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30 </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" title="Chapter 2. Getting Started"><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>
31 This section is intended as a brief overview of how to use Mutt. There
32 are many other features which are described elsewhere in the manual.
33 There is even more information available in the Mutt FAQ and various web
34 pages. See the <a class="ulink" href="http://www.mutt.org/" target="_top">Mutt homepage</a>
37 The keybindings described in this section are the defaults as
38 distributed. Your local system administrator may have altered the
39 defaults for your site. You can always type <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">?</span>”</span> in any
40 menu to display the current bindings.
42 The first thing you need to do is invoke Mutt, simply by typing
43 <code class="literal">mutt</code> at the command line. There are various
44 command-line options, see either the Mutt man page or the <a class="link" href="reference.html#commandline" title="1. Command-Line Options">reference</a>.
45 </p><div class="sect1" title="1. Core Concepts"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="core-concepts"></a>1. Core Concepts</h2></div></div></div><p>
46 Mutt is a text-based application which interacts with users through
47 different menus which are mostly line-/entry-based or page-based. A
48 line-based menu is the so-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">index</span>”</span> menu (listing all
49 messages of the currently opened folder) or the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">alias</span>”</span>
50 menu (allowing you to select recipients from a list). Examples for
51 page-based menus are the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">pager</span>”</span> (showing one message at a
52 time) or the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">help</span>”</span> menu listing all available key
55 The user interface consists of a context sensitive help line at the top,
56 the menu's contents followed by a context sensitive status line and
57 finally the command line. The command line is used to display
58 informational and error messages as well as for prompts and for entering
61 Mutt is configured through variables which, if the user wants to
62 permanently use a non-default value, are written to configuration
63 files. Mutt supports a rich config file syntax to make even complex
64 configuration files readable and commentable.
66 Because Mutt allows for customizing almost all key bindings, there are
67 so-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">functions</span>”</span> which can be executed manually (using
68 the command line) or in macros. Macros allow the user to bind a sequence
69 of commands to a single key or a short key sequence instead of repeating
70 a sequence of actions over and over.
72 Many commands (such as saving or copying a message to another folder)
73 can be applied to a single message or a set of messages (so-called
74 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">tagged</span>”</span> messages). To help selecting messages, Mutt
75 provides a rich set of message patterns (such as recipients, sender,
76 body contents, date sent/received, etc.) which can be combined into
77 complex expressions using the boolean <span class="emphasis"><em>and</em></span> and
78 <span class="emphasis"><em>or</em></span> operations as well as negating. These patterns
79 can also be used to (for example) search for messages or to limit the
80 index to show only matching messages.
82 Mutt supports a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">hook</span>”</span> concept which allows the user to
83 execute arbitrary configuration commands and functions in certain
84 situations such as entering a folder, starting a new message or replying
85 to an existing one. These hooks can be used to highly customize Mutt's
86 behavior including managing multiple identities, customizing the
87 display for a folder or even implementing auto-archiving based on a
88 per-folder basis and much more.
90 Besides an interactive mode, Mutt can also be used as a command-line
91 tool only send messages. It also supports a
92 <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
94 </p></div><div class="sect1" title="2. Screens and Menus"><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" title="2.1. Index"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-index"></a>2.1. Index</h3></div></div></div><p>
95 The index is the screen that you usually see first when you start
96 Mutt. It gives an overview over your emails in the currently opened
97 mailbox. By default, this is your system mailbox. The information you
98 see in the index is a list of emails, each with its number on the left,
99 its flags (new email, important email, email that has been forwarded or
100 replied to, tagged email, ...), the date when email was sent, its
101 sender, the email size, and the subject. Additionally, the index also
102 shows thread hierarchies: when you reply to an email, and the other
103 person replies back, you can see the other person's email in a
104 "sub-tree" below. This is especially useful for personal email between
105 a group of people or when you've subscribed to mailing lists.
106 </p></div><div class="sect2" title="2.2. Pager"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-pager"></a>2.2. Pager</h3></div></div></div><p>
107 The pager is responsible for showing the email content. On the top of
108 the pager you have an overview over the most important email headers
109 like the sender, the recipient, the subject, and much more
110 information. How much information you actually see depends on your
111 configuration, which we'll describe below.
113 Below the headers, you see the email body which usually contains the
114 message. If the email contains any attachments, you will see more
115 information about them below the email body, or, if the attachments are
116 text files, you can view them directly in the pager.
118 To give the user a good overview, it is possible to configure Mutt to
119 show different things in the pager with different colors. Virtually
120 everything that can be described with a regular expression can be
121 colored, e.g. URLs, email addresses or smileys.
122 </p></div><div class="sect2" title="2.3. File Browser"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-browser"></a>2.3. File Browser</h3></div></div></div><p>
123 The file browser is the interface to the local or remote file
124 system. When selecting a mailbox to open, the browser allows custom
125 sorting of items, limiting the items shown by a regular expression and a
126 freely adjustable format of what to display in which way. It also allows
127 for easy navigation through the file system when selecting file(s) to
128 attach to a message, select multiple files to attach and many more.
129 </p></div><div class="sect2" title="2.4. Help"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-help"></a>2.4. Help</h3></div></div></div><p>
130 The help screen is meant to offer a quick help to the user. It lists the
131 current configuration of key bindings and their associated commands
132 including a short description, and currently unbound functions that
133 still need to be associated with a key binding (or alternatively, they
134 can be called via the Mutt command prompt).
135 </p></div><div class="sect2" title="2.5. Compose Menu"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-compose"></a>2.5. Compose Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
136 The compose menu features a split screen containing the information
137 which really matter before actually sending a message by mail: who gets
138 the message as what (recipients and who gets what kind of
139 copy). Additionally, users may set security options like deciding
140 whether to sign, encrypt or sign and encrypt a message with/for what
141 keys. Also, it's used to attach messages, to re-edit any attachment
142 including the message itself.
143 </p></div><div class="sect2" title="2.6. Alias Menu"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-alias"></a>2.6. Alias Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
144 The alias menu is used to help users finding the recipients of
145 messages. For users who need to contact many people, there's no need to
146 remember addresses or names completely because it allows for searching,
147 too. The alias mechanism and thus the alias menu also features grouping
148 several addresses by a shorter nickname, the actual alias, so that users
149 don't have to select each single recipient manually.
150 </p></div><div class="sect2" title="2.7. Attachment Menu"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-attach"></a>2.7. Attachment Menu</h3></div></div></div><p>
151 As will be later discussed in detail, Mutt features a good and stable
152 MIME implementation, that is, it supports sending and receiving messages
153 of arbitrary MIME types. The attachment menu displays a message's
154 structure in detail: what content parts are attached to which parent
155 part (which gives a true tree structure), which type is of what type and
156 what size. Single parts may saved, deleted or modified to offer great
157 and easy access to message's internals.
158 </p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="3. Moving Around in Menus"><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>
159 The most important navigation keys common to line- or entry-based menus
160 are shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-nav-line" title="Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus">Table 2.1, “Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus”</a> and in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-nav-page" title="Table 2.2. Most common navigation keys in page-based menus">Table 2.2, “Most common navigation keys in page-based menus”</a> for page-based menus.
161 </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>scroll up one line</td></tr><tr><td>K, <Space> or <PageDn></td><td><code class="literal"><next-page></code></td><td>move to the next page</td></tr><tr><td>- or <PageUp></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-page></code></td><td>move the previous page</td></tr><tr><td><Home></td><td><code class="literal"><top></code></td><td>move to the top</td></tr><tr><td><End></td><td><code class="literal"><bottom></code></td><td>move to the bottom</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="sect1" title="4. Editing Input Fields"><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" title="4.1. Introduction"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="editing-intro"></a>4.1. Introduction</h3></div></div></div><p>
162 Mutt has a built-in line editor for inputting text, e.g. email addresses
163 or filenames. The keys used to manipulate text input are very similar to
164 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
165 reference of available functions, their default key bindings, and short
167 </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>
168 You can remap the <span class="emphasis"><em>editor</em></span> functions using the <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
169 make the <Delete> key delete the character in front of the cursor
170 rather than under, you could use:
171 </p><pre class="screen">
172 bind editor <delete> backspace
173 </pre></div><div class="sect2" title="4.2. History"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="editing-history"></a>4.2. History</h3></div></div></div><p>
174 Mutt maintains a history for the built-in editor. The number of items
175 is controlled by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#history" title="3.89. history">$history</a> variable
176 and can be made persistent using an external file specified using <a class="link" href="reference.html#history-file" title="3.90. history_file">$history_file</a>. You may cycle through them
177 at an editor prompt by using the <code class="literal"><history-up></code>
178 and/or <code class="literal"><history-down></code> commands. But notice that
179 Mutt does not remember the currently entered text, it only cycles
180 through history and wraps around at the end or beginning.
182 Mutt maintains several distinct history lists, one for each of the
183 following categories:
184 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p><code class="literal">.muttrc</code> commands</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>addresses and aliases</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>shell commands</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>filenames</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>patterns</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>everything else</p></li></ul></div><p>
185 Mutt automatically filters out consecutively repeated items from the
186 history. It also mimics the behavior of some shells by ignoring items
187 starting with a space. The latter feature can be useful in macros to not
188 clobber the history's valuable entries with unwanted entries.
189 </p></div></div><div class="sect1" title="5. Reading Mail"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="reading"></a>5. Reading Mail</h2></div></div></div><p>
190 Similar to many other mail clients, there are two modes in which mail is
191 read in Mutt. The first is a list of messages in the mailbox, which is
192 called the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">index</span>”</span> menu in Mutt. The second mode is the
193 display of the message contents. This is called the
194 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">pager.</span>”</span>
196 The next few sections describe the functions provided in each of these
198 </p><div class="sect2" title="5.1. The Message Index"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="index-menu"></a>5.1. The Message Index</h3></div></div></div><p>
199 Common keys used to navigate through and manage messages in the index
200 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
201 in the index menu can be customized using the <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.114. index_format">$index_format</a> variable.
202 </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-index"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 2.4. Most common message index keys</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common message index keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>c</td><td>change to a different mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>Esc c</td><td>change to a folder in read-only mode</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>copy the current message to another mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>Esc C</td><td>decode a message and copy it to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>Esc s</td><td>decode a message and save it to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td>delete messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>delete the current message</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>mark as important</td></tr><tr><td>l</td><td>show messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>N</td><td>mark message as new</td></tr><tr><td>o</td><td>change the current sort method</td></tr><tr><td>O</td><td>reverse sort the mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td>save changes and exit</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td>save-message</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>tag messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>t</td><td>toggle the tag on a message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc t</td><td>toggle tag on entire message thread</td></tr><tr><td>U</td><td>undelete messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>u</td><td>undelete-message</td></tr><tr><td>v</td><td>view-attachments</td></tr><tr><td>x</td><td>abort changes and exit</td></tr><tr><td><Return></td><td>display-message</td></tr><tr><td><Tab></td><td>jump to the next new or unread message</td></tr><tr><td>@</td><td>show the author's full e-mail address</td></tr><tr><td>$</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>
203 In addition to who sent the message and the subject, a short summary of
204 the disposition of each message is printed beside the message number.
205 Zero or more of the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">flags</span>”</span> in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-msg-status-flags" title="Table 2.5. Message status flags">Table 2.5, “Message status flags”</a> may appear, some of which can be turned
206 on or off using these functions: <code class="literal"><set-flag></code> and
207 <code class="literal"><clear-flag></code> bound by default to
208 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">w</span>”</span> and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">W</span>”</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 <a class="link" href="reference.html#to-chars" title="3.294. to_chars">$to_chars</a> variable.
212 </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><tr><td>n</td><td>thread contains new messages (only if collapsed)</td></tr><tr><td>o</td><td>thread contains old messages (only if collapsed)</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-msg-recip-flags"></a><p class="title"><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" title="5.2. The Pager"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="pager-menu"></a>5.2. The Pager</h3></div></div></div><p>
213 By default, Mutt uses its built-in pager to display the contents of
214 messages (an external pager such as <code class="literal">less(1)</code> can be
215 configured, see <a class="link" href="reference.html#pager" title="3.149. pager">$pager</a> variable). The
216 pager is very similar to the Unix program <code class="literal">less(1)</code>
217 though not nearly as featureful.
218 </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>
219 In addition to key bindings in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-pager" title="Table 2.7. Most common pager keys">Table 2.7, “Most common pager keys”</a>, many of
220 the functions from the index menu are also available in the pager, such
221 as <code class="literal"><delete-message></code> or
222 <code class="literal"><copy-message></code> (this is one advantage over
223 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">“<span class="quote">standard</span>”</span> nroff
227 sequences for bold and underline. These sequences are a series of either
228 the letter, backspace (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">^H</span>”</span>), the letter again for bold or
229 the letter, backspace, <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">_</span>”</span> for denoting underline. Mutt
230 will attempt to display these in bold and underline respectively if your
231 terminal supports them. If 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> objects to specify a
232 <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 <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-ansi-esc" title="Table 2.8. ANSI escape sequences">Table 2.8, “ANSI escape sequences”</a>.
241 </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>
242 Mutt uses these attributes for handling <code class="literal">text/enriched</code>
243 messages, and they can also be used by an external <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#auto-view" title="4. MIME Autoview">autoview</a> script for highlighting purposes.
244 </p><div class="note" title="Note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
245 If you change the colors for your display, for example by changing the
246 color associated with color2 for your xterm, then that color will be
247 used instead of green.
248 </p></div><div class="note" title="Note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
249 Note that the search commands in the pager take regular expressions,
250 which are not quite the same as the more complex <a class="link" href="advancedusage.html#patterns" title="3. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging">patterns</a> used by the search command in the
251 index. This is because patterns are used to select messages by criteria
252 whereas the pager already displays a selected message.
253 </p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="5.3. Threaded Mode"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="threads"></a>5.3. Threaded Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>
254 So-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">threads</span>”</span> provide a hierarchy of messages where
255 replies are linked to their parent message(s). This organizational form
256 is extremely useful in mailing lists where different parts of the
257 discussion diverge. Mutt displays threads as a tree structure.
259 In Mutt, when a mailbox is <a class="link" href="reference.html#sort" title="3.264. sort">sorted</a>
260 by <span class="emphasis"><em>threads</em></span>, there are a few additional functions
261 available in the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span>
262 and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> modes as shown in
263 <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>.
264 </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>
265 Collapsing a thread displays only the first message in the thread and
266 hides the others. This is useful when threads contain so many messages
267 that you can only see a handful of threads on the screen. See %M in
268 <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.114. index_format">$index_format</a>. For example, you
269 could use <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%?M?(#%03M)&(%4l)?</span>”</span> in <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.114. index_format">$index_format</a> to optionally display the
270 number of hidden messages if the thread is collapsed. The
271 <code class="literal">%?<char>?<if-part>&<else-part>?</code>
272 syntax is explained in detail in <a class="link" href="configuration.html#formatstrings-conditionals" title="29.2. Conditionals">format string conditionals</a>.
274 Technically, every reply should contain a list of its parent messages in
275 the thread tree, but not all do. In these cases, Mutt groups them by
276 subject which can be controlled using the <a class="link" href="reference.html#strict-threads" title="3.285. strict_threads">$strict_threads</a> variable.
277 </p></div><div class="sect2" title="5.4. Miscellaneous Functions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="reading-misc"></a>5.4. Miscellaneous Functions</h3></div></div></div><p>
278 In addition, the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> and
279 <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> menus have these interesting functions:
280 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term">
281 <code class="literal"><create-alias></code><a id="create-alias"></a>
284 Creates a new alias based upon the current message (or prompts for a new
285 one). Once editing is complete, an <a class="link" href="configuration.html#alias" title="4. Defining/Using Aliases"><span class="command"><strong>alias</strong></span></a> command is added to the
286 file specified by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#alias-file" title="3.3. alias_file">$alias_file</a>
287 variable for future use
288 </p><div class="note" title="Note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
289 Mutt does not read the <a class="link" href="reference.html#alias-file" title="3.3. alias_file">$alias_file</a>
290 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.
291 </p></div></dd><dt><span class="term">
292 <code class="literal"><check-traditional-pgp></code><a id="check-traditional-pgp"></a> (default: Esc P)
294 This function will search the current message for content signed or
295 encrypted with PGP the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">traditional</span>”</span> way, that is, without
296 proper MIME tagging. Technically, this function will temporarily change
297 the MIME content types of the body parts containing PGP data; this is
298 similar to the <a class="link" href="gettingstarted.html#edit-type"><code class="literal"><edit-type></code></a>
300 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
301 <code class="literal"><edit></code><a id="edit"></a> (default: e)
303 This command (available in the index and pager) allows you to edit the
304 raw current message as it's present in the mail folder. After you have
305 finished editing, the changed message will be appended to the current
306 folder, and the original message will be marked for deletion; if the
307 message is unchanged it won't be replaced.
308 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
309 <code class="literal"><edit-type></code><a id="edit-type"></a> (default:
310 ^E on the attachment menu, and in the pager and index menus; ^T on the
313 This command is used to temporarily edit an attachment's content type to
314 fix, for instance, bogus character set parameters. When invoked from
315 the index or from the pager, you'll have the opportunity to edit the
316 top-level attachment's content type. On the <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#attach-menu" title="1.3. The Attachment Menu">attachment menu</a>, you can change any
317 attachment's content type. These changes are not persistent, and get
318 lost upon changing folders.
320 Note that this command is also available on the <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#compose-menu" title="1.4. The Compose Menu">compose menu</a>. There, it's used to
321 fine-tune the properties of attachments you are going to send.
322 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
323 <code class="literal"><enter-command></code><a id="enter-command"></a>
324 (default: <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">:</span>”</span>)
326 This command is used to execute any command you would normally put in a
327 configuration file. A common use is to check the settings of variables,
328 or in conjunction with <a class="link" href="configuration.html#macro" title="8. Keyboard Macros">macros</a> to change
330 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
331 <code class="literal"><extract-keys></code><a id="extract-keys"></a>
334 This command extracts PGP public keys from the current or tagged
335 message(s) and adds them to your PGP public key ring.
336 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
337 <code class="literal"><forget-passphrase></code><a id="forget-passphrase"></a> (default: ^F)
339 This command wipes the passphrase(s) from memory. It is useful, if you
340 misspelled the passphrase.
341 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
342 <code class="literal"><list-reply></code><a id="list-reply"></a> (default:
345 Reply to the current or tagged message(s) by extracting any addresses
346 which 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
347 <span class="command"><strong>subscribe</strong></span></a> commands, but also honor any
348 <code class="literal">Mail-Followup-To</code> header(s) if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#honor-followup-to" title="3.92. honor_followup_to">$honor_followup_to</a> configuration
349 variable is set. Using this when replying to messages posted to mailing
350 lists helps avoid duplicate copies being sent to the author of the
351 message you are replying to.
352 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
353 <code class="literal"><pipe-message></code><a id="pipe-message"></a>
356 Asks for an external Unix command and pipes the current or tagged
357 message(s) to it. The variables <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-decode" title="3.183. pipe_decode">$pipe_decode</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-split" title="3.185. pipe_split">$pipe_split</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-sep" title="3.184. pipe_sep">$pipe_sep</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#wait-key" title="3.305. wait_key">$wait_key</a> control the exact behavior of this
359 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
360 <code class="literal"><resend-message></code><a id="resend-message"></a>
363 Mutt takes the current message as a template for a new message. This
364 function is best described as "recall from arbitrary folders". It can
365 conveniently be used to forward MIME messages while preserving the
366 original mail structure. Note that the amount of headers included here
367 depends on the value of the <a class="link" href="reference.html#weed" title="3.306. weed">$weed</a> variable.
369 This function is also available from the attachment menu. You can use
370 this to easily resend a message which was included with a bounce message
371 as a <code class="literal">message/rfc822</code> body part.
372 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
373 <code class="literal"><shell-escape></code><a id="shell-escape"></a>
376 Asks for an external Unix command and executes it. The <a class="link" href="reference.html#wait-key" title="3.305. wait_key">$wait_key</a> can be used to control whether Mutt
377 will wait for a key to be pressed when the command returns (presumably
378 to let the user read the output of the command), based on the return
379 status of the named command. If no command is given, an interactive
381 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
382 <code class="literal"><toggle-quoted></code><a id="toggle-quoted"></a>
385 The pager uses the <a class="link" href="reference.html#quote-regexp" title="3.207. quote_regexp">$quote_regexp</a>
386 variable to detect quoted text when displaying the body of the message.
387 This function toggles the display of the quoted material in the message.
388 It is particularly useful when being interested in just the response and
389 there is a large amount of quoted text in the way.
390 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">
391 <code class="literal"><skip-quoted></code><a id="skip-quoted"></a>
394 This function will go to the next line of non-quoted text which comes
395 after a line of quoted text in the internal pager.
396 </p></dd></dl></div></div></div><div class="sect1" title="6. Sending Mail"><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" title="6.1. Introduction"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="sending-intro"></a>6.1. Introduction</h3></div></div></div><p>
397 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
398 the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> to start a
400 </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>
401 <span class="emphasis"><em>Bouncing</em></span> a message sends the message as-is to the
402 recipient you specify. <span class="emphasis"><em>Forwarding</em></span> a message allows
403 you to add comments or modify the message you are forwarding. These
404 items are discussed in greater detail in the next section <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><a class="link" href="gettingstarted.html#forwarding-mail" title="7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail">Forwarding and Bouncing Mail</a>.</span>”</span>
406 Mutt will then enter the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu and prompt
407 you for the recipients to place on the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">To:</span>”</span> header field
408 when you hit <code class="literal">m</code> to start a new message. Next, it will
409 ask you for the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">Subject:</span>”</span> field for the message, providing
410 a default if you are replying to or forwarding a message. You again have
411 the chance to adjust recipients, subject, and security settings right
412 before actually sending the message. See also <a class="link" href="reference.html#askcc" title="3.10. askcc">$askcc</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#askbcc" title="3.9. askbcc">$askbcc</a>,
413 <a class="link" href="reference.html#autoedit" title="3.18. autoedit">$autoedit</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#bounce" title="3.21. bounce">$bounce</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#fast-reply" title="3.63. fast_reply">$fast_reply</a>, and <a class="link" href="reference.html#include" title="3.111. include">$include</a> for changing how and if Mutt asks
416 When replying, Mutt fills these fields with proper values depending on
417 the reply type. The types of replying supported are:
418 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term">Simple reply</span></dt><dd><p>
419 Reply to the author directly.
420 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Group reply</span></dt><dd><p>
421 Reply to the author as well to all recipients except you; this consults
422 <a class="link" href="configuration.html#alternates" title="11. Alternative Addresses"><span class="command"><strong>alternates</strong></span></a>.
423 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">List reply</span></dt><dd><p>
424 Reply to all mailing list addresses found, either specified via
425 configuration or auto-detected. See <a class="xref" href="configuration.html#lists" title="12. Mailing Lists">Section 12, “Mailing Lists”</a> for
427 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
428 After getting recipients for new messages, forwards or replies, Mutt
429 will then automatically start your <a class="link" href="reference.html#editor" title="3.58. editor">$editor</a>
430 on the message body. If the <a class="link" href="reference.html#edit-headers" title="3.57. edit_headers">$edit_headers</a> variable is set, the headers
431 will be at the top of the message in your editor. Any messages you are
432 replying to will be added in sort order to the message, with appropriate
433 <a class="link" href="reference.html#attribution" title="3.16. attribution">$attribution</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#indent-string" title="3.113. indent_string">$indent_string</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#post-indent-string" title="3.195. post_indent_string">$post_indent_string</a>. When
434 forwarding a message, if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.141. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> variable is unset, a copy of
435 the forwarded message will be included. If you have specified a <a class="link" href="reference.html#signature" title="3.236. signature">$signature</a>, it will be appended to the
438 Once you have finished editing the body of your mail message, you are
439 returned to the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu providing the
440 functions 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
441 postpone the message.
442 </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">“<span class="quote">Fcc</span>”</span> mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>p</td><td><code class="literal"><pgp-menu></code></td><td>select PGP options</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td><code class="literal"><postpone-message></code></td><td>postpone this message until later</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td><code class="literal"><quit></code></td><td>quit (abort) sending the message</td></tr><tr><td>w</td><td><code class="literal"><write-fcc></code></td><td>write the message to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>i</td><td><code class="literal"><ispell></code></td><td>check spelling (if available on your system)</td></tr><tr><td>^F</td><td><code class="literal"><forget-passphrase></code></td><td>wipe passphrase(s) from memory</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>
443 The compose menu is also used to edit the attachments for a message
444 which can be either files or other messages. The
445 <code class="literal"><attach-message></code> function to will prompt you
446 for a folder to attach messages from. You can now tag messages in that
447 folder and they will be attached to the message you are sending.
448 </p><div class="note" title="Note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
449 Note that certain operations like composing a new mail, replying,
450 forwarding, etc. are not permitted when you are in that folder. The %r
451 in <a class="link" href="reference.html#status-format" title="3.283. status_format">$status_format</a> will change to a
452 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">A</span>”</span> to indicate that you are in attach-message mode.
453 </p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="6.2. Editing the Message Header"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="edit-header"></a>6.2. Editing the Message Header</h3></div></div></div><p>
454 When editing the header because of <a class="link" href="reference.html#edit-headers" title="3.57. edit_headers">$edit_headers</a> being set, there are a
455 several pseudo headers available which will not be included in sent
456 messages but trigger special Mutt behavior.
457 </p><div class="sect3" title="6.2.1. Fcc: Pseudo Header"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="fcc-header"></a>6.2.1. Fcc: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
460 <code class="literal">Fcc:</code> <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span>
462 as a header, Mutt will pick up <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span> just as if
463 you had used the <code class="literal"><edit-fcc></code> function in the
464 <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu. It can later be changed from the
466 </p></div><div class="sect3" title="6.2.2. Attach: Pseudo Header"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="attach-header"></a>6.2.2. Attach: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
467 You can also attach files to your message by specifying
469 <code class="literal">Attach:</code> <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span>
470 [ <span class="emphasis"><em>description</em></span> ]
472 where <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span> is the file to attach and
473 <span class="emphasis"><em>description</em></span> is an optional string to use as the
474 description of the attached file. Spaces in filenames have to be escaped
475 using backslash (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">\</span>”</span>). The file can be removed as well as
476 more added from the compose menu.
477 </p></div><div class="sect3" title="6.2.3. Pgp: Pseudo Header"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="pgp-header"></a>6.2.3. Pgp: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p>
478 If you want to use PGP, you can specify
480 <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> ]
483 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">E</span>”</span> selects encryption, <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">S</span>”</span> selects signing
484 and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">S<id></span>”</span> selects signing with the given key,
485 setting <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-sign-as" title="3.175. pgp_sign_as">$pgp_sign_as</a> permanently. The
486 selection can later be changed in the compose menu.
487 </p></div><div class="sect3" title="6.2.4. In-Reply-To: Header"><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>
488 When replying to messages, the <span class="emphasis"><em>In-Reply-To:</em></span> header
489 contains the Message-Id of the message(s) you reply to. If you remove or
490 modify its value, Mutt will not generate a
491 <span class="emphasis"><em>References:</em></span> field, which allows you to create a new
492 message thread, for example to create a new message to a mailing list
493 without having to enter the mailing list's address.
495 If you intend to start a new thread by replying, please make really sure
496 you remove the <span class="emphasis"><em>In-Reply-To:</em></span> header in your
497 editor. Otherwise, though you'll produce a technically valid reply, some
498 netiquette guardians will be annoyed by this so-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">thread
499 hijacking</span>”</span>.
500 </p></div></div><div class="sect2" title="6.3. Sending Cryptographically Signed/Encrypted Messages"><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>
501 If you have told Mutt to PGP or S/MIME encrypt a message, it will guide
502 you through a key selection process when you try to send the message.
503 Mutt will not ask you any questions about keys which have a certified
504 user ID matching one of the message recipients' mail addresses.
505 However, there may be situations in which there are several keys, weakly
506 certified user ID fields, or where no matching keys can be found.
508 In these cases, you are dropped into a menu with a list of keys from
509 which you can select one. When you quit this menu, or Mutt can't find
510 any matching keys, you are prompted for a user ID. You can, as usually,
511 abort this prompt using <code class="literal">^G</code>. When you do so, Mutt
512 will return to the compose screen.
514 Once you have successfully finished the key selection, the message will
515 be encrypted using the selected public keys when sent out.
517 Most fields of the entries in the key selection menu (see also <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-entry-format" title="3.162. pgp_entry_format">$pgp_entry_format</a>) have obvious
518 meanings. But some explanations on the capabilities, flags, and
519 validity fields are in order.
521 The flags sequence (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%f</span>”</span>) will expand to one of the flags
522 in <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>.
523 </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>
524 The capabilities field (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%c</span>”</span>) expands to a two-character
525 sequence representing a key's capabilities. The first character gives
526 the key's encryption capabilities: A minus sign (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-</span>”</span>) means
527 that the key cannot be used for encryption. A dot (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">.</span>”</span>)
528 means that it's marked as a signature key in one of the user IDs, but
529 may also be used for encryption. The letter <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">e</span>”</span> indicates
530 that this key can be used for encryption.
532 The second character indicates the key's signing capabilities. Once
533 again, a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-</span>”</span> implies <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">not for signing</span>”</span>,
534 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">.</span>”</span> implies that the key is marked as an encryption key in
535 one of the user-ids, and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">s</span>”</span> denotes a key which can be
538 Finally, the validity field (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%t</span>”</span>) indicates how
539 well-certified a user-id is. A question mark (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">?</span>”</span>)
540 indicates undefined validity, a minus character (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-</span>”</span>) marks
541 an untrusted association, a space character means a partially trusted
542 association, and a plus character (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">+</span>”</span>) indicates complete
544 </p></div><div class="sect2" title="6.4. Sending Format=Flowed Messages"><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" title="6.4.1. Concept"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-concept"></a>6.4.1. Concept</h4></div></div></div><p>
545 <code class="literal">format=flowed</code>-style messages (or
546 <code class="literal">f=f</code> for short) are <code class="literal">text/plain</code>
547 messages that consist of paragraphs which a receiver's mail client may
548 reformat to its own needs which mostly means to customize line lengths
549 regardless of what the sender sent. Technically this is achieved by
550 letting lines of a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">flowable</span>”</span> paragraph end in spaces
551 except for the last line.
553 While for text-mode clients like Mutt it's the best way to assume only a
554 standard 80x25 character cell terminal, it may be desired to let the
555 receiver decide completely how to view a message.
556 </p></div><div class="sect3" title="6.4.2. Mutt Support"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-support"></a>6.4.2. Mutt Support</h4></div></div></div><p>
557 Mutt only supports setting the required <code class="literal">format=flowed</code>
558 MIME parameter on outgoing messages if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#text-flowed" title="3.287. text_flowed">$text_flowed</a> variable is set, specifically
559 it does not add the trailing spaces.
561 After editing the initial message text and before entering the compose
562 menu, Mutt properly space-stuffs the message.
563 <span class="emphasis"><em>Space-stuffing</em></span> is required by RfC3676 defining
564 <code class="literal">format=flowed</code> and means to prepend a space to:
565 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>all lines starting with a space</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>lines starting with the word
566 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">From</code></span>”</span> followed by
567 space</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>all lines starting with
568 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">></code></span>”</span> which is not intended to be a
569 quote character</p></li></ul></div><div class="note" title="Note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
570 Mutt only supports space-stuffing for the first two types of lines but
571 not for the third: It is impossible to safely detect whether a leading
572 <code class="literal">></code> character starts a quote or not. Furthermore,
573 Mutt only applies space-stuffing <span class="emphasis"><em>once</em></span> after the
574 initial edit is finished.
576 All leading spaces are to be removed by receiving clients to restore the
577 original message prior to further processing.
578 </p></div><div class="sect3" title="6.4.3. Editor Considerations"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-editor"></a>6.4.3. Editor Considerations</h4></div></div></div><p>
579 As Mutt provides no additional features to compose
580 <code class="literal">f=f</code> messages, it's completely up to the user and his
581 editor to produce proper messages. Please consider your editor's
582 documentation if you intend to send <code class="literal">f=f</code> messages.
584 Please note that when editing messages from the compose menu several
585 times before really sending a mail, it's up to the user to ensure that
586 the message is properly space-stuffed.
588 For example, <span class="emphasis"><em>vim</em></span> provides the <code class="literal">w</code>
589 flag for its <code class="literal">formatoptions</code> setting to assist in
590 creating <code class="literal">f=f</code> messages, see <code class="literal">:help
591 fo-table</code> for details.
592 </p></div></div></div><div class="sect1" title="7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail"><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>
593 Bouncing and forwarding let you send an existing message to recipients
594 that you specify. Bouncing a message sends a verbatim copy of a message
595 to alternative addresses as if they were the message's original
596 recipients specified in the Bcc header. Forwarding a message, on the
597 other hand, allows you to modify the message before it is resent (for
598 example, by adding your own comments). Bouncing is done using the
599 <code class="literal"><bounce></code> function and forwarding using the
600 <code class="literal"><forward></code> function bound to <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">b</span>”</span>
601 and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">f</span>”</span> respectively.
603 Forwarding can be done by including the original message in the new
604 message's body (surrounded by indicating lines) or including it as a
605 MIME attachment, depending on the value of the <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.141. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> variable. Decoding of
606 attachments, like in the pager, can be controlled by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-decode" title="3.70. forward_decode">$forward_decode</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward-decode" title="3.142. mime_forward_decode">$mime_forward_decode</a> variables,
607 respectively. The desired forwarding format may depend on the content,
608 therefore <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.141. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> is a
609 quadoption which, for example, can be set to <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">ask-no</span>”</span>.
611 The inclusion of headers is controlled by the current setting of the
612 <a class="link" href="reference.html#weed" title="3.306. weed">$weed</a> variable, unless <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.141. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> is set.
614 Editing the message to forward follows the same procedure as sending or
615 replying to a message does.
616 </p></div><div class="sect1" title="8. Postponing Mail"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="postponing-mail"></a>8. Postponing Mail</h2></div></div></div><p>
617 At times it is desirable to delay sending a message that you have
618 already begun to compose. When the
619 <code class="literal"><postpone-message></code> function is used in the
620 <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu, the body of your message and
621 attachments are stored in the mailbox specified by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#postponed" title="3.197. postponed">$postponed</a> variable. This means that you can
622 recall the message even if you exit Mutt and then restart it at a later
625 Once a message is postponed, there are several ways to resume it. From
626 the command line you can use the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-p</span>”</span> option, or if you
627 compose a new message from the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> or
628 <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> you will be prompted if postponed messages
629 exist. If multiple messages are currently postponed, the
630 <span class="emphasis"><em>postponed</em></span> menu will pop up and you can select which
631 message you would like to resume.
632 </p><div class="note" title="Note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
633 If you postpone a reply to a message, the reply setting of the message
634 is only updated when you actually finish the message and send it. Also,
635 you must be in the same folder with the message you replied to for the
636 status of the message to be updated.
638 See also the <a class="link" href="reference.html#postpone" title="3.196. postpone">$postpone</a> quad-option.
639 </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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