
<code class="literal"><copy-message></code> (this is one advantage over
|
||
using an external pager to view messages).
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Also, the internal pager supports a couple other advanced features. For
|
||
one, it will accept and translate the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">standard</span>”</span> nroff
|
||
sequences for bold and underline. These sequences are a series of either
|
||
the letter, backspace (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">^H</span>”</span>), the letter again for bold or
|
||
the letter, backspace, <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">_</span>”</span> for denoting underline. Mutt
|
||
will attempt to display these in bold and underline respectively if your
|
||
terminal supports them. If not, you can use the bold and underline <a class="link" href="configuration.html#color" title="11. Using Color and Mono Video Attributes">color</a> objects to specify a
|
||
<span class="command"><strong>color</strong></span> or mono attribute for them.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Additionally, the internal pager supports the ANSI escape sequences for
|
||
character attributes. Mutt translates them into the correct color and
|
||
character settings. The sequences Mutt supports are:
|
||
</p><pre class="screen">
|
||
\e[<span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span>;<span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span>;..<span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span>;m
|
||
</pre><p>
|
||
where <span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span> can be one of the codes shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-ansi-esc" title="Table 2.8. ANSI escape sequences">Table 2.8, “ANSI escape sequences”</a>.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-ansi-esc"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.8. ANSI escape sequences</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="ANSI escape sequences" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Escape code</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>0</td><td>All attributes off</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Bold on</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Underline on</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Blink on</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Reverse video on</td></tr><tr><td>3<span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td><td>Foreground color is <span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span> (see <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-color" title="Table 2.9. Color sequences">Table 2.9, “Color sequences”</a>)</td></tr><tr><td>4<span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td><td>Background color is <span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span> (see <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-color" title="Table 2.9. Color sequences">Table 2.9, “Color sequences”</a>)</td></tr><tr><td>38;5;<span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td><td>Foreground color is an 8-bit <span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td></tr><tr><td>48;5;<span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td><td>Background color is an 8-bit <span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-color"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.9. Color sequences</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Color sequences" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Color code</th><th>Color</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>0</td><td>Black</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Red</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Green</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Yellow</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Blue</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Magenta</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Cyan</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>White</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
|
||
Mutt uses these attributes for handling <code class="literal">text/enriched</code>
|
||
messages, and they can also be used by an external <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#auto-view" title="4. MIME Autoview">autoview</a> script for highlighting purposes.
|
||
</p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
|
||
If you change the colors for your display, for example by changing the
|
||
color associated with color2 for your xterm, then that color will be
|
||
used instead of green.
|
||
</p></div><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
|
||
Note that the search commands in the pager take regular expressions,
|
||
which are not quite the same as the more complex <a class="link" href="advancedusage.html#patterns" title="3. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging">patterns</a> used by the search command in the
|
||
index. This is because patterns are used to select messages by criteria
|
||
whereas the pager already displays a selected message.
|
||
</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="threads"></a>5.3. Threaded Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
So-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">threads</span>”</span> provide a hierarchy of messages where
|
||
replies are linked to their parent message(s). This organizational form
|
||
is extremely useful in mailing lists where different parts of the
|
||
discussion diverge. Mutt displays threads as a tree structure.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
In Mutt, when a mailbox is <a class="link" href="reference.html#sort" title="3.362. sort">sorted</a>
|
||
by <span class="emphasis"><em>threads</em></span>, there are a few additional functions
|
||
available in the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span>
|
||
and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> modes as shown in
|
||
<a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-threads" title="Table 2.10. Most common thread mode keys">Table 2.10, “Most common thread mode keys”</a>.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-threads"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.10. Most common thread mode keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Most common thread mode keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>^D</td><td><code class="literal"><delete-thread></code></td><td>delete all messages in the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>^U</td><td><code class="literal"><undelete-thread></code></td><td>undelete all messages in the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>^N</td><td><code class="literal"><next-thread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the next thread</td></tr><tr><td>^P</td><td><code class="literal"><previous-thread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the previous thread</td></tr><tr><td>^R</td><td><code class="literal"><read-thread></code></td><td>mark the current thread as read</td></tr><tr><td>Esc d</td><td><code class="literal"><delete-subthread></code></td><td>delete all messages in the current subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc u</td><td><code class="literal"><undelete-subthread></code></td><td>undelete all messages in the current subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc n</td><td><code class="literal"><next-subthread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the next subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc p</td><td><code class="literal"><previous-subthread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the previous subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc r</td><td><code class="literal"><read-subthread></code></td><td>mark the current subthread as read</td></tr><tr><td>Esc t</td><td><code class="literal"><tag-thread></code></td><td>toggle the tag on the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc v</td><td><code class="literal"><collapse-thread></code></td><td>toggle collapse for the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc V</td><td><code class="literal"><collapse-all></code></td><td>toggle collapse for all threads</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td><code class="literal"><parent-message></code></td><td>jump to parent message in thread</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
|
||
In the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span>, the subject of threaded children
|
||
messages will be prepended with thread tree characters. By default,
|
||
the subject itself will not be duplicated unless <a class="link" href="reference.html#hide-thread-subject" title="3.121. hide_thread_subject">$hide_thread_subject</a> is unset.
|
||
Special characters will be added to the thread tree as detailed in
|
||
<a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-thread-chars" title="Table 2.11. Special Thread Characters">Table 2.11, “Special Thread Characters”</a>.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-thread-chars"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.11. Special Thread Characters</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Special Thread Characters" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Character</th><th>Description</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>&</td><td>hidden message</td><td>see <a class="link" href="reference.html#hide-limited" title="3.119. hide_limited">$hide_limited</a> and
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#hide-top-limited" title="3.122. hide_top_limited">$hide_top_limited</a></td></tr><tr><td>?</td><td>missing message</td><td>see <a class="link" href="reference.html#hide-missing" title="3.120. hide_missing">$hide_missing</a> and
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#hide-top-missing" title="3.123. hide_top_missing">$hide_top_missing</a></td></tr><tr><td>*</td><td>pseudo thread</td><td>see <a class="link" href="reference.html#strict-threads" title="3.391. strict_threads">$strict_threads</a>;
|
||
not displayed when
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#narrow-tree" title="3.202. narrow_tree">$narrow_tree</a> is set</td></tr><tr><td>=</td><td>duplicate thread</td><td>see <a class="link" href="reference.html#duplicate-threads" title="3.83. duplicate_threads">$duplicate_threads</a>;
|
||
not displayed when
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#narrow-tree" title="3.202. narrow_tree">$narrow_tree</a> is set</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
|
||
Collapsing a thread displays only the first message in the thread and
|
||
hides the others. This is useful when threads contain so many messages
|
||
that you can only see a handful of threads on the screen. See %M in
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.161. index_format">$index_format</a>. For example, you
|
||
could use <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%?M?(#%03M)&(%4l)?</span>”</span> in <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.161. index_format">$index_format</a> to optionally display the
|
||
number of hidden messages if the thread is collapsed. The
|
||
<code class="literal">%?<char>?<if-part>&<else-part>?</code>
|
||
syntax is explained in detail in <a class="link" href="configuration.html#formatstrings-conditionals" title="32.2. Conditionals">format string conditionals</a>.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Technically, every reply should contain a list of its parent messages in
|
||
the thread tree, but not all do. In these cases, Mutt groups them by
|
||
subject which can be controlled using the <a class="link" href="reference.html#strict-threads" title="3.391. strict_threads">$strict_threads</a> variable.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="reading-misc"></a>5.4. Miscellaneous Functions</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
In addition, the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> and
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> menus have these interesting functions:
|
||
</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><check-stats></code><a id="check-stats"></a>
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Calculate statistics for all monitored mailboxes declared using the
|
||
<span class="command"><strong>mailboxes</strong></span> command.
|
||
It will calculate statistics despite
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#mail-check-stats" title="3.167. mail_check_stats">$mail_check_stats</a> being unset.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><create-alias></code><a id="create-alias"></a>
|
||
(default: a)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Creates a new alias based upon the current message (or prompts for a new
|
||
one). Once editing is complete, an <a class="link" href="configuration.html#alias" title="5. Defining/Using Aliases"><span class="command"><strong>alias</strong></span></a> command is added to the
|
||
file specified by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#alias-file" title="3.5. alias_file">$alias_file</a>
|
||
variable for future use
|
||
</p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
|
||
Mutt does not read the <a class="link" href="reference.html#alias-file" title="3.5. alias_file">$alias_file</a>
|
||
upon startup so you must explicitly <a class="link" href="configuration.html#source" title="30. Reading Initialization Commands From Another File"><span class="command"><strong>source</strong></span></a> the file.
|
||
</p></div></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><check-traditional-pgp></code><a id="check-traditional-pgp"></a> (default: Esc P)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
This function will search the current message for content signed or
|
||
encrypted with PGP the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">traditional</span>”</span> way, that is, without
|
||
proper MIME tagging. Technically, this function will temporarily change
|
||
the MIME content types of the body parts containing PGP data; this is
|
||
similar to the <a class="link" href="gettingstarted.html#edit-type"><code class="literal"><edit-type></code></a>
|
||
function's effect.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><edit></code><a id="edit"></a> (default: e)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
This command (available in the index and pager) allows you to edit the
|
||
raw current message as it's present in the mail folder. After you have
|
||
finished editing, the changed message will be appended to the current
|
||
folder, and the original message will be marked for deletion; if the
|
||
message is unchanged it won't be replaced.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><edit-type></code><a id="edit-type"></a> (default:
|
||
^E on the attachment menu, and in the pager and index menus; ^T on the
|
||
compose menu)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
This command is used to temporarily edit an attachment's content type to
|
||
fix, for instance, bogus character set parameters. When invoked from
|
||
the index or from the pager, you'll have the opportunity to edit the
|
||
top-level attachment's content type. On the <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#attach-menu" title="1.3. The Attachment Menu">attachment menu</a>, you can change any
|
||
attachment's content type. These changes are not persistent, and get
|
||
lost upon changing folders.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Note that this command is also available on the <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#compose-menu" title="1.4. The Compose Menu">compose menu</a>. There, it's used to
|
||
fine-tune the properties of attachments you are going to send.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><enter-command></code><a id="enter-command"></a>
|
||
(default: <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">:</span>”</span>)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
This command is used to execute any command you would normally put in a
|
||
configuration file. A common use is to check the settings of variables,
|
||
or in conjunction with <a class="link" href="configuration.html#macro" title="10. Keyboard Macros">macros</a> to change
|
||
settings on the fly.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><extract-keys></code><a id="extract-keys"></a>
|
||
(default: ^K)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
This command extracts PGP public keys from the current or tagged
|
||
message(s) and adds them to your PGP public key ring.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><forget-passphrase></code><a id="forget-passphrase"></a> (default: ^F)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
This command wipes the passphrase(s) from memory. It is useful, if you
|
||
misspelled the passphrase.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><list-reply></code><a id="list-reply"></a> (default:
|
||
L)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Reply to the current or tagged message(s) by extracting any addresses
|
||
which match the regular expressions given by the <a class="link" href="configuration.html#lists" title="14. Mailing Lists"><span class="command"><strong>lists</strong></span> or
|
||
<span class="command"><strong>subscribe</strong></span></a> commands, but also honor any
|
||
<code class="literal">Mail-Followup-To</code> header(s) if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#honor-followup-to" title="3.128. honor_followup_to">$honor_followup_to</a> configuration
|
||
variable is set. In addition, the <code class="literal">List-Post</code> header field is
|
||
examined for <code class="literal">mailto:</code> URLs specifying a mailing list address.
|
||
Using this when replying to messages posted to mailing lists helps avoid
|
||
duplicate copies being sent to the author of the message you are replying to.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><pipe-message></code><a id="pipe-message"></a>
|
||
(default: |)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Asks for an external Unix command and pipes the current or tagged
|
||
message(s) to it. The variables <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-decode" title="3.245. pipe_decode">$pipe_decode</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-decode-weed" title="3.246. pipe_decode_weed">$pipe_decode_weed</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-split" title="3.248. pipe_split">$pipe_split</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-sep" title="3.247. pipe_sep">$pipe_sep</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#wait-key" title="3.416. wait_key">$wait_key</a> control the exact behavior of this
|
||
function.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><resend-message></code><a id="resend-message"></a>
|
||
(default: Esc e)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Mutt takes the current message as a template for a new message. This
|
||
function is best described as "recall from arbitrary folders". It can
|
||
conveniently be used to forward MIME messages while preserving the
|
||
original mail structure. Note that the amount of headers included here
|
||
depends on the value of the <a class="link" href="reference.html#weed" title="3.417. weed">$weed</a> variable.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
This function is also available from the attachment menu. You can use
|
||
this to easily resend a message which was included with a bounce message
|
||
as a <code class="literal">message/rfc822</code> body part.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><shell-escape></code><a id="shell-escape"></a>
|
||
(default: !)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Asks for an external Unix command and executes it. The <a class="link" href="reference.html#wait-key" title="3.416. wait_key">$wait_key</a> can be used to control whether Mutt
|
||
will wait for a key to be pressed when the command returns (presumably
|
||
to let the user read the output of the command), based on the return
|
||
status of the named command. If no command is given, an interactive
|
||
shell is executed.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><skip-headers></code><a id="skip-headers"></a>
|
||
(default: H)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
This function will skip past the headers of the current message.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><skip-quoted></code><a id="skip-quoted"></a>
|
||
(default: S)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
This function will go to the next line of non-quoted text which comes
|
||
after a line of quoted text in the internal pager.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">
|
||
<code class="literal"><toggle-quoted></code><a id="toggle-quoted"></a>
|
||
(default: T)
|
||
</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
The pager uses the <a class="link" href="reference.html#quote-regexp" title="3.274. quote_regexp">$quote_regexp</a>
|
||
variable to detect quoted text when displaying the body of the message.
|
||
This function toggles the display of the quoted material in the message.
|
||
It is particularly useful when being interested in just the response and
|
||
there is a large amount of quoted text in the way.
|
||
</p></dd></dl></div></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="sending"></a>6. Sending Mail</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="sending-intro"></a>6.1. Introduction</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The bindings shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-send" title="Table 2.12. Most common mail sending keys">Table 2.12, “Most common mail sending keys”</a> are available in
|
||
the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> to start a
|
||
new message.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-send"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.12. Most common mail sending keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Most common mail sending keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>m</td><td><code class="literal"><mail></code></td><td>compose a new message</td></tr><tr><td>r</td><td><code class="literal"><reply></code></td><td>reply to sender</td></tr><tr><td>g</td><td><code class="literal"><group-reply></code></td><td>reply to all recipients</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td><code class="literal"><group-chat-reply></code></td><td>reply to all recipients preserving To/Cc</td></tr><tr><td>L</td><td><code class="literal"><list-reply></code></td><td>reply to mailing list address</td></tr><tr><td>f</td><td><code class="literal"><forward></code></td><td>forward message</td></tr><tr><td>b</td><td><code class="literal"><bounce></code></td><td>bounce (remail) message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc k</td><td><code class="literal"><mail-key></code></td><td>mail a PGP public key to someone</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>Bouncing</em></span> a message sends the message as-is to the
|
||
recipient you specify. <span class="emphasis"><em>Forwarding</em></span> a message allows
|
||
you to add comments or modify the message you are forwarding. These
|
||
items are discussed in greater detail in the next section <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><a class="link" href="gettingstarted.html#forwarding-mail" title="7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail">Forwarding and Bouncing Mail</a>.</span>”</span>
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Mutt will then enter the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu and prompt
|
||
you for the recipients to place on the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">To:</span>”</span> header field
|
||
when you hit <code class="literal">m</code> to start a new message. Next, it will
|
||
ask you for the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">Subject:</span>”</span> field for the message, providing
|
||
a default if you are replying to or forwarding a message. You again have
|
||
the chance to adjust recipients, subject, and security settings right
|
||
before actually sending the message. See also <a class="link" href="reference.html#askcc" title="3.12. askcc">$askcc</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#askbcc" title="3.11. askbcc">$askbcc</a>,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#autoedit" title="3.28. autoedit">$autoedit</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#bounce" title="3.34. bounce">$bounce</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#fast-reply" title="3.91. fast_reply">$fast_reply</a>, and <a class="link" href="reference.html#include" title="3.157. include">$include</a> for changing how and if Mutt asks
|
||
these questions.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
When replying, Mutt fills these fields with proper values depending on
|
||
the reply type. The types of replying supported are:
|
||
</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Simple reply</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Reply to the author directly.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">Group reply</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Reply to the author; cc all other recipients; consults
|
||
<a class="link" href="configuration.html#alternates" title="13. Alternative Addresses"><span class="command"><strong>alternates</strong></span></a>
|
||
and excludes you.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">Group Chat reply</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Reply to the author and other recipients in the To list;
|
||
cc other recipients in the Cc list; consults
|
||
<a class="link" href="configuration.html#alternates" title="13. Alternative Addresses"><span class="command"><strong>alternates</strong></span></a>
|
||
and excludes you.
|
||
</p></dd><dt><span class="term">List reply</span></dt><dd><p>
|
||
Reply to all mailing list addresses found, either specified via
|
||
configuration or auto-detected. See <a class="xref" href="configuration.html#lists" title="14. Mailing Lists">Section 14, “Mailing Lists”</a> for
|
||
details.
|
||
</p></dd></dl></div><p>
|
||
After getting recipients for new messages, forwards or replies, Mutt
|
||
will then automatically start your <a class="link" href="reference.html#editor" title="3.85. editor">$editor</a>
|
||
on the message body. If the <a class="link" href="reference.html#edit-headers" title="3.84. edit_headers">$edit_headers</a> variable is set, the headers
|
||
will be at the top of the message in your editor; the message body
|
||
should start on a new line after the existing blank line at the end of
|
||
headers. Any messages you are replying to will be added in sort order
|
||
to the message, with appropriate
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#attribution" title="3.20. attribution">$attribution</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#indent-string" title="3.160. indent_string">$indent_string</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#post-indent-string" title="3.259. post_indent_string">$post_indent_string</a>. When
|
||
forwarding a message, if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.193. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> variable is unset, a copy of
|
||
the forwarded message will be included. If you have specified a <a class="link" href="reference.html#signature" title="3.323. signature">$signature</a>, it will be appended to the
|
||
message.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Once you have finished editing the body of your mail message, you are
|
||
returned to the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu providing the
|
||
functions shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-func-compose" title="Table 2.13. Most common compose menu keys">Table 2.13, “Most common compose menu keys”</a> to modify, send or
|
||
postpone the message.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-func-compose"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.13. Most common compose menu keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Most common compose menu keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>a</td><td><code class="literal"><attach-file></code></td><td>attach a file</td></tr><tr><td>A</td><td><code class="literal"><attach-message></code></td><td>attach message(s) to the message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc k</td><td><code class="literal"><attach-key></code></td><td>attach a PGP public key</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-description></code></td><td>edit description on attachment</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td><code class="literal"><detach-file></code></td><td>detach a file</td></tr><tr><td>t</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-to></code></td><td>edit the To field</td></tr><tr><td>Esc f</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-from></code></td><td>edit the From field</td></tr><tr><td>r</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-reply-to></code></td><td>edit the Reply-To field</td></tr><tr><td>c</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-cc></code></td><td>edit the Cc field</td></tr><tr><td>b</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-bcc></code></td><td>edit the Bcc field</td></tr><tr><td>y</td><td><code class="literal"><send-message></code></td><td>send the message</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-subject></code></td><td>edit the Subject</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td><code class="literal"><smime-menu></code></td><td>select S/MIME options</td></tr><tr><td>f</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-fcc></code></td><td>specify an <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">Fcc</span>”</span> mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>p</td><td><code class="literal"><pgp-menu></code></td><td>select PGP options</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td><code class="literal"><postpone-message></code></td><td>postpone this message until later</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td><code class="literal"><quit></code></td><td>quit (abort) sending the message</td></tr><tr><td>w</td><td><code class="literal"><write-fcc></code></td><td>write the message to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>i</td><td><code class="literal"><ispell></code></td><td>check spelling (if available on your system)</td></tr><tr><td>^F</td><td><code class="literal"><forget-passphrase></code></td><td>wipe passphrase(s) from memory</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
|
||
The compose menu is also used to edit the attachments for a message
|
||
which can be either files or other messages. The
|
||
<code class="literal"><attach-message></code> function to will prompt you
|
||
for a folder to attach messages from. You can now tag messages in that
|
||
folder and they will be attached to the message you are sending.
|
||
</p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
|
||
Note that certain operations like composing a new mail, replying,
|
||
forwarding, etc. are not permitted when you are in that folder. The %r
|
||
in <a class="link" href="reference.html#status-format" title="3.389. status_format">$status_format</a> will change to a
|
||
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">A</span>”</span> to indicate that you are in attach-message mode.
|
||
</p></div><p>
|
||
After exiting the compose menu via <code class="literal"><send-message></code>,
|
||
the message will be sent. If configured and enabled, this can happen via
|
||
<a class="link" href="optionalfeatures.html#sending-mixmaster" title="10. Sending Anonymous Messages via Mixmaster">mixmaster</a> or
|
||
<a class="link" href="optionalfeatures.html#smtp" title="5. SMTP Support">$smtp_url</a>. Otherwise
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#sendmail" title="3.305. sendmail">$sendmail</a> will be invoked. Prior to
|
||
version 1.13, Mutt enabled <a class="link" href="reference.html#write-bcc" title="3.422. write_bcc">$write_bcc</a> by
|
||
default, assuming the MTA would automatically remove a
|
||
<code class="literal">Bcc:</code> header as part of delivery. Starting with 1.13, the
|
||
option is unset by default, but no longer affects the fcc copy of the message.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="edit-header"></a>6.2. Editing the Message Header</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
When editing the header because of <a class="link" href="reference.html#edit-headers" title="3.84. edit_headers">$edit_headers</a> being set, there are a
|
||
several pseudo headers available which will not be included in sent
|
||
messages but trigger special Mutt behavior.
|
||
</p><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="fcc-header"></a>6.2.1. Fcc: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
|
||
If you specify
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
<code class="literal">Fcc:</code> <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span>
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
as a header, Mutt will pick up <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span> just as if
|
||
you had used the <code class="literal"><edit-fcc></code> function in the
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu. It can later be changed from the
|
||
compose menu.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="attach-header"></a>6.2.2. Attach: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
|
||
You can also attach files to your message by specifying
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
<code class="literal">Attach:</code> <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span>
|
||
[ <span class="emphasis"><em>description</em></span> ]
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
where <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span> is the file to attach and
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>description</em></span> is an optional string to use as the
|
||
description of the attached file. Spaces in filenames have to be escaped
|
||
using backslash (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">\</span>”</span>). The file can be removed as well as
|
||
more added from the compose menu.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="pgp-header"></a>6.2.3. Pgp: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
|
||
If you want to use PGP, you can specify
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
<code class="literal">Pgp:</code> [ <code class="literal">E</code> | <code class="literal">S</code> | <code class="literal">S</code><span class="emphasis"><em><id></em></span> ]
|
||
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">E</span>”</span> selects encryption, <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">S</span>”</span> selects signing
|
||
and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">S<id></span>”</span> selects signing with the given key,
|
||
setting <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-sign-as" title="3.237. pgp_sign_as">$pgp_sign_as</a> for the
|
||
duration of the message composition session. The selection can later
|
||
be changed in the compose menu.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="in-reply-to-header"></a>6.2.4. In-Reply-To: Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
|
||
When replying to messages, the <span class="emphasis"><em>In-Reply-To:</em></span> header
|
||
contains the Message-Id of the message(s) you reply to. If you remove or
|
||
modify its value, Mutt will not generate a
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>References:</em></span> field, which allows you to create a new
|
||
message thread, for example to create a new message to a mailing list
|
||
without having to enter the mailing list's address.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
If you intend to start a new thread by replying, please make really sure
|
||
you remove the <span class="emphasis"><em>In-Reply-To:</em></span> header in your
|
||
editor. Otherwise, though you'll produce a technically valid reply, some
|
||
netiquette guardians will be annoyed by this so-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">thread
|
||
hijacking</span>”</span>.
|
||
</p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="sending-crypto"></a>6.3. Sending Cryptographically Signed/Encrypted Messages</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
If you have told Mutt to PGP or S/MIME encrypt a message, it will guide
|
||
you through a key selection process when you try to send the message.
|
||
Mutt will not ask you any questions about keys which have a certified
|
||
user ID matching one of the message recipients' mail addresses.
|
||
However, there may be situations in which there are several keys, weakly
|
||
certified user ID fields, or where no matching keys can be found.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
In these cases, you are dropped into a menu with a list of keys from
|
||
which you can select one. When you quit this menu, or Mutt can't find
|
||
any matching keys, you are prompted for a user ID. You can, as usually,
|
||
abort this prompt using <code class="literal">^G</code>. When you do so, Mutt
|
||
will return to the compose screen.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Once you have successfully finished the key selection, the message will
|
||
be encrypted using the selected public keys when sent out.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
To ensure you can view encrypted messages you have sent, you
|
||
may wish to set <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-self-encrypt" title="3.235. pgp_self_encrypt">$pgp_self_encrypt</a>
|
||
and <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-default-key" title="3.220. pgp_default_key">$pgp_default_key</a> for PGP, or
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#smime-self-encrypt" title="3.348. smime_self_encrypt">$smime_self_encrypt</a>
|
||
and <a class="link" href="reference.html#smime-default-key" title="3.337. smime_default_key">$smime_default_key</a> for S/MIME.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Most fields of the entries in the key selection menu (see also <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-entry-format" title="3.223. pgp_entry_format">$pgp_entry_format</a>) have obvious
|
||
meanings. But some explanations on the capabilities, flags, and
|
||
validity fields are in order.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The flags sequence (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%f</span>”</span>) will expand to one of the flags
|
||
in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-pgp-menuflags" title="Table 2.14. PGP key menu flags">Table 2.14, “PGP key menu flags”</a>.
|
||
</p><div class="table"><a id="tab-pgp-menuflags"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.14. PGP key menu flags</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="PGP key menu flags" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Flag</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>R</td><td>The key has been revoked and can't be used.</td></tr><tr><td>X</td><td>The key is expired and can't be used.</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>You have marked the key as disabled.</td></tr><tr><td>c</td><td>There are unknown critical self-signature packets.</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
|
||
The capabilities field (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%c</span>”</span>) expands to a two-character
|
||
sequence representing a key's capabilities. The first character gives
|
||
the key's encryption capabilities: A minus sign (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-</span>”</span>) means
|
||
that the key cannot be used for encryption. A dot (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">.</span>”</span>)
|
||
means that it's marked as a signature key in one of the user IDs, but
|
||
may also be used for encryption. The letter <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">e</span>”</span> indicates
|
||
that this key can be used for encryption.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The second character indicates the key's signing capabilities. Once
|
||
again, a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-</span>”</span> implies <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">not for signing</span>”</span>,
|
||
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">.</span>”</span> implies that the key is marked as an encryption key in
|
||
one of the user-ids, and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">s</span>”</span> denotes a key which can be
|
||
used for signing.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Finally, the validity field (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%t</span>”</span>) indicates how
|
||
well-certified a user-id is. A question mark (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">?</span>”</span>)
|
||
indicates undefined validity, a minus character (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-</span>”</span>) marks
|
||
an untrusted association, a space character means a partially trusted
|
||
association, and a plus character (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">+</span>”</span>) indicates complete
|
||
validity.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="ff"></a>6.4. Sending Format=Flowed Messages</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-concept"></a>6.4.1. Concept</h4></div></div></div><p>
|
||
<code class="literal">format=flowed</code>-style messages (or
|
||
<code class="literal">f=f</code> for short) are <code class="literal">text/plain</code>
|
||
messages that consist of paragraphs which a receiver's mail client may
|
||
reformat to its own needs which mostly means to customize line lengths
|
||
regardless of what the sender sent. Technically this is achieved by
|
||
letting lines of a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">flowable</span>”</span> paragraph end in spaces
|
||
except for the last line.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
While for text-mode clients like Mutt it's the best way to assume only a
|
||
standard 80x25 character cell terminal, it may be desired to let the
|
||
receiver decide completely how to view a message.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-support"></a>6.4.2. Mutt Support</h4></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Mutt only supports setting the required <code class="literal">format=flowed</code>
|
||
MIME parameter on outgoing messages if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#text-flowed" title="3.393. text_flowed">$text_flowed</a> variable is set, specifically
|
||
it does not add the trailing spaces.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
After editing, Mutt properly space-stuffs the message.
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>Space-stuffing</em></span> is required by RfC3676 defining
|
||
<code class="literal">format=flowed</code> and means to prepend a space to:
|
||
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>all lines starting with a space</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>lines starting with the word
|
||
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">From</code></span>”</span> followed by
|
||
space</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>all lines starting with
|
||
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">></code></span>”</span> which is not intended to be a
|
||
quote character</p></li></ul></div><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
|
||
Mutt only supports space-stuffing for the first two types of lines but
|
||
not for the third: It is impossible to safely detect whether a leading
|
||
<code class="literal">></code> character starts a quote or not.
|
||
</p></div><p>
|
||
All leading spaces are to be removed by receiving clients to restore the
|
||
original message prior to further processing.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-editor"></a>6.4.3. Editor Considerations</h4></div></div></div><p>
|
||
As Mutt provides no additional features to compose
|
||
<code class="literal">f=f</code> messages, it's completely up to the user and his
|
||
editor to produce proper messages. Please consider your editor's
|
||
documentation if you intend to send <code class="literal">f=f</code> messages.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
For example, <span class="emphasis"><em>vim</em></span> provides the <code class="literal">w</code>
|
||
flag for its <code class="literal">formatoptions</code> setting to assist in
|
||
creating <code class="literal">f=f</code> messages, see <code class="literal">:help
|
||
fo-table</code> for details.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-pager"></a>6.4.4. Reformatting</h4></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Mutt has some support for reformatting when viewing and replying to
|
||
<code class="literal">format=flowed</code> messages. In order to take advantage of these,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#reflow-text" title="3.281. reflow_text">$reflow_text</a> must be set.
|
||
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
|
||
Paragraphs are automatically reflowed and wrapped at a width specified
|
||
by <a class="link" href="reference.html#reflow-wrap" title="3.282. reflow_wrap">$reflow_wrap</a>.
|
||
</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
|
||
In its original format, the quoting style of <code class="literal">format=flowed</code>
|
||
messages can be difficult to read, and doesn't intermix well with
|
||
non-flowed replies.
|
||
Setting <a class="link" href="reference.html#reflow-space-quotes" title="3.280. reflow_space_quotes">$reflow_space_quotes</a>
|
||
adds spaces after each level of quoting when in the pager and
|
||
replying in a non-flowed format
|
||
(i.e. with <a class="link" href="reference.html#text-flowed" title="3.393. text_flowed">$text_flowed</a> unset).
|
||
</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
|
||
If <a class="link" href="reference.html#reflow-space-quotes" title="3.280. reflow_space_quotes">$reflow_space_quotes</a>
|
||
is unset, mutt will still add one trailing space after all the
|
||
quotes in the pager (but not when replying).
|
||
</p></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="bgedit"></a>6.5. Background Editing</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
If <a class="link" href="reference.html#editor" title="3.85. editor">$editor</a> is set to a graphical
|
||
editor, or a script such as <a class="ulink" href="https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/tree/master/contrib/bgedit-screen-tmux.sh" target="_top">contrib/bgedit-screen-tmux.sh</a> if running inside GNU Screen or
|
||
tmux, you can run the editor in the background by setting <a class="link" href="reference.html#background-edit" title="3.29. background_edit">$background_edit</a>.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
If set, Mutt will display a landing page while the editor runs.
|
||
When the editor exits, message composition will resume
|
||
automatically. Alternatively, you can
|
||
<code class="literal"><exit></code> from the landing page, which will
|
||
return you to the message index. This allows viewing other
|
||
messages, changing mailboxes, even starting a new message
|
||
composition session - all while the first editor session is still
|
||
running.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Backgrounded message composition sessions can be viewed via
|
||
<code class="literal"><background-compose-menu></code> in the index and
|
||
pager, by default bound to <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">B</code></span>”</span>. If
|
||
there is only a single backgrounded session, which has already
|
||
exited, that session will automatically resume. Otherwise the list
|
||
will be displayed, and a particular session can be selected. <a class="link" href="reference.html#background-format" title="3.31. background_format">$background_format</a> controls the
|
||
format string used for the menu.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
In case the open mailbox is changed while a reply is backgrounded,
|
||
Mutt keeps track of the original mailbox. After sending, Mutt will
|
||
attempt to reopen the original mailbox, if needed, and set reply
|
||
flags appropriately. This won't affect your currently open mailbox,
|
||
but may make setting flags a bit slower due to the need to reopen
|
||
the original mailbox behind the scenes.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
One complication with backgrounded compose sessions is the config
|
||
changes caused by <a class="link" href="advancedusage.html#hooks" title="6. Using Hooks">send, reply, and folder
|
||
hooks</a>. These can get triggered by a new message composition
|
||
session, or by changing folders during a backgrounded session. To
|
||
help lessen these problems, Mutt takes a snapshot of certain
|
||
configuration variables and stores them with each editing session
|
||
when it is backgrounded. When the session is resumed, those stored
|
||
settings will temporarily be restored, and removed again when the
|
||
session finishes (or is backgrounded again).
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Mutt will save all <code class="literal">boolean</code> and
|
||
<code class="literal">quadoption</code> configuration variables,
|
||
the current folder (which will be used for <code class="literal">^</code>
|
||
mailbox shortcut expansion), along with:
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#folder" title="3.97. folder">$folder</a>,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#record" title="3.279. record">$record</a>,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#postponed" title="3.261. postponed">$postponed</a>,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#envelope-from-address" title="3.88. envelope_from_address">$envelope_from_address</a>,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#from" title="3.109. from">$from</a>,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#sendmail" title="3.305. sendmail">$sendmail</a>,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#smtp-url" title="3.359. smtp_url">$smtp_url</a>,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-sign-as" title="3.237. pgp_sign_as">$pgp_sign_as</a>,
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#smime-sign-as" title="3.349. smime_sign_as">$smime_sign_as</a>, and
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#smime-encrypt-with" title="3.339. smime_encrypt_with">$smime_encrypt_with</a>.
|
||
It's not feasible to backup all variables, but if you believe
|
||
we've missed an important setting, please let the developers know.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
To help prevent forgetting about backgrounded sessions, <a class="link" href="reference.html#background-confirm-quit" title="3.30. background_confirm_quit">$background_confirm_quit</a>
|
||
will prompt before exiting, in addition to <a class="link" href="reference.html#quit" title="3.273. quit">$quit</a>. Additionally, the <code class="literal">%B</code>
|
||
expando in <a class="link" href="reference.html#status-format" title="3.389. status_format">$status_format</a>
|
||
displays the number of backgrounded compose sessions.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Background editing is available for most, but not all, message
|
||
composition in Mutt. Sending from the command line disables
|
||
background editing, because there is no index to return to.
|
||
</p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="forwarding-mail"></a>7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail</h2></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Bouncing and forwarding let you send an existing message to recipients
|
||
that you specify. Bouncing a message sends a verbatim copy of a message
|
||
to alternative addresses as if they were the message's original
|
||
recipients specified in the Bcc header. Forwarding a message, on the
|
||
other hand, allows you to modify the message before it is resent (for
|
||
example, by adding your own comments). Bouncing is done using the
|
||
<code class="literal"><bounce></code> function and forwarding using the
|
||
<code class="literal"><forward></code> function bound to <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">b</span>”</span>
|
||
and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">f</span>”</span> respectively.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Forwarding can be done by including the original message in the new
|
||
message's body (surrounded by indicating lines: see <a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-attribution-intro" title="3.102. forward_attribution_intro">$forward_attribution_intro</a>
|
||
and <a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-attribution-trailer" title="3.103. forward_attribution_trailer">$forward_attribution_trailer</a>)
|
||
or including it as a MIME attachment, depending on the value of the
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.193. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> variable. Decoding
|
||
of attachments, like in the pager, can be controlled by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-decode" title="3.104. forward_decode">$forward_decode</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward-decode" title="3.194. mime_forward_decode">$mime_forward_decode</a> variables,
|
||
respectively. The desired forwarding format may depend on the content,
|
||
therefore <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.193. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> is a
|
||
quadoption which, for example, can be set to <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">ask-no</span>”</span>.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Mutt's default (<a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.193. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a>=<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">no</span>”</span> and
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-decode" title="3.104. forward_decode">$forward_decode</a>=<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">yes</span>”</span>) is
|
||
to use standard inline forwarding. In that mode all text-decodable
|
||
parts are included in the new message body. Other attachments from
|
||
the original email can also be attached to the new message, based on the
|
||
quadoption <a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-attachments" title="3.101. forward_attachments">$forward_attachments</a>.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The inclusion of headers is controlled by the current setting of the
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#weed" title="3.417. weed">$weed</a> variable, unless <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.193. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> is set. The subject of
|
||
the email is controlled by <a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-format" title="3.107. forward_format">$forward_format</a>.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Editing the message to forward follows the same procedure as sending or
|
||
replying to a message does, but can be disabled via the quadoption
|
||
<a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-edit" title="3.106. forward_edit">$forward_edit</a>.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="postponing-mail"></a>8. Postponing Mail</h2></div></div></div><p>
|
||
At times it is desirable to delay sending a message that you have
|
||
already begun to compose. When the
|
||
<code class="literal"><postpone-message></code> function is used in the
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu, the body of your message and
|
||
attachments are stored in the mailbox specified by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#postponed" title="3.261. postponed">$postponed</a> variable. This means that you can
|
||
recall the message even if you exit Mutt and then restart it at a later
|
||
time.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Once a message is postponed, there are several ways to resume it. From
|
||
the command line you can use the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-p</span>”</span> option, or if you
|
||
compose a new message from the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> or
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> you will be prompted if postponed messages
|
||
exist. If multiple messages are currently postponed, the
|
||
<span class="emphasis"><em>postponed</em></span> menu will pop up and you can select which
|
||
message you would like to resume.
|
||
</p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
|
||
If you postpone a reply to a message, the reply setting of the message
|
||
is only updated when you actually finish the message and send it. Also,
|
||
you must be in the same folder with the message you replied to for the
|
||
status of the message to be updated.
|
||
</p></div><p>
|
||
See also the <a class="link" href="reference.html#postpone" title="3.260. postpone">$postpone</a> quad-option.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="encryption"></a>9. Encryption and Signing</h2></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Mutt supports encrypting and signing emails when used interactively.
|
||
In batch mode, cryptographic operations are disabled, so these options
|
||
can't be used to sign an email sent via a cron job, for instance.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
OpenPGP and S/MIME are enabled in one of two ways: <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">classic
|
||
mode</span>”</span> or GPGME. The former invokes external programs to
|
||
perform the various operations; it is better tested and more
|
||
flexible, but requires some configuration. The latter uses the
|
||
GnuPG project's GPGME library.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
To enable <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">classic mode</span>”</span>, ensure GPGME is disabled and
|
||
use the <code class="literal">gpg.rc</code> or <code class="literal">smime.rc</code> files
|
||
that come with mutt. These are typically installed under
|
||
<code class="literal">/usr/local/share/doc/mutt/samples/</code>. Source them, either
|
||
directly or by copying them to your .mutt directory and sourcing them.
|
||
Sourcing them directly from
|
||
<code class="literal">/usr/local/share/doc/mutt/samples/</code> has the benefit of
|
||
automatically using fixes and security improvements to the command
|
||
invocations, and is recommended.
|
||
</p><pre class="screen">
|
||
unset crypt_use_gpgme
|
||
source /usr/local/share/doc/mutt/samples/gpg.rc
|
||
source /usr/local/share/doc/mutt/samples/smime.rc
|
||
</pre><p>
|
||
To use GPGME instead, simply ensure the option is enabled in your .muttrc:
|
||
</p><pre class="screen">
|
||
set crypt_use_gpgme
|
||
</pre><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="enc-pgp"></a>9.1. OpenPGP Configuration</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The two most important settings are <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-default-key" title="3.220. pgp_default_key">$pgp_default_key</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-sign-as" title="3.237. pgp_sign_as">$pgp_sign_as</a>. To perform encryption, you
|
||
must set the first variable. If you have a separate signing key, or
|
||
only have a signing key, then set the second. Most people will only
|
||
need to set <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-default-key" title="3.220. pgp_default_key">$pgp_default_key</a>.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Starting with version 2.1.0, GnuPG automatically uses an
|
||
<code class="literal">agent</code> to prompt for your passphrase. If you are
|
||
using a version older than that, you'll need to ensure an agent is
|
||
running (alternatively, you can unset <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-use-gpg-agent" title="3.242. pgp_use_gpg_agent">$pgp_use_gpg_agent</a> and Mutt will
|
||
prompt you for your passphrase). The agent in turn uses a
|
||
<code class="literal">pinentry</code> program to display the prompt. There are
|
||
many different kinds of pinentry programs that can be used: qt, gtk2,
|
||
gnome3, fltk, and curses. However, Mutt does <span class="emphasis"><em>not</em></span>
|
||
work properly with the tty pinentry program. Please ensure you have
|
||
one of the GUI or curses pinentry programs installed and configured to
|
||
be the default for your system.
|
||
</p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="enc-smime"></a>9.2. S/MIME Configuration</h3></div></div></div><p>
|
||
As with OpenPGP, the two most important settings are <a class="link" href="reference.html#smime-default-key" title="3.337. smime_default_key">$smime_default_key</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#smime-sign-as" title="3.349. smime_sign_as">$smime_sign_as</a>. To perform encryption
|
||
and decryption, you must set the first variable. If you have a
|
||
separate signing key, or only have a signing key, then set the second.
|
||
Most people will only need to set <a class="link" href="reference.html#smime-default-key" title="3.337. smime_default_key">$smime_default_key</a>.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
In <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">classic mode</span>”</span>, keys and certificates are managed by
|
||
the <code class="literal">smime_keys</code> program that comes with Mutt. By
|
||
default they are stored under <code class="literal">~/.smime/</code>. (This is
|
||
set by the <code class="literal">smime.rc</code> file with <a class="link" href="reference.html#smime-certificates" title="3.334. smime_certificates">$smime_certificates</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#smime-keys" title="3.345. smime_keys">$smime_keys</a>.) To initialize this
|
||
directory, use the command <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">smime_keys
|
||
init</code></span>”</span> from a shell prompt. The program can be then
|
||
be used to import and list certificates. You may also want to
|
||
periodically run <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">smime_keys refresh</code></span>”</span>
|
||
to update status flags for your certificates.
|
||
</p></div></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr /><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"> </td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="configuration.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Chapter 1. Introduction </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Chapter 3. Configuration</td></tr></table></div></body></html> |