X-Git-Url: https://git.llucax.com/software/mutt-debian.git/blobdiff_plain/14c29200cb58d3c4a0830265f2433849781858d0..6c6f0d10745f764586b8689fecfbea955ba501dc:/doc/manual.html?ds=inline diff --git a/doc/manual.html b/doc/manual.html index 3a61c77..767669e 100644 --- a/doc/manual.html +++ b/doc/manual.html @@ -1,50 +1,105 @@ -The Mutt E-Mail Client

The Mutt E-Mail Client

Michael Elkins

version 1.5.18 (2008-05-17)

Abstract

- ``All mail clients suck. This one just sucks less.'' -me, circa 1995 -


Table of Contents

1. Introduction
1. Mutt Home Page
2. Mailing Lists
3. Software Distribution Sites
4. IRC
5. USENET
6. Copyright
2. Getting Started
1. Moving Around in Menus
2. Editing Input Fields
2.1. Introduction
2.2. History
3. Reading Mail - The Index and Pager
3.1. The Message Index
3.2. The Pager
3.3. Threaded Mode
3.4. Miscellaneous Functions
4. Sending Mail
4.1. Editing the message header
4.2. Using Mutt with PGP
4.3. Sending anonymous messages via mixmaster.
4.4. Sending format=flowed messages
5. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail
6. Postponing Mail
3. Configuration
1. Syntax of Initialization Files
2. Address groups
3. Defining/Using aliases
4. Changing the default key bindings
5. Defining aliases for character sets
6. Setting variables based upon mailbox
7. Keyboard macros
8. Using color and mono video attributes
9. Ignoring (weeding) unwanted message headers
10. Alternative addresses
11. Mailing lists
12. Using Multiple spool mailboxes
13. Monitoring incoming mail
14. User defined headers
15. Defining the order of headers when viewing messages
16. Specify default save mailbox
17. Specify default Fcc: mailbox when composing
18. Specify default save filename and default Fcc: mailbox at once
19. Change settings based upon message recipients
20. Change settings before formatting a message
21. Choosing the cryptographic key of the recipient
22. Adding key sequences to the keyboard buffer
23. Executing functions
24. Message Scoring
25. Spam detection
26. Setting and Querying Variables
26.1. Commands
26.2. User-defined variables
27. Reading initialization commands from another file
28. Removing hooks
29. Format Strings
29.1. Basic usage
29.2. Filters
4. Advanced Usage
1. Regular Expressions
2. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging
2.1. Pattern Modifier
2.2. Simple Patterns
2.3. Complex Patterns
2.4. Searching by Date
3. Using Tags
4. Using Hooks
4.1. Message Matching in Hooks
5. External Address Queries
6. Mailbox Formats
7. Mailbox Shortcuts
8. Handling Mailing Lists
9. Editing threads
9.1. Linking threads
9.2. Breaking threads
10. Delivery Status Notification (DSN) Support
11. Start a WWW Browser on URLs (EXTERNAL)
5. Mutt's MIME Support
1. Using MIME in Mutt
1.1. Viewing MIME messages in the pager
1.2. The Attachment Menu
1.3. The Compose Menu
2. MIME Type configuration with mime.types
3. MIME Viewer configuration with mailcap
3.1. The Basics of the mailcap file
3.2. Secure use of mailcap
3.3. Advanced mailcap Usage
3.4. Example mailcap files
4. MIME Autoview
5. MIME Multipart/Alternative
6. Attachment Searching and Counting
7. MIME Lookup
6. Optional features
1. General notes
1.1. Enabling/disabling features
1.2. URL syntax
2. SSL/TLS Support
3. POP3 Support
4. IMAP Support
4.1. The Folder Browser
4.2. Authentication
5. SMTP Support
6. Managing multiple accounts
7. Local caching
7.1. Header caching
7.2. Body caching
7.3. Maintenance
8. Exact address generation
7. Performance tuning
1. Reading and writing mailboxes
2. Reading messages from remote folders
3. Searching and limiting
8. Reference
1. Command line options
2. Configuration Commands
3. Configuration variables
3.1. abort_nosubject
3.2. abort_unmodified
3.3. alias_file
3.4. alias_format
3.5. allow_8bit
3.6. allow_ansi
3.7. arrow_cursor
3.8. ascii_chars
3.9. askbcc
3.10. askcc
3.11. assumed_charset
3.12. attach_charset
3.13. attach_format
3.14. attach_sep
3.15. attach_split
3.16. attribution
3.17. autoedit
3.18. auto_tag
3.19. beep
3.20. beep_new
3.21. bounce
3.22. bounce_delivered
3.23. braille_friendly
3.24. check_mbox_size
3.25. charset
3.26. check_new
3.27. collapse_unread
3.28. uncollapse_jump
3.29. compose_format
3.30. config_charset
3.31. confirmappend
3.32. confirmcreate
3.33. connect_timeout
3.34. content_type
3.35. copy
3.36. crypt_use_gpgme
3.37. crypt_use_pka
3.38. crypt_autopgp
3.39. crypt_autosmime
3.40. date_format
3.41. default_hook
3.42. delete
3.43. delete_untag
3.44. digest_collapse
3.45. display_filter
3.46. dotlock_program
3.47. dsn_notify
3.48. dsn_return
3.49. duplicate_threads
3.50. edit_headers
3.51. editor
3.52. encode_from
3.53. envelope_from_address
3.54. escape
3.55. fast_reply
3.56. fcc_attach
3.57. fcc_clear
3.58. folder
3.59. folder_format
3.60. followup_to
3.61. force_name
3.62. forward_decode
3.63. forward_edit
3.64. forward_format
3.65. forward_quote
3.66. from
3.67. gecos_mask
3.68. hdrs
3.69. header
3.70. help
3.71. hidden_host
3.72. hide_limited
3.73. hide_missing
3.74. hide_thread_subject
3.75. hide_top_limited
3.76. hide_top_missing
3.77. history
3.78. history_file
3.79. honor_followup_to
3.80. hostname
3.81. ignore_linear_white_space
3.82. ignore_list_reply_to
3.83. imap_authenticators
3.84. imap_check_subscribed
3.85. imap_delim_chars
3.86. imap_headers
3.87. imap_idle
3.88. imap_keepalive
3.89. imap_list_subscribed
3.90. imap_login
3.91. imap_pass
3.92. imap_passive
3.93. imap_peek
3.94. imap_servernoise
3.95. imap_user
3.96. implicit_autoview
3.97. include
3.98. include_onlyfirst
3.99. indent_string
3.100. index_format
3.101. ispell
3.102. keep_flagged
3.103. locale
3.104. mail_check
3.105. mailcap_path
3.106. mailcap_sanitize
3.107. header_cache
3.108. maildir_header_cache_verify
3.109. header_cache_pagesize
3.110. header_cache_compress
3.111. maildir_trash
3.112. mark_old
3.113. markers
3.114. mask
3.115. mbox
3.116. mbox_type
3.117. metoo
3.118. menu_context
3.119. menu_move_off
3.120. menu_scroll
3.121. meta_key
3.122. mh_purge
3.123. mh_seq_flagged
3.124. mh_seq_replied
3.125. mh_seq_unseen
3.126. mime_forward
3.127. mime_forward_decode
3.128. mime_forward_rest
3.129. mix_entry_format
3.130. mixmaster
3.131. move
3.132. message_cachedir
3.133. message_cache_clean
3.134. message_format
3.135. narrow_tree
3.136. net_inc
3.137. pager
3.138. pager_context
3.139. pager_format
3.140. pager_index_lines
3.141. pager_stop
3.142. crypt_autosign
3.143. crypt_autoencrypt
3.144. pgp_ignore_subkeys
3.145. crypt_replyencrypt
3.146. crypt_replysign
3.147. crypt_replysignencrypted
3.148. crypt_timestamp
3.149. pgp_use_gpg_agent
3.150. crypt_verify_sig
3.151. smime_is_default
3.152. smime_ask_cert_label
3.153. smime_decrypt_use_default_key
3.154. pgp_entry_format
3.155. pgp_good_sign
3.156. pgp_check_exit
3.157. pgp_long_ids
3.158. pgp_retainable_sigs
3.159. pgp_autoinline
3.160. pgp_replyinline
3.161. pgp_show_unusable
3.162. pgp_sign_as
3.163. pgp_strict_enc
3.164. pgp_timeout
3.165. pgp_sort_keys
3.166. pgp_mime_auto
3.167. pgp_auto_decode
3.168. pgp_decode_command
3.169. pgp_getkeys_command
3.170. pgp_verify_command
3.171. pgp_decrypt_command
3.172. pgp_clearsign_command
3.173. pgp_sign_command
3.174. pgp_encrypt_sign_command
3.175. pgp_encrypt_only_command
3.176. pgp_import_command
3.177. pgp_export_command
3.178. pgp_verify_key_command
3.179. pgp_list_secring_command
3.180. pgp_list_pubring_command
3.181. forward_decrypt
3.182. smime_timeout
3.183. smime_encrypt_with
3.184. smime_keys
3.185. smime_ca_location
3.186. smime_certificates
3.187. smime_decrypt_command
3.188. smime_verify_command
3.189. smime_verify_opaque_command
3.190. smime_sign_command
3.191. smime_sign_opaque_command
3.192. smime_encrypt_command
3.193. smime_pk7out_command
3.194. smime_get_cert_command
3.195. smime_get_signer_cert_command
3.196. smime_import_cert_command
3.197. smime_get_cert_email_command
3.198. smime_default_key
3.199. ssl_client_cert
3.200. ssl_force_tls
3.201. ssl_starttls
3.202. certificate_file
3.203. ssl_usesystemcerts
3.204. entropy_file
3.205. ssl_use_sslv2
3.206. ssl_use_sslv3
3.207. ssl_use_tlsv1
3.208. ssl_min_dh_prime_bits
3.209. ssl_ca_certificates_file
3.210. pipe_split
3.211. pipe_decode
3.212. pipe_sep
3.213. pop_authenticators
3.214. pop_auth_try_all
3.215. pop_checkinterval
3.216. pop_delete
3.217. pop_host
3.218. pop_last
3.219. pop_reconnect
3.220. pop_user
3.221. pop_pass
3.222. post_indent_string
3.223. postpone
3.224. postponed
3.225. preconnect
3.226. print
3.227. print_command
3.228. print_decode
3.229. print_split
3.230. prompt_after
3.231. query_command
3.232. query_format
3.233. quit
3.234. quote_regexp
3.235. read_inc
3.236. read_only
3.237. realname
3.238. recall
3.239. record
3.240. reply_regexp
3.241. reply_self
3.242. reply_to
3.243. resolve
3.244. reverse_alias
3.245. reverse_name
3.246. reverse_realname
3.247. rfc2047_parameters
3.248. save_address
3.249. save_empty
3.250. save_history
3.251. save_name
3.252. score
3.253. score_threshold_delete
3.254. score_threshold_flag
3.255. score_threshold_read
3.256. send_charset
3.257. sendmail
3.258. sendmail_wait
3.259. shell
3.260. sig_dashes
3.261. sig_on_top
3.262. signature
3.263. simple_search
3.264. smart_wrap
3.265. smileys
3.266. sleep_time
3.267. smtp_authenticators
3.268. smtp_pass
3.269. smtp_url
3.270. sort
3.271. sort_alias
3.272. sort_aux
3.273. sort_browser
3.274. sort_re
3.275. spam_separator
3.276. spoolfile
3.277. status_chars
3.278. status_format
3.279. status_on_top
3.280. strict_threads
3.281. suspend
3.282. text_flowed
3.283. thread_received
3.284. thorough_search
3.285. tilde
3.286. time_inc
3.287. timeout
3.288. tmpdir
3.289. to_chars
3.290. tunnel
3.291. use_8bitmime
3.292. use_domain
3.293. use_envelope_from
3.294. use_from
3.295. use_idn
3.296. use_ipv6
3.297. user_agent
3.298. visual
3.299. wait_key
3.300. weed
3.301. wrap
3.302. wrap_search
3.303. wrapmargin
3.304. write_inc
3.305. write_bcc
4. Functions
4.1. generic
4.2. index
4.3. pager
4.4. alias
4.5. query
4.6. attach
4.7. compose
4.8. postpone
4.9. browser
4.10. pgp
4.11. smime
4.12. mix
4.13. editor
9. Miscellany
1. Acknowledgements
2. About this document

List of Tables

2.1. Most common navigation keys
2.2. Most common line editor keys
2.3. Most common message index keys
2.4. Most common pager keys
2.5. ANSI escape sequences
2.6. Color sequences
2.7. Most common thread mode keys
2.8. Most common mail sending keys
2.9. Most common compose menu keys
2.10. PGP key menu flags
2.11. Message forwarding/bouncing keys
3.1. Symbolic key names
4.1. Pattern modifiers
4.2. Simple search keywords
4.3. Date units
8.1. Command line options
8.2. Default generic function bindings
8.3. Default index function bindings
8.4. Default pager function bindings
8.5. Default alias function bindings
8.6. Default query function bindings
8.7. Default attach function bindings
8.8. Default compose function bindings
8.9. Default postpone function bindings
8.10. Default browser function bindings
8.11. Default pgp function bindings
8.12. Default smime function bindings
8.13. Default mix function bindings
8.14. Default editor function bindings

Chapter 1. Introduction

+The Mutt E-Mail Client

The Mutt E-Mail Client

Michael Elkins

version 1.5.20 (2009-06-14)

Abstract

+“All mail clients suck. This one just sucks less.” — me, circa 1995 +


Table of Contents

1. Introduction
1. Mutt Home Page
2. Mailing Lists
3. Getting Mutt
4. Mutt Online Resources
5. Contributing to Mutt
6. Typograhical Conventions
7. Copyright
2. Getting Started
1. Core Concepts
2. Screens and Menus
2.1. Index
2.2. Pager
2.3. File Browser
2.4. Help
2.5. Compose Menu
2.6. Alias Menu
2.7. Attachment Menu
3. Moving Around in Menus
4. Editing Input Fields
4.1. Introduction
4.2. History
5. Reading Mail
5.1. The Message Index
5.2. The Pager
5.3. Threaded Mode
5.4. Miscellaneous Functions
6. Sending Mail
6.1. Introduction
6.2. Editing the Message Header
6.3. Sending Cryptographically Signed/Encrypted Messages
6.4. Sending Format=Flowed Messages
7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail
8. Postponing Mail
3. Configuration
1. Location of Initialization Files
2. Syntax of Initialization Files
3. Address Groups
4. Defining/Using Aliases
5. Changing the Default Key Bindings
6. Defining Aliases for Character Sets
7. Setting Variables Based Upon Mailbox
8. Keyboard Macros
9. Using Color and Mono Video Attributes
10. Message Header Display
10.1. Selecting Headers
10.2. Ordering Displayed Headers
11. Alternative Addresses
12. Mailing Lists
13. Using Multiple Spool Mailboxes
14. Monitoring Incoming Mail
15. User-Defined Headers
16. Specify Default Save Mailbox
17. Specify Default Fcc: Mailbox When Composing
18. Specify Default Save Filename and Default Fcc: Mailbox at Once
19. Change Settings Based Upon Message Recipients
20. Change Settings Before Formatting a Message
21. Choosing the Cryptographic Key of the Recipient
22. Adding Key Sequences to the Keyboard Buffer
23. Executing Functions
24. Message Scoring
25. Spam Detection
26. Setting and Querying Variables
26.1. Variable Types
26.2. Commands
26.3. User-Defined Variables
27. Reading Initialization Commands From Another File
28. Removing Hooks
29. Format Strings
29.1. Basic usage
29.2. Conditionals
29.3. Filters
29.4. Padding
4. Advanced Usage
1. Regular Expressions
2. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging
2.1. Pattern Modifier
2.2. Simple Searches
2.3. Nesting and Boolean Operators
2.4. Searching by Date
3. Using Tags
4. Using Hooks
4.1. Message Matching in Hooks
5. External Address Queries
6. Mailbox Formats
7. Mailbox Shortcuts
8. Handling Mailing Lists
9. Handling multiple folders
10. Editing Threads
10.1. Linking Threads
10.2. Breaking Threads
11. Delivery Status Notification (DSN) Support
12. Start a WWW Browser on URLs
13. Miscellany
5. Mutt's MIME Support
1. Using MIME in Mutt
1.1. Viewing MIME Messages in the Pager
1.2. The Attachment Menu
1.3. The Compose Menu
2. MIME Type Configuration with mime.types
3. MIME Viewer Configuration with Mailcap
3.1. The Basics of the Mailcap File
3.2. Secure Use of Mailcap
3.3. Advanced Mailcap Usage
3.4. Example Mailcap Files
4. MIME Autoview
5. MIME Multipart/Alternative
6. Attachment Searching and Counting
7. MIME Lookup
6. Optional Features
1. General Notes
1.1. Enabling/Disabling Features
1.2. URL Syntax
2. SSL/TLS Support
3. POP3 Support
4. IMAP Support
4.1. The IMAP Folder Browser
4.2. Authentication
5. SMTP Support
6. Managing Multiple Accounts
7. Local Caching
7.1. Header Caching
7.2. Body Caching
7.3. Maintenance
8. Exact Address Generation
9. Sending Anonymous Messages via Mixmaster
7. Security Considerations
1. Passwords
2. Temporary Files
3. Information Leaks
3.1. Message-Id: headers
3.2. mailto:-style Links
4. External Applications
8. Performance Tuning
1. Reading and Writing Mailboxes
2. Reading Messages from Remote Folders
3. Searching and Limiting
9. Reference
1. Command-Line Options
2. Configuration Commands
3. Configuration Variables
3.1. abort_nosubject
3.2. abort_unmodified
3.3. alias_file
3.4. alias_format
3.5. allow_8bit
3.6. allow_ansi
3.7. arrow_cursor
3.8. ascii_chars
3.9. askbcc
3.10. askcc
3.11. assumed_charset
3.12. attach_charset
3.13. attach_format
3.14. attach_sep
3.15. attach_split
3.16. attribution
3.17. auto_tag
3.18. autoedit
3.19. beep
3.20. beep_new
3.21. bounce
3.22. bounce_delivered
3.23. braille_friendly
3.24. certificate_file
3.25. charset
3.26. check_mbox_size
3.27. check_new
3.28. collapse_unread
3.29. compose_format
3.30. config_charset
3.31. confirmappend
3.32. confirmcreate
3.33. connect_timeout
3.34. content_type
3.35. copy
3.36. crypt_autoencrypt
3.37. crypt_autopgp
3.38. crypt_autosign
3.39. crypt_autosmime
3.40. crypt_replyencrypt
3.41. crypt_replysign
3.42. crypt_replysignencrypted
3.43. crypt_timestamp
3.44. crypt_use_gpgme
3.45. crypt_use_pka
3.46. crypt_verify_sig
3.47. date_format
3.48. default_hook
3.49. delete
3.50. delete_untag
3.51. digest_collapse
3.52. display_filter
3.53. dotlock_program
3.54. dsn_notify
3.55. dsn_return
3.56. duplicate_threads
3.57. edit_headers
3.58. editor
3.59. encode_from
3.60. entropy_file
3.61. envelope_from_address
3.62. escape
3.63. fast_reply
3.64. fcc_attach
3.65. fcc_clear
3.66. folder
3.67. folder_format
3.68. followup_to
3.69. force_name
3.70. forward_decode
3.71. forward_decrypt
3.72. forward_edit
3.73. forward_format
3.74. forward_quote
3.75. from
3.76. gecos_mask
3.77. hdrs
3.78. header
3.79. header_cache
3.80. header_cache_compress
3.81. header_cache_pagesize
3.82. help
3.83. hidden_host
3.84. hide_limited
3.85. hide_missing
3.86. hide_thread_subject
3.87. hide_top_limited
3.88. hide_top_missing
3.89. history
3.90. history_file
3.91. honor_disposition
3.92. honor_followup_to
3.93. hostname
3.94. ignore_linear_white_space
3.95. ignore_list_reply_to
3.96. imap_authenticators
3.97. imap_check_subscribed
3.98. imap_delim_chars
3.99. imap_headers
3.100. imap_idle
3.101. imap_keepalive
3.102. imap_list_subscribed
3.103. imap_login
3.104. imap_pass
3.105. imap_passive
3.106. imap_peek
3.107. imap_pipeline_depth
3.108. imap_servernoise
3.109. imap_user
3.110. implicit_autoview
3.111. include
3.112. include_onlyfirst
3.113. indent_string
3.114. index_format
3.115. ispell
3.116. keep_flagged
3.117. locale
3.118. mail_check
3.119. mailcap_path
3.120. mailcap_sanitize
3.121. maildir_header_cache_verify
3.122. maildir_trash
3.123. mark_old
3.124. markers
3.125. mask
3.126. mbox
3.127. mbox_type
3.128. menu_context
3.129. menu_move_off
3.130. menu_scroll
3.131. message_cache_clean
3.132. message_cachedir
3.133. message_format
3.134. meta_key
3.135. metoo
3.136. mh_purge
3.137. mh_seq_flagged
3.138. mh_seq_replied
3.139. mh_seq_unseen
3.140. mime_forward
3.141. mime_forward_decode
3.142. mime_forward_rest
3.143. mix_entry_format
3.144. mixmaster
3.145. move
3.146. narrow_tree
3.147. net_inc
3.148. pager
3.149. pager_context
3.150. pager_format
3.151. pager_index_lines
3.152. pager_stop
3.153. pgp_auto_decode
3.154. pgp_autoinline
3.155. pgp_check_exit
3.156. pgp_clearsign_command
3.157. pgp_decode_command
3.158. pgp_decrypt_command
3.159. pgp_encrypt_only_command
3.160. pgp_encrypt_sign_command
3.161. pgp_entry_format
3.162. pgp_export_command
3.163. pgp_getkeys_command
3.164. pgp_good_sign
3.165. pgp_ignore_subkeys
3.166. pgp_import_command
3.167. pgp_list_pubring_command
3.168. pgp_list_secring_command
3.169. pgp_long_ids
3.170. pgp_mime_auto
3.171. pgp_replyinline
3.172. pgp_retainable_sigs
3.173. pgp_show_unusable
3.174. pgp_sign_as
3.175. pgp_sign_command
3.176. pgp_sort_keys
3.177. pgp_strict_enc
3.178. pgp_timeout
3.179. pgp_use_gpg_agent
3.180. pgp_verify_command
3.181. pgp_verify_key_command
3.182. pipe_decode
3.183. pipe_sep
3.184. pipe_split
3.185. pop_auth_try_all
3.186. pop_authenticators
3.187. pop_checkinterval
3.188. pop_delete
3.189. pop_host
3.190. pop_last
3.191. pop_pass
3.192. pop_reconnect
3.193. pop_user
3.194. post_indent_string
3.195. postpone
3.196. postponed
3.197. preconnect
3.198. print
3.199. print_command
3.200. print_decode
3.201. print_split
3.202. prompt_after
3.203. query_command
3.204. query_format
3.205. quit
3.206. quote_regexp
3.207. read_inc
3.208. read_only
3.209. realname
3.210. recall
3.211. record
3.212. reply_regexp
3.213. reply_self
3.214. reply_to
3.215. resolve
3.216. reverse_alias
3.217. reverse_name
3.218. reverse_realname
3.219. rfc2047_parameters
3.220. save_address
3.221. save_empty
3.222. save_history
3.223. save_name
3.224. score
3.225. score_threshold_delete
3.226. score_threshold_flag
3.227. score_threshold_read
3.228. search_context
3.229. send_charset
3.230. sendmail
3.231. sendmail_wait
3.232. shell
3.233. sig_dashes
3.234. sig_on_top
3.235. signature
3.236. simple_search
3.237. sleep_time
3.238. smart_wrap
3.239. smileys
3.240. smime_ask_cert_label
3.241. smime_ca_location
3.242. smime_certificates
3.243. smime_decrypt_command
3.244. smime_decrypt_use_default_key
3.245. smime_default_key
3.246. smime_encrypt_command
3.247. smime_encrypt_with
3.248. smime_get_cert_command
3.249. smime_get_cert_email_command
3.250. smime_get_signer_cert_command
3.251. smime_import_cert_command
3.252. smime_is_default
3.253. smime_keys
3.254. smime_pk7out_command
3.255. smime_sign_command
3.256. smime_sign_opaque_command
3.257. smime_timeout
3.258. smime_verify_command
3.259. smime_verify_opaque_command
3.260. smtp_authenticators
3.261. smtp_pass
3.262. smtp_url
3.263. sort
3.264. sort_alias
3.265. sort_aux
3.266. sort_browser
3.267. sort_re
3.268. spam_separator
3.269. spoolfile
3.270. ssl_ca_certificates_file
3.271. ssl_client_cert
3.272. ssl_force_tls
3.273. ssl_min_dh_prime_bits
3.274. ssl_starttls
3.275. ssl_use_sslv2
3.276. ssl_use_sslv3
3.277. ssl_use_tlsv1
3.278. ssl_usesystemcerts
3.279. ssl_verify_dates
3.280. ssl_verify_host
3.281. status_chars
3.282. status_format
3.283. status_on_top
3.284. strict_threads
3.285. suspend
3.286. text_flowed
3.287. thorough_search
3.288. thread_received
3.289. tilde
3.290. time_inc
3.291. timeout
3.292. tmpdir
3.293. to_chars
3.294. tunnel
3.295. uncollapse_jump
3.296. use_8bitmime
3.297. use_domain
3.298. use_envelope_from
3.299. use_from
3.300. use_idn
3.301. use_ipv6
3.302. user_agent
3.303. visual
3.304. wait_key
3.305. weed
3.306. wrap
3.307. wrap_search
3.308. wrapmargin
3.309. write_bcc
3.310. write_inc
4. Functions
4.1. Generic Menu
4.2. Index Menu
4.3. Pager Menu
4.4. Alias Menu
4.5. Query Menu
4.6. Attach Menu
4.7. Compose Menu
4.8. Postpone Menu
4.9. Browser Menu
4.10. Pgp Menu
4.11. Smime Menu
4.12. Mix Menu
4.13. Editor Menu
10. Miscellany
1. Acknowledgements
2. About This Document

Chapter 1. Introduction

Mutt is a small but very powerful text-based MIME mail client. Mutt is highly configurable, and is well suited to the mail power user with advanced features like key bindings, keyboard macros, mail threading, regular expression searches and a powerful pattern matching language for selecting groups of messages.

1. Mutt Home Page

-http://www.mutt.org/ +The official homepage can be found at +http://www.mutt.org/.

2. Mailing Lists

To subscribe to one of the following mailing lists, send a message with the word subscribe in the body to list-name-request@mutt.org. -

-

- -

-Note: all messages posted to mutt-announce are automatically -forwarded to mutt-users, so you do not need to be subscribed to both -lists. -

3. Software Distribution Sites

- -

- -

-For a list of mirror sites, please refer to http://www.mutt.org/download.html. -

4. IRC

-Visit channel #mutt on -irc.freenode.net to chat with -other people interested in Mutt. -

5. USENET

-See the newsgroup comp.mail.mutt. -

6. Copyright

-Mutt is Copyright (C) 1996-2005 Michael R. Elkins - and others + -- development mailing list +

Note

+All messages posted to +mutt-announce are automatically forwarded to +mutt-users, so you do not need to be subscribed to +both lists. +

3. Getting Mutt

+Mutt releases can be downloaded from +ftp://ftp.mutt.org/mutt/. +For a list of mirror sites, please refer to +http://www.mutt.org/download.html. +

+For nightly tarballs and version control access, please refer to the +Mutt development site. +

4. Mutt Online Resources

Bug Tracking System

+The official Mutt bug tracking system can be found at +http://bugs.mutt.org/ +

Wiki

+An (unofficial) wiki can be found +at http://wiki.mutt.org/. +

IRC

+For the IRC user community, visit channel #mutt on +irc.freenode.net. +

USENET

+For USENET, see the newsgroup comp.mail.mutt. +

5. Contributing to Mutt

+There are various ways to contribute to the Mutt project. +

+Especially for new users it may be helpful to meet other new and +experienced users to chat about Mutt, talk about problems and share +tricks. +

+Since translations of Mutt into other languages are highly appreciated, +the Mutt developers always look for skilled translators that help +improve and continue to maintain stale translations. +

+For contributing code patches for new features and bug fixes, please +refer to the developer pages at +http://dev.mutt.org/ for more details. +

6. Typograhical Conventions

+This section lists typographical conventions followed throughout this +manual. See table Table 1.1, “Typographical conventions for special terms” for typographical +conventions for special terms. +

Table 1.1. Typographical conventions for special terms

ItemRefers to...
printf(3)UNIX manual pages, execute man 3 printf
<PageUp>named keys
<create-alias>named Mutt function
^GControl+G key combination
$mail_checkMutt configuration option
$HOMEenvironment variable

+Examples are presented as: +

+mutt -v
+

+Within command synopsis, curly brackets (“{}”) denote a set +of options of which one is mandatory, square brackets +(“[]”) denote optional arguments, three dots +denote that the argument may be repeated arbitrary times. +

7. Copyright

+Mutt is Copyright © 1996-2009 Michael R. Elkins + and others.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by @@ -59,388 +114,478 @@ GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA. -

Chapter 2. Getting Started

This section is intended as a brief overview of how to use Mutt. There are many other features which are described elsewhere in the manual. There is even more information available in the Mutt FAQ and various web -pages. See the Mutt Page for more details. +pages. See the Mutt homepage for more details.

The keybindings described in this section are the defaults as distributed. Your local system administrator may have altered the defaults for your site. -You can always type ``?'' in any menu to display the current bindings. -

-The first thing you need to do is invoke mutt, simply by typing mutt -at the command line. There are various command-line options, see -either the mutt man page or the reference. -

1. Moving Around in Menus

-Information is presented in menus, very similar to ELM, see Table 2.1, “Most common navigation keys” -for common keys used to navigate menus in Mutt. +You can always type “?” in any menu to display the current bindings. +

+The first thing you need to do is invoke Mutt, simply by typing mutt +at the command line. There are various command-line options, see +either the Mutt man page or the reference. +

1. Core Concepts

+Mutt is a text-based application which interacts with users through +different menus which are mostly line-/entry-based or page-based. A +line-based menu is the so-called “index” menu (listing all messages of +the currently opened folder) or the “alias” menu (allowing you to +select recipients from a list). Examples for page-based menus are the +“pager” (showing one message at a time) or the “help” menu listing +all available key bindings. +

+The user interface consists of a context sensitive help line at the top, +the menu's contents followed by a context sensitive status line and +finally the command line. The command line is used to display +informational and error messages as well as for prompts and for entering +interactive commands. +

+Mutt is configured through variables which, if the user wants to +permanently use a non-default value, are written to configuration +files. Mutt supports a rich config file syntax to make even complex +configuration files readable and commentable. +

+Because Mutt allows for customizing almost all key bindings, there are +so-called “functions” which can be executed manually (using the +command line) or in macros. Macros allow the user to bind a sequence of +commands to a single key or a short key sequence instead of repeating a +sequence of actions over and over. +

+Many commands (such as saving or copying a message to another folder) +can be applied to a single message or a set of messages (so-called +“tagged” messages). To help selecting messages, Mutt provides a rich +set of message patterns (such as recipients, sender, body contents, date +sent/received, etc.) which can be combined into complex expressions +using the boolean and and or +operations as well as negating. These patterns can also be used to (for +example) search for messages or to limit the index to show only matching +messages.

- -

Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys

KeyFunctionDescription
j or Downnext-entrymove to the next entry
k or Upprevious-entrymove to the previous entry
z or PageDnpage-downgo to the next page
Z or PageUppage-upgo to the previous page
= or Homefirst-entryjump to the first entry
* or Endlast-entryjump to the last entry
qquitexit the current menu
?helplist all keybindings for the current menu


- -

2. Editing Input Fields

2.1. Introduction

+Mutt supports a “hook” concept which allows the user to execute +arbitrary configuration commands and functions in certain situations +such as entering a folder, starting a new message or replying to an +existing one. These hooks can be used to highly customize Mutt's +behaviour including managing multiple identities, customizing the +display for a folder or even implementing auto-archiving based on a +per-folder basis and much more. +

+Besides an interactive mode, Mutt can also be used as a command-line +tool only send messages. It also supports a +mailx(1)-compatible interface, see Table 9.1, “Command line options” for a complete list of command-line +options. +

2. Screens and Menus

2.1. Index

+The index is the screen that you usually see first when you start +Mutt. It gives an overview over your emails in the currently opened +mailbox. By default, this is your system mailbox. The information you +see in the index is a list of emails, each with its number on the left, +its flags (new email, important email, email that has been forwarded or +replied to, tagged email, ...), the date when email was sent, its +sender, the email size, and the subject. Additionally, the index also +shows thread hierarchies: when you reply to an email, and the other +person replies back, you can see the other's person email in a +"sub-tree" below. This is especially useful for personal email between +a group of people or when you've subscribed to mailing lists. +

2.2. Pager

+The pager is responsible for showing the email content. On the top of +the pager you have an overview over the most important email headers +like the sender, the recipient, the subject, and much more +information. How much information you actually see depends on your +configuration, which we'll describe below. +

+Below the headers, you see the email body which usually contains the +message. If the email contains any attachments, you will see more +information about them below the email body, or, if the attachments are +text files, you can view them directly in the pager. +

+To give the user a good overview, it is possible to configure Mutt to +show different things in the pager with different colors. Virtually +everything that can be described with a regular expression can be +colored, e.g. URLs, email addresses or smileys. +

2.3. File Browser

+The file browser is the interface to the local or remote file +system. When selecting a mailbox to open, the browser allows custom +sorting of items, limiting the items shown by a regular expression and a +freely adjustable format of what to display in which way. It also allows +for easy navigation through the file system when selecting file(s) to +attach to a message, select multiple files to attach and many more. +

2.4. Help

+The help screen is meant to offer a quick help to the user. It lists the +current configuration of key bindings and their associated commands +including a short description, and currently unbound functions that +still need to be associated with a key binding (or alternatively, they +can be called via the Mutt command prompt). +

2.5. Compose Menu

+The compose menu features a split screen containing the information +which really matter before actually sending a message by mail: who gets +the message as what (recipients and who gets what kind of +copy). Additionally, users may set security options like deciding +whether to sign, encrypt or sign and encrypt a message with/for what +keys. Also, it's used to attach messages, to re-edit any attachment +including the message itself. +

2.6. Alias Menu

+The alias menu is used to help users finding the recipients of +messages. For users who need to contact many people, there's no need to +remember addresses or names completely because it allows for searching, +too. The alias mechanism and thus the alias menu also features grouping +several addresses by a shorter nickname, the actual alias, so that users +don't have to select each single recipient manually. +

2.7. Attachment Menu

+As will be later discussed in detail, Mutt features a good and stable +MIME implementation, that is, it supports sending and receiving messages +of arbitrary MIME types. The attachment menu displays a message's +structure in detail: what content parts are attached to which parent +part (which gives a true tree structure), which type is of what type and +what size. Single parts may saved, deleted or modified to offer great +and easy access to message's internals. +

3. Moving Around in Menus

+The most important navigation keys common to line- or entry-based menus +are shown in Table 2.1, “Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus” and in +Table 2.2, “Most common navigation keys in page-based menus” for page-based menus. +

Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus

KeyFunctionDescription
j or <Down><next-entry>move to the next entry
k or <Up><previous-entry>move to the previous entry
z or <PageDn><page-down>go to the next page
Z or <PageUp><page-up>go to the previous page
= or <Home><first-entry>jump to the first entry
* or <End><last-entry>jump to the last entry
q<quit>exit the current menu
?<help>list all keybindings for the current menu

Table 2.2. Most common navigation keys in page-based menus

KeyFunctionDescription
J or <Return><next-line>scroll down one line
<Backspace><previous-line>sroll up one line
K, <Space> or <PageDn><next-page>move to the next page
- or <PageUp><previous-page>move the previous page
<Home><top>move to the top
<End><bottom>move to the bottom

4. Editing Input Fields

4.1. Introduction

Mutt has a built-in line editor for inputting text, e.g. email addresses or filenames. The keys used to manipulate text input are -very similar to those of Emacs. See Table 2.2, “Most common line editor keys” for a full +very similar to those of Emacs. See Table 2.3, “Most common line editor keys” for a full reference of available functions, their default key bindings, and short descriptions. -

- -

Table 2.2. Most common line editor keys

KeyFunctionDescription
^A or <Home>bolmove to the start of the line
^B or <Left>backward-charmove back one char
Esc Bbackward-wordmove back one word
^D or <Delete>delete-chardelete the char under the cursor
^E or <End>eolmove to the end of the line
^F or <Right>forward-charmove forward one char
Esc Fforward-wordmove forward one word
<Tab>completecomplete filename or alias
^Tcomplete-querycomplete address with query
^Kkill-eoldelete to the end of the line
ESC dkill-eowdelete to the end ot the word
^Wkill-wordkill the word in front of the cursor
^Ukill-linedelete entire line
^Vquote-charquote the next typed key
<Up>history-uprecall previous string from history
<Down>history-downrecall next string from history
<BackSpace>backspacekill the char in front of the cursor
Esc uupcase-wordconvert word to upper case
Esc ldowncase-wordconvert word to lower case
Esc ccapitalize-wordcapitalize the word
^Gn/aabort
<Return>n/afinish editing


- -

+

Table 2.3. Most common line editor keys

KeyFunctionDescription
^A or <Home><bol>move to the start of the line
^B or <Left><backward-char>move back one char
Esc B<backward-word>move back one word
^D or <Delete><delete-char>delete the char under the cursor
^E or <End><eol>move to the end of the line
^F or <Right><forward-char>move forward one char
Esc F<forward-word>move forward one word
<Tab><complete>complete filename or alias
^T<complete-query>complete address with query
^K<kill-eol>delete to the end of the line
Esc d<kill-eow>delete to the end of the word
^W<kill-word>kill the word in front of the cursor
^U<kill-line>delete entire line
^V<quote-char>quote the next typed key
<Up><history-up>recall previous string from history
<Down><history-down>recall next string from history
<BackSpace><backspace>kill the char in front of the cursor
Esc u<upcase-word>convert word to upper case
Esc l<downcase-word>convert word to lower case
Esc c<capitalize-word>capitalize the word
^Gn/aabort
<Return>n/afinish editing

You can remap the editor functions using the -bind command. For example, to make -the Delete key delete the character in front of -the cursor rather than under, you could use +bind command. For example, to make +the <Delete> key delete the character in front of +the cursor rather than under, you could use:

 bind editor <delete> backspace
-

2.2. History

-The number of items in the built-in editor's history is controlled by -the $history variable. You may -cycle through them at an editor prompt by using the -history-up and/or history-down -commands. +

4.2. History

+Mutt maintains a history for the built-in editor. The number of items +is controlled by the $history +variable and can be made persistent using an external file specified +using $history_file. +You may cycle through them at an editor prompt by using the +<history-up> and/or +<history-down> commands. But notice that Mutt +does not remember the currently entered text, it only cycles through +history and wraps around at the end or beginning.

Mutt maintains several distinct history lists, one for each of the following categories: -

-

  • muttrc commands

  • addresses and aliases

  • shell commands

  • filenames

  • patterns

  • everything else

-

-Mutt automatically filters out repeated items from the history. It +

  • .muttrc commands

  • addresses and aliases

  • shell commands

  • filenames

  • patterns

  • everything else

+Mutt automatically filters out consecutively repeated items from the history. It also mimics the behavior of some shells by ignoring items starting -with a space. -

-The latter feature can be useful in macros to not clobber the history's -valuable entries with unwanted entries. -

3. Reading Mail - The Index and Pager

+with a space. The latter feature can be useful in macros to not clobber +the history's valuable entries with unwanted entries. +

5. Reading Mail

Similar to many other mail clients, there are two modes in which mail is -read in Mutt. The first is the index of messages in the mailbox, which is -called the ``index'' in Mutt. The second mode is the display of the -message contents. This is called the ``pager.'' +read in Mutt. The first is a list of messages in the mailbox, which is +called the “index” menu in Mutt. The second mode is the display of the +message contents. This is called the “pager.”

The next few sections describe the functions provided in each of these modes. -

3.1. The Message Index

+

5.1. The Message Index

Common keys used to navigate through and manage messages in the index -are shown in Table 2.3, “Most common message index keys”. -

- -

Table 2.3. Most common message index keys

KeyDescription
cchange to a different mailbox
ESC cchange to a folder in read-only mode
Ccopy the current message to another mailbox
ESC Cdecode a message and copy it to a folder
ESC sdecode a message and save it to a folder
Ddelete messages matching a pattern
ddelete the current message
Fmark as important
lshow messages matching a pattern
Nmark message as new
ochange the current sort method
Oreverse sort the mailbox
qsave changes and exit
ssave-message
Ttag messages matching a pattern
ttoggle the tag on a message
ESC ttoggle tag on entire message thread
Uundelete messages matching a pattern
uundelete-message
vview-attachments
xabort changes and exit
<Return>display-message
<Tab>jump to the next new or unread message
@show the author's full e-mail address
$save changes to mailbox
/search
ESC /search-reverse
^Lclear and redraw the screen
^Tuntag messages matching a pattern


- -

3.1.1. Status Flags

+are shown in Table 2.4, “Most common message index keys”. How messages are presented +in the index menu can be customized using the +$index_format variable. +

Table 2.4. Most common message index keys

KeyDescription
cchange to a different mailbox
Esc cchange to a folder in read-only mode
Ccopy the current message to another mailbox
Esc Cdecode a message and copy it to a folder
Esc sdecode a message and save it to a folder
Ddelete messages matching a pattern
ddelete the current message
Fmark as important
lshow messages matching a pattern
Nmark message as new
ochange the current sort method
Oreverse sort the mailbox
qsave changes and exit
ssave-message
Ttag messages matching a pattern
ttoggle the tag on a message
Esc ttoggle tag on entire message thread
Uundelete messages matching a pattern
uundelete-message
vview-attachments
xabort changes and exit
<Return>display-message
<Tab>jump to the next new or unread message
@show the author's full e-mail address
$save changes to mailbox
/search
Esc /search-reverse
^Lclear and redraw the screen
^Tuntag messages matching a pattern

In addition to who sent the message and the subject, a short summary of the disposition of each message is printed beside the message number. -Zero or more of the following ``flags'' may appear, which mean: -

-

D

-message is deleted (is marked for deletion) -

d

-message have attachments marked for deletion -

K

-contains a PGP public key -

N

-message is new -

O

-message is old -

P

-message is PGP encrypted -

r

-message has been replied to -

S

-message is signed, and the signature is successfully verified -

s

-message is signed -

!

-message is flagged -

*

-message is tagged -

-

-Some of the status flags can be turned on or off using - -

  • -set-flag (default: w) -

  • -clear-flag (default: W) -

- -

-Furthermore, the following flags reflect who the message is addressed -to. They can be customized with the -$to_chars variable. -

-

+

-message is to you and you only -

T

-message is to you, but also to or cc'ed to others -

C

-message is cc'ed to you -

F

-message is from you -

L

-message is sent to a subscribed mailing list -

-

3.2. The Pager

-By default, Mutt uses its builtin pager to display the body of messages. -The pager is very similar to the Unix program less though not nearly as -featureful. -

- -

Table 2.4. Most common pager keys

KeyDescription
<Return>go down one line
<Space>display the next page (or next message if at the end of a message)
-go back to the previous page
nsearch for next match
Sskip beyond quoted text
Ttoggle display of quoted text
?show keybindings
/search for a regular expression (pattern)
ESC /search backwards for a regular expression
\toggle search pattern coloring
^jump to the top of the message


- -

-In addition to key bindings in Table 2.4, “Most common pager keys”, -many of the functions from the index are available in -the pager, such as delete-message or copy-message (this is one -advantage over using an external pager to view messages). +Zero or more of the “flags” in Table 2.5, “Message status flags” +may appear, some of which can be turned on or off using these functions: +<set-flag> and +<clear-flag> +bound by default to “w” and “W” respectively. +

+Furthermore, the flags in Table 2.6, “Message recipient flags” reflect +who the message is addressed to. They can be customized with the +$to_chars variable. +

Table 2.5. Message status flags

FlagDescription
Dmessage is deleted (is marked for deletion)
dmessage has attachments marked for deletion
Kcontains a PGP public key
Nmessage is new
Omessage is old
Pmessage is PGP encrypted
rmessage has been replied to
Smessage is signed, and the signature is successfully verified
smessage is signed
!message is flagged
*message is tagged

Table 2.6. Message recipient flags

FlagDescription
+message is to you and you only
Tmessage is to you, but also to or cc'ed to others
Cmessage is cc'ed to you
Fmessage is from you
Lmessage is sent to a subscribed mailing list

5.2. The Pager

+By default, Mutt uses its builtin pager to display the contents of +messages (an external pager such as less(1) can be +configured, see $pager variable). +The pager is very similar to the Unix program less(1) +though not nearly as featureful. +

Table 2.7. Most common pager keys

KeyDescription
<Return>go down one line
<Space>display the next page (or next message if at the end of a message)
-go back to the previous page
nsearch for next match
Sskip beyond quoted text
Ttoggle display of quoted text
?show keybindings
/regular expression search
Esc /backward regular expression search
\toggle highlighting of search matches
^jump to the top of the message

+In addition to key bindings in Table 2.7, “Most common pager keys”, +many of the functions from the index menu are also available in +the pager, such as <delete-message> or <copy-message> +(this is one advantage over using an external pager to view messages).

Also, the internal pager supports a couple other advanced features. For -one, it will accept and translate the ``standard'' nroff sequences for +one, it will accept and translate the “standard” nroff sequences for bold and underline. These sequences are a series of either the letter, -backspace (^H), the letter again for bold or the letter, backspace, -``_'' for denoting underline. Mutt will attempt to display these +backspace (“^H”), the letter again for bold or the letter, backspace, +“_” for denoting underline. Mutt will attempt to display these in bold and underline respectively if your terminal supports them. If -not, you can use the bold and underline color -objects to specify a color or mono attribute for them. +not, you can use the bold and underline color +objects to specify a color or mono attribute for them.

Additionally, the internal pager supports the ANSI escape sequences for character attributes. Mutt translates them into the correct color and -character settings. The sequences Mutt supports are -'\e[Ps;Ps;..Ps;m' +character settings. The sequences Mutt supports are: +

+\e[Ps;Ps;..Ps;m
+

where Ps can be one of the codes shown in -Table 2.5, “ANSI escape sequences”. -

Table 2.5. ANSI escape sequences

Escape codeDescription
0All Attributes Off
1Bold on
4Underline on
5Blink on
7Reverse video on
3<color>Foreground color is <color> (see Table 2.6, “Color sequences”)
4<color>Background color is <color> (see Table 2.6, “Color sequences”)

Table 2.6. Color sequences

Color codeColor
0Black
1Red
2Green
3Yellow
4Blue
5Magenta
6Cyan
7White

-Mutt uses these attributes for handling text/enriched messages, and they -can also be used by an external autoview -script for highlighting purposes. Note: If you change the colors for your +Table 2.8, “ANSI escape sequences”. +

Table 2.8. ANSI escape sequences

Escape codeDescription
0All attributes off
1Bold on
4Underline on
5Blink on
7Reverse video on
3<color>Foreground color is <color> (see Table 2.9, “Color sequences”)
4<color>Background color is <color> (see Table 2.9, “Color sequences”)

Table 2.9. Color sequences

Color codeColor
0Black
1Red
2Green
3Yellow
4Blue
5Magenta
6Cyan
7White

+Mutt uses these attributes for handling text/enriched +messages, and they can also be used by an external +autoview script for highlighting +purposes. +

Note

+If you change the colors for your display, for example by changing the color associated with color2 for your xterm, then that color will be used instead of green. -

3.3. Threaded Mode

-When the mailbox is sorted by threads, there are -a few additional functions available in the index and pager modes -as shown in Table 2.7, “Most common thread mode keys”. -

- -

Table 2.7. Most common thread mode keys

KeyFunctionDescription
^Ddelete-threaddelete all messages in the current thread
^Uundelete-threadundelete all messages in the current thread
^Nnext-threadjump to the start of the next thread
^Pprevious-threadjump to the start of the previous thread
^Rread-threadmark the current thread as read
ESC ddelete-subthreaddelete all messages in the current subthread
ESC uundelete-subthreadundelete all messages in the current subthread
ESC nnext-subthreadjump to the start of the next subthread
ESC pprevious-subthreadjump to the start of the previous subthread
ESC rread-subthreadmark the current subthread as read
ESC ttag-threadtoggle the tag on the current thread
ESC vcollapse-threadtoggle collapse for the current thread
ESC Vcollapse-alltoggle collapse for all threads
Pparent-messagejump to parent message in thread


- -

-Note: Collapsing a thread displays only the first message +

Note

+Note that the search commands in the pager take regular expressions, +which are not quite the same as the more +complex patterns used by the search +command in the index. This is because patterns are used to select messages by +criteria whereas the pager already displays a selected message. +

5.3. Threaded Mode

+So-called “threads” provide a hierarchy of messages where +replies are linked to their parent message(s). This organizational form +is extremely useful in mailing lists where different parts of the +discussion diverge. Mutt displays threads as a tree structure. +

+In Mutt, when a mailbox is sorted +by threads, there are a few additional functions +available in the index +and pager modes as shown in +Table 2.10, “Most common thread mode keys”. +

Table 2.10. Most common thread mode keys

KeyFunctionDescription
^D<delete-thread>delete all messages in the current thread
^U<undelete-thread>undelete all messages in the current thread
^N<next-thread>jump to the start of the next thread
^P<previous-thread>jump to the start of the previous thread
^R<read-thread>mark the current thread as read
Esc d<delete-subthread>delete all messages in the current subthread
Esc u<undelete-subthread>undelete all messages in the current subthread
Esc n<next-subthread>jump to the start of the next subthread
Esc p<previous-subthread>jump to the start of the previous subthread
Esc r<read-subthread>mark the current subthread as read
Esc t<tag-thread>toggle the tag on the current thread
Esc v<collapse-thread>toggle collapse for the current thread
Esc V<collapse-all>toggle collapse for all threads
P<parent-message>jump to parent message in thread

+Collapsing a thread displays only the first message in the thread and hides the others. This is useful when threads contain so many messages that you can only see a handful of threads on -the screen. See %M in $index_format. -For example, you could use "%?M?(#%03M)&(%4l)?" in $index_format to optionally -display the number of hidden messages if the thread is collapsed. -

-See also: $strict_threads. -

3.4. Miscellaneous Functions

-create-alias (default: a) - -

+the screen. See %M in $index_format. +For example, you could use “%?M?(#%03M)&(%4l)?” in $index_format to optionally +display the number of hidden messages if the thread is +collapsed. The %?<char>?<if-part>&<else-part>? +syntax is explained in detail in +format string conditionals. +

+Technically, every reply should contain a list of its parent messages in +the thread tree, but not all do. In these cases, Mutt groups them by +subject which can be controlled using the +$strict_threads variable. +

5.4. Miscellaneous Functions

+In addition, the index and pager +menus have these interesting functions: +

+<create-alias> (default: a) +

Creates a new alias based upon the current message (or prompts for a -new one). Once editing is complete, an alias -command is added to the file specified by the $alias_file variable for future use. Note: -Specifying an $alias_file -does not add the aliases specified there-in, you must also source the file. -

-check-traditional-pgp (default: ESC P) - -

+new one). Once editing is complete, an alias +command is added to the file specified by +the $alias_file variable +for future use +

Note

+Mutt does not read the $alias_file +upon startup so you must explicitly source the file. +

+<check-traditional-pgp> (default: Esc P) +

This function will search the current message for content signed or -encrypted with PGP the "traditional" way, that is, without proper +encrypted with PGP the “traditional” way, that is, without proper MIME tagging. Technically, this function will temporarily change the MIME content types of the body parts containing PGP data; this -is similar to the edit-type function's +is similar to the <edit-type> function's effect. -

-display-toggle-weed (default: h) - -

-Toggles the weeding of message header fields specified by ignore commands. -

-edit (default: e) - -

-This command (available in the ``index'' and ``pager'') allows you to +

+<edit> (default: e) +

+This command (available in the index and pager) allows you to edit the raw current message as it's present in the mail folder. After you have finished editing, the changed message will be appended to the current folder, and the original message will be -marked for deletion. -

-edit-type - -(default: ^E on the attachment menu, and in the pager and index menus; ^T on the -compose menu) -

+marked for deletion; if the message is unchanged it won't be replaced. +

+<edit-type> (default: +^E on the attachment menu, and in the pager and index menus; +^T on the compose menu) +

This command is used to temporarily edit an attachment's content type to fix, for instance, bogus character set parameters. When invoked from the index or from the pager, you'll have the opportunity to edit the top-level attachment's content type. On the -attachment menu, you can change any +attachment menu, you can change any attachment's content type. These changes are not persistent, and get lost upon changing folders.

-Note that this command is also available on the compose +Note that this command is also available on the compose menu. There, it's used to fine-tune the properties of attachments you are going to send. -

-enter-command (default: ``:'') - -

+

+<enter-command> (default: “:”) +

This command is used to execute any command you would normally put in a configuration file. A common use is to check the settings of variables, or -in conjunction with macros to change settings on the +in conjunction with macros to change settings on the fly. -

-extract-keys (default: ^K) - -

+

+<extract-keys> (default: ^K) +

This command extracts PGP public keys from the current or tagged message(s) and adds them to your PGP public key ring. -

-forget-passphrase (default: +

+<forget-passphrase> (default: ^F) - -

+

This command wipes the passphrase(s) from memory. It is useful, if you misspelled the passphrase. -

-list-reply (default: L) - -

+

+<list-reply> (default: L) +

Reply to the current or tagged message(s) by extracting any addresses which -match the regular expressions given by the lists or subscribe +match the regular expressions given by the lists or subscribe commands, but also honor any Mail-Followup-To header(s) if the -$honor_followup_to +$honor_followup_to configuration variable is set. Using this when replying to messages posted to mailing lists helps avoid duplicate copies being sent to the author of the message you are replying to. -

-pipe-message (default: |) - -

+

+<pipe-message> (default: |) +

Asks for an external Unix command and pipes the current or -tagged message(s) to it. The variables $pipe_decode, $pipe_split, -$pipe_sep and $wait_key control the exact behavior of this function. -

-resend-message (default: ESC e) - -

-With resend-message, mutt takes the current message as a template for a +tagged message(s) to it. The variables $pipe_decode, $pipe_split, +$pipe_sep and $wait_key control the exact behavior of this function. +

+<resend-message> (default: Esc e) +

+Mutt takes the current message as a template for a new message. This function is best described as "recall from arbitrary folders". It can conveniently be used to forward MIME messages while preserving the original mail structure. Note that the amount of headers -included here depends on the value of the $weed +included here depends on the value of the $weed variable.

This function is also available from the attachment menu. You can use this to easily resend a message which was included with a bounce message -as a message/rfc822 body part. -

-shell-escape (default: !) - -

-Asks for an external Unix command and executes it. The $wait_key can be used to control +as a message/rfc822 body part. +

+<shell-escape> (default: !) +

+Asks for an external Unix command and executes it. The $wait_key can be used to control whether Mutt will wait for a key to be pressed when the command returns (presumably to let the user read the output of the command), based on -the return status of the named command. -

-toggle-quoted (default: T) - -

-The pager uses the $quote_regexp variable to detect quoted text when +the return status of the named command. If no command is given, an +interactive shell is executed. +

+<toggle-quoted> (default: T) +

+The pager uses the $quote_regexp variable to detect quoted text when displaying the body of the message. This function toggles the display of the quoted material in the message. It is particularly useful when -are interested in just the response and there is a large amount of +being interested in just the response and there is a large amount of quoted text in the way. -

-skip-quoted (default: S) - -

-This function will go to the next line of non-quoted text which come +

+<skip-quoted> (default: S) +

+This function will go to the next line of non-quoted text which comes after a line of quoted text in the internal pager. -

4. Sending Mail

-The bindings shown in Table 2.8, “Most common mail sending keys” are available in the -index for sending messages. -

- -

Table 2.8. Most common mail sending keys

KeyFunctionDescription
mcomposecompose a new message
rreplyreply to sender
ggroup-replyreply to all recipients
Llist-replyreply to mailing list address
fforwardforward message
bbouncebounce (remail) message
ESC kmail-keymail a PGP public key to someone


- -

-Bouncing a message sends the message as is to the recipient you -specify. Forwarding a message allows you to add comments or +

6. Sending Mail

6.1. Introduction

+The bindings shown in Table 2.11, “Most common mail sending keys” are available in the +index and pager to start a new message. +

Table 2.11. Most common mail sending keys

KeyFunctionDescription
m<compose>compose a new message
r<reply>reply to sender
g<group-reply>reply to all recipients
L<list-reply>reply to mailing list address
f<forward>forward message
b<bounce>bounce (remail) message
Esc k<mail-key>mail a PGP public key to someone

+Bouncing a message sends the message as-is to the recipient you +specify. Forwarding a message allows you to add comments or modify the message you are forwarding. These items are discussed -in greater detail in the next chapter ``Forwarding -and Bouncing Mail.'' +in greater detail in the next section “Forwarding +and Bouncing Mail.”

Mutt will then enter the compose menu and prompt you for the -recipients to place on the ``To:'' header field. Next, it will ask -you for the ``Subject:'' field for the message, providing a default if -you are replying to or forwarding a message. See also -$askcc, -$askbcc, -$autoedit, -$bounce, -$fast_reply, -and $include -for changing how Mutt asks these questions. -

-Mutt will then automatically start your $editor on the message body. If the $edit_headers variable is set, the headers will be at -the top of the message in your editor. Any messages you are replying -to will be added in sort order to the message, with appropriate $attribution, $indent_string and $post_indent_string. When forwarding a -message, if the $mime_forward -variable is unset, a copy of the forwarded message will be included. If -you have specified a $signature, it -will be appended to the message. +recipients to place on the “To:” header field when you hit m to start a new message. Next, it will ask +you for the “Subject:” field for the message, providing a default if +you are replying to or forwarding a message. You again +have the chance to adjust recipients, subject, and security settings +right before actually sending the message. See also +$askcc, +$askbcc, +$autoedit, +$bounce, +$fast_reply, +and $include +for changing how and if Mutt asks these questions. +

+When replying, Mutt fills these fields with proper values depending on +the reply type. The types of replying supported are: +

Simple reply

+Reply to the author directly. +

Group reply

+Reply to the author as well to all recipients except you; this consults +alternates. +

List reply

+Reply to all mailing list addresses found, either specified via +configuration or auto-detected. See Section 12, “Mailing Lists” for +details. +

+After getting recipients for new messages, forwards or replies, Mutt +will then automatically start your $editor on the message body. If the $edit_headers variable is +set, the headers will be at the top of the message in your editor. Any +messages you are replying to will be added in sort order to the message, +with appropriate $attribution, +$indent_string and +$post_indent_string. +When forwarding a message, if the $mime_forward variable is +unset, a copy of the forwarded message will be included. If you have +specified a $signature, it will +be appended to the message.

Once you have finished editing the body of your mail message, you are returned to the compose menu providing the functions -show in Table 2.9, “Most common compose menu keys”. -

- -

Table 2.9. Most common compose menu keys

KeyFunctionDescription
aattach-fileattach a file
Aattach-messageattach message(s) to the message
ESC kattach-keyattach a PGP public key
dedit-descriptionedit description on attachment
Ddetach-filedetach a file
tedit-toedit the To field
ESC fedit-fromedit the From field
redit-reply-toedit the Reply-To field
cedit-ccedit the Cc field
bedit-bccedit the Bcc field
ysend-messagesend the message
sedit-subjectedit the Subject
Ssmime-menuselect S/MIME options
fedit-fccspecify an ``Fcc'' mailbox
ppgp-menuselect PGP options
Ppostpone-messagepostpone this message until later
qquitquit (abort) sending the message
wwrite-fccwrite the message to a folder
iispellcheck spelling (if available on your system)
^Fforget-passphrasewipe passphrase(s) from memory


- -

-Note: The attach-message function will prompt you for a folder to +shown in Table 2.12, “Most common compose menu keys” to modify, send or postpone the +message. +

Table 2.12. Most common compose menu keys

KeyFunctionDescription
a<attach-file>attach a file
A<attach-message>attach message(s) to the message
Esc k<attach-key>attach a PGP public key
d<edit-description>edit description on attachment
D<detach-file>detach a file
t<edit-to>edit the To field
Esc f<edit-from>edit the From field
r<edit-reply-to>edit the Reply-To field
c<edit-cc>edit the Cc field
b<edit-bcc>edit the Bcc field
y<send-message>send the message
s<edit-subject>edit the Subject
S<smime-menu>select S/MIME options
f<edit-fcc>specify an “Fcc” mailbox
p<pgp-menu>select PGP options
P<postpone-message>postpone this message until later
q<quit>quit (abort) sending the message
w<write-fcc>write the message to a folder
i<ispell>check spelling (if available on your system)
^F<forget-passphrase>wipe passphrase(s) from memory

+The compose menu is also used to edit the attachments for a message which can be either files +or other messages. The <attach-message> function to will prompt you for a folder to attach messages from. You can now tag messages in that folder and they -will be attached to the message you are sending. Note that certain +will be attached to the message you are sending. +

Note

+Note that certain operations like composing a new mail, replying, forwarding, etc. are -not permitted when you are in that folder. The %r in $status_format will change to -a 'A' to indicate that you are in attach-message mode. -

4.1. Editing the message header

-When editing the header of your outgoing message, there are a couple of -special features available. -

+not permitted when you are in that folder. The %r in +$status_format will change to +a “A” to indicate that you are in attach-message mode. +

6.2. Editing the Message Header

+When editing the header because of $edit_headers +being set, there are a several pseudo headers available which +will not be included in sent messages but trigger special Mutt behavior. +

6.2.1. Fcc: Pseudo Header

If you specify - +

Fcc: filename - -Mutt will pick up filename -just as if you had used the edit-fcc function in the compose menu.

+as a header, Mutt will pick up filename +just as if you had used the <edit-fcc> function in the compose menu. +It can later be changed from the compose menu. +

6.2.2. Attach: Pseudo Header

You can also attach files to your message by specifying - -Attach: filename [ description ] - -where filename is the file to attach and description is an -optional string to use as the description of the attached file. -

-When replying to messages, if you remove the In-Reply-To: field from -the header field, Mutt will not generate a References: field, which -allows you to create a new message thread.

-Also see $edit_headers. -

4.2. Using Mutt with PGP

-If you want to use PGP, you can specify +Attach: filename +[ description ]

-Pgp: [ E | S | S<id> ] - -

-``E'' encrypts, ``S'' signs and -``S<id>'' signs with the given key, setting $pgp_sign_as permanently. -

-If you have told mutt to PGP encrypt a message, it will guide you +where filename is the file to attach and description is an +optional string to use as the description of the attached file. Spaces +in filenames have to be escaped using backslash (“\”). +The file can be removed as well as more added from the compose menu. +

6.2.3. Pgp: Pseudo Header

+If you want to use PGP, you can specify +

+Pgp: [ E | S | S<id> ] + +

+“E” selects encryption, “S” selects signing and +“S<id>” selects signing with the given key, setting +$pgp_sign_as +permanently. The selection can later be changed in the compose menu. +

6.2.4. In-Reply-To: Header

+When replying to messages, the In-Reply-To: header contains the +Message-Id of the message(s) you reply to. If you remove or modify its value, Mutt will not generate a +References: field, which allows you to create a new message thread, for example +to create a new message to a mailing list without having to enter the mailing list's address. +

6.3. Sending Cryptographically Signed/Encrypted Messages

+If you have told Mutt to PGP or S/MIME encrypt a message, it will guide you through a key selection process when you try to send the message. Mutt will not ask you any questions about keys which have a certified user ID matching one of the message recipients' mail @@ -449,111 +594,73 @@ several keys, weakly certified user ID fields, or where no matching keys can be found.

In these cases, you are dropped into a menu with a list of keys from -which you can select one. When you quit this menu, or mutt can't +which you can select one. When you quit this menu, or Mutt can't find any matching keys, you are prompted for a user ID. You can, as -usually, abort this prompt using ^G. When you do so, mutt will +usually, abort this prompt using ^G. When you do so, Mutt will return to the compose screen.

Once you have successfully finished the key selection, the message -will be encrypted using the selected public keys, and sent out. +will be encrypted using the selected public keys when sent out.

-Most fields of the entries in the key selection menu (see also $pgp_entry_format) -have obvious meanings. But some explanations on the capabilities, flags, +Most fields of the entries in the key selection menu (see also $pgp_entry_format) +have obvious meanings. But some explanations on the capabilities, flags, and validity fields are in order.

-The flags sequence (%f) will expand to one of the flags in -Table 2.10, “PGP key menu flags”. - -

Table 2.10. PGP key menu flags

FlagDescription
RThe key has been revoked and can't be used.
XThe key is expired and can't be used.
dYou have marked the key as disabled.
cThere are unknown critical self-signature packets.


- -

-The capabilities field (%c) expands to a two-character sequence +The flags sequence (“%f”) will expand to one of the flags in +Table 2.13, “PGP key menu flags”. +

Table 2.13. PGP key menu flags

FlagDescription
RThe key has been revoked and can't be used.
XThe key is expired and can't be used.
dYou have marked the key as disabled.
cThere are unknown critical self-signature packets.

+The capabilities field (“%c”) expands to a two-character sequence representing a key's capabilities. The first character gives -the key's encryption capabilities: A minus sign (-) means -that the key cannot be used for encryption. A dot (.) means that -it's marked as a signature key in one of the user IDs, but may -also be used for encryption. The letter e indicates that +the key's encryption capabilities: A minus sign (“-”) means +that the key cannot be used for encryption. A dot (“.”) means that +it's marked as a signature key in one of the user IDs, but may +also be used for encryption. The letter “e” indicates that this key can be used for encryption.

-The second character indicates the key's signing capabilities. Once -again, a ``-'' implies ``not for signing'', ``.'' implies +The second character indicates the key's signing capabilities. Once +again, a “-” implies “not for signing”, “.” implies that the key is marked as an encryption key in one of the user-ids, and -``s'' denotes a key which can be used for signing. +“s” denotes a key which can be used for signing.

-Finally, the validity field (%t) indicates how well-certified a user-id -is. A question mark (?) indicates undefined validity, a minus -character (-) marks an untrusted association, a space character -means a partially trusted association, and a plus character (+) +Finally, the validity field (“%t”) indicates how well-certified a user-id +is. A question mark (“?”) indicates undefined validity, a minus +character (“-”) marks an untrusted association, a space character +means a partially trusted association, and a plus character (“+”) indicates complete validity. -

4.3. Sending anonymous messages via mixmaster.

-You may also have configured mutt to co-operate with Mixmaster, an -anonymous remailer. Mixmaster permits you to send your messages -anonymously using a chain of remailers. Mixmaster support in mutt is for -mixmaster version 2.04 (beta 45 appears to be the latest) and 2.03. -It does not support earlier versions or the later so-called version 3 betas, -of which the latest appears to be called 2.9b23. -

-To use it, you'll have to obey certain restrictions. Most -important, you cannot use the Cc and Bcc headers. To tell -Mutt to use mixmaster, you have to select a remailer chain, using -the mix function on the compose menu. -

-The chain selection screen is divided into two parts. In the -(larger) upper part, you get a list of remailers you may use. In -the lower part, you see the currently selected chain of remailers. -

-You can navigate in the chain using the chain-prev and -chain-next functions, which are by default bound to the left -and right arrows and to the h and l keys (think vi -keyboard bindings). To insert a remailer at the current chain -position, use the insert function. To append a remailer behind -the current chain position, use select-entry or append. -You can also delete entries from the chain, using the corresponding -function. Finally, to abandon your changes, leave the menu, or -accept them pressing (by default) the Return key. -

-Note that different remailers do have different capabilities, -indicated in the %c entry of the remailer menu lines (see -$mix_entry_format). Most important is -the ``middleman'' capability, indicated by a capital ``M'': This -means that the remailer in question cannot be used as the final -element of a chain, but will only forward messages to other -mixmaster remailers. For details on the other capabilities, please -have a look at the mixmaster documentation. -

4.4. Sending format=flowed messages

4.4.1. Concept

+

6.4. Sending Format=Flowed Messages

6.4.1. Concept

format=flowed-style messages (or f=f for short) are text/plain messages that consist of paragraphs which a receiver's mail client may reformat to its own needs which mostly means to customize line lengths regardless of what the sender sent. Technically this is -achieved by letting lines of a ``flowable'' paragraph end in spaces. +achieved by letting lines of a “flowable” paragraph end in spaces +except for the last line.

-While for text-mode clients like mutt it's the best way to assume only a +While for text-mode clients like Mutt it's the best way to assume only a standard 80x25 character cell terminal, it may be desired to let the receiver decide completely how to view a message. -

4.4.2. Mutt support

+

6.4.2. Mutt Support

Mutt only supports setting the required format=flowed -MIME parameter on outgoing messages if the $text_flowed variable is set. It does not add the -trailing spaces nor does it provide any other feature related to -composing f=f messages (like reformatting -non-f=f parts of a reply to f=f -before calling the editor). +MIME parameter on outgoing messages if the $text_flowed +variable is set, specifically it does not add the +trailing spaces.

After editing the initial message text and before entering -the compose menu, mutt properly space-stuffes the message. +the compose menu, Mutt properly space-stuffes the message. Space-stuffing is required by RfC3676 defining format=flowed and means to prepend a space to: -

  • all lines starting with a space

  • lines starting with the word ``From'' -followed by space

  • all lines starting with ``>'' which -is not intended to be a quote character

-All leading spaces are to be removed by receiving clients to restore -the original message. -

-Note that mutt only support space-stuffing +

  • all lines starting with a space

  • lines starting with the word “From” +followed by space

  • all lines starting with “>” which +is not intended to be a quote character

Note

+Mutt only supports space-stuffing for the first two types of lines but not for the third: It is impossible to safely detect whether a leading > character starts a -quote or not. -

4.4.3. Editor considerations

-As mutt provides no additional features to compose f=f +quote or not. Furthermore, Mutt only applies space-stuffing +once after the initial edit is finished. +

+All leading spaces are to be removed by receiving clients to restore +the original message prior to further processing. +

6.4.3. Editor Considerations

+As Mutt provides no additional features to compose f=f messages, it's completely up to the user and his editor to produce proper messages. Please consider your editor's documentation if you intend to send f=f messages. @@ -566,141 +673,136 @@ For example, vim provides the formatoptions setting to assist in creating f=f messages, see :help fo-table for details. -

5. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail

+

7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail

Bouncing and forwarding let you send an existing message to recipients -that you specify. Bouncing a message uses the $sendmail command to send a copy to alternative addresses as if -they were the message's original recipients. Forwarding a message, on -the other hand, allows you to modify the message before it is resent -(for example, by adding your own comments). The default key bindings -are shown in Table 2.11, “Message forwarding/bouncing keys”. -

- -

Table 2.11. Message forwarding/bouncing keys

KeyFunctionDescription
fforwardforward message
bbouncebounce (remail) message


- +that you specify. Bouncing a message sends a verbatim copy of a message +to alternative addresses as if they were the message's original +recipients specified in the Bcc header. +Forwarding a message, on the other hand, allows you to modify the message +before it is resent (for example, by adding your own comments). Bouncing +is done using the <bounce> function and forwarding +using the <forward> function bound to “b” and “f” +respectively.

Forwarding can be done by including the original message in the new message's body (surrounded by indicating lines) or including it as a MIME -attachment, depending on the value of the $mime_forward variable. Decoding of attachments, -like in the pager, can be controlled by the $forward_decode and $mime_forward_decode variables, +attachment, depending on the value of the $mime_forward variable. Decoding of attachments, +like in the pager, can be controlled by the $forward_decode and $mime_forward_decode variables, respectively. The desired forwarding format may depend on the content, -therefore $mime_forward is a quadoption which, for -example, can be set to ``ask-no''. +therefore $mime_forward is a quadoption which, for +example, can be set to “ask-no”.

The inclusion of headers is controlled by the current setting of the -$weed variable, unless $mime_forward is set. +$weed variable, unless $mime_forward is set.

Editing the message to forward follows the same procedure as sending or replying to a message does. -

6. Postponing Mail

+

8. Postponing Mail

At times it is desirable to delay sending a message that you have -already begun to compose. When the postpone-message function is +already begun to compose. When the <postpone-message> function is used in the compose menu, the body of your message and attachments -are stored in the mailbox specified by the $postponed variable. This means that you can recall the +are stored in the mailbox specified by the $postponed variable. This means that you can recall the message even if you exit Mutt and then restart it at a later time.

Once a message is postponed, there are several ways to resume it. From the -command line you can use the ``-p'' option, or if you compose a new +command line you can use the “-p” option, or if you compose a new message from the index or pager you will be prompted if postponed messages exist. If multiple messages are currently postponed, the postponed menu will pop up and you can select which message you would like to resume. -

-Note: If you postpone a reply to a message, the reply setting of +

Note

+If you postpone a reply to a message, the reply setting of the message is only updated when you actually finish the message and send it. Also, you must be in the same folder with the message you replied to for the status of the message to be updated. -

-See also the $postpone quad-option. -

+See also the $postpone quad-option. +

Chapter 3. Configuration

1. Location of Initialization Files

+While the default configuration (or “preferences”) make Mutt usable right out of the box, it is often desirable to tailor Mutt to suit your own tastes. When Mutt is first invoked, it will attempt to -read the ``system'' configuration file (defaults set by your local -system administrator), unless the ``-n'' command line option is specified. This file is typically +read the “system” configuration file (defaults set by your local +system administrator), unless the “-n” command line option is specified. This file is typically /usr/local/share/mutt/Muttrc or /etc/Muttrc. Mutt will next look for a file named .muttrc in your home directory. If this file does not exist and your home directory has -a subdirectory named .mutt, mutt try to load a file named -.mutt/muttrc. +a subdirectory named .mutt, Mutt tries to load a file named +.mutt/muttrc.

-.muttrc is the file where you will usually place your commands to configure Mutt. +.muttrc is the file where you will usually place your commands to configure Mutt.

-In addition, mutt supports version specific configuration files that are +In addition, Mutt supports version specific configuration files that are parsed instead of the default files as explained above. For instance, if your system has a Muttrc-0.88 file in the system configuration -directory, and you are running version 0.88 of mutt, this file will be +directory, and you are running version 0.88 of Mutt, this file will be sourced instead of the Muttrc file. The same is true of the user configuration file, if you have a file .muttrc-0.88.6 in your home -directory, when you run mutt version 0.88.6, it will source this file +directory, when you run Mutt version 0.88.6, it will source this file instead of the default .muttrc file. The version number is the -same which is visible using the ``-v'' command line switch or using the show-version key (default: +same which is visible using the “-v” command line switch or using the show-version key (default: V) from the index menu. -

1. Syntax of Initialization Files

-An initialization file consists of a series of commands. Each line of the file may contain one or more commands. -When multiple commands are used, they must be separated by a semicolon (;). - -

+

2. Syntax of Initialization Files

+An initialization file consists of a series of commands. Each line of the file may contain one or more commands. +When multiple commands are used, they must be separated by a semicolon +(“;”). +

Example 3.1. Multiple configuration commands per line

 set realname='Mutt user' ; ignore x-
-

- +


The hash mark, or pound sign -(``#''), is used as a ``comment'' character. You can use it to +(“#”), is used as a “comment” character. You can use it to annotate your initialization file. All text after the comment character -to the end of the line is ignored. For example, -

- -

+to the end of the line is ignored.
+

Example 3.2. Commenting configuration files

 my_hdr X-Disclaimer: Why are you listening to me? # This is a comment
-

- -

-Single quotes (') and double quotes (") can be used to quote strings +


+Single quotes (“'”) and double quotes (“"”) can be used to quote strings which contain spaces or other special characters. The difference between the two types of quotes is similar to that of many popular shell programs, namely that a single quote is used to specify a literal string (one that is not interpreted for shell variables or quoting with a backslash [see next paragraph]), while double quotes indicate a string for which -should be evaluated. For example, backtics are evaluated inside of double -quotes, but not for single quotes. +should be evaluated. For example, backticks are evaluated inside of double +quotes, but not for single quotes.

-\ quotes the next character, just as in shells such as bash and zsh. -For example, if want to put quotes ``"'' inside of a string, you can use -``\'' to force the next character to be a literal instead of interpreted +“\” quotes the next character, just as in shells such as bash and zsh. +For example, if want to put quotes “"” inside of a string, you can use +“\” to force the next character to be a literal instead of interpreted character. - -

+

Example 3.3. Escaping quotes in congfiguration files

 set realname="Michael \"MuttDude\" Elkins"
-

- -

-``\\'' means to insert a literal ``\'' into the line. -``\n'' and ``\r'' have their usual C meanings of linefeed and +


+“\\” means to insert a literal “\” into the line. +“\n” and “\r” have their usual C meanings of linefeed and carriage-return, respectively.

-A \ at the end of a line can be used to split commands over -multiple lines, provided that the split points don't appear in the -middle of command names. -

+A “\” at the end of a line can be used to split commands over +multiple lines as it “escapes” the line end, provided that the split points don't appear in the +middle of command names. Lines are first concatenated before +interpretation so that a multi-line can be commented by commenting out +the first line only. +

Example 3.4. Splitting long configuration commands over several lines

+set status_format="some very \
+long value split \
+over several lines"
+

It is also possible to substitute the output of a Unix command in an initialization file. This is accomplished by enclosing the command in -backquotes (``). For example, - -

-my_hdr X-Operating-System: `uname -a`
-

- -The output of the Unix command ``uname -a'' will be substituted before the -line is parsed. Note that since initialization files are line oriented, only +backticks (``). In Example 3.5, “Using external command's output in configuration files”, the output of the +Unix command “uname -a” will be substituted before the +line is parsed. +Since initialization files are line oriented, only the first line of output from the Unix command will be substituted. -

-Both environment variables and mutt variables can be accessed by -prepending ``$'' to the name of the variable. For example, -

+

Example 3.5. Using external command's output in configuration files

+my_hdr X-Operating-System: `uname -a`
+

+Both environment variables and Mutt variables can be accessed by +prepending “$” to the name of the variable. For example, +

Example 3.6. Using environment variables in configuration files

 set record=+sent_on_$HOSTNAME
-

-will cause mutt to save outgoing messages to a folder named -``sent_on_kremvax'' if the environment variable HOSTNAME is set to -``kremvax.'' (See $record for +


+will cause Mutt to save outgoing messages to a folder named +“sent_on_kremvax” if the environment variable $HOSTNAME is set to +“kremvax.” (See $record for details.)

Mutt expands the variable when it is assigned, not when it is used. If @@ -708,117 +810,158 @@ the value of a variable on the right-hand side of an assignment changes after the assignment, the variable on the left-hand side will not be affected.

-The commands understood by mutt are explained in the next paragraphs. -For a complete list, see the command reference. -

2. Address groups

-Usage: group [ -group name [ ... ] ] [ -rx EXPR [ ... ] ] [ -addr EXPR [ ... ] ] -

-group is used to directly add either addresses or +The commands understood by Mutt are explained in the next paragraphs. +For a complete list, see the command reference. +

+All configuration files are expected to be in the current locale as +specified by the $charset variable +which doesn't have a default value since it's determined by Mutt at startup. +If a configuration file is not encoded in the same character set the +$config_charset +variable should be used: all lines starting with the next are recoded +from $config_charset +to $charset. +

+This mechanism should be avoided if possible as it has the +following implications: +

3. Address Groups

Usage:

group [ +-group +name +...] { +-rx +expr +... | +-addr +expr +... }
ungroup [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +-rx +expr +... | +-addr +expr +... }

+group is used to directly add either addresses or regular expressions to the specified group or groups. The different -categories of arguments to the group command can be +categories of arguments to the group command can be in any order. The flags -rx and -addr specify what the following strings (that cannot begin with a hyphen) should be interpreted as: either a regular expression or an email address, respectively.

-These address groups can also be created implicitely by the -alias, lists, -subscribe and -alternates commands by specifying the +These address groups can also be created implicitly by the +alias, lists, +subscribe and +alternates commands by specifying the optional -group option.

Once defined, these address groups can be used in -patterns to search for and limit the +patterns to search for and limit the display to messages matching a group.

-Usage: ungroup [ -group name [ ... ] ] [ * | [ [ -rx EXPR [ ... ] ] [ -addr EXPR [ ... ] ] ] -

-ungroup is used to remove addresses or regular +ungroup is used to remove addresses or regular expressions from the specified group or groups. The syntax is similar to -the group command, however the special character +the group command, however the special character * can be used to empty a group of all of its contents. -

3. Defining/Using aliases

-Usage: alias [ -group name [ ... ] ] key address [ , address, ... ] -

+

4. Defining/Using Aliases

Usage:

alias [ +-group +name +...] +key + +address + [ +address +...]
unalias [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +key +... }

It's usually very cumbersome to remember or type out the address of someone -you are communicating with. Mutt allows you to create ``aliases'' which map +you are communicating with. Mutt allows you to create “aliases” which map a short string to a full address. -

-Note: if you want to create an alias for more than -one address, you must separate the addresses with a comma (``,''). -

+

Note

+If you want to create an alias for more than +one address, you must separate the addresses with a comma (“,”). +

The optional -group argument to -alias causes the aliased address(es) to be added to +alias causes the aliased address(es) to be added to the named group.

-To remove an alias or aliases (``*'' means all aliases): -

-unalias [ * | key ... ] -

- +To remove an alias or aliases (“*” means all aliases):

 alias muttdude me@cs.hmc.edu (Michael Elkins)
 alias theguys manny, moe, jack
 

- -

Unlike other mailers, Mutt doesn't require aliases to be defined -in a special file. The alias command can appear anywhere in -a configuration file, as long as this file is sourced. Consequently, you can have multiple alias files, or -you can have all aliases defined in your muttrc. +in a special file. The alias command can appear anywhere in +a configuration file, as long as this file is sourced. Consequently, you can have multiple alias files, or +you can have all aliases defined in your .muttrc.

-On the other hand, the create-alias -function can use only one file, the one pointed to by the $alias_file variable (which is +On the other hand, the <create-alias> +function can use only one file, the one pointed to by the $alias_file variable (which is ˜/.muttrc by default). This file is not special either, in the sense that Mutt will happily append aliases to any file, but in -order for the new aliases to take effect you need to explicitly source this file too. -

-For example: -

- -

+order for the new aliases to take effect you need to explicitly source this file too.
+

Example 3.7. Configuring external alias files

 source /usr/local/share/Mutt.aliases
 source ~/.mail_aliases
 set alias_file=~/.mail_aliases
-

- -

-To use aliases, you merely use the alias at any place in mutt where mutt +


+To use aliases, you merely use the alias at any place in Mutt where Mutt prompts for addresses, such as the To: or Cc: prompt. You can also enter aliases in your editor at the appropriate headers if you have the -$edit_headers variable set. +$edit_headers variable set.

In addition, at the various address prompts, you can use the tab character to expand a partial alias to the full alias. If there are multiple matches, -mutt will bring up a menu with the matching aliases. In order to be -presented with the full list of aliases, you must hit tab with out a partial +Mutt will bring up a menu with the matching aliases. In order to be +presented with the full list of aliases, you must hit tab without a partial alias, such as at the beginning of the prompt or after a comma denoting multiple addresses.

In the alias menu, you can select as many aliases as you want with the -select-entry key (default: RET), and use the exit key -(default: q) to return to the address prompt. -

4. Changing the default key bindings

-Usage: bind map key function -

+select-entry key (default: <Return>), and use the +exit key (default: q) to return to the address prompt. +

5. Changing the Default Key Bindings

Usage:

bind +map + +key + +function +

This command allows you to change the default key bindings (operation invoked when pressing a key).

map specifies in which menu the binding belongs. Multiple maps may be specified by separating them with commas (no additional whitespace is allowed). The currently defined maps are: -

- -

generic

+

generic

This is not a real menu, but is used as a fallback for all of the other menus except for the pager and editor modes. If a key is not defined in another menu, Mutt will look for a binding to use in this menu. This allows you to bind a key to a certain function in multiple menus instead of having -multiple bind statements to accomplish the same task. +multiple bind statements to accomplish the same task.

alias

The alias menu is the list of your personal aliases as defined in your -muttrc. It is the mapping from a short alias name to the full email +.muttrc. It is the mapping from a short alias name to the full email address(es) of the recipient(s).

attach

The attachment menu is used to access the attachments on received messages. @@ -835,102 +978,118 @@ The compose menu is the screen used when sending a new message. The pager is the mode used to display message/attachment data, and help listings.

pgp

-The pgp menu is used to select the OpenPGP keys used for encrypting outgoing +The pgp menu is used to select the OpenPGP keys used to encrypt outgoing +messages. +

smime

+The smime menu is used to select the OpenSSL certificates used to encrypt outgoing messages.

postpone

The postpone menu is similar to the index menu, except is used when recalling a message the user was composing, but saved until later. +

query

+The query menu is the browser for results returned by +$query_command. +

mix

+The mixmaster screen is used to select remailer options for outgoing +messages (if Mutt is compiled with Mixmaster support).

-

key is the key (or key sequence) you wish to bind. To specify a control character, use the sequence \Cx, where x is the letter of the control character (for example, to specify control-A use -``\Ca''). Note that the case of x as well as \C is +“\Ca”). Note that the case of x as well as \C is ignored, so that \CA, \Ca, \cA and \ca are all equivalent. An alternative form is to specify the key as a three digit -octal number prefixed with a ``\'' (for example \177 is +octal number prefixed with a “\” (for example \177 is equivalent to \c?). In addition, key may -be a symbolic name as shown in Table 3.1, “Symbolic key names”. -

- -

Table 3.1. Symbolic key names

Symbolic nameMeaning
\ttab
<tab>tab
<backtab>backtab / shift-tab
\rcarriage return
\nnewline
\eescape
<esc>escape
<up>up arrow
<down>down arrow
<left>left arrow
<right>right arrow
<pageup>Page Up
<pagedown>Page Down
<backspace>Backspace
<delete>Delete
<insert>Insert
<enter>Enter
<return>Return
<home>Home
<end>End
<space>Space bar
<f1>function key 1
<f10>function key 10


- -

+be a symbolic name as shown in Table 3.1, “Symbolic key names”. +

Table 3.1. Symbolic key names

Symbolic nameMeaning
\ttab
<tab>tab
<backtab>backtab / shift-tab
\rcarriage return
\nnewline
\eescape
<esc>escape
<up>up arrow
<down>down arrow
<left>left arrow
<right>right arrow
<pageup>Page Up
<pagedown>Page Down
<backspace>Backspace
<delete>Delete
<insert>Insert
<enter>Enter
<return>Return
<home>Home
<end>End
<space>Space bar
<f1>function key 1
<f10>function key 10

key does not need to be enclosed in quotes unless it contains a -space (`` ''). +space (“ ”) or semi-colon (“;”).

function specifies which action to take when key is pressed. -For a complete list of functions, see the reference. The special function noop unbinds the specified key +For a complete list of functions, see the reference. The special function <noop> unbinds the specified key sequence. -

5. Defining aliases for character sets

-


-Usage: charset-hook alias charset
-Usage: iconv-hook charset local-charset
-

-

-The charset-hook command defines an alias for a character set. +

6. Defining Aliases for Character Sets

Usage:

charset-hook +alias + +charset +
iconv-hook +charset + +local-charset +

+The charset-hook command defines an alias for a character set. This is useful to properly display messages which are tagged with a -character set name not known to mutt. +character set name not known to Mutt.

-The iconv-hook command defines a system-specific name for a +The iconv-hook command defines a system-specific name for a character set. This is helpful when your systems character conversion library insists on using strange, system-specific names for character sets. -

6. Setting variables based upon mailbox

-Usage: folder-hook [!]regexp command -

+

7. Setting Variables Based Upon Mailbox

Usage:

folder-hook +[!]regexp + +command +

It is often desirable to change settings based on which mailbox you are -reading. The folder-hook command provides a method by which you can execute +reading. The folder-hook command provides a method by which you can execute any configuration command. regexp is a regular expression specifying in which mailboxes to execute command before loading. If a mailbox -matches multiple folder-hook's, they are executed in the order given in the -muttrc. -

-Note: if you use the ``!'' shortcut for $spoolfile at the beginning of the pattern, you must place it +matches multiple folder-hooks, they are executed in the order given in the +.muttrc. +

Note

+If you use the “!” shortcut for $spoolfile at the beginning of the pattern, you must place it inside of double or single quotes in order to distinguish it from the logical not operator for the expression. -

-Note that the settings are not restored when you leave the mailbox. +

Note

+Settings are not restored when you leave the mailbox. For example, a command action to perform is to change the sorting method based upon the mailbox being read: -

-folder-hook mutt set sort=threads
-

+folder-hook mutt "set sort=threads"

-

However, the sorting method is not restored to its previous value when reading a different mailbox. To specify a default command, use the -pattern ``.'': -

- -

-folder-hook . set sort=date-sent
-

- -

7. Keyboard macros

-Usage: macro menu key sequence [ description ] -

+pattern “.” before other folder-hooks adjusting a value on a per-folder basis +because folder-hooks are evaluated in the order given in the +configuration file. +

+The following example will set the sort variable +to date-sent for all folders but to threads +for all folders containing “mutt” in their name. +

Example 3.8. Setting sort method based on mailbox name

+folder-hook . "set sort=date-sent"
+folder-hook mutt "set sort=threads"
+

8. Keyboard Macros

Usage:

macro +menu + +key + +sequence + [ +description +]

Macros are useful when you would like a single key to perform a series of actions. When you press key in menu menu, Mutt will behave as if you had typed sequence. So if you have a common sequence of commands you type, you can create a macro to execute those commands with a single -key. +key or fewer keys.

-menu is the map which the macro will be bound. +menu is the map which the macro will be bound in. Multiple maps may be specified by separating multiple menu arguments by commas. Whitespace may not be used in between the menu arguments and the commas separating them.

-key and sequence are expanded by the same rules as the key bindings. There are some additions however. The +key and sequence are expanded by the same rules as the +key bindings with some additions. The first is that control characters in sequence can also be specified -as ^x. In order to get a caret (`^'') you need to use +as ^x. In order to get a caret (“^”) you need to use ^^. Secondly, to specify a certain key such as up or to invoke a function directly, you can use the format <key name> and <function name>. For a listing of key -names see the section on key bindings. Functions -are listed in the reference. +names see the section on key bindings. Functions +are listed in the reference.

The advantage with using function names directly is that the macros will work regardless of the current key bindings, so they are not dependent on @@ -939,189 +1098,188 @@ and portable, and also facilitates defining of macros in files used by more than one user (e.g., the system Muttrc).

Optionally you can specify a descriptive text after sequence, -which is shown in the help screens. -

-Note: Macro definitions (if any) listed in the help screen(s), are +which is shown in the help screens if they contain a description. +

Note

+Macro definitions (if any) listed in the help screen(s), are silently truncated at the screen width, and are not wrapped. -

8. Using color and mono video attributes

-


-Usage: color object foreground background [ regexp ]
-Usage: color index foreground background pattern
-Usage: uncolor index pattern [ pattern ...  ]
-

-

+

9. Using Color and Mono Video Attributes

Usage:

color +object + +foreground + +background +
color { +header + | +body + } +foreground + +background + +regexp +
color +index + +foreground + +background + +pattern +
uncolor { +index + | +header + | +body + } { +* + | +pattern +... }

If your terminal supports color, you can spice up Mutt by creating your own color scheme. To define the color of an object (type of information), you -must specify both a foreground color and a background color (it is not +must specify both a foreground color and a background color (it is not possible to only specify one or the other).

-object can be one of: -

- -

  • -attachment -

  • -body (match regexp in the body of messages) -

  • -bold (hiliting bold patterns in the body of messages) -

  • -error (error messages printed by Mutt) -

  • -header (match regexp in the message header) -

  • -hdrdefault (default color of the message header in the pager) -

  • -index (match pattern in the message index) -

  • -indicator (arrow or bar used to indicate the current item in a menu) -

  • -markers (the ``+'' markers at the beginning of wrapped lines in the pager) -

  • -message (informational messages) -

  • -normal -

  • -quoted (text matching $quote_regexp in the body of a message) -

  • -quoted1, quoted2, ..., quotedN (higher levels of quoting) -

  • -search (hiliting of words in the pager) -

  • -signature -

  • -status (mode lines used to display info about the mailbox or message) -

  • -tilde (the ``˜'' used to pad blank lines in the pager) -

  • -tree (thread tree drawn in the message index and attachment menu) -

  • -underline (hiliting underlined patterns in the body of messages) -

- +header and body match regexp +in the header/body of a message, index matches pattern +(see Section 2, “Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging”) in the message index.

+object can be one of: +

  • attachment

  • bold (hiliting bold patterns in the body of messages)

  • error (error messages printed by Mutt)

  • hdrdefault (default color of the message header in the pager)

  • indicator (arrow or bar used to indicate the current item in a menu)

  • markers (the “+” markers at the beginning of wrapped lines in the pager)

  • message (informational messages)

  • normal

  • quoted (text matching $quote_regexp in the body of a message)

  • quoted1, quoted2, ..., quotedN (higher levels of quoting)

  • search (hiliting of words in the pager)

  • signature

  • status (mode lines used to display info about the mailbox or message)

  • tilde (the “˜” used to pad blank lines in the pager)

  • tree (thread tree drawn in the message index and attachment menu)

  • underline (hiliting underlined patterns in the body of messages)

foreground and background can be one of the following: -

- -

  • -white -

  • -black -

  • -green -

  • -magenta -

  • -blue -

  • -cyan -

  • -yellow -

  • -red -

  • -default -

  • -colorx -

- -

+

  • white

  • black

  • green

  • magenta

  • blue

  • cyan

  • yellow

  • red

  • default

  • colorx

foreground can optionally be prefixed with the keyword bright to make the foreground color boldfaced (e.g., brightred).

If your terminal supports it, the special keyword default can be used as a transparent color. The value brightdefault is also valid. If Mutt is linked against the S-Lang library, you also need to set -the COLORFGBG environment variable to the default colors of your +the $COLORFGBG environment variable to the default colors of your terminal for this to work; for example (for Bourne-like shells): -

-

 set COLORFGBG="green;black"
 export COLORFGBG
-

- -

-Note: The S-Lang library requires you to use the lightgray +

Note

+The S-Lang library requires you to use the lightgray and brown keywords instead of white and yellow when setting this variable. -

-Note: The uncolor command can be applied to the index object only. It -removes entries from the list. You must specify the same pattern -specified in the color command for it to be removed. The pattern ``*'' is -a special token which means to clear the color index list of all entries. -

+

Note

+The uncolor command can be applied to the index, header and body objects only. It +removes entries from the list. You must specify the same pattern +specified in the color command for it to be removed. The pattern “*” is +a special token which means to clear the color list of all entries. +

Mutt also recognizes the keywords color0, color1, …, -colorN-1 (N being the number of colors supported +colorN-1 (N being the number of colors supported by your terminal). This is useful when you remap the colors for your display (for example by changing the color associated with color2 for your xterm), since color names may then lose their normal meaning. -

+

If your terminal does not support color, it is still possible change the video -attributes through the use of the ``mono'' command: -

-


-Usage: mono <object> <attribute> [ regexp ]
-Usage: mono index attribute pattern
-Usage: unmono index pattern [ pattern ...  ]
-

-

-where attribute is one of the following: -

- -

  • -none -

  • -bold -

  • -underline -

  • -reverse -

  • -standout -

- -

9. Ignoring (weeding) unwanted message headers

-Usage: [un]ignore pattern [ pattern ... ] -

+attributes through the use of the “mono” command. Usage: +

mono +object + +attribute +
mono { +header + | +body + } +attribute + +regexp +
mono +index + +attribute + +pattern +
unmono { +index + | +header + | +body + } { +* + | +pattern +... }

+For object, see the color command. attribute +can be one of the following: +

  • none

  • bold

  • underline

  • reverse

  • standout

10. Message Header Display

10.1. Selecting Headers

Usage:

ignore +pattern + [ +pattern +...]
unignore { +* + | +pattern +... }

Messages often have many header fields added by automatic processing systems, or which may not seem useful to display on the screen. This command allows -you to specify header fields which you don't normally want to see. +you to specify header fields which you don't normally want to see in the pager.

You do not need to specify the full header field name. For example, -``ignore content-'' will ignore all header fields that begin with the pattern -``content-''. ``ignore *'' will ignore all headers. +“ignore content-” will ignore all header fields that begin with the pattern +“content-”. “ignore *” will ignore all headers.

-To remove a previously added token from the list, use the ``unignore'' command. -The ``unignore'' command will make Mutt display headers with the given pattern. -For example, if you do ``ignore x-'' it is possible to ``unignore x-mailer''. +To remove a previously added token from the list, use the “unignore” command. +The “unignore” command will make Mutt display headers with the given pattern. +For example, if you do “ignore x-” it is possible to “unignore x-mailer”.

-``unignore *'' will remove all tokens from the ignore list. -

-For example: - -

+“unignore *” will remove all tokens from the ignore list.
+

Example 3.9. Header weeding

 # Sven's draconian header weeding
 ignore *
 unignore from date subject to cc
 unignore organization organisation x-mailer: x-newsreader: x-mailing-list:
 unignore posted-to:
-

- -

10. Alternative addresses

-Usage: [un]alternates [ -group name [ ... ] ] regexp [ regexp ... ] - -

-With various functions, mutt will treat messages differently, +


10.2. Ordering Displayed Headers

Usage:

hdr_order +header + [ +header +...]
unhdr_order { +* + | +header +... }

+With the hdr_order command you can specify an order in +which Mutt will attempt to present these headers to you when viewing messages. +

+“unhdr_order *” will clear all previous headers from the order list, +thus removing the header order effects set by the system-wide startup file. +

Example 3.10. Configuring header display order

+hdr_order From Date: From: To: Cc: Subject:
+

11. Alternative Addresses

Usage:

alternates [ +-group +name +...] +regexp + [ +regexp +...]
unalternates [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +regexp +... }

+With various functions, Mutt will treat messages differently, depending on whether you sent them or whether you received them from someone else. For instance, when replying to a message that you -sent to a different party, mutt will automatically suggest to send -the response to the original message's recipients -- responding to -yourself won't make much sense in many cases. (See $reply_to.) +sent to a different party, Mutt will automatically suggest to send +the response to the original message's recipients — responding to +yourself won't make much sense in many cases. (See $reply_to.)

Many users receive e-mail under a number of different addresses. To -fully use mutt's features here, the program must be able to +fully use Mutt's features here, the program must be able to recognize what e-mail addresses you receive mail under. That's the -purpose of the alternates command: It takes a list of regular +purpose of the alternates command: It takes a list of regular expressions, each of which can identify an address under which you receive e-mail.

@@ -1131,7 +1289,7 @@ as possible to avoid mismatches. For example, if you specify:

 alternates user@example
 

-mutt will consider ``some-user@example'' as +Mutt will consider “some-user@example” as being your address, too which may not be desired. As a solution, in such cases addresses should be specified as:

@@ -1140,637 +1298,734 @@ alternates '^user@example$'
 The -group flag causes all of the subsequent regular expressions
 to be added to the named group.
 

-The unalternates command can be used to write exceptions to -alternates patterns. If an address matches something in an -alternates command, but you nonetheless do not think it is -from you, you can list a more precise pattern under an unalternates +The unalternates command can be used to write exceptions to +alternates patterns. If an address matches something in an +alternates command, but you nonetheless do not think it is +from you, you can list a more precise pattern under an unalternates command.

-To remove a regular expression from the alternates list, use the -unalternates command with exactly the same regexp. -Likewise, if the regexp for an alternates command matches -an entry on the unalternates list, that unalternates -entry will be removed. If the regexp for unalternates -is ``*'', all entries on alternates will be removed. -

11. Mailing lists

-


-Usage: [un]lists [ -group name [ ... ] ] regexp [ regexp ... ]
-Usage: [un]subscribe [ -group name [ ... ] ] regexp [ regexp ... ]
-

-

-Mutt has a few nice features for handling mailing lists. In order to take advantage of them, you must +To remove a regular expression from the alternates list, use the +unalternates command with exactly the same regexp. +Likewise, if the regexp for an alternates command matches +an entry on the unalternates list, that unalternates +entry will be removed. If the regexp for unalternates +is “*”, all entries on alternates will be removed. +

12. Mailing Lists

Usage:

lists [ +-group +name +...] +regexp + [ +regexp +...]
unlists [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +regexp +... }
subscribe [ +-group +name +...] +regexp + [ +regexp +...]
unsubscribe [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +regexp +... }

+Mutt has a few nice features for handling mailing lists. In order to take advantage of them, you must specify which addresses belong to mailing lists, and which mailing -lists you are subscribed to. Once you have done this, the list-reply function will work for all known lists. -Additionally, when you send a message to a subscribed list, mutt will +lists you are subscribed to. Mutt also has limited support for +auto-detecting mailing lists: it supports parsing +mailto: links in the common +List-Post: header which has the same effect as +specifying the list address via the lists command +(except the group feature). Once you have done this, the +<list-reply> +function will work for all known lists. +Additionally, when you send a message to a subscribed list, Mutt will add a Mail-Followup-To header to tell other users' mail user agents -not to send copies of replies to your personal address. Note that -the Mail-Followup-To header is a non-standard extension which is not +not to send copies of replies to your personal address. +

Note

+The Mail-Followup-To header is a non-standard extension which is not supported by all mail user agents. Adding it is not bullet-proof against receiving personal CCs of list messages. Also note that the generation -of the Mail-Followup-To header is controlled by the $followup_to configuration variable. -

+of the Mail-Followup-To header is controlled by the +$followup_to +configuration variable since it's common practice on some mailing lists +to send Cc upons replies (which is more a group- than a list-reply). +

More precisely, Mutt maintains lists of patterns for the addresses of known and subscribed mailing lists. Every subscribed mailing -list is known. To mark a mailing list as known, use the ``lists'' -command. To mark it as subscribed, use ``subscribe''. +list is known. To mark a mailing list as known, use the list +command. To mark it as subscribed, use subscribe.

-You can use regular expressions with both commands. To mark all -messages sent to a specific bug report's address on mutt's bug +You can use regular expressions with both commands. To mark all +messages sent to a specific bug report's address on Debian's bug tracking system as list mail, for instance, you could say -``subscribe [0-9]*@bugs.guug.de''. Often, it's sufficient to just -give a portion of the list's e-mail address. +

+subscribe [0-9]*.*@bugs.debian.org

+as it's often, it's sufficient to just give a portion of the list's e-mail address.

Specify as much of the address as you need to to remove ambiguity. For example, if you've subscribed to the Mutt mailing list, you will receive mail -addressed to mutt-users@mutt.org. So, to tell Mutt -that this is a mailing list, you could add ``lists mutt-users@'' to your -initialization file. To tell mutt that you are subscribed to it, -add ``subscribe mutt-users'' to your initialization file instead. +addressed to mutt-users@mutt.org. So, to tell Mutt +that this is a mailing list, you could add lists mutt-users@ to your +initialization file. To tell Mutt that you are subscribed to it, +add subscribe mutt-users to your initialization file instead. If you also happen to get mail from someone whose address is -mutt-users@example.com, you could use -``lists ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$'' -or ``subscribe ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$'' to +mutt-users@example.com, you could use +lists ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$ +or subscribe ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$ to match only mail from the actual list.

The -group flag adds all of the subsequent regular expressions to the named group.

-The ``unlists'' command is used to remove a token from the list of -known and subscribed mailing-lists. Use ``unlists *'' to remove all +The “unlists” command is used to remove a token from the list of +known and subscribed mailing-lists. Use “unlists *” to remove all tokens.

To remove a mailing list from the list of subscribed mailing lists, -but keep it on the list of known mailing lists, use ``unsubscribe''. -

12. Using Multiple spool mailboxes

-Usage: mbox-hook [!]pattern mailbox -

+but keep it on the list of known mailing lists, use unsubscribe. +

13. Using Multiple Spool Mailboxes

Usage:

mbox-hook +[!]pattern + +mailbox +

This command is used to move read messages from a specified mailbox to a different mailbox automatically when you quit or change folders. pattern is a regular expression specifying the mailbox to treat as a -``spool'' mailbox and mailbox specifies where mail should be saved when +“spool” mailbox and mailbox specifies where mail should be saved when read.

Unlike some of the other hook commands, only the first matching pattern is used (it is not possible to save read mail in more than a single mailbox). -

13. Monitoring incoming mail

-Usage: [un]mailboxes folder [ folder ... ] -

+

14. Monitoring Incoming Mail

Usage:

mailboxes +mailbox + [ +mailbox +...]
unmailboxes { +* + | +mailbox +... }

This command specifies folders which can receive mail and -which will be checked for new messages. By default, the -main menu status bar displays how many of these folders have -new messages. +which will be checked for new messages periodically.

-folder can either be a local file or directory +folder can either be a local file or directory (Mbox/Mmdf or Maildir/Mh). If Mutt was built with POP and/or IMAP -support, folder can also be a POP/IMAP folder -URL. The URL syntax is described in Section 1.2, “URL syntax”, -POP and IMAP are described in Section 3, “POP3 Support” and Section 4, “IMAP Support” +support, folder can also be a POP/IMAP folder +URL. The URL syntax is described in Section 1.2, “URL Syntax”, +POP and IMAP are described in Section 3, “POP3 Support” and Section 4, “IMAP Support” respectively.

-When changing folders, pressing space will cycle -through folders with new mail. +Mutt provides a number of advanced features for handling (possibly many) +folders and new mail within them, please refer to +Section 9, “Handling multiple folders” for details (including in what +situations and how often Mutt checks for new mail).

-Pressing TAB in the directory browser will bring up a menu showing the files -specified by the mailboxes command, and indicate which contain new -messages. Mutt will automatically enter this mode when invoked from the -command line with the -y option. -

-The ``unmailboxes'' command is used to remove a token from the list -of folders which receive mail. Use ``unmailboxes *'' to remove all +The “unmailboxes” command is used to remove a token from the list +of folders which receive mail. Use “unmailboxes *” to remove all tokens. -

-Note: the folders in the mailboxes command are resolved when -the command is executed, so if these names contain shortcut characters (such as ``='' and ``!''), any variable -definition that affect these characters (like $folder and $spoolfile) -should be executed before the mailboxes command. If +

Note

+The folders in the mailboxes command are resolved when +the command is executed, so if these names contain shortcut characters (such as “=” and “!”), any variable +definition that affects these characters (like $folder and $spoolfile) +should be set before the mailboxes command. If none of these shorcuts are used, a local path should be absolute as -otherwise mutt tries to find it within the current working directory -from where mutt was started which may not always be desired. -

-For local folders, new mail is detected by comparing access and/or -modification times of files and folders. The interval in which Mutt -checks for new mail is defined by -$mail_check. -

-Special care is required with Mbox and Mmdf -folders as Mutt assumes such a folder has new mail if it wasn't +otherwise Mutt tries to find it relative to the directory +from where Mutt was started which may not always be desired. +

+For Mbox and Mmdf folders, new mail is detected by comparing access and/or +modification times of files: Mutt assumes a folder has new mail if it wasn't accessed after it was last modified. Utilities like biff or frm or any other program which accesses the mailbox might cause Mutt to never detect new mail for that mailbox if they do not properly reset the -access time. Backup tools are another common reason for updated access times. -

14. User defined headers

-Usage: - -my_hdr string - -unmy_hdr field [ field ... ] -

-The ``my_hdr'' command allows you to create your own header -fields which will be added to every message you send. -

-For example, if you would like to add an ``Organization:'' header field to -all of your outgoing messages, you can put the command -

-“my_hdr Organization: A Really Big Company, Anytown, USA” -

-in your .muttrc. -

-Note: space characters are not allowed between the keyword and -the colon (``:''). The standard for electronic mail (RFC822) says that +access time. Other possible causes of Mutt not detecting new mail in these folders +are backup tools (updating access times) or filesystems mounted without +access time update support. +

+In cases where new mail detection for Mbox or Mmdf folders appears to be +unreliable, the +$check_mbox_size +option can be used to make Mutt track and consult file sizes for new +mail detection instead which won't work for size-neutral changes. +

15. User-Defined Headers

Usage:

my_hdr +string +
unmy_hdr { +* + | +field +... }

+The my_hdr command allows you to create your own header +fields which will be added to every message you send and appear in the +editor if $edit_headers is set. +

+For example, if you would like to add an “Organization:” header field to +all of your outgoing messages, you can put the command something like +shown in Example 3.11, “Defining custom headers” in your .muttrc. +

Example 3.11. Defining custom headers

+my_hdr Organization: A Really Big Company, Anytown, USA
+

Note

+Space characters are not allowed between the keyword and +the colon (“:”). The standard for electronic mail (RFC2822) says that space is illegal there, so Mutt enforces the rule. -

+

If you would like to add a header field to a single message, you should -either set the $edit_headers variable, -or use the edit-headers function (default: ``E'') in the send-menu so +either set the $edit_headers variable, +or use the <edit-headers> function (default: “E”) in the compose menu so that you can edit the header of your message along with the body.

-To remove user defined header fields, use the ``unmy_hdr'' -command. You may specify an asterisk (``*'') to remove all header -fields, or the fields to remove. For example, to remove all ``To'' and -``Cc'' header fields, you could use: -

-“unmy_hdr to cc” -

15. Defining the order of headers when viewing messages

-Usage: hdr_order header1 header2 header3 -

-With this command, you can specify an order in which mutt will attempt -to present headers to you when viewing messages. -

-``unhdr_order *'' will clear all previous headers from the order list, -thus removing the header order effects set by the system-wide startup -file. -

- +To remove user defined header fields, use the unmy_hdr +command. You may specify an asterisk (“*”) to remove all header +fields, or the fields to remove. For example, to remove all “To” and +“Cc” header fields, you could use:

-hdr_order From Date: From: To: Cc: Subject:
-

- -

16. Specify default save mailbox

-Usage: save-hook [!]pattern mailbox -

+unmy_hdr to cc +

16. Specify Default Save Mailbox

Usage:

save-hook +[!]pattern + +mailbox +

This command is used to override the default mailbox used when saving messages. mailbox will be used as the default if the message -matches pattern, see Message Matching in Hooks for information +matches pattern, see Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format.

To provide more flexibility and good defaults, Mutt applies the -expandos of $index_format to +expandos of $index_format to mailbox after it was expanded. -

-Examples: -

- -

+

Example 3.12. Using %-expandos in save-hook

 # default: save all to ~/Mail/<author name>
 save-hook . ~/Mail/%F
-# save from me@turing.cs.hmc.edu/me@cs.hmc.edu to $folder/elinks
+
+# save from me@turing.cs.hmc.edu and me@cs.hmc.edu to $folder/elkins
 save-hook me@(turing\\.)?cs\\.hmc\\.edu$ +elkins
+
 # save from aol.com to $folder/spam
 save-hook aol\\.com$ +spam
-

- -

-Also see the fcc-save-hook command. -

17. Specify default Fcc: mailbox when composing

-Usage: fcc-hook [!]pattern mailbox -

+


+Also see the fcc-save-hook command. +

17. Specify Default Fcc: Mailbox When Composing

Usage:

fcc-hook +[!]pattern + +mailbox +

This command is used to save outgoing mail in a mailbox other than -$record. Mutt searches the initial list of +$record. Mutt searches the initial list of message recipients for the first matching regexp and uses mailbox as the default Fcc: mailbox. If no match is found the message will be saved -to $record mailbox. +to $record mailbox.

To provide more flexibility and good defaults, Mutt applies the -expandos of $index_format to +expandos of $index_format to mailbox after it was expanded.

-See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format of pattern. -

-Example: fcc-hook [@.]aol\\.com$ +spammers -

-The above will save a copy of all messages going to the aol.com domain to -the `+spammers' mailbox by default. Also see the fcc-save-hook command. -

18. Specify default save filename and default Fcc: mailbox at once

-Usage: fcc-save-hook [!]pattern mailbox -

-This command is a shortcut, equivalent to doing both a fcc-hook -and a save-hook with its arguments, +See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format of pattern. +

fcc-hook [@.]aol\\.com$ +spammers

+...will save a copy of all messages going to the aol.com domain to +the `+spammers' mailbox by default. Also see the fcc-save-hook command. +

18. Specify Default Save Filename and Default Fcc: Mailbox at Once

Usage:

fcc-save-hook +[!]pattern + +mailbox +

+This command is a shortcut, equivalent to doing both a fcc-hook +and a save-hook with its arguments, including %-expansion on mailbox according -to $index_format. -

19. Change settings based upon message recipients

-


-Usage: reply-hook [!]pattern command
-Usage: send-hook [!]pattern command
-Usage: send2-hook [!]pattern command
-

-

+to $index_format. +

19. Change Settings Based Upon Message Recipients

Usage:

reply-hook +[!]pattern + +command +
send-hook +[!]pattern + +command +
send2-hook +[!]pattern + +command +

These commands can be used to execute arbitrary configuration commands based -upon recipients of the message. pattern is a regular expression -matching the desired address. command is executed when regexp -matches recipients of the message. -

-reply-hook is matched against the message you are replying -to, instead of the message you are sending. send-hook is -matched against all messages, both new and replies. Note: -reply-hooks are matched before the send-hook, regardless +upon recipients of the message. pattern is used to match +the message, see Message Matching in Hooks for details. command +is executed when pattern matches. +

+reply-hook is matched against the message you are replying to, +instead of the message you are sending. send-hook is +matched against all messages, both new +and replies. +

Note

+reply-hooks are matched before the send-hook, regardless of the order specified in the user's configuration file. -

-send2-hook is matched every time a message is changed, either +

+send2-hook is matched every time a message is changed, either by editing it, or by using the compose menu to change its recipients -or subject. send2-hook is executed after send-hook, and -can, e.g., be used to set parameters such as the $sendmail variable depending on the message's sender +or subject. send2-hook is executed after send-hook, and +can, e.g., be used to set parameters such as the $sendmail variable depending on the message's sender address.

-For each type of send-hook or reply-hook, when multiple matches -occur, commands are executed in the order they are specified in the muttrc +For each type of send-hook or reply-hook, when multiple matches +occur, commands are executed in the order they are specified in the .muttrc (for that type of hook).

-See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format of pattern. -

-Example: send-hook mutt "set mime_forward signature=''" +Example: send-hook mutt "set mime_forward signature=''"

Another typical use for this command is to change the values of the -$attribution, $signature and $locale +$attribution, $signature and $locale variables in order to change the language of the attributions and signatures based upon the recipients. -

-Note: the send-hook's are only executed ONCE after getting the initial -list of recipients. Adding a recipient after replying or editing the -message will NOT cause any send-hook to be executed. Also note that -my_hdr commands which modify recipient headers, or the message's -subject, don't have any effect on the current message when executed -from a send-hook. -

20. Change settings before formatting a message

-Usage: message-hook [!]pattern command -

+

Note

+send-hook's are only executed once after getting the +initial list of recipients. Adding a recipient after replying or +editing the message will not cause any send-hook to be executed, +similarily if $autoedit is set +(as then the initial list of recipients is empty). Also note that my_hdr commands which +modify recipient headers, or the message's subject, don't have any +effect on the current message when executed from a +send-hook. +

20. Change Settings Before Formatting a Message

Usage:

message-hook +[!]pattern + +command +

This command can be used to execute arbitrary configuration commands before viewing or formatting a message based upon information about the message. command is executed if the pattern matches the message to be displayed. When multiple matches occur, commands are executed in the order -they are specified in the muttrc. +they are specified in the .muttrc.

-See Message Matching in Hooks for +See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format of pattern.

Example: -

 message-hook ~A 'set pager=builtin'
 message-hook '~f freshmeat-news' 'set pager="less \"+/^  subject: .*\""'
-

- -

21. Choosing the cryptographic key of the recipient

-Usage: crypt-hook pattern keyid -

-When encrypting messages with PGP or OpenSSL, you may want to associate a certain +

21. Choosing the Cryptographic Key of the Recipient

Usage:

crypt-hook +pattern + +keyid +

+When encrypting messages with PGP/GnuPG or OpenSSL, you may want to associate a certain key with a given e-mail address automatically, either because the recipient's public key can't be deduced from the destination address, or because, for some reasons, you need to override the key Mutt would -normally use. The crypt-hook command provides a method by which you can -specify the ID of the public key to be used when encrypting messages to -a certain recipient. +normally use. The crypt-hook command provides a +method by which you can specify the ID of the public key to be used +when encrypting messages to a certain recipient.

-The meaning of "key id" is to be taken broadly in this context: You +The meaning of keyid is to be taken broadly in this context: You can either put a numerical key ID here, an e-mail address, or even just a real name. -

22. Adding key sequences to the keyboard buffer

-Usage: push string -

+

22. Adding Key Sequences to the Keyboard Buffer

Usage:

push +string +

This command adds the named string to the keyboard buffer. The string may contain control characters, key names and function names like the sequence -string in the macro command. You may use it to +string in the macro command. You may use it to automatically run a sequence of commands at startup, or when entering -certain folders. For example, the following command will automatically -collapse all threads when entering a folder: - -

+certain folders. For example, Example 3.13, “Embedding push in folder-hook”
+shows how to automatically collapse all threads when entering a folder.
+

Example 3.13. Embedding push in folder-hook

 folder-hook . 'push <collapse-all>'
-

-

23. Executing functions

-Usage: exec function [ function ... ] -

+


23. Executing Functions

Usage:

exec +function + [ +function +...]

This command can be used to execute any function. Functions are -listed in the function reference. -``exec function'' is equivalent to ``push <function>''. -

24. Message Scoring

-


-Usage: score pattern value
-Usage: unscore pattern [ pattern ... ]
-

-

-The score commands adds value to a message's score if pattern -matches it. pattern is a string in the format described in the patterns section (note: For efficiency reasons, patterns +listed in the function reference. +“execfunction” is equivalent to +“push <function>”. +

24. Message Scoring

Usage:

score +pattern + +value +
unscore { +* + | +pattern +... }

+The score commands adds value to a message's score if pattern +matches it. pattern is a string in the format described in the patterns section (note: For efficiency reasons, patterns which scan information not available in the index, such as ˜b, ˜B or ˜h, may not be used). value is a positive or negative integer. A message's final score is the sum total of all -matching score entries. However, you may optionally prefix value with -an equal sign (=) to cause evaluation to stop at a particular entry if there is +matching score entries. However, you may optionally prefix value with +an equal sign (“=”) to cause evaluation to stop at a particular entry if there is a match. Negative final scores are rounded up to 0.

-The unscore command removes score entries from the list. You must -specify the same pattern specified in the score command for it to be -removed. The pattern ``*'' is a special token which means to clear the list +The unscore command removes score entries from the list. You must +specify the same pattern specified in the score command for it to be +removed. The pattern “*” is a special token which means to clear the list of all score entries. -

25. Spam detection

-


-Usage: spam pattern format
-Usage: nospam pattern
-

-

+

25. Spam Detection

Usage:

spam +pattern + +format +
nospam { +* + | +pattern + }

Mutt has generalized support for external spam-scoring filters. -By defining your spam patterns with the spam and nospam +By defining your spam patterns with the spam and nospam commands, you can limit, search, and sort your mail based on its spam attributes, as determined by the external filter. You also can display the spam attributes in your index -display using the %H selector in the $index_format variable. (Tip: try %?H?[%H] ? +display using the %H selector in the $index_format variable. (Tip: try %?H?[%H] ? to display spam tags only when they are defined for a given message.)

Your first step is to define your external filter's spam patterns using -the spam command. pattern should be a regular expression +the spam command. pattern should be a regular expression that matches a header in a mail message. If any message in the mailbox -matches this regular expression, it will receive a ``spam tag'' or -``spam attribute'' (unless it also matches a nospam pattern -- see +matches this regular expression, it will receive a “spam tag” or +“spam attribute” (unless it also matches a nospam pattern — see below.) The appearance of this attribute is entirely up to you, and is governed by the format parameter. format can be any static text, but it also can include back-references from the pattern -expression. (A regular expression ``back-reference'' refers to a +expression. (A regular expression “back-reference” refers to a sub-expression contained within parentheses.) %1 is replaced with the first back-reference in the regex, %2 with the second, etc.

+To match spam tags, mutt needs the corresponding header information +which is always the case for local and POP folders but not for IMAP in +the default configuration. Depending on the spam header to be analyzed, +$imap_headers may need +to be adjusted. +

If you're using multiple spam filters, a message can have more than -one spam-related header. You can define spam patterns for each +one spam-related header. You can define spam patterns for each filter you use. If a message matches two or more of these patterns, and -the $spam_separator variable is set to a string, then the +the $spam_separator variable is set to a string, then the message's spam tag will consist of all the format strings joined -together, with the value of $spam_separator separating +together, with the value of $spam_separator separating them.

-For example, suppose I use DCC, SpamAssassin, and PureMessage. I might -define these spam settings: - -

+For example, suppose one uses DCC, SpamAssassin, and PureMessage, then
+the configuration might look like in Example 3.14, “Configuring spam detection”.
+

Example 3.14. Configuring spam detection

 spam "X-DCC-.*-Metrics:.*(....)=many"         "90+/DCC-%1"
 spam "X-Spam-Status: Yes"                     "90+/SA"
 spam "X-PerlMX-Spam: .*Probability=([0-9]+)%" "%1/PM"
 set spam_separator=", "
-

- -

-If I then received a message that DCC registered with ``many'' hits -under the ``Fuz2'' checksum, and that PureMessage registered with a +


+If then a message is received that DCC registered with “many” hits +under the “Fuz2” checksum, and that PureMessage registered with a 97% probability of being spam, that message's spam tag would read -90+/DCC-Fuz2, 97/PM. (The four characters before ``=many'' in a -DCC report indicate the checksum used -- in this case, ``Fuz2''.) +90+/DCC-Fuz2, 97/PM. (The four characters before “=many” in a +DCC report indicate the checksum used — in this case, “Fuz2”.)

-If the $spam_separator variable is unset, then each +If the $spam_separator variable is unset, then each spam pattern match supersedes the previous one. Instead of getting joined format strings, you'll get only the last one to match.

The spam tag is what will be displayed in the index when you use -%H in the $index_format variable. It's also the +%H in the $index_format variable. It's also the string that the ˜H pattern-matching expression matches against for -search and limit functions. And it's what sorting by spam +<search> and <limit> functions. And it's what sorting by spam attribute will use as a sort key.

That's a pretty complicated example, and most people's actual environments will have only one spam filter. The simpler your -configuration, the more effective mutt can be, especially when it comes +configuration, the more effective Mutt can be, especially when it comes to sorting.

-Generally, when you sort by spam tag, mutt will sort lexically -- +Generally, when you sort by spam tag, Mutt will sort lexically — that is, by ordering strings alphanumerically. However, if a spam tag -begins with a number, mutt will sort numerically first, and lexically +begins with a number, Mutt will sort numerically first, and lexically only when two numbers are equal in value. (This is like UNIX's -sort -n.) A message with no spam attributes at all -- that is, one -that didn't match any of your spam patterns -- is sorted at +sort -n.) A message with no spam attributes at all — that is, one +that didn't match any of your spam patterns — is sorted at lowest priority. Numbers are sorted next, beginning with 0 and ranging -upward. Finally, non-numeric strings are sorted, with ``a'' taking lower -priority than ``z''. Clearly, in general, sorting by spam tags is most +upward. Finally, non-numeric strings are sorted, with “a” taking lower +priority than “z”. Clearly, in general, sorting by spam tags is most effective when you can coerce your filter to give you a raw number. But -in case you can't, mutt can still do something useful. +in case you can't, Mutt can still do something useful.

-The nospam command can be used to write exceptions to spam -patterns. If a header pattern matches something in a spam command, +The nospam command can be used to write exceptions to spam +patterns. If a header pattern matches something in a spam command, but you nonetheless do not want it to receive a spam tag, you can list a -more precise pattern under a nospam command. +more precise pattern under a nospam command.

-If the pattern given to nospam is exactly the same as the -pattern on an existing spam list entry, the effect will be to +If the pattern given to nospam is exactly the same as the +pattern on an existing spam list entry, the effect will be to remove the entry from the spam list, instead of adding an exception. -Likewise, if the pattern for a spam command matches an entry -on the nospam list, that nospam entry will be removed. If the -pattern for nospam is ``*'', all entries on both lists -will be removed. This might be the default action if you use spam -and nospam in conjunction with a folder-hook. -

-You can have as many spam or nospam commands as you like. -You can even do your own primitive spam detection within mutt -- for +Likewise, if the pattern for a spam command matches an entry +on the nospam list, that nospam entry will be removed. If the +pattern for nospam is “*”, all entries on both lists +will be removed. This might be the default action if you use spam +and nospam in conjunction with a folder-hook. +

+You can have as many spam or nospam commands as you like. +You can even do your own primitive spam detection within Mutt — for example, if you consider all mail from MAILER-DAEMON to be spam, -you can use a spam command like this: -

- +you can use a spam command like this:

 spam "^From: .*MAILER-DAEMON"       "999"
-

- -

26. Setting and Querying Variables

26.1. Commands

+

26. Setting and Querying Variables

26.1. Variable Types

+Mutt supports these types of configuration variables: +

boolean

+A boolean expression, either “yes” or “no”. +

number

+A signed integer number in the range -32768 to 32767. +

string

+Arbitrary text. +

path

+A specialized string for representing paths including support for +mailbox shortcuts (see Section 7, “Mailbox Shortcuts”) as well as tilde +(“˜”) for a user's home directory and more. +

quadoption

+Like a boolean but triggers a prompt when set to “ask-yes” +or “ask-no” with “yes” and “no” +preselected respectively. +

sort order

+A specialized string allowing only particular words as values depending +on the variable. +

regular expression

+A regular expression, see Section 1, “Regular Expressions” for an introduction. +

folder magic

+Specifies the type of folder to use: mbox, +mmdf, mh +or maildir. +Currently only used to determine the type for newly created folders. +

e-mail address

+An e-mail address either with or without +realname. The older “user@example.org (Joe User)” +form is supported but strongly deprecated. +

user-defined

+Arbitrary text, see Section 26.3, “User-Defined Variables” for details. +

26.2. Commands

The following commands are available to manipulate and query variables: -

-


-Usage: set [no|inv]variable[=value] [ variable ... ]
-Usage: toggle variable [variable ... ]
-Usage: unset variable [variable ... ]
-Usage: reset variable [variable ... ]
-

-

-This command is used to set (and unset) configuration variables. There are four basic types of variables: +

Usage:

set { +[ no | inv ] +variable + | +variable=value + } [...]
toggle +variable + [ +variable +...]
unset +variable + [ +variable +...]
reset +variable + [ +variable +...]

+This command is used to set (and unset) configuration variables. There are four basic types of variables: boolean, number, string and quadoption. boolean variables can be set (true) or unset (false). number variables can be assigned a positive integer value. -

-string variables consist of any number of printable characters. -strings must be enclosed in quotes if they contain spaces or tabs. You -may also use the ``C'' escape sequences \n and \t for -newline and tab, respectively. -

+string variables consist of any number of printable characters and +must be enclosed in quotes if they contain spaces or tabs. You +may also use the escape sequences “\n” and “\t” for newline and tab, respectively. quadoption variables are used to control whether or not to be prompted for certain actions, or to specify a default action. A value of yes will cause the action to be carried out automatically as if you had answered yes to the question. Similarly, a value of no will cause the -action to be carried out as if you had answered ``no.'' A value of -ask-yes will cause a prompt with a default answer of ``yes'' and -ask-no will provide a default answer of ``no.'' +action to be carried out as if you had answered “no.” A value of +ask-yes will cause a prompt with a default answer of “yes” and +ask-no will provide a default answer of “no.”

-Prefixing a variable with ``no'' will unset it. Example: set noaskbcc. +Prefixing a variable with “no” will unset it. Example: set noaskbcc.

For boolean variables, you may optionally prefix the variable name with inv to toggle the value (on or off). This is useful when writing -macros. Example: set invsmart_wrap. +macros. Example: set invsmart_wrap.

-The toggle command automatically prepends the inv prefix to all +The toggle command automatically prepends the inv prefix to all specified variables.

-The unset command automatically prepends the no prefix to all +The unset command automatically prepends the no prefix to all specified variables.

-Using the enter-command function in the index menu, you can query the +Using the <enter-command> function in the index menu, you can query the value of a variable by prefixing the name of the variable with a question mark: -

-

 set ?allow_8bit
 

- -

-The question mark is actually only required for boolean and quadoption +The question mark is actually only required for boolean and quadoption variables.

-The reset command resets all given variables to the compile time +The reset command resets all given variables to the compile time defaults (hopefully mentioned in this manual). If you use the command -set and prefix the variable with ``&'' this has the same -behavior as the reset command. +set and prefix the variable with “&” this has the same +behavior as the reset command.

-With the reset command there exists the special variable ``all'', +With the reset command there exists the special variable “all”, which allows you to reset all variables to their system defaults. -

26.2. User-defined variables

26.2.1. Introduction

+

26.3. User-Defined Variables

26.3.1. Introduction

Along with the variables listed in the -Configuration variables section, mutt +Configuration variables section, Mutt supports user-defined variables with names starting with my_ as in, for example, my_cfgdir.

-The set command creates a -custom $my_ variable and changes its -value. The unset and reset +The set command either creates a +custom my_ variable or changes its +value if it does exist already. The unset and reset commands remove the variable entirely.

Since user-defined variables are expanded in the same way that environment variables are (except for -the shell-escape command), this -feature can be used to make configuration files more readable. -

26.2.2. Examples

-The following example defines and uses the variable my_cfgdir -to abbreviate the calls of the source command: -

-

+the shell-escape command and
+backtick expansion), this feature can be used to make configuration
+files more readable.
+

26.3.2. Examples

+The following example defines and uses the variable my_cfgdir +to abbreviate the calls of the source command: +

Example 3.15. Using user-defined variables for config file readability

 set my_cfgdir = $HOME/mutt/config
 
 source $my_cfgdir/hooks
 source $my_cfgdir/macros
 # more source commands...
-

-

+


A custom variable can also be used in macros to backup the current value -of another variable. In the following example, the value of the -$delete is changed temporarily +of another variable. In the following example, the value of the +$delete is changed temporarily while its original value is saved as my_delete. -After the macro has executed all commands, the original value of $delete is restored. -

-

+After the macro has executed all commands, the original value of $delete is restored.
+

Example 3.16. Using user-defined variables for backing up other config option values

 macro pager ,x '\
 <enter-command>set my_delete=$delete<enter>\
 <enter-command>set delete=yes<enter>\
 ...\
 <enter-command>set delete=$my_delete<enter>'
-

-

-Since mutt expands such values already when parsing the configuration +


+Since Mutt expands such values already when parsing the configuration file(s), the value of $my_delete in the -last example would be the value of $delete exactly +last example would be the value of $delete exactly as it was at that point during parsing the configuration file. If -another statement would change the value for $delete +another statement would change the value for $delete later in the same or another file, it would have no effect on $my_delete. However, the expansion can be deferred to runtime, as shown in the next example, when escaping the dollar sign. -

-

+

Example 3.17. Deferring user-defined variable expansion to runtime

 macro pager <PageDown> "\
 <enter-command> set my_old_pager_stop=\$pager_stop pager_stop<Enter>\
 <next-page>\
 <enter-command> set pager_stop=\$my_old_pager_stop<Enter>\
 <enter-command> unset my_old_pager_stop<Enter>"
-

-

+


Note that there is a space between <enter-command> and -the set configuration command, preventing mutt from -recording the macro's commands into its history. -

27. Reading initialization commands from another file

-Usage: source filename -

+the set configuration command, preventing Mutt from +recording the macro's commands into its history. +

27. Reading Initialization Commands From Another File

Usage:

source +filename +

This command allows the inclusion of initialization commands from other files. For example, I place all of my aliases in ˜/.mail_aliases so that I can make my ˜/.muttrc readable and keep my aliases private.

-If the filename begins with a tilde (``˜''), it will be expanded to the +If the filename begins with a tilde (“˜”), it will be expanded to the path of your home directory.

-If the filename ends with a vertical bar (|), then filename is +If the filename ends with a vertical bar (“|”), then filename is considered to be an executable program from which to read input (eg. -source ˜/bin/myscript|). -

28. Removing hooks

-Usage: unhook [ * | hook-type ] -

+source ˜/bin/myscript|). +

28. Removing Hooks

Usage:

unhook { +* + | +hook-type + }

This command permits you to flush hooks you have previously defined. -You can either remove all hooks by giving the ``*'' character as an +You can either remove all hooks by giving the “*” character as an argument, or you can remove all hooks of a specific type by saying -something like unhook send-hook. -

29. Format Strings

29.1. Basic usage

+something like unhook send-hook. +

29. Format Strings

29.1. Basic usage

Format strings are a general concept you'll find in several locations -through the mutt configuration, especially in the -$index_format", -$pager_format", -$status_format", -and other ``*_format'' variables. These can be very straightforward, +through the Mutt configuration, especially in the +$index_format, +$pager_format, +$status_format, +and other related variables. These can be very straightforward, and it's quite possible you already know how to use them.

The most basic format string element is a percent symbol followed by another character. For example, %s -represents a message's Subject: header in the $index_format" variable. The -``expandos'' available are documented with each format variable, but +represents a message's Subject: header in the $index_format variable. The +“expandos” available are documented with each format variable, but there are general modifiers available with all formatting expandos, too. Those are our concern here.

-Some of the modifers are borrowed right out of C (though you might -know them from Perl, Python, shell, or another langugage). These are -the [-]m.n modifiers, as in %-12.12s. As with +Some of the modifiers are borrowed right out of C (though you might +know them from Perl, Python, shell, or another language). These are +the [-]m.n modifiers, as in %-12.12s. As with such programming languages, these modifiers allow you to specify the -minumum and maximum size of the resulting string, as well as its -justification. If the ``-'' sign follows the percent, the string will +minimum and maximum size of the resulting string, as well as its +justification. If the “-” sign follows the percent, the string will be left-justified instead of right-justified. If there's a number immediately following that, it's the minimum amount of space the -formatted string will occupy -- if it's naturally smaller than that, it +formatted string will occupy — if it's naturally smaller than that, it will be padded out with spaces. If a decimal point and another number -follow, that's the maximum space allowable -- the string will not be +follow, that's the maximum space allowable — the string will not be permitted to exceed that width, no matter its natural size. Each of these three elements is optional, so that all these are legal format -strings: -%-12s -%4c -%.15F -%-12.15L +strings: %-12s, %4c, +%.15F and %-12.15L.

Mutt adds some other modifiers to format strings. If you use an equals symbol (=) as a numeric prefix (like the minus above), it will force the string to be centered within its minimum space range. For example, %=14y will reserve 14 -characters for the %y expansion -- that's the X-Label: header, in -$index_format. If the expansion +characters for the %y expansion — that's the X-Label: header, in +$index_format. If the expansion results in a string less than 14 characters, it will be centered in a -14-character space. If the X-Label for a message were "test", that -expansion would look like `` test ''. +14-character space. If the X-Label for a message were “test”, that +expansion would look like “     test     ”.

There are two very little-known modifiers that affect the way that an -expando is replaced. If there is an underline (``_'') character +expando is replaced. If there is an underline (“_”) character between any format modifiers (as above) and the expando letter, it will -expands in all lower case. And if you use a colon (``:''), it will +expands in all lower case. And if you use a colon (“:”), it will replace all decimal points with underlines. -

29.2. Filters

-Any format string ending in a vertical bar (``|'') will be +

29.2. Conditionals

+Depending on the format string variable, some of its sequences can be +used to optionally print a string if their value is nonzero. For +example, you may only want to see the number of flagged messages if such +messages exist, since zero is not particularly meaningful. To optionally +print a string based upon one of the above sequences, the following +construct is used: +

+%?<sequence_char>?<optional_string>?

+where sequence_char is an expando, and +optional_string is the string you would like printed if +sequence_char is nonzero. +optional_string may contain other +sequences as well as normal text, but you may not nest optional +strings. +

+Here is an example illustrating how to optionally print the number of +new messages in a mailbox in +$status_format: +

+%?n?%n new messages.?

+You can also switch between two strings using the following construct: +

+%?<sequence_char>?<if_string>&<else_string>?

+If the value of sequence_char is +non-zero, if_string will be expanded, +otherwise else_string will be expanded. +

29.3. Filters

+Any format string ending in a vertical bar (“|”) will be expanded and piped through the first word in the string, using spaces as separator. The string returned will be used for display. If the returned string ends in %, it will be passed through @@ -1779,10 +2034,10 @@ replacement format string including % expandos.

All % expandos in a format string are expanded before the script is called so that: -

+

Example 3.18. Using external filters in format strings

 set status_format="script.sh '%r %f (%L)'|"
-

-will make mutt expand %r, +


+will make Mutt expand %r, %f and %L before calling the script. The example also shows that arguments can be quoted: the script will receive the expanded string between the single quotes @@ -1790,462 +2045,403 @@ as the only argument.

A practical example is the mutt_xtitle script installed in the samples -subdirectory of the mutt documentation: it can be used as filter for -$status_format to set the current +subdirectory of the Mutt documentation: it can be used as filter for +$status_format to set the current terminal's title, if supported. -

Chapter 4. Advanced Usage

Table of Contents

1. Regular Expressions
2. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging
2.1. Pattern Modifier
2.2. Simple Patterns
2.3. Complex Patterns
2.4. Searching by Date
3. Using Tags
4. Using Hooks
4.1. Message Matching in Hooks
5. External Address Queries
6. Mailbox Formats
7. Mailbox Shortcuts
8. Handling Mailing Lists
9. Editing threads
9.1. Linking threads
9.2. Breaking threads
10. Delivery Status Notification (DSN) Support
11. Start a WWW Browser on URLs (EXTERNAL)

1. Regular Expressions

+

29.4. Padding

+In most format strings, Mutt supports different types of padding using +special %-expandos: +

%|X

+When this occurs, Mutt will fill the rest of the +line with the character X. For +example, filling the rest of the line with dashes is +done by setting: +

+set status_format = "%v on %h: %B: %?n?%n&no? new messages %|-"
+%>X +

+Since the previous expando stops at the end of line, there must be a way +to fill the gap between two items via the %>X +expando: it puts as many characters X in between two +items so that the rest of the line will be right-justified. For example, +to not put the version string and hostname the above example on the left +but on the right and fill the gap with spaces, one might use (note the +space after %>): +

+set status_format = "%B: %?n?%n&no? new messages %> (%v on %h)"
%*X +

+Normal right-justification will print everything to the left of the +%>, displaying padding and whatever lies to the +right only if there's room. By contrast, “soft-fill” gives +priority to the right-hand side, guaranteeing space to display it and +showing padding only if there's still room. If necessary, soft-fill will +eat text leftwards to make room for rightward text. For example, to +right-justify the subject making sure as much as possible of it fits on +screen, one might use (note two spaces after %* +: the second ensures there's a space between the truncated +right-hand side and the subject): +

+set index_format="%4C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15L (%?l?%4l&%4c?)%*  %s"

Chapter 4. Advanced Usage

Table of Contents

1. Regular Expressions
2. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging
2.1. Pattern Modifier
2.2. Simple Searches
2.3. Nesting and Boolean Operators
2.4. Searching by Date
3. Using Tags
4. Using Hooks
4.1. Message Matching in Hooks
5. External Address Queries
6. Mailbox Formats
7. Mailbox Shortcuts
8. Handling Mailing Lists
9. Handling multiple folders
10. Editing Threads
10.1. Linking Threads
10.2. Breaking Threads
11. Delivery Status Notification (DSN) Support
12. Start a WWW Browser on URLs
13. Miscellany

1. Regular Expressions

All string patterns in Mutt including those in more complex -patterns must be specified -using regular expressions (regexp) in the ``POSIX extended'' syntax (which +patterns must be specified +using regular expressions (regexp) in the “POSIX extended” syntax (which is more or less the syntax used by egrep and GNU awk). For your convenience, we have included below a brief description of this syntax.

The search is case sensitive if the pattern contains at least one upper -case letter, and case insensitive otherwise. Note that ``\'' +case letter, and case insensitive otherwise. +

Note

+“\” must be quoted if used for a regular expression in an initialization -command: ``\\''. -

+command: “\\”. +

A regular expression is a pattern that describes a set of strings. Regular expressions are constructed analogously to arithmetic expressions, by using various operators to combine smaller expressions. -

-Note that the regular expression can be enclosed/delimited by either " +

Note

+The regular expression can be enclosed/delimited by either " or ' which is useful if the regular expression includes a white-space -character. See Syntax of Initialization Files +character. See Syntax of Initialization Files for more information on " and ' delimiter processing. To match a literal " or ' you must preface it with \ (backslash). -

+

The fundamental building blocks are the regular expressions that match a single character. Most characters, including all letters and digits, are regular expressions that match themselves. Any metacharacter with special meaning may be quoted by preceding it with a backslash.

-The period ``.'' matches any single character. The caret ``^'' and -the dollar sign ``$'' are metacharacters that respectively match +The period “.” matches any single character. The caret “^” and +the dollar sign “$” are metacharacters that respectively match the empty string at the beginning and end of a line.

-A list of characters enclosed by ``['' and ``]'' matches any +A list of characters enclosed by “[” and “]” matches any single character in that list; if the first character of the list -is a caret ``^'' then it matches any character not in the -list. For example, the regular expression [0123456789] +is a caret “^” then it matches any character not in the +list. For example, the regular expression [0123456789] matches any single digit. A range of ASCII characters may be specified by giving the first and last characters, separated by a hyphen -``-''. Most metacharacters lose their special meaning inside -lists. To include a literal ``]'' place it first in the list. -Similarly, to include a literal ``^'' place it anywhere but first. -Finally, to include a literal hyphen ``-'' place it last. +“-”. Most metacharacters lose their special meaning inside +lists. To include a literal “]” place it first in the list. +Similarly, to include a literal “^” place it anywhere but first. +Finally, to include a literal hyphen “-” place it last.

Certain named classes of characters are predefined. Character classes -consist of ``[:'', a keyword denoting the class, and ``:]''. -The following classes are defined by the POSIX standard: -

-

[:alnum:]

-Alphanumeric characters. -

[:alpha:]

-Alphabetic characters. -

[:blank:]

-Space or tab characters. -

[:cntrl:]

-Control characters. -

[:digit:]

-Numeric characters. -

[:graph:]

-Characters that are both printable and visible. (A space is printable, -but not visible, while an ``a'' is both.) -

[:lower:]

-Lower-case alphabetic characters. -

[:print:]

-Printable characters (characters that are not control characters.) -

[:punct:]

-Punctuation characters (characters that are not letter, digits, control -characters, or space characters). -

[:space:]

-Space characters (such as space, tab and formfeed, to name a few). -

[:upper:]

-Upper-case alphabetic characters. -

[:xdigit:]

-Characters that are hexadecimal digits. -

-

+consist of “[:”, a keyword denoting the class, and “:]”. +The following classes are defined by the POSIX standard in +Table 4.1, “POSIX regular expression character classes” +

Table 4.1. POSIX regular expression character classes

Character classDescription
[:alnum:]Alphanumeric characters
[:alpha:]Alphabetic characters
[:blank:]Space or tab characters
[:cntrl:]Control characters
[:digit:]Numeric characters
[:graph:]Characters that are both printable and visible. (A space is printable, but not visible, while an “a” is both)
[:lower:]Lower-case alphabetic characters
[:print:]Printable characters (characters that are not control characters)
[:punct:]Punctuation characters (characters that are not letter, digits, control characters, or space characters)
[:space:]Space characters (such as space, tab and formfeed, to name a few)
[:upper:]Upper-case alphabetic characters
[:xdigit:]Characters that are hexadecimal digits

A character class is only valid in a regular expression inside the -brackets of a character list. Note that the brackets in these +brackets of a character list. +

Note

+Note that the brackets in these class names are part of the symbolic names, and must be included -in addition to the brackets delimiting the bracket list. For -example, [[:digit:]] is equivalent to -[0-9]. -

+in addition to the brackets delimiting the bracket list. For +example, [[:digit:]] is equivalent to +[0-9]. +

Two additional special sequences can appear in character lists. These apply to non-ASCII character sets, which can have single symbols (called collating elements) that are represented with more than one character, as well as several characters that are equivalent for collating or sorting purposes: -

Collating Symbols

A collating symbol is a multi-character collating element enclosed in -``[.'' and ``.]''. For example, if ``ch'' is a collating -element, then [[.ch.]] is a regexp that matches -this collating element, while [ch] is a regexp that -matches either ``c'' or ``h''. +“[.” and “.]”. For example, if “ch” is a collating +element, then [[.ch.]] is a regexp that matches +this collating element, while [ch] is a regexp that +matches either “c” or “h”.

Equivalence Classes

An equivalence class is a locale-specific name for a list of -characters that are equivalent. The name is enclosed in ``[='' -and ``=]''. For example, the name ``e'' might be used to -represent all of ``è'' ``é'' and ``e''. In this case, -[[=e=]] is a regexp that matches any of -``è'', ``é'' and ``e''. +characters that are equivalent. The name is enclosed in “[=” +and “=]”. For example, the name “e” might be used to +represent all of “è” “é” and “e”. In this case, +[[=e=]] is a regexp that matches any of +“è”, “é” and “e”.

-

A regular expression matching a single character may be followed by one -of several repetition operators: -

-

?

-The preceding item is optional and matched at most once. -

*

-The preceding item will be matched zero or more times. -

+

-The preceding item will be matched one or more times. -

{n}

-The preceding item is matched exactly n times. -

{n,}

-The preceding item is matched n or more times. -

{,m}

-The preceding item is matched at most m times. -

{n,m}

-The preceding item is matched at least n times, but no more than -m times. -

-

+of several repetition operators described in Table 4.2, “Regular expression repetition operators”. +

Table 4.2. Regular expression repetition operators

OperatorDescription
?The preceding item is optional and matched at most once
*The preceding item will be matched zero or more times
+The preceding item will be matched one or more times
{n}The preceding item is matched exactly n times
{n,}The preceding item is matched n or more times
{,m}The preceding item is matched at most m times
{n,m}The preceding item is matched at least n times, but no more than m times

Two regular expressions may be concatenated; the resulting regular expression matches any string formed by concatenating two substrings that respectively match the concatenated subexpressions.

-Two regular expressions may be joined by the infix operator ``|''; +Two regular expressions may be joined by the infix operator “|”; the resulting regular expression matches any string matching either subexpression.

Repetition takes precedence over concatenation, which in turn takes precedence over alternation. A whole subexpression may be enclosed in parentheses to override these precedence rules. -

-Note: If you compile Mutt with the GNU rx package, the -following operators may also be used in regular expressions: -

-

\\y

-Matches the empty string at either the beginning or the end of a word. -

\\B

-Matches the empty string within a word. -

\\<

-Matches the empty string at the beginning of a word. -

\\>

-Matches the empty string at the end of a word. -

\\w

-Matches any word-constituent character (letter, digit, or underscore). -

\\W

-Matches any character that is not word-constituent. -

\\`

-Matches the empty string at the beginning of a buffer (string). -

\\'

-Matches the empty string at the end of a buffer. -

-

+

Note

+If you compile Mutt with the included regular expression engine, the +following operators may also be used in regular expressions as described in Table 4.3, “GNU regular expression extensions”. +

Table 4.3. GNU regular expression extensions

ExpressionDescription
\\yMatches the empty string at either the beginning or the end of a word
\\BMatches the empty string within a word
\\<Matches the empty string at the beginning of a word
\\>Matches the empty string at the end of a word
\\wMatches any word-constituent character (letter, digit, or underscore)
\\WMatches any character that is not word-constituent
\\`Matches the empty string at the beginning of a buffer (string)
\\'Matches the empty string at the end of a buffer

Please note however that these operators are not defined by POSIX, so they may or may not be available in stock libraries on various systems. -

2. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging

+

2. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging

2.1. Pattern Modifier

Many of Mutt's commands allow you to specify a pattern to match -(limit, tag-pattern, delete-pattern, etc.). Table 4.1, “Pattern modifiers” +(limit, tag-pattern, +delete-pattern, etc.). Table 4.4, “Pattern modifiers” shows several ways to select messages. +

Table 4.4. Pattern modifiers

Pattern modifierDescription
~Aall messages
~b EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the message body
=b STRINGmessages which contain STRING in the message body. If IMAP is enabled, searches for STRING on the server, rather than downloading each message and searching it locally.
~B EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the whole message
~c EXPRmessages carbon-copied to EXPR
%c GROUPmessages carbon-copied to any member of GROUP
~C EXPRmessages either to: or cc: EXPR
%C GROUPmessages either to: or cc: to any member of GROUP
~d [MIN]-[MAX]messages with “date-sent” in a Date range
~Ddeleted messages
~e EXPRmessages which contains EXPR in the “Sender” field
%e GROUPmessages which contain a member of GROUP in the “Sender” field
~Eexpired messages
~Fflagged messages
~f EXPRmessages originating from EXPR
%f GROUPmessages originating from any member of GROUP
~gcryptographically signed messages
~Gcryptographically encrypted messages
~h EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the message header
~H EXPRmessages with a spam attribute matching EXPR
~i EXPRmessages which match EXPR in the “Message-ID” field
~kmessages which contain PGP key material
~L EXPRmessages either originated or received by EXPR
%L GROUPmessage either originated or received by any member of GROUP
~lmessages addressed to a known mailing list
~m [MIN]-[MAX]messages in the range MIN to MAX *)
~n [MIN]-[MAX]messages with a score in the range MIN to MAX *)
~Nnew messages
~Oold messages
~pmessages addressed to you (consults alternates)
~Pmessages from you (consults alternates)
~Qmessages which have been replied to
~r [MIN]-[MAX]messages with “date-received” in a Date range
~Rread messages
~s EXPRmessages having EXPR in the “Subject” field.
~Ssuperseded messages
~t EXPRmessages addressed to EXPR
~Ttagged messages
~umessages addressed to a subscribed mailing list
~Uunread messages
~vmessages part of a collapsed thread.
~Vcryptographically verified messages
~x EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the “References” or “In-Reply-To” field
~X [MIN]-[MAX]messages with MIN to MAX attachments *)
~y EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the “X-Label” field
~z [MIN]-[MAX]messages with a size in the range MIN to MAX *) **)
~=duplicated messages (see $duplicate_threads)
~$unreferenced messages (requires threaded view)
~(PATTERN)messages in threads +containing messages matching PATTERN, e.g. all +threads containing messages from you: ~(~P)

+Where EXPR is a +regular expression. +

+*) The forms “<[MAX]”, “>[MIN]”, +“[MIN]-” and “-[MAX]” +are allowed, too.

- -

Table 4.1. Pattern modifiers

Pattern modifierDescription
~Aall messages
~b EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the message body
=b STRINGmessages which contain STRING in the message body. If IMAP is enabled, searches for STRING on the server, rather than downloading each message and searching it locally.
~B EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the whole message
~c EXPRmessages carbon-copied to EXPR
%c GROUPmessages carbon-copied to any member of GROUP
~C EXPRmessage is either to: or cc: EXPR
%C GROUPmessage is either to: or cc: to any member of GROUP
~d [MIN]-[MAX]messages with ``date-sent'' in a Date range
~Ddeleted messages
~e EXPRmessage which contains EXPR in the ``Sender'' field
%e GROUPmessage which contain a member of GROUP in the ``Sender'' field
~Eexpired messages
~Fflagged messages
~f EXPRmessages originating from EXPR
%f GROUPmessages originating from any member of GROUP
~gcryptographically signed messages
~Gcryptographically encrypted messages
~h EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the message header
~H EXPRmessages with a spam attribute matching EXPR
~i EXPRmessage which match EXPR in the ``Message-ID'' field
~kmessage contains PGP key material
~L EXPRmessage is either originated or received by EXPR
%L GROUPmessage is either originated or received by any member of GROUP
~lmessage is addressed to a known mailing list
~m [MIN]-[MAX]message in the range MIN to MAX *)
~n [MIN]-[MAX]messages with a score in the range MIN to MAX *)
~Nnew messages
~Oold messages
~pmessage is addressed to you (consults alternates)
~Pmessage is from you (consults alternates)
~Qmessages which have been replied to
~r [MIN]-[MAX]messages with ``date-received'' in a Date range
~Rread messages
~s EXPRmessages having EXPR in the ``Subject'' field.
~Ssuperseded messages
~t EXPRmessages addressed to EXPR
~Ttagged messages
~umessage is addressed to a subscribed mailing list
~Uunread messages
~vmessage is part of a collapsed thread.
~Vcryptographically verified messages
~x EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the `References' field
~X [MIN]-[MAX]messages with MIN to MAX attachments *)
~y EXPRmessages which contain EXPR in the `X-Label' field
~z [MIN]-[MAX]messages with a size in the range MIN to MAX *)
~=duplicated messages (see $duplicate_threads)
~$unreferenced messages (requires threaded view)
~(PATTERN)messages in threads -containing messages matching a certain pattern, e.g. all -threads containing messages from you: ~(~P)


- +**) The suffixes “K” and “M” are allowed to specify kilobyte and megabyte respectively.

-Where EXPR is a -regular expression. Special attention has to be -made when using regular expressions inside of patterns. Specifically, -Mutt's parser for these patterns will strip one level of backslash (\), +Special attention has to be +payed when using regular expressions inside of patterns. Specifically, +Mutt's parser for these patterns will strip one level of backslash (“\”), which is normally used for quoting. If it is your intention to use a backslash in the regular expression, you will need to use two backslashes -instead (\\). You can force mutt to treat EXPR as a simple string +instead (“\\”). You can force Mutt to treat EXPR as a simple string instead of a regular expression by using = instead of ˜ in the -pattern name. For example, =b *.* will find all messages that contain -the literal string '*.*'. Simple string matches are less powerful than +pattern name. For example, =b *.* will find all messages that contain +the literal string “*.*”. Simple string matches are less powerful than regular expressions but can be considerably faster. This is especially true for IMAP folders, because string matches can be performed on the -server instead of by fetching every message. IMAP treats =h specially: -it must be of the form "header: substring" and will not partially +server instead of by fetching every message. IMAP treats =h specially: +it must be of the form “header: substring” and will not partially match header names. The substring part may be omitted if you simply wish to find messages containing a particular header without regard to its value.

-*) The forms <[MAX], >[MIN], -[MIN]- and -[MAX] -are allowed, too. -

2.1. Pattern Modifier

-Note that patterns matching 'lists' of addresses (notably c,C,p,P and t) +Patterns matching lists of addresses (notably c, C, p, P and t) match if there is at least one match in the whole list. If you want to make sure that all elements of that list match, you need to prefix your -pattern with ^. +pattern with “^”. This example matches all mails which only has recipients from Germany. -

- -

+

Example 4.1. Matching all addresses in address lists

 ^~C \.de$
-

- -

2.2. Simple Patterns

-Mutt supports two versions of so called ``simple searches'' which are +


2.2. Simple Searches

+Mutt supports two versions of so called “simple searches”. These are issued if the query entered for searching, limiting and similar -operations does not seem to be a valid pattern (i.e. it does not contain -one of these characters: ``~'', ``='' or ``%''). If the query is +operations does not seem to contain a valid pattern modifier (i.e. it does not contain +one of these characters: “˜”, “=” or “%”). If the query is supposed to contain one of these special characters, they must be escaped -by prepending a backslash (``\''). +by prepending a backslash (“\”).

The first type is by checking whether the query string equals -a keyword case-insensitively from Table 4.2, “Simple search keywords”: +a keyword case-insensitively from Table 4.5, “Simple search keywords”: If that is the case, Mutt will use the shown pattern modifier instead. If a keyword would conflict with your search keyword, you need to turn it into a regular expression to avoid matching the keyword table. For -example, if you want to find all messages matching ``flag'' -(using $simple_search, -see below but not meaning flagged messages) simply search for -``[f]lag''. -

Table 4.2. Simple search keywords

KeywordPattern modifier
all~A
.~A
^~A
del~D
flag~F
new~N
old~O
repl~Q
read~R
tag~T
unread~U

+example, if you want to find all messages matching “flag” +(using $simple_search) +but don't want to match flagged messages, simply search for +“[f]lag”. +

Table 4.5. Simple search keywords

KeywordPattern modifier
all~A
.~A
^~A
del~D
flag~F
new~N
old~O
repl~Q
read~R
tag~T
unread~U

The second type of simple search is to build a complex search -pattern using $simple_search +pattern using $simple_search as a template. Mutt will insert your query properly quoted and search for the composed complex query. -

2.3. Complex Patterns

+

2.3. Nesting and Boolean Operators

Logical AND is performed by specifying more than one criterion. For example: -

-

 ~t mutt ~f elkins
 

- -

-would select messages which contain the word ``mutt'' in the list of -recipients and that have the word ``elkins'' in the ``From'' header +would select messages which contain the word “mutt” in the list of +recipients and that have the word “elkins” in the “From” header field.

Mutt also recognizes the following operators to create more complex search patterns: -

-

  • -! -- logical NOT operator +! — logical NOT operator

  • -| -- logical OR operator +| — logical OR operator

  • -() -- logical grouping operator +() — logical grouping operator

- -

Here is an example illustrating a complex search pattern. This pattern will -select all messages which do not contain ``mutt'' in the ``To'' or ``Cc'' -field and which are from ``elkins''. -

- -

+select all messages which do not contain “mutt” in the “To” or “Cc”
+field and which are from “elkins”.
+

Example 4.2. Using boolean operators in patterns

 !(~t mutt|~c mutt) ~f elkins
-

- -

+


Here is an example using white space in the regular expression (note the ' and " delimiters). For this to match, the mail's subject must -match the ``^Junk +From +Me$'' and it must be from either ``Jim +Somebody'' -or ``Ed +SomeoneElse'': -

- +match the “^Junk +From +Me$” and it must be from either “Jim +Somebody” +or “Ed +SomeoneElse”:

  '~s "^Junk +From +Me$" ~f ("Jim +Somebody"|"Ed +SomeoneElse")'
-

- -

-Note that if a regular expression contains parenthesis, or a vertical bar -("|"), you must enclose the expression in double or single quotes since +

Note

+If a regular expression contains parenthesis, or a vertical bar +("|"), you must enclose the expression in double or single quotes since those characters are also used to separate different parts of Mutt's -pattern language. For example, -

- -

-~f "me@(mutt\.org|cs\.hmc\.edu)"
-

- -

+pattern language. For example: ~f "me@(mutt\.org|cs\.hmc\.edu)" Without the quotes, the parenthesis wouldn't end. -This would be seperated to two OR'd patterns: ˜f me@(mutt\.org +This would be separated to two OR'd patterns: ˜f me@(mutt\.org and cs\.hmc\.edu). They are never what you want. -

2.4. Searching by Date

+

2.4. Searching by Date

Mutt supports two types of dates, absolute and relative. -

-Absolute. Dates must be in DD/MM/YY format (month and year are +

2.4.1. Absolute Dates

+Dates must be in DD/MM/YY format (month and year are optional, defaulting to the current month and year). An example of a valid range of dates is: -

-

 Limit to messages matching: ~d 20/1/95-31/10
 

- -

-If you omit the minimum (first) date, and just specify ``-DD/MM/YY'', all +If you omit the minimum (first) date, and just specify “-DD/MM/YY”, all messages before the given date will be selected. If you omit the maximum -(second) date, and specify ``DD/MM/YY-'', all messages after the given -date will be selected. If you specify a single date with no dash (``-''), -only messages sent on the given date will be selected. +(second) date, and specify “DD/MM/YY-”, all messages after the given +date will be selected. If you specify a single date with no dash (“-”), +only messages sent on the given date will be selected.

-Error Margins. You can add error margins to absolute dates. +You can add error margins to absolute dates. An error margin is a sign (+ or -), followed by a digit, followed by -one of the units in Table 4.3, “Date units”. As a special case, you can replace the -sign by a ``*'' character, which is equivalent to giving identical plus and minus error margins. -

Table 4.3. Date units

UnitDescription
yYears
mMonths
wWeeks
dDays

+one of the units in Table 4.6, “Date units”. As a special case, you can replace the +sign by a “*” character, which is equivalent to giving identical plus and minus error margins. +

Table 4.6. Date units

UnitDescription
yYears
mMonths
wWeeks
dDays

Example: To select any messages two weeks around January 15, 2001, -you'd use the following pattern: - +you'd use the following pattern:

- 
 Limit to messages matching: ~d 15/1/2001*2w
-

- -

-Relative. This type of date is relative to the current date, and may +

2.4.2. Relative Dates

+This type of date is relative to the current date, and may be specified as: -

  • ->offset (messages older than offset units) +>offset for messages older than offset units

  • -<offset (messages newer than offset units) +<offset for messages newer than offset units

  • -=offset (messages exactly offset units old) +=offset for messages exactly offset units old

- -

-offset is specified as a positive number with one of the units from Table 4.3, “Date units”. +offset is specified as a positive number with one of the units from Table 4.6, “Date units”.

Example: to select messages less than 1 month old, you would use -

 Limit to messages matching: ~d <1m
-

- -

-Note: all dates used when searching are relative to the -local time zone, so unless you change the setting of your $index_format to include a -%[...] format, these are not the dates shown +

Note

+All dates used when searching are relative to the +local time zone, so unless you change the setting of your $index_format to include a +%[...] format, these are not the dates shown in the main index. -

3. Using Tags

+

3. Using Tags

Sometimes it is desirable to perform an operation on a group of messages all at once rather than one at a time. An example might be to save messages to a mailing list to a separate folder, or to delete all messages with a given subject. To tag all messages -matching a pattern, use the tag-pattern function, which is bound to -``shift-T'' by default. Or you can select individual messages by -hand using the ``tag-message'' function, which is bound to ``t'' by -default. See patterns for Mutt's pattern +matching a pattern, use the <tag-pattern> function, which is bound to +“shift-T” by default. Or you can select individual messages by +hand using the <tag-message> function, which is bound to “t” by +default. See patterns for Mutt's pattern matching syntax.

Once you have tagged the desired messages, you can use the -``tag-prefix'' operator, which is the ``;'' (semicolon) key by default. -When the ``tag-prefix'' operator is used, the next operation will +“tag-prefix” operator, which is the “;” (semicolon) key by default. +When the “tag-prefix” operator is used, the next operation will be applied to all tagged messages if that operation can be used in that -manner. If the $auto_tag +manner. If the $auto_tag variable is set, the next operation applies to the tagged messages -automatically, without requiring the ``tag-prefix''. +automatically, without requiring the “tag-prefix”.

-In macros or push commands, -you can use the ``tag-prefix-cond'' operator. If there are no tagged -messages, mutt will "eat" the rest of the macro to abort it's execution. -Mutt will stop "eating" the macro when it encounters the ``end-cond'' -operator; after this operator the rest of the macro will be executed as +In macros or push commands, +you can use the <tag-prefix-cond> operator. If there are no tagged +messages, Mutt will “eat” the rest of the macro to abort it's execution. +Mutt will stop “eating” the macro when it encounters the <end-cond> +operator; after this operator the rest of the macro will be executed as normal.

4. Using Hooks

-A hook is a concept borrowed from the EMACS editor which allows you to +A hook is a concept found in many other programs which allows you to execute arbitrary commands before performing some operation. For example, you may wish to tailor your configuration based upon which mailbox you are reading, or to whom you are sending mail. In the Mutt world, a hook -consists of a regular expression or -pattern along with a -configuration option/command. See +consists of a regular expression or +pattern along with a +configuration option/command. See:

for specific details on each type of hook available. -

-Note: if a hook changes configuration settings, these changes remain -effective until the end of the current mutt session. As this is generally -not desired, a default hook needs to be added before all other hooks to -restore configuration defaults. Here is an example with send-hook and the -my_hdr directive: -

- -

+

Note

+If a hook changes configuration settings, these changes remain +effective until the end of the current Mutt session. As this is generally +not desired, a “default” hook needs to be added before all +other hooks of that type to restore configuration defaults. +

Example 4.3. Specifying a “default” hook

 send-hook . 'unmy_hdr From:'
 send-hook ~C'^b@b\.b$' my_hdr from: c@c.c
-

- +


+In Example 4.3, “Specifying a default hook”, by default the value of +$from +and $realname +is not overridden. When sending messages either To: or Cc: +to <b@b.b>, the From: header is changed to +<c@c.c>.

4.1. Message Matching in Hooks

-Hooks that act upon messages (message-hook, reply-hook, -send-hook, send2-hook, save-hook, fcc-hook) are evaluated in a +Hooks that act upon messages (message-hook, reply-hook, +send-hook, send2-hook, save-hook, fcc-hook) are evaluated in a slightly different manner. For the other -types of hooks, a regular expression is +types of hooks, a regular expression is sufficient. But in dealing with messages a finer grain of control is needed for matching since for different purposes you want to match different criteria.

-Mutt allows the use of the search pattern +Mutt allows the use of the search pattern language for matching messages in hook commands. This works in exactly the same way as it would when limiting or searching the mailbox, except that you are restricted to those -operators which match information mutt extracts from the header of +operators which match information Mutt extracts from the header of the message (i.e., from, to, cc, date, subject, etc.).

For example, if you wanted to set your return address based upon sending mail to a specific address, you could do something like: -

 send-hook '~t ^me@cs\.hmc\.edu$' 'my_hdr From: Mutt User <user@host>'
 

- which would execute the given command when sending mail to me@cs.hmc.edu.

However, it is not required that you write the pattern to match using the full searching language. You can still specify a simple regular expression like the other hooks, in which case Mutt will translate your -pattern into the full language, using the translation specified by the -$default_hook variable. The -pattern is translated at the time the hook is declared, so the value of -$default_hook that is in effect +pattern into the full language, using the translation specified by the +$default_hook variable. The +pattern is translated at the time the hook is declared, so the value of +$default_hook that is in effect at that time will be used.

5. External Address Queries

Mutt supports connecting to external directory databases such as LDAP, -ph/qi, bbdb, or NIS through a wrapper script which connects to mutt -using a simple interface. Using the $query_command variable, you specify the wrapper +ph/qi, bbdb, or NIS through a wrapper script which connects to Mutt +using a simple interface. Using the $query_command variable, you specify the wrapper command to use. For example: -

-

 set query_command = "mutt_ldap_query.pl '%s'"
 

- -

The wrapper script should accept the query on the command-line. It should return a one line message, then each matching response on a single line, each line containing a tab separated address then name then @@ -2253,17 +2449,14 @@ some other optional information. On error, or if there are no matching addresses, return a non-zero exit code and a one line error message.

An example multiple response output: -

 Searching database ... 20 entries ... 3 matching:
 me@cs.hmc.edu           Michael Elkins  mutt dude
 blong@fiction.net       Brandon Long    mutt and more
 roessler@does-not-exist.org        Thomas Roessler mutt pgp
 

- -

-There are two mechanisms for accessing the query function of mutt. One -is to do a query from the index menu using the query function (default: Q). +There are two mechanisms for accessing the query function of Mutt. One +is to do a query from the index menu using the <query> function (default: Q). This will prompt for a query, then bring up the query menu which will list the matching responses. From the query menu, you can select addresses to create aliases, or to mail. You can tag multiple addresses @@ -2272,219 +2465,293 @@ responses.

The other mechanism for accessing the query function is for address completion, similar to the alias completion. In any prompt for address -entry, you can use the complete-query function (default: ^T) to run a -query based on the current address you have typed. Like aliases, mutt +entry, you can use the <complete-query> function (default: ^T) to run a +query based on the current address you have typed. Like aliases, Mutt will look for what you have typed back to the last space or comma. If -there is a single response for that query, mutt will expand the address -in place. If there are multiple responses, mutt will activate the query +there is a single response for that query, Mutt will expand the address +in place. If there are multiple responses, Mutt will activate the query menu. At the query menu, you can select one or more addresses to be added to the prompt.

6. Mailbox Formats

-Mutt supports reading and writing of four different mailbox formats: +Mutt supports reading and writing of four different local mailbox formats: mbox, MMDF, MH and Maildir. The mailbox type is autodetected, so there is no need to use a flag for different mailbox types. When creating new -mailboxes, Mutt uses the default specified with the $mbox_type variable. +mailboxes, Mutt uses the default specified with the +$mbox_type variable. A +short description of the formats follows.

-mbox. This is the most widely used mailbox format for UNIX. All +mbox. This is a widely used mailbox format for UNIX. All messages are stored in a single file. Each message has a line of the form: -

-

 From me@cs.hmc.edu Fri, 11 Apr 1997 11:44:56 PST
 

- -

to denote the start of a new message (this is often referred to as the -``From_'' line). -

-MMDF. This is a variant of the mbox format. Each message is -surrounded by lines containing ``^A^A^A^A'' (four control-A's). -

-MH. A radical departure from mbox and MMDF, a mailbox +“From_” line). The mbox format requires mailbox +locking, is prone to mailbox corruption with concurrently writing +clients or misinterpreted From_ lines. Depending on the +environment, new mail detection can be unreliable. Mbox folders are fast +to open and easy to archive. +

+MMDF. This is a variant of +the mbox format. Each message is surrounded by +lines containing “^A^A^A^A” (four +control-A's). The same problems as for mbox apply (also with finding the +right message separator as four control-A's may appear in message +bodies). +

+MH. A radical departure from mbox and MMDF, a mailbox consists of a directory and each message is stored in a separate file. The filename indicates the message number (however, this is may not correspond to the message number Mutt displays). Deleted messages are -renamed with a comma (,) prepended to the filename. Note: Mutt +renamed with a comma (“,”) prepended to the filename. Mutt detects this type of mailbox by looking for either .mh_sequences -or .xmhcache (needed to distinguish normal directories from MH -mailboxes). -

-Maildir. The newest of the mailbox formats, used by the Qmail MTA (a +or .xmhcache files (needed to distinguish normal directories from MH +mailboxes). MH is more robust with concurrent clients writing the mailbox, +but still may suffer from lost flags; message corruption is less likely +to occur than with mbox/mmdf. It's usually slower to open compared to +mbox/mmdf since many small files have to be read (Mutt provides +Section 7.1, “Header Caching” to greatly speed this process up). +Depending on the environment, MH is not very disk-space efficient. +

+Maildir. The newest of the mailbox formats, used by the Qmail MTA (a replacement for sendmail). Similar to MH, except that it adds three subdirectories of the mailbox: tmp, new and cur. Filenames for the messages are chosen in such a way they are unique, even when two programs are writing the mailbox over NFS, which means that no file locking -is needed. +is needed and corruption is very unlikely. Maildir maybe +slower to open without caching in Mutt, it too is not very +disk-space efficient depending on the environment. Since no additional +files are used for metadata (which is embedded in the message filenames) +and Maildir is locking-free, it's easy to sync across different machines +using file-level synchronization tools.

7. Mailbox Shortcuts

There are a number of built in shortcuts which refer to specific mailboxes. These shortcuts can be used anywhere you are prompted for a file or mailbox -path. -

- +path or in path-related configuration variables. Note that these only +work at the beginning of a string.

- -

8. Handling Mailing Lists

+For example, to store a copy of outgoing messages in the folder they +were composed in, +a folder-hook can +be used to set $record: +

+folder-hook . 'set record=^'

8. Handling Mailing Lists

Mutt has a few configuration options that make dealing with large amounts of mail easier. The first thing you must do is to let Mutt know what addresses you consider to be mailing lists (technically this does not have to be a mailing list, but that is what it is most often used for), and what lists you are subscribed to. This is -accomplished through the use of the lists and subscribe commands in your muttrc. +accomplished through the use of the lists and subscribe commands in your .muttrc.

Now that Mutt knows what your mailing lists are, it can do several things, the first of which is the ability to show the name of a list through which you received a message (i.e., of a subscribed list) in the index menu display. This is useful to distinguish between -personal and list mail in the same mailbox. In the $index_format variable, the escape ``%L'' -will return the string ``To <list>'' when ``list'' appears in the -``To'' field, and ``Cc <list>'' when it appears in the ``Cc'' -field (otherwise it returns the name of the author). +personal and list mail in the same mailbox. In the $index_format variable, the expando “%L” +will print the string “To <list>” when “list” appears in the +“To” field, and “Cc <list>” when it appears in the “Cc” +field (otherwise it prints the name of the author).

-Often times the ``To'' and ``Cc'' fields in mailing list messages +Often times the “To” and “Cc” fields in mailing list messages tend to get quite large. Most people do not bother to remove the -author of the message they are reply to from the list, resulting in -two or more copies being sent to that person. The ``list-reply'' -function, which by default is bound to ``L'' in the index menu +author of the message they reply to from the list, resulting in +two or more copies being sent to that person. The <list-reply> +function, which by default is bound to “L” in the index menu and pager, helps reduce the clutter by only replying to the known mailing list addresses instead of all recipients (except as specified by Mail-Followup-To, see below).

Mutt also supports the Mail-Followup-To header. When you send a message to a list of recipients which includes one or several -subscribed mailing lists, and if the $followup_to option is set, mutt will generate +subscribed mailing lists, and if the $followup_to option is set, Mutt will generate a Mail-Followup-To header which contains all the recipients to whom you send this message, but not your address. This indicates that -group-replies or list-replies (also known as ``followups'') to this +group-replies or list-replies (also known as “followups”) to this message should only be sent to the original recipients of the message, and not separately to you - you'll receive your copy through one of the mailing lists you are subscribed to.

Conversely, when group-replying or list-replying to a message which -has a Mail-Followup-To header, mutt will respect this header if -the $honor_followup_to configuration -variable is set. Using list-reply will in this case also make sure +has a Mail-Followup-To header, Mutt will respect this header if +the $honor_followup_to configuration +variable is set. Using list-reply will in this case also make sure that the reply goes to the mailing list, even if it's not specified in the list of recipients in the Mail-Followup-To. -

-Note that, when header editing is enabled, you can create a +

Note

+When header editing is enabled, you can create a Mail-Followup-To header manually. Mutt will only auto-generate this header if it doesn't exist when you send the message. -

+

The other method some mailing list admins use is to generate a -``Reply-To'' field which points back to the mailing list address rather +“Reply-To” field which points back to the mailing list address rather than the author of the message. This can create problems when trying to reply directly to the author in private, since most mail clients -will automatically reply to the address given in the ``Reply-To'' -field. Mutt uses the $reply_to +will automatically reply to the address given in the “Reply-To” +field. Mutt uses the $reply_to variable to help decide which address to use. If set to ask-yes or ask-no, you will be prompted as to whether or not you would like to use the address given in -the ``Reply-To'' field, or reply directly to the address given in the -``From'' field. When set to yes, the ``Reply-To'' field will be used when +the “Reply-To” field, or reply directly to the address given in the +“From” field. When set to yes, the “Reply-To” field will be used when present.

-The ``X-Label:'' header field can be used to further identify mailing +The “X-Label:” header field can be used to further identify mailing lists or list subject matter (or just to annotate messages -individually). The $index_format variable's ``%y'' and -``%Y'' escapes can be used to expand ``X-Label:'' fields in the +individually). The $index_format variable's “%y” and +“%Y” expandos can be used to expand “X-Label:” fields in the index, and Mutt's pattern-matcher can match regular expressions to -``X-Label:'' fields with the ``˜y'' selector. ``X-Label:'' is not a +“X-Label:” fields with the “˜y” selector. “X-Label:” is not a standard message header field, but it can easily be inserted by procmail and other mail filtering agents.

-Lastly, Mutt has the ability to sort the mailbox into -threads. A thread is a group of messages which all relate to the same +Lastly, Mutt has the ability to sort the mailbox into +threads. A thread is a group of messages which all relate to the same subject. This is usually organized into a tree-like structure where a message and all of its replies are represented graphically. If you've ever used a threaded news client, this is the same concept. It makes dealing with large volume mailing lists easier because you can easily delete uninteresting threads and quickly find topics of value. -

9. Editing threads

+

9. Handling multiple folders

+Mutt supports setups with multiple folders, allowing all of them to +be monitored for new mail (see Section 14, “Monitoring Incoming Mail” for details). +

+When in the index menu and being idle (also see +$timeout), Mutt periodically checks +for new mail in all folders which have been configured via the +mailboxes command. The interval depends on the folder +type: for local/IMAP folders it consults +$mail_check and +$pop_checkinterval +for POP folders. +

+Outside the index menu the directory browser supports checking +for new mail using the <check-new> function which is +unbound by default. Pressing TAB will bring up a +menu showing the files specified by the mailboxes command, +and indicate which contain new messages. Mutt will automatically enter this +mode when invoked from the command line with the -y option. +

+For the pager, index and directory browser menus, Mutt contains the +<buffy-list> function (bound to “.” by default) +which will print a list of folders with new mail in the command line at +the bottom of the screen. +

+For the index, by default Mutt displays the number of mailboxes with new +mail in the status bar, please refer to the +$status_format +variable for details. +

+When changing folders, Mutt fills the prompt with the first folder from +the mailboxes list containing new mail (if any), pressing +space will cycle through folders with new mail. +

10. Editing Threads

Mutt has the ability to dynamically restructure threads that are broken either by misconfigured software or bad behavior from some -correspondents. This allows to clean your mailboxes formats) from these +correspondents. This allows to clean your mailboxes from these annoyances which make it hard to follow a discussion. -

9.1. Linking threads

-Some mailers tend to "forget" to correctly set the "In-Reply-To:" and -"References:" headers when replying to a message. This results in broken +

10.1. Linking Threads

+Some mailers tend to “forget” to correctly set the “In-Reply-To:” and +“References:” headers when replying to a message. This results in broken discussions because Mutt has not enough information to guess the correct threading. You can fix this by tagging the reply, then moving to the parent message -and using the ``link-threads'' function (bound to & by default). The -reply will then be connected to this "parent" message. +and using the <link-threads> function (bound to & by default). The +reply will then be connected to this parent message.

You can also connect multiple children at once, tagging them and using the -tag-prefix command (';') or the auto_tag option. -

9.2. Breaking threads

+<tag-prefix> command (';') or the $auto_tag option. +

10.2. Breaking Threads

On mailing lists, some people are in the bad habit of starting a new -discussion by hitting "reply" to any message from the list and changing +discussion by hitting “reply” to any message from the list and changing the subject to a totally unrelated one. -You can fix such threads by using the ``break-thread'' function (bound +You can fix such threads by using the <break-thread> function (bound by default to #), which will turn the subthread starting from the current message into a whole different thread. -

10. Delivery Status Notification (DSN) Support

+

11. Delivery Status Notification (DSN) Support

RFC1894 defines a set of MIME content types for relaying information about the status of electronic mail messages. These can be thought of as -``return receipts.'' +“return receipts.”

-To support DSN, there are two variables. $dsn_notify is used to request receipts for +To support DSN, there are two variables. $dsn_notify is used to request receipts for different results (such as failed message, message delivered, etc.). -$dsn_return requests how much +$dsn_return requests how much of your message should be returned with the receipt (headers or full message).

-When using $sendmail for mail +When using $sendmail for mail delivery, you need to use either Berkeley sendmail 8.8.x (or greater) a MTA supporting DSN command line options compatible to Sendmail: The -N and -R options can be used by the mail client to make requests as to what type of status messages should be returned. Please consider your MTA documentation whether DSN is supported.

-For SMTP delivery using $smtp_url, it depends on the -capabilities announced by the server whether mutt will attempt to +For SMTP delivery using $smtp_url, it depends on the +capabilities announced by the server whether Mutt will attempt to request DSN or not. -

11. Start a WWW Browser on URLs (EXTERNAL)

-If a message contains URLs (unified resource locator = address in the -WWW space like http://www.mutt.org/), it is efficient to get +

12. Start a WWW Browser on URLs

+If a message contains URLs, it is efficient to get a menu with all the URLs and start a WWW browser on one of them. This functionality is provided by the external urlview program which can be -retrieved at ftp://ftp.mutt.org/mutt/contrib/ and the configuration commands: - +retrieved at +ftp://ftp.mutt.org/mutt/contrib/ +and the configuration commands:

 macro index \cb |urlview\n
 macro pager \cb |urlview\n
-

- -

Chapter 5. Mutt's MIME Support

Table of Contents

1. Using MIME in Mutt
1.1. Viewing MIME messages in the pager
1.2. The Attachment Menu
1.3. The Compose Menu
2. MIME Type configuration with mime.types
3. MIME Viewer configuration with mailcap
3.1. The Basics of the mailcap file
3.2. Secure use of mailcap
3.3. Advanced mailcap Usage
3.4. Example mailcap files
4. MIME Autoview
5. MIME Multipart/Alternative
6. Attachment Searching and Counting
7. MIME Lookup

+

13. Miscellany

+This section documents various features that fit nowhere else. +

+Address normalization +

+Mutt normalizes all e-mail addresses to the simplest form possible. If +an address contains a realname, the form +Joe User <joe@example.com> is used and the +pure e-mail address without angle brackets otherwise, i.e. just +joe@example.com. +

+This normalization affects all headers Mutt generates including aliases. +

+Initial folder selection +

+The folder Mutt opens at startup is determined as follows: the folder +specified in the $MAIL environment variable if +present. Otherwise, the value of $MAILDIR is taken +into account. If that isn't present either, Mutt takes the user's +mailbox in the mailspool as determined at compile-time (which may also +reside in the home directory). The +$spoolfile setting overrides +this selection. Highest priority has the mailbox given with the +-f command line option. +

Chapter 5. Mutt's MIME Support

Table of Contents

1. Using MIME in Mutt
1.1. Viewing MIME Messages in the Pager
1.2. The Attachment Menu
1.3. The Compose Menu
2. MIME Type Configuration with mime.types
3. MIME Viewer Configuration with Mailcap
3.1. The Basics of the Mailcap File
3.2. Secure Use of Mailcap
3.3. Advanced Mailcap Usage
3.4. Example Mailcap Files
4. MIME Autoview
5. MIME Multipart/Alternative
6. Attachment Searching and Counting
7. MIME Lookup

Quite a bit of effort has been made to make Mutt the premier text-mode MIME MUA. Every effort has been made to provide the functionality that the discerning MIME user requires, and the conformance to the standards wherever possible. When configuring Mutt for MIME, there are two extra types of configuration files which Mutt uses. One is the -mime.types file, which contains the mapping of file extensions to +mime.types file, which contains the mapping of file extensions to IANA MIME types. The other is the mailcap file, which specifies the external commands to use for handling specific MIME types.

1. Using MIME in Mutt

There are three areas/menus in Mutt which deal with MIME, they are the pager (while viewing a message), the attachment menu and the compose menu. -

1.1. Viewing MIME messages in the pager

+

1.1. Viewing MIME Messages in the Pager

When you select a message from the index and view it in the pager, Mutt decodes the message to a text representation. Mutt internally supports a number of MIME types, including text/plain, text/enriched, @@ -2494,36 +2761,32 @@ including PGP/MIME and application/pgp.

Mutt will denote attachments with a couple lines describing them. These lines are of the form: -

 [-- Attachment #1: Description --]
 [-- Type: text/plain, Encoding: 7bit, Size: 10000 --]
 

- Where the Description is the description or filename given for the attachment, and the Encoding is one of 7bit/8bit/quoted-printable/base64/binary.

If Mutt cannot deal with a MIME type, it will display a message like: -

 [-- image/gif is unsupported (use 'v' to view this part) --]
-

- -

1.2. The Attachment Menu

-The default binding for view-attachments is `v', which displays the +

1.2. The Attachment Menu

+The default binding for <view-attachments> is “v”, which displays the attachment menu for a message. The attachment menu displays a list of the attachments in a message. From the attachment menu, you can save, print, pipe, delete, and view attachments. You can apply these operations to a group of attachments at once, by tagging the attachments -and by using the ``tag-prefix'' operator. You can also reply to the +and by using the <tag-prefix> operator. You can also reply to the current message from this menu, and only the current attachment (or the attachments tagged) will be quoted in your reply. You can view attachments as text, or view them using the mailcap viewer definition.

-Finally, you can apply the usual message-related functions (like -resend-message, and the reply -and forward functions) to attachments of type message/rfc822. +Finally, you can apply the usual message-related functions (like +<resend-message>, and the +<reply> and <forward> +functions) to attachments of type message/rfc822.

See the help on the attachment menu for more information.

1.3. The Compose Menu

@@ -2536,40 +2799,35 @@ list of tagged attachments. You can also modifying the attachment information, notably the type, encoding and description.

Attachments appear as follows: -

 - 1 [text/plain, 7bit, 1K]           /tmp/mutt-euler-8082-0 <no description>
   2 [applica/x-gunzip, base64, 422K] ~/src/mutt-0.85.tar.gz <no description>
 

- -

The '-' denotes that Mutt will delete the file after sending (or postponing, or canceling) the message. It can be toggled with the -toggle-unlink command (default: u). The next field is the MIME -content-type, and can be changed with the edit-type command +<toggle-unlink> command (default: u). The next field is the MIME +content-type, and can be changed with the <edit-type> command (default: ^T). The next field is the encoding for the attachment, which allows a binary message to be encoded for transmission on 7bit -links. It can be changed with the edit-encoding command +links. It can be changed with the <edit-encoding> command (default: ^E). The next field is the size of the attachment, rounded to kilobytes or megabytes. The next field is the filename, -which can be changed with the rename-file command (default: R). +which can be changed with the <rename-file> command (default: R). The final field is the description of the attachment, and can be -changed with the edit-description command (default: d). -

2. MIME Type configuration with mime.types

+changed with the <edit-description> command (default: d). +

2. MIME Type Configuration with mime.types

When you add an attachment to your mail message, Mutt searches your -personal mime.types file at ${HOME}/.mime.types, and then -the system mime.types file at /usr/local/share/mutt/mime.types or +personal mime.types file at ${HOME}/.mime.types, and then +the system mime.types file at /usr/local/share/mutt/mime.types or /etc/mime.types

-The mime.types file consist of lines containing a MIME type and a space +The mime.types file consist of lines containing a MIME type and a space separated list of extensions. For example: -

 application/postscript          ps eps
 application/pgp                 pgp
 audio/x-aiff                    aif aifc aiff
 

- A sample mime.types file comes with the Mutt distribution, and should contain most of the MIME types you are likely to use.

@@ -2578,34 +2836,32 @@ attach, it will look at the file. If the file is free of binary information, Mutt will assume that the file is plain text, and mark it as text/plain. If the file contains binary information, then Mutt will mark it as application/octet-stream. You can change the MIME -type that Mutt assigns to an attachment by using the edit-type +type that Mutt assigns to an attachment by using the <edit-type> command from the compose menu (default: ^T). The MIME type is actually a major mime type followed by the sub-type, separated by a '/'. 6 major types: application, text, image, video, audio, and model have been approved -after various internet discussions. Mutt recognizes all of these if the -appropriate entry is found in the mime.types file. It also recognizes other -major mime types, such as the chemical type that is widely used in the -molecular modeling community to pass molecular data in various forms to -various molecular viewers. Non-recognized mime types should only be used +after various internet discussions. Mutt recognizes all of these if the +appropriate entry is found in the mime.types file. It also recognizes other +major mime types, such as the chemical type that is widely used in the +molecular modeling community to pass molecular data in various forms to +various molecular viewers. Non-recognized mime types should only be used if the recipient of the message is likely to be expecting such attachments. -

3. MIME Viewer configuration with mailcap

+

3. MIME Viewer Configuration with Mailcap

Mutt supports RFC 1524 MIME Configuration, in particular the Unix specific format specified in Appendix A of RFC 1524. This file format is commonly referred to as the mailcap format. Many MIME compliant programs utilize the mailcap format, allowing you to specify handling for all MIME types in one place for all programs. Programs known to -use this format include Netscape, XMosaic, lynx and metamail. +use this format include Firefox, lynx and metamail.

In order to handle various MIME types that Mutt can not handle internally, Mutt parses a series of external configuration files to find an external handler. The default search string for these files is a colon delimited list containing the following files: -

  1. $HOME/.mailcap

  2. $PKGDATADIR/mailcap

  3. $SYSCONFDIR/mailcap

  4. /etc/mailcap

  5. /usr/etc/mailcap

  6. /usr/local/etc/mailcap

- where $HOME is your home directory. The $PKGDATADIR and the -$SYSCONFDIR directories depend on where mutt +$SYSCONFDIR directories depend on where Mutt is installed: the former is the default for shared data, the latter for system configuration files.

@@ -2617,7 +2873,7 @@ mutt -nF /dev/null -Q mailcap_path In particular, the metamail distribution will install a mailcap file, usually as /usr/local/etc/mailcap, which contains some baseline entries. -

3.1. The Basics of the mailcap file

+

3.1. The Basics of the Mailcap File

A mailcap file consists of a series of lines which are comments, blank, or definitions.

@@ -2650,56 +2906,46 @@ will remove the temporary file if it exists.

So, in the simplest form, you can send a text/plain message to the external pager more on stdin: -

 text/plain; more
 

- Or, you could send the message as a file: -

 text/plain; more %s
 

- -Perhaps you would like to use lynx to interactively view a text/html +Perhaps you would like to use lynx to interactively view a text/html message: -

 text/html; lynx %s
 

- In this case, lynx does not support viewing a file from stdin, so you must use the %s syntax. -Note: Some older versions of lynx contain a bug where they +

Note

+Some older versions of lynx contain a bug where they will check the mailcap file for a viewer for text/html. They will find the line which calls lynx, and run it. This causes lynx to continuously spawn itself to view the object. -

+

On the other hand, maybe you don't want to use lynx interactively, you just want to have it convert the text/html to text/plain, then you can use: -

 text/html; lynx -dump %s | more
 

- -

Perhaps you wish to use lynx to view text/html files, and a pager on all other text formats, then you would use the following: -

 text/html; lynx %s
 text/*; more
 

- This is the simplest form of a mailcap file. -

3.2. Secure use of mailcap

+

3.2. Secure Use of Mailcap

The interpretation of shell meta-characters embedded in MIME parameters can lead to security problems in general. Mutt tries to quote parameters in expansion of %s syntaxes properly, and avoids risky characters by -substituting them, see the $mailcap_sanitize variable. +substituting them, see the $mailcap_sanitize variable.

-Although mutt's procedures to invoke programs with mailcap seem to be +Although Mutt's procedures to invoke programs with mailcap seem to be safe, there are other applications parsing mailcap, maybe taking less care of it. Therefore you should pay attention to the following rules:

@@ -2716,14 +2962,10 @@ quoting or backtick expansions, put that value into a shell variable and reference the shell variable where necessary, as in the following example (using $charset inside the backtick expansion is safe, since it is not itself subject to any further expansion): -

-

 text/test-mailcap-bug; cat %s; copiousoutput; test=charset=%{charset} \
         && test "`echo $charset | tr '[A-Z]' '[a-z]'`" != iso-8859-1
-

- -

3.3. Advanced mailcap Usage

3.3.1. Optional Fields

+

3.3. Advanced Mailcap Usage

3.3.1. Optional Fields

In addition to the required content-type and view command fields, you can add semi-colon ';' separated fields to set flags and other options. Mutt recognizes the following optional fields: @@ -2734,19 +2976,17 @@ pager or the external pager defined by the pager variable) on the output of the view command. Without this flag, Mutt assumes that the command is interactive. One could use this to replace the pipe to more in the lynx -dump example in the Basic section: -

 text/html; lynx -dump %s ; copiousoutput
 

- This will cause lynx to format the text/html output as text/plain and Mutt will use your standard pager to display the results.

needsterminal

-Mutt uses this flag when viewing attachments with auto_view, in order to decide whether it should honor the setting -of the $wait_key variable or +Mutt uses this flag when viewing attachments with auto_view, in order to decide whether it should honor the setting +of the $wait_key variable or not. When an attachment is viewed using an interactive program, and the corresponding mailcap entry has a needsterminal flag, Mutt will use -$wait_key and the exit status +$wait_key and the exit status of the program to decide if it will ask you to press a key after the external program has exited. In all other situations it will not prompt you for a key. @@ -2756,7 +2996,7 @@ specific MIME type. Mutt supports this from the compose menu.

composetyped=<command>

This flag specifies the command to use to create a new attachment of a specific MIME type. This command differs from the compose command in -that mutt will expect standard MIME headers on the data. This can be +that Mutt will expect standard MIME headers on the data. This can be used to specify parameters, filename, description, etc. for a new attachment. Mutt supports this from the compose menu.

print=<command>

@@ -2774,67 +3014,57 @@ for instance, to correctly view a file. For instance, lynx will only interpret a file as text/html if the file ends in .html. So, you would specify lynx as a text/html viewer with a line in the mailcap file like: -

 text/html; lynx %s; nametemplate=%s.html
-

- -

test=<command>

+

test=<command>

This field specifies a command to run to test whether this mailcap entry should be used. The command is defined with the command expansion rules defined in the next section. If the command returns 0, then the test passed, and Mutt uses this entry. If the command returns non-zero, then the test failed, and Mutt continues searching for the right entry. -Note: the content-type must match before Mutt performs the test. +Note that the content-type must match before Mutt performs the test. For example: -

-text/html; netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)' ; test=RunningX
+text/html; firefox -remote 'openURL(%s)' ; test=RunningX
 text/html; lynx %s
 

- In this example, Mutt will run the program RunningX which will return 0 if the X Window manager is running, and non-zero if it isn't. If -RunningX returns 0, then Mutt will call netscape to display the -text/html object. If RunningX doesn't return 0, then Mutt will go on -to the next entry and use lynx to display the text/html object. -

-

3.3.2. Search Order

+RunningX returns 0, then Mutt will call firefox to display the +text/html object. If RunningX doesn't return 0, then Mutt will go on +to the next entry and use lynx to display the text/html object. +

3.3.2. Search Order

When searching for an entry in the mailcap file, Mutt will search for the most useful entry for its purpose. For instance, if you are attempting to print an image/gif, and you have the following entries in your mailcap file, Mutt will search for an entry with the print command: -

 image/*;        xv %s
 image/gif;      ; print= anytopnm %s | pnmtops | lpr; \
                 nametemplate=%s.gif
 

- Mutt will skip the image/* entry and use the image/gif entry with the print command.

-In addition, you can use this with auto_view +In addition, you can use this with auto_view to denote two commands for viewing an attachment, one to be viewed automatically, the other to be viewed interactively from the attachment menu. In addition, you can then use the test feature to determine which viewer to use interactively depending on your environment. -

-text/html;      netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)' ; test=RunningX
+text/html;      firefox -remote 'openURL(%s)' ; test=RunningX
 text/html;      lynx %s; nametemplate=%s.html
 text/html;      lynx -dump %s; nametemplate=%s.html; copiousoutput
 

- -For auto_view, Mutt will choose the third +For auto_view, Mutt will choose the third entry because of the copiousoutput tag. For interactive viewing, Mutt will run the program RunningX to determine if it should use the first entry. If the program returns non-zero, Mutt will use the second entry for interactive viewing. -

3.3.3. Command Expansion

+

3.3.3. Command Expansion

The various commands defined in the mailcap files are passed to the -/bin/sh shell using the system() function. Before the +/bin/sh shell using the system(3) function. Before the command is passed to /bin/sh -c, it is parsed to expand various special parameters with information from Mutt. The keywords Mutt expands are: @@ -2854,11 +3084,9 @@ mailcap definition line, ie text/html or Mutt will expand this to the value of the specified parameter from the Content-Type: line of the mail message. For instance, if Your mail message contains: -

 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
 

- then Mutt will expand %{charset} to iso-8859-1. The default metamail mailcap file uses this feature to test the charset to spawn an xterm using the right charset to view the message. @@ -2868,33 +3096,28 @@ This will be replaced by a % Mutt does not currently support the %F and %n keywords specified in RFC 1524. The main purpose of these parameters is for multipart messages, which is handled internally by Mutt. -

3.4. Example mailcap files

+

3.4. Example Mailcap Files

This mailcap file is fairly simple and standard: - -

+

 # I'm always running X :)
 video/*;        xanim %s > /dev/null
 image/*;        xv %s > /dev/null
 
-# I'm always running netscape (if my computer had more memory, maybe)
-text/html;      netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)'
+# I'm always running firefox (if my computer had more memory, maybe)
+text/html;      firefox -remote 'openURL(%s)'
 

- -

This mailcap file shows quite a number of examples: -

- -

+

 # Use xanim to view all videos   Xanim produces a header on startup,
 # send that to /dev/null so I don't see it
 video/*;        xanim %s > /dev/null
 
-# Send html to a running netscape by remote
-text/html;      netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)'; test=RunningNetscape
+# Send html to a running firefox by remote
+text/html;      firefox -remote 'openURL(%s)'; test=RunningFirefox
 
-# If I'm not running netscape but I am running X, start netscape on the
+# If I'm not running firefox but I am running X, start firefox on the
 # object
-text/html;      netscape %s; test=RunningX
+text/html;      firefox %s; test=RunningX
 
 # Else use lynx to view it as text
 text/html;      lynx %s
@@ -2905,7 +3128,7 @@ text/html;      lynx -dump %s; copiousoutput
 # I use enscript to print text in two columns to a page
 text/*;         more %s; print=enscript -2Gr %s
 
-# Netscape adds a flag to tell itself to view jpegs internally
+# Firefox adds a flag to tell itself to view jpegs internally
 image/jpeg;xv %s; x-mozilla-flags=internal
 
 # Use xv to view images if I'm running X
@@ -2920,32 +3143,35 @@ pbmtoascii -1x2 ) 2>&1 ; copiousoutput
 
 # Send excel spreadsheets to my NT box
 application/ms-excel; open.pl %s
-

- -

4. MIME Autoview

+

4. MIME Autoview

+Usage: +

auto-view +mimetype + [ +mimetype +...]
unauto-view { +* + | +mimetype +... }

In addition to explicitly telling Mutt to view an attachment with the MIME viewer defined in the mailcap file, Mutt has support for automatically viewing MIME attachments while in the pager.

-To work, you must define a viewer in the mailcap file which uses the +To work, you must define a viewer in the mailcap file which uses the copiousoutput option to denote that it is non-interactive. Usually, you also use the entry to convert the attachment to a text representation which you can view in the pager.

-You then use the auto_view muttrc command to list the -content-types that you wish to view automatically. -

-For instance, if you set auto_view to: - +You then use the auto_view .muttrc command to list the +content-types that you wish to view automatically. For instance, if you +set it to:

 auto_view text/html application/x-gunzip \
   application/postscript image/gif application/x-tar-gz
 

- -

Mutt could use the following mailcap entries to automatically view attachments of these types. -

 text/html;      lynx -dump %s; copiousoutput; nametemplate=%s.html
 image/*;        anytopnm %s | pnmscale -xsize 80 -ysize 50 | ppmtopgm | \
@@ -2954,78 +3180,80 @@ application/x-gunzip;   gzcat; copiousoutput
 application/x-tar-gz; gunzip -c %s | tar -tf - ; copiousoutput
 application/postscript; ps2ascii %s; copiousoutput
 

- -

-``unauto_view'' can be used to remove previous entries from the autoview list. -This can be used with message-hook to autoview messages based on size, etc. -``unauto_view *'' will remove all previous entries. +unauto_view can be used to remove previous entries from the autoview list. +This can be used with message-hook to autoview messages based on size, etc. +“unauto_view *” will remove all previous entries.

5. MIME Multipart/Alternative

Mutt has some heuristics for determining which attachment of a -multipart/alternative type to display. First, mutt will check the -alternative_order list to determine if one of the available types -is preferred. The alternative_order list consists of a number of -mimetypes in order, including support for implicit and explicit -wildcards, for example: - +multipart/alternative type to display. First, Mutt will check the +alternative_order list +to determine if one of the available types is preferred. It consists of +a number of mimetypes in order, including support for implicit and +explicit wildcards, for example:

 alternative_order text/enriched text/plain text application/postscript image/*
 

- -

-Next, mutt will check if any of the types have a defined -auto_view, and use that. Failing -that, Mutt will look for any text type. As a last attempt, mutt will +Next, Mutt will check if any of the types have a defined +auto_view, and use that. Failing +that, Mutt will look for any text type. As a last attempt, Mutt will look for any type it knows how to handle.

-To remove a MIME type from the alternative_order list, use the -unalternative_order command. +To remove a MIME type from the alternative_order list, use the +unalternative_order command.

6. Attachment Searching and Counting

If you ever lose track of attachments in your mailboxes, Mutt's attachment-counting and -searching support might be for you. You can make your message index display the number of qualifying attachments in each message, or search for messages by attachment count. You also can configure what kinds of attachments qualify for this feature with the -attachments and unattachments commands. +attachments and unattachments commands.

-In order to provide this information, mutt needs to fully MIME-parse +In order to provide this information, Mutt needs to fully MIME-parse all messages affected first. This can slow down operation especially for remote mail folders such as IMAP because all messages have to be downloaded first regardless whether the user really wants to view them or not.

The syntax is: -

-attachments   {+|-}disposition mime-type
-unattachments {+|-}disposition mime-type
-attachments   ?
-

-Disposition is the attachment's Content-disposition type -- either -"inline" or "attachment". You can abbreviate this to I or A. -

-Disposition is prefixed by either a + symbolor a - symbol. If it's +

attachments +{ + | - }disposition + +mime-type +
unattachments +{ + | - }disposition + +mime-type +
attachments +? +

+disposition is the attachment's Content-Disposition type — either +inline or attachment. +You can abbreviate this to I or A. +

+Disposition is prefixed by either a + symbol or a - symbol. If it's a +, you're saying that you want to allow this disposition and MIME type to qualify. If it's a -, you're saying that this disposition and MIME type is an exception to previous + rules. There are examples below of how this is useful.

-Mime-type is, unsurprisingly, the MIME type of the attachment you want -to affect. A MIME type is always of the format "major/minor", where -"major" describes the broad category of document you're looking at, and -"minor" describes the specific type within that category. The major -part of mim-type must be literal text (or the special token "*"), but -the minor part may be a regular expression. (Therefore, "*/.*" matches +mime-type is, unsurprisingly, the MIME type of the attachment you want +to affect. A MIME type is always of the format major/minor, where +major describes the broad category of document you're looking at, and +minor describes the specific type within that category. The major +part of mime-type must be literal text (or the special token “*”), but +the minor part may be a regular expression. (Therefore, “*/.*” matches any MIME type.)

-The MIME types you give to the attachments directive are a kind of -pattern. When you use the attachments directive, the patterns you -specify are added to a list. When you use unattachments, the pattern +The MIME types you give to the attachments directive are a kind of +pattern. When you use the attachments directive, the patterns you +specify are added to a list. When you use unattachments, the pattern is removed from the list. The patterns are not expanded and matched -to specific MIME types at this time -- they're just text in a list. +to specific MIME types at this time — they're just text in a list. They're only matched when actually evaluating a message.

Some examples might help to illustrate. The examples that are not commented out define the default configuration of the lists. -

+

Example 5.1. Attachment counting

 ## Removing a pattern from a list removes that pattern literally. It
 ## does not remove any type matching the pattern.
 ##
@@ -3072,149 +3300,164 @@ attachments   +I text/plain
 ## You probably don't really care to know about deleted attachments.
 attachments   -A message/external-body
 attachments   -I message/external-body
-

-"attachments ?" will list your current settings in Muttrc format, so -that it can be pasted elsewhere. +


+Entering the command “attachments ?” +as a command will list your current settings in Muttrc format, so that +it can be pasted elsewhere.

7. MIME Lookup

+Usage: +

mime-lookup +mimetype + [ +mimetype +...]
unmime-lookup { +* + | +mimetype +... }

Mutt's mime_lookup list specifies a list of mime-types that should not be treated according to their mailcap entry. This option is designed to -deal with binary types such as application/octet-stream. When an attachment's +deal with binary types such as application/octet-stream. When an attachment's mime-type is listed in mime_lookup, then the extension of the filename will -be compared to the list of extensions in the mime.types file. The mime-type +be compared to the list of extensions in the mime.types file. The mime-type associated with this extension will then be used to process the attachment according to the rules in the mailcap file and according to any other configuration -options (such as auto_view) specified. Common usage would be: - +options (such as auto_view) specified. Common usage would be:

 mime_lookup application/octet-stream application/X-Lotus-Manuscript
 

- -

-In addition, the unmime_lookup command may be used to disable this feature -for any particular mime-type if it had been set, for example, in a global -muttrc. -

Chapter 6. Optional features

1. General notes

1.1. Enabling/disabling features

+In addition, the unmime_lookup command may be +used to disable this feature for any particular mime-type if it had been +set, for example, in a global .muttrc. +

Chapter 6. Optional Features

1. General Notes

1.1. Enabling/Disabling Features

Mutt supports several of optional features which can be enabled or disabled at compile-time by giving the configure script -certain arguments. These are listed in the ``Optional features'' section of +certain arguments. These are listed in the “Optional features” section of the configure --help output.

Which features are enabled or disabled can later be determined from the output of mutt -v. If a compile option starts with -``+'' it is enabled and disabled if prefixed with ``-''. For example, if -mutt was compiled using GnuTLS for encrypted communication instead of +“+” it is enabled and disabled if prefixed with “-”. For example, if +Mutt was compiled using GnuTLS for encrypted communication instead of OpenSSL, mutt -v would contain:

--USE_SSL_OPENSSL +USE_SSL_GNUTLS

1.2. URL syntax

+-USE_SSL_OPENSSL +USE_SSL_GNUTLS

1.2. URL Syntax

Mutt optionally supports the IMAP, POP3 and SMTP protocols which require to access servers using URLs. The canonical syntax for specifying URLs -in mutt is (an item enclosed in [] means it is optional and +in Mutt is (an item enclosed in [] means it is optional and may be omitted):

 proto[s]://[username[:password]@]server[:port]/[path]
 

-proto is the communication protocol: +proto is the communication protocol: imap for IMAP, pop for POP3 and -smtp for SMTP. If ``s'' for ``secure communication'' -is appended, mutt will attempt to establish an encrypted communication -using SSL or TLS. If no explicit port is given, mutt will use the -system's default for the given protocol. -

-Since all protocols by mutt support authentication, the username may be -given directly in the URL instead of using the pop_user or -imap_user variables. A password can be given, too but -is not recommended if the URL is specified in a configuration file on -disk. +smtp for SMTP. If “s” for “secure +communication” is appended, Mutt will attempt to establish an +encrypted communication using SSL or TLS. +

+Since all protocols supported by Mutt support/require authentication, +login credentials may be specified in the URL. This has the advantage +that multiple IMAP, POP3 or SMTP servers may be specified (which isn't +possible using, for example, +$imap_user). The username +may contain the “@” symbol being used by many mail systems +as part of the login name. A password can be given, too but is not +recommended if the URL is specified in a configuration file on disk. +

+If no port number is given, Mutt will use the system's default for the +given protocol (usually consulting /etc/services).

The optional path is only relevant for IMAP. -

-For IMAP for example, you can select an alternative port by specifying it with the -server: imap://imapserver:port/INBOX. You can also specify different -username for each folder: imap://username@imapserver[:port]/INBOX -or imap://username2@imapserver[:port]/path/to/folder. -Replacing imap:// by imaps:// -would make mutt attempt to conect using SSL or TLS on a different port -to encrypt the communication. -

2. SSL/TLS Support

-If mutt is compiled with IMAP, POP3 and/or SMTP support, it can also be +

Example 6.1. URLs

+pops://host/
+imaps://user@host/INBOX/Sent
+smtp://user@host:587/
+

2. SSL/TLS Support

+If Mutt is compiled with IMAP, POP3 and/or SMTP support, it can also be compiled with support for SSL or TLS using either OpenSSL or GnuTLS ( -by running the configure script with the +by running the configure script with the --enable-ssl=... option for OpenSSL or --enable-gnutls=... for GnuTLS). Mutt can then attempt to encrypt communication with remote servers if these protocols -are suffixed with ``s'' for ``secure communication''. +are suffixed with “s” for “secure communication”.

3. POP3 Support

-If Mutt was compiled with POP3 support (by running the configure +If Mutt is compiled with POP3 support (by running the configure script with the --enable-pop flag), it has the ability to work with mailboxes located on a remote POP3 server and fetch mail for local browsing.

Remote POP3 servers can be accessed using URLs with the pop protocol for unencrypted and pops for encrypted -communication, see Section 1.2, “URL syntax” for details. +communication, see Section 1.2, “URL Syntax” for details.

Polling for new mail is more expensive over POP3 than locally. For this reason the frequency at which Mutt will check for mail remotely can be controlled by the -$pop_checkinterval +$pop_checkinterval variable, which defaults to every 60 seconds.

-Another way to access your POP3 mail is the fetch-mail function -(default: G). It allows to connect to $pop_host, fetch all your new mail and place it in the -local $spoolfile. After this +POP is read-only which doesn't allow for some features like editing +messages or changing flags. However, using +Section 7.1, “Header Caching” and Section 7.2, “Body Caching” +Mutt simulates the new/old/read flags as well as flagged and replied. +Mutt applies some logic on top of remote messages but cannot change +them so that modifications of flags are lost when +messages are downloaded from the POP server (either by Mutt or other +tools). +

+Another way to access your POP3 mail is the <fetch-mail> function +(default: G). It allows to connect to $pop_host, fetch all your new mail and place it in the +local $spoolfile. After this point, Mutt runs exactly as if the mail had always been local. -

-Note: If you only need to fetch all messages to a +

Note

+If you only need to fetch all messages to a local mailbox you should consider using a specialized program, such as -fetchmail, getmail or similar. -

4. IMAP Support

+fetchmail(1), getmail(1) or similar. +

4. IMAP Support

If Mutt was compiled with IMAP support (by running the configure script with the --enable-imap flag), it has the ability to work with folders located on a remote IMAP server.

You can access the remote inbox by selecting the folder by its URL -(see Section 1.2, “URL syntax” for details) using the +(see Section 1.2, “URL Syntax” for details) using the imap or imaps protocol. Alternatively, a pine-compatible notation is also supported, ie {[username@]imapserver[:port][/ssl]}path/to/folder

-Note that not all servers use ``/'' as the hierarchy separator. Mutt should +Note that not all servers use “/” as the hierarchy separator. Mutt should correctly notice which separator is being used by the server and convert paths accordingly.

When browsing folders on an IMAP server, you can toggle whether to look at only the folders you are subscribed to, or all folders with the -toggle-subscribed command. See also the -$imap_list_subscribed variable. +toggle-subscribed command. See also the +$imap_list_subscribed variable.

Polling for new mail on an IMAP server can cause noticeable delays. So, you'll want to carefully tune the -$mail_check +$mail_check and -$timeout -variables. Personally I use - +$timeout +variables. Reasonable values are:

 set mail_check=90
 set timeout=15
 

- -with relatively good results over my slow modem line. -

+with relatively good results even over slow modem lines. +

Note

Note that if you are using mbox as the mail store on UW servers prior to v12.250, the server has been reported to disconnect a client if another client selects the same folder. -

4.1. The Folder Browser

-As of version 1.2, mutt supports browsing mailboxes on an IMAP +

4.1. The IMAP Folder Browser

+As of version 1.2, Mutt supports browsing mailboxes on an IMAP server. This is mostly the same as the local file browser, with the following differences: -

  • -In lieu of file permissions, mutt displays the string "IMAP", -possibly followed by the symbol "+", indicating +In lieu of file permissions, Mutt displays the string “IMAP”, +possibly followed by the symbol “+”, indicating that the entry contains both messages and subfolders. On Cyrus-like servers folders will often contain both messages and -subfolders. +subfolders.

  • For the case where an entry can contain both messages and subfolders, the selection key (bound to enter by default) @@ -3223,21 +3466,19 @@ the messages in that folder, you must use view-file (bound to space by default).

  • You can create, delete and rename mailboxes with the -create-mailbox, delete-mailbox, and -rename-mailbox commands (default bindings: C, +<create-mailbox>, <delete-mailbox>, and +<rename-mailbox> commands (default bindings: C, d and r, respectively). You may also -subscribe and unsubscribe to mailboxes (normally +<subscribe> and <unsubscribe> to mailboxes (normally these are bound to s and u, respectively). -

- -

4.2. Authentication

+

4.2. Authentication

Mutt supports four authentication methods with IMAP servers: SASL, GSSAPI, CRAM-MD5, and LOGIN (there is a patch by Grant Edwards to add NTLM authentication for you poor exchange users out there, but it has yet to be integrated into the main tree). There is also support for the pseudo-protocol ANONYMOUS, which allows you to log in to a public IMAP server without having an account. To use ANONYMOUS, simply make -your username blank or "anonymous". +your username blank or “anonymous”.

SASL is a special super-authenticator, which selects among several protocols (including GSSAPI, CRAM-MD5, ANONYMOUS, and DIGEST-MD5) the most secure @@ -3245,74 +3486,108 @@ method available on your host and the server. Using some of these methods (including DIGEST-MD5 and possibly GSSAPI), your entire session will be encrypted and invisible to those teeming network snoops. It is the best option if you have it. To use it, you must have the Cyrus SASL library -installed on your system and compile mutt with the --with-sasl flag. +installed on your system and compile Mutt with the --with-sasl flag.

Mutt will try whichever methods are compiled in and available on the server, in the following order: SASL, ANONYMOUS, GSSAPI, CRAM-MD5, LOGIN.

-There are a few variables which control authentication: - +There are a few variables which control authentication:

  • -$imap_user - controls +$imap_user - controls the username under which you request authentication on the IMAP server, for all authenticators. This is overridden by an explicit username in the mailbox path (ie by using a mailbox name of the form {user@host}).

  • -$imap_pass - a +$imap_pass - a password which you may preset, used by all authentication methods where a password is needed.

  • -$imap_authenticators - a colon-delimited list of IMAP +$imap_authenticators - a colon-delimited list of IMAP authentication methods to try, in the order you wish to try them. If -specified, this overrides mutt's default (attempt everything, in the order +specified, this overrides Mutt's default (attempt everything, in the order listed above). -

- -

5. SMTP Support

+

5. SMTP Support

Besides supporting traditional mail delivery through a -sendmail-compatible program, mutt supports delivery through SMTP if it +sendmail-compatible program, Mutt supports delivery through SMTP if it was configured and built with --enable-smtp.

-If the configuration variable -$smtp_url is set, mutt -will contact the given SMTP server to deliver messages; if it is unset, -mutt will use the program specified by $sendmail. +If the configuration variable +$smtp_url is set, Mutt +will contact the given SMTP server to deliver messages; if it is unset, +Mutt will use the program specified by $sendmail.

-For details on the URL syntax, please see Section 1.2, “URL syntax”. +For details on the URL syntax, please see Section 1.2, “URL Syntax”.

The built-in SMTP support supports encryption (the smtps protocol using SSL or TLS) as well as SMTP authentication using SASL. The authentication mechanisms -for SASL are specified in $smtp_authenticators -defaulting to an empty list which makes mutt try all available methods +for SASL are specified in $smtp_authenticators +defaulting to an empty list which makes Mutt try all available methods from most-secure to least-secure. -

6. Managing multiple accounts

+

6. Managing Multiple Accounts

+Usage: +

account-hook +pattern + +command +

If you happen to have accounts on multiple IMAP, POP and/or SMTP servers, you may find managing all the authentication settings inconvenient and -error-prone. The account-hook command may help. This hook works like -folder-hook but is invoked whenever you access a remote mailbox +error-prone. The account-hook command may help. This hook works like +folder-hook but is invoked whenever Mutt needs to access a remote mailbox (including inside the folder browser), not just when you open the -mailbox. +mailbox. This includes (for example) polling for new mail, storing Fcc +messages and saving messages to a folder. As a consequence, +account-hook should only be used to set connection-related settings such +as passwords or tunnel commands but not settings such as sender +address or name (because in general it should be considered unpredictable +which account-hook was last used).

Some examples: -

-

 account-hook . 'unset imap_user; unset imap_pass; unset tunnel'
 account-hook imap://host1/ 'set imap_user=me1 imap_pass=foo'
 account-hook imap://host2/ 'set tunnel="ssh host2 /usr/libexec/imapd"'
 account-hook smtp://user@host3/ 'set tunnel="ssh host3 /usr/libexec/smtpd"'
 

- -

7. Local caching

+To manage multiple accounts with, for example, different values of +$record or sender addresses, +folder-hook +has to be be used together with +the mailboxes command. +

Example 6.2. Managing multiple accounts

+mailboxes imap://user@host1/INBOX
+folder-hook imap://user@host1/ 'set folder=imap://host1/ ; set record=+INBOX/Sent'
+
+mailboxes imap://user@host2/INBOX
+folder-hook imap://user@host2/ 'set folder=imap://host2/ ; set record=+INBOX/Sent'
+

+In example +Example 6.2, “Managing multiple accounts” the folders are defined using +mailboxes so Mutt polls them for new +mail. Each folder-hook triggers when +one mailbox below each IMAP account is opened and sets +$folder to the account's root +folder. Next, it sets $record to +the INBOX/Sent folder below the newly +set $folder. Please notice that the +value the “+” +mailbox shortcut refers to depends on +the current value +of $folder and therefore has to be set +separatedly per account. Setting other values +like $from +or $signature is analogous to setting +$record. +

7. Local Caching

Mutt contains two types of local caching: (1) -the so-called ``header caching'' and (2) the -so-called ``body caching'' which are both described in this section. +the so-called “header caching” and (2) the +so-called “body caching” which are both described in this section.

Header caching is optional as it depends on external libraries, body -caching is always enabled if mutt is compiled with POP and/or IMAP +caching is always enabled if Mutt is compiled with POP and/or IMAP support as these use it (body caching requires no external library). -

7.1. Header caching

+

7.1. Header Caching

Mutt provides optional support for caching message headers for the following types of folders: IMAP, POP, Maildir and MH. Header caching greatly improves speed because for remote folders, headers @@ -3323,124 +3598,199 @@ thousands of single files (since Maildir and MH use one file per message.) Header caching can be enabled via the configure script and the --enable-hcache option. It's not turned on by default because external database libraries are required: one -of qdbm, gdbm or bdb must be present. +of tokyocabinet, qdbm, gdbm or bdb must be present.

-If enabled, $header_cache can be +If enabled, $header_cache can be used to either point to a file or a directory. If set to point to a file, one database file for all folders will be used (which may result in lower performance), but one file per folder if it points to a directory. -

-For the one-file-per-folder case, database files for remote folders -will be named according to their URL while database files for local -folders will be named by the MD5 checksums of their path. These database -files may be safely removed if a system is short on space. You -can compute the name of the header cache file for a particular local folder -through a command like the following: -

-

-$ printf '%s' '/path/to/folder' | md5sum
-

-

-The md5sum command may also be -named md5, depending on your operating system. -

7.2. Body caching

+

7.2. Body Caching

Both cache methods can be combined using the same directory for storage (and for IMAP/POP even provide meaningful file names) which simplifies manual maintenance tasks.

-In addition to caching message headers only, mutt can also cache +In addition to caching message headers only, Mutt can also cache whole message bodies. This results in faster display of messages for POP and IMAP folders because messages usually have to be downloaded only once.

-For configuration, the variable $message_cachedir must point to a -directory. There, mutt will create a hierarchy of subdirectories +For configuration, the variable $message_cachedir must point to a +directory. There, Mutt will create a hierarchy of subdirectories named like: proto:user@hostname where -proto is either ``pop'' or ``imap.'' Within -there for each folder, mutt stores messages in single files (just -like Maildir) so that with manual symlink creation these cache -directories can be examined with mutt as read-only Maildir folders. -

+proto is either “pop” or “imap.” Within +there for each folder, Mutt stores messages in single files. All files can be removed as needed if the consumed disk space -becomes an issue as mutt will silently fetch missing items again. +becomes an issue as Mutt will silently fetch missing items again.

7.3. Maintenance

Mutt does not (yet) support maintenance features for header cache database files so that files have to be removed in case they grow too big. It depends on the database library used for header caching whether disk space freed by removing messages is re-used.

-For body caches, mutt can keep the local cache in sync with the +For body caches, Mutt can keep the local cache in sync with the remote mailbox if the -$message_cache_clean +$message_cache_clean variable is set. Cleaning means to remove messages from the cache which are no longer present in the mailbox which only happens when other mail -clients or instances of mutt using a different body cache location +clients or instances of Mutt using a different body cache location delete messages (Mutt itself removes deleted messages from the cache when syncing a mailbox). As cleaning can take a noticeable amount of time, it should not be set in general but only occasionally. -

8. Exact address generation

-Mutt supports the ``Name <user@host>'' address syntax for reading and -writing messages, the older ``user@host (Name)'' syntax is only supported when +

8. Exact Address Generation

+Mutt supports the “Name <user@host>” address syntax for reading and +writing messages, the older “user@host (Name)” syntax is only supported when reading messages. The --enable-exact-address switch can be given to configure to build it with write-support for the latter syntax. EXACT_ADDRESS in the output of mutt -v indicates whether it's supported. -

Chapter 7. Performance tuning

1. Reading and writing mailboxes

-Mutt's performance when reading mailboxes can be improved in two ways: +

9. Sending Anonymous Messages via Mixmaster

+You may also have compiled Mutt to co-operate with Mixmaster, an +anonymous remailer. Mixmaster permits you to send your messages +anonymously using a chain of remailers. Mixmaster support in Mutt is for +mixmaster version 2.04 (beta 45 appears to be the latest) and 2.03. +It does not support earlier versions or the later so-called version 3 betas, +of which the latest appears to be called 2.9b23. +

+To use it, you'll have to obey certain restrictions. Most +important, you cannot use the Cc and Bcc headers. To tell +Mutt to use mixmaster, you have to select a remailer chain, using +the mix function on the compose menu. +

+The chain selection screen is divided into two parts. In the +(larger) upper part, you get a list of remailers you may use. In +the lower part, you see the currently selected chain of remailers. +

+You can navigate in the chain using the <chain-prev> and +<chain-next> functions, which are by default bound to the left +and right arrows and to the h and l keys (think vi +keyboard bindings). To insert a remailer at the current chain +position, use the <insert> function. To append a remailer behind +the current chain position, use <select-entry> or <append>. +You can also delete entries from the chain, using the corresponding +function. Finally, to abandon your changes, leave the menu, or +<accept> them pressing (by default) the Return key.

+Note that different remailers do have different capabilities, +indicated in the %c entry of the remailer menu lines (see +$mix_entry_format). Most important is +the “middleman” capability, indicated by a capital “M”: This +means that the remailer in question cannot be used as the final +element of a chain, but will only forward messages to other +mixmaster remailers. For details on the other capabilities, please +have a look at the mixmaster documentation. +

Chapter 7. Security Considerations

+First of all, Mutt contains no security holes included by intention but +may contain unknown security holes. As a consequence, please run Mutt +only with as few permissions as possible. Especially, do not run Mutt as +the super user. +

+When configuring Mutt, there're some points to note about secure setups +so please read this chapter carefully. +

1. Passwords

+Although Mutt can be told the various passwords for accounts, please +never store passwords in configuration files. Besides the fact that the +system's operator can always read them, you could forget to mask it out +when reporting a bug or asking for help via a mailing list. Even worse, +your mail including your password could be archived by internet search +engines, mail-to-news gateways etc. It may already be too late before +you notice your mistake. +

2. Temporary Files

+Mutt uses many temporary files for viewing messages, verifying digital +signatures, etc. As long as being used, these files are visible by other +users and maybe even readable in case of misconfiguration. Also, a +different location for these files may be desired which can be changed +via the $tmpdir variable. +

3. Information Leaks

3.1. Message-Id: headers

+Message-Id: headers contain a local part that is to be created in a +unique fashion. In order to do so, Mutt will “leak” some +information to the outside world when sending messages: the generation +of this header includes a step counter which is increased (and rotated) +with every message sent. In a longer running mutt session, others can +make assumptions about your mailing habbits depending on the number of +messages sent. If this is not desired, the header can be manually +provided using $edit_headers (though not +recommended). +

3.2. mailto:-style Links

+As Mutt be can be set up to be the mail client to handle +mailto: style links in websites, there're security +considerations, too. Arbitrary header fields can be embedded in these +links which could override existing header fields or attach arbitrary +files using the Attach: +psuedoheader. This may be problematic if the $edit-headers variable is +unset, i.e. the user doesn't want to see header +fields while editing the message and doesn't pay enough attention to the +compose menu's listing of attachments. +

+For example, following a link like +

+mailto:joe@host?Attach=~/.gnupg/secring.gpg

+will send out the user's private gnupg keyring to +joe@host if the user doesn't follow the information +on screen carefully enough. +

4. External Applications

+Mutt in many places has to rely on external applications or for +convenience supports mechanisms involving external applications. +

+One of these is the mailcap mechanism as defined by +RfC1524. Details about a secure use of the mailcap mechanisms is given +in Section 3.2, “Secure Use of Mailcap”. +

+Besides the mailcap mechanism, Mutt uses a number of other external +utilities for operation, for example to provide crypto support, in +backtick expansion in configuration files or format string filters. The +same security considerations apply for these as for tools involved via +mailcap. +

Chapter 8. Performance Tuning

1. Reading and Writing Mailboxes

+Mutt's performance when reading mailboxes can be improved in two ways:

  1. For remote folders (IMAP and POP) as well as folders using -one-file-per message storage (Maildir and MH), mutt's +one-file-per message storage (Maildir and MH), Mutt's performance can be greatly improved using -header caching. -Using a single database per folder may further increase -performance. +header caching. +using a single database per folder.

  2. -Mutt provides the $read_inc -and $write_inc +Mutt provides the $read_inc +and $write_inc variables to specify at which rate to update progress -counters. If these values are too low, mutt may spend more +counters. If these values are too low, Mutt may spend more time on updating the progress counter than it spends on actually reading/writing folders.

    For example, when opening a maildir folder with a few thousand messages, the default value for -$read_inc +$read_inc may be too low. It can be tuned on on a folder-basis using -folder-hooks: - +folder-hooks:

     # use very high $read_inc to speed up reading hcache'd maildirs
     folder-hook . 'set read_inc=1000'
     # use lower value for reading slower remote IMAP folders
     folder-hook ^imap 'set read_inc=100'
     # use even lower value for reading even slower remote POP folders
    -folder-hook ^pop 'set read_inc=1'

    -

-

These settings work on a per-message basis. However, as messages may +folder-hook ^pop 'set read_inc=1'

These settings work on a per-message basis. However, as messages may greatly differ in size and certain operations are much faster than others, even per-folder settings of the increment variables may not be desirable as they produce either too few or too much progress updates. Thus, Mutt allows to limit the number of progress updates per second it'll actually send to the terminal using the -$time_inc variable.

2. Reading messages from remote folders

+$time_inc variable.

2. Reading Messages from Remote Folders

Reading messages from remote folders such as IMAP an POP can be -slow especially for large mailboxes since mutt only caches a very +slow especially for large mailboxes since Mutt only caches a very limited number of recently viewed messages (usually 10) per session (so that it will be gone for the next session.)

To improve performance and permanently cache whole messages, -please refer to mutt's so-called -body caching for details. -

3. Searching and limiting

+please refer to Mutt's so-called +body caching for details. +

3. Searching and Limiting

When searching mailboxes either via a search or a limit action, for -some patterns mutt distinguishes between regular expression and string +some patterns Mutt distinguishes between regular expression and string searches. For regular expressions, patterns are prefixed with -``˜'' and with ``='' for string searches. +“˜” and with “=” for string searches.

Even though a regular expression search is fast, it's several times -slower than a pure string search which is noticable especially on large +slower than a pure string search which is noticeable especially on large folders. As a consequence, a string search should be used instead of a regular expression search if the user already knows enough about the search pattern. @@ -3451,151 +3801,371 @@ address via =Luser@ instead of ˜Luser@. This is especially true for searching message bodies since a larger amount of input has to be searched.

-Please note that string search is an exact case-sensitive search -while a regular expression search with only lower-case letters performs -a case-insensitive search. -

Chapter 8. Reference

Table of Contents

1. Command line options
2. Configuration Commands
3. Configuration variables
3.1. abort_nosubject
3.2. abort_unmodified
3.3. alias_file
3.4. alias_format
3.5. allow_8bit
3.6. allow_ansi
3.7. arrow_cursor
3.8. ascii_chars
3.9. askbcc
3.10. askcc
3.11. assumed_charset
3.12. attach_charset
3.13. attach_format
3.14. attach_sep
3.15. attach_split
3.16. attribution
3.17. autoedit
3.18. auto_tag
3.19. beep
3.20. beep_new
3.21. bounce
3.22. bounce_delivered
3.23. braille_friendly
3.24. check_mbox_size
3.25. charset
3.26. check_new
3.27. collapse_unread
3.28. uncollapse_jump
3.29. compose_format
3.30. config_charset
3.31. confirmappend
3.32. confirmcreate
3.33. connect_timeout
3.34. content_type
3.35. copy
3.36. crypt_use_gpgme
3.37. crypt_use_pka
3.38. crypt_autopgp
3.39. crypt_autosmime
3.40. date_format
3.41. default_hook
3.42. delete
3.43. delete_untag
3.44. digest_collapse
3.45. display_filter
3.46. dotlock_program
3.47. dsn_notify
3.48. dsn_return
3.49. duplicate_threads
3.50. edit_headers
3.51. editor
3.52. encode_from
3.53. envelope_from_address
3.54. escape
3.55. fast_reply
3.56. fcc_attach
3.57. fcc_clear
3.58. folder
3.59. folder_format
3.60. followup_to
3.61. force_name
3.62. forward_decode
3.63. forward_edit
3.64. forward_format
3.65. forward_quote
3.66. from
3.67. gecos_mask
3.68. hdrs
3.69. header
3.70. help
3.71. hidden_host
3.72. hide_limited
3.73. hide_missing
3.74. hide_thread_subject
3.75. hide_top_limited
3.76. hide_top_missing
3.77. history
3.78. history_file
3.79. honor_followup_to
3.80. hostname
3.81. ignore_linear_white_space
3.82. ignore_list_reply_to
3.83. imap_authenticators
3.84. imap_check_subscribed
3.85. imap_delim_chars
3.86. imap_headers
3.87. imap_idle
3.88. imap_keepalive
3.89. imap_list_subscribed
3.90. imap_login
3.91. imap_pass
3.92. imap_passive
3.93. imap_peek
3.94. imap_servernoise
3.95. imap_user
3.96. implicit_autoview
3.97. include
3.98. include_onlyfirst
3.99. indent_string
3.100. index_format
3.101. ispell
3.102. keep_flagged
3.103. locale
3.104. mail_check
3.105. mailcap_path
3.106. mailcap_sanitize
3.107. header_cache
3.108. maildir_header_cache_verify
3.109. header_cache_pagesize
3.110. header_cache_compress
3.111. maildir_trash
3.112. mark_old
3.113. markers
3.114. mask
3.115. mbox
3.116. mbox_type
3.117. metoo
3.118. menu_context
3.119. menu_move_off
3.120. menu_scroll
3.121. meta_key
3.122. mh_purge
3.123. mh_seq_flagged
3.124. mh_seq_replied
3.125. mh_seq_unseen
3.126. mime_forward
3.127. mime_forward_decode
3.128. mime_forward_rest
3.129. mix_entry_format
3.130. mixmaster
3.131. move
3.132. message_cachedir
3.133. message_cache_clean
3.134. message_format
3.135. narrow_tree
3.136. net_inc
3.137. pager
3.138. pager_context
3.139. pager_format
3.140. pager_index_lines
3.141. pager_stop
3.142. crypt_autosign
3.143. crypt_autoencrypt
3.144. pgp_ignore_subkeys
3.145. crypt_replyencrypt
3.146. crypt_replysign
3.147. crypt_replysignencrypted
3.148. crypt_timestamp
3.149. pgp_use_gpg_agent
3.150. crypt_verify_sig
3.151. smime_is_default
3.152. smime_ask_cert_label
3.153. smime_decrypt_use_default_key
3.154. pgp_entry_format
3.155. pgp_good_sign
3.156. pgp_check_exit
3.157. pgp_long_ids
3.158. pgp_retainable_sigs
3.159. pgp_autoinline
3.160. pgp_replyinline
3.161. pgp_show_unusable
3.162. pgp_sign_as
3.163. pgp_strict_enc
3.164. pgp_timeout
3.165. pgp_sort_keys
3.166. pgp_mime_auto
3.167. pgp_auto_decode
3.168. pgp_decode_command
3.169. pgp_getkeys_command
3.170. pgp_verify_command
3.171. pgp_decrypt_command
3.172. pgp_clearsign_command
3.173. pgp_sign_command
3.174. pgp_encrypt_sign_command
3.175. pgp_encrypt_only_command
3.176. pgp_import_command
3.177. pgp_export_command
3.178. pgp_verify_key_command
3.179. pgp_list_secring_command
3.180. pgp_list_pubring_command
3.181. forward_decrypt
3.182. smime_timeout
3.183. smime_encrypt_with
3.184. smime_keys
3.185. smime_ca_location
3.186. smime_certificates
3.187. smime_decrypt_command
3.188. smime_verify_command
3.189. smime_verify_opaque_command
3.190. smime_sign_command
3.191. smime_sign_opaque_command
3.192. smime_encrypt_command
3.193. smime_pk7out_command
3.194. smime_get_cert_command
3.195. smime_get_signer_cert_command
3.196. smime_import_cert_command
3.197. smime_get_cert_email_command
3.198. smime_default_key
3.199. ssl_client_cert
3.200. ssl_force_tls
3.201. ssl_starttls
3.202. certificate_file
3.203. ssl_usesystemcerts
3.204. entropy_file
3.205. ssl_use_sslv2
3.206. ssl_use_sslv3
3.207. ssl_use_tlsv1
3.208. ssl_min_dh_prime_bits
3.209. ssl_ca_certificates_file
3.210. pipe_split
3.211. pipe_decode
3.212. pipe_sep
3.213. pop_authenticators
3.214. pop_auth_try_all
3.215. pop_checkinterval
3.216. pop_delete
3.217. pop_host
3.218. pop_last
3.219. pop_reconnect
3.220. pop_user
3.221. pop_pass
3.222. post_indent_string
3.223. postpone
3.224. postponed
3.225. preconnect
3.226. print
3.227. print_command
3.228. print_decode
3.229. print_split
3.230. prompt_after
3.231. query_command
3.232. query_format
3.233. quit
3.234. quote_regexp
3.235. read_inc
3.236. read_only
3.237. realname
3.238. recall
3.239. record
3.240. reply_regexp
3.241. reply_self
3.242. reply_to
3.243. resolve
3.244. reverse_alias
3.245. reverse_name
3.246. reverse_realname
3.247. rfc2047_parameters
3.248. save_address
3.249. save_empty
3.250. save_history
3.251. save_name
3.252. score
3.253. score_threshold_delete
3.254. score_threshold_flag
3.255. score_threshold_read
3.256. send_charset
3.257. sendmail
3.258. sendmail_wait
3.259. shell
3.260. sig_dashes
3.261. sig_on_top
3.262. signature
3.263. simple_search
3.264. smart_wrap
3.265. smileys
3.266. sleep_time
3.267. smtp_authenticators
3.268. smtp_pass
3.269. smtp_url
3.270. sort
3.271. sort_alias
3.272. sort_aux
3.273. sort_browser
3.274. sort_re
3.275. spam_separator
3.276. spoolfile
3.277. status_chars
3.278. status_format
3.279. status_on_top
3.280. strict_threads
3.281. suspend
3.282. text_flowed
3.283. thread_received
3.284. thorough_search
3.285. tilde
3.286. time_inc
3.287. timeout
3.288. tmpdir
3.289. to_chars
3.290. tunnel
3.291. use_8bitmime
3.292. use_domain
3.293. use_envelope_from
3.294. use_from
3.295. use_idn
3.296. use_ipv6
3.297. user_agent
3.298. visual
3.299. wait_key
3.300. weed
3.301. wrap
3.302. wrap_search
3.303. wrapmargin
3.304. write_inc
3.305. write_bcc
4. Functions
4.1. generic
4.2. index
4.3. pager
4.4. alias
4.5. query
4.6. attach
4.7. compose
4.8. postpone
4.9. browser
4.10. pgp
4.11. smime
4.12. mix
4.13. editor

1. Command line options

+As for regular expressions, a lower case string search pattern makes +Mutt perform a case-insensitive search except for IMAP (because for IMAP +Mutt performs server-side searches which don't support case-insensivity). +

Chapter 9. Reference

Table of Contents

1. Command-Line Options
2. Configuration Commands
3. Configuration Variables
3.1. abort_nosubject
3.2. abort_unmodified
3.3. alias_file
3.4. alias_format
3.5. allow_8bit
3.6. allow_ansi
3.7. arrow_cursor
3.8. ascii_chars
3.9. askbcc
3.10. askcc
3.11. assumed_charset
3.12. attach_charset
3.13. attach_format
3.14. attach_sep
3.15. attach_split
3.16. attribution
3.17. auto_tag
3.18. autoedit
3.19. beep
3.20. beep_new
3.21. bounce
3.22. bounce_delivered
3.23. braille_friendly
3.24. certificate_file
3.25. charset
3.26. check_mbox_size
3.27. check_new
3.28. collapse_unread
3.29. compose_format
3.30. config_charset
3.31. confirmappend
3.32. confirmcreate
3.33. connect_timeout
3.34. content_type
3.35. copy
3.36. crypt_autoencrypt
3.37. crypt_autopgp
3.38. crypt_autosign
3.39. crypt_autosmime
3.40. crypt_replyencrypt
3.41. crypt_replysign
3.42. crypt_replysignencrypted
3.43. crypt_timestamp
3.44. crypt_use_gpgme
3.45. crypt_use_pka
3.46. crypt_verify_sig
3.47. date_format
3.48. default_hook
3.49. delete
3.50. delete_untag
3.51. digest_collapse
3.52. display_filter
3.53. dotlock_program
3.54. dsn_notify
3.55. dsn_return
3.56. duplicate_threads
3.57. edit_headers
3.58. editor
3.59. encode_from
3.60. entropy_file
3.61. envelope_from_address
3.62. escape
3.63. fast_reply
3.64. fcc_attach
3.65. fcc_clear
3.66. folder
3.67. folder_format
3.68. followup_to
3.69. force_name
3.70. forward_decode
3.71. forward_decrypt
3.72. forward_edit
3.73. forward_format
3.74. forward_quote
3.75. from
3.76. gecos_mask
3.77. hdrs
3.78. header
3.79. header_cache
3.80. header_cache_compress
3.81. header_cache_pagesize
3.82. help
3.83. hidden_host
3.84. hide_limited
3.85. hide_missing
3.86. hide_thread_subject
3.87. hide_top_limited
3.88. hide_top_missing
3.89. history
3.90. history_file
3.91. honor_disposition
3.92. honor_followup_to
3.93. hostname
3.94. ignore_linear_white_space
3.95. ignore_list_reply_to
3.96. imap_authenticators
3.97. imap_check_subscribed
3.98. imap_delim_chars
3.99. imap_headers
3.100. imap_idle
3.101. imap_keepalive
3.102. imap_list_subscribed
3.103. imap_login
3.104. imap_pass
3.105. imap_passive
3.106. imap_peek
3.107. imap_pipeline_depth
3.108. imap_servernoise
3.109. imap_user
3.110. implicit_autoview
3.111. include
3.112. include_onlyfirst
3.113. indent_string
3.114. index_format
3.115. ispell
3.116. keep_flagged
3.117. locale
3.118. mail_check
3.119. mailcap_path
3.120. mailcap_sanitize
3.121. maildir_header_cache_verify
3.122. maildir_trash
3.123. mark_old
3.124. markers
3.125. mask
3.126. mbox
3.127. mbox_type
3.128. menu_context
3.129. menu_move_off
3.130. menu_scroll
3.131. message_cache_clean
3.132. message_cachedir
3.133. message_format
3.134. meta_key
3.135. metoo
3.136. mh_purge
3.137. mh_seq_flagged
3.138. mh_seq_replied
3.139. mh_seq_unseen
3.140. mime_forward
3.141. mime_forward_decode
3.142. mime_forward_rest
3.143. mix_entry_format
3.144. mixmaster
3.145. move
3.146. narrow_tree
3.147. net_inc
3.148. pager
3.149. pager_context
3.150. pager_format
3.151. pager_index_lines
3.152. pager_stop
3.153. pgp_auto_decode
3.154. pgp_autoinline
3.155. pgp_check_exit
3.156. pgp_clearsign_command
3.157. pgp_decode_command
3.158. pgp_decrypt_command
3.159. pgp_encrypt_only_command
3.160. pgp_encrypt_sign_command
3.161. pgp_entry_format
3.162. pgp_export_command
3.163. pgp_getkeys_command
3.164. pgp_good_sign
3.165. pgp_ignore_subkeys
3.166. pgp_import_command
3.167. pgp_list_pubring_command
3.168. pgp_list_secring_command
3.169. pgp_long_ids
3.170. pgp_mime_auto
3.171. pgp_replyinline
3.172. pgp_retainable_sigs
3.173. pgp_show_unusable
3.174. pgp_sign_as
3.175. pgp_sign_command
3.176. pgp_sort_keys
3.177. pgp_strict_enc
3.178. pgp_timeout
3.179. pgp_use_gpg_agent
3.180. pgp_verify_command
3.181. pgp_verify_key_command
3.182. pipe_decode
3.183. pipe_sep
3.184. pipe_split
3.185. pop_auth_try_all
3.186. pop_authenticators
3.187. pop_checkinterval
3.188. pop_delete
3.189. pop_host
3.190. pop_last
3.191. pop_pass
3.192. pop_reconnect
3.193. pop_user
3.194. post_indent_string
3.195. postpone
3.196. postponed
3.197. preconnect
3.198. print
3.199. print_command
3.200. print_decode
3.201. print_split
3.202. prompt_after
3.203. query_command
3.204. query_format
3.205. quit
3.206. quote_regexp
3.207. read_inc
3.208. read_only
3.209. realname
3.210. recall
3.211. record
3.212. reply_regexp
3.213. reply_self
3.214. reply_to
3.215. resolve
3.216. reverse_alias
3.217. reverse_name
3.218. reverse_realname
3.219. rfc2047_parameters
3.220. save_address
3.221. save_empty
3.222. save_history
3.223. save_name
3.224. score
3.225. score_threshold_delete
3.226. score_threshold_flag
3.227. score_threshold_read
3.228. search_context
3.229. send_charset
3.230. sendmail
3.231. sendmail_wait
3.232. shell
3.233. sig_dashes
3.234. sig_on_top
3.235. signature
3.236. simple_search
3.237. sleep_time
3.238. smart_wrap
3.239. smileys
3.240. smime_ask_cert_label
3.241. smime_ca_location
3.242. smime_certificates
3.243. smime_decrypt_command
3.244. smime_decrypt_use_default_key
3.245. smime_default_key
3.246. smime_encrypt_command
3.247. smime_encrypt_with
3.248. smime_get_cert_command
3.249. smime_get_cert_email_command
3.250. smime_get_signer_cert_command
3.251. smime_import_cert_command
3.252. smime_is_default
3.253. smime_keys
3.254. smime_pk7out_command
3.255. smime_sign_command
3.256. smime_sign_opaque_command
3.257. smime_timeout
3.258. smime_verify_command
3.259. smime_verify_opaque_command
3.260. smtp_authenticators
3.261. smtp_pass
3.262. smtp_url
3.263. sort
3.264. sort_alias
3.265. sort_aux
3.266. sort_browser
3.267. sort_re
3.268. spam_separator
3.269. spoolfile
3.270. ssl_ca_certificates_file
3.271. ssl_client_cert
3.272. ssl_force_tls
3.273. ssl_min_dh_prime_bits
3.274. ssl_starttls
3.275. ssl_use_sslv2
3.276. ssl_use_sslv3
3.277. ssl_use_tlsv1
3.278. ssl_usesystemcerts
3.279. ssl_verify_dates
3.280. ssl_verify_host
3.281. status_chars
3.282. status_format
3.283. status_on_top
3.284. strict_threads
3.285. suspend
3.286. text_flowed
3.287. thorough_search
3.288. thread_received
3.289. tilde
3.290. time_inc
3.291. timeout
3.292. tmpdir
3.293. to_chars
3.294. tunnel
3.295. uncollapse_jump
3.296. use_8bitmime
3.297. use_domain
3.298. use_envelope_from
3.299. use_from
3.300. use_idn
3.301. use_ipv6
3.302. user_agent
3.303. visual
3.304. wait_key
3.305. weed
3.306. wrap
3.307. wrap_search
3.308. wrapmargin
3.309. write_bcc
3.310. write_inc
4. Functions
4.1. Generic Menu
4.2. Index Menu
4.3. Pager Menu
4.4. Alias Menu
4.5. Query Menu
4.6. Attach Menu
4.7. Compose Menu
4.8. Postpone Menu
4.9. Browser Menu
4.10. Pgp Menu
4.11. Smime Menu
4.12. Mix Menu
4.13. Editor Menu

1. Command-Line Options

Running mutt with no arguments will make Mutt attempt to read your spool mailbox. However, it is possible to read other mailboxes and to send messages from the command line as well. -

- -

Table 8.1. Command line options

OptionDescription
-Aexpand an alias
-aattach a file to a message
-bspecify a blind carbon-copy (BCC) address
-cspecify a carbon-copy (Cc) address
-Dprint the value of all mutt variables to stdout
-especify a config command to be run after initialization files are read
-fspecify a mailbox to load
-Fspecify an alternate file to read initialization commands
-hprint help on command line options
-Hspecify a draft file from which to read a header and body
-ispecify a file to include in a message composition
-mspecify a default mailbox type
-ndo not read the system Muttrc
-precall a postponed message
-Qquery a configuration variable
-Ropen mailbox in read-only mode
-sspecify a subject (enclose in quotes if it contains spaces)
-vshow version number and compile-time definitions
-xsimulate the mailx(1) compose mode
-yshow a menu containing the files specified by the mailboxes command
-zexit immediately if there are no messages in the mailbox
-Zopen the first folder with new message,exit immediately if none


- -

+

Table 9.1. Command line options

OptionDescription
-Aexpand an alias
-aattach a file to a message
-bspecify a blind carbon-copy (BCC) address
-cspecify a carbon-copy (Cc) address
-Dprint the value of all Mutt variables to stdout
-especify a config command to be run after initialization files are read
-fspecify a mailbox to load
-Fspecify an alternate file to read initialization commands
-hprint help on command line options
-Hspecify a draft file from which to read a header and body
-ispecify a file to include in a message composition
-mspecify a default mailbox type
-ndo not read the system Muttrc
-precall a postponed message
-Qquery a configuration variable
-Ropen mailbox in read-only mode
-sspecify a subject (enclose in quotes if it contains spaces)
-vshow version number and compile-time definitions
-xsimulate the mailx(1) compose mode
-yshow a menu containing the files specified by the mailboxes command
-zexit immediately if there are no messages in the mailbox
-Zopen the first folder with new message, exit immediately if none

To read messages in a mailbox -

-mutt [ -nz ] [ -F muttrc ] [ -m type ] [ -f mailbox ] -

+

mutt [-nz] [-F +muttrc +] [-m +type +] [-f +mailbox +]

To compose a new message -

-mutt [ -n ] [ -F muttrc ] [ -a file ] [ -c address ] [ -i filename ] [ -s subject ] -[ [ file ... ] -- ] address [ address ... ] -

-Mutt also supports a ``batch'' mode to send prepared messages. Simply redirect +

mutt [-n] [-F +muttrc +] [-c +address +] [-i +filename +] [-s +subject +] [ +-a +file + [...] +-- +] +address +...

+Mutt also supports a “batch” mode to send prepared messages. Simply redirect input from the file you wish to send. For example, -

-mutt -s "data set for run #2" professor@bigschool.edu -< ˜/run2.dat -

-This command will send a message to ``professor@bigschool.edu'' with a subject -of ``data set for run #2''. In the body of the message will be the contents -of the file ``˜/run2.dat''. -

-All files passed with -a file will be attached as a MIME -part to the message. To attach several files, use ``--'' to separate files and -recipient addresses: mutt -a *.png -- some@one.org -

2. Configuration Commands

-The following are the commands understood by mutt. -

- -

- -

3. Configuration variables

3.1. abort_nosubject

Type: quadoption
+

+mutt -s "data set for run #2" professor@bigschool.edu < ˜/run2.dat

+will send a message to <professor@bigschool.edu> with a subject +of “data set for run #2”. In the body of the message will be the contents +of the file “˜/run2.dat”. +

+All files passed with -a file will be attached as a MIME +part to the message. To attach a single or several files, use “--” to separate files and +recipient addresses: +

+mutt -a image.png -- some@one.org

+or +

+mutt -a *.png -- some@one.org

Note

+The -a option must be last in the option list. +

2. Configuration Commands

+The following are the commands understood by Mutt: +

  • account-hook +pattern +command +

  • alias [ +-group +name +...] +key + +address + [ +address +...]
    unalias [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +key +... }

  • alternates [ +-group +name +...] +regexp + [ +regexp +...]
    unalternates [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +regexp +... }

  • alternative-order +mimetype + [ +mimetype +...]
    unalternative-order { +* + | +mimetype +... }

  • attachments +{ + | - }disposition + +mime-type +
    unattachments +{ + | - }disposition + +mime-type +

  • auto-view +mimetype + [ +mimetype +...]
    unauto-view { +* + | +mimetype +... }

  • bind +map + +key + +function +

  • charset-hook +alias + +charset +

  • iconv-hook +charset + +local-charset +

  • color +object + +foreground + +background +
    color { +header + | +body + } +foreground + +background + +regexp +
    color +index + +foreground + +background + +pattern +
    uncolor { +index + | +header + | +body + } { +* + | +pattern +... }

  • crypt-hook +pattern + +keyid +

  • exec +function + [ +function +...]

  • fcc-hook +[!]pattern + +mailbox +

  • fcc-save-hook +[!]pattern + +mailbox +

  • folder-hook +[!]regexp + +command +

  • group [ +-group +name +...] { +-rx +expr +... | +-addr +expr +... }
    ungroup [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +-rx +expr +... | +-addr +expr +... }

  • hdr_order +header + [ +header +...]
    unhdr_order { +* + | +header +... }

  • ignore +pattern + [ +pattern +...]
    unignore { +* + | +pattern +... }

  • lists [ +-group +name +] +regexp + [ +regexp +...]
    unlists [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +regexp +... }

  • macro +menu + +key + +sequence + [ +description +]

  • mailboxes +mailbox + [ +mailbox +...]
    unmailboxes { +* + | +mailbox +... }

  • mbox-hook +[!]pattern + +mailbox +

  • message-hook +[!]pattern + +command +

  • mime-lookup +mimetype + [ +mimetype +...]
    unmime-lookup { +* + | +mimetype +... }

  • mono +object + +attribute +
    mono { +header + | +body + } +attribute + +regexp +
    mono +index + +attribute + +pattern +
    unmono { +index + | +header + | +body + } { +* + | +pattern +... }

  • my_hdr +string +
    unmy_hdr { +* + | +field +... }

  • push +string +

  • save-hook +[!]pattern + +mailbox +

  • score +pattern + +value +
    unscore { +* + | +pattern +... }

  • reply-hook +[!]pattern + +command +

  • send-hook +[!]pattern + +command +

  • send2-hook +[!]pattern + +command +

  • set { +[ no | inv ] +variable + | +variable=value + } [...]
    toggle +variable + [ +variable +...]
    unset +variable + [ +variable +...]
    reset +variable + [ +variable +...]

  • source +filename +

  • spam +pattern + +format +
    nospam { +* + | +pattern + }

  • subscribe [ +-group +name +...] +regexp + [ +regexp +...]
    unsubscribe [ +-group +name +...] { +* + | +regexp +... }

  • unhook { +* + | +hook-type + }

3. Configuration Variables

3.1. abort_nosubject

Type: quadoption
Default: ask-yes

If set to yes, when composing messages and no subject is given at the subject prompt, composition will be aborted. If set to @@ -3608,153 +4178,166 @@ editing the message body if no changes are made to the file (this check only happens after the first edit of the file). When set to no, composition will never be aborted.

3.3. alias_file

Type: path
-Default: "˜/.muttrc"

-The default file in which to save aliases created by the -``create-alias'' function. +Default: “˜/.muttrc”

+The default file in which to save aliases created by the +<create-alias> function. Entries added to this file are +encoded in the character set specified by $config_charset if it +is set or the current character set otherwise.

Note: Mutt will not automatically source this file; you must -explicitly use the ``source'' command for it to be executed. +explicitly use the “source” command for it to be executed in case +this option points to a dedicated alias file.

The default for this option is the currently used muttrc file, or -``˜/.muttrc'' if no user muttrc was found. +“˜/.muttrc” if no user muttrc was found.

3.4. alias_format

Type: string
-Default: "%4n %2f %t %-10a   %r"

-Specifies the format of the data displayed for the `alias' menu. The -following printf(3)-style sequences are available: -

- -

%a

alias name -

%f

flags - currently, a "d" for an alias marked for deletion -

%n

index number -

%r

address which alias expands to -

%t

character which indicates if the alias is tagged for inclusion -

-

3.5. allow_8bit

Type: boolean
+Default: “%4n %2f %t %-10a   %r”

+Specifies the format of the data displayed for the “alias” menu. The +following printf(3)-style sequences are available: + +

%a alias name +
%f flags - currently, a “d” for an alias marked for deletion +
%n index number +
%r address which alias expands to +
%t character which indicates if the alias is tagged for inclusion +

3.5. allow_8bit

Type: boolean
Default: yes

Controls whether 8-bit data is converted to 7-bit using either Quoted- Printable or Base64 encoding when sending mail.

3.6. allow_ansi

Type: boolean
Default: no

-Controls whether ANSI color codes in messages (and color tags in +Controls whether ANSI color codes in messages (and color tags in rich text messages) are to be interpreted. -Messages containing these codes are rare, but if this option is set, +Messages containing these codes are rare, but if this option is set, their text will be colored accordingly. Note that this may override your color choices, and even present a security problem, since a -message could include a line like "[-- PGP output follows ..." and -give it the same color as your attachment color. +message could include a line like + +

+[-- PGP output follows ...
+

+and give it the same color as your attachment color (see also +$crypt_timestamp).

3.7. arrow_cursor

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, an arrow (``->'') will be used to indicate the current entry +When set, an arrow (“->”) will be used to indicate the current entry in menus instead of highlighting the whole line. On slow network or modem links this will make response faster because there is less that has to be redrawn on the screen when moving to the next or previous entries in the menu.

3.8. ascii_chars

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, Mutt will use plain ASCII characters when displaying thread +If set, Mutt will use plain ASCII characters when displaying thread and attachment trees, instead of the default ACS characters.

3.9. askbcc

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, Mutt will prompt you for blind-carbon-copy (Bcc) recipients +If set, Mutt will prompt you for blind-carbon-copy (Bcc) recipients before editing an outgoing message.

3.10. askcc

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, Mutt will prompt you for carbon-copy (Cc) recipients before +If set, Mutt will prompt you for carbon-copy (Cc) recipients before editing the body of an outgoing message.

3.11. assumed_charset

Type: string
-Default: ""

+Default: (empty)

This variable is a colon-separated list of character encoding schemes for messages without character encoding indication. Header field values and message body content without character encoding indication would be assumed that they are written in one of this list. By default, all the header fields and message body without any charset -indication are assumed to be in "us-ascii". +indication are assumed to be in “us-ascii”.

For example, Japanese users might prefer this: -

+ +

 set assumed_charset="iso-2022-jp:euc-jp:shift_jis:utf-8"
-

+

However, only the first content is valid for the message body.

3.12. attach_charset

Type: string
-Default: ""

+Default: (empty)

This variable is a colon-separated list of character encoding -schemes for text file attachments. -If unset, $charset value will be used instead. +schemes for text file attachments. Mutt uses this setting to guess +which encoding files being attached are encoded in to convert them to +a proper character set given in $send_charset. +

+If unset, the value of $charset will be used instead. For example, the following configuration would work for Japanese text handling: -

+ +

 set attach_charset="iso-2022-jp:euc-jp:shift_jis:utf-8"
-

-Note: "iso-2022-*" must be put at the head of the value as shown above -if included. +

+Note: for Japanese users, “iso-2022-*” must be put at the head +of the value as shown above if included.

3.13. attach_format

Type: string
-Default: "%u%D%I %t%4n %T%.40d%> [%.7m/%.10M, %.6e%?C?, %C?, %s] "

-This variable describes the format of the `attachment' menu. The -following printf-style sequences are understood: -

- -

%C

charset -

%c

requires charset conversion (n or c) -

%D

deleted flag -

%d

description -

%e

MIME content-transfer-encoding -

%f

filename -

%I

disposition (I=inline, A=attachment) -

%m

major MIME type -

%M

MIME subtype -

%n

attachment number -

%Q

"Q", if MIME part qualifies for attachment counting -

%s

size -

%t

tagged flag -

%T

graphic tree characters -

%u

unlink (=to delete) flag -

%X

number of qualifying MIME parts in this part and its children -(please see the ``attachments'' section for possible speed effects) -

%>X

right justify the rest of the string and pad with character "X" -

%|X

pad to the end of the line with character "X" -

%*X

soft-fill with character "X" as pad -

- -

-For an explanation of `soft-fill', see the ``$index_format'' documentation. +Default: “%u%D%I %t%4n %T%.40d%> [%.7m/%.10M, %.6e%?C?, %C?, %s] ”

+This variable describes the format of the “attachment” menu. The +following printf(3)-style sequences are understood: + +

%C charset +
%c requires charset conversion (“n” or “c”) +
%D deleted flag +
%d description +
%e MIME content-transfer-encoding +
%f filename +
%I disposition (“I” for inline, “A” for attachment) +
%m major MIME type +
%M MIME subtype +
%n attachment number +
%Q “Q”, if MIME part qualifies for attachment counting +
%s size +
%t tagged flag +
%T graphic tree characters +
%u unlink (=to delete) flag +
%X number of qualifying MIME parts in this part and its children +(please see the “attachments” section for possible speed effects) +
%>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with character “X” +
%|X pad to the end of the line with character “X” +
%*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad +

+For an explanation of “soft-fill”, see the $index_format documentation.

3.14. attach_sep

Type: string
-Default: "\n"

+Default: “\n”

The separator to add between attachments when operating (saving, printing, piping, etc) on a list of tagged attachments.

3.15. attach_split

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-If this variable is unset, when operating (saving, printing, piping, +If this variable is unset, when operating (saving, printing, piping, etc) on a list of tagged attachments, Mutt will concatenate the attachments and will operate on them as a single attachment. The -``$attach_sep'' separator is added after each attachment. When set, +$attach_sep separator is added after each attachment. When set, Mutt will operate on the attachments one by one.

3.16. attribution

Type: string
-Default: "On %d, %n wrote:"

+Default: “On %d, %n wrote:”

This is the string that will precede a message which has been included -in a reply. For a full listing of defined printf()-like sequences see -the section on ``$index_format''. -

3.17. autoedit

Type: boolean
+in a reply. For a full listing of defined printf(3)-like sequences see +the section on $index_format. +

3.17. auto_tag

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set along with ``$edit_headers'', Mutt will skip the initial -send-menu and allow you to immediately begin editing the body of your +When set, functions in the index menu which affect a message +will be applied to all tagged messages (if there are any). When +unset, you must first use the <tag-prefix> function (bound to “;” +by default) to make the next function apply to all tagged messages. +

3.18. autoedit

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+When set along with $edit_headers, Mutt will skip the initial +send-menu (prompting for subject and recipients) and allow you to +immediately begin editing the body of your message. The send-menu may still be accessed once you have finished editing the body of your message.

-Also see ``$fast_reply''. -

3.18. auto_tag

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-When set, functions in the index menu which affect a message -will be applied to all tagged messages (if there are any). When -unset, you must first use the tag-prefix function (default: ";") to -make the next function apply to all tagged messages. +Note: when this option is set, you cannot use send-hooks that depend +on the recipients when composing a new (non-reply) message, as the initial +list of recipients is empty. +

+Also see $fast_reply.

3.19. beep

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When this variable is set, mutt will beep when an error occurs. +When this variable is set, mutt will beep when an error occurs.

3.20. beep_new

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When this variable is set, mutt will beep whenever it prints a message +When this variable is set, mutt will beep whenever it prints a message notifying you of new mail. This is independent of the setting of the -``$beep'' variable. +$beep variable.

3.21. bounce

Type: quadoption
Default: ask-yes

Controls whether you will be asked to confirm bouncing messages. @@ -3763,24 +4346,55 @@ message. Setting this variable to no is n and thus not recommended, because you are unable to bounce messages.

3.22. bounce_delivered

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When this variable is set, mutt will include Delivered-To headers when -bouncing messages. Postfix users may wish to unset this variable. +When this variable is set, mutt will include Delivered-To headers when +bouncing messages. Postfix users may wish to unset this variable.

3.23. braille_friendly

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When this variable is set, mutt will place the cursor at the beginning -of the current line in menus, even when the arrow_cursor variable -is unset, making it easier for blind persons using Braille displays to -follow these menus. The option is disabled by default because many +When this variable is set, mutt will place the cursor at the beginning +of the current line in menus, even when the $arrow_cursor variable +is unset, making it easier for blind persons using Braille displays to +follow these menus. The option is unset by default because many visual terminals don't permit making the cursor invisible. -

3.24. check_mbox_size

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-When this variable is set, mutt will use file size attribute instead of -access time when checking for new mail. -

3.25. charset

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.24. certificate_file

Type: path
+Default: “˜/.mutt_certificates”

+This variable specifies the file where the certificates you trust +are saved. When an unknown certificate is encountered, you are asked +if you accept it or not. If you accept it, the certificate can also +be saved in this file and further connections are automatically +accepted. +

+You can also manually add CA certificates in this file. Any server +certificate that is signed with one of these CA certificates is +also automatically accepted. +

+Example: + +

+set certificate_file=~/.mutt/certificates
+

3.25. charset

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

Character set your terminal uses to display and enter textual data. -It is also the fallback for $send_charset. -

3.26. check_new

Type: boolean
+It is also the fallback for $send_charset. +

+Upon startup Mutt tries to derive this value from environment variables +such as $LC_CTYPE or $LANG. +

+Note: It should only be set in case Mutt isn't abled to determine the +character set used correctly. +

3.26. check_mbox_size

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+When this variable is set, mutt will use file size attribute instead of +access time when checking for new mail in mbox and mmdf folders. +

+This variable is unset by default and should only be enabled when +new mail detection for these folder types is unreliable or doesn't work. +

+Note that enabling this variable should happen before any “mailboxes” +directives occur in configuration files regarding mbox or mmdf folders +because mutt needs to determine the initial new mail status of such a +mailbox by performing a fast mailbox scan when it is defined. +Afterwards the new mail status is tracked by file size changes. +

3.27. check_new

Type: boolean
Default: yes

Note: this option only affects maildir and MH style mailboxes. @@ -3789,131 +4403,188 @@ When set, Mutt will check for new mail de mailbox is open. Especially with MH mailboxes, this operation can take quite some time since it involves scanning the directory and checking each file to see if it has already been looked at. If -check_new is unset, no check for new mail is performed +this variable is unset, no check for new mail is performed while the mailbox is open. -

3.27. collapse_unread

Type: boolean
+

3.28. collapse_unread

Type: boolean
Default: yes

When unset, Mutt will not collapse a thread if it contains any unread messages. -

3.28. uncollapse_jump

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-When set, Mutt will jump to the next unread message, if any, -when the current thread is uncollapsed.

3.29. compose_format

Type: string
-Default: "-- Mutt: Compose  [Approx. msg size: %l   Atts: %a]%>-"

-Controls the format of the status line displayed in the Compose -menu. This string is similar to ``$status_format'', but has its own -set of printf()-like sequences: -

- -

%a

total number of attachments -

%h

local hostname -

%l

approximate size (in bytes) of the current message -

%v

Mutt version string -

- -

-See the text describing the ``$status_format'' option for more -information on how to set ``$compose_format''. +Default: “-- Mutt: Compose  [Approx. msg size: %l   Atts: %a]%>-”

+Controls the format of the status line displayed in the “compose” +menu. This string is similar to $status_format, but has its own +set of printf(3)-like sequences: + +

%a total number of attachments +
%h local hostname +
%l approximate size (in bytes) of the current message +
%v Mutt version string +

+See the text describing the $status_format option for more +information on how to set $compose_format.

3.30. config_charset

Type: string
-Default: ""

+Default: (empty)

When defined, Mutt will recode commands in rc files from this -encoding. +encoding to the current character set as specified by $charset +and aliases written to $alias_file from the current character set. +

+Please note that if setting $charset it must be done before +setting $config_charset. +

+Recoding should be avoided as it may render unconvertable +characters as question marks which can lead to undesired +side effects (for example in regular expressions).

3.31. confirmappend

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when appending messages to +When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when appending messages to an existing mailbox.

3.32. confirmcreate

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when saving messages to a +When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when saving messages to a mailbox which does not yet exist before creating it.

3.33. connect_timeout

Type: number
Default: 30

-Causes Mutt to timeout a network connection (for IMAP or POP) after this +Causes Mutt to timeout a network connection (for IMAP, POP or SMTP) after this many seconds if the connection is not able to be established. A negative -value causes Mutt to wait indefinitely for the connection to succeed. +value causes Mutt to wait indefinitely for the connection attempt to succeed.

3.34. content_type

Type: string
-Default: "text/plain"

+Default: “text/plain”

Sets the default Content-Type for the body of newly composed messages.

3.35. copy

Type: quadoption
Default: yes

This variable controls whether or not copies of your outgoing messages -will be saved for later references. Also see ``$record'', -``$save_name'', ``$force_name'' and ``fcc-hook''. -

3.36. crypt_use_gpgme

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-This variable controls the use of the GPGME-enabled crypto backends. -If it is set and Mutt was built with gpgme support, the gpgme code for -S/MIME and PGP will be used instead of the classic code. Note that -you need to set this option in .muttrc; it won't have any effect when -used interactively. -

3.37. crypt_use_pka

Type: boolean
+will be saved for later references. Also see $record, +$save_name, $force_name and “fcc-hook”. +

3.36. crypt_autoencrypt

Type: boolean
Default: no

-(http://www.g10code.de/docs/pka-intro.de.pdf) during signature -verification (only supported by the GPGME backend). -

3.38. crypt_autopgp

Type: boolean
+Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to PGP +encrypt outgoing messages. This is probably only useful in +connection to the “send-hook” command. It can be overridden +by use of the pgp menu, when encryption is not required or +signing is requested as well. If $smime_is_default is set, +then OpenSSL is used instead to create S/MIME messages and +settings can be overridden by use of the smime menu instead. +(Crypto only) +

3.37. crypt_autopgp

Type: boolean
Default: yes

This variable controls whether or not mutt may automatically enable -PGP encryption/signing for messages. See also ``$crypt_autoencrypt'', -``$crypt_replyencrypt'', -``$crypt_autosign'', ``$crypt_replysign'' and ``$smime_is_default''. +PGP encryption/signing for messages. See also $crypt_autoencrypt, +$crypt_replyencrypt, +$crypt_autosign, $crypt_replysign and $smime_is_default. +

3.38. crypt_autosign

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to +cryptographically sign outgoing messages. This can be overridden +by use of the pgp menu, when signing is not required or +encryption is requested as well. If $smime_is_default is set, +then OpenSSL is used instead to create S/MIME messages and settings can +be overridden by use of the smime menu instead of the pgp menu. +(Crypto only)

3.39. crypt_autosmime

Type: boolean
Default: yes

This variable controls whether or not mutt may automatically enable -S/MIME encryption/signing for messages. See also ``$crypt_autoencrypt'', -``$crypt_replyencrypt'', -``$crypt_autosign'', ``$crypt_replysign'' and ``$smime_is_default''. -

3.40. date_format

Type: string
-Default: "!%a, %b %d, %Y at %I:%M:%S%p %Z"

-This variable controls the format of the date printed by the ``%d'' -sequence in ``$index_format''. This is passed to the strftime -call to process the date. See the man page for strftime(3) for -the proper syntax. -

-Unless the first character in the string is a bang (``!''), the month -and week day names are expanded according to the locale specified in -the variable ``$locale''. If the first character in the string is a -bang, the bang is discarded, and the month and week day names in the -rest of the string are expanded in the C locale (that is in US -English). -

3.41. default_hook

Type: string
-Default: "˜f %s !˜P | (˜P ˜C %s)"

-This variable controls how message-hooks, reply-hooks, send-hooks, -send2-hooks, save-hooks, and fcc-hooks will -be interpreted if they are specified with only a simple regexp, -instead of a matching pattern. The hooks are expanded when they are -declared, so a hook will be interpreted according to the value of this -variable at the time the hook is declared. The default value matches -if the message is either from a user matching the regular expression -given, or if it is from you (if the from address matches -``alternates'') and is to or cc'ed to a user matching the given -regular expression. -

3.42. delete

Type: quadoption
-Default: ask-yes

-Controls whether or not messages are really deleted when closing or -synchronizing a mailbox. If set to yes, messages marked for +S/MIME encryption/signing for messages. See also $crypt_autoencrypt, +$crypt_replyencrypt, +$crypt_autosign, $crypt_replysign and $smime_is_default. +

3.40. crypt_replyencrypt

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL encrypt replies to messages which are +encrypted. +(Crypto only) +

3.41. crypt_replysign

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages which are +signed. +

+Note: this does not work on messages that are encrypted +and signed! +(Crypto only) +

3.42. crypt_replysignencrypted

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages +which are encrypted. This makes sense in combination with +$crypt_replyencrypt, because it allows you to sign all +messages which are automatically encrypted. This works around +the problem noted in $crypt_replysign, that mutt is not able +to find out whether an encrypted message is also signed. +(Crypto only) +

3.43. crypt_timestamp

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+If set, mutt will include a time stamp in the lines surrounding +PGP or S/MIME output, so spoofing such lines is more difficult. +If you are using colors to mark these lines, and rely on these, +you may unset this setting. +(Crypto only) +

3.44. crypt_use_gpgme

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+This variable controls the use of the GPGME-enabled crypto backends. +If it is set and Mutt was built with gpgme support, the gpgme code for +S/MIME and PGP will be used instead of the classic code. Note that +you need to set this option in .muttrc; it won't have any effect when +used interactively. +

3.45. crypt_use_pka

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+Controls whether mutt uses PKA +(see http://www.g10code.de/docs/pka-intro.de.pdf) during signature +verification (only supported by the GPGME backend). +

3.46. crypt_verify_sig

Type: quadoption
+Default: yes

+If “yes”, always attempt to verify PGP or S/MIME signatures. +If “ask-*”, ask whether or not to verify the signature. +If \Fi“no”, never attempt to verify cryptographic signatures. +(Crypto only) +

3.47. date_format

Type: string
+Default: “!%a, %b %d, %Y at %I:%M:%S%p %Z”

+This variable controls the format of the date printed by the “%d” +sequence in $index_format. This is passed to the strftime(3) +function to process the date, see the man page for the proper syntax. +

+Unless the first character in the string is a bang (“!”), the month +and week day names are expanded according to the locale specified in +the variable $locale. If the first character in the string is a +bang, the bang is discarded, and the month and week day names in the +rest of the string are expanded in the C locale (that is in US +English). +

3.48. default_hook

Type: string
+Default: “˜f %s !˜P | (˜P ˜C %s)”

+This variable controls how “message-hook”, “reply-hook”, “send-hook”, +“send2-hook”, “save-hook”, and “fcc-hook” will +be interpreted if they are specified with only a simple regexp, +instead of a matching pattern. The hooks are expanded when they are +declared, so a hook will be interpreted according to the value of this +variable at the time the hook is declared. +

+The default value matches +if the message is either from a user matching the regular expression +given, or if it is from you (if the from address matches +“alternates”) and is to or cc'ed to a user matching the given +regular expression. +

3.49. delete

Type: quadoption
+Default: ask-yes

+Controls whether or not messages are really deleted when closing or +synchronizing a mailbox. If set to yes, messages marked for deleting will automatically be purged without prompting. If set to no, messages marked for deletion will be kept in the mailbox. -

3.43. delete_untag

Type: boolean
+

3.50. delete_untag

Type: boolean
Default: yes

If this option is set, mutt will untag messages when marking them for deletion. This applies when you either explicitly delete a message, or when you save it to another folder. -

3.44. digest_collapse

Type: boolean
+

3.51. digest_collapse

Type: boolean
Default: yes

If this option is set, mutt's received-attachments menu will not show the subparts of -individual messages in a multipart/digest. To see these subparts, press 'v' on that menu. -

3.45. display_filter

Type: path
-Default: ""

+individual messages in a multipart/digest. To see these subparts, press “v” on that menu. +

3.52. display_filter

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

When set, specifies a command used to filter messages. When a message -is viewed it is passed as standard input to $display_filter, and the +is viewed it is passed as standard input to $display_filter, and the filtered message is read from the standard output. -

3.46. dotlock_program

Type: path
-Default: "/usr/local/bin/mutt_dotlock"

-Contains the path of the mutt_dotlock (8) binary to be used by +

3.53. dotlock_program

Type: path
+Default: “/usr/local/bin/mutt_dotlock”

+Contains the path of the mutt_dotlock(8) binary to be used by mutt. -

3.47. dsn_notify

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.54. dsn_notify

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

This variable sets the request for when notification is returned. The string consists of a comma separated list (no spaces!) of one or more of the following: never, to never request notification, @@ -3921,186 +4592,228 @@ of the following: never, to never request delay, to be notified of message delays, success, to be notified of successful transmission.

-Example: set dsn_notify="failure,delay" -

-Note: when using $sendmail for delivery, you should not enable +Example: + +

+set dsn_notify="failure,delay"
+

+Note: when using $sendmail for delivery, you should not enable this unless you are either using Sendmail 8.8.x or greater or a MTA -providing a sendmail(1)-compatible interface supporting the -N option -for DSN. For SMTP delivery, it depends on the server whether DSN is -supported or not. -

3.48. dsn_return

Type: string
-Default: ""

+providing a sendmail(1)-compatible interface supporting the -N option +for DSN. For SMTP delivery, DSN support is autodetected so that it +depends on the server whether DSN will be used or not. +

3.55. dsn_return

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

This variable controls how much of your message is returned in DSN messages. It may be set to either hdrs to return just the message header, or full to return the full message.

-Example: set dsn_return=hdrs -

-Note: when using $sendmail for delivery, you should not enable +Example: + +

+set dsn_return=hdrs
+

+Note: when using $sendmail for delivery, you should not enable this unless you are either using Sendmail 8.8.x or greater or a MTA -providing a sendmail(1)-compatible interface supporting the -R option -for DSN. For SMTP delivery, it depends on the server whether DSN is -supported or not. -

3.49. duplicate_threads

Type: boolean
+providing a sendmail(1)-compatible interface supporting the -R option +for DSN. For SMTP delivery, DSN support is autodetected so that it +depends on the server whether DSN will be used or not. +

3.56. duplicate_threads

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-This variable controls whether mutt, when sorting by threads, threads -messages with the same message-id together. If it is set, it will indicate +This variable controls whether mutt, when $sort is set to threads, threads +messages with the same Message-Id together. If it is set, it will indicate that it thinks they are duplicates of each other with an equals sign -in the thread diagram. -

3.50. edit_headers

Type: boolean
+in the thread tree. +

3.57. edit_headers

Type: boolean
Default: no

This option allows you to edit the header of your outgoing messages along with the body of your message.

Note that changes made to the References: and Date: headers are ignored for interoperability reasons. -

3.51. editor

Type: path
-Default: ""

+

3.58. editor

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

This variable specifies which editor is used by mutt. -It defaults to the value of the VISUAL, or EDITOR, environment -variable, or to the string "vi" if neither of those are set. -

3.52. encode_from

Type: boolean
+It defaults to the value of the $VISUAL, or $EDITOR, environment +variable, or to the string “vi” if neither of those are set. +

3.59. encode_from

Type: boolean
Default: no

When set, mutt will quoted-printable encode messages when -they contain the string "From " in the beginning of a line. -Useful to avoid the tampering certain mail delivery and transport -agents tend to do with messages. -

3.53. envelope_from_address

Type: e-mail address
-Default: ""

+they contain the string “From ” (note the trailing space) in the beginning of a line. +This is useful to avoid the tampering certain mail delivery and transport +agents tend to do with messages (in order to prevent tools from +misinterpreting the line as a mbox message separator). +

3.60. entropy_file

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

+The file which includes random data that is used to initialize SSL +library functions. +

3.61. envelope_from_address

Type: e-mail address
+Default: (empty)

Manually sets the envelope sender for outgoing messages. -This value is ignored if ``$use_envelope_from'' is unset. -

3.54. escape

Type: string
-Default: "˜"

+This value is ignored if $use_envelope_from is unset. +

3.62. escape

Type: string
+Default: “˜”

Escape character to use for functions in the builtin editor. -

3.55. fast_reply

Type: boolean
+

3.63. fast_reply

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, the initial prompt for recipients and subject are skipped +When set, the initial prompt for recipients and subject are skipped when replying to messages, and the initial prompt for subject is skipped when forwarding messages.

-Note: this variable has no effect when the ``$autoedit'' -variable is set. -

3.56. fcc_attach

Type: boolean
+Note: this variable has no effect when the $autoedit +variable is set. +

3.64. fcc_attach

Type: quadoption
Default: yes

This variable controls whether or not attachments on outgoing messages are saved along with the main body of your message. -

3.57. fcc_clear

Type: boolean
+

3.65. fcc_clear

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When this variable is set, FCCs will be stored unencrypted and +When this variable is set, FCCs will be stored unencrypted and unsigned, even when the actual message is encrypted and/or signed. (PGP only) -

3.58. folder

Type: path
-Default: "˜/Mail"

-Specifies the default location of your mailboxes. A `+' or `=' at the +

3.66. folder

Type: path
+Default: “˜/Mail”

+Specifies the default location of your mailboxes. A “+” or “=” at the beginning of a pathname will be expanded to the value of this -variable. Note that if you change this variable from the default +variable. Note that if you change this variable (from the default) value you need to make sure that the assignment occurs before -you use `+' or `=' for any other variables since expansion takes place -during the `set' command. -

3.59. folder_format

Type: string
-Default: "%2C %t %N %F %2l %-8.8u %-8.8g %8s %d %f"

+you use “+” or “=” for any other variables since expansion takes place +when handling the “mailboxes” command. +

3.67. folder_format

Type: string
+Default: “%2C %t %N %F %2l %-8.8u %-8.8g %8s %d %f”

This variable allows you to customize the file browser display to your -personal taste. This string is similar to ``$index_format'', but has -its own set of printf()-like sequences: -

- -

%C

current file number -

%d

date/time folder was last modified -

%f

filename -

%F

file permissions -

%g

group name (or numeric gid, if missing) -

%l

number of hard links -

%N

N if folder has new mail, blank otherwise -

%s

size in bytes -

%t

* if the file is tagged, blank otherwise -

%u

owner name (or numeric uid, if missing) -

%>X

right justify the rest of the string and pad with character "X" -

%|X

pad to the end of the line with character "X" -

%*X

soft-fill with character "X" as pad -

- -

-For an explanation of `soft-fill', see the ``$index_format'' documentation. -

3.60. followup_to

Type: boolean
+personal taste. This string is similar to $index_format, but has +its own set of printf(3)-like sequences: + +

%C current file number +
%d date/time folder was last modified +
%f filename (“/” is appended to directory names, +“@” to symbolic links and “*” to executable +files) +
%F file permissions +
%g group name (or numeric gid, if missing) +
%l number of hard links +
%N N if folder has new mail, blank otherwise +
%s size in bytes +
%t “*” if the file is tagged, blank otherwise +
%u owner name (or numeric uid, if missing) +
%>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with character “X” +
%|X pad to the end of the line with character “X” +
%*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad +

+For an explanation of “soft-fill”, see the $index_format documentation. +

3.68. followup_to

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-Controls whether or not the Mail-Followup-To header field is +Controls whether or not the “Mail-Followup-To:” header field is generated when sending mail. When set, Mutt will generate this field when you are replying to a known mailing list, specified with -the ``subscribe'' or ``lists'' commands. +the “subscribe” or “lists” commands.

This field has two purposes. First, preventing you from receiving duplicate copies of replies to messages which you send to mailing lists, and second, ensuring that you do get a reply separately for any messages sent to known lists to which you are -not subscribed. The header will contain only the list's address +not subscribed. +

+The header will contain only the list's address for subscribed lists, and both the list address and your own email address for unsubscribed lists. Without this header, a group reply to your message sent to a subscribed list will be sent to both the list and your address, resulting in two copies of the same email for you. -

3.61. force_name

Type: boolean
+

3.69. force_name

Type: boolean
Default: no

-This variable is similar to ``$save_name'', except that Mutt will +This variable is similar to $save_name, except that Mutt will store a copy of your outgoing message by the username of the address you are sending to even if that mailbox does not exist.

-Also see the ``$record'' variable. -

3.62. forward_decode

Type: boolean
+Also see the $record variable. +

3.70. forward_decode

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-Controls the decoding of complex MIME messages into text/plain when +Controls the decoding of complex MIME messages into text/plain when forwarding a message. The message header is also RFC2047 decoded. -This variable is only used, if ``$mime_forward'' is unset, -otherwise ``$mime_forward_decode'' is used instead. -

3.63. forward_edit

Type: quadoption
+This variable is only used, if $mime_forward is unset, +otherwise $mime_forward_decode is used instead. +

3.71. forward_decrypt

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+Controls the handling of encrypted messages when forwarding a message. +When set, the outer layer of encryption is stripped off. This +variable is only used if $mime_forward is set and +$mime_forward_decode is unset. +(PGP only) +

3.72. forward_edit

Type: quadoption
Default: yes

This quadoption controls whether or not the user is automatically placed in the editor when forwarding messages. For those who always want -to forward with no modification, use a setting of ``no''. -

3.64. forward_format

Type: string
-Default: "[%a: %s]"

+to forward with no modification, use a setting of “no”. +

3.73. forward_format

Type: string
+Default: “[%a: %s]”

This variable controls the default subject when forwarding a message. -It uses the same format sequences as the ``$index_format'' variable. -

3.65. forward_quote

Type: boolean
+It uses the same format sequences as the $index_format variable. +

3.74. forward_quote

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set forwarded messages included in the main body of the -message (when ``$mime_forward'' is unset) will be quoted using -``$indent_string''. -

3.66. from

Type: e-mail address
-Default: ""

-When set, this variable contains a default from address. It -can be overridden using my_hdr (including from send-hooks) and -``$reverse_name''. This variable is ignored if ``$use_from'' -is unset. -

-Defaults to the contents of the environment variable EMAIL. -

3.67. gecos_mask

Type: regular expression
-Default: "^[^,]*"

+When set, forwarded messages included in the main body of the +message (when $mime_forward is unset) will be quoted using +$indent_string. +

3.75. from

Type: e-mail address
+Default: (empty)

+When set, this variable contains a default from address. It +can be overridden using “my_hdr” (including from a “send-hook”) and +$reverse_name. This variable is ignored if $use_from is unset. +

+This setting defaults to the contents of the environment variable $EMAIL. +

3.76. gecos_mask

Type: regular expression
+Default: “^[^,]*”

A regular expression used by mutt to parse the GECOS field of a password -entry when expanding the alias. By default the regular expression is set -to "^[^,]*" which will return the string up to the first "," encountered. -If the GECOS field contains a string like "lastname, firstname" then you -should set the gecos_mask=".*". -

-This can be useful if you see the following behavior: you address a e-mail -to user ID stevef whose full name is Steve Franklin. If mutt expands -stevef to "Franklin" stevef@foo.bar then you should set the gecos_mask to +entry when expanding the alias. The default value +will return the string up to the first “,” encountered. +If the GECOS field contains a string like “lastname, firstname” then you +should set it to “.*”. +

+This can be useful if you see the following behavior: you address an e-mail +to user ID “stevef” whose full name is “Steve Franklin”. If mutt expands +“stevef” to “"Franklin" stevef@foo.bar” then you should set the $gecos_mask to a regular expression that will match the whole name so mutt will expand -"Franklin" to "Franklin, Steve". -

3.68. hdrs

Type: boolean
+“Franklin” to “Franklin, Steve”. +

3.77. hdrs

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When unset, the header fields normally added by the ``my_hdr'' +When unset, the header fields normally added by the “my_hdr” command are not created. This variable must be unset before -composing a new message or replying in order to take effect. If set, +composing a new message or replying in order to take effect. If set, the user defined header fields are added to every new message. -

3.69. header

Type: boolean
+

3.78. header

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, this variable causes Mutt to include the header +When set, this variable causes Mutt to include the header of the message you are replying to into the edit buffer. -The ``$weed'' setting applies. -

3.70. help

Type: boolean
+The $weed setting applies. +

3.79. header_cache

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

+This variable points to the header cache database. +If pointing to a directory Mutt will contain a header cache +database file per folder, if pointing to a file that file will +be a single global header cache. By default it is unset so no header +caching will be used. +

+Header caching can greatly improve speed when opening POP, IMAP +MH or Maildir folders, see “caching” for details. +

3.80. header_cache_compress

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, help lines describing the bindings for the major functions +When mutt is compiled with qdbm or tokyocabinet as header cache backend, +this option determines whether the database will be compressed. +Compression results in database files roughly being one fifth +of the usual diskspace, but the uncompression can result in a +slower opening of cached folder(s) which in general is still +much faster than opening non header cached folders. +

3.81. header_cache_pagesize

Type: string
+Default: “16384”

+When mutt is compiled with either gdbm or bdb4 as the header cache backend, +this option changes the database page size. Too large or too small +values can waste space, memory, or CPU time. The default should be more +or less optimal for most use cases. +

3.82. help

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+When set, help lines describing the bindings for the major functions provided by each menu are displayed on the first line of the screen.

Note: The binding will not be displayed correctly if the @@ -4108,119 +4821,137 @@ function is bound to a sequence rather than a single keystroke. Also, the help line may not be updated if a binding is changed while Mutt is running. Since this variable is primarily aimed at new users, neither of these should present a major problem. -

3.71. hidden_host

Type: boolean
+

3.83. hidden_host

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, mutt will skip the host name part of ``$hostname'' variable +When set, mutt will skip the host name part of $hostname variable when adding the domain part to addresses. This variable does not -affect the generation of Message-IDs, and it will not lead to the +affect the generation of Message-IDs, and it will not lead to the cut-off of first-level domains. -

3.72. hide_limited

Type: boolean
+

3.84. hide_limited

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, mutt will not show the presence of messages that are hidden +When set, mutt will not show the presence of messages that are hidden by limiting, in the thread tree. -

3.73. hide_missing

Type: boolean
+

3.85. hide_missing

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, mutt will not show the presence of missing messages in the +When set, mutt will not show the presence of missing messages in the thread tree. -

3.74. hide_thread_subject

Type: boolean
+

3.86. hide_thread_subject

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, mutt will not show the subject of messages in the thread +When set, mutt will not show the subject of messages in the thread tree that have the same subject as their parent or closest previously displayed sibling. -

3.75. hide_top_limited

Type: boolean
+

3.87. hide_top_limited

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, mutt will not show the presence of messages that are hidden +When set, mutt will not show the presence of messages that are hidden by limiting, at the top of threads in the thread tree. Note that when -$hide_limited is set, this option will have no effect. -

3.76. hide_top_missing

Type: boolean
+$hide_limited is set, this option will have no effect. +

3.88. hide_top_missing

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, mutt will not show the presence of missing messages at the -top of threads in the thread tree. Note that when $hide_missing is -set, this option will have no effect. -

3.77. history

Type: number
+When set, mutt will not show the presence of missing messages at the +top of threads in the thread tree. Note that when $hide_missing is +set, this option will have no effect. +

3.89. history

Type: number
Default: 10

This variable controls the size (in number of strings remembered) of -the string history buffer. The buffer is cleared each time the +the string history buffer per category. The buffer is cleared each time the variable is set. -

3.78. history_file

Type: path
-Default: "˜/.mutthistory"

+

3.90. history_file

Type: path
+Default: “˜/.mutthistory”

The file in which Mutt will save its history. -

3.79. honor_followup_to

Type: quadoption
+

3.91. honor_disposition

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+When set, Mutt will not display attachments with a +disposition of “attachment” inline even if it could +render the part to plain text. These MIME parts can only +be viewed from the attachment menu. +

+If unset, Mutt will render all MIME parts it can +properly transform to plain text. +

3.92. honor_followup_to

Type: quadoption
Default: yes

This variable controls whether or not a Mail-Followup-To header is honored when group-replying to a message. -

3.80. hostname

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.93. hostname

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

Specifies the fully-qualified hostname of the system mutt is running on containing the host's name and the DNS domain it belongs to. It is used -as the domain part (after ``@'') for local email addresses as well as +as the domain part (after “@”) for local email addresses as well as Message-Id headers.

Its value is determined at startup as follows: If the node's name -as returned by the uname(3) function contains the hostname and the -domain, these are used to construct $hostname. If there is no -domain part returned, Mutt will look for a ``domain'' or ``search'' -line in /etc/resolv.conf to determine the domain. Optionally, Mutt +as returned by the uname(3) function contains the hostname and the +domain, these are used to construct $hostname. If there is no +domain part returned, Mutt will look for a “domain” or “search” +line in /etc/resolv.conf to determine the domain. Optionally, Mutt can be compiled with a fixed domain name in which case a detected one is not used.

-Also see ``$use_domain'' and ``$hidden_host''. -

3.81. ignore_linear_white_space

Type: boolean
+Also see $use_domain and $hidden_host. +

3.94. ignore_linear_white_space

Type: boolean
Default: no

This option replaces linear-white-space between encoded-word -and *text to a single space to prevent the display of MIME-encoded -``Subject'' field from being divided into multiple lines. -

3.82. ignore_list_reply_to

Type: boolean
+and text to a single space to prevent the display of MIME-encoded +“Subject:” field from being divided into multiple lines. +

3.95. ignore_list_reply_to

Type: boolean
Default: no

-Affects the behaviour of the reply function when replying to -messages from mailing lists (as defined by the ``subscribe'' or -``lists'' commands). When set, if the ``Reply-To:'' field is -set to the same value as the ``To:'' field, Mutt assumes that the -``Reply-To:'' field was set by the mailing list to automate responses +Affects the behaviour of the <reply> function when replying to +messages from mailing lists (as defined by the “subscribe” or +“lists” commands). When set, if the “Reply-To:” field is +set to the same value as the “To:” field, Mutt assumes that the +“Reply-To:” field was set by the mailing list to automate responses to the list, and will ignore this field. To direct a response to the -mailing list when this option is set, use the list-reply -function; group-reply will reply to both the sender and the +mailing list when this option is set, use the <list-reply> +function; <group-reply> will reply to both the sender and the list. -

3.83. imap_authenticators

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.96. imap_authenticators

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

This is a colon-delimited list of authentication methods mutt may attempt to use to log in to an IMAP server, in the order mutt should -try them. Authentication methods are either 'login' or the right -side of an IMAP 'AUTH=xxx' capability string, eg 'digest-md5', 'gssapi' -or 'cram-md5'. This parameter is case-insensitive. If this -parameter is unset (the default) mutt will try all available methods, +try them. Authentication methods are either “login” or the right +side of an IMAP “AUTH=xxx” capability string, eg “digest-md5”, “gssapi” +or “cram-md5”. This option is case-insensitive. If it's +unset (the default) mutt will try all available methods, in order from most-secure to least-secure.

-Example: set imap_authenticators="gssapi:cram-md5:login" -

+Example: + +

+set imap_authenticators="gssapi:cram-md5:login"
+

Note: Mutt will only fall back to other authentication methods if the previous methods are unavailable. If a method is available but authentication fails, mutt will not connect to the IMAP server. -

3.84. imap_check_subscribed

Type: boolean
+

3.97. imap_check_subscribed

Type: boolean
Default: no

When set, mutt will fetch the set of subscribed folders from your server on connection, and add them to the set of mailboxes -it polls for new mail. See also the ``mailboxes'' command. -

3.85. imap_delim_chars

Type: string
-Default: "/."

+it polls for new mail just as if you had issued individual “mailboxes” +commands. +

3.98. imap_delim_chars

Type: string
+Default: “/.”

This contains the list of characters which you would like to treat as folder separators for displaying IMAP paths. In particular it -helps in using the '=' shortcut for your folder variable. -

3.86. imap_headers

Type: string
-Default: ""

+helps in using the “=” shortcut for your folder variable. +

3.99. imap_headers

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

Mutt requests these header fields in addition to the default headers -("DATE FROM SUBJECT TO CC MESSAGE-ID REFERENCES CONTENT-TYPE -CONTENT-DESCRIPTION IN-REPLY-TO REPLY-TO LINES X-LABEL") from IMAP +(“Date:”, “From:”, “Subject:”, “To:”, “Cc:”, “Message-Id:”, +“References:”, “Content-Type:”, “Content-Description:”, “In-Reply-To:”, +“Reply-To:”, “Lines:”, “List-Post:”, “X-Label:”) from IMAP servers before displaying the index menu. You may want to add more -headers for spam detection. Note: This is a space separated list. -

3.87. imap_idle

Type: boolean
+headers for spam detection. +

+Note: This is a space separated list, items should be uppercase +and not contain the colon, e.g. “X-BOGOSITY X-SPAM-STATUS” for the +“X-Bogosity:” and “X-Spam-Status:” header fields. +

3.100. imap_idle

Type: boolean
Default: no

When set, mutt will attempt to use the IMAP IDLE extension to check for new mail in the current mailbox. Some servers (dovecot was the inspiration for this option) react badly to mutt's implementation. If your connection seems to freeze up periodically, try unsetting this. -

3.88. imap_keepalive

Type: number
+

3.101. imap_keepalive

Type: number
Default: 900

This variable specifies the maximum amount of time in seconds that mutt will wait before polling open IMAP connections, to prevent the server @@ -4229,353 +4960,355 @@ well within the RFC-specified minimum amount of time (30 minutes) before a server is allowed to do this, but in practice the RFC does get violated every now and then. Reduce this number if you find yourself getting disconnected from your IMAP server due to inactivity. -

3.89. imap_list_subscribed

Type: boolean
+

3.102. imap_list_subscribed

Type: boolean
Default: no

This variable configures whether IMAP folder browsing will look for only subscribed folders or all folders. This can be toggled in the -IMAP browser with the toggle-subscribed function. -

3.90. imap_login

Type: string
-Default: ""

+IMAP browser with the <toggle-subscribed> function. +

3.103. imap_login

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

Your login name on the IMAP server.

-This variable defaults to the value of imap_user. -

3.91. imap_pass

Type: string
-Default: ""

+This variable defaults to the value of $imap_user. +

3.104. imap_pass

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

Specifies the password for your IMAP account. If unset, Mutt will -prompt you for your password when you invoke the fetch-mail function. +prompt you for your password when you invoke the <imap-fetch-mail> function +or try to open an IMAP folder. +

Warning: you should only use this option when you are on a fairly secure machine, because the superuser can read your muttrc even if you are the only one who can read the file. -

3.92. imap_passive

Type: boolean
+

3.105. imap_passive

Type: boolean
Default: yes

When set, mutt will not open new IMAP connections to check for new mail. Mutt will only check for new mail over existing IMAP connections. This is useful if you don't want to be prompted to user/password pairs on mutt invocation, or if opening the connection is slow. -

3.93. imap_peek

Type: boolean
+

3.106. imap_peek

Type: boolean
Default: yes

When set, mutt will avoid implicitly marking your mail as read whenever you fetch a message from the server. This is generally a good thing, but can make closing an IMAP folder somewhat slower. This option exists to appease speed freaks. -

3.94. imap_servernoise

Type: boolean
+

3.107. imap_pipeline_depth

Type: number
+Default: 15

+Controls the number of IMAP commands that may be queued up before they +are sent to the server. A deeper pipeline reduces the amount of time +mutt must wait for the server, and can make IMAP servers feel much +more responsive. But not all servers correctly handle pipelined commands, +so if you have problems you might want to try setting this variable to 0. +

+Note: Changes to this variable have no effect on open connections. +

3.108. imap_servernoise

Type: boolean
Default: yes

When set, mutt will display warning messages from the IMAP server as error messages. Since these messages are often harmless, or generated due to configuration problems on the server which are out of the users' hands, you may wish to suppress them at some point. -

3.95. imap_user

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.109. imap_user

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

The name of the user whose mail you intend to access on the IMAP server.

This variable defaults to your user name on the local machine. -

3.96. implicit_autoview

Type: boolean
+

3.110. implicit_autoview

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set to ``yes'', mutt will look for a mailcap entry with the -copiousoutput flag set for every MIME attachment it doesn't have +If set to “yes”, mutt will look for a mailcap entry with the +“copiousoutput” flag set for every MIME attachment it doesn't have an internal viewer defined for. If such an entry is found, mutt will use the viewer defined in that entry to convert the body part to text form. -

3.97. include

Type: quadoption
+

3.111. include

Type: quadoption
Default: ask-yes

Controls whether or not a copy of the message(s) you are replying to is included in your reply. -

3.98. include_onlyfirst

Type: boolean
+

3.112. include_onlyfirst

Type: boolean
Default: no

Controls whether or not Mutt includes only the first attachment of the message you are replying. -

3.99. indent_string

Type: string
-Default: "> "

+

3.113. indent_string

Type: string
+Default: “> ”

Specifies the string to prepend to each line of text quoted in a message to which you are replying. You are strongly encouraged not to change this value, as it tends to agitate the more fanatical netizens.

+The value of this option is ignored if $text_flowed is set, too because +the quoting mechanism is strictly defined for format=flowed. +

This option is a format string, please see the description of -``$index_format'' for supported printf()-style sequences. -

3.100. index_format

Type: string
-Default: "%4C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15L (%?l?%4l&%4c?) %s"

+$index_format for supported printf(3)-style sequences. +

3.114. index_format

Type: string
+Default: “%4C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15L (%?l?%4l&%4c?) %s”

This variable allows you to customize the message index display to your personal taste.

-``Format strings'' are similar to the strings used in the ``C'' -function printf to format output (see the man page for more detail). +“Format strings” are similar to the strings used in the C +function printf(3) to format output (see the man page for more details). The following sequences are defined in Mutt: -

-

%a

address of the author -

%A

reply-to address (if present; otherwise: address of author) -

%b

filename of the original message folder (think mailBox) -

%B

the list to which the letter was sent, or else the folder name (%b). -

%c

number of characters (bytes) in the message -

%C

current message number -

%d

date and time of the message in the format specified by -``date_format'' converted to sender's time zone -

%D

date and time of the message in the format specified by -``date_format'' converted to the local time zone -

%e

current message number in thread -

%E

number of messages in current thread -

%f

sender (address + real name), either From: or Return-Path: -

%F

author name, or recipient name if the message is from you -

%H

spam attribute(s) of this message -

%i

message-id of the current message -

%l

number of lines in the message (does not work with maildir, +

%a address of the author +
%A reply-to address (if present; otherwise: address of author) +
%b filename of the original message folder (think mailbox) +
%B the list to which the letter was sent, or else the folder name (%b). +
%c number of characters (bytes) in the message +
%C current message number +
%d date and time of the message in the format specified by +$date_format converted to sender's time zone +
%D date and time of the message in the format specified by +$date_format converted to the local time zone +
%e current message number in thread +
%E number of messages in current thread +
%f sender (address + real name), either From: or Return-Path: +
%F author name, or recipient name if the message is from you +
%H spam attribute(s) of this message +
%i message-id of the current message +
%l number of lines in the message (does not work with maildir, mh, and possibly IMAP folders) -

%L

If an address in the To or CC header field matches an address -defined by the users ``subscribe'' command, this displays +

%L If an address in the “To:” or “Cc:” header field matches an address +defined by the users “subscribe” command, this displays "To <list-name>", otherwise the same as %F. -

%m

total number of message in the mailbox -

%M

number of hidden messages if the thread is collapsed. -

%N

message score -

%n

author's real name (or address if missing) -

%O

(_O_riginal save folder) Where mutt would formerly have -stashed the message: list name or recipient name if no list -

%P

progress indicator for the builtin pager (how much of the file has been displayed) -

%s

subject of the message -

%S

status of the message (N/D/d/!/r/*) -

%t

`to:' field (recipients) -

%T

the appropriate character from the $to_chars string -

%u

user (login) name of the author -

%v

first name of the author, or the recipient if the message is from you -

%X

number of attachments -(please see the ``attachments'' section for possible speed effects) -

%y

`x-label:' field, if present -

%Y

`x-label' field, if present, and (1) not at part of a thread tree, -(2) at the top of a thread, or (3) `x-label' is different from -preceding message's `x-label'. -

%Z

message status flags -

%{fmt}

the date and time of the message is converted to sender's -time zone, and ``fmt'' is expanded by the library function -``strftime''; a leading bang disables locales -

%[fmt]

the date and time of the message is converted to the local -time zone, and ``fmt'' is expanded by the library function -``strftime''; a leading bang disables locales -

%(fmt)

the local date and time when the message was received. -``fmt'' is expanded by the library function ``strftime''; +

%m total number of message in the mailbox +
%M number of hidden messages if the thread is collapsed. +
%N message score +
%n author's real name (or address if missing) +
%O original save folder where mutt would formerly have +stashed the message: list name or recipient name +if not sent to a list +
%P progress indicator for the builtin pager (how much of the file has been displayed) +
%s subject of the message +
%S status of the message (“N”/“D”/“d”/“!”/“r”/*) +
%t “To:” field (recipients) +
%T the appropriate character from the $to_chars string +
%u user (login) name of the author +
%v first name of the author, or the recipient if the message is from you +
%X number of attachments +(please see the “attachments” section for possible speed effects) +
%y “X-Label:” field, if present +
%Y “X-Label:” field, if present, and (1) not at part of a thread tree, +(2) at the top of a thread, or (3) “X-Label:” is different from +preceding message's “X-Label:”. +
%Z message status flags +
%{fmt} the date and time of the message is converted to sender's +time zone, and “fmt” is expanded by the library function +strftime(3); a leading bang disables locales +
%[fmt] the date and time of the message is converted to the local +time zone, and “fmt” is expanded by the library function +strftime(3); a leading bang disables locales +
%(fmt) the local date and time when the message was received. +“fmt” is expanded by the library function strftime(3); a leading bang disables locales -

%<fmt>

the current local time. ``fmt'' is expanded by the library -function ``strftime''; a leading bang disables locales. -

%>X

right justify the rest of the string and pad with character "X" -

%|X

pad to the end of the line with character "X" -

%*X

soft-fill with character "X" as pad -

- -

-`Soft-fill' deserves some explanation. Normal right-justification -will print everything to the left of the %>, displaying padding and -the whatever lies to the right only if there's room. By contrast, +

%<fmt> the current local time. “fmt” is expanded by the library +function strftime(3); a leading bang disables locales. +
%>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with character “X” +
%|X pad to the end of the line with character “X” +
%*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad +

+“Soft-fill” deserves some explanation: Normal right-justification +will print everything to the left of the “%>”, displaying padding and +whatever lies to the right only if there's room. By contrast, soft-fill gives priority to the right-hand side, guaranteeing space to display it and showing padding only if there's still room. If necessary, soft-fill will eat text leftwards to make room for rightward text.

-Note that these expandos are supported in -``save-hook'', ``fcc-hook'' and ``fcc-save-hook'', too. -

-See also: ``$to_chars''. -

3.101. ispell

Type: path
-Default: "ispell"

+Note that these expandos are supported in +“save-hook”, “fcc-hook” and “fcc-save-hook”, too. +

3.115. ispell

Type: path
+Default: “ispell”

How to invoke ispell (GNU's spell-checking software). -

3.102. keep_flagged

Type: boolean
+

3.116. keep_flagged

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, read messages marked as flagged will not be moved -from your spool mailbox to your ``$mbox'' mailbox, or as a result of -a ``mbox-hook'' command. -

3.103. locale

Type: string
-Default: "C"

-The locale used by strftime(3) to format dates. Legal values are -the strings your system accepts for the locale variable LC_TIME. -

3.104. mail_check

Type: number
+If set, read messages marked as flagged will not be moved +from your spool mailbox to your $mbox mailbox, or as a result of +a “mbox-hook” command. +

3.117. locale

Type: string
+Default: “C”

+The locale used by strftime(3) to format dates. Legal values are +the strings your system accepts for the locale environment variable $LC_TIME. +

3.118. mail_check

Type: number
Default: 5

This variable configures how often (in seconds) mutt should look for -new mail. Also see the ``$timeout'' variable. -

3.105. mailcap_path

Type: string
-Default: ""

+new mail. Also see the $timeout variable. +

3.119. mailcap_path

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

This variable specifies which files to consult when attempting to display MIME bodies not directly supported by Mutt. -

3.106. mailcap_sanitize

Type: boolean
+

3.120. mailcap_sanitize

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-If set, mutt will restrict possible characters in mailcap % expandos +If set, mutt will restrict possible characters in mailcap % expandos to a well-defined set of safe characters. This is the safe setting, but we are not sure it doesn't break some more advanced MIME stuff.

DON'T CHANGE THIS SETTING UNLESS YOU ARE REALLY SURE WHAT YOU ARE DOING! -

3.107. header_cache

Type: path
-Default: ""

-The header_cache variable points to the header cache database. -If header_cache points to a directory it will contain a header cache -database per folder. If header_cache points to a file that file will -be a single global header cache. By default it is unset so no header -caching will be used. -

3.108. maildir_header_cache_verify

Type: boolean
+

3.121. maildir_header_cache_verify

Type: boolean
Default: yes

Check for Maildir unaware programs other than mutt having modified maildir -files when the header cache is in use. This incurs one stat(2) per -message every time the folder is opened. -

3.109. header_cache_pagesize

Type: string
-Default: "16384"

-When mutt is compiled with either gdbm or bdb4 as the header cache backend, -this option changes the database page size. Too large or too small -values can waste space, memory, or CPU time. The default should be more -or less optimal for most use cases. -

3.110. header_cache_compress

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-When mutt is compiled with qdbm as header cache backend, -this option determines whether the database will be compressed. -Compression results in database files roughly being one fifth -of the usual diskspace, but the uncompression can result in a -slower opening of cached folder(s). -

3.111. maildir_trash

Type: boolean
+files when the header cache is in use. This incurs one stat(2) per +message every time the folder is opened (which can be very slow for NFS +folders). +

3.122. maildir_trash

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, messages marked as deleted will be saved with the maildir -(T)rashed flag instead of unlinked. NOTE: this only applies +If set, messages marked as deleted will be saved with the maildir +trashed flag instead of unlinked. Note: this only applies to maildir-style mailboxes. Setting it will have no effect on other mailbox types. -

3.112. mark_old

Type: boolean
+

3.123. mark_old

Type: boolean
Default: yes

Controls whether or not mutt marks new unread messages as old if you exit a mailbox without reading them. -With this option set, the next time you start mutt, the messages -will show up with an "O" next to them in the index menu, +With this option set, the next time you start mutt, the messages +will show up with an “O” next to them in the index menu, indicating that they are old. -

3.113. markers

Type: boolean
+

3.124. markers

Type: boolean
Default: yes

Controls the display of wrapped lines in the internal pager. If set, a -``+'' marker is displayed at the beginning of wrapped lines. Also see -the ``$smart_wrap'' variable. -

3.114. mask

Type: regular expression
-Default: "!^\.[^.]"

+“+” marker is displayed at the beginning of wrapped lines. +

+Also see the $smart_wrap variable. +

3.125. mask

Type: regular expression
+Default: “!^\.[^.]”

A regular expression used in the file browser, optionally preceded by -the not operator ``!''. Only files whose names match this mask +the not operator “!”. Only files whose names match this mask will be shown. The match is always case-sensitive. -

3.115. mbox

Type: path
-Default: "˜/mbox"

-This specifies the folder into which read mail in your ``$spoolfile'' +

3.126. mbox

Type: path
+Default: “˜/mbox”

+This specifies the folder into which read mail in your $spoolfile folder will be appended. -

3.116. mbox_type

Type: folder magic
+

+Also see the $move variable. +

3.127. mbox_type

Type: folder magic
Default: mbox

The default mailbox type used when creating new folders. May be any of -mbox, MMDF, MH and Maildir. -

3.117. metoo

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-If unset, Mutt will remove your address (see the ``alternates'' -command) from the list of recipients when replying to a message. -

3.118. menu_context

Type: number
+“mbox”, “MMDF”, “MH” and “Maildir”. This is overriden by the +-m command-line option. +

3.128. menu_context

Type: number
Default: 0

This variable controls the number of lines of context that are given -when scrolling through menus. (Similar to ``$pager_context''.) -

3.119. menu_move_off

Type: boolean
+when scrolling through menus. (Similar to $pager_context.) +

3.129. menu_move_off

Type: boolean
Default: yes

When unset, the bottom entry of menus will never scroll up past the bottom of the screen, unless there are less entries than lines. When set, the bottom entry may move off the bottom. -

3.120. menu_scroll

Type: boolean
+

3.130. menu_scroll

Type: boolean
Default: no

When set, menus will be scrolled up or down one line when you attempt to move across a screen boundary. If unset, the screen is cleared and the next or previous page of the menu is displayed (useful for slow links to avoid many redraws). -

3.121. meta_key

Type: boolean
+

3.131. message_cache_clean

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+If set, mutt will clean out obsolete entries from the message cache when +the mailbox is synchronized. You probably only want to set it +every once in a while, since it can be a little slow +(especially for large folders). +

3.132. message_cachedir

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

+Set this to a directory and mutt will cache copies of messages from +your IMAP and POP servers here. You are free to remove entries at any +time. +

+When setting this variable to a directory, mutt needs to fetch every +remote message only once and can perform regular expression searches +as fast as for local folders. +

+Also see the $message_cache_clean variable. +

3.133. message_format

Type: string
+Default: “%s”

+This is the string displayed in the “attachment” menu for +attachments of type message/rfc822. For a full listing of defined +printf(3)-like sequences see the section on $index_format. +

3.134. meta_key

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, forces Mutt to interpret keystrokes with the high bit (bit 8) -set as if the user had pressed the ESC key and whatever key remains +If set, forces Mutt to interpret keystrokes with the high bit (bit 8) +set as if the user had pressed the Esc key and whatever key remains after having the high bit removed. For example, if the key pressed -has an ASCII value of 0xf8, then this is treated as if the user had -pressed ESC then ``x''. This is because the result of removing the -high bit from ``0xf8'' is ``0x78'', which is the ASCII character -``x''. -

3.122. mh_purge

Type: boolean
+has an ASCII value of 0xf8, then this is treated as if the user had +pressed Esc then “x”. This is because the result of removing the +high bit from 0xf8 is 0x78, which is the ASCII character +“x”. +

3.135. metoo

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+If unset, Mutt will remove your address (see the “alternates” +command) from the list of recipients when replying to a message. +

3.136. mh_purge

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When unset, mutt will mimic mh's behaviour and rename deleted messages +When unset, mutt will mimic mh's behaviour and rename deleted messages to ,<old file name> in mh folders instead of really deleting -them. If the variable is set, the message files will simply be +them. This leaves the message on disk but makes programs reading the folder +ignore it. If the variable is set, the message files will simply be deleted. -

3.123. mh_seq_flagged

Type: string
-Default: "flagged"

+

+This option is similar to $maildir_trash for Maildir folders. +

3.137. mh_seq_flagged

Type: string
+Default: “flagged”

The name of the MH sequence used for flagged messages. -

3.124. mh_seq_replied

Type: string
-Default: "replied"

+

3.138. mh_seq_replied

Type: string
+Default: “replied”

The name of the MH sequence used to tag replied messages. -

3.125. mh_seq_unseen

Type: string
-Default: "unseen"

+

3.139. mh_seq_unseen

Type: string
+Default: “unseen”

The name of the MH sequence used for unseen messages. -

3.126. mime_forward

Type: quadoption
+

3.140. mime_forward

Type: quadoption
Default: no

-When set, the message you are forwarding will be attached as a -separate MIME part instead of included in the main body of the +When set, the message you are forwarding will be attached as a +separate message/rfc822 MIME part instead of included in the main body of the message. This is useful for forwarding MIME messages so the receiver can properly view the message as it was delivered to you. If you like to switch between MIME and not MIME from mail to mail, set this -variable to ask-no or ask-yes. +variable to “ask-no” or “ask-yes”.

-Also see ``$forward_decode'' and ``$mime_forward_decode''. -

3.127. mime_forward_decode

Type: boolean
+Also see $forward_decode and $mime_forward_decode. +

3.141. mime_forward_decode

Type: boolean
Default: no

-Controls the decoding of complex MIME messages into text/plain when -forwarding a message while ``$mime_forward'' is set. Otherwise -``$forward_decode'' is used instead. -

3.128. mime_forward_rest

Type: quadoption
+Controls the decoding of complex MIME messages into text/plain when +forwarding a message while $mime_forward is set. Otherwise +$forward_decode is used instead. +

3.142. mime_forward_rest

Type: quadoption
Default: yes

-When forwarding multiple attachments of a MIME message from the recvattach +When forwarding multiple attachments of a MIME message from the attachment menu, attachments which cannot be decoded in a reasonable manner will -be attached to the newly composed message if this option is set. -

3.129. mix_entry_format

Type: string
-Default: "%4n %c %-16s %a"

+be attached to the newly composed message if this option is set. +

3.143. mix_entry_format

Type: string
+Default: “%4n %c %-16s %a”

This variable describes the format of a remailer line on the mixmaster -chain selection screen. The following printf-like sequences are +chain selection screen. The following printf(3)-like sequences are supported: -

-

%n

The running number on the menu. -

%c

Remailer capabilities. -

%s

The remailer's short name. -

%a

The remailer's e-mail address. -

-

3.130. mixmaster

Type: path
-Default: "mixmaster"

+

%n The running number on the menu. +
%c Remailer capabilities. +
%s The remailer's short name. +
%a The remailer's e-mail address. +

3.144. mixmaster

Type: path
+Default: “mixmaster”

This variable contains the path to the Mixmaster binary on your system. It is used with various sets of parameters to gather the list of known remailers, and to finally send a message through the mixmaster chain. -

3.131. move

Type: quadoption
-Default: ask-no

-Controls whether or not Mutt will move read messages -from your spool mailbox to your ``$mbox'' mailbox, or as a result of -a ``mbox-hook'' command. -

3.132. message_cachedir

Type: path
-Default: ""

-Set this to a directory and mutt will cache copies of messages from -your IMAP and POP servers here. You are free to remove entries at any -time, for instance if stale entries accumulate because you have -deleted messages with another mail client. -

3.133. message_cache_clean

Type: boolean
+

3.145. move

Type: quadoption
Default: no

-If set, mutt will clean out obsolete entries from the cache when -the mailbox is synchronized. You probably only want to set it -every once in a while, since it can be a little slow. -

3.134. message_format

Type: string
-Default: "%s"

-This is the string displayed in the ``attachment'' menu for -attachments of type message/rfc822. For a full listing of defined -printf()-like sequences see the section on ``$index_format''. -

3.135. narrow_tree

Type: boolean
+Controls whether or not Mutt will move read messages +from your spool mailbox to your $mbox mailbox, or as a result of +a “mbox-hook” command. +

3.146. narrow_tree

Type: boolean
Default: no

-This variable, when set, makes the thread tree narrower, allowing +This variable, when set, makes the thread tree narrower, allowing deeper threads to fit on the screen. -

3.136. net_inc

Type: number
+

3.147. net_inc

Type: number
Default: 10

Operations that expect to transfer a large amount of data over the -network will update their progress every net_inc kilobytes. +network will update their progress every $net_inc kilobytes. If set to 0, no progress messages will be displayed.

-See also ``$read_inc'' and ``$write_inc''. -

3.137. pager

Type: path
-Default: "builtin"

+See also $read_inc, $write_inc and $net_inc. +

3.148. pager

Type: path
+Default: “builtin”

This variable specifies which pager you would like to use to view -messages. builtin means to use the builtin pager, otherwise this +messages. The value “builtin” means to use the builtin pager, otherwise this variable should specify the pathname of the external pager you would like to use.

@@ -4583,19 +5316,23 @@ Using an external pager may have some disadvantages: Additional keystrokes are necessary because you can't call mutt functions directly from the pager, and screen resizes cause lines longer than the screen width to be badly formatted in the help menu. -

3.138. pager_context

Type: number
+

3.149. pager_context

Type: number
Default: 0

This variable controls the number of lines of context that are given when displaying the next or previous page in the internal pager. By default, Mutt will display the line after the last one on the screen at the top of the next page (0 lines of context). -

3.139. pager_format

Type: string
-Default: "-%Z- %C/%m: %-20.20n   %s%*  -- (%P)"

-This variable controls the format of the one-line message ``status'' +

+This variable also specifies the amount of context given for search +results. If positive, this many lines will be given before a match, +if 0, the match will be top-aligned. +

3.150. pager_format

Type: string
+Default: “-%Z- %C/%m: %-20.20n   %s%*  -- (%P)”

+This variable controls the format of the one-line message “status” displayed before each message in either the internal or an external -pager. The valid sequences are listed in the ``$index_format'' +pager. The valid sequences are listed in the $index_format section. -

3.140. pager_index_lines

Type: number
+

3.151. pager_index_lines

Type: number
Default: 0

Determines the number of lines of a mini-index which is shown when in the pager. The current message, unless near the top or bottom of the @@ -4603,168 +5340,196 @@ folder, will be roughly one third of the way down this mini-index, giving the reader the context of a few messages before and after the message. This is useful, for example, to determine how many messages remain to be read in the current thread. One of the lines is reserved -for the status bar from the index, so a pager_index_lines of 6 +for the status bar from the index, so a setting of 6 will only show 5 lines of the actual index. A value of 0 results in no index being shown. If the number of messages in the current folder -is less than pager_index_lines, then the index will only use as +is less than $pager_index_lines, then the index will only use as many lines as it needs. -

3.141. pager_stop

Type: boolean
+

3.152. pager_stop

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, the internal-pager will not move to the next message -when you are at the end of a message and invoke the next-page +When set, the internal-pager will not move to the next message +when you are at the end of a message and invoke the <next-page> function. -

3.142. crypt_autosign

Type: boolean
+

3.153. pgp_auto_decode

Type: boolean
Default: no

-Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to -cryptographically sign outgoing messages. This can be overridden -by use of the pgp-menu, when signing is not required or -encryption is requested as well. If ``$smime_is_default'' is set, -then OpenSSL is used instead to create S/MIME messages and settings can -be overridden by use of the smime-menu. -(Crypto only) -

3.143. crypt_autoencrypt

Type: boolean
+If set, mutt will automatically attempt to decrypt traditional PGP +messages whenever the user performs an operation which ordinarily would +result in the contents of the message being operated on. For example, +if the user displays a pgp-traditional message which has not been manually +checked with the <check-traditional-pgp> function, mutt will automatically +check the message for traditional pgp. +

3.154. pgp_autoinline

Type: boolean
Default: no

-Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to PGP -encrypt outgoing messages. This is probably only useful in -connection to the send-hook command. It can be overridden -by use of the pgp-menu, when encryption is not required or -signing is requested as well. IF ``$smime_is_default'' is set, -then OpenSSL is used instead to create S/MIME messages and -settings can be overridden by use of the smime-menu. -(Crypto only) -

3.144. pgp_ignore_subkeys

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-Setting this variable will cause Mutt to ignore OpenPGP subkeys. Instead, -the principal key will inherit the subkeys' capabilities. Unset this -if you want to play interesting key selection games. +This option controls whether Mutt generates old-style inline +(traditional) PGP encrypted or signed messages under certain +circumstances. This can be overridden by use of the pgp menu, +when inline is not required. +

+Note that Mutt might automatically use PGP/MIME for messages +which consist of more than a single MIME part. Mutt can be +configured to ask before sending PGP/MIME messages when inline +(traditional) would not work. +

+Also see the $pgp_mime_auto variable. +

+Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is strongly +deprecated. (PGP only) -

3.145. crypt_replyencrypt

Type: boolean
+

3.155. pgp_check_exit

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL encrypt replies to messages which are -encrypted. -(Crypto only) -

3.146. crypt_replysign

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages which are -signed. +If set, mutt will check the exit code of the PGP subprocess when +signing or encrypting. A non-zero exit code means that the +subprocess failed. +(PGP only) +

3.156. pgp_clearsign_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This format is used to create an old-style “clearsigned” PGP +message. Note that the use of this format is strongly +deprecated.

-Note: this does not work on messages that are encrypted -and signed! -(Crypto only) -

3.147. crypt_replysignencrypted

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages -which are encrypted. This makes sense in combination with -``$crypt_replyencrypt'', because it allows you to sign all -messages which are automatically encrypted. This works around -the problem noted in ``$crypt_replysign'', that mutt is not able -to find out whether an encrypted message is also signed. -(Crypto only) -

3.148. crypt_timestamp

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-If set, mutt will include a time stamp in the lines surrounding -PGP or S/MIME output, so spoofing such lines is more difficult. -If you are using colors to mark these lines, and rely on these, -you may unset this setting. -(Crypto only) -

3.149. pgp_use_gpg_agent

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-If set, mutt will use a possibly-running gpg-agent process. +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -

3.150. crypt_verify_sig

Type: quadoption
-Default: yes

-If ``yes'', always attempt to verify PGP or S/MIME signatures. -If ``ask'', ask whether or not to verify the signature. -If ``no'', never attempt to verify cryptographic signatures. -(Crypto only) -

3.151. smime_is_default

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-The default behaviour of mutt is to use PGP on all auto-sign/encryption -operations. To override and to use OpenSSL instead this must be set. -However, this has no effect while replying, since mutt will automatically -select the same application that was used to sign/encrypt the original -message. (Note that this variable can be overridden by unsetting $crypt_autosmime.) -(S/MIME only) -

3.152. smime_ask_cert_label

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-This flag controls whether you want to be asked to enter a label -for a certificate about to be added to the database or not. It is -set by default. -(S/MIME only) -

3.153. smime_decrypt_use_default_key

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-If set (default) this tells mutt to use the default key for decryption. Otherwise, -if manage multiple certificate-key-pairs, mutt will try to use the mailbox-address -to determine the key to use. It will ask you to supply a key, if it can't find one. -(S/MIME only) -

3.154. pgp_entry_format

Type: string
-Default: "%4n %t%f %4l/0x%k %-4a %2c %u"

-This variable allows you to customize the PGP key selection menu to -your personal taste. This string is similar to ``$index_format'', but -has its own set of printf()-like sequences: +

3.157. pgp_decode_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This format strings specifies a command which is used to decode +application/pgp attachments.

+The PGP command formats have their own set of printf(3)-like sequences: -

%n

number -

%k

key id -

%u

user id -

%a

algorithm -

%l

key length -

%f

flags -

%c

capabilities -

%t

trust/validity of the key-uid association -

%[<s>]

date of the key where <s> is an strftime(3) expression -

- +

%p Expands to PGPPASSFD=0 when a pass phrase is needed, to an empty +string otherwise. Note: This may be used with a %? construct. +
%f Expands to the name of a file containing a message. +
%s Expands to the name of a file containing the signature part + of a multipart/signed attachment when verifying it. +
%a The value of $pgp_sign_as. +
%r One or more key IDs. +

+For examples on how to configure these formats for the various versions +of PGP which are floating around, see the pgp and gpg sample configuration files in +the samples/ subdirectory which has been installed on your system +alongside the documentation. +(PGP only) +

3.158. pgp_decrypt_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to decrypt a PGP encrypted message. +

+This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(PGP only) +

3.159. pgp_encrypt_only_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to encrypt a body part without signing it. +

+This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(PGP only) +

3.160. pgp_encrypt_sign_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to both sign and encrypt a body part. +

+This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(PGP only) +

3.161. pgp_entry_format

Type: string
+Default: “%4n %t%f %4l/0x%k %-4a %2c %u”

+This variable allows you to customize the PGP key selection menu to +your personal taste. This string is similar to $index_format, but +has its own set of printf(3)-like sequences: + +

%n number +
%k key id +
%u user id +
%a algorithm +
%l key length +
%f flags +
%c capabilities +
%t trust/validity of the key-uid association +
%[<s>] date of the key where <s> is an strftime(3) expression +

+(PGP only) +

3.162. pgp_export_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to export a public key from the user's +key ring.

+This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -

3.155. pgp_good_sign

Type: regular expression
-Default: ""

+

3.163. pgp_getkeys_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is invoked whenever mutt will need public key information. +Of the sequences supported by $pgp_decode_command, %r is the only +printf(3)-like sequence used with this format. +(PGP only) +

3.164. pgp_good_sign

Type: regular expression
+Default: (empty)

If you assign a text to this variable, then a PGP signature is only -considered verified if the output from $pgp_verify_command contains +considered verified if the output from $pgp_verify_command contains the text. Use this variable if the exit code from the command is 0 even for bad signatures. (PGP only) -

3.156. pgp_check_exit

Type: boolean
+

3.165. pgp_ignore_subkeys

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-If set, mutt will check the exit code of the PGP subprocess when -signing or encrypting. A non-zero exit code means that the -subprocess failed. +Setting this variable will cause Mutt to ignore OpenPGP subkeys. Instead, +the principal key will inherit the subkeys' capabilities. Unset this +if you want to play interesting key selection games. (PGP only) -

3.157. pgp_long_ids

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-If set, use 64 bit PGP key IDs. Unset uses the normal 32 bit Key IDs. +

3.166. pgp_import_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to import a key from a message into +the user's public key ring. +

+This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -

3.158. pgp_retainable_sigs

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-If set, signed and encrypted messages will consist of nested -multipart/signed and multipart/encrypted body parts. +

3.167. pgp_list_pubring_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to list the public key ring's contents. The +output format must be analogous to the one used by + +

+gpg --list-keys --with-colons.
+

+This format is also generated by the pgpring utility which comes +with mutt.

-This is useful for applications like encrypted and signed mailing -lists, where the outer layer (multipart/encrypted) can be easily -removed, while the inner multipart/signed part is retained. +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -

3.159. pgp_autoinline

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-This option controls whether Mutt generates old-style inline -(traditional) PGP encrypted or signed messages under certain -circumstances. This can be overridden by use of the pgp-menu, -when inline is not required. +

3.168. pgp_list_secring_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to list the secret key ring's contents. The +output format must be analogous to the one used by: + +

+gpg --list-keys --with-colons.
+

+This format is also generated by the pgpring utility which comes +with mutt.

-Note that Mutt might automatically use PGP/MIME for messages -which consist of more than a single MIME part. Mutt can be -configured to ask before sending PGP/MIME messages when inline -(traditional) would not work. -See also: ``$pgp_mime_auto''. +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(PGP only) +

3.169. pgp_long_ids

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+If set, use 64 bit PGP key IDs, if unset use the normal 32 bit key IDs. +(PGP only) +

3.170. pgp_mime_auto

Type: quadoption
+Default: ask-yes

+This option controls whether Mutt will prompt you for +automatically sending a (signed/encrypted) message using +PGP/MIME when inline (traditional) fails (for any reason).

Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is strongly deprecated. (PGP only) -

3.160. pgp_replyinline

Type: boolean
+

3.171. pgp_replyinline

Type: boolean
Default: no

Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to create an inline (traditional) message when replying to a message which is PGP encrypted/signed inline. This can be -overridden by use of the pgp-menu, when inline is not +overridden by use of the pgp menu, when inline is not required. This option does not automatically detect if the (replied-to) message is inline; instead it relies on Mutt internals for previously checked/flagged messages. @@ -4773,928 +5538,913 @@ Note that Mutt might automatically use PGP/MIME for messages which consist of more than a single MIME part. Mutt can be configured to ask before sending PGP/MIME messages when inline (traditional) would not work. -See also: ``$pgp_mime_auto''. +

+Also see the $pgp_mime_auto variable.

Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is strongly deprecated. (PGP only) -

3.161. pgp_show_unusable

Type: boolean
+

3.172. pgp_retainable_sigs

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+If set, signed and encrypted messages will consist of nested +multipart/signed and multipart/encrypted body parts. +

+This is useful for applications like encrypted and signed mailing +lists, where the outer layer (multipart/encrypted) can be easily +removed, while the inner multipart/signed part is retained. +(PGP only) +

3.173. pgp_show_unusable

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-If set, mutt will display non-usable keys on the PGP key selection +If set, mutt will display non-usable keys on the PGP key selection menu. This includes keys which have been revoked, have expired, or -have been marked as ``disabled'' by the user. +have been marked as “disabled” by the user. (PGP only) -

3.162. pgp_sign_as

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.174. pgp_sign_as

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

If you have more than one key pair, this option allows you to specify which of your private keys to use. It is recommended that you use the -keyid form to specify your key (e.g., ``0x00112233''). +keyid form to specify your key (e.g. 0x00112233). +(PGP only) +

3.175. pgp_sign_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to create the detached PGP signature for a +multipart/signed PGP/MIME body part. +

+This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(PGP only) +

3.176. pgp_sort_keys

Type: sort order
+Default: address

+Specifies how the entries in the pgp menu are sorted. The +following are legal values: + +

address sort alphabetically by user id +
keyid sort alphabetically by key id +
date sort by key creation date +
trust sort by the trust of the key +

+If you prefer reverse order of the above values, prefix it with +“reverse-”. (PGP only) -

3.163. pgp_strict_enc

Type: boolean
+

3.177. pgp_strict_enc

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-If set, Mutt will automatically encode PGP/MIME signed messages as -quoted-printable. Please note that unsetting this variable may +If set, Mutt will automatically encode PGP/MIME signed messages as +quoted-printable. Please note that unsetting this variable may lead to problems with non-verifyable PGP signatures, so only change this if you know what you are doing. (PGP only) -

3.164. pgp_timeout

Type: number
+

3.178. pgp_timeout

Type: number
Default: 300

The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will expire if not used. (PGP only) -

3.165. pgp_sort_keys

Type: sort order
-Default: address

-Specifies how the entries in the `pgp keys' menu are sorted. The -following are legal values: +

3.179. pgp_use_gpg_agent

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+If set, mutt will use a possibly-running gpg-agent(1) process. +(PGP only) +

3.180. pgp_verify_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to verify PGP signatures.

- -

address

sort alphabetically by user id -

keyid

sort alphabetically by key id -

date

sort by key creation date -

trust

sort by the trust of the key -

- -

-If you prefer reverse order of the above values, prefix it with -`reverse-'. +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -

3.166. pgp_mime_auto

Type: quadoption
-Default: ask-yes

-This option controls whether Mutt will prompt you for -automatically sending a (signed/encrypted) message using -PGP/MIME when inline (traditional) fails (for any reason). -

-Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is strongly -deprecated. -(PGP only) -

3.167. pgp_auto_decode

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-If set, mutt will automatically attempt to decrypt traditional PGP -messages whenever the user performs an operation which ordinarily would -result in the contents of the message being operated on. For example, -if the user displays a pgp-traditional message which has not been manually -checked with the check-traditional-pgp function, mutt will automatically -check the message for traditional pgp. -

3.168. pgp_decode_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This format strings specifies a command which is used to decode -application/pgp attachments. -

-The PGP command formats have their own set of printf-like sequences: -

- -

%p

Expands to PGPPASSFD=0 when a pass phrase is needed, to an empty -string otherwise. Note: This may be used with a %? construct. -

%f

Expands to the name of a file containing a message. -

%s

Expands to the name of a file containing the signature part - of a multipart/signed attachment when verifying it. -

%a

The value of $pgp_sign_as. -

%r

One or more key IDs. -

- -

-For examples on how to configure these formats for the various versions -of PGP which are floating around, see the pgp*.rc and gpg.rc files in -the samples/ subdirectory which has been installed on your system -alongside the documentation. -(PGP only) -

3.169. pgp_getkeys_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is invoked whenever mutt will need public key information. -%r is the only printf-like sequence used with this format. -(PGP only) -

3.170. pgp_verify_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to verify PGP signatures. -(PGP only) -

3.171. pgp_decrypt_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to decrypt a PGP encrypted message. -(PGP only) -

3.172. pgp_clearsign_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This format is used to create a old-style "clearsigned" PGP -message. Note that the use of this format is strongly -deprecated. -(PGP only) -

3.173. pgp_sign_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to create the detached PGP signature for a -multipart/signed PGP/MIME body part. -(PGP only) -

3.174. pgp_encrypt_sign_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to both sign and encrypt a body part. -(PGP only) -

3.175. pgp_encrypt_only_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to encrypt a body part without signing it. -(PGP only) -

3.176. pgp_import_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to import a key from a message into -the user's public key ring. -(PGP only) -

3.177. pgp_export_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to export a public key from the user's -key ring. -(PGP only) -

3.178. pgp_verify_key_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.181. pgp_verify_key_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

This command is used to verify key information from the key selection menu. -(PGP only) -

3.179. pgp_list_secring_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to list the secret key ring's contents. The -output format must be analogous to the one used by -gpg --list-keys --with-colons.

-This format is also generated by the pgpring utility which comes -with mutt. -(PGP only) -

3.180. pgp_list_pubring_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to list the public key ring's contents. The -output format must be analogous to the one used by -gpg --list-keys --with-colons. -

-This format is also generated by the pgpring utility which comes -with mutt. +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -

3.181. forward_decrypt

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-Controls the handling of encrypted messages when forwarding a message. -When set, the outer layer of encryption is stripped off. This -variable is only used if ``$mime_forward'' is set and -``$mime_forward_decode'' is unset. -(PGP only) -

3.182. smime_timeout

Type: number
-Default: 300

-The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will expire if -not used. -(S/MIME only) -

3.183. smime_encrypt_with

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This sets the algorithm that should be used for encryption. -Valid choices are "des", "des3", "rc2-40", "rc2-64", "rc2-128". -If unset "3des" (TripleDES) is used. -(S/MIME only) -

3.184. smime_keys

Type: path
-Default: ""

-Since there is no pubring/secring as with PGP, mutt has to handle -storage ad retrieval of keys/certs by itself. This is very basic right now, -and stores keys and certificates in two different directories, both -named as the hash-value retrieved from OpenSSL. There is an index file -which contains mailbox-address keyid pair, and which can be manually -edited. This one points to the location of the private keys. -(S/MIME only) -

3.185. smime_ca_location

Type: path
-Default: ""

-This variable contains the name of either a directory, or a file which -contains trusted certificates for use with OpenSSL. -(S/MIME only) -

3.186. smime_certificates

Type: path
-Default: ""

-Since there is no pubring/secring as with PGP, mutt has to handle -storage and retrieval of keys by itself. This is very basic right -now, and keys and certificates are stored in two different -directories, both named as the hash-value retrieved from -OpenSSL. There is an index file which contains mailbox-address -keyid pairs, and which can be manually edited. This one points to -the location of the certificates. -(S/MIME only) -

3.187. smime_decrypt_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This format string specifies a command which is used to decrypt -application/x-pkcs7-mime attachments. -

-The OpenSSL command formats have their own set of printf-like sequences -similar to PGP's: -

- -

%f

Expands to the name of a file containing a message. -

%s

Expands to the name of a file containing the signature part - of a multipart/signed attachment when verifying it. -

%k

The key-pair specified with $smime_default_key -

%c

One or more certificate IDs. -

%a

The algorithm used for encryption. -

%C

CA location: Depending on whether $smime_ca_location - points to a directory or file, this expands to - "-CApath $smime_ca_location" or "-CAfile $smime_ca_location". -

- -

-For examples on how to configure these formats, see the smime.rc in -the samples/ subdirectory which has been installed on your system -alongside the documentation. -(S/MIME only) -

3.188. smime_verify_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to verify S/MIME signatures of type multipart/signed. -(S/MIME only) -

3.189. smime_verify_opaque_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to verify S/MIME signatures of type -application/x-pkcs7-mime. -(S/MIME only) -

3.190. smime_sign_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to created S/MIME signatures of type -multipart/signed, which can be read by all mail clients. -(S/MIME only) -

3.191. smime_sign_opaque_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to created S/MIME signatures of type -application/x-pkcs7-signature, which can only be handled by mail -clients supporting the S/MIME extension. -(S/MIME only) -

3.192. smime_encrypt_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to create encrypted S/MIME messages. -(S/MIME only) -

3.193. smime_pk7out_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to extract PKCS7 structures of S/MIME signatures, -in order to extract the public X509 certificate(s). -(S/MIME only) -

3.194. smime_get_cert_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to extract X509 certificates from a PKCS7 structure. -(S/MIME only) -

3.195. smime_get_signer_cert_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to extract only the signers X509 certificate from a S/MIME -signature, so that the certificate's owner may get compared to the -email's 'From'-field. -(S/MIME only) -

3.196. smime_import_cert_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to import a certificate via smime_keys. -(S/MIME only) -

3.197. smime_get_cert_email_command

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This command is used to extract the mail address(es) used for storing -X509 certificates, and for verification purposes (to check whether the -certificate was issued for the sender's mailbox). -(S/MIME only) -

3.198. smime_default_key

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This is the default key-pair to use for signing. This must be set to the -keyid (the hash-value that OpenSSL generates) to work properly -(S/MIME only) -

3.199. ssl_client_cert

Type: path
-Default: ""

-The file containing a client certificate and its associated private -key. -

3.200. ssl_force_tls

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-If this variable is set, Mutt will require that all connections -to remote servers be encrypted. Furthermore it will attempt to -negotiate TLS even if the server does not advertise the capability, -since it would otherwise have to abort the connection anyway. This -option supersedes ``$ssl_starttls''. -

3.201. ssl_starttls

Type: quadoption
-Default: yes

-If set (the default), mutt will attempt to use STARTTLS on servers -advertising the capability. When unset, mutt will not attempt to -use STARTTLS regardless of the server's capabilities. -

3.202. certificate_file

Type: path
-Default: "˜/.mutt_certificates"

-This variable specifies the file where the certificates you trust -are saved. When an unknown certificate is encountered, you are asked -if you accept it or not. If you accept it, the certificate can also -be saved in this file and further connections are automatically -accepted. -

-You can also manually add CA certificates in this file. Any server -certificate that is signed with one of these CA certificates are -also automatically accepted. -

-Example: set certificate_file=˜/.mutt/certificates -

3.203. ssl_usesystemcerts

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-If set to yes, mutt will use CA certificates in the -system-wide certificate store when checking if server certificate -is signed by a trusted CA. -

3.204. entropy_file

Type: path
-Default: ""

-The file which includes random data that is used to initialize SSL -library functions. -

3.205. ssl_use_sslv2

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-This variables specifies whether to attempt to use SSLv2 in the -SSL authentication process. -

3.206. ssl_use_sslv3

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-This variables specifies whether to attempt to use SSLv3 in the -SSL authentication process. -

3.207. ssl_use_tlsv1

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-This variables specifies whether to attempt to use TLSv1 in the -SSL authentication process. -

3.208. ssl_min_dh_prime_bits

Type: number
-Default: 0

-This variable specifies the minimum acceptable prime size (in bits) -for use in any Diffie-Hellman key exchange. A value of 0 will use -the default from the GNUTLS library. -

3.209. ssl_ca_certificates_file

Type: path
-Default: ""

-This variable specifies a file containing trusted CA certificates. -Any server certificate that is signed with one of these CA -certificates are also automatically accepted. -

-Example: set ssl_ca_certificates_file=/etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt -

3.210. pipe_split

Type: boolean
+

3.182. pipe_decode

Type: boolean
Default: no

-Used in connection with the pipe-message command and the ``tag- -prefix'' operator. If this variable is unset, when piping a list of -tagged messages Mutt will concatenate the messages and will pipe them -as a single folder. When set, Mutt will pipe the messages one by one. -In both cases the messages are piped in the current sorted order, -and the ``$pipe_sep'' separator is added after each message. -

3.211. pipe_decode

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-Used in connection with the pipe-message command. When unset, -Mutt will pipe the messages without any preprocessing. When set, Mutt -will weed headers and will attempt to PGP/MIME decode the messages +Used in connection with the <pipe-message> command. When unset, +Mutt will pipe the messages without any preprocessing. When set, Mutt +will weed headers and will attempt to decode the messages first. -

3.212. pipe_sep

Type: string
-Default: "\n"

+

3.183. pipe_sep

Type: string
+Default: “\n”

The separator to add between messages when piping a list of tagged messages to an external Unix command. -

3.213. pop_authenticators

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.184. pipe_split

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+Used in connection with the <pipe-message> function following +<tag-prefix>. If this variable is unset, when piping a list of +tagged messages Mutt will concatenate the messages and will pipe them +all concatenated. When set, Mutt will pipe the messages one by one. +In both cases the messages are piped in the current sorted order, +and the $pipe_sep separator is added after each message. +

3.185. pop_auth_try_all

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+If set, Mutt will try all available authentication methods. +When unset, Mutt will only fall back to other authentication +methods if the previous methods are unavailable. If a method is +available but authentication fails, Mutt will not connect to the POP server. +

3.186. pop_authenticators

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

This is a colon-delimited list of authentication methods mutt may attempt to use to log in to an POP server, in the order mutt should -try them. Authentication methods are either 'user', 'apop' or any -SASL mechanism, eg 'digest-md5', 'gssapi' or 'cram-md5'. -This parameter is case-insensitive. If this parameter is unset +try them. Authentication methods are either “user”, “apop” or any +SASL mechanism, eg “digest-md5”, “gssapi” or “cram-md5”. +This option is case-insensitive. If this option is unset (the default) mutt will try all available methods, in order from most-secure to least-secure.

-Example: set pop_authenticators="digest-md5:apop:user" -

3.214. pop_auth_try_all

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-If set, Mutt will try all available methods. When unset, Mutt will -only fall back to other authentication methods if the previous -methods are unavailable. If a method is available but authentication -fails, Mutt will not connect to the POP server. -

3.215. pop_checkinterval

Type: number
+Example: + +

+set pop_authenticators="digest-md5:apop:user"
+

3.187. pop_checkinterval

Type: number
Default: 60

This variable configures how often (in seconds) mutt should look for new mail in the currently selected mailbox if it is a POP mailbox. -

3.216. pop_delete

Type: quadoption
+

3.188. pop_delete

Type: quadoption
Default: ask-no

-If set, Mutt will delete successfully downloaded messages from the POP -server when using the fetch-mail function. When unset, Mutt will +If set, Mutt will delete successfully downloaded messages from the POP +server when using the <fetch-mail> function. When unset, Mutt will download messages but also leave them on the POP server. -

3.217. pop_host

Type: string
-Default: ""

-The name of your POP server for the fetch-mail function. You +

3.189. pop_host

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+The name of your POP server for the <fetch-mail> function. You can also specify an alternative port, username and password, ie: -

+ +

 [pop[s]://][username[:password]@]popserver[:port]
-

3.218. pop_last

Type: boolean
+

+where “[...]” denotes an optional part. +

3.190. pop_last

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If this variable is set, mutt will try to use the "LAST" POP command +If this variable is set, mutt will try to use the “LAST” POP command for retrieving only unread messages from the POP server when using -the fetch-mail function. -

3.219. pop_reconnect

Type: quadoption
+the <fetch-mail> function. +

3.191. pop_pass

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+Specifies the password for your POP account. If unset, Mutt will +prompt you for your password when you open a POP mailbox. +

+Warning: you should only use this option when you are on a +fairly secure machine, because the superuser can read your muttrc +even if you are the only one who can read the file. +

3.192. pop_reconnect

Type: quadoption
Default: ask-yes

-Controls whether or not Mutt will try to reconnect to POP server if +Controls whether or not Mutt will try to reconnect to the POP server if the connection is lost. -

3.220. pop_user

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.193. pop_user

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

Your login name on the POP server.

This variable defaults to your user name on the local machine. -

3.221. pop_pass

Type: string
-Default: ""

-Specifies the password for your POP account. If unset, Mutt will -prompt you for your password when you open POP mailbox. -Warning: you should only use this option when you are on a -fairly secure machine, because the superuser can read your muttrc -even if you are the only one who can read the file. -

3.222. post_indent_string

Type: string
-Default: ""

-Similar to the ``$attribution'' variable, Mutt will append this +

3.194. post_indent_string

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+Similar to the $attribution variable, Mutt will append this string after the inclusion of a message which is being replied to. -

3.223. postpone

Type: quadoption
+

3.195. postpone

Type: quadoption
Default: ask-yes

-Controls whether or not messages are saved in the ``$postponed'' -mailbox when you elect not to send immediately. Also see the -``$recall'' variable. -

3.224. postponed

Type: path
-Default: "˜/postponed"

-Mutt allows you to indefinitely ``postpone sending a message'' which +Controls whether or not messages are saved in the $postponed +mailbox when you elect not to send immediately. +

+Also see the $recall variable. +

3.196. postponed

Type: path
+Default: “˜/postponed”

+Mutt allows you to indefinitely “postpone sending a message” which you are editing. When you choose to postpone a message, Mutt saves it -in the mailbox specified by this variable. Also see the ``$postpone'' -variable. -

3.225. preconnect

Type: string
-Default: ""

-If set, a shell command to be executed if mutt fails to establish +in the mailbox specified by this variable. +

+Also see the $postpone variable. +

3.197. preconnect

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+If set, a shell command to be executed if mutt fails to establish a connection to the server. This is useful for setting up secure -connections, e.g. with ssh(1). If the command returns a nonzero +connections, e.g. with ssh(1). If the command returns a nonzero status, mutt gives up opening the server. Example: -

-preconnect="ssh -f -q -L 1234:mailhost.net:143 mailhost.net + +

+set preconnect="ssh -f -q -L 1234:mailhost.net:143 mailhost.net \
 sleep 20 < /dev/null > /dev/null"
+

+Mailbox “foo” on “mailhost.net” can now be reached +as “{localhost:1234}foo”.

-Mailbox 'foo' on mailhost.net can now be reached -as '{localhost:1234}foo'. -

-NOTE: For this example to work, you must be able to log in to the +Note: For this example to work, you must be able to log in to the remote machine without having to enter a password. -

3.226. print

Type: quadoption
+

3.198. print

Type: quadoption
Default: ask-no

Controls whether or not Mutt really prints messages. -This is set to ask-no by default, because some people -accidentally hit ``p'' often (like me). -

3.227. print_command

Type: path
-Default: "lpr"

+This is set to “ask-no” by default, because some people +accidentally hit “p” often. +

3.199. print_command

Type: path
+Default: “lpr”

This specifies the command pipe that should be used to print messages. -

3.228. print_decode

Type: boolean
+

3.200. print_decode

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-Used in connection with the print-message command. If this -option is set, the message is decoded before it is passed to the -external command specified by $print_command. If this option -is unset, no processing will be applied to the message when +Used in connection with the <print-message> command. If this +option is set, the message is decoded before it is passed to the +external command specified by $print_command. If this option +is unset, no processing will be applied to the message when printing it. The latter setting may be useful if you are using some advanced printer filter which is able to properly format e-mail messages for printing. -

3.229. print_split

Type: boolean
+

3.201. print_split

Type: boolean
Default: no

-Used in connection with the print-message command. If this option -is set, the command specified by $print_command is executed once for -each message which is to be printed. If this option is unset, -the command specified by $print_command is executed only once, and +Used in connection with the <print-message> command. If this option +is set, the command specified by $print_command is executed once for +each message which is to be printed. If this option is unset, +the command specified by $print_command is executed only once, and all the messages are concatenated, with a form feed as the message separator.

-Those who use the enscript(1) program's mail-printing mode will -most likely want to set this option. -

3.230. prompt_after

Type: boolean
+Those who use the enscript(1) program's mail-printing mode will +most likely want to set this option. +

3.202. prompt_after

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-If you use an external ``$pager'', setting this variable will +If you use an external $pager, setting this variable will cause Mutt to prompt you for a command when the pager exits rather -than returning to the index menu. If unset, Mutt will return to the +than returning to the index menu. If unset, Mutt will return to the index menu when the external pager exits. -

3.231. query_command

Type: path
-Default: ""

+

3.203. query_command

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

This specifies the command that mutt will use to make external address -queries. The string should contain a %s, which will be substituted -with the query string the user types. See ``query'' for more +queries. The string should contain a “%s”, which will be substituted +with the query string the user types. See “query” for more information. -

3.232. query_format

Type: string
-Default: "%4c %t %-25.25a %-25.25n %?e?(%e)?"

-This variable describes the format of the `query' menu. The -following printf-style sequences are understood: -

- -

%a

destination address -

%c

current entry number -

%e

extra information * -

%n

destination name -

%t

``*'' if current entry is tagged, a space otherwise -

%>X

right justify the rest of the string and pad with "X" -

%|X

pad to the end of the line with "X" -

%*X

soft-fill with character "X" as pad -

- -

-For an explanation of `soft-fill', see the ``$index_format'' documentation. -

-* = can be optionally printed if nonzero, see the ``$status_format'' documentation. -

3.233. quit

Type: quadoption
+

3.204. query_format

Type: string
+Default: “%4c %t %-25.25a %-25.25n %?e?(%e)?”

+This variable describes the format of the “query” menu. The +following printf(3)-style sequences are understood: + +

%a destination address +
%c current entry number +
%e extra information * +
%n destination name +
%t “*” if current entry is tagged, a space otherwise +
%>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with “X” +
%|X pad to the end of the line with “X” +
%*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad +

+For an explanation of “soft-fill”, see the $index_format documentation. +

+* = can be optionally printed if nonzero, see the $status_format documentation. +

3.205. quit

Type: quadoption
Default: yes

-This variable controls whether ``quit'' and ``exit'' actually quit -from mutt. If it set to yes, they do quit, if it is set to no, they -have no effect, and if it is set to ask-yes or ask-no, you are +This variable controls whether “quit” and “exit” actually quit +from mutt. If this option is set, they do quit, if it is unset, they +have no effect, and if it is set to ask-yes or ask-no, you are prompted for confirmation when you try to quit. -

3.234. quote_regexp

Type: regular expression
-Default: "^([ \t]*[|>:}#])+"

-A regular expression used in the internal-pager to determine quoted -sections of text in the body of a message. -

-Note: In order to use the quotedx patterns in the -internal pager, you need to set this to a regular expression that -matches exactly the quote characters at the beginning of quoted -lines. -

3.235. read_inc

Type: number
+

3.206. quote_regexp

Type: regular expression
+Default: “^([ \t]*[|>:}#])+”

+A regular expression used in the internal pager to determine quoted +sections of text in the body of a message. Quoted text may be filtered +out using the <toggle-quoted> command, or colored according to the +“color quoted” family of directives. +

+Higher levels of quoting may be colored differently (“color quoted1”, +“color quoted2”, etc.). The quoting level is determined by removing +the last character from the matched text and recursively reapplying +the regular expression until it fails to produce a match. +

+Match detection may be overridden by the $smileys regular expression. +

3.207. read_inc

Type: number
Default: 10

If set to a value greater than 0, Mutt will display which message it is currently on when reading a mailbox or when performing search actions such as search and limit. The message is printed after -read_inc messages have been read or searched (e.g., if set to 25, Mutt will +this many messages have been read or searched (e.g., if set to 25, Mutt will print a message when it is at message 25, and then again when it gets to message 50). This variable is meant to indicate progress when reading or searching large mailboxes which may take some time. When set to 0, only a single message will appear before the reading the mailbox.

-Also see the ``$write_inc'' variable and the ``Tuning'' section of the -manual for performance considerations. -

3.236. read_only

Type: boolean
+Also see the $write_inc, $net_inc and $time_inc variables and the +“tuning” section of the manual for performance considerations. +

3.208. read_only

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, all folders are opened in read-only mode. -

3.237. realname

Type: string
-Default: ""

-This variable specifies what "real" or "personal" name should be used +If set, all folders are opened in read-only mode. +

3.209. realname

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This variable specifies what “real” or “personal” name should be used when sending messages.

-By default, this is the GECOS field from /etc/passwd. Note that this +By default, this is the GECOS field from /etc/passwd. Note that this variable will not be used when the user has set a real name -in the $from variable. -

3.238. recall

Type: quadoption
+in the $from variable. +

3.210. recall

Type: quadoption
Default: ask-yes

Controls whether or not Mutt recalls postponed messages -when composing a new message. Also see ``$postponed''. +when composing a new message.

-Setting this variable to ``yes'' is not generally useful, and thus not +Setting this variable to is not generally useful, and thus not recommended. -

3.239. record

Type: path
-Default: "˜/sent"

+

+Also see $postponed variable. +

3.211. record

Type: path
+Default: “˜/sent”

This specifies the file into which your outgoing messages should be appended. (This is meant as the primary method for saving a copy of -your messages, but another way to do this is using the ``my_hdr'' -command to create a Bcc: field with your email address in it.) +your messages, but another way to do this is using the “my_hdr” +command to create a “Bcc:” field with your email address in it.)

-The value of $record is overridden by the ``$force_name'' and -``$save_name'' variables, and the ``fcc-hook'' command. -

3.240. reply_regexp

Type: regular expression
-Default: "^(re([\[0-9\]+])*|aw):[ \t]*"

+The value of $record is overridden by the $force_name and +$save_name variables, and the “fcc-hook” command. +

3.212. reply_regexp

Type: regular expression
+Default: “^(re([\[0-9\]+])*|aw):[ \t]*”

A regular expression used to recognize reply messages when threading and replying. The default value corresponds to the English "Re:" and the German "Aw:". -

3.241. reply_self

Type: boolean
+

3.213. reply_self

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If unset and you are replying to a message sent by you, Mutt will +If unset and you are replying to a message sent by you, Mutt will assume that you want to reply to the recipients of that message rather than to yourself. -

3.242. reply_to

Type: quadoption
+

+Also see the “alternates” command. +

3.214. reply_to

Type: quadoption
Default: ask-yes

-If set, when replying to a message, Mutt will use the address listed -in the Reply-to: header as the recipient of the reply. If unset, +If set, when replying to a message, Mutt will use the address listed +in the Reply-to: header as the recipient of the reply. If unset, it will use the address in the From: header field instead. This option is useful for reading a mailing list that sets the Reply-To: header field to the list address and you want to send a private message to the author of a message. -

3.243. resolve

Type: boolean
+

3.215. resolve

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, the cursor will be automatically advanced to the next +When set, the cursor will be automatically advanced to the next (possibly undeleted) message whenever a command that modifies the current message is executed. -

3.244. reverse_alias

Type: boolean
+

3.216. reverse_alias

Type: boolean
Default: no

-This variable controls whether or not Mutt will display the "personal" +This variable controls whether or not Mutt will display the “personal” name from your aliases in the index menu if it finds an alias that matches the message's sender. For example, if you have the following alias: -

 alias juser abd30425@somewhere.net (Joe User)
-
 

and then you receive mail which contains the following header: -

 From: abd30425@somewhere.net
-
 

-It would be displayed in the index menu as ``Joe User'' instead of -``abd30425@somewhere.net.'' This is useful when the person's e-mail -address is not human friendly (like CompuServe addresses). -

3.245. reverse_name

Type: boolean
+It would be displayed in the index menu as “Joe User” instead of +“abd30425@somewhere.net.” This is useful when the person's e-mail +address is not human friendly. +

3.217. reverse_name

Type: boolean
Default: no

It may sometimes arrive that you receive mail to a certain machine, move the messages to another machine, and reply to some the messages -from there. If this variable is set, the default From: line of +from there. If this variable is set, the default From: line of the reply messages is built using the address where you received the messages you are replying to if that address matches your -alternates. If the variable is unset, or the address that would be -used doesn't match your alternates, the From: line will use +“alternates”. If the variable is unset, or the address that would be +used doesn't match your “alternates”, the From: line will use your address on the current machine. -

3.246. reverse_realname

Type: boolean
+

+Also see the “alternates” command. +

3.218. reverse_realname

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-This variable fine-tunes the behaviour of the reverse_name feature. -When it is set, mutt will use the address from incoming messages as-is, -possibly including eventual real names. When it is unset, mutt will -override any such real names with the setting of the realname variable. -

3.247. rfc2047_parameters

Type: boolean
+This variable fine-tunes the behaviour of the $reverse_name feature. +When it is set, mutt will use the address from incoming messages as-is, +possibly including eventual real names. When it is unset, mutt will +override any such real names with the setting of the $realname variable. +

3.219. rfc2047_parameters

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When this variable is set, Mutt will decode RFC-2047-encoded MIME +When this variable is set, Mutt will decode RFC2047-encoded MIME parameters. You want to set this variable when mutt suggests you -to save attachments to files named like this: +to save attachments to files named like: + +

 =?iso-8859-1?Q?file=5F=E4=5F991116=2Ezip?=
+

+When this variable is set interactively, the change won't be +active until you change folders.

-When this variable is set interactively, the change doesn't have -the desired effect before you have changed folders. -

-Note that this use of RFC 2047's encoding is explicitly, +Note that this use of RFC2047's encoding is explicitly prohibited by the standard, but nevertheless encountered in the wild. -Also note that setting this parameter will not have the effect +

+Also note that setting this parameter will not have the effect that mutt generates this kind of encoding. Instead, mutt will -unconditionally use the encoding specified in RFC 2231. -

3.248. save_address

Type: boolean
+unconditionally use the encoding specified in RFC2231. +

3.220. save_address

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, mutt will take the sender's full address when choosing a -default folder for saving a mail. If ``$save_name'' or ``$force_name'' -is set too, the selection of the fcc folder will be changed as well. -

3.249. save_empty

Type: boolean
+If set, mutt will take the sender's full address when choosing a +default folder for saving a mail. If $save_name or $force_name +is set too, the selection of the Fcc folder will be changed as well. +

3.221. save_empty

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When unset, mailboxes which contain no saved messages will be removed -when closed (the exception is ``$spoolfile'' which is never removed). -If set, mailboxes are never removed. +When unset, mailboxes which contain no saved messages will be removed +when closed (the exception is $spoolfile which is never removed). +If set, mailboxes are never removed.

Note: This only applies to mbox and MMDF folders, Mutt does not delete MH and Maildir directories. -

3.250. save_history

Type: number
+

3.222. save_history

Type: number
Default: 0

-This variable controls the size of the history saved in the -``$history_file'' file. -

3.251. save_name

Type: boolean
+This variable controls the size of the history (per category) saved in the +$history_file file. +

3.223. save_name

Type: boolean
Default: no

This variable controls how copies of outgoing messages are saved. -When set, a check is made to see if a mailbox specified by the +When set, a check is made to see if a mailbox specified by the recipient address exists (this is done by searching for a mailbox in -the ``$folder'' directory with the username part of the +the $folder directory with the username part of the recipient address). If the mailbox exists, the outgoing message will be saved to that mailbox, otherwise the message is saved to the -``$record'' mailbox. +$record mailbox.

-Also see the ``$force_name'' variable. -

3.252. score

Type: boolean
+Also see the $force_name variable. +

3.224. score

Type: boolean
Default: yes

When this variable is unset, scoring is turned off. This can be useful to selectively disable scoring for certain folders when the -``$score_threshold_delete'' variable and friends are used. -

3.253. score_threshold_delete

Type: number
+$score_threshold_delete variable and related are used. +

3.225. score_threshold_delete

Type: number
Default: -1

Messages which have been assigned a score equal to or lower than the value of this variable are automatically marked for deletion by mutt. Since mutt scores are always greater than or equal to zero, the default setting of this variable will never mark a message for deletion. -

3.254. score_threshold_flag

Type: number
+

3.226. score_threshold_flag

Type: number
Default: 9999

-Messages which have been assigned a score greater than or equal to this +Messages which have been assigned a score greater than or equal to this variable's value are automatically marked "flagged". -

3.255. score_threshold_read

Type: number
+

3.227. score_threshold_read

Type: number
Default: -1

Messages which have been assigned a score equal to or lower than the value of this variable are automatically marked as read by mutt. Since mutt scores are always greater than or equal to zero, the default setting of this variable will never mark a message read. -

3.256. send_charset

Type: string
-Default: "us-ascii:iso-8859-1:utf-8"

+

3.228. search_context

Type: number
+Default: 0

+For the pager, this variable specifies the number of lines shown +before search results. By default, search results will be top-aligned. +

3.229. send_charset

Type: string
+Default: “us-ascii:iso-8859-1:utf-8”

A colon-delimited list of character sets for outgoing messages. Mutt will use the first character set into which the text can be converted exactly. -If your ``$charset'' is not iso-8859-1 and recipients may not -understand UTF-8, it is advisable to include in the list an +If your $charset is not “iso-8859-1” and recipients may not +understand “UTF-8”, it is advisable to include in the list an appropriate widely used standard character set (such as -iso-8859-2, koi8-r or iso-2022-jp) either instead of or after -"iso-8859-1". +“iso-8859-2”, “koi8-r” or “iso-2022-jp”) either instead of or after +“iso-8859-1”.

In case the text cannot be converted into one of these exactly, -mutt uses ``$charset'' as a fallback. -

3.257. sendmail

Type: path
-Default: "/usr/sbin/sendmail -oem -oi"

+mutt uses $charset as a fallback. +

3.230. sendmail

Type: path
+Default: “/usr/sbin/sendmail -oem -oi”

Specifies the program and arguments used to deliver mail sent by Mutt. Mutt expects that the specified program interprets additional arguments as recipient addresses. -

3.258. sendmail_wait

Type: number
+

3.231. sendmail_wait

Type: number
Default: 0

-Specifies the number of seconds to wait for the ``$sendmail'' process +Specifies the number of seconds to wait for the $sendmail process to finish before giving up and putting delivery in the background.

Mutt interprets the value of this variable as follows: -

>0

number of seconds to wait for sendmail to finish before continuing -

0

wait forever for sendmail to finish -

<0

always put sendmail in the background without waiting -

- -

+

>0 number of seconds to wait for sendmail to finish before continuing +
0 wait forever for sendmail to finish +
<0 always put sendmail in the background without waiting +

Note that if you specify a value other than 0, the output of the child process will be put in a temporary file. If there is some error, you will be informed as to where to find the output. -

3.259. shell

Type: path
-Default: ""

+

3.232. shell

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

Command to use when spawning a subshell. By default, the user's login -shell from /etc/passwd is used. -

3.260. sig_dashes

Type: boolean
+shell from /etc/passwd is used. +

3.233. sig_dashes

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-If set, a line containing ``-- '' will be inserted before your -``$signature''. It is strongly recommended that you not unset -this variable unless your ``signature'' contains just your name. The -reason for this is because many software packages use ``-- \n'' to +If set, a line containing “-- ” (note the trailing space) will be inserted before your +$signature. It is strongly recommended that you not unset +this variable unless your signature contains just your name. The +reason for this is because many software packages use “-- \n” to detect your signature. For example, Mutt has the ability to highlight the signature in a different color in the builtin pager. -

3.261. sig_on_top

Type: boolean
+

3.234. sig_on_top

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, the signature will be included before any quoted or forwarded +If set, the signature will be included before any quoted or forwarded text. It is strongly recommended that you do not set this variable unless you really know what you are doing, and are prepared to take some heat from netiquette guardians. -

3.262. signature

Type: path
-Default: "˜/.signature"

+

3.235. signature

Type: path
+Default: “˜/.signature”

Specifies the filename of your signature, which is appended to all -outgoing messages. If the filename ends with a pipe (``|''), it is +outgoing messages. If the filename ends with a pipe (“|”), it is assumed that filename is a shell command and input should be read from -its stdout. -

3.263. simple_search

Type: string
-Default: "˜f %s | ˜s %s"

+its standard output. +

3.236. simple_search

Type: string
+Default: “˜f %s | ˜s %s”

Specifies how Mutt should expand a simple search into a real search -pattern. A simple search is one that does not contain any of the ˜ -operators. See ``patterns'' for more information on search patterns. -

-For example, if you simply type joe at a search or limit prompt, Mutt -will automatically expand it to the value specified by this variable. -For the default value it would be: -

-˜f joe | ˜s joe -

3.264. smart_wrap

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-Controls the display of lines longer than the screen width in the -internal pager. If set, long lines are wrapped at a word boundary. If -unset, lines are simply wrapped at the screen edge. Also see the -``$markers'' variable. -

3.265. smileys

Type: regular expression
-Default: "(>From )|(:[-^]?[][)(><}{|/DP])"

-The pager uses this variable to catch some common false -positives of ``$quote_regexp'', most notably smileys in the beginning -of a line -

3.266. sleep_time

Type: number
+pattern. A simple search is one that does not contain any of the “˜” pattern +operators. See “patterns” for more information on search patterns. +

+For example, if you simply type “joe” at a search or limit prompt, Mutt +will automatically expand it to the value specified by this variable by +replacing “%s” with the supplied string. +For the default value, “joe” would be expanded to: “˜f joe | ˜s joe”. +

3.237. sleep_time

Type: number
Default: 1

Specifies time, in seconds, to pause while displaying certain informational messages, while moving from folder to folder and after expunging -messages from the current folder. The default is to pause one second, so +messages from the current folder. The default is to pause one second, so a value of zero for this option suppresses the pause. -

3.267. smtp_authenticators

Type: string
-Default: ""

+

3.238. smart_wrap

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+Controls the display of lines longer than the screen width in the +internal pager. If set, long lines are wrapped at a word boundary. If +unset, lines are simply wrapped at the screen edge. Also see the +$markers variable. +

3.239. smileys

Type: regular expression
+Default: “(>From )|(:[-^]?[][)(><}{|/DP])”

+The pager uses this variable to catch some common false +positives of $quote_regexp, most notably smileys and not consider +a line quoted text if it also matches $smileys. This mostly +happens at the beginning of a line. +

3.240. smime_ask_cert_label

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+This flag controls whether you want to be asked to enter a label +for a certificate about to be added to the database or not. It is +set by default. +(S/MIME only) +

3.241. smime_ca_location

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

+This variable contains the name of either a directory, or a file which +contains trusted certificates for use with OpenSSL. +(S/MIME only) +

3.242. smime_certificates

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

+Since for S/MIME there is no pubring/secring as with PGP, mutt has to handle +storage and retrieval of keys by itself. This is very basic right +now, and keys and certificates are stored in two different +directories, both named as the hash-value retrieved from +OpenSSL. There is an index file which contains mailbox-address +keyid pairs, and which can be manually edited. This option points to +the location of the certificates. +(S/MIME only) +

3.243. smime_decrypt_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This format string specifies a command which is used to decrypt +application/x-pkcs7-mime attachments. +

+The OpenSSL command formats have their own set of printf(3)-like sequences +similar to PGP's: + +

%f Expands to the name of a file containing a message. +
%s Expands to the name of a file containing the signature part + of a multipart/signed attachment when verifying it. +
%k The key-pair specified with $smime_default_key +
%c One or more certificate IDs. +
%a The algorithm used for encryption. +
%C CA location: Depending on whether $smime_ca_location + points to a directory or file, this expands to + “-CApath $smime_ca_location” or “-CAfile $smime_ca_location”. +

+For examples on how to configure these formats, see the smime.rc in +the samples/ subdirectory which has been installed on your system +alongside the documentation. +(S/MIME only) +

3.244. smime_decrypt_use_default_key

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+If set (default) this tells mutt to use the default key for decryption. Otherwise, +if managing multiple certificate-key-pairs, mutt will try to use the mailbox-address +to determine the key to use. It will ask you to supply a key, if it can't find one. +(S/MIME only) +

3.245. smime_default_key

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This is the default key-pair to use for signing. This must be set to the +keyid (the hash-value that OpenSSL generates) to work properly +(S/MIME only) +

3.246. smime_encrypt_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to create encrypted S/MIME messages. +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.247. smime_encrypt_with

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This sets the algorithm that should be used for encryption. +Valid choices are “des”, “des3”, “rc2-40”, “rc2-64”, “rc2-128”. +If unset, “3des” (TripleDES) is used. +(S/MIME only) +

3.248. smime_get_cert_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to extract X509 certificates from a PKCS7 structure. +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.249. smime_get_cert_email_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to extract the mail address(es) used for storing +X509 certificates, and for verification purposes (to check whether the +certificate was issued for the sender's mailbox). +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.250. smime_get_signer_cert_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to extract only the signers X509 certificate from a S/MIME +signature, so that the certificate's owner may get compared to the +email's “From:” field. +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.251. smime_import_cert_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to import a certificate via smime_keys. +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.252. smime_is_default

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+The default behaviour of mutt is to use PGP on all auto-sign/encryption +operations. To override and to use OpenSSL instead this must be set. +However, this has no effect while replying, since mutt will automatically +select the same application that was used to sign/encrypt the original +message. (Note that this variable can be overridden by unsetting $crypt_autosmime.) +(S/MIME only) +

3.253. smime_keys

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

+Since for S/MIME there is no pubring/secring as with PGP, mutt has to handle +storage and retrieval of keys/certs by itself. This is very basic right now, +and stores keys and certificates in two different directories, both +named as the hash-value retrieved from OpenSSL. There is an index file +which contains mailbox-address keyid pair, and which can be manually +edited. This option points to the location of the private keys. +(S/MIME only) +

3.254. smime_pk7out_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to extract PKCS7 structures of S/MIME signatures, +in order to extract the public X509 certificate(s). +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.255. smime_sign_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to created S/MIME signatures of type +multipart/signed, which can be read by all mail clients. +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.256. smime_sign_opaque_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to created S/MIME signatures of type +application/x-pkcs7-signature, which can only be handled by mail +clients supporting the S/MIME extension. +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.257. smime_timeout

Type: number
+Default: 300

+The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will expire if +not used. +(S/MIME only) +

3.258. smime_verify_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to verify S/MIME signatures of type multipart/signed. +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.259. smime_verify_opaque_command

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+This command is used to verify S/MIME signatures of type +application/x-pkcs7-mime. +

+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +

3.260. smtp_authenticators

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

This is a colon-delimited list of authentication methods mutt may attempt to use to log in to an SMTP server, in the order mutt should try them. Authentication methods are any SASL mechanism, eg -``digest-md5'', ``gssapi'' or ``cram-md5''. -This parameter is case-insensitive. If this parameter is unset +“digest-md5”, “gssapi” or “cram-md5”. +This option is case-insensitive. If it is “unset” (the default) mutt will try all available methods, in order from most-secure to least-secure.

-Example: set smtp_authenticators="digest-md5:cram-md5" -

3.268. smtp_pass

Type: string
-Default: ""

+Example: + +

+set smtp_authenticators="digest-md5:cram-md5"
+

3.261. smtp_pass

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

Specifies the password for your SMTP account. If unset, Mutt will prompt you for your password when you first send mail via SMTP. -See ``smtp_url'' to configure mutt to send mail via SMTP. +See $smtp_url to configure mutt to send mail via SMTP. +

Warning: you should only use this option when you are on a fairly secure machine, because the superuser can read your muttrc even if you are the only one who can read the file. -

3.269. smtp_url

Type: string
-Default: ""

-Defines the SMTP ``smart'' host where sent messages should relayed for +

3.262. smtp_url

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

+Defines the SMTP smarthost where sent messages should relayed for delivery. This should take the form of an SMTP URL, eg: -

+ +

 smtp[s]://[user[:pass]@]host[:port]/
-

-Setting this variable overrides the value of the ``$sendmail'' +

+where “[...]” denotes an optional part. +Setting this variable overrides the value of the $sendmail variable. -

3.270. sort

Type: sort order
+

3.263. sort

Type: sort order
Default: date

-Specifies how to sort messages in the index menu. Valid values +Specifies how to sort messages in the “index” menu. Valid values are: -

- -

-   date or date-sent
-   date-received
-   from
-   mailbox-order (unsorted)
-   score
-   size
-   spam
-   subject
-   threads
-   to
 
-

-You may optionally use the reverse- prefix to specify reverse sorting -order (example: set sort=reverse-date-sent). -

3.271. sort_alias

Type: sort order
+

  • date or date-sent +

  • date-received +

  • from +

  • mailbox-order (unsorted) +

  • score +

  • size +

  • spam +

  • subject +

  • threads +

  • to +

+You may optionally use the “reverse-” prefix to specify reverse sorting +order (example: “set sort=reverse-date-sent”). +

3.264. sort_alias

Type: sort order
Default: alias

-Specifies how the entries in the `alias' menu are sorted. The +Specifies how the entries in the “alias” menu are sorted. The following are legal values: -

-

-   address (sort alphabetically by email address)
-   alias (sort alphabetically by alias name)
-   unsorted (leave in order specified in .muttrc)
-
-

3.272. sort_aux

Type: sort order
+

  • address (sort alphabetically by email address) +

  • alias (sort alphabetically by alias name) +

  • unsorted (leave in order specified in .muttrc) +

3.265. sort_aux

Type: sort order
Default: date

When sorting by threads, this variable controls how threads are sorted in relation to other threads, and how the branches of the thread trees -are sorted. This can be set to any value that ``$sort'' can, except -threads (in that case, mutt will just use date-sent). You can also -specify the last- prefix in addition to the reverse- prefix, but last- -must come after reverse-. The last- prefix causes messages to be +are sorted. This can be set to any value that $sort can, except +“threads” (in that case, mutt will just use “date-sent”). You can also +specify the “last-” prefix in addition to the “reverse-” prefix, but “last-” +must come after “reverse-”. The “last-” prefix causes messages to be sorted against its siblings by which has the last descendant, using -the rest of sort_aux as an ordering. For instance, set sort_aux=last- -date-received would mean that if a new message is received in a +the rest of $sort_aux as an ordering. For instance, + +

+set sort_aux=last-date-received
+

+would mean that if a new message is received in a thread, that thread becomes the last one displayed (or the first, if -you have set sort=reverse-threads.) Note: For reversed ``$sort'' -order $sort_aux is reversed again (which is not the right thing to do, +you have “set sort=reverse-threads”.) +

+Note: For reversed $sort +order $sort_aux is reversed again (which is not the right thing to do, but kept to not break any existing configuration setting). -

3.273. sort_browser

Type: sort order
+

3.266. sort_browser

Type: sort order
Default: alpha

Specifies how to sort entries in the file browser. By default, the entries are sorted alphabetically. Valid values: -

-

-   alpha (alphabetically)
-   date
-   size
-   unsorted
-
-

-You may optionally use the reverse- prefix to specify reverse sorting -order (example: set sort_browser=reverse-date). -

3.274. sort_re

Type: boolean
+

  • alpha (alphabetically) +

  • date +

  • size +

  • unsorted +

+You may optionally use the “reverse-” prefix to specify reverse sorting +order (example: “set sort_browser=reverse-date”). +

3.267. sort_re

Type: boolean
Default: yes

This variable is only useful when sorting by threads with -``$strict_threads'' unset. In that case, it changes the heuristic -mutt uses to thread messages by subject. With sort_re set, mutt will +$strict_threads unset. In that case, it changes the heuristic +mutt uses to thread messages by subject. With $sort_re set, mutt will only attach a message as the child of another message by subject if the subject of the child message starts with a substring matching the -setting of ``$reply_regexp''. With sort_re unset, mutt will attach +setting of $reply_regexp. With $sort_re unset, mutt will attach the message whether or not this is the case, as long as the -non-``$reply_regexp'' parts of both messages are identical. -

3.275. spam_separator

Type: string
-Default: ","

-``spam_separator'' controls what happens when multiple spam headers -are matched: if unset, each successive header will overwrite any -previous matches value for the spam label. If set, each successive -match will append to the previous, using ``spam_separator'' as a +non-$reply_regexp parts of both messages are identical. +

3.268. spam_separator

Type: string
+Default: “,”

+This variable controls what happens when multiple spam headers +are matched: if unset, each successive header will overwrite any +previous matches value for the spam label. If set, each successive +match will append to the previous, using this variable's value as a separator. -

3.276. spoolfile

Type: path
-Default: ""

+

3.269. spoolfile

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

If your spool mailbox is in a non-default place where Mutt cannot find it, you can specify its location with this variable. Mutt will -automatically set this variable to the value of the environment -variable $MAIL if it is not set. -

3.277. status_chars

Type: string
-Default: "-*%A"

-Controls the characters used by the "%r" indicator in -``$status_format''. The first character is used when the mailbox is +initially set this variable to the value of the environment +variable $MAIL or $MAILDIR if either is defined. +

3.270. ssl_ca_certificates_file

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

+This variable specifies a file containing trusted CA certificates. +Any server certificate that is signed with one of these CA +certificates is also automatically accepted. +

+Example: + +

+set ssl_ca_certificates_file=/etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt
+

3.271. ssl_client_cert

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

+The file containing a client certificate and its associated private +key. +

3.272. ssl_force_tls

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+If this variable is set, Mutt will require that all connections +to remote servers be encrypted. Furthermore it will attempt to +negotiate TLS even if the server does not advertise the capability, +since it would otherwise have to abort the connection anyway. This +option supersedes $ssl_starttls. +

3.273. ssl_min_dh_prime_bits

Type: number
+Default: 0

+This variable specifies the minimum acceptable prime size (in bits) +for use in any Diffie-Hellman key exchange. A value of 0 will use +the default from the GNUTLS library. +

3.274. ssl_starttls

Type: quadoption
+Default: yes

+If set (the default), mutt will attempt to use STARTTLS on servers +advertising the capability. When unset, mutt will not attempt to +use STARTTLS regardless of the server's capabilities. +

3.275. ssl_use_sslv2

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+This variable specifies whether to attempt to use SSLv2 in the +SSL authentication process. +

3.276. ssl_use_sslv3

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+This variable specifies whether to attempt to use SSLv3 in the +SSL authentication process. +

3.277. ssl_use_tlsv1

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+This variable specifies whether to attempt to use TLSv1 in the +SSL authentication process. +

3.278. ssl_usesystemcerts

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+If set to yes, mutt will use CA certificates in the +system-wide certificate store when checking if a server certificate +is signed by a trusted CA. +

3.279. ssl_verify_dates

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+If set (the default), mutt will not automatically accept a server +certificate that is either not yet valid or already expired. You should +only unset this for particular known hosts, using the +<account-hook> function. +

3.280. ssl_verify_host

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+If set (the default), mutt will not automatically accept a server +certificate whose host name does not match the host used in your folder +URL. You should only unset this for particular known hosts, using +the <account-hook> function. +

3.281. status_chars

Type: string
+Default: “-*%A”

+Controls the characters used by the “%r” indicator in +$status_format. The first character is used when the mailbox is unchanged. The second is used when the mailbox has been changed, and it needs to be resynchronized. The third is used if the mailbox is in read-only mode, or if the mailbox will not be written when exiting that mailbox (You can toggle whether to write changes to a mailbox -with the toggle-write operation, bound by default to "%"). The fourth +with the <toggle-write> operation, bound by default to “%”). The fourth is used to indicate that the current folder has been opened in attach- message mode (Certain operations like composing a new mail, replying, forwarding, etc. are not permitted in this mode). -

3.278. status_format

Type: string
-Default: "-%r-Mutt: %f [Msgs:%?M?%M/?%m%?n? New:%n?%?o? Old:%o?%?d? Del:%d?%?F? Flag:%F?%?t? Tag:%t?%?p? Post:%p?%?b? Inc:%b?%?l? %l?]---(%s/%S)-%>-(%P)---"

-Controls the format of the status line displayed in the index -menu. This string is similar to ``$index_format'', but has its own -set of printf()-like sequences: -

- -

%b

number of mailboxes with new mail * -

%d

number of deleted messages * -

%f

the full pathname of the current mailbox -

%F

number of flagged messages * -

%h

local hostname -

%l

size (in bytes) of the current mailbox * -

%L

size (in bytes) of the messages shown +

3.282. status_format

Type: string
+Default: “-%r-Mutt: %f [Msgs:%?M?%M/?%m%?n? New:%n?%?o? Old:%o?%?d? Del:%d?%?F? Flag:%F?%?t? Tag:%t?%?p? Post:%p?%?b? Inc:%b?%?l? %l?]---(%s/%S)-%>-(%P)---”

+Controls the format of the status line displayed in the “index” +menu. This string is similar to $index_format, but has its own +set of printf(3)-like sequences: + +

%b number of mailboxes with new mail * +
%d number of deleted messages * +
%f the full pathname of the current mailbox +
%F number of flagged messages * +
%h local hostname +
%l size (in bytes) of the current mailbox * +
%L size (in bytes) of the messages shown (i.e., which match the current limit) * -

%m

the number of messages in the mailbox * -

%M

the number of messages shown (i.e., which match the current limit) * -

%n

number of new messages in the mailbox * -

%o

number of old unread messages * -

%p

number of postponed messages * -

%P

percentage of the way through the index -

%r

modified/read-only/won't-write/attach-message indicator, -according to $status_chars -

%s

current sorting mode ($sort) -

%S

current aux sorting method ($sort_aux) -

%t

number of tagged messages * -

%u

number of unread messages * -

%v

Mutt version string -

%V

currently active limit pattern, if any * -

%>X

right justify the rest of the string and pad with "X" -

%|X

pad to the end of the line with "X" -

%*X

soft-fill with character "X" as pad -

- -

-For an explanation of `soft-fill', see the ``$index_format'' documentation. +

%m the number of messages in the mailbox * +
%M the number of messages shown (i.e., which match the current limit) * +
%n number of new messages in the mailbox * +
%o number of old unread messages * +
%p number of postponed messages * +
%P percentage of the way through the index +
%r modified/read-only/won't-write/attach-message indicator, +according to $status_chars +
%s current sorting mode ($sort) +
%S current aux sorting method ($sort_aux) +
%t number of tagged messages * +
%u number of unread messages * +
%v Mutt version string +
%V currently active limit pattern, if any * +
%>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with “X” +
%|X pad to the end of the line with “X” +
%*X soft-fill with character “X” as pad +

+For an explanation of “soft-fill”, see the $index_format documentation.

* = can be optionally printed if nonzero

@@ -5704,7 +6454,7 @@ number of flagged messages if such messages exist, since zero is not particularly meaningful. To optionally print a string based upon one of the above sequences, the following construct is used:

-%?<sequence_char>?<optional_string>? +%?<sequence_char>?<optional_string>?

where sequence_char is a character from the table above, and optional_string is the string you would like printed if @@ -5714,73 +6464,83 @@ optional strings.

Here is an example illustrating how to optionally print the number of new messages in a mailbox: -%?n?%n new messages.? +

+%?n?%n new messages.?

You can also switch between two strings using the following construct:

-%?<sequence_char>?<if_string>&<else_string>? +%?<sequence_char>?<if_string>&<else_string>?

If the value of sequence_char is non-zero, if_string will be expanded, otherwise else_string will be expanded.

-You can force the result of any printf-like sequence to be lowercase -by prefixing the sequence character with an underscore (_) sign. +You can force the result of any printf(3)-like sequence to be lowercase +by prefixing the sequence character with an underscore (“_”) sign. For example, if you want to display the local hostname in lowercase, -you would use: -%_h +you would use: “%_h”.

-If you prefix the sequence character with a colon (:) character, mutt -will replace any dots in the expansion by underscores. This might be helpful +If you prefix the sequence character with a colon (“:”) character, mutt +will replace any dots in the expansion by underscores. This might be helpful with IMAP folders that don't like dots in folder names. -

3.279. status_on_top

Type: boolean
+

3.283. status_on_top

Type: boolean
Default: no

-Setting this variable causes the ``status bar'' to be displayed on -the first line of the screen rather than near the bottom. -

3.280. strict_threads

Type: boolean
+Setting this variable causes the “status bar” to be displayed on +the first line of the screen rather than near the bottom. If $help +is set, too it'll be placed at the bottom. +

3.284. strict_threads

Type: boolean
Default: no

-If set, threading will only make use of the ``In-Reply-To'' and -``References'' fields when you ``$sort'' by message threads. By +If set, threading will only make use of the “In-Reply-To” and +“References:” fields when you $sort by message threads. By default, messages with the same subject are grouped together in -``pseudo threads.''. This may not always be desirable, such as in a +“pseudo threads.”. This may not always be desirable, such as in a personal mailbox where you might have several unrelated messages with -the subject ``hi'' which will get grouped together. See also -``$sort_re'' for a less drastic way of controlling this +the subjects like “hi” which will get grouped together. See also +$sort_re for a less drastic way of controlling this behaviour. -

3.281. suspend

Type: boolean
+

3.285. suspend

Type: boolean
Default: yes

When unset, mutt won't stop when the user presses the terminal's -susp key, usually ``control-Z''. This is useful if you run mutt -inside an xterm using a command like xterm -e mutt. -

3.282. text_flowed

Type: boolean
+susp key, usually “^Z”. This is useful if you run mutt +inside an xterm using a command like “xterm -e mutt”. +

3.286. text_flowed

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, mutt will generate text/plain; format=flowed attachments. +When set, mutt will generate “format=flowed” bodies with a content type +of “text/plain; format=flowed”. This format is easier to handle for some mailing software, and generally -just looks like ordinary text. To actually make use of this format's +just looks like ordinary text. To actually make use of this format's features, you'll need support in your editor.

-Note that $indent_string is ignored when this option is set. -

3.283. thread_received

Type: boolean
+Note that $indent_string is ignored when this option is set. +

3.287. thorough_search

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, mutt uses the date received rather than the date sent -to thread messages by subject. -

3.284. thorough_search

Type: boolean
-Default: no

-Affects the ˜b and ˜h search operations described in -section ``patterns'' above. If set, the headers and attachments of -messages to be searched are decoded before searching. If unset, +Affects the ˜b and ˜h search operations described in +section “patterns”. If set, the headers and body/attachments of +messages to be searched are decoded before searching. If unset, messages are searched as they appear in the folder. -

3.285. tilde

Type: boolean
+

+Users searching attachments or for non-ASCII characters should set +this value because decoding also includes MIME parsing/decoding and possible +character set conversions. Otherwise mutt will attempt to match against the +raw message received (for example quoted-printable encoded or with encoded +headers) which may lead to incorrect search results. +

3.288. thread_received

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+When set, mutt uses the date received rather than the date sent +to thread messages by subject. +

3.289. tilde

Type: boolean
Default: no

-When set, the internal-pager will pad blank lines to the bottom of the -screen with a tilde (˜). -

3.286. time_inc

Type: number
+When set, the internal-pager will pad blank lines to the bottom of the +screen with a tilde (“˜”). +

3.290. time_inc

Type: number
Default: 0

-Along with ``read_inc'', ``write_inc'', and ``net_inc'', this +Along with $read_inc, $write_inc, and $net_inc, this variable controls the frequency with which progress updates are -displayed. It suppresses updates less than ``time_inc'' milliseconds +displayed. It suppresses updates less than $time_inc milliseconds apart. This can improve throughput on systems with slow terminals, or when running mutt on a remote system. -

3.287. timeout

Type: number
+

+Also see the “tuning” section of the manual for performance considerations. +

3.291. timeout

Type: number
Default: 600

When Mutt is waiting for user input either idleing in menus or in an interactive prompt, Mutt would block until input is @@ -5793,198 +6553,155 @@ until it aborts waiting for input, performs these operations and continues to wait for input.

A value of zero or less will cause Mutt to never time out. -

3.288. tmpdir

Type: path
-Default: ""

+

3.292. tmpdir

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

This variable allows you to specify where Mutt will place its temporary files needed for displaying and composing messages. If -this variable is not set, the environment variable TMPDIR is -used. If TMPDIR is not set then "/tmp" is used. -

3.289. to_chars

Type: string
-Default: " +TCFL"

+this variable is not set, the environment variable $TMPDIR is +used. If $TMPDIR is not set then “/tmp” is used. +

3.293. to_chars

Type: string
+Default: “ +TCFL”

Controls the character used to indicate mail addressed to you. The -first character is the one used when the mail is NOT addressed to your -address (default: space). The second is used when you are the only -recipient of the message (default: +). The third is when your address -appears in the TO header field, but you are not the only recipient of -the message (default: T). The fourth character is used when your -address is specified in the CC header field, but you are not the only +first character is the one used when the mail is not addressed to your +address. The second is used when you are the only +recipient of the message. The third is when your address +appears in the “To:” header field, but you are not the only recipient of +the message. The fourth character is used when your +address is specified in the “Cc:” header field, but you are not the only recipient. The fifth character is used to indicate mail that was sent by you. The sixth character is used to indicate when a mail -was sent to a mailing-list you subscribe to (default: L). -

3.290. tunnel

Type: string
-Default: ""

+was sent to a mailing-list you subscribe to. +

3.294. tunnel

Type: string
+Default: (empty)

Setting this variable will cause mutt to open a pipe to a command instead of a raw socket. You may be able to use this to set up -preauthenticated connections to your IMAP/POP3 server. Example: -

-tunnel="ssh -q mailhost.net /usr/local/libexec/imapd" -

-NOTE: For this example to work you must be able to log in to the remote +preauthenticated connections to your IMAP/POP3/SMTP server. Example: + +

+set tunnel="ssh -q mailhost.net /usr/local/libexec/imapd"
+

+Note: For this example to work you must be able to log in to the remote machine without having to enter a password. -

3.291. use_8bitmime

Type: boolean
+

+When set, Mutt uses the tunnel for all remote connections. +Please see “account-hook” in the manual for how to use different +tunnel commands per connection. +

3.295. uncollapse_jump

Type: boolean
+Default: no

+When set, Mutt will jump to the next unread message, if any, +when the current thread is uncollapsed. +

3.296. use_8bitmime

Type: boolean
Default: no

Warning: do not set this variable unless you are using a version -of sendmail which supports the -B8BITMIME flag (such as sendmail +of sendmail which supports the -B8BITMIME flag (such as sendmail 8.8.x) or you may not be able to send mail.

-When set, Mutt will invoke ``$sendmail'' with the -B8BITMIME +When set, Mutt will invoke $sendmail with the -B8BITMIME flag when sending 8-bit messages to enable ESMTP negotiation. -

3.292. use_domain

Type: boolean
+

3.297. use_domain

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, Mutt will qualify all local addresses (ones without the -@host portion) with the value of ``$hostname''. If unset, no +When set, Mutt will qualify all local addresses (ones without the +“@host” portion) with the value of $hostname. If unset, no addresses will be qualified. -

3.293. use_envelope_from

Type: boolean
+

3.298. use_envelope_from

Type: boolean
Default: no

When set, mutt will set the envelope sender of the message. -If ``$envelope_from_address'' is set, it will be used as the sender -address. If not, mutt will attempt to derive the sender from the -"From:" header. +If $envelope_from_address is set, it will be used as the sender +address. If unset, mutt will attempt to derive the sender from the +“From:” header.

Note that this information is passed to sendmail command using the -"-f" command line switch. Therefore setting this option is not useful -if the ``$sendmail'' variable already contains "-f" or if the -executable pointed to by $sendmail doesn't support the "-f" switch. -

3.294. use_from

Type: boolean
+-f command line switch. Therefore setting this option is not useful +if the $sendmail variable already contains -f or if the +executable pointed to by $sendmail doesn't support the -f switch. +

3.299. use_from

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, Mutt will generate the `From:' header field when -sending messages. If unset, no `From:' header field will be -generated unless the user explicitly sets one using the ``my_hdr'' +When set, Mutt will generate the “From:” header field when +sending messages. If unset, no “From:” header field will be +generated unless the user explicitly sets one using the “my_hdr” command. -

3.295. use_idn

Type: boolean
+

3.300. use_idn

Type: boolean
Default: yes

When set, Mutt will show you international domain names decoded. Note: You can use IDNs for addresses even if this is unset. This variable only affects decoding. -

3.296. use_ipv6

Type: boolean
+

3.301. use_ipv6

Type: boolean
Default: yes

When set, Mutt will look for IPv6 addresses of hosts it tries to -contact. If this option is unset, Mutt will restrict itself to IPv4 addresses. +contact. If this option is unset, Mutt will restrict itself to IPv4 addresses. Normally, the default should work. -

3.297. user_agent

Type: boolean
+

3.302. user_agent

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, mutt will add a "User-Agent" header to outgoing +When set, mutt will add a “User-Agent:” header to outgoing messages, indicating which version of mutt was used for composing them. -

3.298. visual

Type: path
-Default: ""

-Specifies the visual editor to invoke when the ˜v command is +

3.303. visual

Type: path
+Default: (empty)

+Specifies the visual editor to invoke when the “˜v” command is given in the builtin editor. -

3.299. wait_key

Type: boolean
+

3.304. wait_key

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-Controls whether Mutt will ask you to press a key after shell- -escape, pipe-message, pipe-entry, print-message, -and print-entry commands. +Controls whether Mutt will ask you to press a key after an external command +has been invoked by these functions: <shell-escape>, +<pipe-message>, <pipe-entry>, <print-message>, +and <print-entry> commands.

-It is also used when viewing attachments with ``auto_view'', provided +It is also used when viewing attachments with “auto_view”, provided that the corresponding mailcap entry has a needsterminal flag, and the external program is interactive.

-When set, Mutt will always ask for a key. When unset, Mutt will wait +When set, Mutt will always ask for a key. When unset, Mutt will wait for a key only if the external command returned a non-zero status. -

3.300. weed

Type: boolean
+

3.305. weed

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-When set, mutt will weed headers when displaying, forwarding, +When set, mutt will weed headers when displaying, forwarding, printing, or replying to messages. -

3.301. wrap

Type: number
+

3.306. wrap

Type: number
Default: 0

-When set to a positive value, mutt will wrap text at $wrap characters. -When set to a negative value, mutt will wrap text so that there are $wrap +When set to a positive value, mutt will wrap text at $wrap characters. +When set to a negative value, mutt will wrap text so that there are $wrap characters of empty space on the right side of the terminal. -

3.302. wrap_search

Type: boolean
+

3.307. wrap_search

Type: boolean
Default: yes

-Controls whether searches wrap around the end of the mailbox. +Controls whether searches wrap around the end.

-When set, searches will wrap around the first (or last) message. When -unset, searches will not wrap. -

3.303. wrapmargin

Type: number
+When set, searches will wrap around the first (or last) item. When +unset, incremental searches will not wrap. +

3.308. wrapmargin

Type: number
Default: 0

-(DEPRECATED) Equivalent to setting wrap with a negative value. -

3.304. write_inc

Type: number
+(DEPRECATED) Equivalent to setting $wrap with a negative value. +

3.309. write_bcc

Type: boolean
+Default: yes

+Controls whether mutt writes out the “Bcc:” header when preparing +messages to be sent. Exim users may wish to unset this. If mutt +is set to deliver directly via SMTP (see $smtp_url), this +option does nothing: mutt will never write out the “Bcc:” header +in this case. +

3.310. write_inc

Type: number
Default: 10

When writing a mailbox, a message will be printed every -write_inc messages to indicate progress. If set to 0, only a +$write_inc messages to indicate progress. If set to 0, only a single message will be displayed before writing a mailbox.

-Also see the ``$read_inc'' variable. -

3.305. write_bcc

Type: boolean
-Default: yes

-Controls whether mutt writes out the Bcc header when preparing -messages to be sent. Exim users may wish to unset this. If mutt -is set to deliver directly via SMTP (see ``$smtp_url''), this -option does nothing: mutt will never write out the BCC header -in this case. +Also see the $read_inc, $net_inc and $time_inc variables and the +“tuning” section of the manual for performance considerations.

4. Functions

The following is the list of available functions listed by the mapping in which they are available. The default key setting is given, and an explanation of what the function does. The key bindings of these -functions can be changed with the bind +functions can be changed with the bind command. -

4.1. generic

+

4.1. Generic Menu

The generic menu is not a real menu, but specifies common functions (such as movement) available in all menus except for pager and editor. Changing settings for this menu will affect the default bindings for all menus (except as noted). -

- -

Table 8.2. Default generic function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
top-pageHmove to the top of the page
next-entryjmove to the next entry
previous-entrykmove to the previous entry
bottom-pageLmove to the bottom of the page
refresh^Lclear and redraw the screen
middle-pageMmove to the middle of the page
search-nextnsearch for next match
exitqexit this menu
tag-entryttag the current entry
next-pagezmove to the next page
previous-pageZmove to the previous page
last-entry*move to the last entry
first-entry=move to the first entry
enter-command:enter a muttrc command
next-line>scroll down one line
previous-line<scroll up one line
half-up[scroll up 1/2 page
half-down]scroll down 1/2 page
help?this screen
tag-prefix;apply next function to tagged messages
tag-prefix-condnot boundapply next function ONLY to tagged messages
end-condnot boundend of conditional execution (noop)
shell-escape!invoke a command in a subshell
select-entryRETselect the current entry
search/search for a regular expression
search-reverseESC /search backwards for a regular expression
search-oppositenot boundsearch for next match in opposite direction
jumpnot boundjump to an index number
current-topnot boundmove entry to top of screen
current-middlenot boundmove entry to middle of screen
current-bottomnot boundmove entry to bottom of screen
what-keynot bounddisplay the keycode for a key press


- -

4.2. index

- -

Table 8.3. Default index function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
create-aliasacreate an alias from a message sender
bounce-messagebremail a message to another user
break-thread#break the thread in two
change-foldercopen a different folder
change-folder-readonlyESC copen a different folder in read only mode
next-unread-mailboxnot boundopen next mailbox with new mail
collapse-threadESC vcollapse/uncollapse current thread
collapse-allESC Vcollapse/uncollapse all threads
copy-messageCcopy a message to a file/mailbox
decode-copyESC Cmake decoded (text/plain) copy
decode-saveESC smake decoded copy (text/plain) and delete
delete-messageddelete the current entry
delete-patternDdelete messages matching a pattern
delete-thread^Ddelete all messages in thread
delete-subthreadESC ddelete all messages in subthread
editeedit the raw message
edit-type^Eedit attachment content type
forward-messagefforward a message with comments
flag-messageFtoggle a message's 'important' flag
group-replygreply to all recipients
fetch-mailGretrieve mail from POP server
imap-fetch-mailnot boundforce retrieval of mail from IMAP server
display-toggle-weedhdisplay message and toggle header weeding
next-undeletedjmove to the next undeleted message
previous-undeletedkmove to the previous undeleted message
limitlshow only messages matching a pattern
link-threads&link tagged message to the current one
list-replyLreply to specified mailing list
mailmcompose a new mail message
toggle-newNtoggle a message's 'new' flag
toggle-write%toggle whether the mailbox will be rewritten
next-thread^Njump to the next thread
next-subthreadESC njump to the next subthread
queryQquery external program for addresses
quitqsave changes to mailbox and quit
replyrreply to a message
show-limitESC lshow currently active limit pattern
sort-mailboxosort messages
sort-reverseOsort messages in reverse order
print-messagepprint the current entry
previous-thread^Pjump to previous thread
previous-subthreadESC pjump to previous subthread
recall-messageRrecall a postponed message
read-thread^Rmark the current thread as read
read-subthreadESC rmark the current subthread as read
resend-messageESC euse the current message as a template for a new one
save-messagessave message/attachment to a file
tag-patternTtag messages matching a pattern
tag-subthreadnot boundtag the current subthread
tag-threadESC ttag the current thread
untag-pattern^Tuntag messages matching a pattern
undelete-messageuundelete the current entry
undelete-patternUundelete messages matching a pattern
undelete-subthreadESC uundelete all messages in subthread
undelete-thread^Uundelete all messages in thread
view-attachmentsvshow MIME attachments
show-versionVshow the Mutt version number and date
set-flagwset a status flag on a message
clear-flagWclear a status flag from a message
display-messageRETdisplay a message
buffy-list.list mailboxes with new mail
sync-mailbox$save changes to mailbox
display-address@display full address of sender
pipe-message|pipe message/attachment to a shell command
next-newnot boundjump to the next new message
next-new-then-unreadTABjump to the next new or unread message
previous-newnot boundjump to the previous new message
previous-new-then-unreadESC TABjump to the previous new or unread message
next-unreadnot boundjump to the next unread message
previous-unreadnot boundjump to the previous unread message
parent-messagePjump to parent message in thread
extract-keys^Kextract supported public keys
forget-passphrase^Fwipe passphrase(s) from memory
check-traditional-pgpESC Pcheck for classic PGP
mail-keyESC kmail a PGP public key
decrypt-copynot boundmake decrypted copy
decrypt-savenot boundmake decrypted copy and delete


- -

4.3. pager

- -

Table 8.4. Default pager function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
break-thread#break the thread in two
create-aliasacreate an alias from a message sender
bounce-messagebremail a message to another user
change-foldercopen a different folder
change-folder-readonlyESC copen a different folder in read only mode
next-unread-mailboxnot boundopen next mailbox with new mail
copy-messageCcopy a message to a file/mailbox
decode-copyESC Cmake decoded (text/plain) copy
delete-messageddelete the current entry
delete-thread^Ddelete all messages in thread
delete-subthreadESC ddelete all messages in subthread
editeedit the raw message
edit-type^Eedit attachment content type
forward-messagefforward a message with comments
flag-messageFtoggle a message's 'important' flag
group-replygreply to all recipients
imap-fetch-mailnot boundforce retrieval of mail from IMAP server
display-toggle-weedhdisplay message and toggle header weeding
next-undeletedjmove to the next undeleted message
next-entryJmove to the next entry
previous-undeletedkmove to the previous undeleted message
previous-entryKmove to the previous entry
link-threads&link tagged message to the current one
list-replyLreply to specified mailing list
redraw-screen^Lclear and redraw the screen
mailmcompose a new mail message
mark-as-newNtoggle a message's 'new' flag
search-nextnsearch for next match
next-thread^Njump to the next thread
next-subthreadESC njump to the next subthread
print-messagepprint the current entry
previous-thread^Pjump to previous thread
previous-subthreadESC pjump to previous subthread
quitQsave changes to mailbox and quit
exitqexit this menu
replyrreply to a message
recall-messageRrecall a postponed message
read-thread^Rmark the current thread as read
read-subthreadESC rmark the current subthread as read
resend-messageESC euse the current message as a template for a new one
save-messagessave message/attachment to a file
skip-quotedSskip beyond quoted text
decode-saveESC smake decoded copy (text/plain) and delete
tag-messagettag the current entry
toggle-quotedTtoggle display of quoted text
undelete-messageuundelete the current entry
undelete-subthreadESC uundelete all messages in subthread
undelete-thread^Uundelete all messages in thread
view-attachmentsvshow MIME attachments
show-versionVshow the Mutt version number and date
search-toggle\\toggle search pattern coloring
display-address@display full address of sender
next-newnot boundjump to the next new message
pipe-message|pipe message/attachment to a shell command
help?this screen
next-pageSpacemove to the next page
previous-page-move to the previous page
top^jump to the top of the message
sync-mailbox$save changes to mailbox
shell-escape!invoke a command in a subshell
enter-command:enter a muttrc command
buffy-list.list mailboxes with new mail
search/search for a regular expression
search-reverseESC /search backwards for a regular expression
search-oppositenot boundsearch for next match in opposite direction
next-lineRETscroll down one line
jumpnot boundjump to an index number
next-unreadnot boundjump to the next unread message
previous-newnot boundjump to the previous new message
previous-unreadnot boundjump to the previous unread message
half-upnot boundscroll up 1/2 page
half-downnot boundscroll down 1/2 page
previous-linenot boundscroll up one line
bottomnot boundjump to the bottom of the message
parent-messagePjump to parent message in thread
check-traditional-pgpESC Pcheck for classic PGP
mail-keyESC kmail a PGP public key
extract-keys^Kextract supported public keys
forget-passphrase^Fwipe passphrase(s) from memory
decrypt-copynot boundmake decrypted copy
decrypt-savenot boundmake decrypted copy and delete


- -

4.4. alias

- -

Table 8.5. Default alias function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
delete-entryddelete the current entry
undelete-entryuundelete the current entry


- -

4.5. query

- -

Table 8.6. Default query function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
create-aliasacreate an alias from a message sender
mailmcompose a new mail message
queryQquery external program for addresses
query-appendAappend new query results to current results


- -

4.6. attach

- -

Table 8.7. Default attach function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
bounce-messagebremail a message to another user
display-toggle-weedhdisplay message and toggle header weeding
edit-type^Eedit attachment content type
print-entrypprint the current entry
save-entryssave message/attachment to a file
pipe-entry|pipe message/attachment to a shell command
view-mailcapmforce viewing of attachment using mailcap
replyrreply to a message
resend-messageESC euse the current message as a template for a new one
group-replygreply to all recipients
list-replyLreply to specified mailing list
forward-messagefforward a message with comments
view-textTview attachment as text
view-attachRETview attachment using mailcap entry if necessary
delete-entryddelete the current entry
undelete-entryuundelete the current entry
collapse-partsvToggle display of subparts
check-traditional-pgpESC Pcheck for classic PGP
extract-keys^Kextract supported public keys
forget-passphrase^Fwipe passphrase(s) from memory


- -

4.7. compose

- -

Table 8.8. Default compose function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
attach-fileaattach file(s) to this message
attach-messageAattach message(s) to this message
edit-bccbedit the BCC list
edit-cccedit the CC list
copy-fileCsave message/attachment to a file
detach-fileDdelete the current entry
toggle-disposition^Dtoggle disposition between inline/attachment
edit-descriptiondedit attachment description
edit-messageeedit the message
edit-headersEedit the message with headers
edit-file^X eedit the file to be attached
edit-encoding^Eedit attachment transfer-encoding
edit-fromESC fedit the from field
edit-fccfenter a file to save a copy of this message in
filter-entryFfilter attachment through a shell command
get-attachmentGget a temporary copy of an attachment
display-toggle-weedhdisplay message and toggle header weeding
ispellirun ispell on the message
print-entrylprint the current entry
edit-mimemedit attachment using mailcap entry
new-mimencompose new attachment using mailcap entry
postpone-messagePsave this message to send later
edit-reply-toredit the Reply-To field
rename-fileRrename/move an attached file
edit-subjectsedit the subject of this message
edit-totedit the TO list
edit-type^Tedit attachment content type
write-fccwwrite the message to a folder
toggle-unlinkutoggle whether to delete file after sending it
toggle-recodenot boundtoggle recoding of this attachment
update-encodingUupdate an attachment's encoding info
view-attachRETview attachment using mailcap entry if necessary
send-messageysend the message
pipe-entry|pipe message/attachment to a shell command
attach-keyESC kattach a PGP public key
pgp-menupshow PGP options
forget-passphrase^Fwipe passphrase(s) from memory
smime-menuSshow S/MIME options
mixMsend the message through a mixmaster remailer chain


- -

4.8. postpone

- -

Table 8.9. Default postpone function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
delete-entryddelete the current entry
undelete-entryuundelete the current entry


- -

4.9. browser

- -

Table 8.10. Default browser function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
change-dircchange directories
display-filename@display the currently selected file's name
enter-maskmenter a file mask
sortosort messages
sort-reverseOsort messages in reverse order
select-newNselect a new file in this directory
check-newnot boundcheck mailboxes for new mail
toggle-mailboxesTABtoggle whether to browse mailboxes or all files
view-fileSpaceview file
buffy-list.list mailboxes with new mail
create-mailboxCcreate a new mailbox (IMAP only)
delete-mailboxddelete the current mailbox (IMAP only)
rename-mailboxrrename the current mailbox (IMAP only)
subscribessubscribe to current mailbox (IMAP only)
unsubscribeuunsubscribe from current mailbox (IMAP only)
toggle-subscribedTtoggle view all/subscribed mailboxes (IMAP only)


- -

4.10. pgp

- -

Table 8.11. Default pgp function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
verify-keycverify a PGP public key
view-name%view the key's user id


- -

4.11. smime

- -

Table 8.12. Default smime function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
verify-keycverify a PGP public key
view-name%view the key's user id


- -

4.12. mix

- -

Table 8.13. Default mix function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
acceptRETAccept the chain constructed
appendaAppend a remailer to the chain
insertiInsert a remailer into the chain
deletedDelete a remailer from the chain
chain-prevleftSelect the previous element of the chain
chain-nextrightSelect the next element of the chain


- -

4.13. editor

- -

Table 8.14. Default editor function bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
bol^Ajump to the beginning of the line
backward-char^Bmove the cursor one character to the left
backward-wordESC bmove the cursor to the beginning of the word
capitalize-wordESC ccapitalize the word
downcase-wordESC lconvert the word to lower case
upcase-wordESC uconvert the word to upper case
delete-char^Ddelete the char under the cursor
eol^Ejump to the end of the line
forward-char^Fmove the cursor one character to the right
forward-wordESC fmove the cursor to the end of the word
backspaceBackspacedelete the char in front of the cursor
kill-eol^Kdelete chars from cursor to end of line
kill-eowESC ddelete chars from the cursor to the end of the word
kill-line^Udelete all chars on the line
quote-char^Vquote the next typed key
kill-word^Wdelete the word in front of the cursor
completeTABcomplete filename or alias
complete-query^Tcomplete address with query
buffy-cycleSpacecycle among incoming mailboxes
history-upnot boundscroll up through the history list
history-downnot boundscroll down through the history list
transpose-charsnot boundtranspose character under cursor with previous


- -

Chapter 9. Miscellany

1. Acknowledgements

-Kari Hurtta +

Table 9.2. Default generic Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<top-page>Hmove to the top of the page
<next-entry>jmove to the next entry
<previous-entry>kmove to the previous entry
<bottom-page>Lmove to the bottom of the page
<refresh>^Lclear and redraw the screen
<middle-page>Mmove to the middle of the page
<search-next>nsearch for next match
<exit>qexit this menu
<tag-entry>ttag the current entry
<next-page>zmove to the next page
<previous-page>Zmove to the previous page
<last-entry>*move to the last entry
<first-entry>=move to the first entry
<enter-command>:enter a muttrc command
<next-line>>scroll down one line
<previous-line><scroll up one line
<half-up>[scroll up 1/2 page
<half-down>]scroll down 1/2 page
<help>?this screen
<tag-prefix>;apply next function to tagged messages
<tag-prefix-cond> apply next function ONLY to tagged messages
<end-cond> end of conditional execution (noop)
<shell-escape>!invoke a command in a subshell
<select-entry><Return>select the current entry
<search>/search for a regular expression
<search-reverse>Esc /search backwards for a regular expression
<search-opposite> search for next match in opposite direction
<jump> jump to an index number
<current-top> move entry to top of screen
<current-middle> move entry to middle of screen
<current-bottom> move entry to bottom of screen
<what-key> display the keycode for a key press

4.2. Index Menu

Table 9.3. Default index Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<create-alias>acreate an alias from a message sender
<bounce-message>bremail a message to another user
<break-thread>#break the thread in two
<change-folder>copen a different folder
<change-folder-readonly>Esc copen a different folder in read only mode
<next-unread-mailbox> open next mailbox with new mail
<collapse-thread>Esc vcollapse/uncollapse current thread
<collapse-all>Esc Vcollapse/uncollapse all threads
<copy-message>Ccopy a message to a file/mailbox
<decode-copy>Esc Cmake decoded (text/plain) copy
<decode-save>Esc smake decoded copy (text/plain) and delete
<delete-message>ddelete the current entry
<delete-pattern>Ddelete messages matching a pattern
<delete-thread>^Ddelete all messages in thread
<delete-subthread>Esc ddelete all messages in subthread
<edit>eedit the raw message
<edit-type>^Eedit attachment content type
<forward-message>fforward a message with comments
<flag-message>Ftoggle a message's 'important' flag
<group-reply>greply to all recipients
<fetch-mail>Gretrieve mail from POP server
<imap-fetch-mail> force retrieval of mail from IMAP server
<display-toggle-weed>hdisplay message and toggle header weeding
<next-undeleted>jmove to the next undeleted message
<previous-undeleted>kmove to the previous undeleted message
<limit>lshow only messages matching a pattern
<link-threads>&link tagged message to the current one
<list-reply>Lreply to specified mailing list
<mail>mcompose a new mail message
<toggle-new>Ntoggle a message's 'new' flag
<toggle-write>%toggle whether the mailbox will be rewritten
<next-thread>^Njump to the next thread
<next-subthread>Esc njump to the next subthread
<query>Qquery external program for addresses
<quit>qsave changes to mailbox and quit
<reply>rreply to a message
<show-limit>Esc lshow currently active limit pattern
<sort-mailbox>osort messages
<sort-reverse>Osort messages in reverse order
<print-message>pprint the current entry
<previous-thread>^Pjump to previous thread
<previous-subthread>Esc pjump to previous subthread
<recall-message>Rrecall a postponed message
<read-thread>^Rmark the current thread as read
<read-subthread>Esc rmark the current subthread as read
<resend-message>Esc euse the current message as a template for a new one
<save-message>ssave message/attachment to a mailbox/file
<tag-pattern>Ttag messages matching a pattern
<tag-subthread> tag the current subthread
<tag-thread>Esc ttag the current thread
<untag-pattern>^Tuntag messages matching a pattern
<undelete-message>uundelete the current entry
<undelete-pattern>Uundelete messages matching a pattern
<undelete-subthread>Esc uundelete all messages in subthread
<undelete-thread>^Uundelete all messages in thread
<view-attachments>vshow MIME attachments
<show-version>Vshow the Mutt version number and date
<set-flag>wset a status flag on a message
<clear-flag>Wclear a status flag from a message
<display-message><Return>display a message
<buffy-list>.list mailboxes with new mail
<sync-mailbox>$save changes to mailbox
<display-address>@display full address of sender
<pipe-message>|pipe message/attachment to a shell command
<next-new> jump to the next new message
<next-new-then-unread><Tab>jump to the next new or unread message
<previous-new> jump to the previous new message
<previous-new-then-unread>Esc <Tab>jump to the previous new or unread message
<next-unread> jump to the next unread message
<previous-unread> jump to the previous unread message
<parent-message>Pjump to parent message in thread
<extract-keys>^Kextract supported public keys
<forget-passphrase>^Fwipe passphrase(s) from memory
<check-traditional-pgp>Esc Pcheck for classic PGP
<mail-key>Esc kmail a PGP public key
<decrypt-copy> make decrypted copy
<decrypt-save> make decrypted copy and delete

4.3. Pager Menu

Table 9.4. Default pager Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<break-thread>#break the thread in two
<create-alias>acreate an alias from a message sender
<bounce-message>bremail a message to another user
<change-folder>copen a different folder
<change-folder-readonly>Esc copen a different folder in read only mode
<next-unread-mailbox> open next mailbox with new mail
<copy-message>Ccopy a message to a file/mailbox
<decode-copy>Esc Cmake decoded (text/plain) copy
<delete-message>ddelete the current entry
<delete-thread>^Ddelete all messages in thread
<delete-subthread>Esc ddelete all messages in subthread
<set-flag>wset a status flag on a message
<clear-flag>Wclear a status flag from a message
<edit>eedit the raw message
<edit-type>^Eedit attachment content type
<forward-message>fforward a message with comments
<flag-message>Ftoggle a message's 'important' flag
<group-reply>greply to all recipients
<imap-fetch-mail> force retrieval of mail from IMAP server
<display-toggle-weed>hdisplay message and toggle header weeding
<next-undeleted>jmove to the next undeleted message
<next-entry>Jmove to the next entry
<previous-undeleted>kmove to the previous undeleted message
<previous-entry>Kmove to the previous entry
<link-threads>&link tagged message to the current one
<list-reply>Lreply to specified mailing list
<redraw-screen>^Lclear and redraw the screen
<mail>mcompose a new mail message
<mark-as-new>Ntoggle a message's 'new' flag
<search-next>nsearch for next match
<next-thread>^Njump to the next thread
<next-subthread>Esc njump to the next subthread
<print-message>pprint the current entry
<previous-thread>^Pjump to previous thread
<previous-subthread>Esc pjump to previous subthread
<quit>Qsave changes to mailbox and quit
<exit>qexit this menu
<reply>rreply to a message
<recall-message>Rrecall a postponed message
<read-thread>^Rmark the current thread as read
<read-subthread>Esc rmark the current subthread as read
<resend-message>Esc euse the current message as a template for a new one
<save-message>ssave message/attachment to a mailbox/file
<skip-quoted>Sskip beyond quoted text
<decode-save>Esc smake decoded copy (text/plain) and delete
<tag-message>ttag the current entry
<toggle-quoted>Ttoggle display of quoted text
<undelete-message>uundelete the current entry
<undelete-subthread>Esc uundelete all messages in subthread
<undelete-thread>^Uundelete all messages in thread
<view-attachments>vshow MIME attachments
<show-version>Vshow the Mutt version number and date
<search-toggle>\\toggle search pattern coloring
<display-address>@display full address of sender
<next-new> jump to the next new message
<pipe-message>|pipe message/attachment to a shell command
<help>?this screen
<next-page><Space>move to the next page
<previous-page>-move to the previous page
<top>^jump to the top of the message
<sync-mailbox>$save changes to mailbox
<shell-escape>!invoke a command in a subshell
<enter-command>:enter a muttrc command
<buffy-list>.list mailboxes with new mail
<search>/search for a regular expression
<search-reverse>Esc /search backwards for a regular expression
<search-opposite> search for next match in opposite direction
<next-line><Return>scroll down one line
<jump> jump to an index number
<next-unread> jump to the next unread message
<previous-new> jump to the previous new message
<previous-unread> jump to the previous unread message
<half-up> scroll up 1/2 page
<half-down> scroll down 1/2 page
<previous-line> scroll up one line
<bottom> jump to the bottom of the message
<parent-message>Pjump to parent message in thread
<check-traditional-pgp>Esc Pcheck for classic PGP
<mail-key>Esc kmail a PGP public key
<extract-keys>^Kextract supported public keys
<forget-passphrase>^Fwipe passphrase(s) from memory
<decrypt-copy> make decrypted copy
<decrypt-save> make decrypted copy and delete
<what-key> display the keycode for a key press

4.4. Alias Menu

Table 9.5. Default alias Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<delete-entry>ddelete the current entry
<undelete-entry>uundelete the current entry

4.5. Query Menu

Table 9.6. Default query Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<create-alias>acreate an alias from a message sender
<mail>mcompose a new mail message
<query>Qquery external program for addresses
<query-append>Aappend new query results to current results

4.6. Attach Menu

Table 9.7. Default attach Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<bounce-message>bremail a message to another user
<display-toggle-weed>hdisplay message and toggle header weeding
<edit-type>^Eedit attachment content type
<print-entry>pprint the current entry
<save-entry>ssave message/attachment to a mailbox/file
<pipe-entry>|pipe message/attachment to a shell command
<view-mailcap>mforce viewing of attachment using mailcap
<reply>rreply to a message
<resend-message>Esc euse the current message as a template for a new one
<group-reply>greply to all recipients
<list-reply>Lreply to specified mailing list
<forward-message>fforward a message with comments
<view-text>Tview attachment as text
<view-attach><Return>view attachment using mailcap entry if necessary
<delete-entry>ddelete the current entry
<undelete-entry>uundelete the current entry
<collapse-parts>vToggle display of subparts
<check-traditional-pgp>Esc Pcheck for classic PGP
<extract-keys>^Kextract supported public keys
<forget-passphrase>^Fwipe passphrase(s) from memory

4.7. Compose Menu

Table 9.8. Default compose Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<attach-file>aattach file(s) to this message
<attach-message>Aattach message(s) to this message
<edit-bcc>bedit the BCC list
<edit-cc>cedit the CC list
<copy-file>Csave message/attachment to a mailbox/file
<detach-file>Ddelete the current entry
<toggle-disposition>^Dtoggle disposition between inline/attachment
<edit-description>dedit attachment description
<edit-message>eedit the message
<edit-headers>Eedit the message with headers
<edit-file>^X eedit the file to be attached
<edit-encoding>^Eedit attachment transfer-encoding
<edit-from>Esc fedit the from field
<edit-fcc>fenter a file to save a copy of this message in
<filter-entry>Ffilter attachment through a shell command
<get-attachment>Gget a temporary copy of an attachment
<display-toggle-weed>hdisplay message and toggle header weeding
<ispell>irun ispell on the message
<print-entry>lprint the current entry
<edit-mime>medit attachment using mailcap entry
<new-mime>ncompose new attachment using mailcap entry
<postpone-message>Psave this message to send later
<edit-reply-to>redit the Reply-To field
<rename-file>Rrename/move an attached file
<edit-subject>sedit the subject of this message
<edit-to>tedit the TO list
<edit-type>^Tedit attachment content type
<write-fcc>wwrite the message to a folder
<toggle-unlink>utoggle whether to delete file after sending it
<toggle-recode> toggle recoding of this attachment
<update-encoding>Uupdate an attachment's encoding info
<view-attach><Return>view attachment using mailcap entry if necessary
<send-message>ysend the message
<pipe-entry>|pipe message/attachment to a shell command
<attach-key>Esc kattach a PGP public key
<pgp-menu>pshow PGP options
<forget-passphrase>^Fwipe passphrase(s) from memory
<smime-menu>Sshow S/MIME options
<mix>Msend the message through a mixmaster remailer chain

4.8. Postpone Menu

Table 9.9. Default postpone Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<delete-entry>ddelete the current entry
<undelete-entry>uundelete the current entry

4.9. Browser Menu

Table 9.10. Default browser Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<change-dir>cchange directories
<display-filename>@display the currently selected file's name
<enter-mask>menter a file mask
<sort>osort messages
<sort-reverse>Osort messages in reverse order
<select-new>Nselect a new file in this directory
<check-new> check mailboxes for new mail
<toggle-mailboxes><Tab>toggle whether to browse mailboxes or all files
<view-file><Space>view file
<buffy-list>.list mailboxes with new mail
<create-mailbox>Ccreate a new mailbox (IMAP only)
<delete-mailbox>ddelete the current mailbox (IMAP only)
<rename-mailbox>rrename the current mailbox (IMAP only)
<subscribe>ssubscribe to current mailbox (IMAP only)
<unsubscribe>uunsubscribe from current mailbox (IMAP only)
<toggle-subscribed>Ttoggle view all/subscribed mailboxes (IMAP only)

4.10. Pgp Menu

Table 9.11. Default pgp Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<verify-key>cverify a PGP public key
<view-name>%view the key's user id

4.11. Smime Menu

Table 9.12. Default smime Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<verify-key>cverify a PGP public key
<view-name>%view the key's user id

4.12. Mix Menu

Table 9.13. Default mix Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<accept><Return>Accept the chain constructed
<append>aAppend a remailer to the chain
<insert>iInsert a remailer into the chain
<delete>dDelete a remailer from the chain
<chain-prev><Left>Select the previous element of the chain
<chain-next><Right>Select the next element of the chain

4.13. Editor Menu

Table 9.14. Default editor Function Bindings

FunctionDefault keyDescription
<bol>^Ajump to the beginning of the line
<backward-char>^Bmove the cursor one character to the left
<backward-word>Esc bmove the cursor to the beginning of the word
<capitalize-word>Esc ccapitalize the word
<downcase-word>Esc lconvert the word to lower case
<upcase-word>Esc uconvert the word to upper case
<delete-char>^Ddelete the char under the cursor
<eol>^Ejump to the end of the line
<forward-char>^Fmove the cursor one character to the right
<forward-word>Esc fmove the cursor to the end of the word
<backspace><Backspace>delete the char in front of the cursor
<kill-eol>^Kdelete chars from cursor to end of line
<kill-eow>Esc ddelete chars from the cursor to the end of the word
<kill-line>^Udelete all chars on the line
<quote-char>^Vquote the next typed key
<kill-word>^Wdelete the word in front of the cursor
<complete><Tab>complete filename or alias
<complete-query>^Tcomplete address with query
<buffy-cycle><Space>cycle among incoming mailboxes
<history-up> scroll up through the history list
<history-down> scroll down through the history list
<transpose-chars> transpose character under cursor with previous

Chapter 10. Miscellany

1. Acknowledgements

+Kari Hurtta co-developed the original MIME parsing code back in the ELM-ME days.

The following people have been very helpful to the development of Mutt: - -

Vikas Agnihotri ,
Francois Berjon ,
Aric Blumer ,
John Capo ,
David Champion ,
Brendan Cully ,
Liviu Daia ,
Thomas E. Dickey ,
David DeSimone ,
Nickolay N. Dudorov ,
Ruslan Ermilov ,
Edmund Grimley Evans ,
Michael Finken ,
Sven Guckes ,
Lars Hecking ,
Mark Holloman ,
Andreas Holzmann ,
Marco d'Itri ,
Björn Jacke ,
Byrial Jensen ,
David Jeske ,
Christophe Kalt ,
Tommi Komulainen ,
Felix von Leitner (a.k.a ``Fefe'') ,
Brandon Long ,
Jimmy Mäkelä ,
Lars Marowsky-Bree ,
Thomas ``Mike'' Michlmayr ,
Andrew W. Nosenko ,
David O'Brien ,
Clint Olsen ,
Park Myeong Seok ,
Thomas Parmelan ,
Ollivier Robert ,
Thomas Roessler ,
Roland Rosenfeld ,
TAKIZAWA Takashi ,
Allain Thivillon ,
Gero Treuner ,
Vsevolod Volkov ,
Ken Weinert

-

2. About this document

-This document was written in DocBook, -and then rendered using the Gnome XSLT toolkit. +

2. About This Document

+This document was written in DocBook, +and then rendered using the Gnome XSLT toolkit.