Table of Contents
-While the default configuration (or ``preferences'') make Mutt
-usable right out of the box, it is often desirable to tailor Mutt to
-suit your own tastes. When Mutt is first invoked, it will attempt to
-read the ``system'' configuration file (defaults set by your local
-system administrator), unless the ``-n'' command line option is specified. This file is typically
-/usr/local/share/mutt/Muttrc or /etc/Muttrc. Mutt
-will next look for a file named .muttrc in your home
-directory. If this file does not exist and your home directory has
-a subdirectory named .mutt, mutt try to load a file named
-.mutt/muttrc.
-
-.muttrc is the file where you will usually place your commands to configure Mutt.
-
-In addition, mutt supports version specific configuration files that are
-parsed instead of the default files as explained above. For instance, if
-your system has a Muttrc-0.88 file in the system configuration
-directory, and you are running version 0.88 of mutt, this file will be
-sourced instead of the Muttrc file. The same is true of the user
-configuration file, if you have a file .muttrc-0.88.6 in your home
-directory, when you run mutt version 0.88.6, it will source this file
-instead of the default .muttrc file. The version number is the
-same which is visible using the ``-v'' command line switch or using the show-version key (default:
-V) from the index menu.
-
-An initialization file consists of a series of commands. Each line of the file may contain one or more commands. -When multiple commands are used, they must be separated by a semicolon (;). +
Table of Contents
+While the default configuration (or âpreferencesâ) make
+Mutt usable right out of the box, it is often desirable to tailor Mutt
+to suit your own tastes. When Mutt is first invoked, it will attempt to
+read the âsystemâ configuration file (defaults set by your
+local system administrator), unless the â-nâ command line option is specified. This
+file is typically /usr/local/share/mutt/Muttrc or
+/etc/Muttrc. Mutt will next look for a file named
+.muttrc in your home directory. If this file does
+not exist and your home directory has a subdirectory named
+.mutt, Mutt tries to load a file named
+.mutt/muttrc.
+
+.muttrc is the file where you will usually place your
+commands to configure Mutt.
+
+In addition, Mutt supports version specific configuration files that are
+parsed instead of the default files as explained above. For instance,
+if your system has a Muttrc-0.88 file in the system
+configuration directory, and you are running version 0.88 of Mutt, this
+file will be sourced instead of the Muttrc file. The
+same is true of the user configuration file, if you have a file
+.muttrc-0.88.6 in your home directory, when you run
+Mutt version 0.88.6, it will source this file instead of the default
+.muttrc file. The version number is the same which
+is visible using the â-vâ command line switch or using the
+show-version key (default: V) from the index menu.
+
+An initialization file consists of a series of commands. Each line of the file may contain +one or more commands. When multiple commands are used, they must be +separated by a semicolon (â;â). +
Example 3.1. Multiple configuration commands per line
set realname='Mutt user' ; ignore x- -
- -The hash mark, or pound sign -(``#''), is used as a ``comment'' character. You can use it to -annotate your initialization file. All text after the comment character -to the end of the line is ignored. For example, -
- -
-my_hdr X-Disclaimer: Why are you listening to me? # This is a comment -
- -
-Single quotes (') and double quotes (") can be used to quote strings -which contain spaces or other special characters. The difference between -the two types of quotes is similar to that of many popular shell programs, -namely that a single quote is used to specify a literal string (one that is -not interpreted for shell variables or quoting with a backslash [see -next paragraph]), while double quotes indicate a string for which -should be evaluated. For example, backtics are evaluated inside of double -quotes, but not for single quotes. -
-\ quotes the next character, just as in shells such as bash and zsh. -For example, if want to put quotes ``"'' inside of a string, you can use -``\'' to force the next character to be a literal instead of interpreted -character. - -
+
+The hash mark, or pound sign (â#â), is used as a +âcommentâ character. You can use it to annotate your +initialization file. All text after the comment character to the end of +the line is ignored. +
Example 3.2. Commenting configuration files
+my_hdr X-Disclaimer: Why are you listening to me? # This is a comment
++Single quotes (â'â) and double quotes (â"â) +can be used to quote strings which contain spaces or other special +characters. The difference between the two types of quotes is similar +to that of many popular shell programs, namely that a single quote is +used to specify a literal string (one that is not interpreted for shell +variables or quoting with a backslash [see next paragraph]), while +double quotes indicate a string for which should be evaluated. For +example, backticks are evaluated inside of double quotes, but +not for single quotes. +
+â\â quotes the next character, just as in shells such as +bash and zsh. For example, if want to put quotes â"â +inside of a string, you can use â\â to force the next +character to be a literal instead of interpreted character. +
Example 3.3. Escaping quotes in configuration files
set realname="Michael \"MuttDude\" Elkins" -
- -
-``\\'' means to insert a literal ``\'' into the line. -``\n'' and ``\r'' have their usual C meanings of linefeed and +
+â\\â means to insert a literal â\â into the line. +â\nâ and â\râ have their usual C meanings of linefeed and carriage-return, respectively.
-A \ at the end of a line can be used to split commands over -multiple lines, provided that the split points don't appear in the -middle of command names. -
+A â\â at the end of a line can be used to split commands +over multiple lines as it âescapesâ the line end, provided +that the split points don't appear in the middle of command names. Lines +are first concatenated before interpretation so that a multi-line can be +commented by commenting out the first line only. +
Example 3.4. Splitting long configuration commands over several lines
+set status_format="some very \ +long value split \ +over several lines" +
It is also possible to substitute the output of a Unix command in an initialization file. This is accomplished by enclosing the command in -backquotes (``). For example, - -
+backticks (``). In Example 3.5, âUsing external command's output in configuration filesâ, the output of the +Unix command âuname -aâ will be substituted before the line +is parsed. Since initialization files are line oriented, only the first +line of output from the Unix command will be substituted. +Example 3.5. Using external command's output in configuration files
my_hdr X-Operating-System: `uname -a` -- -The output of the Unix command ``uname -a'' will be substituted before the -line is parsed. Note that since initialization files are line oriented, only -the first line of output from the Unix command will be substituted. -
-Both environment variables and mutt variables can be accessed by -prepending ``$'' to the name of the variable. For example, -
++Both environment variables and Mutt variables can be accessed by +prepending â$â to the name of the variable. For example, +
Example 3.6. Using environment variables in configuration files
set record=+sent_on_$HOSTNAME --will cause mutt to save outgoing messages to a folder named -``sent_on_kremvax'' if the environment variable HOSTNAME is set to -``kremvax.'' (See $record for -details.) +
+will cause Mutt to save outgoing messages to a folder named +âsent_on_kremvaxâ if the environment variable +
$HOSTNAMEis set to âkremvax.â (See +$record for details.)Mutt expands the variable when it is assigned, not when it is used. If -the value of a variable on the right-hand side of an assignment -changes after the assignment, the variable on the left-hand side will -not be affected. -
-The commands understood by mutt are explained in the next paragraphs. -For a complete list, see the command reference. -
-Usage: group [ -group name [ ... ] ] [ -rx EXPR [ ... ] ] [ -addr EXPR [ ... ] ]
-
-group is used to directly add either addresses or
-regular expressions to the specified group or groups. The different
-categories of arguments to the group command can be
-in any order. The flags -rx and
+the value of a variable on the right-hand side of an assignment changes
+after the assignment, the variable on the left-hand side will not be
+affected.
+
+The commands understood by Mutt are explained in the next paragraphs. +For a complete list, see the command +reference. +
+All configuration files are expected to be in the current locale as +specified by the $charset variable which +doesn't have a default value since it's determined by Mutt at startup. +If a configuration file is not encoded in the same character set the +$config_charset variable should be +used: all lines starting with the next are recoded from $config_charset to $charset. +
+This mechanism should be avoided if possible as it has the following +implications: +
These variables should be set early in a configuration +file with $charset preceding $config_charset so Mutt knows what +character set to convert to.
If $config_charset +is set, it should be set in each configuration file because the value is +global and not per configuration +file.
Because Mutt first recodes a line before it attempts to +parse it, a conversion introducing question marks or other characters as +part of errors (unconvertable characters, transliteration) may introduce +syntax errors or silently change the meaning of certain tokens +(e.g. inserting question marks into regular +expressions).
Usage:
group [
+-group
+name
+...] {
+-rx
+expr
+... |
+-addr
+expr
+... }ungroup [
+-group
+name
+...] {
+*
+ |
+-rx
+expr
+... |
+-addr
+expr
+... }
+Mutt supports grouping addresses logically into named groups. An address
+or address pattern can appear in several groups at the same time. These
+groups can be used in patterns (for searching, limiting and tagging) and
+in hooks by using group patterns. This can be useful to classify mail
+and take certain actions depending on in what groups the message is.
+For example, the mutt user's mailing list would fit into the categories
+âmailing listâ and âmutt-relatedâ. Using send-hook, the sender can
+be set to a dedicated one for writing mailing list messages, and the
+signature could be set to a mutt-related one for writing to a mutt list
+â for other lists, the list sender setting still applies but a
+different signature can be selected. Or, given a group only containing
+recipients known to accept encrypted mail,
+âauto-encryptionâ can be achieved easily.
+
+The group command is used to directly add either
+addresses or regular expressions to the specified group or groups. The
+different categories of arguments to the group
+command can be in any order. The flags -rx and
-addr specify what the following strings (that cannot
begin with a hyphen) should be interpreted as: either a regular
expression or an email address, respectively.
-These address groups can also be created implicitely by the
-alias, lists,
-subscribe and
-alternates commands by specifying the
-optional -group option.
-
-Once defined, these address groups can be used in -patterns to search for and limit the -display to messages matching a group. -
-Usage: ungroup [ -group name [ ... ] ] [ * | [ [ -rx EXPR [ ... ] ] [ -addr EXPR [ ... ] ] ]
-
-ungroup is used to remove addresses or regular
-expressions from the specified group or groups. The syntax is similar to
-the group command, however the special character
-* can be used to empty a group of all of its
-contents.
-
-Usage: alias [ -group name [ ... ] ] key address [ , address, ... ]
-
-It's usually very cumbersome to remember or type out the address of someone -you are communicating with. Mutt allows you to create ``aliases'' which map -a short string to a full address. -
-Note: if you want to create an alias for more than -one address, you must separate the addresses with a comma (``,''). -
+These address groups can also be created implicitly by the alias, lists, subscribe and alternates commands by
+specifying the optional -group option. For example,
+
+alternates -group me address1 address2 +alternates -group me -group work address3 +
+would create a group named âmeâ which contains all your +addresses and a group named âworkâ which contains only your +work address address3. Besides many other +possibilities, this could be used to automatically mark your own +messages in a mailing list folder as read or use a special signature for +work-related messages. +
+The ungroup command is used to remove addresses or
+regular expressions from the specified group or groups. The syntax is
+similar to the group command, however the special
+character * can be used to empty a group of all of
+its contents. As soon as a group gets empty because all addresses and
+regular expressions have been removed, it'll internally be removed, too
+(i.e. there cannot be an empty group). When removing regular expressions
+from a group, the pattern must be specified exactly as given to the
+group command or -group argument.
+
Usage:
alias [
+-group
+name
+...]
+key
+
+address
+ [
+address
+...]unalias [
+-group
+name
+...] {
+*
+ |
+key
+... }
+It's usually very cumbersome to remember or type out the address of +someone you are communicating with. Mutt allows you to create +âaliasesâ which map a short string to a full address. +
+If you want to create an alias for more than one address, you +must separate the addresses with a comma +(â,â). +
The optional -group argument to
-alias causes the aliased address(es) to be added to
+alias causes the aliased address(es) to be added to
the named group.
-To remove an alias or aliases (``*'' means all aliases): -
-unalias [ * | key ... ]
-
- +To remove an alias or aliases (â*â means all aliases):
alias muttdude me@cs.hmc.edu (Michael Elkins) alias theguys manny, moe, jack
- -
-Unlike other mailers, Mutt doesn't require aliases to be defined
-in a special file. The alias command can appear anywhere in
-a configuration file, as long as this file is sourced. Consequently, you can have multiple alias files, or
-you can have all aliases defined in your muttrc.
-
-On the other hand, the create-alias
-function can use only one file, the one pointed to by the $alias_file variable (which is
-Ë/.muttrc by default). This file is not special either,
-in the sense that Mutt will happily append aliases to any file, but in
-order for the new aliases to take effect you need to explicitly source this file too.
-
-For example: -
- -
+Unlike other mailers, Mutt doesn't require aliases to be defined in a +special file. The alias command can appear anywhere +in a configuration file, as long as this file is sourced. Consequently, you +can have multiple alias files, or you can have all aliases defined in +your.muttrc. ++On the other hand, the
<create-alias>+function can use only one file, the one pointed to by the $alias_file variable (which is +~/.muttrcby default). This file is not special +either, in the sense that Mutt will happily append aliases to any file, +but in order for the new aliases to take effect you need to explicitly +source this file too. +Example 3.7. Configuring external alias files
source /usr/local/share/Mutt.aliases source ~/.mail_aliases set alias_file=~/.mail_aliases -- -
-To use aliases, you merely use the alias at any place in mutt where mutt -prompts for addresses, such as the To: or Cc: prompt. You can -also enter aliases in your editor at the appropriate headers if you have the -$edit_headers variable set. -
-In addition, at the various address prompts, you can use the tab character -to expand a partial alias to the full alias. If there are multiple matches, -mutt will bring up a menu with the matching aliases. In order to be -presented with the full list of aliases, you must hit tab with out a partial -alias, such as at the beginning of the prompt or after a comma denoting -multiple addresses. +
+To use aliases, you merely use the alias at any place in Mutt where Mutt +prompts for addresses, such as the To: or +Cc: prompt. You can also enter aliases in your +editor at the appropriate headers if you have the $edit_headers variable set. +
+In addition, at the various address prompts, you can use the tab +character to expand a partial alias to the full alias. If there are +multiple matches, Mutt will bring up a menu with the matching aliases. +In order to be presented with the full list of aliases, you must hit tab +without a partial alias, such as at the beginning of the prompt or after +a comma denoting multiple addresses.
In the alias menu, you can select as many aliases as you want with the -select-entry key (default: RET), and use the exit key -(default: q) to return to the address prompt. -
-Usage: bind map key function
-
+select-entry key (default: <Return>), and use
+the exit key (default: q) to return to the address
+prompt.
+
Usage:
bind
+map
+
+key
+
+function
+
This command allows you to change the default key bindings (operation invoked when pressing a key).
-map specifies in which menu the binding belongs. Multiple maps may -be specified by separating them with commas (no additional whitespace is -allowed). The currently defined maps are: -
+map specifies in which menu the binding belongs. +Multiple maps may be specified by separating them with commas (no +additional whitespace is allowed). The currently defined maps are: +
This is not a real menu, but is used as a fallback for all of the other menus except for the pager and editor modes. If a key is not defined in -another menu, Mutt will look for a binding to use in this menu. This allows -you to bind a key to a certain function in multiple menus instead of having -multiple bind statements to accomplish the same task. +another menu, Mutt will look for a binding to use in this menu. This +allows you to bind a key to a certain function in multiple menus instead +of having multiple bind statements to accomplish the +same task.
The alias menu is the list of your personal aliases as defined in your
-muttrc. It is the mapping from a short alias name to the full email
-address(es) of the recipient(s).
+.muttrc. It is the mapping from a short alias name
+to the full email address(es) of the recipient(s).
-The attachment menu is used to access the attachments on received messages. +The attachment menu is used to access the attachments on received +messages.
-The browser is used for both browsing the local directory structure, and for -listing all of your incoming mailboxes. +The browser is used for both browsing the local directory structure, and +for listing all of your incoming mailboxes.
-The editor is the line-based editor the user enters text data.
+The editor is used to allow the user to enter a single line of text, such as
+the To or Subject prompts in the
+compose menu.
The index is the list of messages contained in a mailbox.
@@ -224,293 +320,348 @@ The compose menu is the screen used when sending a new message. The pager is the mode used to display message/attachment data, and help listings.
-The pgp menu is used to select the OpenPGP keys used for encrypting outgoing +The pgp menu is used to select the OpenPGP keys used to encrypt outgoing messages. +
+The smime menu is used to select the OpenSSL certificates used to +encrypt outgoing messages.
The postpone menu is similar to the index menu, except is used when recalling a message the user was composing, but saved until later. +
+The query menu is the browser for results returned by $query_command. +
+The mixmaster screen is used to select remailer options for outgoing +messages (if Mutt is compiled with Mixmaster support).
-
-key is the key (or key sequence) you wish to bind. To specify a -control character, use the sequence \Cx, where x is the -letter of the control character (for example, to specify control-A use -``\Ca''). Note that the case of x as well as \C is -ignored, so that \CA, \Ca, \cA and \ca are all +key is the key (or key sequence) you wish to bind. +To specify a control character, use the sequence +\Cx, where x is the letter of +the control character (for example, to specify control-A use +â\Caâ). Note that the case of x as +well as \C is ignored, so that +\CA, \Ca, +\cA and \ca are all equivalent. An alternative form is to specify the key as a three digit -octal number prefixed with a ``\'' (for example \177 is -equivalent to \c?). In addition, key may -be a symbolic name as shown in Table 3.1, âSymbolic key namesâ. -
- -
Table 3.1. Symbolic key names
| Symbolic name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| \t | tab |
| <tab> | tab |
| <backtab> | backtab / shift-tab |
| \r | carriage return |
| \n | newline |
| \e | escape |
| <esc> | escape |
| <up> | up arrow |
| <down> | down arrow |
| <left> | left arrow |
| <right> | right arrow |
| <pageup> | Page Up |
| <pagedown> | Page Down |
| <backspace> | Backspace |
| <delete> | Delete |
| <insert> | Insert |
| <enter> | Enter |
| <return> | Return |
| <home> | Home |
| <end> | End |
| <space> | Space bar |
| <f1> | function key 1 |
| <f10> | function key 10 |
-
-
-key does not need to be enclosed in quotes unless it contains a -space (`` ''). -
-function specifies which action to take when key is pressed.
-For a complete list of functions, see the reference. The special function noop unbinds the specified key
-sequence.
-
-
-Usage: charset-hook alias charset
-Usage: iconv-hook charset local-charset
-
-
-The charset-hook command defines an alias for a character set.
-This is useful to properly display messages which are tagged with a
-character set name not known to mutt.
-
-The iconv-hook command defines a system-specific name for a
-character set. This is helpful when your systems character
-conversion library insists on using strange, system-specific names
-for character sets.
-
-Usage: folder-hook [!]regexp command
-
+octal number prefixed with a â\â (for example +\177 is equivalent to \c?). In +addition, key may be a symbolic name as shown in +Table 3.1, âSymbolic key namesâ. +
Table 3.1. Symbolic key names
| Symbolic name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| \t | tab |
| <tab> | tab |
| <backtab> | backtab / shift-tab |
| \r | carriage return |
| \n | newline |
| \e | escape |
| <esc> | escape |
| <up> | up arrow |
| <down> | down arrow |
| <left> | left arrow |
| <right> | right arrow |
| <pageup> | Page Up |
| <pagedown> | Page Down |
| <backspace> | Backspace |
| <delete> | Delete |
| <insert> | Insert |
| <enter> | Enter |
| <return> | Return |
| <home> | Home |
| <end> | End |
| <space> | Space bar |
| <f1> | function key 1 |
| <f10> | function key 10 |
+key does not need to be enclosed in quotes unless +it contains a space (â â) or semi-colon +(â;â). +
+function specifies which action to take when +key is pressed. For a complete list of functions, +see the reference. Note that the +bind expects function to be +specified without angle brackets. +
+The special function <noop> unbinds the
+specified key sequence.
+
Usage:
+The charset-hook command defines an alias for a +character set. This is useful to properly display messages which are +tagged with a character set name not known to Mutt. +
+The iconv-hook command defines a system-specific name +for a character set. This is helpful when your systems character +conversion library insists on using strange, system-specific names for +character sets. +
Usage:
folder-hook
+[!]regexp
+
+command
+
It is often desirable to change settings based on which mailbox you are -reading. The folder-hook command provides a method by which you can execute -any configuration command. regexp is a regular expression specifying -in which mailboxes to execute command before loading. If a mailbox -matches multiple folder-hook's, they are executed in the order given in the -muttrc. -
-Note: if you use the ``!'' shortcut for $spoolfile at the beginning of the pattern, you must place it -inside of double or single quotes in order to distinguish it from the -logical not operator for the expression. -
-Note that the settings are not restored when you leave the mailbox. -For example, a command action to perform is to change the sorting method -based upon the mailbox being read: -
-
+reading. The folder-hook command provides a method
+by which you can execute any configuration command.
+regexp is a regular expression specifying in which
+mailboxes to execute command before loading. If a
+mailbox matches multiple folder-hooks, they are
+executed in the order given in the .muttrc.
+
+If you use the â!â shortcut for $spoolfile at the beginning of the pattern, +you must place it inside of double or single quotes in order to +distinguish it from the logical not operator for +the expression. +
+Settings are not restored when you leave the +mailbox. For example, a command action to perform is to change the +sorting method based upon the mailbox being read:
-folder-hook mutt set sort=threads -
- -
+folder-hook mutt "set sort=threads"
However, the sorting method is not restored to its previous value when -reading a different mailbox. To specify a default command, use the -pattern ``.'': -
- -
-folder-hook . set sort=date-sent -
- -
-Usage: macro menu key sequence [ description ]
-
-Macros are useful when you would like a single key to perform a series of -actions. When you press key in menu menu, Mutt will behave as if -you had typed sequence. So if you have a common sequence of commands -you type, you can create a macro to execute those commands with a single -key. -
-menu is the map which the macro will be bound. -Multiple maps may be specified by separating multiple menu arguments by -commas. Whitespace may not be used in between the menu arguments and the -commas separating them. -
-key and sequence are expanded by the same rules as the key bindings. There are some additions however. The -first is that control characters in sequence can also be specified -as ^x. In order to get a caret (`^'') you need to use -^^. Secondly, to specify a certain key such as up -or to invoke a function directly, you can use the format -<key name> and <function name>. For a listing of key -names see the section on key bindings. Functions -are listed in the reference. +reading a different mailbox. To specify a default +command, use the pattern â.â before other +folder-hooks adjusting a value on a per-folder basis +because folder-hooks are evaluated in the order given +in the configuration file. +
+The following example will set the sort
+variable to date-sent for all folders but to
+threads for all folders containing
+âmuttâ in their name.
+
Example 3.8. Setting sort method based on mailbox name
+folder-hook . "set sort=date-sent" +folder-hook mutt "set sort=threads" +
Usage:
macro
+menu
+
+key
+
+sequence
+ [
+description
+]
+Macros are useful when you would like a single key to perform a series +of actions. When you press key in menu +menu, Mutt will behave as if you had typed +sequence. So if you have a common sequence of +commands you type, you can create a macro to execute those commands with +a single key or fewer keys. +
+menu is the map which +the macro will be bound in. Multiple maps may be specified by +separating multiple menu arguments by commas. Whitespace may not be used +in between the menu arguments and the commas separating them. +
+key and sequence are expanded +by the same rules as the key bindings with +some additions. The first is that control characters in +sequence can also be specified as +^x. In order to get a caret (â^â) you +need to use ^^. Secondly, to specify a certain key +such as up or to invoke a function directly, you +can use the format <key name> and +<function name>. For a listing of key names +see the section on key bindings. Functions +are listed in the reference.
The advantage with using function names directly is that the macros will -work regardless of the current key bindings, so they are not dependent on -the user having particular key definitions. This makes them more robust -and portable, and also facilitates defining of macros in files used by more -than one user (e.g., the system Muttrc). -
-Optionally you can specify a descriptive text after sequence, -which is shown in the help screens. -
-Note: Macro definitions (if any) listed in the help screen(s), are +work regardless of the current key bindings, so they are not dependent +on the user having particular key definitions. This makes them more +robust and portable, and also facilitates defining of macros in files +used by more than one user (e.g., the system Muttrc). +
+Optionally you can specify a descriptive text after +sequence, which is shown in the help screens if +they contain a description. +
+Macro definitions (if any) listed in the help screen(s), are silently truncated at the screen width, and are not wrapped. -
-
-Usage: color object foreground background [ regexp ]
-Usage: color index foreground background pattern
-Usage: uncolor index pattern [ pattern ...  ]
-
-
-If your terminal supports color, you can spice up Mutt by creating your own -color scheme. To define the color of an object (type of information), you -must specify both a foreground color and a background color (it is not -possible to only specify one or the other). +
Usage:
color
+object
+
+foreground
+
+background
+ color {
+header
+ |
+body
+ }
+foreground
+
+background
+
+regexp
+ color
+index
+
+foreground
+
+background
+
+pattern
+ uncolor {
+index
+ |
+header
+ |
+body
+ } {
+*
+ |
+pattern
+... }
+If your terminal supports color, you can spice up Mutt by creating your +own color scheme. To define the color of an object (type of +information), you must specify both a foreground color +and a background color (it is not possible to only +specify one or the other). +
+header and body match +regexp in the header/body of a message, +index matches pattern (see +Section 3, âPatterns: Searching, Limiting and Taggingâ) in the message index.
object can be one of: -
- -
-attachment -
-body (match regexp in the body of messages) -
-bold (hiliting bold patterns in the body of messages) -
-error (error messages printed by Mutt) -
-header (match regexp in the message header) -
-hdrdefault (default color of the message header in the pager) -
-index (match pattern in the message index) -
-indicator (arrow or bar used to indicate the current item in a menu) -
-markers (the ``+'' markers at the beginning of wrapped lines in the pager) -
-message (informational messages) -
-normal -
-quoted (text matching $quote_regexp in the body of a message) -
-quoted1, quoted2, ..., quotedN (higher levels of quoting) -
-search (hiliting of words in the pager) -
-signature -
-status (mode lines used to display info about the mailbox or message) -
-tilde (the ``Ë'' used to pad blank lines in the pager) -
-tree (thread tree drawn in the message index and attachment menu) -
-underline (hiliting underlined patterns in the body of messages) -
- -
-foreground and background can be one of the following: -
- -
-white -
-black -
-green -
-magenta -
-blue -
-cyan -
-yellow -
-red -
-default -
-colorx -
- -
-foreground can optionally be prefixed with the keyword bright to make
-the foreground color boldfaced (e.g., brightred).
-
-If your terminal supports it, the special keyword default can be -used as a transparent color. The value brightdefault is also valid. -If Mutt is linked against the S-Lang library, you also need to set -the COLORFGBG environment variable to the default colors of your -terminal for this to work; for example (for Bourne-like shells): -
- +
attachment
bold (highlighting bold patterns in the body of messages)
error (error messages printed by Mutt)
hdrdefault (default color of the message header in the pager)
indicator (arrow or bar used to indicate the current item in a menu)
markers (the â+â markers at the beginning of wrapped lines in the pager)
message (informational messages)
normal
quoted (text matching $quote_regexp in the body of a message)
quoted1, quoted2, ..., quotedN (higher levels of quoting)
search (highlighting of words in the pager)
signature
status (mode lines used to display info about the mailbox or message)
tilde (the â~â used to pad blank lines in the pager)
tree (thread tree drawn in the message index and attachment menu)
underline (highlighting underlined patterns in the body of messages)
+foreground and background can +be one of the following: +
white
black
green
magenta
blue
cyan
yellow
red
default
colorx
+foreground can optionally be prefixed with the
+keyword bright to make the foreground color boldfaced
+(e.g., brightred).
+
+If your terminal supports it, the special keyword
+default can be used as a transparent color. The
+value brightdefault is also valid. If Mutt is
+linked against the S-Lang library, you also need to
+set the $COLORFGBG environment variable to the
+default colors of your terminal for this to work; for example (for
+Bourne-like shells):
set COLORFGBG="green;black" export COLORFGBG -
- -
-Note: The S-Lang library requires you to use the lightgray -and brown keywords instead of white and yellow when -setting this variable. -
-Note: The uncolor command can be applied to the index object only. It -removes entries from the list. You must specify the same pattern -specified in the color command for it to be removed. The pattern ``*'' is -a special token which means to clear the color index list of all entries. -
-Mutt also recognizes the keywords color0, color1, â¦, -colorN-1 (N being the number of colors supported -by your terminal). This is useful when you remap the colors for your -display (for example by changing the color associated with color2 -for your xterm), since color names may then lose their normal meaning. -
-If your terminal does not support color, it is still possible change the video -attributes through the use of the ``mono'' command: -
-
-Usage: mono <object> <attribute> [ regexp ]
-Usage: mono index attribute pattern
-Usage: unmono index pattern [ pattern ...  ]
+
+The S-Lang library requires you to use the +lightgray and brown keywords +instead of white and yellow +when setting this variable. +
+The uncolor command can be applied to the index, +header and body objects only. It removes entries from the list. You +must specify the same pattern specified in the +color command for it to be removed. The pattern +â*â is a special token which means to clear the color list +of all entries.
-
-where attribute is one of the following: -
- -
-none -
-bold -
-underline -
-reverse -
-standout -
- -
-Usage: [un]ignore pattern [ pattern ... ]
-
-Messages often have many header fields added by automatic processing systems, -or which may not seem useful to display on the screen. This command allows -you to specify header fields which you don't normally want to see. +Mutt also recognizes the keywords color0, +color1, ..., +colorN-1 +(N being the number of colors supported by your +terminal). This is useful when you remap the colors for your display +(for example by changing the color associated with +color2 for your xterm), since color names may then +lose their normal meaning. +
+If your terminal does not support color, it is still possible change the +video attributes through the use of the âmonoâ +command. Usage: +
mono
+object
+
+attribute
+ mono {
+header
+ |
+body
+ }
+attribute
+
+regexp
+ mono
+index
+
+attribute
+
+pattern
+ unmono {
+index
+ |
+header
+ |
+body
+ } {
+*
+ |
+pattern
+... }
+For object, see the color +command. attribute can be one of the following: +
none
bold
underline
reverse
standout
+When displaying a message in the pager, Mutt folds long header lines at +$wrap columns. Though there're precise rules +about where to break and how, Mutt always folds headers using a tab for +readability. (Note that the sending side is not affected by this, Mutt +tries to implement standards compliant folding.) +
Usage:
ignore
+pattern
+ [
+pattern
+...]unignore {
+*
+ |
+pattern
+... }
+Messages often have many header fields added by automatic processing +systems, or which may not seem useful to display on the screen. This +command allows you to specify header fields which you don't normally +want to see in the pager.
You do not need to specify the full header field name. For example, -``ignore content-'' will ignore all header fields that begin with the pattern -``content-''. ``ignore *'' will ignore all headers. -
-To remove a previously added token from the list, use the ``unignore'' command. -The ``unignore'' command will make Mutt display headers with the given pattern. -For example, if you do ``ignore x-'' it is possible to ``unignore x-mailer''. -
-``unignore *'' will remove all tokens from the ignore list. -
-For example: - -
-# Sven's draconian header weeding +âignore content-â will ignore all header fields that begin +with the pattern âcontent-â. âignore *â will +ignore all headers. ++To remove a previously added token from the list, use the +âunignoreâ command. The âunignoreâ command +will make Mutt display headers with the given pattern. For example, if +you do âignore x-â it is possible to âunignore +x-mailerâ. +
+âunignore *â will remove all tokens from the ignore list. +
Example 3.9. Header weeding
+# Sven's draconian header weeding ignore * unignore from date subject to cc unignore organization organisation x-mailer: x-newsreader: x-mailing-list: unignore posted-to: -- -
Usage:
hdr_order
+header
+ [
+header
+...]unhdr_order {
+*
+ |
+header
+... }
+With the hdr_order command you can specify an order +in which Mutt will attempt to present these headers to you when viewing +messages.
-With various functions, mutt will treat messages differently, -depending on whether you sent them or whether you received them from -someone else. For instance, when replying to a message that you -sent to a different party, mutt will automatically suggest to send -the response to the original message's recipients -- responding to -yourself won't make much sense in many cases. (See $reply_to.) +âunhdr_order *â will clear all previous +headers from the order list, thus removing the header order effects set +by the system-wide startup file. +
Usage:
alternates [
+-group
+name
+...]
+regexp
+ [
+regexp
+...]unalternates [
+-group
+name
+...] {
+*
+ |
+regexp
+... }
+With various functions, Mutt will treat messages differently, depending +on whether you sent them or whether you received them from someone else. +For instance, when replying to a message that you sent to a different +party, Mutt will automatically suggest to send the response to the +original message's recipients â responding to yourself won't make +much sense in many cases. (See $reply_to.)
Many users receive e-mail under a number of different addresses. To
-fully use mutt's features here, the program must be able to
-recognize what e-mail addresses you receive mail under. That's the
-purpose of the alternates command: It takes a list of regular
+fully use Mutt's features here, the program must be able to recognize
+what e-mail addresses you receive mail under. That's the purpose of the
+alternates command: It takes a list of regular
expressions, each of which can identify an address under which you
receive e-mail.
@@ -520,666 +671,869 @@ as possible to avoid mismatches. For example, if you specify:
alternates user@example
-mutt will consider ``some-user@example'' as
-being your address, too which may not be desired. As a solution, in such
-cases addresses should be specified as:
+Mutt will consider âsome-user@exampleâ
+as being your address, too which may not be desired. As a solution, in
+such cases addresses should be specified as:
alternates '^user@example$'
-The -group flag causes all of the subsequent regular expressions
-to be added to the named group.
-
-The unalternates command can be used to write exceptions to
-alternates patterns. If an address matches something in an
-alternates command, but you nonetheless do not think it is
-from you, you can list a more precise pattern under an unalternates
-command.
-
-To remove a regular expression from the alternates list, use the
-unalternates command with exactly the same regexp.
-Likewise, if the regexp for an alternates command matches
-an entry on the unalternates list, that unalternates
-entry will be removed. If the regexp for unalternates
-is ``*'', all entries on alternates will be removed.
-
-
-Usage: [un]lists [ -group name [ ... ] ] regexp [ regexp ... ]
-Usage: [un]subscribe [ -group name [ ... ] ] regexp [ regexp ... ]
+The -group flag causes all of the subsequent regular
+expressions to be added to the named group.
+
+The unalternates command can be used to write +exceptions to alternates patterns. If an address +matches something in an alternates command, but you +nonetheless do not think it is from you, you can list a more precise +pattern under an unalternates command. +
+To remove a regular expression from the alternates +list, use the unalternates command with exactly the +same regexp. Likewise, if the +regexp for an alternates command +matches an entry on the unalternates list, that +unalternates entry will be removed. If the +regexp for unalternates is +â*â, all entries on +alternates will be removed. +
Usage:
lists [
+-group
+name
+...]
+regexp
+ [
+regexp
+...]unlists {
+*
+ |
+regexp
+... }subscribe [
+-group
+name
+...]
+regexp
+ [
+regexp
+...]unsubscribe {
+*
+ |
+regexp
+... }
+Mutt has a few nice features for handling
+mailing lists. In order to take advantage of them, you must
+specify which addresses belong to mailing lists, and which mailing lists
+you are subscribed to. Mutt also has limited support for auto-detecting
+mailing lists: it supports parsing mailto: links in
+the common List-Post: header which has the same
+effect as specifying the list address via the lists
+command (except the group feature). Once you have done this, the <list-reply>
+function will work for all known lists. Additionally, when you send a
+message to a subscribed list, Mutt will add a Mail-Followup-To header to
+tell other users' mail user agents not to send copies of replies to your
+personal address.
+
+The Mail-Followup-To header is a non-standard extension which is not +supported by all mail user agents. Adding it is not bullet-proof +against receiving personal CCs of list messages. Also note that the +generation of the Mail-Followup-To header is controlled by the $followup_to configuration variable since +it's common practice on some mailing lists to send Cc upon replies +(which is more a group- than a list-reply).
-
-Mutt has a few nice features for handling mailing lists. In order to take advantage of them, you must -specify which addresses belong to mailing lists, and which mailing -lists you are subscribed to. Once you have done this, the list-reply function will work for all known lists. -Additionally, when you send a message to a subscribed list, mutt will -add a Mail-Followup-To header to tell other users' mail user agents -not to send copies of replies to your personal address. Note that -the Mail-Followup-To header is a non-standard extension which is not -supported by all mail user agents. Adding it is not bullet-proof against -receiving personal CCs of list messages. Also note that the generation -of the Mail-Followup-To header is controlled by the $followup_to configuration variable. -
-More precisely, Mutt maintains lists of patterns for the addresses -of known and subscribed mailing lists. Every subscribed mailing -list is known. To mark a mailing list as known, use the ``lists'' -command. To mark it as subscribed, use ``subscribe''. -
-You can use regular expressions with both commands. To mark all -messages sent to a specific bug report's address on mutt's bug -tracking system as list mail, for instance, you could say -``subscribe [0-9]*@bugs.guug.de''. Often, it's sufficient to just -give a portion of the list's e-mail address. +More precisely, Mutt maintains lists of patterns for the addresses of +known and subscribed mailing lists. Every subscribed mailing list is +known. To mark a mailing list as known, use the list +command. To mark it as subscribed, use subscribe. +
+You can use regular expressions with both commands. To mark all messages +sent to a specific bug report's address on Debian's bug tracking system +as list mail, for instance, you could say +
+subscribe [0-9]*.*@bugs.debian.org
+as it's often sufficient to just give a portion of the list's e-mail +address.
Specify as much of the address as you need to to remove ambiguity. For -example, if you've subscribed to the Mutt mailing list, you will receive mail -addressed to mutt-users@mutt.org. So, to tell Mutt -that this is a mailing list, you could add ``lists mutt-users@'' to your -initialization file. To tell mutt that you are subscribed to it, -add ``subscribe mutt-users'' to your initialization file instead. -If you also happen to get mail from someone whose address is -mutt-users@example.com, you could use -``lists ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$'' -or ``subscribe ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$'' to -match only mail from the actual list. -
-The -group flag adds all of the subsequent regular expressions
-to the named group.
-
-The ``unlists'' command is used to remove a token from the list of -known and subscribed mailing-lists. Use ``unlists *'' to remove all -tokens. -
-To remove a mailing list from the list of subscribed mailing lists, -but keep it on the list of known mailing lists, use ``unsubscribe''. -
-Usage: mbox-hook [!]pattern mailbox
-
+example, if you've subscribed to the Mutt mailing list, you will receive
+mail addressed to mutt-users@mutt.org. So, to tell
+Mutt that this is a mailing list, you could add lists
+mutt-users@ to your initialization file. To tell Mutt that
+you are subscribed to it, add subscribe
+mutt-users to your initialization file instead. If you also
+happen to get mail from someone whose address is
+mutt-users@example.com, you could use
+lists ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$ or
+subscribe ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$
+to match only mail from the actual list.
+
+The -group flag adds all of the subsequent regular
+expressions to the named address group
+in addition to adding to the specified address list.
+
+The âunlistsâ command is used to remove a token from the +list of known and subscribed mailing-lists. Use âunlists *â +to remove all tokens. +
+To remove a mailing list from the list of subscribed mailing lists, but +keep it on the list of known mailing lists, use +unsubscribe. +
Usage:
mbox-hook
+[!]pattern
+
+mailbox
+
This command is used to move read messages from a specified mailbox to a different mailbox automatically when you quit or change folders. -pattern is a regular expression specifying the mailbox to treat as a -``spool'' mailbox and mailbox specifies where mail should be saved when +pattern is a regular expression specifying the +mailbox to treat as a âspoolâ mailbox and +mailbox specifies where mail should be saved when read.
-Unlike some of the other hook commands, only the first matching -pattern is used (it is not possible to save read mail in more than a single -mailbox). -
-Usage: [un]mailboxes folder [ folder ... ]
-
-This command specifies folders which can receive mail and -which will be checked for new messages. By default, the -main menu status bar displays how many of these folders have -new messages. -
-folder can either be a local file or directory
+Unlike some of the other hook commands, only the
+first matching pattern is used (it is not possible
+to save read mail in more than a single mailbox).
+
Usage:
mailboxes
+mailbox
+ [
+mailbox
+...]unmailboxes {
+*
+ |
+mailbox
+... }
+This command specifies folders which can receive mail and which will be +checked for new messages periodically. +
+folder can either be a local file or directory
(Mbox/Mmdf or Maildir/Mh). If Mutt was built with POP and/or IMAP
-support, folder can also be a POP/IMAP folder
-URL. The URL syntax is described in Section 1.2, âURL syntaxâ,
-POP and IMAP are described in Section 3, âPOP3 Supportâ and Section 4, âIMAP Supportâ
-respectively.
-
-When changing folders, pressing space will cycle -through folders with new mail. -
-Pressing TAB in the directory browser will bring up a menu showing the files
-specified by the mailboxes command, and indicate which contain new
-messages. Mutt will automatically enter this mode when invoked from the
-command line with the -y option.
-
-The ``unmailboxes'' command is used to remove a token from the list -of folders which receive mail. Use ``unmailboxes *'' to remove all -tokens. -
-Note: the folders in the mailboxes command are resolved when
-the command is executed, so if these names contain shortcut characters (such as ``='' and ``!''), any variable
-definition that affect these characters (like $folder and $spoolfile)
-should be executed before the mailboxes command. If
-none of these shorcuts are used, a local path should be absolute as
-otherwise mutt tries to find it within the current working directory
-from where mutt was started which may not always be desired.
-
-For local folders, new mail is detected by comparing access and/or -modification times of files and folders. The interval in which Mutt -checks for new mail is defined by -$mail_check. -
-Special care is required with Mbox and Mmdf
-folders as Mutt assumes such a folder has new mail if it wasn't
-accessed after it was last modified. Utilities like biff or
-frm or any other program which accesses the mailbox might cause
-Mutt to never detect new mail for that mailbox if they do not properly reset the
-access time. Backup tools are another common reason for updated access times.
-
-Usage:
-
-my_hdr string
-
-unmy_hdr field [ field ... ]
-
-The ``my_hdr'' command allows you to create your own header -fields which will be added to every message you send. -
-For example, if you would like to add an ``Organization:'' header field to -all of your outgoing messages, you can put the command -
-âmy_hdr Organization: A Really Big Company, Anytown, USAâ -
-in your .muttrc.
-
-Note: space characters are not allowed between the keyword and -the colon (``:''). The standard for electronic mail (RFC822) says that -space is illegal there, so Mutt enforces the rule. -
+support, folder can also be a POP/IMAP folder +URL. The URL syntax is described in Section 1.2, âURL Syntaxâ, POP +and IMAP are described in Section 3, âPOP3 Supportâ and Section 4, âIMAP Supportâ respectively. +
+Mutt provides a number of advanced features for handling (possibly many) +folders and new mail within them, please refer to Section 10, âNew Mail Detectionâ for details (including in what situations and how +often Mutt checks for new mail). +
+The âunmailboxesâ command is used to remove a token from +the list of folders which receive mail. Use âunmailboxes *â +to remove all tokens. +
+The folders in the mailboxes command are resolved +when the command is executed, so if these names contain shortcut characters (such as â=â +and â!â), any variable definition that affects these +characters (like $folder and $spoolfile) should be set before the +mailboxes command. If none of these shortcuts are +used, a local path should be absolute as otherwise Mutt tries to find it +relative to the directory from where Mutt was started which may not +always be desired. +
Usage:
my_hdr
+string
+ unmy_hdr {
+*
+ |
+field
+... }
+The my_hdr command allows you to create your own +header fields which will be added to every message you send and appear +in the editor if $edit_headers is +set. +
+For example, if you would like to add an âOrganization:â
+header field to all of your outgoing messages, you can put the command
+something like shown in Example 3.11, âDefining custom headersâ in your
+.muttrc.
+
+Space characters are not allowed between the +keyword and the colon (â:â). The standard for electronic +mail (RFC2822) says that space is illegal there, so Mutt enforces the +rule. +
If you would like to add a header field to a single message, you should -either set the $edit_headers variable, -or use the edit-headers function (default: ``E'') in the send-menu so -that you can edit the header of your message along with the body. -
-To remove user defined header fields, use the ``unmy_hdr'' -command. You may specify an asterisk (``*'') to remove all header -fields, or the fields to remove. For example, to remove all ``To'' and -``Cc'' header fields, you could use: -
-âunmy_hdr to ccâ -
-Usage: hdr_order header1 header2 header3
-
-With this command, you can specify an order in which mutt will attempt -to present headers to you when viewing messages. -
-``unhdr_order *'' will clear all previous headers from the order list, -thus removing the header order effects set by the system-wide startup -file. -
-
+either set the $edit_headers
+variable, or use the <edit-headers> function
+(default: âEâ) in the compose menu so that you can edit the
+header of your message along with the body.
+
+To remove user defined header fields, use the +unmy_hdr command. You may specify an asterisk +(â*â) to remove all header fields, or the fields to +remove. For example, to remove all âToâ and +âCcâ header fields, you could use:
-hdr_order From Date: From: To: Cc: Subject: -
- -
Usage:
save-hook
+[!]pattern
+
+mailbox
+
This command is used to override the default mailbox used when saving -messages. mailbox will be used as the default if the message -matches pattern, see Message Matching in Hooks for information -on the exact format. +messages. mailbox will be used as the default if +the message matches pattern, see Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format.
-To provide more flexibility and good defaults, Mutt applies the -expandos of $index_format to +To provide more flexibility and good defaults, Mutt applies the expandos +of $index_format to mailbox after it was expanded. -
-Examples: -
- -
-# default: save all to ~/Mail/<author name> +Example 3.12. Using %-expandos in save-hook
+# default: save all to ~/Mail/<author name> save-hook . ~/Mail/%F -# save from me@turing.cs.hmc.edu/me@cs.hmc.edu to $folder/elinks + +# save from me@turing.cs.hmc.edu and me@cs.hmc.edu to $folder/elkins save-hook me@(turing\\.)?cs\\.hmc\\.edu$ +elkins -# save from aol.com to $folder/spam -save-hook aol\\.com$ +spam --
-Also see the fcc-save-hook command. -
-Usage:
fcc-hook[!]pattern mailbox --This command is used to save outgoing mail in a mailbox other than -$record. Mutt searches the initial list of -message recipients for the first matching regexp and uses mailbox -as the default Fcc: mailbox. If no match is found the message will be saved -to $record mailbox. +# save from aol.com to $folder/spam +save-hook aol\\.com$ +spam +
+Also see the fcc-save-hook command. +
Usage:
fcc-hook
+[!]pattern
+
+mailbox
+
+This command is used to save outgoing mail in a mailbox other than $record. Mutt searches the initial list of +message recipients for the first matching regexp +and uses mailbox as the default Fcc: mailbox. If +no match is found the message will be saved to $record mailbox.
To provide more flexibility and good defaults, Mutt applies the -expandos of $index_format to +expandos of $index_format to mailbox after it was expanded.
-See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format of pattern. -
-Example: fcc-hook [@.]aol\\.com$ +spammers
-
-The above will save a copy of all messages going to the aol.com domain to -the `+spammers' mailbox by default. Also see the fcc-save-hook command. -
-Usage: fcc-save-hook [!]pattern mailbox
-
-This command is a shortcut, equivalent to doing both a fcc-hook -and a save-hook with its arguments, -including %-expansion on mailbox according -to $index_format. -
-
-Usage: reply-hook [!]pattern command
-Usage: send-hook [!]pattern command
-Usage: send2-hook [!]pattern command
+See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format
+of pattern.
+
fcc-hook [@.]aol\\.com$ +spammers
+...will save a copy of all messages going to the aol.com domain to the +`+spammers' mailbox by default. Also see the fcc-save-hook command. +
Usage:
fcc-save-hook
+[!]pattern
+
+mailbox
+
+This command is a shortcut, equivalent to doing both a fcc-hook and a save-hook with its +arguments, including %-expansion on mailbox +according to $index_format. +
Usage:
reply-hook
+[!]pattern
+
+command
+ send-hook
+[!]pattern
+
+command
+ send2-hook
+[!]pattern
+
+command
+
+These commands can be used to execute arbitrary configuration commands +based upon recipients of the message. pattern is +used to match the message, see Message Matching in Hooks for +details. command is executed when +pattern matches. +
+reply-hook is matched against the message you are +replying to, instead of the message you are +sending. send-hook is matched +against all messages, both new and +replies. +
+reply-hooks are matched before +the send-hook, regardless of the +order specified in the user's configuration file.
+send2-hook is matched every time a message is +changed, either by editing it, or by using the compose menu to change +its recipients or subject. send2-hook is executed +after send-hook, and can, e.g., be used to set +parameters such as the $sendmail +variable depending on the message's sender address.
-These commands can be used to execute arbitrary configuration commands based -upon recipients of the message. pattern is a regular expression -matching the desired address. command is executed when regexp -matches recipients of the message. -
-reply-hook is matched against the message you are replying
-to, instead of the message you are sending. send-hook is
-matched against all messages, both new and replies. Note:
-reply-hooks are matched before the send-hook, regardless
-of the order specified in the user's configuration file.
-
-send2-hook is matched every time a message is changed, either
-by editing it, or by using the compose menu to change its recipients
-or subject. send2-hook is executed after send-hook, and
-can, e.g., be used to set parameters such as the $sendmail variable depending on the message's sender
-address.
-
-For each type of send-hook or reply-hook, when multiple matches
-occur, commands are executed in the order they are specified in the muttrc
-(for that type of hook).
-
-See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format of pattern.
+For each type of send-hook or
+reply-hook, when multiple matches occur, commands are
+executed in the order they are specified in the
+.muttrc (for that type of hook).
-Example: send-hook mutt "set mime_forward signature=''"
+Example: send-hook mutt
+"set mime_forward signature=''"
Another typical use for this command is to change the values of the -$attribution, $signature and $locale -variables in order to change the language of the attributions and -signatures based upon the recipients. -
-Note: the send-hook's are only executed ONCE after getting the initial -list of recipients. Adding a recipient after replying or editing the -message will NOT cause any send-hook to be executed. Also note that -my_hdr commands which modify recipient headers, or the message's -subject, don't have any effect on the current message when executed -from a send-hook. -
-Usage: message-hook [!]pattern command
-
+$attribution, $signature and $locale variables in order to change the +language of the attributions and signatures based upon the recipients. +
+send-hook's are only executed once after getting the +initial list of recipients. Adding a recipient after replying or +editing the message will not cause any send-hook to +be executed, similarly if $autoedit is +set (as then the initial list of recipients is empty). Also note that +my_hdr commands which +modify recipient headers, or the message's subject, don't have any +effect on the current message when executed from a +send-hook. +
Usage:
message-hook
+[!]pattern
+
+command
+
This command can be used to execute arbitrary configuration commands
-before viewing or formatting a message based upon information about the message.
-command is executed if the pattern matches the message to be
-displayed. When multiple matches occur, commands are executed in the order
-they are specified in the muttrc.
+before viewing or formatting a message based upon information about the
+message. command is executed if the
+pattern matches the message to be displayed. When
+multiple matches occur, commands are executed in the order they are
+specified in the .muttrc.
-See Message Matching in Hooks for -information on the exact format of pattern. +See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format +of pattern.
Example: -
message-hook ~A 'set pager=builtin' message-hook '~f freshmeat-news' 'set pager="less \"+/^ subject: .*\""' -
- -
-Usage: crypt-hook pattern keyid
-
-When encrypting messages with PGP or OpenSSL, you may want to associate a certain -key with a given e-mail address automatically, either because the -recipient's public key can't be deduced from the destination address, -or because, for some reasons, you need to override the key Mutt would -normally use. The crypt-hook command provides a method by which you can -specify the ID of the public key to be used when encrypting messages to -a certain recipient. -
-The meaning of "key id" is to be taken broadly in this context: You -can either put a numerical key ID here, an e-mail address, or even -just a real name. -
-Usage: push string
-
-This command adds the named string to the keyboard buffer. The string may -contain control characters, key names and function names like the sequence -string in the macro command. You may use it to -automatically run a sequence of commands at startup, or when entering -certain folders. For example, the following command will automatically -collapse all threads when entering a folder: - -
+
Usage:
crypt-hook
+pattern
+
+keyid
+
+When encrypting messages with PGP/GnuPG or OpenSSL, you may want to +associate a certain key with a given e-mail address automatically, +either because the recipient's public key can't be deduced from the +destination address, or because, for some reasons, you need to override +the key Mutt would normally use. The crypt-hook +command provides a method by which you can specify the ID of the public +key to be used when encrypting messages to a certain recipient. +
+The meaning of keyid is to be taken broadly in this +context: You can either put a numerical key ID here, an e-mail address, +or even just a real name. +
Usage:
push
+string
+
+This command adds the named string to the keyboard buffer. The string +may contain control characters, key names and function names like the +sequence string in the macro command. You +may use it to automatically run a sequence of commands at startup, or +when entering certain folders. For example, Example 3.13, âEmbedding push in folder-hookâ shows how to automatically collapse all +threads when entering a folder. +
+For using functions like shown in the example, it's important to use
+angle brackets (â<â and â>â) to make
+Mutt recognize the input as a function name. Otherwise it will simulate
+individual just keystrokes, i.e. âpush
+collapse-allâ would be interpreted as if you had typed
+âcâ, followed by âoâ, followed by
+âlâ, ..., which is not desired and may lead to very
+unexpected behavior.
+
+Keystrokes can be used, too, but are less portable because of +potentially changed key bindings. With default bindings, this is +equivalent to the above example: +
+folder-hook . 'push \eV'
-
-Usage: exec function [ function ... ]
-
-This command can be used to execute any function. Functions are -listed in the function reference. -``exec function'' is equivalent to ``push <function>''. -
-
-Usage: score pattern value
-Usage: unscore pattern [ pattern ... ]
-
-
-The score commands adds value to a message's score if pattern
-matches it. pattern is a string in the format described in the patterns section (note: For efficiency reasons, patterns
-which scan information not available in the index, such as Ëb,
-ËB or Ëh, may not be used). value is a
-positive or negative integer. A message's final score is the sum total of all
-matching score entries. However, you may optionally prefix value with
-an equal sign (=) to cause evaluation to stop at a particular entry if there is
-a match. Negative final scores are rounded up to 0.
-
-The unscore command removes score entries from the list. You must
-specify the same pattern specified in the score command for it to be
-removed. The pattern ``*'' is a special token which means to clear the list
-of all score entries.
-
-
-Usage: spam pattern format
-Usage: nospam pattern
-
-
-Mutt has generalized support for external spam-scoring filters.
-By defining your spam patterns with the spam and nospam
-commands, you can limit, search, and sort your
-mail based on its spam attributes, as determined by the external
-filter. You also can display the spam attributes in your index
-display using the %H selector in the $index_format variable. (Tip: try %?H?[%H] ?
-to display spam tags only when they are defined for a given message.)
+because it simulates that Esc+V was pressed (which is the default
+binding of <collapse-all>).
+
Usage:
exec
+function
+ [
+function
+...]
+This command can be used to execute any function. Functions are listed
+in the function reference.
+âexec functionâ is
+equivalent to âpush <function>â.
+
Usage:
score
+pattern
+
+value
+ unscore {
+*
+ |
+pattern
+... }
+The score commands adds value to
+a message's score if pattern matches it.
+pattern is a string in the format described in the
+patterns section (note: For efficiency
+reasons, patterns which scan information not available in the index,
+such as ~b, ~B or
+~h, may not be used). value is
+a positive or negative integer. A message's final score is the sum
+total of all matching score entries. However, you
+may optionally prefix value with an equal sign
+(â=â) to cause evaluation to stop at a particular entry if
+there is a match. Negative final scores are rounded up to 0.
+
+The unscore command removes score entries from the +list. You must specify the same pattern specified +in the score command for it to be removed. The +pattern â*â is a special token which means to clear the +list of all score entries. +
Usage:
spam
+pattern
+
+format
+ nospam {
+*
+ |
+pattern
+ }
+Mutt has generalized support for external spam-scoring filters. By
+defining your spam patterns with the spam and
+nospam commands, you can limit,
+search, and sort your mail
+based on its spam attributes, as determined by the external filter. You
+also can display the spam attributes in your index display using the
+%H selector in the $index_format variable. (Tip: try
+%?H?[%H] ? to display spam tags only when they are
+defined for a given message.)
Your first step is to define your external filter's spam patterns using
-the spam command. pattern should be a regular expression
-that matches a header in a mail message. If any message in the mailbox
-matches this regular expression, it will receive a ``spam tag'' or
-``spam attribute'' (unless it also matches a nospam pattern -- see
-below.) The appearance of this attribute is entirely up to you, and is
-governed by the format parameter. format can be any static
-text, but it also can include back-references from the pattern
-expression. (A regular expression ``back-reference'' refers to a
-sub-expression contained within parentheses.) %1 is replaced with
-the first back-reference in the regex, %2 with the second, etc.
-
-If you're using multiple spam filters, a message can have more than
-one spam-related header. You can define spam patterns for each
-filter you use. If a message matches two or more of these patterns, and
-the $spam_separator variable is set to a string, then the
-message's spam tag will consist of all the format strings joined
-together, with the value of $spam_separator separating
-them.
-
-For example, suppose I use DCC, SpamAssassin, and PureMessage. I might -define these spam settings: - -
+the spam command. pattern should +be a regular expression that matches a header in a mail message. If any +message in the mailbox matches this regular expression, it will receive +a âspam tagâ or âspam attributeâ (unless it +also matches a nospam pattern â see below.) The +appearance of this attribute is entirely up to you, and is governed by +the format parameter. format +can be any static text, but it also can include back-references from the +pattern expression. (A regular expression +âback-referenceâ refers to a sub-expression contained +within parentheses.)%1is replaced with the first +back-reference in the regex,%2with the second, etc. ++To match spam tags, mutt needs the corresponding header information +which is always the case for local and POP folders but not for IMAP in +the default configuration. Depending on the spam header to be analyzed, +$imap_headers may need to be +adjusted. +
+If you're using multiple spam filters, a message can have more than one +spam-related header. You can define spam patterns for +each filter you use. If a message matches two or more of these patterns, +and the $spam_separator variable +is set to a string, then the message's spam tag will consist of all the +format strings joined together, with the value of +$spam_separator separating them. +
+For example, suppose one uses DCC, SpamAssassin, and PureMessage, then +the configuration might look like in Example 3.14, âConfiguring spam detectionâ. +
Example 3.14. Configuring spam detection
spam "X-DCC-.*-Metrics:.*(....)=many" "90+/DCC-%1" spam "X-Spam-Status: Yes" "90+/SA" spam "X-PerlMX-Spam: .*Probability=([0-9]+)%" "%1/PM" set spam_separator=", " -- -
-If I then received a message that DCC registered with ``many'' hits -under the ``Fuz2'' checksum, and that PureMessage registered with a -97% probability of being spam, that message's spam tag would read -
90+/DCC-Fuz2, 97/PM. (The four characters before ``=many'' in a -DCC report indicate the checksum used -- in this case, ``Fuz2''.) --If the $spam_separator variable is unset, then each -spam pattern match supersedes the previous one. Instead of getting -joined format strings, you'll get only the last one to match. +
+If then a message is received that DCC registered with +âmanyâ hits under the âFuz2â checksum, and +that PureMessage registered with a 97% probability of being spam, that +message's spam tag would read
90+/DCC-Fuz2, +97/PM. (The four characters before â=manyâ in a +DCC report indicate the checksum used â in this case, +âFuz2â.) ++If the $spam_separator variable is +unset, then each spam pattern match supersedes the previous one. Instead +of getting joined format strings, you'll get only +the last one to match.
The spam tag is what will be displayed in the index when you use -
%Hin the$index_formatvariable. It's also the -string that theËHpattern-matching expression matches against for -search and limit functions. And it's what sorting by spam -attribute will use as a sort key. +%Hin the $index_format variable. It's also the +string that the~Hpattern-matching expression +matches against for<search>and +<limit>functions. And it's what sorting by +spam attribute will use as a sort key.That's a pretty complicated example, and most people's actual environments will have only one spam filter. The simpler your -configuration, the more effective mutt can be, especially when it comes +configuration, the more effective Mutt can be, especially when it comes to sorting.
-Generally, when you sort by spam tag, mutt will sort lexically -- -that is, by ordering strings alphanumerically. However, if a spam tag -begins with a number, mutt will sort numerically first, and lexically -only when two numbers are equal in value. (This is like UNIX's -
sort -n.) A message with no spam attributes at all -- that is, one -that didn't match any of yourspampatterns -- is sorted at -lowest priority. Numbers are sorted next, beginning with 0 and ranging -upward. Finally, non-numeric strings are sorted, with ``a'' taking lower -priority than ``z''. Clearly, in general, sorting by spam tags is most -effective when you can coerce your filter to give you a raw number. But -in case you can't, mutt can still do something useful. --The
nospamcommand can be used to write exceptions tospam-patterns. If a header pattern matches something in aspamcommand, -but you nonetheless do not want it to receive a spam tag, you can list a -more precise pattern under anospamcommand. --If the pattern given to
nospamis exactly the same as the -pattern on an existingspamlist entry, the effect will be to -remove the entry from the spam list, instead of adding an exception. -Likewise, if the pattern for aspamcommand matches an entry -on thenospamlist, thatnospamentry will be removed. If the -pattern fornospamis ``*'', all entries on both lists -will be removed. This might be the default action if you usespam-andnospamin conjunction with afolder-hook. --You can have as many
spamornospamcommands as you like. -You can even do your own primitive spam detection within mutt -- for -example, if you consider all mail fromMAILER-DAEMONto be spam, -you can use aspamcommand like this: -- +Generally, when you sort by spam tag, Mutt will sort +lexically â that is, by ordering strings +alphanumerically. However, if a spam tag begins with a number, Mutt will +sort numerically first, and lexically only when two numbers are equal in +value. (This is like UNIX's
sort -n.) A message with +no spam attributes at all â that is, one that didn't match +any of your spam patterns +â is sorted at lowest priority. Numbers are sorted next, beginning +with 0 and ranging upward. Finally, non-numeric strings are sorted, with +âaâ taking lower priority than âzâ. Clearly, +in general, sorting by spam tags is most effective when you can coerce +your filter to give you a raw number. But in case you can't, Mutt can +still do something useful. ++The nospam command can be used to write exceptions to +spam patterns. If a header pattern matches something +in a spam command, but you nonetheless do not want it +to receive a spam tag, you can list a more precise pattern under a +nospam command. +
+If the pattern given to nospam +is exactly the same as the pattern on an existing +spam list entry, the effect will be to remove the +entry from the spam list, instead of adding an exception. Likewise, if +the pattern for a spam command +matches an entry on the nospam list, that nospam +entry will be removed. If the pattern for +nospam is â*â, all entries on +both lists will be removed. This might be the default action +if you use spam and nospam in +conjunction with a folder-hook. +
+You can have as many spam or +nospam commands as you like. You can even do your +own primitive spam detection within Mutt â for +example, if you consider all mail from
MAILER-DAEMON+to be spam, you can use a spam command like this:spam "^From: .*MAILER-DAEMON" "999" -- -
+Mutt supports these types of configuration variables: +
+A boolean expression, either âyesâ or ânoâ. +
+A signed integer number in the range -32768 to 32767. +
+Arbitrary text. +
+A specialized string for representing paths including support for +mailbox shortcuts (see Section 8, âMailbox Shortcutsâ) as well as tilde +(â~â) for a user's home directory and more. +
+Like a boolean but triggers a prompt when set to âask-yesâ +or âask-noâ with âyesâ and ânoâ +preselected respectively. +
+A specialized string allowing only particular words as values depending +on the variable. +
+A regular expression, see Section 2, âRegular Expressionsâ for an introduction. +
+Specifies the type of folder to use: mbox, +mmdf, mh or +maildir. Currently only used to determine the type +for newly created folders. +
+An e-mail address either with or without realname. The older
+âuser@example.org (Joe User)â form is
+supported but strongly deprecated.
+
+Arbitrary text, see Section 26.3, âUser-Defined Variablesâ for details. +
The following commands are available to manipulate and query variables: -
-
-Usage: set [no|inv]variable[=value] [ variable ... ]
-Usage: toggle variable [variable ... ]
-Usage: unset variable [variable ... ]
-Usage: reset variable [variable ... ]
-
-
-This command is used to set (and unset) configuration variables. There are four basic types of variables: -boolean, number, string and quadoption. boolean variables can be -set (true) or unset (false). number variables can be -assigned a positive integer value. -
-string variables consist of any number of printable characters. -strings must be enclosed in quotes if they contain spaces or tabs. You -may also use the ``C'' escape sequences \n and \t for -newline and tab, respectively. -
-quadoption variables are used to control whether or not to be prompted -for certain actions, or to specify a default action. A value of yes -will cause the action to be carried out automatically as if you had answered -yes to the question. Similarly, a value of no will cause the -action to be carried out as if you had answered ``no.'' A value of -ask-yes will cause a prompt with a default answer of ``yes'' and -ask-no will provide a default answer of ``no.'' -
-Prefixing a variable with ``no'' will unset it. Example: set noaskbcc.
-
-For boolean variables, you may optionally prefix the variable name with
-inv to toggle the value (on or off). This is useful when writing
-macros. Example: set invsmart_wrap.
-
-The toggle command automatically prepends the inv prefix to all
-specified variables.
-
-The unset command automatically prepends the no prefix to all
-specified variables.
-
-Using the enter-command function in the index menu, you can query the -value of a variable by prefixing the name of the variable with a question -mark: -
- +
Usage:
set {
+[ no | inv ]
+variable
+ |
+variable=value
+ } [...]toggle
+variable
+ [
+variable
+...]unset
+variable
+ [
+variable
+...]reset
+variable
+ [
+variable
+...]
+This command is used to set (and unset) configuration variables. There are four +basic types of variables: boolean, number, string and quadoption. +boolean variables can be set +(true) or unset (false). +number variables can be assigned a positive integer +value. string variables consist of any number of +printable characters and must be enclosed in quotes if they contain +spaces or tabs. You may also use the escape sequences â\nâ +and â\tâ for newline and tab, respectively. +quadoption variables are used to control whether or +not to be prompted for certain actions, or to specify a default action. +A value of yes will cause the action to be carried +out automatically as if you had answered yes to the question. +Similarly, a value of no will cause the action to +be carried out as if you had answered âno.â A value of +ask-yes will cause a prompt with a default answer +of âyesâ and ask-no will provide a +default answer of âno.â +
+Prefixing a variable with ânoâ will unset it. Example:
+set noaskbcc.
+
+For boolean variables, you may optionally prefix
+the variable name with inv to toggle the value (on or
+off). This is useful when writing macros. Example:
+set invsmart_wrap.
+
+The toggle command automatically prepends the
+inv prefix to all specified variables.
+
+The unset command automatically prepends the
+no prefix to all specified variables.
+
+Using the <enter-command> function in the
+index menu, you can query the value of a variable
+by prefixing the name of the variable with a question mark:
set ?allow_8bit
- -
-The question mark is actually only required for boolean and quadoption +The question mark is actually only required for boolean and quadoption variables.
-The reset command resets all given variables to the compile time
-defaults (hopefully mentioned in this manual). If you use the command
-set and prefix the variable with ``&'' this has the same
-behavior as the reset command.
-
-With the reset command there exists the special variable ``all'',
-which allows you to reset all variables to their system defaults.
-
-Along with the variables listed in the
-Configuration variables section, mutt
-supports user-defined variables with names starting
-with my_ as in, for
-example, my_cfgdir.
-
-The set command creates a
-custom $my_ variable and changes its
-value. The unset and reset
+The reset command resets all given variables to the
+compile time defaults (hopefully mentioned in this manual). If you use
+the command set and prefix the variable with
+â&â this has the same behavior as the
+reset command.
+
+With the reset command there exists the special +variable âallâ, which allows you to reset all variables to +their system defaults. +
+Along with the variables listed in the Configuration variables section, Mutt
+supports user-defined variables with names starting with
+my_ as in, for example, my_cfgdir.
+
+The set command either creates a custom
+my_ variable or changes its value if it does exist
+already. The unset and reset
commands remove the variable entirely.
Since user-defined variables are expanded in the same way that -environment variables are (except for -the shell-escape command), this -feature can be used to make configuration files more readable. -
-The following example defines and uses the variable my_cfgdir
-to abbreviate the calls of the source command:
-
-
+environment variables are (except for the shell-escape command and backtick +expansion), this feature can be used to make configuration files more +readable. +
+The following example defines and uses the variable
+my_cfgdir to abbreviate the calls of the source command:
+
Example 3.15. Using user-defined variables for config file readability
set my_cfgdir = $HOME/mutt/config source $my_cfgdir/hooks source $my_cfgdir/macros -# more source commands... -
-
+# more source commands... +
A custom variable can also be used in macros to backup the current value
-of another variable. In the following example, the value of the
-$delete is changed temporarily
-while its original value is saved as my_delete.
-After the macro has executed all commands, the original value of $delete is restored.
-
-
+of another variable. In the following example, the value of the $delete is changed temporarily while its +original value is saved asmy_delete. After the +macro has executed all commands, the original value of $delete is restored. +Example 3.16. Using user-defined variables for backing up other config option values
macro pager ,x '\ <enter-command>set my_delete=$delete<enter>\ <enter-command>set delete=yes<enter>\ ...\ <enter-command>set delete=$my_delete<enter>' --
-Since mutt expands such values already when parsing the configuration +
+Since Mutt expands such values already when parsing the configuration file(s), the value of
$my_deletein the -last example would be the value of$deleteexactly +last example would be the value of $delete exactly as it was at that point during parsing the configuration file. If -another statement would change the value for$delete+another statement would change the value for $delete later in the same or another file, it would have no effect on$my_delete. However, the expansion can be deferred to runtime, as shown in the next example, when escaping the dollar sign. --
+Example 3.17. Deferring user-defined variable expansion to runtime
macro pager <PageDown> "\ <enter-command> set my_old_pager_stop=\$pager_stop pager_stop<Enter>\ <next-page>\ <enter-command> set pager_stop=\$my_old_pager_stop<Enter>\ <enter-command> unset my_old_pager_stop<Enter>" --
-Note that there is a space -between
<enter-command>and -thesetconfiguration command, preventing mutt from -recording the macro's commands into its history. -
-Usage: source filename
-
-This command allows the inclusion of initialization commands
-from other files. For example, I place all of my aliases in
-Ë/.mail_aliases so that I can make my
-Ë/.muttrc readable and keep my aliases private.
-
-If the filename begins with a tilde (``Ë''), it will be expanded to the -path of your home directory. -
-If the filename ends with a vertical bar (|), then filename is
-considered to be an executable program from which to read input (eg.
-source Ë/bin/myscript|).
-
+Note that there is a space between
+<enter-command> and the set
+configuration command, preventing Mutt from recording the
+macro's commands into its history.
+
+Variables are always assigned string values which Mutt parses into its +internal representation according to the type of the variable, for +example an integer number for numeric types. For all queries (including +$-expansion) the value is converted from its internal type back into +string. As a result, any variable can be assigned any value given that +its content is valid for the target. This also counts for custom +variables which are of type string. In case of parsing errors, Mutt will +print error messages. Example 3.18, âType conversions using variablesâ demonstrates type +conversions. +
Example 3.18. Type conversions using variables
+set my_lines = "5" # value is string "5" +set pager_index_lines = $my_lines # value is integer 5 + +set my_sort = "date-received" # value is string "date-received" +set sort = "last-$my_sort" # value is sort last-date-received + +set my_inc = $read_inc # value is string "10" (default of $read_inc) +set my_foo = $my_inc # value is string "10" +
+These assignments are all valid. If, however, the value of
+$my_lines would have been
+âfiveâ (or something else that cannot be parsed into a
+number), the assignment to
+$pager_index_lines would have
+produced an error message.
+
+Type conversion applies to all configuration commands which take +arguments. But please note that every expanded value of a variable is +considered just a single token. A working example is: +
+set my_pattern = "~A"
+set my_number = "10"
+
+# same as: score ~A +10
+score $my_pattern +$my_number+What does not work is: +
+set my_mx = "+mailbox1 +mailbox2" +mailboxes $my_mx +mailbox3
+because the value of $my_mx is interpreted as a
+single mailbox named â+mailbox1 +mailbox2â and not two
+distinct mailboxes.
+
Usage:
source
+filename
+
+This command allows the inclusion of initialization commands from other
+files. For example, I place all of my aliases in
+~/.mail_aliases so that I can make my
+~/.muttrc readable and keep my aliases private.
+
+If the filename begins with a tilde (â~â), it will be +expanded to the path of your home directory. +
+If the filename ends with a vertical bar (â|â), then
+filename is considered to be an executable program
+from which to read input (e.g. source
+~/bin/myscript|).
+
Usage:
unhook {
+*
+ |
+hook-type
+ }
This command permits you to flush hooks you have previously defined.
-You can either remove all hooks by giving the ``*'' character as an
-argument, or you can remove all hooks of a specific type by saying
-something like unhook send-hook.
-
+You can either remove all hooks by giving the â*â character
+as an argument, or you can remove all hooks of a specific type by saying
+something like unhook send-hook.
+
Format strings are a general concept you'll find in several locations -through the mutt configuration, especially in the -$index_format", -$pager_format", -$status_format", -and other ``*_format'' variables. These can be very straightforward, -and it's quite possible you already know how to use them. -
-The most basic format string element is a percent symbol followed
-by another character. For example, %s
-represents a message's Subject: header in the $index_format" variable. The
-``expandos'' available are documented with each format variable, but
-there are general modifiers available with all formatting expandos,
-too. Those are our concern here.
-
-Some of the modifers are borrowed right out of C (though you might
-know them from Perl, Python, shell, or another langugage). These are
-the [-]m.n modifiers, as in %-12.12s. As with
-such programming languages, these modifiers allow you to specify the
-minumum and maximum size of the resulting string, as well as its
-justification. If the ``-'' sign follows the percent, the string will
-be left-justified instead of right-justified. If there's a number
-immediately following that, it's the minimum amount of space the
-formatted string will occupy -- if it's naturally smaller than that, it
-will be padded out with spaces. If a decimal point and another number
-follow, that's the maximum space allowable -- the string will not be
-permitted to exceed that width, no matter its natural size. Each of
-these three elements is optional, so that all these are legal format
-strings:
-%-12s
-%4c
-%.15F
-%-12.15L
+through the Mutt configuration, especially in the $index_format, $pager_format, $status_format, and other related
+variables. These can be very straightforward, and it's quite possible
+you already know how to use them.
+
+The most basic format string element is a percent symbol followed by
+another character. For example, %s represents a
+message's Subject: header in the $index_format variable. The
+âexpandosâ available are documented with each format
+variable, but there are general modifiers available with all formatting
+expandos, too. Those are our concern here.
+
+Some of the modifiers are borrowed right out of C (though you might know
+them from Perl, Python, shell, or another language). These are the
+[-]m.n modifiers, as in
+%-12.12s. As with such programming languages, these
+modifiers allow you to specify the minimum and maximum size of the
+resulting string, as well as its justification. If the â-â
+sign follows the percent, the string will be left-justified instead of
+right-justified. If there's a number immediately following that, it's
+the minimum amount of space the formatted string will occupy â if
+it's naturally smaller than that, it will be padded out with spaces. If
+a decimal point and another number follow, that's the maximum space
+allowable â the string will not be permitted to exceed that width,
+no matter its natural size. Each of these three elements is optional, so
+that all these are legal format strings: %-12s,
+%4c, %.15F and
+%-12.15L.
Mutt adds some other modifiers to format strings. If you use an equals
symbol (=) as a numeric prefix (like the minus
-above), it will force the string to be centered within its minimum
-space range. For example, %=14y will reserve 14
-characters for the %y expansion -- that's the X-Label: header, in
-$index_format. If the expansion
-results in a string less than 14 characters, it will be centered in a
-14-character space. If the X-Label for a message were "test", that
-expansion would look like `` test ''.
+above), it will force the string to be centered within its minimum space
+range. For example, %=14y will reserve 14 characters
+for the %y expansion â that's the X-Label: header, in $index_format. If the expansion results in
+a string less than 14 characters, it will be centered in a 14-character
+space. If the X-Label for a message were âtestâ, that
+expansion would look like
+â     test     â.
There are two very little-known modifiers that affect the way that an -expando is replaced. If there is an underline (``_'') character -between any format modifiers (as above) and the expando letter, it will -expands in all lower case. And if you use a colon (``:''), it will -replace all decimal points with underlines. -
-Any format string ending in a vertical bar (``|'') will be -expanded and piped through the first word in the string, using spaces -as separator. The string returned will be used for display. -If the returned string ends in %, it will be passed through -the formatter a second time. This allows the filter to generate a -replacement format string including % expandos. -
-All % expandos in a format string are expanded before the script -is called so that: +expando is replaced. If there is an underline (â_â) +character between any format modifiers (as above) and the expando +letter, it will expands in all lower case. And if you use a colon +(â:â), it will replace all decimal points with underlines. +
+Depending on the format string variable, some of its sequences can be +used to optionally print a string if their value is nonzero. For +example, you may only want to see the number of flagged messages if such +messages exist, since zero is not particularly meaningful. To optionally +print a string based upon one of the above sequences, the following +construct is used:
+%?<sequence_char>?<optional_string>?
+where sequence_char is an expando, and +optional_string is the string you would like +printed if sequence_char is nonzero. +optional_string may contain other sequences as well +as normal text, but you may not nest optional strings. +
+Here is an example illustrating how to optionally print the number of +new messages in a mailbox in $status_format: +
+%?n?%n new messages.?
+You can also switch between two strings using the following construct: +
+%?<sequence_char>?<if_string>&<else_string>?
+If the value of sequence_char is non-zero, +if_string will be expanded, otherwise +else_string will be expanded. +
+Any format string ending in a vertical bar (â|â) will be +expanded and piped through the first word in the string, using spaces as +separator. The string returned will be used for display. If the +returned string ends in %, it will be passed through the formatter a +second time. This allows the filter to generate a replacement format +string including % expandos. +
+All % expandos in a format string are expanded before the script is +called so that: +
Example 3.19. Using external filters in format strings
set status_format="script.sh '%r %f (%L)'|" -
-will make mutt expand %r,
-%f and %L
-before calling the script. The example also shows that arguments can be
-quoted: the script will receive the expanded string between the single quotes
-as the only argument.
-
-A practical example is the mutt_xtitle
-script installed in the samples
-subdirectory of the mutt documentation: it can be used as filter for
-$status_format to set the current
+
+will make Mutt expand %r, %f and
+%L before calling the script. The example also shows
+that arguments can be quoted: the script will receive the expanded
+string between the single quotes as the only argument.
+
+A practical example is the mutt_xtitle script
+installed in the samples subdirectory of the Mutt
+documentation: it can be used as filter for $status_format to set the current
terminal's title, if supported.
-
+In most format strings, Mutt supports different types of padding using +special %-expandos: +
%|X
+When this occurs, Mutt will fill the rest of the line with the character
+X. For example, filling the rest of the line with
+dashes is done by setting:
+
+set status_format = "%v on %h: %B: %?n?%n&no? new messages %|-"
%>X
+
+Since the previous expando stops at the end of line, there must be a way
+to fill the gap between two items via the %>X
+expando: it puts as many characters X in between two
+items so that the rest of the line will be right-justified. For example,
+to not put the version string and hostname the above example on the left
+but on the right and fill the gap with spaces, one might use (note the
+space after %>):
+
+set status_format = "%B: %?n?%n&no? new messages %> (%v on %h)"
%*X
+
+Normal right-justification will print everything to the left of the
+%>, displaying padding and whatever lies to the
+right only if there's room. By contrast, âsoft-fillâ gives
+priority to the right-hand side, guaranteeing space to display it and
+showing padding only if there's still room. If necessary, soft-fill will
+eat text leftwards to make room for rightward text. For example, to
+right-justify the subject making sure as much as possible of it fits on
+screen, one might use (note two spaces after %* : the
+second ensures there's a space between the truncated right-hand side and
+the subject):
+
+set index_format="%4C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15L (%?l?%4l&%4c?)%* %s"