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28 </style></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 2. Getting Started</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="configuration.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr /></div><div class="chapter" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a id="gettingstarted"></a>Chapter 2. Getting Started</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#core-concepts">1. Core Concepts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#concept-screens-and-menus">2. Screens and Menus</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-index">2.1. Index</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-pager">2.2. Pager</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-browser">2.3. File Browser</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-help">2.4. Help</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-compose">2.5. Compose Menu</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-alias">2.6. Alias Menu</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-attach">2.7. Attachment Menu</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#menus">3. Moving Around in Menus</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing">4. Editing Input Fields</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing-intro">4.1. Introduction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing-history">4.2. History</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#reading">5. Reading Mail</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#index-menu">5.1. The Message Index</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#pager-menu">5.2. The Pager</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#threads">5.3. Threaded Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#reading-misc">5.4. Miscellaneous Functions</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#sending">6. Sending Mail</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#sending-intro">6.1. Introduction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#edit-header">6.2. Editing the Message Header</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#sending-crypto">6.3. Sending Cryptographically Signed/Encrypted Messages</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#ff">6.4. Sending Format=Flowed Messages</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#forwarding-mail">7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#postponing-mail">8. Postponing Mail</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
29 This section is intended as a brief overview of how to use Mutt. There are
30 many other features which are described elsewhere in the manual. There
31 is even more information available in the Mutt FAQ and various web
32 pages. See the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.mutt.org/" target="_top">Mutt homepage</a> for more details.
34 The keybindings described in this section are the defaults as distributed.
35 Your local system administrator may have altered the defaults for your site.
36 You can always type “<span class="quote">?</span>” in any menu to display the current bindings.
38 The first thing you need to do is invoke Mutt, simply by typing <code class="literal">mutt</code>
39 at the command line. There are various command-line options, see
40 either the Mutt man page or the <a class="link" href="reference.html#commandline" title="1. Command-Line Options">reference</a>.
41 </p><div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="core-concepts"></a>1. Core Concepts</h2></div></div></div><p>
42 Mutt is a text-based application which interacts with users through
43 different menus which are mostly line-/entry-based or page-based. A
44 line-based menu is the so-called “<span class="quote">index</span>” menu (listing all messages of
45 the currently opened folder) or the “<span class="quote">alias</span>” menu (allowing you to
46 select recipients from a list). Examples for page-based menus are the
47 “<span class="quote">pager</span>” (showing one message at a time) or the “<span class="quote">help</span>” menu listing
48 all available key bindings.
50 The user interface consists of a context sensitive help line at the top,
51 the menu's contents followed by a context sensitive status line and
52 finally the command line. The command line is used to display
53 informational and error messages as well as for prompts and for entering
56 Mutt is configured through variables which, if the user wants to
57 permanently use a non-default value, are written to configuration
58 files. Mutt supports a rich config file syntax to make even complex
59 configuration files readable and commentable.
61 Because Mutt allows for customizing almost all key bindings, there are
62 so-called “<span class="quote">functions</span>” which can be executed manually (using the
63 command line) or in macros. Macros allow the user to bind a sequence of
64 commands to a single key or a short key sequence instead of repeating a
65 sequence of actions over and over.
67 Many commands (such as saving or copying a message to another folder)
68 can be applied to a single message or a set of messages (so-called
69 “<span class="quote">tagged</span>” messages). To help selecting messages, Mutt provides a rich
70 set of message patterns (such as recipients, sender, body contents, date
71 sent/received, etc.) which can be combined into complex expressions
72 using the boolean <span class="emphasis"><em>and</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>or</em></span>
73 operations as well as negating. These patterns can also be used to (for
74 example) search for messages or to limit the index to show only matching
77 Mutt supports a “<span class="quote">hook</span>” concept which allows the user to execute
78 arbitrary configuration commands and functions in certain situations
79 such as entering a folder, starting a new message or replying to an
80 existing one. These hooks can be used to highly customize Mutt's
81 behaviour including managing multiple identities, customizing the
82 display for a folder or even implementing auto-archiving based on a
83 per-folder basis and much more.
85 Besides an interactive mode, Mutt can also be used as a command-line
86 tool only send messages. It also supports a
87 <code class="literal">mailx(1)</code>-compatible interface, see <a class="xref" href="reference.html#tab-commandline-options" title="Table 9.1. Command line options">Table 9.1, “Command line options”</a> for a complete list of command-line
89 </p></div><div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="concept-screens-and-menus"></a>2. Screens and Menus</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-index"></a>2.1. Index</h3></div></div></div><p>
90 The index is the screen that you usually see first when you start
91 Mutt. It gives an overview over your emails in the currently opened
92 mailbox. By default, this is your system mailbox. The information you
93 see in the index is a list of emails, each with its number on the left,
94 its flags (new email, important email, email that has been forwarded or
95 replied to, tagged email, ...), the date when email was sent, its
96 sender, the email size, and the subject. Additionally, the index also
97 shows thread hierarchies: when you reply to an email, and the other
98 person replies back, you can see the other's person email in a
99 "sub-tree" below. This is especially useful for personal email between
100 a group of people or when you've subscribed to mailing lists.
101 </p></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-pager"></a>2.2. Pager</h3></div></div></div><p>
102 The pager is responsible for showing the email content. On the top of
103 the pager you have an overview over the most important email headers
104 like the sender, the recipient, the subject, and much more
105 information. How much information you actually see depends on your
106 configuration, which we'll describe below.
108 Below the headers, you see the email body which usually contains the
109 message. If the email contains any attachments, you will see more
110 information about them below the email body, or, if the attachments are
111 text files, you can view them directly in the pager.
113 To give the user a good overview, it is possible to configure Mutt to
114 show different things in the pager with different colors. Virtually
115 everything that can be described with a regular expression can be
116 colored, e.g. URLs, email addresses or smileys.
117 </p></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-browser"></a>2.3. File Browser</h3></div></div></div><p>
118 The file browser is the interface to the local or remote file
119 system. When selecting a mailbox to open, the browser allows custom
120 sorting of items, limiting the items shown by a regular expression and a
121 freely adjustable format of what to display in which way. It also allows
122 for easy navigation through the file system when selecting file(s) to
123 attach to a message, select multiple files to attach and many more.
124 </p></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-help"></a>2.4. Help</h3></div></div></div><p>
125 The help screen is meant to offer a quick help to the user. It lists the
126 current configuration of key bindings and their associated commands
127 including a short description, and currently unbound functions that
128 still need to be associated with a key binding (or alternatively, they
129 can be called via the Mutt command prompt).
130 </p></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-compose"></a>2.5. Compose Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
131 The compose menu features a split screen containing the information
132 which really matter before actually sending a message by mail: who gets
133 the message as what (recipients and who gets what kind of
134 copy). Additionally, users may set security options like deciding
135 whether to sign, encrypt or sign and encrypt a message with/for what
136 keys. Also, it's used to attach messages, to re-edit any attachment
137 including the message itself.
138 </p></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-alias"></a>2.6. Alias Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
139 The alias menu is used to help users finding the recipients of
140 messages. For users who need to contact many people, there's no need to
141 remember addresses or names completely because it allows for searching,
142 too. The alias mechanism and thus the alias menu also features grouping
143 several addresses by a shorter nickname, the actual alias, so that users
144 don't have to select each single recipient manually.
145 </p></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-attach"></a>2.7. Attachment Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
146 As will be later discussed in detail, Mutt features a good and stable
147 MIME implementation, that is, it supports sending and receiving messages
148 of arbitrary MIME types. The attachment menu displays a message's
149 structure in detail: what content parts are attached to which parent
150 part (which gives a true tree structure), which type is of what type and
151 what size. Single parts may saved, deleted or modified to offer great
152 and easy access to message's internals.
153 </p></div></div><div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="menus"></a>3. Moving Around in Menus</h2></div></div></div><p>
154 The most important navigation keys common to line- or entry-based menus
155 are shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-nav-line" title="Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus">Table 2.1, “Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus”</a> and in
156 <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-nav-page" title="Table 2.2. Most common navigation keys in page-based menus">Table 2.2, “Most common navigation keys in page-based menus”</a> for page-based menus.
157 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-keys-nav-line"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>j or <Down></td><td><code class="literal"><next-entry></code></td><td>move to the next entry</td></tr><tr><td>k or <Up></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-entry></code></td><td>move to the previous entry</td></tr><tr><td>z or <PageDn></td><td><code class="literal"><page-down></code></td><td>go to the next page</td></tr><tr><td>Z or <PageUp></td><td><code class="literal"><page-up></code></td><td>go to the previous page</td></tr><tr><td>= or <Home></td><td><code class="literal"><first-entry></code></td><td>jump to the first entry</td></tr><tr><td>* or <End></td><td><code class="literal"><last-entry></code></td><td>jump to the last entry</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td><code class="literal"><quit></code></td><td>exit the current menu</td></tr><tr><td>?</td><td><code class="literal"><help></code></td><td>list all keybindings for the current menu</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-keys-nav-page"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.2. Most common navigation keys in page-based menus</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common navigation keys in page-based menus" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>J or <Return></td><td><code class="literal"><next-line></code></td><td>scroll down one line</td></tr><tr><td><Backspace></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-line></code></td><td>sroll up one line</td></tr><tr><td>K, <Space> or <PageDn></td><td><code class="literal"><next-page></code></td><td>move to the next page</td></tr><tr><td>- or <PageUp></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-page></code></td><td>move the previous page</td></tr><tr><td><Home></td><td><code class="literal"><top></code></td><td>move to the top</td></tr><tr><td><End></td><td><code class="literal"><bottom></code></td><td>move to the bottom</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="editing"></a>4. Editing Input Fields</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="editing-intro"></a>4.1. Introduction</h3></div></div></div><p>
158 Mutt has a built-in line editor for inputting text, e.g. email
159 addresses or filenames. The keys used to manipulate text input are
160 very similar to those of Emacs. See <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-editor" title="Table 2.3. Most common line editor keys">Table 2.3, “Most common line editor keys”</a> for a full
161 reference of available functions, their default key bindings, and
163 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-keys-editor"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.3. Most common line editor keys</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common line editor keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>^A or <Home></td><td><code class="literal"><bol></code></td><td>move to the start of the line</td></tr><tr><td>^B or <Left></td><td><code class="literal"><backward-char></code></td><td>move back one char</td></tr><tr><td>Esc B</td><td><code class="literal"><backward-word></code></td><td>move back one word</td></tr><tr><td>^D or <Delete></td><td><code class="literal"><delete-char></code></td><td>delete the char under the cursor</td></tr><tr><td>^E or <End></td><td><code class="literal"><eol></code></td><td>move to the end of the line</td></tr><tr><td>^F or <Right></td><td><code class="literal"><forward-char></code></td><td>move forward one char</td></tr><tr><td>Esc F</td><td><code class="literal"><forward-word></code></td><td>move forward one word</td></tr><tr><td><Tab></td><td><code class="literal"><complete></code></td><td>complete filename or alias</td></tr><tr><td>^T</td><td><code class="literal"><complete-query></code></td><td>complete address with query</td></tr><tr><td>^K</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-eol></code></td><td>delete to the end of the line</td></tr><tr><td>Esc d</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-eow></code></td><td>delete to the end of the word</td></tr><tr><td>^W</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-word></code></td><td>kill the word in front of the cursor</td></tr><tr><td>^U</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-line></code></td><td>delete entire line</td></tr><tr><td>^V</td><td><code class="literal"><quote-char></code></td><td>quote the next typed key</td></tr><tr><td><Up></td><td><code class="literal"><history-up></code></td><td>recall previous string from history</td></tr><tr><td><Down></td><td><code class="literal"><history-down></code></td><td>recall next string from history</td></tr><tr><td><BackSpace></td><td><code class="literal"><backspace></code></td><td>kill the char in front of the cursor</td></tr><tr><td>Esc u</td><td><code class="literal"><upcase-word></code></td><td>convert word to upper case</td></tr><tr><td>Esc l</td><td><code class="literal"><downcase-word></code></td><td>convert word to lower case</td></tr><tr><td>Esc c</td><td><code class="literal"><capitalize-word></code></td><td>capitalize the word</td></tr><tr><td>^G</td><td>n/a</td><td>abort</td></tr><tr><td><Return></td><td>n/a</td><td>finish editing</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
164 You can remap the <span class="emphasis"><em>editor</em></span> functions using the
165 <a class="link" href="configuration.html#bind" title="5. Changing the Default Key Bindings"><span class="command"><strong>bind</strong></span></a> command. For example, to make
166 the <Delete> key delete the character in front of
167 the cursor rather than under, you could use:
168 </p><pre class="screen">
169 bind editor <delete> backspace
170 </pre></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="editing-history"></a>4.2. History</h3></div></div></div><p>
171 Mutt maintains a history for the built-in editor. The number of items
172 is controlled by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#history" title="3.89. history">$history</a>
173 variable and can be made persistent using an external file specified
174 using <a class="link" href="reference.html#history-file" title="3.90. history_file">$history_file</a>.
175 You may cycle through them at an editor prompt by using the
176 <code class="literal"><history-up></code> and/or
177 <code class="literal"><history-down></code> commands. But notice that Mutt
178 does not remember the currently entered text, it only cycles through
179 history and wraps around at the end or beginning.
181 Mutt maintains several distinct history lists, one for each of the
182 following categories:
183 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p><code class="literal">.muttrc</code> commands</p></li><li><p>addresses and aliases</p></li><li><p>shell commands</p></li><li><p>filenames</p></li><li><p>patterns</p></li><li><p>everything else</p></li></ul></div><p>
184 Mutt automatically filters out consecutively repeated items from the history. It
185 also mimics the behavior of some shells by ignoring items starting
186 with a space. The latter feature can be useful in macros to not clobber
187 the history's valuable entries with unwanted entries.
188 </p></div></div><div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="reading"></a>5. Reading Mail</h2></div></div></div><p>
189 Similar to many other mail clients, there are two modes in which mail is
190 read in Mutt. The first is a list of messages in the mailbox, which is
191 called the “<span class="quote">index</span>” menu in Mutt. The second mode is the display of the
192 message contents. This is called the “<span class="quote">pager.</span>”
194 The next few sections describe the functions provided in each of these
196 </p><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="index-menu"></a>5.1. The Message Index</h3></div></div></div><p>
197 Common keys used to navigate through and manage messages in the index
198 are shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-index" title="Table 2.4. Most common message index keys">Table 2.4, “Most common message index keys”</a>. How messages are presented
199 in the index menu can be customized using the
200 <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.114. index_format">$index_format</a> variable.
201 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-index"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.4. Most common message index keys</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common message index keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>c</td><td>change to a different mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>Esc c</td><td>change to a folder in read-only mode</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>copy the current message to another mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>Esc C</td><td>decode a message and copy it to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>Esc s</td><td>decode a message and save it to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td>delete messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>delete the current message</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>mark as important</td></tr><tr><td>l</td><td>show messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>N</td><td>mark message as new</td></tr><tr><td>o</td><td>change the current sort method</td></tr><tr><td>O</td><td>reverse sort the mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td>save changes and exit</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td>save-message</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>tag messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>t</td><td>toggle the tag on a message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc t</td><td>toggle tag on entire message thread</td></tr><tr><td>U</td><td>undelete messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>u</td><td>undelete-message</td></tr><tr><td>v</td><td>view-attachments</td></tr><tr><td>x</td><td>abort changes and exit</td></tr><tr><td><Return></td><td>display-message</td></tr><tr><td><Tab></td><td>jump to the next new or unread message</td></tr><tr><td>@</td><td>show the author's full e-mail address</td></tr><tr><td>$</td><td>save changes to mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>/</td><td>search</td></tr><tr><td>Esc /</td><td>search-reverse</td></tr><tr><td>^L</td><td>clear and redraw the screen</td></tr><tr><td>^T</td><td>untag messages matching a pattern</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
202 In addition to who sent the message and the subject, a short summary of
203 the disposition of each message is printed beside the message number.
204 Zero or more of the “<span class="quote">flags</span>” in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-msg-status-flags" title="Table 2.5. Message status flags">Table 2.5, “Message status flags”</a>
205 may appear, some of which can be turned on or off using these functions:
206 <code class="literal"><set-flag></code> and
207 <code class="literal"><clear-flag></code>
208 bound by default to “<span class="quote">w</span>” and “<span class="quote">W</span>” respectively.
210 Furthermore, the flags in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-msg-recip-flags" title="Table 2.6. Message recipient flags">Table 2.6, “Message recipient flags”</a> reflect
211 who the message is addressed to. They can be customized with the
212 <a class="link" href="reference.html#to-chars" title="3.293. to_chars">$to_chars</a> variable.
213 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-msg-status-flags"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.5. Message status flags</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Message status flags" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Flag</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>D</td><td>message is deleted (is marked for deletion)</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>message has attachments marked for deletion</td></tr><tr><td>K</td><td>contains a PGP public key</td></tr><tr><td>N</td><td>message is new</td></tr><tr><td>O</td><td>message is old</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td>message is PGP encrypted</td></tr><tr><td>r</td><td>message has been replied to</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td>message is signed, and the signature is successfully verified</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td>message is signed</td></tr><tr><td>!</td><td>message is flagged</td></tr><tr><td>*</td><td>message is tagged</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-msg-recip-flags"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.6. Message recipient flags</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Message recipient flags" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Flag</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>+</td><td>message is to you and you only</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>message is to you, but also to or cc'ed to others</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>message is cc'ed to you</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>message is from you</td></tr><tr><td>L</td><td>message is sent to a subscribed mailing list</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="pager-menu"></a>5.2. The Pager</h3></div></div></div><p>
214 By default, Mutt uses its builtin pager to display the contents of
215 messages (an external pager such as <code class="literal">less(1)</code> can be
216 configured, see <a class="link" href="reference.html#pager" title="3.148. pager">$pager</a> variable).
217 The pager is very similar to the Unix program <code class="literal">less(1)</code>
218 though not nearly as featureful.
219 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-pager"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.7. Most common pager keys</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common pager keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><Return></td><td>go down one line</td></tr><tr><td><Space></td><td>display the next page (or next message if at the end of a message)</td></tr><tr><td>-</td><td>go back to the previous page</td></tr><tr><td>n</td><td>search for next match</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td>skip beyond quoted text</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>toggle display of quoted text</td></tr><tr><td>?</td><td>show keybindings</td></tr><tr><td>/</td><td>regular expression search</td></tr><tr><td>Esc /</td><td>backward regular expression search</td></tr><tr><td>\</td><td>toggle highlighting of search matches</td></tr><tr><td>^</td><td>jump to the top of the message</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
220 In addition to key bindings in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-pager" title="Table 2.7. Most common pager keys">Table 2.7, “Most common pager keys”</a>,
221 many of the functions from the index menu are also available in
222 the pager, such as <code class="literal"><delete-message></code> or <code class="literal"><copy-message></code>
223 (this is one advantage over using an external pager to view messages).
225 Also, the internal pager supports a couple other advanced features. For
226 one, it will accept and translate the “<span class="quote">standard</span>” nroff sequences for
227 bold and underline. These sequences are a series of either the letter,
228 backspace (“<span class="quote">^H</span>”), the letter again for bold or the letter, backspace,
229 “<span class="quote">_</span>” for denoting underline. Mutt will attempt to display these
230 in bold and underline respectively if your terminal supports them. If
231 not, you can use the bold and underline <a class="link" href="configuration.html#color" title="9. Using Color and Mono Video Attributes">color</a>
232 objects to specify a <span class="command"><strong>color</strong></span> or mono attribute for them.
234 Additionally, the internal pager supports the ANSI escape sequences for
235 character attributes. Mutt translates them into the correct color and
236 character settings. The sequences Mutt supports are:
237 </p><pre class="screen">
238 \e[<span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span>;<span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span>;..<span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span>;m
240 where <span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span> can be one of the codes shown in
241 <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-ansi-esc" title="Table 2.8. ANSI escape sequences">Table 2.8, “ANSI escape sequences”</a>.
242 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-ansi-esc"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.8. ANSI escape sequences</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="ANSI escape sequences" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Escape code</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>0</td><td>All attributes off</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Bold on</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Underline on</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Blink on</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Reverse video on</td></tr><tr><td>3<span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td><td>Foreground color is <span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span> (see <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-color" title="Table 2.9. Color sequences">Table 2.9, “Color sequences”</a>)</td></tr><tr><td>4<span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td><td>Background color is <span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span> (see <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-color" title="Table 2.9. Color sequences">Table 2.9, “Color sequences”</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-color"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.9. Color sequences</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Color sequences" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Color code</th><th>Color</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>0</td><td>Black</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Red</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Green</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Yellow</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Blue</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Magenta</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Cyan</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>White</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
243 Mutt uses these attributes for handling <code class="literal">text/enriched</code>
244 messages, and they can also be used by an external
245 <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#auto-view" title="4. MIME Autoview">autoview</a> script for highlighting
247 </p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
248 If you change the colors for your
249 display, for example by changing the color associated with color2 for
250 your xterm, then that color will be used instead of green.
251 </p></div><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
252 Note that the search commands in the pager take regular expressions,
253 which are not quite the same as the more
254 complex <a class="link" href="advancedusage.html#patterns" title="2. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging">patterns</a> used by the search
255 command in the index. This is because patterns are used to select messages by
256 criteria whereas the pager already displays a selected message.
257 </p></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="threads"></a>5.3. Threaded Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>
258 So-called “<span class="quote">threads</span>” provide a hierarchy of messages where
259 replies are linked to their parent message(s). This organizational form
260 is extremely useful in mailing lists where different parts of the
261 discussion diverge. Mutt displays threads as a tree structure.
263 In Mutt, when a mailbox is <a class="link" href="reference.html#sort" title="3.263. sort">sorted</a>
264 by <span class="emphasis"><em>threads</em></span>, there are a few additional functions
265 available in the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span>
266 and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> modes as shown in
267 <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-threads" title="Table 2.10. Most common thread mode keys">Table 2.10, “Most common thread mode keys”</a>.
268 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-threads"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.10. Most common thread mode keys</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common thread mode keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>^D</td><td><code class="literal"><delete-thread></code></td><td>delete all messages in the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>^U</td><td><code class="literal"><undelete-thread></code></td><td>undelete all messages in the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>^N</td><td><code class="literal"><next-thread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the next thread</td></tr><tr><td>^P</td><td><code class="literal"><previous-thread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the previous thread</td></tr><tr><td>^R</td><td><code class="literal"><read-thread></code></td><td>mark the current thread as read</td></tr><tr><td>Esc d</td><td><code class="literal"><delete-subthread></code></td><td>delete all messages in the current subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc u</td><td><code class="literal"><undelete-subthread></code></td><td>undelete all messages in the current subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc n</td><td><code class="literal"><next-subthread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the next subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc p</td><td><code class="literal"><previous-subthread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the previous subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc r</td><td><code class="literal"><read-subthread></code></td><td>mark the current subthread as read</td></tr><tr><td>Esc t</td><td><code class="literal"><tag-thread></code></td><td>toggle the tag on the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc v</td><td><code class="literal"><collapse-thread></code></td><td>toggle collapse for the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc V</td><td><code class="literal"><collapse-all></code></td><td>toggle collapse for all threads</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td><code class="literal"><parent-message></code></td><td>jump to parent message in thread</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
269 Collapsing a thread displays only the first message
270 in the thread and hides the others. This is useful when threads
271 contain so many messages that you can only see a handful of threads on
272 the screen. See %M in <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.114. index_format">$index_format</a>.
273 For example, you could use “<span class="quote">%?M?(#%03M)&(%4l)?</span>” in <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.114. index_format">$index_format</a> to optionally
274 display the number of hidden messages if the thread is
275 collapsed. The <code class="literal">%?<char>?<if-part>&<else-part>?</code>
276 syntax is explained in detail in
277 <a class="link" href="configuration.html#formatstrings-conditionals" title="29.2. Conditionals">format string conditionals</a>.
279 Technically, every reply should contain a list of its parent messages in
280 the thread tree, but not all do. In these cases, Mutt groups them by
281 subject which can be controlled using the
282 <a class="link" href="reference.html#strict-threads" title="3.284. strict_threads">$strict_threads</a> variable.
283 </p></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="reading-misc"></a>5.4. Miscellaneous Functions</h3></div></div></div><p>
284 In addition, the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span>
285 menus have these interesting functions:
286 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term">
287 <code class="literal"><create-alias></code><a id="create-alias"></a> (default: a)
289 Creates a new alias based upon the current message (or prompts for a
290 new one). Once editing is complete, an <a class="link" href="configuration.html#alias" title="4. Defining/Using Aliases"><span class="command"><strong>alias</strong></span></a>
291 command is added to the file specified by
292 the <a class="link" href="reference.html#alias-file" title="3.3. alias_file">$alias_file</a> variable
294 </p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
295 Mutt does not read the <a class="link" href="reference.html#alias-file" title="3.3. alias_file">$alias_file</a>
296 upon startup so you must explicitly <a class="link" href="configuration.html#source" title="27. Reading Initialization Commands From Another File"><span class="command"><strong>source</strong></span></a> the file.
297 </p></div></dd><dt><span class="term">
298 <code class="literal"><check-traditional-pgp></code><a id="check-traditional-pgp"></a> (default: Esc P)
300 This function will search the current message for content signed or
301 encrypted with PGP the “<span class="quote">traditional</span>” way, that is, without proper
302 MIME tagging. Technically, this function will temporarily change
303 the MIME content types of the body parts containing PGP data; this
304 is similar to the <a class="link" href="gettingstarted.html#edit-type"><code class="literal"><edit-type></code></a> function's
306 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
307 <code class="literal"><edit></code><a id="edit"></a> (default: e)
309 This command (available in the index and pager) allows you to
310 edit the raw current message as it's present in the mail folder.
311 After you have finished editing, the changed message will be
312 appended to the current folder, and the original message will be
313 marked for deletion; if the message is unchanged it won't be replaced.
314 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
315 <code class="literal"><edit-type></code><a id="edit-type"></a> (default:
316 ^E on the attachment menu, and in the pager and index menus;
317 ^T on the compose menu)
319 This command is used to temporarily edit an attachment's content
320 type to fix, for instance, bogus character set parameters. When
321 invoked from the index or from the pager, you'll have the
322 opportunity to edit the top-level attachment's content type. On the
323 <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#attach-menu" title="1.2. The Attachment Menu">attachment menu</a>, you can change any
324 attachment's content type. These changes are not persistent, and get
325 lost upon changing folders.
327 Note that this command is also available on the <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#compose-menu" title="1.3. The Compose Menu">compose
328 menu</a>. There, it's used to fine-tune the properties of attachments you are going
330 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
331 <code class="literal"><enter-command></code><a id="enter-command"></a> (default: “<span class="quote">:</span>”)
333 This command is used to execute any command you would normally put in a
334 configuration file. A common use is to check the settings of variables, or
335 in conjunction with <a class="link" href="configuration.html#macro" title="8. Keyboard Macros">macros</a> to change settings on the
337 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
338 <code class="literal"><extract-keys></code><a id="extract-keys"></a> (default: ^K)
340 This command extracts PGP public keys from the current or tagged
341 message(s) and adds them to your PGP public key ring.
342 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
343 <code class="literal"><forget-passphrase></code><a id="forget-passphrase"></a> (default:
346 This command wipes the passphrase(s) from memory. It is useful, if
347 you misspelled the passphrase.
348 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
349 <code class="literal"><list-reply></code><a id="list-reply"></a> (default: L)
351 Reply to the current or tagged message(s) by extracting any addresses which
352 match the regular expressions given by the <a class="link" href="configuration.html#lists" title="12. Mailing Lists"><span class="command"><strong>lists</strong></span> or <span class="command"><strong>subscribe</strong></span></a>
353 commands, but also honor any <code class="literal">Mail-Followup-To</code> header(s) if the
354 <a class="link" href="reference.html#honor-followup-to" title="3.92. honor_followup_to">$honor_followup_to</a>
355 configuration variable is set. Using this when replying to messages posted
356 to mailing lists helps avoid duplicate copies being sent to the author of
357 the message you are replying to.
358 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
359 <code class="literal"><pipe-message></code><a id="pipe-message"></a> (default: |)
361 Asks for an external Unix command and pipes the current or
362 tagged message(s) to it. The variables <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-decode" title="3.182. pipe_decode">$pipe_decode</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-split" title="3.184. pipe_split">$pipe_split</a>,
363 <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-sep" title="3.183. pipe_sep">$pipe_sep</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#wait-key" title="3.304. wait_key">$wait_key</a> control the exact behavior of this function.
364 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
365 <code class="literal"><resend-message></code><a id="resend-message"></a> (default: Esc e)
367 Mutt takes the current message as a template for a
368 new message. This function is best described as "recall from arbitrary
369 folders". It can conveniently be used to forward MIME messages while
370 preserving the original mail structure. Note that the amount of headers
371 included here depends on the value of the <a class="link" href="reference.html#weed" title="3.305. weed">$weed</a>
374 This function is also available from the attachment menu. You can use this
375 to easily resend a message which was included with a bounce message
376 as a <code class="literal">message/rfc822</code> body part.
377 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
378 <code class="literal"><shell-escape></code><a id="shell-escape"></a> (default: !)
380 Asks for an external Unix command and executes it. The <a class="link" href="reference.html#wait-key" title="3.304. wait_key">$wait_key</a> can be used to control
381 whether Mutt will wait for a key to be pressed when the command returns
382 (presumably to let the user read the output of the command), based on
383 the return status of the named command. If no command is given, an
384 interactive shell is executed.
385 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
386 <code class="literal"><toggle-quoted></code><a id="toggle-quoted"></a> (default: T)
388 The pager uses the <a class="link" href="reference.html#quote-regexp" title="3.206. quote_regexp">$quote_regexp</a> variable to detect quoted text when
389 displaying the body of the message. This function toggles the display
390 of the quoted material in the message. It is particularly useful when
391 being interested in just the response and there is a large amount of
392 quoted text in the way.
393 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
394 <code class="literal"><skip-quoted></code><a id="skip-quoted"></a> (default: S)
396 This function will go to the next line of non-quoted text which comes
397 after a line of quoted text in the internal pager.
398 </p></dd></dl></div></div></div><div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="sending"></a>6. Sending Mail</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="sending-intro"></a>6.1. Introduction</h3></div></div></div><p>
399 The bindings shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-send" title="Table 2.11. Most common mail sending keys">Table 2.11, “Most common mail sending keys”</a> are available in the
400 <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> to start a new message.
401 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-send"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.11. Most common mail sending keys</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common mail sending keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>m</td><td><code class="literal"><compose></code></td><td>compose a new message</td></tr><tr><td>r</td><td><code class="literal"><reply></code></td><td>reply to sender</td></tr><tr><td>g</td><td><code class="literal"><group-reply></code></td><td>reply to all recipients</td></tr><tr><td>L</td><td><code class="literal"><list-reply></code></td><td>reply to mailing list address</td></tr><tr><td>f</td><td><code class="literal"><forward></code></td><td>forward message</td></tr><tr><td>b</td><td><code class="literal"><bounce></code></td><td>bounce (remail) message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc k</td><td><code class="literal"><mail-key></code></td><td>mail a PGP public key to someone</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
402 <span class="emphasis"><em>Bouncing</em></span> a message sends the message as-is to the recipient you
403 specify. <span class="emphasis"><em>Forwarding</em></span> a message allows you to add comments or
404 modify the message you are forwarding. These items are discussed
405 in greater detail in the next section “<span class="quote"><a class="link" href="gettingstarted.html#forwarding-mail" title="7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail">Forwarding
406 and Bouncing Mail</a>.</span>”
408 Mutt will then enter the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu and prompt you for the
409 recipients to place on the “<span class="quote">To:</span>” header field when you hit <code class="literal">m</code> to start a new message. Next, it will ask
410 you for the “<span class="quote">Subject:</span>” field for the message, providing a default if
411 you are replying to or forwarding a message. You again
412 have the chance to adjust recipients, subject, and security settings
413 right before actually sending the message. See also
414 <a class="link" href="reference.html#askcc" title="3.10. askcc">$askcc</a>,
415 <a class="link" href="reference.html#askbcc" title="3.9. askbcc">$askbcc</a>,
416 <a class="link" href="reference.html#autoedit" title="3.18. autoedit">$autoedit</a>,
417 <a class="link" href="reference.html#bounce" title="3.21. bounce">$bounce</a>,
418 <a class="link" href="reference.html#fast-reply" title="3.63. fast_reply">$fast_reply</a>,
419 and <a class="link" href="reference.html#include" title="3.111. include">$include</a>
420 for changing how and if Mutt asks these questions.
422 When replying, Mutt fills these fields with proper values depending on
423 the reply type. The types of replying supported are:
424 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term">Simple reply</span></dt><dd><p>
425 Reply to the author directly.
426 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Group reply</span></dt><dd><p>
427 Reply to the author as well to all recipients except you; this consults
428 <a class="link" href="configuration.html#alternates" title="11. Alternative Addresses"><span class="command"><strong>alternates</strong></span></a>.
429 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">List reply</span></dt><dd><p>
430 Reply to all mailing list addresses found, either specified via
431 configuration or auto-detected. See <a class="xref" href="configuration.html#lists" title="12. Mailing Lists">Section 12, “Mailing Lists”</a> for
433 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
434 After getting recipients for new messages, forwards or replies, Mutt
435 will then automatically start your <a class="link" href="reference.html#editor" title="3.58. editor">$editor</a> on the message body. If the <a class="link" href="reference.html#edit-headers" title="3.57. edit_headers">$edit_headers</a> variable is
436 set, the headers will be at the top of the message in your editor. Any
437 messages you are replying to will be added in sort order to the message,
438 with appropriate <a class="link" href="reference.html#attribution" title="3.16. attribution">$attribution</a>,
439 <a class="link" href="reference.html#indent-string" title="3.113. indent_string">$indent_string</a> and
440 <a class="link" href="reference.html#post-indent-string" title="3.194. post_indent_string">$post_indent_string</a>.
441 When forwarding a message, if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.140. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> variable is
442 unset, a copy of the forwarded message will be included. If you have
443 specified a <a class="link" href="reference.html#signature" title="3.235. signature">$signature</a>, it will
444 be appended to the message.
446 Once you have finished editing the body of your mail message, you are
447 returned to the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu providing the functions
448 shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-func-compose" title="Table 2.12. Most common compose menu keys">Table 2.12, “Most common compose menu keys”</a> to modify, send or postpone the
450 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-func-compose"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.12. Most common compose menu keys</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common compose menu keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>a</td><td><code class="literal"><attach-file></code></td><td>attach a file</td></tr><tr><td>A</td><td><code class="literal"><attach-message></code></td><td>attach message(s) to the message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc k</td><td><code class="literal"><attach-key></code></td><td>attach a PGP public key</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-description></code></td><td>edit description on attachment</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td><code class="literal"><detach-file></code></td><td>detach a file</td></tr><tr><td>t</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-to></code></td><td>edit the To field</td></tr><tr><td>Esc f</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-from></code></td><td>edit the From field</td></tr><tr><td>r</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-reply-to></code></td><td>edit the Reply-To field</td></tr><tr><td>c</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-cc></code></td><td>edit the Cc field</td></tr><tr><td>b</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-bcc></code></td><td>edit the Bcc field</td></tr><tr><td>y</td><td><code class="literal"><send-message></code></td><td>send the message</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-subject></code></td><td>edit the Subject</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td><code class="literal"><smime-menu></code></td><td>select S/MIME options</td></tr><tr><td>f</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-fcc></code></td><td>specify an “<span class="quote">Fcc</span>” mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>p</td><td><code class="literal"><pgp-menu></code></td><td>select PGP options</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td><code class="literal"><postpone-message></code></td><td>postpone this message until later</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td><code class="literal"><quit></code></td><td>quit (abort) sending the message</td></tr><tr><td>w</td><td><code class="literal"><write-fcc></code></td><td>write the message to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>i</td><td><code class="literal"><ispell></code></td><td>check spelling (if available on your system)</td></tr><tr><td>^F</td><td><code class="literal"><forget-passphrase></code></td><td>wipe passphrase(s) from memory</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
451 The compose menu is also used to edit the attachments for a message which can be either files
452 or other messages. The <code class="literal"><attach-message></code> function to will prompt you for a folder to
453 attach messages from. You can now tag messages in that folder and they
454 will be attached to the message you are sending.
455 </p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
457 operations like composing a new mail, replying, forwarding, etc. are
458 not permitted when you are in that folder. The %r in
459 <a class="link" href="reference.html#status-format" title="3.282. status_format">$status_format</a> will change to
460 a “<span class="quote">A</span>” to indicate that you are in attach-message mode.
461 </p></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="edit-header"></a>6.2. Editing the Message Header</h3></div></div></div><p>
462 When editing the header because of <a class="link" href="reference.html#edit-headers" title="3.57. edit_headers">$edit_headers</a>
463 being set, there are a several pseudo headers available which
464 will not be included in sent messages but trigger special Mutt behavior.
465 </p><div class="sect3" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="fcc-header"></a>6.2.1. Fcc: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
468 <code class="literal">Fcc:</code> <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span>
470 as a header, Mutt will pick up <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span>
471 just as if you had used the <code class="literal"><edit-fcc></code> function in the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu.
472 It can later be changed from the compose menu.
473 </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="attach-header"></a>6.2.2. Attach: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
474 You can also attach files to your message by specifying
476 <code class="literal">Attach:</code> <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span>
477 [ <span class="emphasis"><em>description</em></span> ]
479 where <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span> is the file to attach and <span class="emphasis"><em>description</em></span> is an
480 optional string to use as the description of the attached file. Spaces
481 in filenames have to be escaped using backslash (“<span class="quote">\</span>”).
482 The file can be removed as well as more added from the compose menu.
483 </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="pgp-header"></a>6.2.3. Pgp: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
484 If you want to use PGP, you can specify
486 <code class="literal">Pgp:</code> [ <code class="literal">E</code> | <code class="literal">S</code> | <code class="literal">S</code><span class="emphasis"><em><id></em></span> ]
489 “<span class="quote">E</span>” selects encryption, “<span class="quote">S</span>” selects signing and
490 “<span class="quote">S<id></span>” selects signing with the given key, setting
491 <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-sign-as" title="3.174. pgp_sign_as">$pgp_sign_as</a>
492 permanently. The selection can later be changed in the compose menu.
493 </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="in-reply-to-header"></a>6.2.4. In-Reply-To: Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
494 When replying to messages, the <span class="emphasis"><em>In-Reply-To:</em></span> header contains the
495 Message-Id of the message(s) you reply to. If you remove or modify its value, Mutt will not generate a
496 <span class="emphasis"><em>References:</em></span> field, which allows you to create a new message thread, for example
497 to create a new message to a mailing list without having to enter the mailing list's address.
498 </p></div></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="sending-crypto"></a>6.3. Sending Cryptographically Signed/Encrypted Messages</h3></div></div></div><p>
499 If you have told Mutt to PGP or S/MIME encrypt a message, it will guide you
500 through a key selection process when you try to send the message.
501 Mutt will not ask you any questions about keys which have a
502 certified user ID matching one of the message recipients' mail
503 addresses. However, there may be situations in which there are
504 several keys, weakly certified user ID fields, or where no matching
507 In these cases, you are dropped into a menu with a list of keys from
508 which you can select one. When you quit this menu, or Mutt can't
509 find any matching keys, you are prompted for a user ID. You can, as
510 usually, abort this prompt using <code class="literal">^G</code>. When you do so, Mutt will
511 return to the compose screen.
513 Once you have successfully finished the key selection, the message
514 will be encrypted using the selected public keys when sent out.
516 Most fields of the entries in the key selection menu (see also <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-entry-format" title="3.161. pgp_entry_format">$pgp_entry_format</a>)
517 have obvious meanings. But some explanations on the capabilities, flags,
518 and validity fields are in order.
520 The flags sequence (“<span class="quote">%f</span>”) will expand to one of the flags in
521 <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-pgp-menuflags" title="Table 2.13. PGP key menu flags">Table 2.13, “PGP key menu flags”</a>.
522 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-pgp-menuflags"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.13. PGP key menu flags</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="PGP key menu flags" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Flag</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>R</td><td>The key has been revoked and can't be used.</td></tr><tr><td>X</td><td>The key is expired and can't be used.</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>You have marked the key as disabled.</td></tr><tr><td>c</td><td>There are unknown critical self-signature packets.</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
523 The capabilities field (“<span class="quote">%c</span>”) expands to a two-character sequence
524 representing a key's capabilities. The first character gives
525 the key's encryption capabilities: A minus sign (“<span class="quote">-</span>”) means
526 that the key cannot be used for encryption. A dot (“<span class="quote">.</span>”) means that
527 it's marked as a signature key in one of the user IDs, but may
528 also be used for encryption. The letter “<span class="quote">e</span>” indicates that
529 this key can be used for encryption.
531 The second character indicates the key's signing capabilities. Once
532 again, a “<span class="quote">-</span>” implies “<span class="quote">not for signing</span>”, “<span class="quote">.</span>” implies
533 that the key is marked as an encryption key in one of the user-ids, and
534 “<span class="quote">s</span>” denotes a key which can be used for signing.
536 Finally, the validity field (“<span class="quote">%t</span>”) indicates how well-certified a user-id
537 is. A question mark (“<span class="quote">?</span>”) indicates undefined validity, a minus
538 character (“<span class="quote">-</span>”) marks an untrusted association, a space character
539 means a partially trusted association, and a plus character (“<span class="quote">+</span>”)
540 indicates complete validity.
541 </p></div><div class="sect2" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="ff"></a>6.4. Sending Format=Flowed Messages</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-concept"></a>6.4.1. Concept</h4></div></div></div><p>
542 <code class="literal">format=flowed</code>-style messages (or <code class="literal">f=f</code>
543 for short) are <code class="literal">text/plain</code> messages that consist of paragraphs which a receiver's
544 mail client may reformat to its own needs which mostly means to
545 customize line lengths regardless of what the sender sent. Technically this is
546 achieved by letting lines of a “<span class="quote">flowable</span>” paragraph end in spaces
547 except for the last line.
549 While for text-mode clients like Mutt it's the best way to assume only a
550 standard 80x25 character cell terminal, it may be desired to let the
551 receiver decide completely how to view a message.
552 </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-support"></a>6.4.2. Mutt Support</h4></div></div></div><p>
553 Mutt only supports setting the required <code class="literal">format=flowed</code>
554 MIME parameter on outgoing messages if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#text-flowed" title="3.286. text_flowed">$text_flowed</a>
555 variable is set, specifically it does not add the
558 After editing the initial message text and before entering
559 the compose menu, Mutt properly space-stuffes the message.
560 <span class="emphasis"><em>Space-stuffing</em></span> is required by RfC3676 defining
561 <code class="literal">format=flowed</code> and means to prepend a space to:
562 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>all lines starting with a space</p></li><li><p>lines starting with the word “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">From</code></span>”
563 followed by space</p></li><li><p>all lines starting with “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">></code></span>” which
564 is not intended to be a quote character</p></li></ul></div><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
565 Mutt only supports space-stuffing
566 for the first two types of lines but not for the third: It is impossible to
567 safely detect whether a leading <code class="literal">></code> character starts a
568 quote or not. Furthermore, Mutt only applies space-stuffing
569 <span class="emphasis"><em>once</em></span> after the initial edit is finished.
571 All leading spaces are to be removed by receiving clients to restore
572 the original message prior to further processing.
573 </p></div><div class="sect3" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-editor"></a>6.4.3. Editor Considerations</h4></div></div></div><p>
574 As Mutt provides no additional features to compose <code class="literal">f=f</code>
575 messages, it's completely up to the user and his editor to produce
576 proper messages. Please consider your editor's documentation if you
577 intend to send <code class="literal">f=f</code> messages.
579 Please note that when editing messages from the compose menu several
580 times before really sending a mail, it's up to the user to ensure that
581 the message is properly space-stuffed.
583 For example, <span class="emphasis"><em>vim</em></span> provides the <code class="literal">w</code>
584 flag for its <code class="literal">formatoptions</code> setting to assist in
585 creating <code class="literal">f=f</code> messages, see <code class="literal">:help
586 fo-table</code> for details.
587 </p></div></div></div><div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="forwarding-mail"></a>7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail</h2></div></div></div><p>
588 Bouncing and forwarding let you send an existing message to recipients
589 that you specify. Bouncing a message sends a verbatim copy of a message
590 to alternative addresses as if they were the message's original
591 recipients specified in the Bcc header.
592 Forwarding a message, on the other hand, allows you to modify the message
593 before it is resent (for example, by adding your own comments). Bouncing
594 is done using the <code class="literal"><bounce></code> function and forwarding
595 using the <code class="literal"><forward></code> function bound to “<span class="quote">b</span>” and “<span class="quote">f</span>”
598 Forwarding can be done by including the original message in the new
599 message's body (surrounded by indicating lines) or including it as a MIME
600 attachment, depending on the value of the <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.140. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> variable. Decoding of attachments,
601 like in the pager, can be controlled by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-decode" title="3.70. forward_decode">$forward_decode</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward-decode" title="3.141. mime_forward_decode">$mime_forward_decode</a> variables,
602 respectively. The desired forwarding format may depend on the content,
603 therefore <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.140. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> is a quadoption which, for
604 example, can be set to “<span class="quote">ask-no</span>”.
606 The inclusion of headers is controlled by the current setting of the
607 <a class="link" href="reference.html#weed" title="3.305. weed">$weed</a> variable, unless <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.140. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> is set.
609 Editing the message to forward follows the same procedure as sending or
610 replying to a message does.
611 </p></div><div class="sect1" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="postponing-mail"></a>8. Postponing Mail</h2></div></div></div><p>
612 At times it is desirable to delay sending a message that you have
613 already begun to compose. When the <code class="literal"><postpone-message></code> function is
614 used in the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu, the body of your message and attachments
615 are stored in the mailbox specified by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#postponed" title="3.196. postponed">$postponed</a> variable. This means that you can recall the
616 message even if you exit Mutt and then restart it at a later time.
618 Once a message is postponed, there are several ways to resume it. From the
619 command line you can use the “<span class="quote">-p</span>” option, or if you compose a new
620 message from the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> or <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> you will be prompted if postponed
621 messages exist. If multiple messages are currently postponed, the
622 <span class="emphasis"><em>postponed</em></span> menu will pop up and you can select which message you would
624 </p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
625 If you postpone a reply to a message, the reply setting of
626 the message is only updated when you actually finish the message and
627 send it. Also, you must be in the same folder with the message you
628 replied to for the status of the message to be updated.
630 See also the <a class="link" href="reference.html#postpone" title="3.195. postpone">$postpone</a> quad-option.
631 </p></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr /><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"> </td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="configuration.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Chapter 1. Introduction </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Chapter 3. Configuration</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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