version 1.5.19 (2009-01-05)
Abstract
-âAll mail clients suck. This one just sucks less.â -me, circa 1995 -
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Examples
save-hookpush in folder-hooksend-hook and my_hdrTable of Contents
-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. -
+
version 1.5.21 (2010-09-15)
Abstract
+âAll mail clients suck. This one just sucks less.â â +me, circa 1995 +
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Examples
mime.typesTable of Contents
+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. +
The official homepage can be found at http://www.mutt.org/. -
-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.
-
-<mutt-announce-request@mutt.org> -- low traffic list for announcements
-
-<mutt-users-request@mutt.org> -- help, bug reports and feature requests
-
-<mutt-dev-request@mutt.org> -- development mailing list
-
-All messages posted to -mutt-announce are automatically forwarded to -mutt-users, so you do not need to be subscribed to -both lists. -
-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. -
-The official mutt bug tracking system can be found at -http://dev.mutt.org/ +
+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.
+
+<mutt-announce-request@mutt.org> â low traffic list for
+announcements
+
+<mutt-users-request@mutt.org> â help, bug reports and
+feature requests
+
+<mutt-dev-request@mutt.org> â development mailing list
+
+All messages posted to mutt-announce are +automatically forwarded to mutt-users, so you do +not need to be subscribed to both lists. +
+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. +
+The official Mutt bug tracking system can be found at +http://bugs.mutt.org/
An (unofficial) wiki can be found at http://wiki.mutt.org/. @@ -62,7 +72,7 @@ For the IRC user community, visit channel #mutt< irc.freenode.net.
For USENET, see the newsgroup comp.mail.mutt. -
There are various ways to contribute to the Mutt project.
Especially for new users it may be helpful to meet other new and @@ -70,63 +80,66 @@ 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 +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. -
This section lists typographical conventions followed throughout this -manual. See table Table 1.1, âTypographical conventions for special termsâ for typographical +manual. See table Table 1.1, âTypographical conventions for special termsâ for typographical conventions for special terms. -
Table 1.1. Typographical conventions for special terms
| Item | Refers to... |
|---|---|
printf(3) | UNIX manual pages, execute man 3 printf |
<PageUp> | named keys |
<create-alias> | named Mutt function |
^G | Control+G key combination |
$mail_check | Mutt configuration option |
+
Table 1.1. Typographical conventions for special terms
| Item | Refers to... |
|---|---|
printf(3) | UNIX manual pages, execute man 3 printf |
<PageUp> | named keys |
<create-alias> | named Mutt function |
^G | Control+G key combination |
| $mail_check | Mutt configuration option |
$HOME | environment variable |
Examples are presented as:
mutt -v
-Within command synopsis, curly brackets (â{}â) denote a set +Within command synopsis, curly brackets (â{}â) denote a set of options of which one is mandatory, square brackets -(â[]â) denote optional arguments, three dots +(â[]â) denote optional arguments, three dots denote that the argument may be repeated arbitrary times. -
+Mutt is Copyright © 1996-2009 Michael R. Elkins
<me@mutt.org> 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 -the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or -(at your option) any later version. -
-This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, -but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of -MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the -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. -
Table of Contents
-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 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 â?â 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.
-
+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 the +Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your +option) any later version. +
+This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but +WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of +MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the 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. +
Table of Contents
+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 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 â?â 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.
+
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 âindexâ menu (listing all messages of -the currently opened folder) or the âaliasâ menu (allowing you to -select recipients from a list). Examples for page-based menus are the -âpagerâ (showing one message at a time) or the âhelpâ menu listing -all available key bindings. +line-based menu is the so-called âindexâ menu (listing all +messages of the currently opened folder) or the âaliasâ +menu (allowing you to select recipients from a list). Examples for +page-based menus are the âpagerâ (showing one message at a +time) or the âhelpâ 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 @@ -134,104 +147,178 @@ 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 âfunctionsâ 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. +so-called âfunctionsâ 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 -âtaggedâ 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. -
-Mutt supports a âhookâ 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 +âtaggedâ 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. +
+Mutt supports a âhookâ concept which allows the user to +execute arbitrary configuration commands and functions in certain +situations such as entering a folder, starting a new message or replying +to an existing one. These hooks can be used to highly customize Mutt's +behavior including managing multiple identities, customizing the display for a folder or even implementing auto-archiving based on a per-folder basis and much more. -
-The most important navigation keys common to all menus are shown in -Table 2.1, âMost common navigation keysâ. -
Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
-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, âMost common line editor keysâ for a full -reference of available functions, their default key bindings, and -short descriptions. -
Table 2.2. Most common line editor keys
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ^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 |
| ^G | n/a | abort |
| <Return> | n/a | finish 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: +
+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, âCommand line optionsâ for a complete list of command-line
+options.
+
+The index is the screen that you usually see first when you start +Mutt. It gives an overview over your emails in the currently opened +mailbox. By default, this is your system mailbox. The information you +see in the index is a list of emails, each with its number on the left, +its flags (new email, important email, email that has been forwarded or +replied to, tagged email, ...), the date when email was sent, its +sender, the email size, and the subject. Additionally, the index also +shows thread hierarchies: when you reply to an email, and the other +person replies back, you can see the other person's email in a +"sub-tree" below. This is especially useful for personal email between +a group of people or when you've subscribed to mailing lists. +
+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. +
+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. +
+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). +
+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. +
+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. +
+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. +
+The most important navigation keys common to line- or entry-based menus +are shown in Table 2.1, âMost common navigation keys in entry-based menusâ and in Table 2.2, âMost common navigation keys in page-based menusâ for page-based menus. +
Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| J or <Return> | <next-line> | scroll down one line |
| <Backspace> | <previous-line> | scroll 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 |
+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 2.3, âMost common line editor keysâ for a full +reference of available functions, their default key bindings, and short +descriptions. +
Table 2.3. Most common line editor keys
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ^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 |
| ^G | n/a | abort |
| <Return> | n/a | finish 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 editor <delete> backspace -
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.
+is controlled by the $history variable
+and can be made persistent using an external file specified using $history_file. You may cycle through them
+at an editor prompt by using the <history-up>
+and/or <history-down> commands. But notice that
+Mutt does not remember the currently entered text, it only cycles
+through history and wraps around at the end or beginning.
Mutt maintains several distinct history lists, one for each of the following categories: -
muttrc commands
addresses and aliases
shell commands
filenames
patterns
everything else
-Mutt automatically filters out repeated items from the history. It -also mimics the behavior of some shells by ignoring items starting -with a space. The latter feature can be useful in macros to not clobber -the history's valuable entries with unwanted entries. -
+
.muttrc commands
addresses and aliases
shell commands
filenames
patterns
everything else
+Mutt automatically filters out consecutively repeated items from the +history. It also mimics the behavior of some shells by ignoring items +starting with a space. The latter feature can be useful in macros to not +clobber the history's valuable entries with unwanted entries. +
Similar to many other mail clients, there are two modes in which mail is -read in Mutt. The first is the index of messages in the mailbox, which is -called the âindexâ in Mutt. The second mode is the display of the -message contents. This is called the âpager.â +read in Mutt. The first is a list of messages in the mailbox, which is +called the âindexâ menu in Mutt. The second mode is the +display of the message contents. This is called the +âpager.â
The next few sections describe the functions provided in each of these modes. -
+
Common keys used to navigate through and manage messages in the index -are shown in Table 2.3, âMost common message index keysâ. How messages are presented -in the index menu can be customized using the -$index_format variable. -
Table 2.3. Most common message index keys
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| c | change to a different mailbox |
| Esc c | change to a folder in read-only mode |
| C | copy the current message to another mailbox |
| Esc C | decode a message and copy it to a folder |
| Esc s | decode a message and save it to a folder |
| D | delete messages matching a pattern |
| d | delete the current message |
| F | mark as important |
| l | show messages matching a pattern |
| N | mark message as new |
| o | change the current sort method |
| O | reverse sort the mailbox |
| q | save changes and exit |
| s | save-message |
| T | tag messages matching a pattern |
| t | toggle the tag on a message |
| Esc t | toggle tag on entire message thread |
| U | undelete messages matching a pattern |
| u | undelete-message |
| v | view-attachments |
| x | abort 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 |
| ^L | clear and redraw the screen |
| ^T | untag messages matching a pattern |
+are shown in Table 2.4, âMost common message index keysâ. How messages are presented +in the index menu can be customized using the $index_format variable. +
Table 2.4. Most common message index keys
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| c | change to a different mailbox |
| Esc c | change to a folder in read-only mode |
| C | copy the current message to another mailbox |
| Esc C | decode a message and copy it to a folder |
| Esc s | decode a message and save it to a folder |
| D | delete messages matching a pattern |
| d | delete the current message |
| F | mark as important |
| l | show messages matching a pattern |
| N | mark message as new |
| o | change the current sort method |
| O | reverse sort the mailbox |
| q | save changes and exit |
| s | save-message |
| T | tag messages matching a pattern |
| t | toggle the tag on a message |
| Esc t | toggle tag on entire message thread |
| U | undelete messages matching a pattern |
| u | undelete-message |
| v | view-attachments |
| x | abort 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 |
| ^L | clear and redraw the screen |
| ^T | untag 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 âflagsâ in Table 2.4, âMessage status flagsâ
-may appear, some of which can be turned on or off using these functions:
-<set-flag> and
-<clear-flag>
-bound by default to âwâ and âWâ respectively.
-
-Furthermore, the flags in Table 2.5, âMessage recipient flagsâ reflect -who the message is addressed to. They can be customized with the -$to_chars variable. -
Table 2.4. Message status flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| D | message is deleted (is marked for deletion) |
| d | message has 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 |
Table 2.5. Message recipient flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| + | 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 |
-By default, Mutt uses its builtin pager to display the contents of messages. -The pager is very similar to the Unix program less though not nearly as -featureful. -
Table 2.6. Most common pager keys
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| <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 |
| n | search for next match |
| S | skip beyond quoted text |
| T | toggle 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 2.6, âMost common pager keysâ,
-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).
+Zero or more of the âflagsâ in Table 2.5, âMessage status flagsâ may appear, some of which can be turned
+on or off using these functions: <set-flag> and
+<clear-flag> bound by default to
+âwâ and âWâ respectively.
+
+Furthermore, the flags in Table 2.6, âMessage recipient flagsâ reflect +who the message is addressed to. They can be customized with the $to_chars variable. +
Table 2.5. Message status flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| D | message is deleted (is marked for deletion) |
| d | message has 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 |
| n | thread contains new messages (only if collapsed) |
| o | thread contains old messages (only if collapsed) |
Table 2.6. Message recipient flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| + | 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 |
+By default, Mutt uses its built-in 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
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| <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 |
| n | search for next match |
| S | skip beyond quoted text |
| T | toggle 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, âMost common pager keysâ, 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 âstandardâ 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, -â_â 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. +one, it will accept and translate the âstandardâ nroff +sequences for bold and underline. These sequences are a series of either +the letter, backspace (â^Hâ), the letter again for bold or +the letter, backspace, â_â 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.
Additionally, the internal pager supports the ANSI escape sequences for character attributes. Mutt translates them into the correct color and @@ -239,349 +326,349 @@ character settings. The sequences Mutt supports are:
\e[Ps;Ps;..Ps;m
-where Ps can be one of the codes shown in -Table 2.7, âANSI escape sequencesâ. -
Table 2.7. ANSI escape sequences
| Escape code | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | All attributes off |
| 1 | Bold on |
| 4 | Underline on |
| 5 | Blink on |
| 7 | Reverse video on |
| 3<color> | Foreground color is <color> (see Table 2.8, âColor sequencesâ) |
| 4<color> | Background color is <color> (see Table 2.8, âColor sequencesâ) |
+where Ps can be one of the codes shown in Table 2.8, âANSI escape sequencesâ. +
Table 2.8. ANSI escape sequences
| Escape code | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | All attributes off |
| 1 | Bold on |
| 4 | Underline on |
| 5 | Blink on |
| 7 | Reverse video on |
| 3<color> | Foreground color is <color> (see Table 2.9, âColor sequencesâ) |
| 4<color> | Background color is <color> (see Table 2.9, âColor sequencesâ) |
Mutt uses these attributes for handling text/enriched
-messages, and they can also be used by an external
-autoview script for highlighting
-purposes.
-
-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. -
+messages, and they can also be used by an external autoview script for highlighting purposes. +
+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. +
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 the pager only performs simple -text search, whereas the index provides boolean filtering on several -aspects of messages. -
-When the mailbox is sorted by threads, there are -a few additional functions available in the index and pager modes -as shown in Table 2.9, âMost common thread mode keysâ. -
Table 2.9. Most common thread mode keys
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ^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. -
-In addition, the index and pager -menus have these interesting functions: +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. +
+So-called âthreadsâ 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, âMost common thread mode keysâ. +
Table 2.10. Most common thread mode keys
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ^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 â%?M?(#%03M)&(%4l)?â 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. +
+In addition, the index and +pager menus have these interesting functions:
<create-alias> (default: a)
+<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 -
-Mutt does not read the $alias_file -upon startup so you must explicitly source the file. +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 +
+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 âtraditionalâ 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
-effect.
+encrypted with PGP the âtraditionalâ 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 effect.
<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; if the message is unchanged it won't be replaced. +This command (available in the index and pager) allows you to edit the +raw current message as it's present in the mail folder. After you have +finished editing, the changed message will be appended to the current +folder, and the original message will be marked for deletion; if the +message is unchanged it won't be replaced.
<edit-type> (default:
-^E on the attachment menu, and in the pager and index menus;
-^T on the compose menu)
+^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 +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's content type. These changes are not persistent, and get lost upon changing folders.
-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. +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: â:â)
+<enter-command>
+(default: â:â)
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 -fly. +configuration file. A common use is to check the settings of variables, +or 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:
-^F)
+<forget-passphrase> (default: ^F)
-This command wipes the passphrase(s) from memory. It is useful, if -you misspelled the passphrase. +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
-commands, but also honor any Mail-Followup-To header(s) if the
-$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.
+Reply to the current or tagged message(s) by extracting any addresses
+which 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 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. +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)
+<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 -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 +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 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: !)
+<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. If no command is given, an -interactive shell is executed. +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. If no command is given, an interactive +shell is executed.
<toggle-quoted> (default: T)
+<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 -being interested in just the response and there is a large amount of -quoted text in the way. +The pager uses the $quote_regexp +variable to detect quoted text when displaying the body of the message. +This function toggles the display of the quoted material in the message. +It is particularly useful when being interested in just the response and +there is a large amount of quoted text in the way.
<skip-quoted> (default: S)
+<skip-quoted>
+(default: S)
This function will go to the next line of non-quoted text which comes after a line of quoted text in the internal pager. -
-The bindings shown in Table 2.10, âMost common mail sending keysâ are available in the -index and pager to start a new message. -
Table 2.10. Most common mail sending keys
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| m | <compose> | compose a new message |
| r | <reply> | reply to sender |
| g | <group-reply> | reply to all recipients |
| L | <list-reply> | reply to mailing list address |
| f | <forward> | forward message |
| b | <bounce> | bounce (remail) message |
| Esc k | <mail-key> | mail a PGP public key to someone |
-Bouncing a message sends the message as-is to the recipient you -specify. Forwarding a message allows you to add comments or -modify the message you are forwarding. These items are discussed -in greater detail in the next chapter âForwarding -and Bouncing Mail.â -
-Mutt will then enter the compose menu and prompt you for the -recipients to place on the âTo:â header field. Next, it will ask -you for the âSubject:â field for the message, providing a default if -you are replying to or forwarding a message. See also -$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. +
+The bindings shown in Table 2.11, âMost common mail sending keysâ are available in +the index and pager to start a +new message. +
Table 2.11. Most common mail sending keys
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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 section âForwarding and Bouncing Mail.â +
+Mutt will then enter the compose menu and prompt
+you for the recipients to place on the âTo:â header field
+when you hit m to start a new message. Next, it will
+ask you for the âSubject:â 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: +
+Reply to the author directly. +
+Reply to the author as well to all recipients except you; this consults +alternates. +
+Reply to all mailing list addresses found, either specified via +configuration or auto-detected. See Section 12, âMailing Listsâ 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 $signature, it will be appended to the +message.
Once you have finished editing the body of your mail message, you are -returned to the compose menu providing the functions -shown in Table 2.11, âMost common compose menu keysâ to modify, send or postpone the -message. -
Table 2.11. Most common compose menu keys
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| a | <attach-file> | attach a file |
| A | <attach-message> | attach message(s) to the message |
| Esc k | <attach-key> | attach a PGP public key |
| d | <edit-description> | edit description on attachment |
| D | <detach-file> | detach a file |
| t | <edit-to> | edit the To field |
| Esc f | <edit-from> | edit the From field |
| r | <edit-reply-to> | edit the Reply-To field |
| c | <edit-cc> | edit the Cc field |
| b | <edit-bcc> | edit the Bcc field |
| y | <send-message> | send the message |
| s | <edit-subject> | edit the Subject |
| S | <smime-menu> | select S/MIME options |
| f | <edit-fcc> | specify an âFccâ mailbox |
| p | <pgp-menu> | select PGP options |
| P | <postpone-message> | postpone this message until later |
| q | <quit> | quit (abort) sending the message |
| w | <write-fcc> | write the message to a folder |
| i | <ispell> | check spelling (if available on your system) |
| ^F | <forget-passphrase> | wipe passphrase(s) from memory |
-The compose menu is also used to edit the attachments for a message which can be either files
-or other messages. The <attach-message> function to will prompt you for a folder to
-attach messages from. You can now tag messages in that folder and they
-will be attached to the message you are sending.
-
-Note that certain -operations like composing a new mail, replying, forwarding, etc. are -not permitted when you are in that folder. The %r in -$status_format will change to -a âAâ to indicate that you are in attach-message mode. -
-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. -
+returned to the compose menu providing the +functions shown in Table 2.12, âMost common compose menu keysâ to modify, send or +postpone the message. +
Table 2.12. Most common compose menu keys
| Key | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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 âFccâ 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 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 +âAâ to indicate that you are in attach-message mode. +
+When editing the header because of $edit_headers being set, there are a +several pseudo headers available which will not be included in sent +messages but trigger special Mutt behavior. +
If you specify - +
Fcc: filename
-
-as a header, Mutt will pick up filename
-just as if you had used the <edit-fcc> function in the compose menu.
-
+
+as a header, Mutt will pick up filename just as if
+you had used the <edit-fcc> function in the
+compose menu. It can later be changed from the
+compose menu.
+
You can also attach files to your message by specifying
-
-Attach: filename [ description ]
-
-where filename is the file to attach and description is an
-optional string to use as the description of the attached file.
-
+
+Attach: filename
+[ description ]
+
+where filename is the file to attach and +description is an optional string to use as the +description of the attached file. Spaces in filenames have to be escaped +using backslash (â\â). The file can be removed as well as +more added from the compose menu. +
If you want to use PGP, you can specify
Pgp: [ E | S | S<id> ]
-âEâ selects encryption, âSâ selects signing and -âS<id>â selects signing with the given key, setting -$pgp_sign_as -permanently. -
-When replying to messages, the In-Reply-To: header contains the -Message-Id of the message(s) you reply to. If you remove 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. -
-If you have told mutt to PGP or S/MIME encrypt a message, it will guide you -through a key selection process when you try to send the message. -Mutt will not ask you any questions about keys which have a -certified user ID matching one of the message recipients' mail -addresses. However, there may be situations in which there are -several keys, weakly certified user ID fields, or where no matching -keys can be found. +âEâ selects encryption, âSâ selects signing +and âS<id>â selects signing with the given key, +setting $pgp_sign_as permanently. The +selection can later be changed in the compose menu. +
+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. +
+If you intend to start a new thread by replying, please make really sure +you remove the In-Reply-To: header in your +editor. Otherwise, though you'll produce a technically valid reply, some +netiquette guardians will be annoyed by this so-called âthread +hijackingâ. +
+If you have told Mutt to PGP or S/MIME encrypt a message, it will guide +you through a key selection process when you try to send the message. +Mutt will not ask you any questions about keys which have a certified +user ID matching one of the message recipients' mail addresses. +However, there may be situations in which there are several keys, weakly +certified user ID fields, or where no matching keys can be found.
In these cases, you are dropped into a menu with a list of keys from
-which you can select one. When you quit this menu, or mutt can't
-find any matching keys, you are prompted for a user ID. You can, as
-usually, abort this prompt using ^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 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, -and validity fields are in order. -
-The flags sequence (%f) will expand to one of the flags in -Table 2.12, âPGP key menu flagsâ. -
Table 2.12. PGP key menu flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| R | The key has been revoked and can't be used. |
| X | The key is expired and can't be used. |
| d | You have marked the key as disabled. |
| c | There 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 (â-â) means
-that the key cannot be used for encryption. A dot (â.â) means that
-it's marked as a signature key in one of the user IDs, but may
-also be used for encryption. The letter âeâ indicates that
-this key can be used for encryption.
+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 return to the compose screen.
+
+Once you have successfully finished the key selection, the message 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, and +validity fields are in order. +
+The flags sequence (â%fâ) will expand to one of the flags +in Table 2.13, âPGP key menu flagsâ. +
Table 2.13. PGP key menu flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| R | The key has been revoked and can't be used. |
| X | The key is expired and can't be used. |
| d | You have marked the key as disabled. |
| c | There are unknown critical self-signature packets. |
+The capabilities field (â%câ) expands to a two-character +sequence representing a key's capabilities. The first character gives +the key's encryption capabilities: A minus sign (â-â) means +that the key cannot be used for encryption. A dot (â.â) +means that it's marked as a signature key in one of the user IDs, but +may also be used for encryption. The letter âeâ indicates +that this key can be used for encryption.
The second character indicates the key's signing capabilities. Once -again, a â-â implies ânot for signingâ, â.â implies -that the key is marked as an encryption key in one of the user-ids, and -âsâ 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 (â?â) indicates undefined validity, a minus -character (â-â) marks an untrusted association, a space character -means a partially trusted association, and a plus character (â+â) -indicates complete validity. -
-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 âmiddlemanâ capability, indicated by a capital âMâ: 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. -
-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 âflowableâ paragraph end in spaces
+again, a â-â implies ânot for signingâ,
+â.â implies that the key is marked as an encryption key in
+one of the user-ids, and âsâ denotes a key which can be
+used for signing.
+
+Finally, the validity field (â%tâ) indicates how +well-certified a user-id is. A question mark (â?â) +indicates undefined validity, a minus character (â-â) marks +an untrusted association, a space character means a partially trusted +association, and a plus character (â+â) indicates complete +validity. +
+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 âflowableâ 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. -
Mutt only supports setting the required format=flowed
-MIME parameter on outgoing messages if the $text_flowed
-variable is set, specifically it does not add the
-trailing spaces.
+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.
+After editing the initial message text and before entering the compose
+menu, Mutt properly space-stuffs 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 âFromâ
-followed by space
all lines starting with â>â which
-is not intended to be a quote character
-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. Furthermore, Mutt only applies space-stuffing
-once after the initial edit is finished.
+
all lines starting with a space
lines starting with the word
+âFromâ followed by
+space
all lines starting with
+â>â which is not intended to be a
+quote character
+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. 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. -
-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.
+All leading spaces are to be removed by receiving clients to restore the
+original message prior to further processing.
+
+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.
Please note that when editing messages from the compose menu several
times before really sending a mail, it's up to the user to ensure that
@@ -591,161 +678,173 @@ For example, vim provides the formatoptions setting to assist in
creating f=f messages, see :help
fo-table for details.
-
Bouncing and forwarding let you send an existing message to recipients
that you specify. Bouncing a message sends a verbatim copy of a message
to alternative addresses as if they were the message's original
-recipients specified in the Bcc header.
-Forwarding a message, on the other hand, allows you to modify the message
-before it is resent (for example, by adding your own comments). Bouncing
-is done using the <bounce> function and forwarding
-using the <forward> function bound to âbâ and âfâ
-respectively.
+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 âbâ
+and âfâ 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, +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, respectively. The desired forwarding format may depend on the content, -therefore $mime_forward is a quadoption which, for -example, can be set to âask-noâ. +therefore $mime_forward is a +quadoption which, for example, can be set to âask-noâ.
The inclusion of headers is controlled by the current setting of the -$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. -
At times it is desirable to delay sending a message that you have
-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
-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 â-pâ 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. -
-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.
+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 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 â-pâ 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. +
+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. -
Table of Contents
-While the default configuration (or âpreferencesâ) make Mutt
-usable right out of the box, it is often desirable to tailor Mutt to
-suit your own tastes. When Mutt is first invoked, it will attempt to
-read the âsystemâ configuration file (defaults set by your local
-system administrator), unless the â-nâ command line option is specified. This file is typically
-/usr/local/share/mutt/Muttrc or /etc/Muttrc. Mutt
-will next look for a file named .muttrc in your home
-directory. If this file does not exist and your home directory has
-a subdirectory named .mutt, mutt try to load a file named
+See also the $postpone quad-option.
+
Table of Contents
+While the default configuration (or âpreferencesâ) make
+Mutt usable right out of the box, it is often desirable to tailor Mutt
+to suit your own tastes. When Mutt is first invoked, it will attempt to
+read the âsystemâ configuration file (defaults set by your
+local system administrator), unless the â-nâ command line option is specified. This
+file is typically /usr/local/share/mutt/Muttrc or
+/etc/Muttrc. Mutt will next look for a file named
+.muttrc in your home directory. If this file does
+not exist and your home directory has a subdirectory named
+.mutt, Mutt tries to load a file named
.mutt/muttrc.
-.muttrc is the file where you will usually place your commands to configure Mutt.
-
-In addition, mutt supports version specific configuration files that are
-parsed instead of the default files as explained above. For instance, if
-your system has a Muttrc-0.88 file in the system configuration
-directory, and you are running version 0.88 of mutt, this file will be
-sourced instead of the Muttrc file. The same is true of the user
-configuration file, if you have a file .muttrc-0.88.6 in your home
-directory, when you run mutt version 0.88.6, it will source this file
-instead of the default .muttrc file. The version number is the
-same which is visible using the â-vâ command line switch or using the show-version key (default:
-V) from the index menu.
-
-An initialization file consists of a series of commands. Each line of the file may contain one or more commands.
-When multiple commands are used, they must be separated by a semicolon
-(;).
+.muttrc is the file where you will usually place your
+commands to configure Mutt.
+
+In addition, Mutt supports version specific configuration files that are
+parsed instead of the default files as explained above. For instance,
+if your system has a Muttrc-0.88 file in the system
+configuration directory, and you are running version 0.88 of Mutt, this
+file will be sourced instead of the Muttrc file. The
+same is true of the user configuration file, if you have a file
+.muttrc-0.88.6 in your home directory, when you run
+Mutt version 0.88.6, it will source this file instead of the default
+.muttrc file. The version number is the same which
+is visible using the â-vâ command line switch or using the
+show-version key (default: V) from the index menu.
+
+An initialization file consists of a series of commands. Each line of the file may contain +one or more commands. When multiple commands are used, they must be +separated by a semicolon (â;â).
-The hash mark, or pound sign -(â#â), is used as a âcommentâ character. You can use it to -annotate your initialization file. All text after the comment character -to the end of the line is ignored. For example, +The hash mark, or pound sign (â#â), is used as a +âcommentâ character. You can use it to annotate your +initialization file. All text after the comment character to the end of +the line is ignored.
Example 3.2. Commenting configuration files
-my_hdr X-Disclaimer: Why are you listening to me? # This is a comment
+my_hdr X-Disclaimer: Why are you listening to me? # This is a comment
-Single quotes (') and double quotes (") can be used to quote strings -which contain spaces or other special characters. The difference between -the two types of quotes is similar to that of many popular shell programs, -namely that a single quote is used to specify a literal string (one that is -not interpreted for shell variables or quoting with a backslash [see -next paragraph]), while double quotes indicate a string for which -should be evaluated. For example, 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 â"â inside of a string, you can use -â\â to force the next character to be a literal instead of interpreted -character. -
Example 3.3. Escaping quotes in congfiguration files
+Single quotes (â'â) and double quotes (â"â) +can be used to quote strings which contain spaces or other special +characters. The difference between the two types of quotes is similar +to that of many popular shell programs, namely that a single quote is +used to specify a literal string (one that is not interpreted for shell +variables or quoting with a backslash [see next paragraph]), while +double quotes indicate a string for which should be evaluated. For +example, backticks are evaluated inside of double quotes, but +not for single quotes. ++â\â quotes the next character, just as in shells such as +bash and zsh. For example, if want to put quotes â"â +inside of a string, you can use â\â to force the next +character to be a literal instead of interpreted character. +
-â\\â means to insert a literal â\â into the line. -â\nâ and â\râ have their usual C meanings of linefeed and +â\\â means to insert a literal â\â into the line. +â\nâ and â\râ have their usual C meanings of linefeed and carriage-return, respectively.
-A \ at the end of a line can be used to split commands over -multiple lines, provided that the split points don't appear in the -middle of command names. -
+A â\â at the end of a line can be used to split commands +over multiple lines as it âescapesâ the line end, provided +that the split points don't appear in the middle of command names. Lines +are first concatenated before interpretation so that a multi-line can be +commented by commenting out the first line only. +
Example 3.4. Splitting long configuration commands over several lines
+set status_format="some very \ +long value split \ +over several lines" +It is also possible to substitute the output of a Unix command in an initialization file. This is accomplished by enclosing the command in -backticks (``). For example, -
Example 3.4. Using external command's output in configuration files
+backticks (``). In Example 3.5, âUsing external command's output in configuration filesâ, the output of the +Unix command âuname -aâ will be substituted before the line +is parsed. Since initialization files are line oriented, only the first +line of output from the Unix command will be substituted. +Example 3.5. Using external command's output in configuration files
my_hdr X-Operating-System: `uname -a`-The output of the Unix command âuname -aâ will be substituted before the -line is parsed. -
Note
-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 â$â to the name of the variable. For example, -
Example 3.5. Using environment variables in configuration files
+Both environment variables and Mutt variables can be accessed by +prepending â$â to the name of the variable. For example, +-will cause mutt to save outgoing messages to a folder named -âsent_on_kremvaxâ if the environment variable HOSTNAME is set to -âkremvax.â (See $record for -details.) +will cause Mutt to save outgoing messages to a folder named +âsent_on_kremvaxâ if the environment variable +
$HOSTNAMEis set to âkremvax.â (See +$record for details.)Mutt expands the variable when it is assigned, not when it is used. If -the value of a variable on the right-hand side of an assignment -changes after the assignment, the variable on the left-hand side will -not be affected. +the 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. +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. +specified by the $charset variable which +doesn't have a default value since it's determined by Mutt at startup. If a configuration file is not encoded in the same character set the -$config_charset -variable should be used: all lines starting with the next are recoded -from $config_charset to $charset. -
-This mechanism should be avoided if possible as it has the -following implications: -
These variables should be set early in a configuration -file with $charset preceding $config_charset so Mutt -know what character set to convert to.
If $config_charset is set, it should be set -in each configuration file because the value is global and not -per configuration file.
Because Mutt first recodes a line before it attempts to parse it, -a conversion introducing question marks or other characters as -part of errors (unconvertable characters, transliteration) may introduce syntax -errors or silently change the meaning of certain tokens (e.g. inserting -question marks into regular expressions).
Usage:
group[ +$config_charset variable should be +used: all lines starting with the next are recoded from $config_charset to $charset. ++This mechanism should be avoided if possible as it has the following +implications: +
These variables should be set early in a configuration +file with $charset preceding $config_charset so Mutt knows what +character set to convert to.
If $config_charset +is set, it should be set in each configuration file because the value is +global and not per configuration +file.
Because Mutt first recodes a line before it attempts to +parse it, a conversion introducing question marks or other characters as +part of errors (unconvertable characters, transliteration) may introduce +syntax errors or silently change the meaning of certain tokens +(e.g. inserting question marks into regular +expressions).
Usage:
group[-groupname...] { @@ -754,7 +853,7 @@ question marks into regular expressions).-addrexpr-... }
ungroup[ +... }ungroup[-groupname...] { @@ -766,30 +865,51 @@ question marks into regular expressions).-addrexpr... }-
groupis used to directly add either addresses or -regular expressions to the specified group or groups. The different -categories of arguments to thegroupcommand can be -in any order. The flags-rxand +Mutt supports grouping addresses logically into named groups. An address +or address pattern can appear in several groups at the same time. These +groups can be used in patterns (for searching, limiting and tagging) and +in hooks by using group patterns. This can be useful to classify mail +and take certain actions depending on in what groups the message is. +For example, the mutt user's mailing list would fit into the categories +âmailing listâ and âmutt-relatedâ. Usingsend-hook, the sender can +be set to a dedicated one for writing mailing list messages, and the +signature could be set to a mutt-related one for writing to a mutt list +â for other lists, the list sender setting still applies but a +different signature can be selected. Or, given a group only containing +recipients known to accept encrypted mail, +âauto-encryptionâ can be achieved easily. ++The group command is used to directly add either +addresses or regular expressions to the specified group or groups. The +different categories of arguments to the group +command can be in any order. The flags
-rxand-addrspecify 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 implicitly by the -alias, lists, -subscribe and -alternates commands by specifying the -optional
-groupoption. --Once defined, these address groups can be used in -patterns to search for and limit the -display to messages matching a group. -
-
ungroupis used to remove addresses or regular -expressions from the specified group or groups. The syntax is similar to -thegroupcommand, however the special character -*can be used to empty a group of all of its -contents. -Usage:
alias[ +These address groups can also be created implicitly by the alias, lists, subscribe and alternates commands by +specifying the optional-groupoption. For example, ++alternates -group me address1 address2 +alternates -group me -group work address3 ++would create a group named âmeâ which contains all your +addresses and a group named âworkâ which contains only your +work address address3. Besides many other +possibilities, this could be used to automatically mark your own +messages in a mailing list folder as read or use a special signature for +work-related messages. +
+The ungroup command is used to remove addresses or +regular expressions from the specified group or groups. The syntax is +similar to the group command, however the special +character
*can be used to empty a group of all of +its contents. As soon as a group gets empty because all addresses and +regular expressions have been removed, it'll internally be removed, too +(i.e. there cannot be an empty group). When removing regular expressions +from a group, the pattern must be specified exactly as given to the +group command or-groupargument. +Usage:
alias[-groupname...] @@ -798,63 +918,65 @@ contents.address[address-...]-It's usually very cumbersome to remember or type out the address of someone -you are communicating with. Mutt allows you to create âaliasesâ 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 (â,â). -
-The optional
-groupargument to -aliascauses the aliased address(es) to be added to -the named group. --To remove an alias or aliases (â*â means all aliases): -
unalias[ +...]unalias[-groupname...] {*|key-... }+... }+It's usually very cumbersome to remember or type out the address of +someone you are communicating with. Mutt allows you to create +âaliasesâ which map a short string to a full address. +
Note
+If you want to create an alias for more than one address, you +must separate the addresses with a comma +(â,â). +
+The optional
-groupargument to +alias causes the aliased address(es) to be added to +the named group. ++To remove an alias or aliases (â*â means all aliases): +
alias muttdude me@cs.hmc.edu (Michael Elkins) alias theguys manny, moe, jack-Unlike other mailers, Mutt doesn't require aliases to be defined -in a special file. The
aliascommand 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. +Unlike other mailers, Mutt doesn't require aliases to be defined in a +special file. The alias command can appear anywhere +in a configuration file, as long as this file is sourced. Consequently, you +can have multiple alias files, or you can have all aliases defined in +your.muttrc.On the other hand, the
<create-alias>-function can use only one file, the one pointed to by the $alias_file variable (which is -Ë/.muttrcby default). This file is not special either, -in the sense that Mutt will happily append aliases to any file, but in -order for the new aliases to take effect you need to explicitly source this file too. --For example: -
Example 3.6. Configuring external alias files
+function can use only one file, the one pointed to by the $alias_file variable (which is +~/.muttrcby default). This file is not special +either, in the sense that Mutt will happily append aliases to any file, +but in order for the new aliases to take effect you need to explicitly +source this file too. +Example 3.7. Configuring external alias files
source /usr/local/share/Mutt.aliases source ~/.mail_aliases set alias_file=~/.mail_aliases-To use aliases, you merely use the alias at any place in mutt where mutt -prompts for addresses, such as the To: or Cc: prompt. You can -also enter aliases in your editor at the appropriate headers if you have the -$edit_headers variable set. -
-In addition, at the various address prompts, you can use the tab character -to expand a partial alias to the full alias. If there are multiple matches, -mutt will bring up a menu with the matching aliases. In order to be -presented with the full list of aliases, you must hit tab with out a partial -alias, such as at the beginning of the prompt or after a comma denoting -multiple addresses. +To use aliases, you merely use the alias at any place in Mutt where Mutt +prompts for addresses, such as the To: or +Cc: prompt. You can also enter aliases in your +editor at the appropriate headers if you have the $edit_headers variable set. +
+In addition, at the various address prompts, you can use the tab +character to expand a partial alias to the full alias. If there are +multiple matches, Mutt will bring up a menu with the matching aliases. +In order to be presented with the full list of aliases, you must hit tab +without a partial alias, such as at the beginning of the prompt or after +a comma denoting multiple addresses.
In the alias menu, you can select as many aliases as you want with the -
select-entrykey (default: <Return>), and use the -exit key (default: q) to return to the address prompt. -Usage:
bind+select-entrykey (default: <Return>), and use +the exit key (default: q) to return to the address +prompt. +Usage:
bindmapkey@@ -864,26 +986,30 @@ In the alias menu, you can select as many aliases as you want with the This command allows you to change the default key bindings (operation invoked when pressing a key).-map specifies in which menu the binding belongs. Multiple maps may -be specified by separating them with commas (no additional whitespace is -allowed). The currently defined maps are: +map specifies in which menu the binding belongs. +Multiple maps may be specified by separating them with commas (no +additional whitespace is allowed). The currently defined maps are:
- 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. +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.
- 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 -address(es) of the recipient(s). +
.muttrc. It is the mapping from a short alias name +to the full email address(es) of the recipient(s).- attach
-The attachment menu is used to access the attachments on received messages. +The attachment menu is used to access the attachments on received +messages.
- browser
-The browser is used for both browsing the local directory structure, and for -listing all of your incoming mailboxes. +The browser is used for both browsing the local directory structure, and +for listing all of your incoming mailboxes.
- editor
-The editor is the line-based editor the user enters text data. +The editor is used to allow the user to enter a single line of text, such as +the To or Subject prompts in the +
composemenu.- index
The index is the list of messages contained in a mailbox.
- compose
@@ -895,84 +1021,98 @@ listings. 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. +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. +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 -â\Caâ). Note that the case of x as well as \C is -ignored, so that \CA, \Ca, \cA and \ca are all +key is the key (or key sequence) you wish to bind. +To specify a control character, use the sequence +\Cx, where x is the letter of +the control character (for example, to specify control-A use +â\Caâ). Note that the case of x as +well as \C is ignored, so that +\CA, \Ca, +\cA and \ca are all equivalent. An alternative form is to specify the key as a three digit -octal number prefixed with a â\â (for example \177 is -equivalent to \c?). In addition, key may -be a symbolic name as shown in Table 3.1, âSymbolic key namesâ. +octal number prefixed with a â\â (for example +\177 is equivalent to \c?). In +addition, key may be a symbolic name as shown in +Table 3.1, âSymbolic key namesâ.
Table 3.1. Symbolic key names
Symbolic name Meaning \t tab <tab> tab <backtab> backtab / shift-tab \r carriage return \n newline \e escape <esc> escape <up> up arrow <down> down arrow <left> left arrow <right> right arrow <pageup> Page Up <pagedown> Page Down <backspace> Backspace <delete> Delete <insert> Insert <enter> Enter <return> Return <home> Home <end> End <space> Space bar <f1> function key 1 <f10> function key 10 -key does not need to be enclosed in quotes unless it contains a -space (âââ) or semi-colon (â;â). -
-function specifies which action to take when key is pressed. -For a complete list of functions, see the reference. The special function
<noop>unbinds the specified key -sequence. -Usage:
charset-hook+key does not need to be enclosed in quotes unless +it contains a space (â â) or semi-colon +(â;â). ++function specifies which action to take when +key is pressed. For a complete list of functions, +see the reference. Note that the +bind expects function to be +specified without angle brackets. +
+The special function
<noop>unbinds the +specified key sequence. +Usage:
charset-hookaliascharset--The
charset-hookcommand defines an alias for a character set. -This is useful to properly display messages which are tagged with a -character set name not known to mutt. --The
iconv-hookcommand defines a system-specific name for a -character set. This is helpful when your systems character -conversion library insists on using strange, system-specific names -for character sets. -Usage:
folder-hook+The charset-hook command defines an alias for a +character set. This is useful to properly display messages which are +tagged with a character set name not known to Mutt. ++The iconv-hook command defines a system-specific name +for a character set. This is helpful when your systems character +conversion library insists on using strange, system-specific names for +character sets. +
Usage:
folder-hook[!]regexpcommandIt is often desirable to change settings based on which mailbox you are -reading. The folder-hook command provides a method by which you can execute -any configuration command. regexp is a regular expression specifying -in which mailboxes to execute command before loading. If a mailbox -matches multiple folder-hook's, they are executed in the order given in the -muttrc. -
Note
-If you use the â!â shortcut for $spoolfile at the beginning of the pattern, you must place it -inside of double or single quotes in order to distinguish it from the -logical not operator for the expression. -
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 -+reading. The folder-hook command provides a method +by which you can execute any configuration command. +regexp is a regular expression specifying in which +mailboxes to execute command before loading. If a +mailbox matches multiple folder-hooks, they are +executed in the order given in the
.muttrc. +Note
+If you use the â!â shortcut for $spoolfile at the beginning of the pattern, +you must place it inside of double or single quotes in order to +distinguish it from the logical not operator for +the expression. +
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"However, the sorting method is not restored to its previous value when -reading a different mailbox. To specify a default command, use the -pattern â.â before other folder-hooks adjusting a value on a per-folder basis -because folder-hooks are evaluated in the order given in the configuration file. -The following example will set the sort variable -to
date-sentfor all folders but tothreads-for all folders containing âmuttâ in their name. -Example 3.7. Setting sort method based on mailbox name
-folder-hook . set sort=date-sent -folder-hook mutt set sort=threads -Usage:
macro+reading a different mailbox. To specify a default +command, use the pattern â.â before other +folder-hooks adjusting a value on a per-folder basis +because folder-hooks are evaluated in the order given +in the configuration file. ++The following example will set the sort +variable to
date-sentfor all folders but to +threadsfor all folders containing +âmuttâ in their name. +Example 3.8. Setting sort method based on mailbox name
+folder-hook . "set sort=date-sent" +folder-hook mutt "set sort=threads" +Usage:
macromenukey@@ -981,45 +1121,49 @@ folder-hook mutt set sort=threads [description]-Macros are useful when you would like a single key to perform a series of -actions. When you press key in menu menu, Mutt will behave as if -you had typed sequence. So if you have a common sequence of commands -you type, you can create a macro to execute those commands with a single -key or fewer keys. -
-menu is the map which the macro will be bound in. -Multiple maps may be specified by separating multiple menu arguments by -commas. Whitespace may not be used in between the menu arguments and the -commas separating them. -
-key and sequence are expanded by the same rules as the -key bindings with some additions. The -first is that control characters in sequence can also be specified -as ^x. In order to get a caret (â^â) you need to use -^^. Secondly, to specify a certain key such as up -or to invoke a function directly, you can use the format -<key name> and <function name>. For a listing of key -names see the section on key bindings. Functions -are listed in the reference. +Macros are useful when you would like a single key to perform a series +of actions. When you press key in menu +menu, Mutt will behave as if you had typed +sequence. So if you have a common sequence of +commands you type, you can create a macro to execute those commands with +a single key or fewer keys. +
+menu is the map which +the macro will be bound in. Multiple maps may be specified by +separating multiple menu arguments by commas. Whitespace may not be used +in between the menu arguments and the commas separating them. +
+key and sequence are expanded +by the same rules as the key bindings with +some additions. The first is that control characters in +sequence can also be specified as +^x. In order to get a caret (â^â) you +need to use ^^. Secondly, to specify a certain key +such as up or to invoke a function directly, you +can use the format <key name> and +<function name>. For a listing of key names +see the section on key bindings. Functions +are listed in the reference.
The advantage with using function names directly is that the macros will -work regardless of the current key bindings, so they are not dependent on -the user having particular key definitions. This makes them more robust -and portable, and also facilitates defining of macros in files used by more -than one user (e.g., the system Muttrc). -
-Optionally you can specify a descriptive text after sequence, -which is shown in the help screens. -
Note
+work regardless of the current key bindings, so they are not dependent +on the user having particular key definitions. This makes them more +robust and portable, and also facilitates defining of macros in files +used by more than one user (e.g., the system Muttrc). +
+Optionally you can specify a descriptive text after +sequence, which is shown in the help screens if +they contain a description. +
Note
Macro definitions (if any) listed in the help screen(s), are silently truncated at the screen width, and are not wrapped. -
Usage:
colorobjectforegroundbackground-
color{ +color{header|body@@ -1029,7 +1173,7 @@ silently truncated at the screen width, and are not wrapped.backgroundregexp-
color+colorindexforeground@@ -1037,60 +1181,77 @@ silently truncated at the screen width, and are not wrapped.backgroundpattern-
uncolor+uncolor{index- { + | +header+ | +body+ } {*|pattern... }-If your terminal supports color, you can spice up Mutt by creating your own -color scheme. To define the color of an object (type of information), you -must specify both a foreground color and a background color (it is not -possible to only specify one or the other). +If your terminal supports color, you can spice up Mutt by creating your +own color scheme. To define the color of an object (type of +information), you must specify both a foreground color +and a background color (it is not possible to only +specify one or the other).
-header and body match regexp -in the header/body of a message, index matches pattern -(see Section 2, âPatterns: Searching, Limiting and Taggingâ) in the message index. +header and body match +regexp in the header/body of a message, +index matches pattern (see +Section 3, âPatterns: Searching, Limiting and Taggingâ) in the message index.
object can be one of: -
attachment
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 â+â markers at the beginning of wrapped lines in the pager)
message (informational messages)
normal
quoted (text matching $quote_regexp in the body of a message)
quoted1, quoted2, ..., quotedN (higher levels of quoting)
search (hiliting of words in the pager)
signature
status (mode lines used to display info about the mailbox or message)
tilde (the âËâ used to pad blank lines in the pager)
tree (thread tree drawn in the message index and attachment menu)
underline (hiliting underlined patterns in the body of messages)
-foreground and background can be one of the following: -
white
black
green
magenta
blue
cyan
yellow
red
default
colorx
-foreground can optionally be prefixed with the keyword
brightto make -the foreground color boldfaced (e.g.,brightred). --If your terminal supports it, the special keyword default can be -used as a transparent color. The value brightdefault is also valid. -If Mutt is linked against the S-Lang library, you also need to set -the COLORFGBG environment variable to the default colors of your -terminal for this to work; for example (for Bourne-like shells): +
attachment
bold (highlighting bold patterns in the body of messages)
error (error messages printed by Mutt)
hdrdefault (default color of the message header in the pager)
indicator (arrow or bar used to indicate the current item in a menu)
markers (the â+â markers at the beginning of wrapped lines in the pager)
message (informational messages)
normal
quoted (text matching $quote_regexp in the body of a message)
quoted1, quoted2, ..., quotedN (higher levels of quoting)
search (highlighting of words in the pager)
signature
status (mode lines used to display info about the mailbox or message)
tilde (the â~â used to pad blank lines in the pager)
tree (thread tree drawn in the message index and attachment menu)
underline (highlighting underlined patterns in the body of messages)
+foreground and background can +be one of the following: +
white
black
green
magenta
blue
cyan
yellow
red
default
colorx
+foreground can optionally be prefixed with the +keyword
brightto 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
$COLORFGBGenvironment variable to the +default colors of your terminal for this to work; for example (for +Bourne-like shells):set COLORFGBG="green;black" export COLORFGBG -Note
-The S-Lang library requires you to use the lightgray -and brown keywords instead of white and yellow when -setting this variable. -
Note
-The uncolor command can be applied to the index object only. It -removes entries from the list. You must specify the same pattern -specified in the color command for it to be removed. The pattern â*â is -a special token which means to clear the color index list of all entries. +
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, +header and body objects only. It removes entries from the list. You +must specify the same pattern specified in the +color command for it to be removed. The pattern +â*â is a special token which means to clear the color list +of all entries.
-Mutt also recognizes the keywords color0, color1, â¦, -colorN-1 (N being the number of colors supported -by your terminal). This is useful when you remap the colors for your -display (for example by changing the color associated with color2 -for your xterm), since color names may then lose their normal meaning. -
-If your terminal does not support color, it is still possible change the video -attributes through the use of the âmonoâ command: -
Usage:
mono+Mutt also recognizes the keywords color0, +color1, ..., +colorN-1 +(N being the number of colors supported by your +terminal). This is useful when you remap the colors for your display +(for example by changing the color associated with +color2 for your xterm), since color names may then +lose their normal meaning. ++If your terminal does not support color, it is still possible change the +video attributes through the use of the âmonoâ +command. Usage: +
monoobjectattribute-
mono{ +mono{header|body@@ -1098,75 +1259,89 @@ attributes through the use of the âmonoâ command:attributeregexp-
mono+monoindexattributepattern-
unmono+unmono{index- { + | +header+ | +body+ } {*|pattern... }-For object, see the color command. attribute -can be one of the following: -
none
bold
underline
reverse
standout
Usage:
ignore+For object, see the color +command. attribute can be one of the following: +
none
bold
underline
reverse
standout
+When displaying a message in the pager, Mutt folds long header lines at +$wrap columns. Though there're precise rules +about where to break and how, Mutt always folds headers using a tab for +readability. (Note that the sending side is not affected by this, Mutt +tries to implement standards compliant folding.) +
Usage:
ignorepattern[pattern-...]
unignore{ +...]unignore{*|pattern... }-Messages often have many header fields added by automatic processing systems, -or which may not seem useful to display on the screen. This command allows -you to specify header fields which you don't normally want to see in the pager. +Messages often have many header fields added by automatic processing +systems, or which may not seem useful to display on the screen. This +command allows you to specify header fields which you don't normally +want to see in the pager.
You do not need to specify the full header field name. For example, -âignore content-â will ignore all header fields that begin with the pattern -âcontent-â. âignore *â will ignore all headers. -
-To remove a previously added token from the list, use the âunignoreâ command. -The âunignoreâ command will make Mutt display headers with the given pattern. -For example, if you do âignore x-â it is possible to âunignore x-mailerâ. -
-âunignore *â will remove all tokens from the ignore list. -
-For example: -
Example 3.8. Header weeding
-# Sven's draconian header weeding +âignore content-â will ignore all header fields that begin +with the pattern âcontent-â. âignore *â will +ignore all headers. ++To remove a previously added token from the list, use the +âunignoreâ command. The âunignoreâ command +will make Mutt display headers with the given pattern. For example, if +you do âignore x-â it is possible to âunignore +x-mailerâ. +
+âunignore *â will remove all tokens from the ignore list. +
Example 3.9. Header weeding
+# Sven's draconian header weeding ignore * unignore from date subject to cc unignore organization organisation x-mailer: x-newsreader: x-mailing-list: unignore posted-to: -Usage:
hdr_order+Usage:
hdr_orderheader[header-...]
unhdr_order{ +...]unhdr_order{*|header... }-With the
hdr_ordercommand you can specify an order in -which mutt will attempt to present these headers to you when viewing messages. +With the hdr_order command you can specify an order +in which Mutt will attempt to present these headers to you when viewing +messages.-âunhdr_order *â will clear all previous headers from the order list, -thus removing the header order effects set by the system-wide startup file. -
Usage:
alternates[-groupname...]regexp[regexp-...]
unalternates[ +...]unalternates[-groupname...] { @@ -1174,17 +1349,17 @@ hdr_order From Date: From: To: Cc: Subject: |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.) +With various functions, Mutt will treat messages differently, depending +on whether you sent them or whether you received them from someone else. +For instance, when replying to a message that you sent to a different +party, Mutt will automatically suggest to send the response to the +original message's recipients â responding to yourself won't make +much sense in many cases. (See $reply_to.)
Many users receive e-mail under a number of different addresses. To -fully use mutt's features here, the program must be able to -recognize what e-mail addresses you receive mail under. That's the -purpose of the
alternatescommand: It takes a list of regular +fully use Mutt's features here, the program must be able to recognize +what e-mail addresses you receive mail under. That's the purpose of the +alternates command: It takes a list of regular expressions, each of which can identify an address under which you receive e-mail.@@ -1194,752 +1369,989 @@ as possible to avoid mismatches. For example, if you specify:
alternates user@example-mutt will consider â
some-user@exampleâ as -being your address, too which may not be desired. As a solution, in such -cases addresses should be specified as: +Mutt will consider âsome-user@exampleâ +as being your address, too which may not be desired. As a solution, in +such cases addresses should be specified as:alternates '^user@example$'-The
-groupflag causes all of the subsequent regular expressions -to be added to the named group. --The
unalternatescommand can be used to write exceptions to -alternatespatterns. If an address matches something in an -alternatescommand, but you nonetheless do not think it is -from you, you can list a more precise pattern under anunalternates-command. --To remove a regular expression from the
alternateslist, use the -unalternatescommand with exactly the same regexp. -Likewise, if the regexp for analternatescommand matches -an entry on theunalternateslist, thatunalternates-entry will be removed. If the regexp forunalternates-is â*â, all entries onalternateswill be removed. -Usage:
lists[ +The-groupflag causes all of the subsequent regular +expressions to be added to the named group. ++The unalternates command can be used to write +exceptions to alternates patterns. If an address +matches something in an alternates command, but you +nonetheless do not think it is from you, you can list a more precise +pattern under an unalternates command. +
+To remove a regular expression from the alternates +list, use the unalternates command with exactly the +same regexp. Likewise, if the +regexp for an alternates command +matches an entry on the unalternates list, that +unalternates entry will be removed. If the +regexp for unalternates is +â*â, all entries on +alternates will be removed. +
Usage:
lists[-groupname...]regexp[regexp-...]
unlists[ --group-name-...] { +...]unlists{*|regexp-... }
subscribe[ +... }subscribe[-groupname...]regexp[regexp-...]
unsubscribe[ --group-name-...] { +...]unsubscribe{*|regexp... }-Mutt has a few nice features for handling mailing lists. In order to take advantage of them, you must -specify which addresses belong to mailing lists, and which mailing -lists you are subscribed to. 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
+Mutt has a few nice features for handling +mailing lists. In order to take advantage of them, you must +specify which addresses belong to mailing lists, and which mailing lists +you are subscribed to. Mutt also has limited support for auto-detecting +mailing lists: it supports parsing
mailto:links in +the commonList-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
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. +supported by all mail user agents. Adding it is not bullet-proof +against receiving personal CCs of list messages. Also note that the +generation of the Mail-Followup-To header is controlled by the $followup_to configuration variable since +it's common practice on some mailing lists to send Cc upon replies +(which is more a group- than a list-reply).
-More precisely, Mutt maintains lists of patterns for the addresses -of known and subscribed mailing lists. Every subscribed mailing -list is known. To mark a mailing list as known, use the âlistsâ -command. To mark it as subscribed, use âsubscribeâ. -
-You can use regular expressions with both commands. To mark all -messages sent to a specific bug report's address on mutt's bug -tracking system as list mail, for instance, you could say -âsubscribe [0-9]*@bugs.guug.deâ. Often, it's sufficient to just -give a portion of the list's e-mail address. +More precisely, Mutt maintains lists of patterns for the addresses of +known and subscribed mailing lists. Every subscribed mailing list is +known. To mark a mailing list as known, use the list +command. To mark it as subscribed, use subscribe. +
+You can use regular expressions with both commands. To mark all messages +sent to a specific bug report's address on Debian's bug tracking system +as list mail, for instance, you could say +
+subscribe [0-9]*.*@bugs.debian.org+as it's often sufficient to just give a portion of the list's e-mail +address.
Specify as much of the address as you need to to remove ambiguity. For -example, if you've subscribed to the Mutt mailing list, you will receive mail -addressed to mutt-users@mutt.org. So, to tell Mutt -that this is a mailing list, you could add âlists mutt-users@â to your -initialization file. To tell mutt that you are subscribed to it, -add âsubscribe mutt-usersâ to your initialization file instead. -If you also happen to get mail from someone whose address is -mutt-users@example.com, you could use -âlists ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$â -or âsubscribe ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$â to -match only mail from the actual list. -
-The
-groupflag adds all of the subsequent regular expressions -to the named group. --The âunlistsâ command is used to remove a token from the list of -known and subscribed mailing-lists. Use âunlists *â to remove all -tokens. -
-To remove a mailing list from the list of subscribed mailing lists, -but keep it on the list of known mailing lists, use âunsubscribeâ. -
Usage:
mbox-hook+example, if you've subscribed to the Mutt mailing list, you will receive +mail addressed tomutt-users@mutt.org. So, to tell +Mutt that this is a mailing list, you could addlists +mutt-users@to your initialization file. To tell Mutt that +you are subscribed to it, addsubscribe +mutt-usersto your initialization file instead. If you also +happen to get mail from someone whose address is +mutt-users@example.com, you could use +lists ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$or +subscribe ^mutt-users@mutt\\.org$+to match only mail from the actual list. ++The
-groupflag adds all of the subsequent regular +expressions to the named address group +in addition to adding to the specified address list. ++The âunlistsâ command is used to remove a token from the +list of known and subscribed mailing-lists. Use âunlists *â +to remove all tokens. +
+To remove a mailing list from the list of subscribed mailing lists, but +keep it on the list of known mailing lists, use +unsubscribe. +
Usage:
mbox-hook[!]patternmailboxThis 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 -âspoolâ mailbox and mailbox specifies where mail should be saved when +pattern is a regular expression specifying the +mailbox to treat as a âspoolâ mailbox and +mailbox specifies where mail should be saved when read.
-Unlike some of the other hook commands, only the first matching -pattern is used (it is not possible to save read mail in more than a single -mailbox). -
Usage:
mailboxes+Unlike some of the other hook commands, only the +first matching pattern is used (it is not possible +to save read mail in more than a single mailbox). +Usage:
mailboxesmailbox[mailbox-...]
unmailboxes{ +...]unmailboxes{*|mailbox... }-This command specifies folders which can receive mail and -which will be checked for new messages periodically. +This command specifies folders which can receive mail and which will be +checked for new messages periodically.
folder can either be a local file or directory (Mbox/Mmdf or Maildir/Mh). If Mutt was built with POP and/or IMAP support, folder can also be a POP/IMAP folder -URL. The URL syntax is described in Section 1.2, âURL syntaxâ, -POP and IMAP are described in Section 3, âPOP3 Supportâ and Section 4, âIMAP Supportâ -respectively. +URL. The URL syntax is described in Section 1.2, âURL Syntaxâ, POP +and IMAP are described in Section 3, âPOP3 Supportâ and Section 4, âIMAP Supportâ respectively.
Mutt provides a number of advanced features for handling (possibly many) -folders and new mail within them, please refer to -Section 9, âHandling multiple foldersâ for details (including in what -situations and how often Mutt checks for new mail). -
-The âunmailboxesâ command is used to remove a token from the list -of folders which receive mail. Use âunmailboxes *â to remove all -tokens. -
Note
-The folders in the
mailboxescommand are resolved when -the command is executed, so if these names contain shortcut characters (such as â=â and â!â), any variable -definition that affects these characters (like $folder and $spoolfile) -should be set before themailboxescommand. If -none of these shorcuts are used, a local path should be absolute as -otherwise mutt tries to find it relative to the directory -from where mutt was started which may not always be desired. --For Mbox and Mmdf folders, new mail is detected by comparing access and/or -modification times of files: Mutt assumes a folder has new mail if it wasn't -accessed after it was last modified. Utilities like
biffor -frmor any other program which accesses the mailbox might cause -Mutt to never detect new mail for that mailbox if they do not properly reset the -access time. Other possible causes of Mutt not detecting new mail in these folders -are backup tools (updating access times) or filesystems mounted without -access time update support. --In cases where new mail detection for Mbox or Mmdf folders appears to be -unreliable, the -$check_mbox_size -option can be used to make Mutt track and consult file sizes for new -mail detection instead. -
Usage:
my_hdr+folders and new mail within them, please refer to Section 10, âNew Mail Detectionâ for details (including in what situations and how +often Mutt checks for new mail). ++The âunmailboxesâ command is used to remove a token from +the list of folders which receive mail. Use âunmailboxes *â +to remove all tokens. +
Note
+The folders in the mailboxes command are resolved +when the command is executed, so if these names contain shortcut characters (such as â=â +and â!â), any variable definition that affects these +characters (like $folder and $spoolfile) should be set before the +mailboxes command. If none of these shortcuts are +used, a local path should be absolute as otherwise Mutt tries to find it +relative to the directory from where Mutt was started which may not +always be desired. +
Usage:
my_hdrstring-
unmy_hdr{ +unmy_hdr{*|field... }-The
my_hdrcommand 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 âOrganization:â header field to -all of your outgoing messages, you can put the command -
Example 3.10. Defining custom headers
+The my_hdr command allows you to create your own +header fields which will be added to every message you send and appear +in the editor if $edit_headers is +set. ++For example, if you would like to add an âOrganization:â +header field to all of your outgoing messages, you can put the command +something like shown in Example 3.11, âDefining custom headersâ in your +
.muttrc. +-in your
.muttrc. -Note
-Space characters are not allowed between the keyword and -the colon (â:â). The standard for electronic mail (RFC2822) says that -space is illegal there, so Mutt enforces the rule. +
Note
+Space characters are not allowed between the +keyword and the colon (â:â). The standard for electronic +mail (RFC2822) says that space is illegal there, so Mutt enforces the +rule.
If you would like to add a header field to a single message, you should -either set the $edit_headers variable, -or use the
<edit-headers>function (default: âEâ) in the compose menu so -that you can edit the header of your message along with the body. --To remove user defined header fields, use the
unmy_hdr-command. You may specify an asterisk (â*â) to remove all header -fields, or the fields to remove. For example, to remove all âToâ and -âCcâ header fields, you could use: +either set the $edit_headers +variable, or use the<edit-headers>function +(default: âEâ) in the compose menu so that you can edit the +header of your message along with the body. ++To remove user defined header fields, use the +unmy_hdr command. You may specify an asterisk +(â*â) to remove all header fields, or the fields to +remove. For example, to remove all âToâ and +âCcâ header fields, you could use:
unmy_hdr to cc -Usage:
save-hook+Usage:
save-hook[!]patternmailboxThis command is used to override the default mailbox used when saving -messages. mailbox will be used as the default if the message -matches pattern, see Message Matching in Hooks for information -on the exact format. +messages. mailbox will be used as the default if +the message matches pattern, see Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format.
-To provide more flexibility and good defaults, Mutt applies the -expandos of $index_format to +To provide more flexibility and good defaults, Mutt applies the expandos +of $index_format to mailbox after it was expanded. -
-Examples: -
Example 3.11. Using %-expandos in
save-hook-# default: save all to ~/Mail/<author name> +Example 3.12. Using %-expandos in save-hook
+# default: save all to ~/Mail/<author name> save-hook . ~/Mail/%F -# save from me@turing.cs.hmc.edu and me@cs.hmc.edu to $folder/elkins +# 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 from aol.com to $folder/spam save-hook aol\\.com$ +spam-Also see the fcc-save-hook command. -
Usage:
fcc-hook+Also see the fcc-save-hook command. +Usage:
fcc-hook[!]patternmailbox-This command is used to save outgoing mail in a mailbox other than -$record. Mutt searches the initial list of -message recipients for the first matching regexp and uses mailbox -as the default Fcc: mailbox. If no match is found the message will be saved -to $record mailbox. +This command is used to save outgoing mail in a mailbox other than $record. Mutt searches the initial list of +message recipients for the first matching regexp +and uses mailbox as the default Fcc: mailbox. If +no match is found the message will be saved to $record mailbox.
To provide more flexibility and good defaults, Mutt applies the -expandos of $index_format to +expandos of $index_format to mailbox after it was expanded.
-See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format of pattern. -
-Example:
fcc-hook [@.]aol\\.com$ +spammers--The above will save a copy of all messages going to the aol.com domain to -the `+spammers' mailbox by default. Also see the fcc-save-hook command. -
Usage:
fcc-save-hook+See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format +of pattern. +fcc-hook [@.]aol\\.com$ +spammers+...will save a copy of all messages going to the aol.com domain to the +`+spammers' mailbox by default. Also see the fcc-save-hook command. +
Usage:
fcc-save-hook[!]patternmailbox-This command is a shortcut, equivalent to doing both a fcc-hook -and a save-hook with its arguments, -including %-expansion on mailbox according -to $index_format. -
Usage:
reply-hook+This command is a shortcut, equivalent to doing both a fcc-hook and a save-hook with its +arguments, including %-expansion on mailbox +according to $index_format. +Usage:
reply-hook[!]patterncommand-
send-hook+send-hook[!]patterncommand-
send2-hook+send2-hook[!]patterncommand-These commands can be used to execute arbitrary configuration commands based -upon recipients of the message. pattern is used to match -the message, see Message Matching in Hooks for details. command -is executed when pattern matches. -
-
reply-hookis matched against the message you are replying to, -instead of the message you are sending.send-hookis -matched against all messages, both new -and replies. -Note
-
reply-hooks are matched before thesend-hook, regardless -of the order specified in the user's configuration file. +These commands can be used to execute arbitrary configuration commands +based upon recipients of the message. pattern is +used to match the message, see Message Matching in Hooks for +details. command is executed when +pattern matches. ++reply-hook is matched against the message you are +replying to, instead of the message you are +sending. send-hook is matched +against all messages, both new and +replies. +
Note
+reply-hooks are matched before +the send-hook, regardless of the +order specified in the user's configuration file.
-
send2-hookis matched every time a message is changed, either -by editing it, or by using the compose menu to change its recipients -or subject.send2-hookis executed aftersend-hook, and -can, e.g., be used to set parameters such as the $sendmail variable depending on the message's sender -address. +send2-hook is matched every time a message is +changed, either by editing it, or by using the compose menu to change +its recipients or subject. send2-hook is executed +after send-hook, and can, e.g., be used to set +parameters such as the $sendmail +variable depending on the message's sender address.-For each type of
send-hookorreply-hook, when multiple matches -occur, commands are executed in the order they are specified in the muttrc -(for that type of hook). +For each type of send-hook or +reply-hook, when multiple matches occur, commands are +executed in the order they are specified in the +.muttrc(for that type of hook).-Example:
send-hook mutt "set mime_forward signature=''"+Example:send-hook mutt +"set mime_forward signature=''"Another typical use for this command is to change the values of the -$attribution, $signature and $locale -variables in order to change the language of the attributions and -signatures based upon the recipients. -
Note
-send-hook's are only executed once after getting the initial -list of recipients. Adding a recipient after replying or editing the -message will not cause any send-hook to be executed. Also note that -
my_hdrcommands which modify recipient headers, or the message's -subject, don't have any effect on the current message when executed -from a send-hook. -Usage:
message-hook+$attribution, $signature and $locale variables in order to change the +language of the attributions and signatures based upon the recipients. +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, similarly if $autoedit is +set (as then the initial list of recipients is empty). Also note that +my_hdr commands which +modify recipient headers, or the message's subject, don't have any +effect on the current message when executed from a +send-hook. +
Usage:
message-hook[!]patterncommandThis command can be used to execute arbitrary configuration commands -before viewing or formatting a message based upon information about the message. -command is executed if the pattern matches the message to be -displayed. When multiple matches occur, commands are executed in the order -they are specified in the muttrc. +before viewing or formatting a message based upon information about the +message. command is executed if the +pattern matches the message to be displayed. When +multiple matches occur, commands are executed in the order they are +specified in the
.muttrc.-See Message Matching in Hooks for -information on the exact format of pattern. +See Message Matching in Hooks for information on the exact format +of pattern.
Example:
message-hook ~A 'set pager=builtin' message-hook '~f freshmeat-news' 'set pager="less \"+/^ subject: .*\""' -Usage:
crypt-hook+Usage:
crypt-hookpatternkeyid-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-hookcommand provides a -method by which you can specify the ID of the public key to be used -when encrypting messages to a certain recipient. --The meaning of keyid is to be taken broadly in this context: You -can either put a numerical key ID here, an e-mail address, or even -just a real name. -
Usage:
push+When encrypting messages with PGP/GnuPG or OpenSSL, you may want to +associate a certain key with a given e-mail address automatically, +either because the recipient's public key can't be deduced from the +destination address, or because, for some reasons, you need to override +the key Mutt would normally use. The crypt-hook +command provides a method by which you can specify the ID of the public +key to be used when encrypting messages to a certain recipient. ++The meaning of keyid is to be taken broadly in this +context: You can either put a numerical key ID here, an e-mail address, +or even just a real name. +
Usage:
pushstring-This command adds the named string to the keyboard buffer. The string may -contain control characters, key names and function names like the sequence -string in the macro command. You may use it to -automatically run a sequence of commands at startup, or when entering -certain folders. For example, the following command will automatically -collapse all threads when entering a folder: -
Example 3.12. Embedding
pushinfolder-hook+This command adds the named string to the keyboard buffer. The string +may contain control characters, key names and function names like the +sequence string in the macro command. You +may use it to automatically run a sequence of commands at startup, or +when entering certain folders. For example, Example 3.13, âEmbedding push in folder-hookâ shows how to automatically collapse all +threads when entering a folder. ++For using functions like shown in the example, it's important to use +angle brackets (â<â and â>â) to make +Mutt recognize the input as a function name. Otherwise it will simulate +individual just keystrokes, i.e. â
push +collapse-allâ would be interpreted as if you had typed +âcâ, followed by âoâ, followed by +âlâ, ..., which is not desired and may lead to very +unexpected behavior. ++Keystrokes can be used, too, but are less portable because of +potentially changed key bindings. With default bindings, this is +equivalent to the above example: +
+folder-hook . 'push \eV' ++because it simulates that Esc+V was pressed (which is the default +binding of
<collapse-all>). +Usage:
execfunction[function...]-This command can be used to execute any function. Functions are -listed in the function reference. -âexec functionâ is equivalent to âpush <function>â. -
Usage:
score+This command can be used to execute any function. Functions are listed +in the function reference. +âexecfunctionâ is +equivalent to âpush <function>â. +Usage:
scorepatternvalue-
unscore{ +unscore{*|pattern... }-The
scorecommands 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 asËb, -ËBorËh, may not be used). value is a -positive or negative integer. A message's final score is the sum total of all -matchingscoreentries. 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
unscorecommand removes score entries from the list. You must -specify the same pattern specified in thescorecommand for it to be -removed. The pattern â*â is a special token which means to clear the list -of all score entries. -Usage:
spam+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,~Bor +~h, may not be used). value is +a positive or negative integer. A message's final score is the sum +total of all matching score entries. However, you +may optionally prefix value with an equal sign +(â=â) to cause evaluation to stop at a particular entry if +there is a match. Negative final scores are rounded up to 0. ++The unscore command removes score entries from the +list. You must specify the same pattern specified +in the score command for it to be removed. The +pattern â*â is a special token which means to clear the +list of all score entries. +
Usage:
spampatternformat-
nospam{ +nospam{*|pattern}-Mutt has generalized support for external spam-scoring filters. -By defining your spam patterns with the
spamandnospam-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%Hselector in the $index_format variable. (Tip: try%?H?[%H] ?-to display spam tags only when they are defined for a given message.) +Mutt has generalized support for external spam-scoring filters. By +defining your spam patterns with the spam and +nospamcommands, 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 +%Hselector 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
spamcommand. pattern should be a regular expression -that matches a header in a mail message. If any message in the mailbox -matches this regular expression, it will receive a âspam tagâ or -âspam attributeâ (unless it also matches anospampattern -- see -below.) The appearance of this attribute is entirely up to you, and is -governed by the format parameter. format can be any static -text, but it also can include back-references from the pattern -expression. (A regular expression âback-referenceâ refers to a -sub-expression contained within parentheses.)%1is replaced with -the first back-reference in the regex,%2with the second, etc. --If you're using multiple spam filters, a message can have more than -one spam-related header. You can define
spampatterns for each -filter you use. If a message matches two or more of these patterns, and -the $spam_separator variable is set to a string, then the -message's spam tag will consist of all the format strings joined -together, with the value of $spam_separator separating -them. --For example, suppose I use DCC, SpamAssassin, and PureMessage. I might -define these spam settings: -
Example 3.13. Configuring spam detection
+the spam command. pattern should +be a regular expression that matches a header in a mail message. If any +message in the mailbox matches this regular expression, it will receive +a âspam tagâ or âspam attributeâ (unless it +also matches a nospam pattern â see below.) The +appearance of this attribute is entirely up to you, and is governed by +the format parameter. format +can be any static text, but it also can include back-references from the +pattern expression. (A regular expression +âback-referenceâ refers to a sub-expression contained +within parentheses.)%1is replaced with the first +back-reference in the regex,%2with the second, etc. ++To match spam tags, mutt needs the corresponding header information +which is always the case for local and POP folders but not for IMAP in +the default configuration. Depending on the spam header to be analyzed, +$imap_headers may need to be +adjusted. +
+If you're using multiple spam filters, a message can have more than one +spam-related header. You can define spam patterns for +each filter you use. If a message matches two or more of these patterns, +and the $spam_separator variable +is set to a string, then the message's spam tag will consist of all the +format strings joined together, with the value of +$spam_separator separating them. +
+For example, suppose one uses DCC, SpamAssassin, and PureMessage, then +the configuration might look like in Example 3.14, âConfiguring spam detectionâ. +
Example 3.14. Configuring spam detection
spam "X-DCC-.*-Metrics:.*(....)=many" "90+/DCC-%1" spam "X-Spam-Status: Yes" "90+/SA" spam "X-PerlMX-Spam: .*Probability=([0-9]+)%" "%1/PM" set spam_separator=", "-If I then received a message that DCC registered with âmanyâ hits -under the âFuz2â checksum, and that PureMessage registered with a -97% probability of being spam, that message's spam tag would read -
90+/DCC-Fuz2, 97/PM. (The four characters before â=manyâ in a -DCC report indicate the checksum used -- in this case, âFuz2â.) --If the $spam_separator variable is unset, then each -spam pattern match supersedes the previous one. Instead of getting -joined format strings, you'll get only the last one to match. +If then a message is received that DCC registered with +âmanyâ hits under the âFuz2â checksum, and +that PureMessage registered with a 97% probability of being spam, that +message's spam tag would read
90+/DCC-Fuz2, +97/PM. (The four characters before â=manyâ in a +DCC report indicate the checksum used â in this case, +âFuz2â.) ++If the $spam_separator variable is +unset, then each spam pattern match supersedes the previous one. Instead +of getting joined format strings, you'll get only +the last one to match.
The spam tag is what will be displayed in the index when you use -
%Hin the$index_formatvariable. It's also the -string that theËHpattern-matching expression matches against for -<search>and<limit>functions. And it's what sorting by spam -attribute will use as a sort key. +%Hin the $index_format variable. It's also the +string that the~Hpattern-matching expression +matches against for<search>and +<limit>functions. And it's what sorting by +spam attribute will use as a sort key.That's a pretty complicated example, and most people's actual environments will have only one spam filter. The simpler your -configuration, the more effective mutt can be, especially when it comes +configuration, the more effective Mutt can be, especially when it comes to sorting.
-Generally, when you sort by spam tag, mutt will sort lexically -- -that is, by ordering strings alphanumerically. However, if a spam tag -begins with a number, mutt will sort numerically first, and lexically -only when two numbers are equal in value. (This is like UNIX's -
sort -n.) A message with no spam attributes at all -- that is, one -that didn't match any of yourspampatterns -- is sorted at -lowest priority. Numbers are sorted next, beginning with 0 and ranging -upward. Finally, non-numeric strings are sorted, with âaâ taking lower -priority than âzâ. Clearly, in general, sorting by spam tags is most -effective when you can coerce your filter to give you a raw number. But -in case you can't, mutt can still do something useful. --The
nospamcommand can be used to write exceptions tospam-patterns. If a header pattern matches something in aspamcommand, -but you nonetheless do not want it to receive a spam tag, you can list a -more precise pattern under anospamcommand. --If the pattern given to
nospamis exactly the same as the -pattern on an existingspamlist entry, the effect will be to -remove the entry from the spam list, instead of adding an exception. -Likewise, if the pattern for aspamcommand matches an entry -on thenospamlist, thatnospamentry will be removed. If the -pattern fornospamis â*â, all entries on both lists -will be removed. This might be the default action if you usespam-andnospamin conjunction with afolder-hook. --You can have as many
spamornospamcommands as you like. -You can even do your own primitive spam detection within mutt -- for -example, if you consider all mail fromMAILER-DAEMONto be spam, -you can use aspamcommand like this: +Generally, when you sort by spam tag, Mutt will sort +lexically â that is, by ordering strings +alphanumerically. However, if a spam tag begins with a number, Mutt will +sort numerically first, and lexically only when two numbers are equal in +value. (This is like UNIX'ssort -n.) A message with +no spam attributes at all â that is, one that didn't match +any of your spam patterns +â is sorted at lowest priority. Numbers are sorted next, beginning +with 0 and ranging upward. Finally, non-numeric strings are sorted, with +âaâ taking lower priority than âzâ. Clearly, +in general, sorting by spam tags is most effective when you can coerce +your filter to give you a raw number. But in case you can't, Mutt can +still do something useful. ++The nospam command can be used to write exceptions to +spam patterns. If a header pattern matches something +in a spam command, but you nonetheless do not want it +to receive a spam tag, you can list a more precise pattern under a +nospam command. +
+If the pattern given to nospam +is exactly the same as the pattern on an existing +spam list entry, the effect will be to remove the +entry from the spam list, instead of adding an exception. Likewise, if +the pattern for a spam command +matches an entry on the nospam list, that nospam +entry will be removed. If the pattern for +nospam is â*â, all entries on +both lists will be removed. This might be the default action +if you use spam and nospam in +conjunction with a folder-hook. +
+You can have as many spam or +nospam commands as you like. You can even do your +own primitive spam detection within Mutt â for +example, if you consider all mail from
MAILER-DAEMON+to be spam, you can use a spam command like this:spam "^From: .*MAILER-DAEMON" "999" -+Mutt supports these types of configuration variables: +
- boolean
+A boolean expression, either âyesâ or ânoâ. +
- 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 8, âMailbox Shortcutsâ) as well as tilde +(â~â) for a user's home directory and more. +
- quadoption
+Like a boolean but triggers a prompt when set to âask-yesâ +or âask-noâ with âyesâ and ânoâ +preselected respectively. +
- sort order
+A specialized string allowing only particular words as values depending +on the variable. +
- regular expression
+A regular expression, see Section 2, âRegular Expressionsâ 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 +â
user@example.org (Joe User)â form is +supported but strongly deprecated. +- user-defined
+Arbitrary text, see Section 26.3, âUser-Defined Variablesâ for details. +
The following commands are available to manipulate and query variables:
Usage:
set{ [no|inv]variable|variable=value- } [...]
toggle+ } [...]togglevariable[variable-...]
unset+...]unsetvariable[variable-...]
reset+...]resetvariable[variable...]-This command is used to set (and unset) configuration variables. There are four basic types of variables: -boolean, number, string and quadoption. boolean variables can be -set (true) or unset (false). number variables can be -assigned a positive integer value. -string variables consist of any number of printable characters and -must be enclosed in quotes if they contain spaces or tabs. You -may also use the escape sequences â\nâ and â\tâ for newline and tab, respectively. -quadoption variables are used to control whether or not to be prompted -for certain actions, or to specify a default action. A value of yes -will cause the action to be carried out automatically as if you had answered -yes to the question. Similarly, a value of no will cause the -action to be carried out as if you had answered âno.â A value of -ask-yes will cause a prompt with a default answer of âyesâ and -ask-no will provide a default answer of âno.â -
-Prefixing a variable with ânoâ will unset it. Example:
set noaskbcc. --For boolean variables, you may optionally prefix the variable name with -
invto toggle the value (on or off). This is useful when writing -macros. Example:set invsmart_wrap. --The
togglecommand automatically prepends theinvprefix to all -specified variables. --The
unsetcommand automatically prepends thenoprefix to all -specified variables. --Using the
<enter-command>function in the index menu, you can query the -value of a variable by prefixing the name of the variable with a question -mark: +This command is used to set (and unset) configuration variables. There are four +basic types of variables: boolean, number, string and quadoption. +boolean variables can be set +(true) or unset (false). +number variables can be assigned a positive integer +value. string variables consist of any number of +printable characters and must be enclosed in quotes if they contain +spaces or tabs. You may also use the escape sequences â\nâ +and â\tâ for newline and tab, respectively. +quadoption variables are used to control whether or +not to be prompted for certain actions, or to specify a default action. +A value of yes will cause the action to be carried +out automatically as if you had answered yes to the question. +Similarly, a value of no will cause the action to +be carried out as if you had answered âno.â A value of +ask-yes will cause a prompt with a default answer +of âyesâ and ask-no will provide a +default answer of âno.â ++Prefixing a variable with ânoâ will unset it. Example: +
set noaskbcc. ++For boolean variables, you may optionally prefix +the variable name with
invto toggle the value (on or +off). This is useful when writing macros. Example: +set invsmart_wrap. ++The toggle command automatically prepends the +
invprefix to all specified variables. ++The unset command automatically prepends the +
noprefix to all specified variables. ++Using the
<enter-command>function in the +index menu, you can query the value of a variable +by prefixing the name of the variable with a question mark:set ?allow_8bitThe question mark is actually only required for boolean and quadoption variables.
-The
resetcommand resets all given variables to the compile time -defaults (hopefully mentioned in this manual). If you use the command -setand prefix the variable with â&â this has the same -behavior as the reset command. --With the
resetcommand there exists the special variable âallâ, -which allows you to reset all variables to their system defaults. --Along with the variables listed in the -Configuration variables section, mutt -supports user-defined variables with names starting -with
my_as in, for -example,my_cfgdir. --The
setcommand either creates a -custommy_variable or changes its -value if it does exist already. Theunsetandreset+The reset command resets all given variables to the +compile time defaults (hopefully mentioned in this manual). If you use +the command set and prefix the variable with +â&â this has the same behavior as the +reset command. ++With the reset command there exists the special +variable âallâ, which allows you to reset all variables to +their system defaults. +
+Along with the variables listed in the Configuration variables section, Mutt +supports user-defined variables with names starting with +
my_as in, for example,my_cfgdir. ++The set command either creates a custom +
my_variable or changes its value if it does exist +already. The unset and reset commands remove the variable entirely.Since user-defined variables are expanded in the same way that -environment variables are (except for -the shell-escape command and -backtick expansion), this feature can be used to make configuration -files more readable. -
-The following example defines and uses the variable
my_cfgdir-to abbreviate the calls of the source command: -Example 3.14. Using user-defined variables for config file readability
+environment variables are (except for the shell-escape command and backtick +expansion), this feature can be used to make configuration files more +readable. ++The following example defines and uses the variable +
my_cfgdirto abbreviate the calls of the source command: +Example 3.15. Using user-defined variables for config file readability
set my_cfgdir = $HOME/mutt/config source $my_cfgdir/hooks source $my_cfgdir/macros -# more source commands... +# more source commands...A custom variable can also be used in macros to backup the current value -of another variable. In the following example, the value of the -$delete is changed temporarily -while its original value is saved as
my_delete. -After the macro has executed all commands, the original value of $delete is restored. -Example 3.15. Using user-defined variables for backing up other config option values
+of another variable. In the following example, the value of the $delete is changed temporarily while its +original value is saved asmy_delete. After the +macro has executed all commands, the original value of $delete is restored. +Example 3.16. Using user-defined variables for backing up other config option values
macro pager ,x '\ <enter-command>set my_delete=$delete<enter>\ <enter-command>set delete=yes<enter>\ ...\ <enter-command>set delete=$my_delete<enter>'-Since mutt expands such values already when parsing the configuration +Since Mutt expands such values already when parsing the configuration file(s), the value of
$my_deletein the -last example would be the value of$deleteexactly +last example would be the value of $delete exactly as it was at that point during parsing the configuration file. If -another statement would change the value for$delete+another statement would change the value for $delete later in the same or another file, it would have no effect on$my_delete. However, the expansion can be deferred to runtime, as shown in the next example, when escaping the dollar sign. -Example 3.16. Deferring user-defined variable expansion to runtime
+Example 3.17. Deferring user-defined variable expansion to runtime
macro pager <PageDown> "\ <enter-command> set my_old_pager_stop=\$pager_stop pager_stop<Enter>\ <next-page>\ <enter-command> set pager_stop=\$my_old_pager_stop<Enter>\ <enter-command> unset my_old_pager_stop<Enter>"-Note that there is a space -between
<enter-command>and -thesetconfiguration command, preventing mutt from -recording the macro's commands into its history. -Usage:
source+Note that there is a space between +<enter-command>and the set +configuration command, preventing Mutt from recording the +macro's commands into its history. ++Variables are always assigned string values which Mutt parses into its +internal representation according to the type of the variable, for +example an integer number for numeric types. For all queries (including +$-expansion) the value is converted from its internal type back into +string. As a result, any variable can be assigned any value given that +its content is valid for the target. This also counts for custom +variables which are of type string. In case of parsing errors, Mutt will +print error messages. Example 3.18, âType conversions using variablesâ demonstrates type +conversions. +
Example 3.18. Type conversions using variables
+set my_lines = "5" # value is string "5" +set pager_index_lines = $my_lines # value is integer 5 + +set my_sort = "date-received" # value is string "date-received" +set sort = "last-$my_sort" # value is sort last-date-received + +set my_inc = $read_inc # value is string "10" (default of $read_inc) +set my_foo = $my_inc # value is string "10" ++These assignments are all valid. If, however, the value of +
$my_lineswould have been +âfiveâ (or something else that cannot be parsed into a +number), the assignment to +$pager_index_lineswould have +produced an error message. ++Type conversion applies to all configuration commands which take +arguments. But please note that every expanded value of a variable is +considered just a single token. A working example is: +
+set my_pattern = "~A" +set my_number = "10" + +# same as: score ~A +10 +score $my_pattern +$my_number+What does not work is: +
+set my_mx = "+mailbox1 +mailbox2" +mailboxes $my_mx +mailbox3+because the value of
$my_mxis interpreted as a +single mailbox named â+mailbox1 +mailbox2â and not two +distinct mailboxes. +Usage:
sourcefilename-This command allows the inclusion of initialization commands -from other files. For example, I place all of my aliases in -
Ë/.mail_aliasesso that I can make my -Ë/.muttrcreadable and keep my aliases private. --If the filename begins with a tilde (âËâ), it will be expanded to the -path of your home directory. -
-If the filename ends with a vertical bar (|), then filename is -considered to be an executable program from which to read input (eg. -
source Ë/bin/myscript|). -Usage:
unhook{ +This command allows the inclusion of initialization commands from other +files. For example, I place all of my aliases in +~/.mail_aliasesso that I can make my +~/.muttrcreadable and keep my aliases private. ++If the filename begins with a tilde (â~â), it will be +expanded to the path of your home directory. +
+If the filename ends with a vertical bar (â|â), then +filename is considered to be an executable program +from which to read input (e.g.
source +~/bin/myscript|). +Usage:
unhook{*|hook-type}This command permits you to flush hooks you have previously defined. -You can either remove all hooks by giving the â*â character as an -argument, or you can remove all hooks of a specific type by saying -something like
unhook send-hook. -+You can either remove all hooks by giving the â*â character +as an argument, or you can remove all hooks of a specific type by saying +something like
unhook send-hook. +Format strings are a general concept you'll find in several locations -through the mutt configuration, especially in the -$index_format, -$pager_format, -$status_format, -and other â*_formatâ variables. These can be very straightforward, -and it's quite possible you already know how to use them. -
-The most basic format string element is a percent symbol followed -by another character. For example,
%s-represents a message's Subject: header in the $index_format variable. The -âexpandosâ available are documented with each format variable, but -there are general modifiers available with all formatting expandos, -too. Those are our concern here. --Some of the modifiers are borrowed right out of C (though you might -know them from Perl, Python, shell, or another language). These are -the [-]m.n modifiers, as in
%-12.12s. As with -such programming languages, these modifiers allow you to specify the -minimum and maximum size of the resulting string, as well as its -justification. If the â-â sign follows the percent, the string will -be left-justified instead of right-justified. If there's a number -immediately following that, it's the minimum amount of space the -formatted string will occupy -- if it's naturally smaller than that, it -will be padded out with spaces. If a decimal point and another number -follow, that's the maximum space allowable -- the string will not be -permitted to exceed that width, no matter its natural size. Each of -these three elements is optional, so that all these are legal format -strings: -%-12s-%4c-%.15F-%-12.15L+through the Mutt configuration, especially in the $index_format, $pager_format, $status_format, and other related +variables. These can be very straightforward, and it's quite possible +you already know how to use them. ++The most basic format string element is a percent symbol followed by +another character. For example,
%srepresents a +message's Subject: header in the $index_format variable. The +âexpandosâ available are documented with each format +variable, but there are general modifiers available with all formatting +expandos, too. Those are our concern here. ++Some of the modifiers are borrowed right out of C (though you might know +them from Perl, Python, shell, or another language). These are the +
[-]m.nmodifiers, as in +%-12.12s. As with such programming languages, these +modifiers allow you to specify the minimum and maximum size of the +resulting string, as well as its justification. If the â-â +sign follows the percent, the string will be left-justified instead of +right-justified. If there's a number immediately following that, it's +the minimum amount of space the formatted string will occupy â if +it's naturally smaller than that, it will be padded out with spaces. If +a decimal point and another number follow, that's the maximum space +allowable â the string will not be permitted to exceed that width, +no matter its natural size. Each of these three elements is optional, so +that all these are legal format strings:%-12s, +%4c,%.15Fand +%-12.15L.Mutt adds some other modifiers to format strings. If you use an equals symbol (
=) as a numeric prefix (like the minus -above), it will force the string to be centered within its minimum -space range. For example,%=14ywill reserve 14 -characters for the %y expansion -- that's the X-Label: header, in -$index_format. If the expansion -results in a string less than 14 characters, it will be centered in a -14-character space. If the X-Label for a message were "test", that -expansion would look like â test â. +above), it will force the string to be centered within its minimum space +range. For example,%=14ywill reserve 14 characters +for the %y expansion â that's the X-Label: header, in $index_format. If the expansion results in +a string less than 14 characters, it will be centered in a 14-character +space. If the X-Label for a message were âtestâ, that +expansion would look like +â     test     â.There are two very little-known modifiers that affect the way that an -expando is replaced. If there is an underline (â_â) character -between any format modifiers (as above) and the expando letter, it will -expands in all lower case. And if you use a colon (â:â), it will -replace all decimal points with underlines. -
-Any format string ending in a vertical bar (â|â) will be -expanded and piped through the first word in the string, using spaces -as separator. The string returned will be used for display. -If the returned string ends in %, it will be passed through -the formatter a second time. This allows the filter to generate a -replacement format string including % expandos. -
-All % expandos in a format string are expanded before the script -is called so that: -
Example 3.17. Using external filters in format strings
+expando is replaced. If there is an underline (â_â) +character between any format modifiers (as above) and the expando +letter, it will expands in all lower case. And if you use a colon +(â:â), it will replace all decimal points with underlines. ++Depending on the format string variable, some of its sequences can be +used to optionally print a string if their value is nonzero. For +example, you may only want to see the number of flagged messages if such +messages exist, since zero is not particularly meaningful. To optionally +print a string based upon one of the above sequences, the following +construct is used: +
+%?<sequence_char>?<optional_string>?+where sequence_char is an expando, and +optional_string is the string you would like +printed if sequence_char is nonzero. +optional_string may contain other sequences as well +as normal text, but you may not nest optional strings. +
+Here is an example illustrating how to optionally print the number of +new messages in a mailbox in $status_format: +
+%?n?%n new messages.?+You can also switch between two strings using the following construct: +
+%?<sequence_char>?<if_string>&<else_string>?+If the value of sequence_char is non-zero, +if_string will be expanded, otherwise +else_string will be expanded. +
+Any format string ending in a vertical bar (â|â) will be +expanded and piped through the first word in the string, using spaces as +separator. The string returned will be used for display. If the +returned string ends in %, it will be passed through the formatter a +second time. This allows the filter to generate a replacement format +string including % expandos. +
+All % expandos in a format string are expanded before the script is +called so that: +
Example 3.19. Using external filters in format strings
set status_format="script.sh '%r %f (%L)'|"-will make mutt expand
%r, -%fand%L-before calling the script. The example also shows that arguments can be -quoted: the script will receive the expanded string between the single quotes -as the only argument. --A practical example is the
mutt_xtitle-script installed in thesamples-subdirectory of the mutt documentation: it can be used as filter for -$status_formatto set the current +will make Mutt expand%r,%fand +%Lbefore calling the script. The example also shows +that arguments can be quoted: the script will receive the expanded +string between the single quotes as the only argument. ++A practical example is the
mutt_xtitlescript +installed in thesamplessubdirectory of the Mutt +documentation: it can be used as filter for $status_format to set the current terminal's title, if supported. -Table of Contents
- 1. Regular Expressions
- 2. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging
- 3. Using Tags
- 4. Using Hooks
- 5. External Address Queries
- 6. Mailbox Formats
- 7. Mailbox Shortcuts
- 8. Handling Mailing Lists
- 9. Handling multiple folders
- 10. Editing threads
- 11. Delivery Status Notification (DSN) Support
- 12. Start a WWW Browser on URLs
-All string patterns in Mutt including those in more complex -patterns must be specified -using regular expressions (regexp) in the âPOSIX extendedâ syntax (which +
+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 charactersXin between two +items so that the rest of the line will be right-justified. For example, +to not put the version string and hostname the above example on the left +but on the right and fill the gap with spaces, one might use (note the +space after%>): ++set status_format = "%B: %?n?%n&no? new messages %> (%v on %h)"%*X++Normal right-justification will print everything to the left of the +
%>, displaying padding and whatever lies to the +right only if there's room. By contrast, âsoft-fillâ gives +priority to the right-hand side, guaranteeing space to display it and +showing padding only if there's still room. If necessary, soft-fill will +eat text leftwards to make room for rightward text. For example, to +right-justify the subject making sure as much as possible of it fits on +screen, one might use (note two spaces after%*: the +second ensures there's a space between the truncated right-hand side and +the subject): ++set index_format="%4C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15L (%?l?%4l&%4c?)%* %s"Table of Contents
- 1. Character Set Handling
- 2. Regular Expressions
- 3. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging
- 4. Using Tags
- 5. Using Hooks
- 6. External Address Queries
- 7. Mailbox Formats
- 8. Mailbox Shortcuts
- 9. Handling Mailing Lists
- 10. New Mail Detection
- 11. Editing Threads
- 12. Delivery Status Notification (DSN) Support
- 13. Start a WWW Browser on URLs
- 14. Miscellany
+A âcharacter setâ is basically a mapping between bytes and +glyphs and implies a certain character encoding scheme. For example, for +the ISO 8859 family of character sets, an encoding of 8bit per character +is used. For the Unicode character set, different character encodings +may be used, UTF-8 being the most popular. In UTF-8, a character is +represented using a variable number of bytes ranging from 1 to 4. +
+Since Mutt is a command-line tool run from a shell, and delegates +certain tasks to external tools (such as an editor for composing/editing +messages), all of these tools need to agree on a character set and +encoding. There exists no way to reliably deduce the character set a +plain text file has. Interoperability is gained by the use of +well-defined environment variables. The full set can be printed by +issuing
localeon the command line. ++Upon startup, Mutt determines the character set on its own using +routines that inspect locale-specific environment variables. Therefore, +it is generally not necessary to set the
$charset+variable in Mutt. It may even be counter-productive as Mutt uses system +and library functions that derive the character set themselves and on +which Mutt has no influence. It's safest to let Mutt work out the locale +setup itself. ++If you happen to work with several character sets on a regular basis, +it's highly advisable to use Unicode and an UTF-8 locale. Unicode can +represent nearly all characters in a message at the same time. When not +using a Unicode locale, it may happen that you receive messages with +characters not representable in your locale. When displaying such a +message, or replying to or forwarding it, information may get lost +possibly rendering the message unusable (not only for you but also for +the recipient, this breakage is not reversible as lost information +cannot be guessed). +
+A Unicode locale makes all conversions superfluous which eliminates the +risk of conversion errors. It also eliminates potentially wrong +expectations about the character set between Mutt and external programs. +
+The terminal emulator used also must be properly configured for the +current locale. Terminal emulators usually do not +derive the locale from environment variables, they need to be configured +separately. If the terminal is incorrectly configured, Mutt may display +random and unexpected characters (question marks, octal codes, or just +random glyphs), format strings may not work as expected, you may not be +abled to enter non-ascii characters, and possible more. Data is always +represented using bytes and so a correct setup is very important as to +the machine, all character sets âlookâ the same. +
+Warning: A mismatch between what system and library functions think the +locale is and what Mutt was told what the locale is may make it behave +badly with non-ascii input: it will fail at seemingly random places. +This warning is to be taken seriously since not only local mail handling +may suffer: sent messages may carry wrong character set information the +receiver has too deal with. The need to set +
$charsetdirectly in most cases points at terminal +and environment variable setup problems, not Mutt problems. ++A list of officially assigned and known character sets can be found at +IANA, +a list of locally supported locales can be obtained by running +
locale -a. ++All string patterns in Mutt including those in more complex patterns must be specified using regular +expressions (regexp) in the âPOSIX extendedâ 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
-Note that â\â -must be quoted if used for a regular expression in an initialization -command: â\\â. +
Note
+â\â must be quoted if used for a regular expression in an +initialization command: â\\â.
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
-Note that 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 -for more information on " and ' delimiter processing. To match a -literal " or ' you must preface it with \ (backslash). +
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 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, +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 â.â matches any single character. The caret â^â and -the dollar sign â$â are metacharacters that respectively match -the empty string at the beginning and end of a line. -
-A list of characters enclosed by â[â and â]â matches any -single character in that list; if the first character of the list -is a caret â^â 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 -â-â. Most metacharacters lose their special meaning inside -lists. To include a literal â]â place it first in the list. -Similarly, to include a literal â^â place it anywhere but first. -Finally, to include a literal hyphen â-â place it last. +The period â.â matches any single character. The caret +â^â and the dollar sign â$â are metacharacters +that respectively match the empty string at the beginning and end of a +line. +
+A list of characters enclosed by â[â and â]â +matches any single character in that list; if the first character of the +list is a caret â^â 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 â-â. Most +metacharacters lose their special meaning inside lists. To include a +literal â]â place it first in the list. Similarly, to +include a literal â^â place it anywhere but first. +Finally, to include a literal hyphen â-â place it last.
Certain named classes of characters are predefined. Character classes -consist of â[:â, a keyword denoting the class, and â:]â. -The following classes are defined by the POSIX standard in -Table 4.1, âPOSIX regular expression character classesâ -
Table 4.1. POSIX regular expression character classes
Character class Description [: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 âaâ 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 â[:â, a keyword denoting the class, and +â:]â. The following classes are defined by the POSIX +standard in +Table 4.1, âPOSIX regular expression character classesâ +
Table 4.1. POSIX regular expression character classes
Character class Description [: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 âaâ 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
-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]. +
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].
Two additional special sequences can appear in character lists. These apply to non-ASCII character sets, which can have single symbols (called @@ -1948,256 +2360,295 @@ 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 -â[.â and â.]â. For example, if âchâ is a collating -element, then [[.ch.]] is a regexp that matches -this collating element, while [ch] is a regexp that -matches either âcâ or âhâ. +â[.â and â.]â. For example, if +âchâ is a collating element, then +[[.ch.]] is a regexp that matches this collating +element, while [ch] is a regexp that matches either +âcâ or âhâ.
- Equivalence Classes
-An equivalence class is a locale-specific name for a list of -characters that are equivalent. The name is enclosed in â[=â -and â=]â. For example, the name âeâ might be used to -represent all of âèâ âéâ and âeâ. In this case, -[[=e=]] is a regexp that matches any of -âèâ, âéâ and âeâ. +An equivalence class is a locale-specific name for a list of characters +that are equivalent. The name is enclosed in â[=â and +â=]â. For example, the name âeâ might be used +to represent all of âeâ with grave +(âèâ), âeâ with acute +(âéâ) and âeâ. In this case, +[[=e=]] is a regexp that matches any of: +âeâ with grave (âèâ), âeâ +with acute (âéâ) and âeâ.
A regular expression matching a single character may be followed by one -of several repetition operators described in Table 4.2, âRegular expression repetition operatorsâ. +of several repetition operators described in Table 4.2, âRegular expression repetition operatorsâ.
Table 4.2. Regular expression repetition operators
Operator Description ? 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 â|â; -the resulting regular expression matches any string matching either -subexpression. +Two regular expressions may be joined by the infix operator +â|â; 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 as described in Table 4.3, âGNU regular expression extensionsâ. +
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, âGNU regular expression extensionsâ.
Table 4.3. GNU regular expression extensions
Expression Description \\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 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. -
Many of Mutt's commands allow you to specify a pattern to match (
limit,tag-pattern, -delete-pattern, etc.). Table 4.4, âPattern modifiersâ +delete-pattern, etc.). Table 4.4, âPattern modifiersâ shows several ways to select messages. -Table 4.4. Pattern modifiers
Pattern modifier Description ~A all messages ~b EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the message body =b STRING messages 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 EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the whole message ~c EXPR messages carbon-copied to EXPR %c GROUP messages carbon-copied to any member of GROUP ~C EXPR messages either to: or cc: EXPR %C GROUP messages either to: or cc: to any member of GROUP ~d [MIN]-[MAX] messages with âdate-sentâ in a Date range ~D deleted messages ~e EXPR messages which contains EXPR in the âSenderâ field %e GROUP messages which contain a member of GROUP in the âSenderâ field ~E expired messages ~F flagged messages ~f EXPR messages originating from EXPR %f GROUP messages originating from any member of GROUP ~g cryptographically signed messages ~G cryptographically encrypted messages ~h EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the message header ~H EXPR messages with a spam attribute matching EXPR ~i EXPR messages which match EXPR in the âMessage-IDâ field ~k messages which contain PGP key material ~L EXPR messages either originated or received by EXPR %L GROUP message either originated or received by any member of GROUP ~l messages 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 *) ~N new messages ~O old messages ~p messages addressed to you (consults alternates) ~P messages from you (consults alternates) ~Q messages which have been replied to ~r [MIN]-[MAX] messages with âdate-receivedâ in a Date range ~R read messages ~s EXPR messages having EXPR in the âSubjectâ field. ~S superseded messages ~t EXPR messages addressed to EXPR ~T tagged messages ~u messages addressed to a subscribed mailing list ~U unread messages ~v messages part of a collapsed thread. ~V cryptographically verified messages ~x EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the âReferencesâ field ~X [MIN]-[MAX] messages with MIN to MAX attachments *) ~y EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the âX-Labelâ 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 + Table 4.4. Pattern modifiers
Pattern modifier Description ~A all messages ~b EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the message body =b STRING messages 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 EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the whole message ~c EXPR messages carbon-copied to EXPR %c GROUP messages carbon-copied to any member of GROUP ~C EXPR messages either to: or cc: EXPR %C GROUP messages either to: or cc: to any member of GROUP ~d [MIN]-[MAX] messages with âdate-sentâ in a Date range ~D deleted messages ~e EXPR messages which contains EXPR in the âSenderâ field %e GROUP messages which contain a member of GROUP in the âSenderâ field ~E expired messages ~F flagged messages ~f EXPR messages originating from EXPR %f GROUP messages originating from any member of GROUP ~g cryptographically signed messages ~G cryptographically encrypted messages ~h EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the message header ~H EXPR messages with a spam attribute matching EXPR ~i EXPR messages which match EXPR in the âMessage-IDâ field ~k messages which contain PGP key material ~L EXPR messages either originated or received by EXPR %L GROUP message either originated or received by any member of GROUP ~l messages 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 *) ~N new messages ~O old messages ~p messages addressed to you (consults alternates) ~P messages from you (consults alternates) ~Q messages which have been replied to ~r [MIN]-[MAX] messages with âdate-receivedâ in a Date range ~R read messages ~s EXPR messages having EXPR in the âSubjectâ field. ~S superseded messages ~t EXPR messages addressed to EXPR ~T tagged messages ~u messages addressed to a subscribed mailing list ~U unread messages ~v messages part of a collapsed thread. ~V cryptographically verified messages ~x EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the âReferencesâ or âIn-Reply-Toâ field ~X [MIN]-[MAX] messages with MIN to MAX attachments *) ~y EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the âX-Labelâ 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. 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 (â\â), -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 (â\\â). You can force mutt to treat EXPR as a simple string -instead of a regular expression by using = instead of Ë in the -pattern name. For example,
=b *.*will find all messages that contain -the literal string â*.*â. 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=hspecially: -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 â<[MAX]â, â>[MIN]â, -â[MIN]-â and â-[MAX]â -are allowed, too. -
Note
-Note that 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 â^â. -This example matches all mails which only has recipients from Germany. -
+Where EXPR is a regular expression, and GROUP is an +address group. ++*) The forms â<[MAX]â, +â>[MIN]â, +â[MIN]-â and +â-[MAX]â are allowed, too. +
+**) The suffixes âKâ and âMâ are allowed to +specify kilobyte and megabyte respectively. +
+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 (â\â), 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 +(â\\â). 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 â*.*â. 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=hspecially: it must be of the form +âheader: substringâ 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. ++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 â^â. This example matches all mails which only has +recipients from Germany. +
Example 4.1. Matching all addresses in address lists
^~C \.de$ --Mutt supports two versions of so called âsimple searchesâ which 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: âËâ, â=â or â%â). If the query is -supposed to contain one of these special characters, they must be escaped -by prepending a backslash (â\â). +
+Mutt supports two versions of so called âsimple +searchesâ. These are issued if the query entered for searching, +limiting and similar operations does not seem to contain a valid pattern +modifier (i.e. it does not contain one of these characters: +â~â, â=â or â%â). If the query is +supposed to contain one of these special characters, they must be +escaped by prepending a backslash (â\â).
The first type is by checking whether the query string equals -a keyword case-insensitively from Table 4.5, âSimple search keywordsâ: +a keyword case-insensitively from Table 4.5, âSimple search keywordsâ: 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 âflagâ -(using $simple_search) +example, if you want to find all messages matching âflagâ +(using $simple_search) but don't want to match flagged messages, simply search for -â
[f]lagâ. +â[f]lagâ.Table 4.5. Simple search keywords
Keyword Pattern 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 -as a template. Mutt will insert your query properly quoted and search -for the composed complex query. -
+The second type of simple search is to build a complex search pattern +using $simple_search as a +template. Mutt will insert your query properly quoted and search for the +composed complex query. +
Logical AND is performed by specifying more than one criterion. For example:
~t mutt ~f elkins-would select messages which contain the word âmuttâ in the list of -recipients and that have the word âelkinsâ in the âFromâ header -field. -
-Mutt also recognizes the following operators to create more complex search -patterns: -
-! -- logical NOT operator -
-| -- logical OR operator -
-() -- logical grouping operator +would select messages which contain the word âmuttâ in the +list of recipients and that have the word +âelkinsâ in the âFromâ header field. +
+Mutt also recognizes the following operators to create more complex +search patterns: +
+! â logical NOT operator +
+| â logical OR operator +
+() â logical grouping operator
-Here is an example illustrating a complex search pattern. This pattern will -select all messages which do not contain âmuttâ in the âToâ or âCcâ -field and which are from âelkinsâ. -
Example 4.1. Using boolean operators in patterns
+Here is an example illustrating a complex search pattern. This pattern +will select all messages which do not contain âmuttâ in the +âToâ or âCcâ field and which are from +âelkinsâ. +-Here is an example using white space in the regular expression (note -the ' and " delimiters). For this to match, the mail's subject must -match the â^Junk +From +Me$â and it must be from either âJim +Somebodyâ -or âEd +SomeoneElseâ: +Here is an example using white space in the regular expression (note the +â'â and â"â delimiters). For this to match, +the mail's subject must match the â^Junk +From +Me$â and it +must be from either âJim +Somebodyâ or âEd ++SomeoneElseâ:
- '~s "^Junk +From +Me$" ~f ("Jim +Somebody"|"Ed +SomeoneElse")' -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)"--Without the quotes, the parenthesis wouldn't end. -This would be separated to two OR'd patterns: Ëf me@(mutt\.org -and cs\.hmc\.edu). They are never what you want. -
-Mutt supports two types of dates, absolute and relative. -
-Absolute. 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: +'~s "^Junk +From +Me$" ~f ("Jim +Somebody"|"Ed +SomeoneElse")' +
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)"Without the quotes, the +parenthesis wouldn't end. This would be separated to two OR'd patterns: +~f me@(mutt\.org and +cs\.hmc\.edu). They are never what you want. ++Mutt supports two types of dates, absolute and +relative. +
+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 â-DD/MM/YYâ, all -messages before the given date will be selected. If you omit the maximum -(second) date, and specify âDD/MM/YY-â, all messages after the given -date will be selected. If you specify a single date with no dash (â-â), -only messages sent on the given date will be selected. -
-Error Margins. 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 4.6, âDate unitsâ. As a special case, you can replace the -sign by a â*â character, which is equivalent to giving identical plus and minus error margins. +If you omit the minimum (first) date, and just specify +â-DD/MM/YYâ, all messages before the +given date will be selected. If you omit the maximum (second) date, and +specify âDD/MM/YY-â, all messages +after the given date will be selected. If you +specify a single date with no dash (â-â), only messages +sent on the given date will be selected. +
+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 4.6, âDate unitsâ. As a special case, you can replace the sign +by a â*â character, which is equivalent to giving identical +plus and minus error margins.
-Example: To select any messages two weeks around January 15, 2001, -you'd use the following pattern: +Example: To select any messages two weeks around January 15, 2001, 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 -be specified as: -
->offset (messages older than offset units) -
-<offset (messages newer than offset units) -
-=offset (messages exactly offset units old) +
+This type of date is relative to the current date, and may be specified +as: +
+>offset for messages older than +offset units +
+<offset for messages newer than +offset units +
+=offset for messages exactly +offset units old
-offset is specified as a positive number with one of the units from Table 4.6, âDate unitsâ. +offset is specified as a positive number with one +of the units from Table 4.6, âDate unitsâ.
Example: to select messages less than 1 month old, you would use
Limit to messages matching: ~d <1m -Note
+
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. --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 -âshift-Tâ by default. Or you can select individual messages by -hand using the<tag-message>function, which is bound to âtâ by -default. See patterns for Mutt's pattern -matching syntax. +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. ++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 âshift-Tâ by default. Or you can select individual +messages by hand using the<tag-message>+function, which is bound to âtâ by default. See patterns for Mutt's pattern matching syntax.Once you have tagged the desired messages, you can use the -âtag-prefixâ operator, which is the â;â (semicolon) key by default. -When the âtag-prefixâ operator is used, the next operation will -be applied to all tagged messages if that operation can be used in that -manner. If the $auto_tag -variable is set, the next operation applies to the tagged messages -automatically, without requiring the âtag-prefixâ. -
-In macros or push commands, -you can use the âtag-prefix-condâ operator. If there are no tagged -messages, mutt will "eat" the rest of the macro to abort it's execution. -Mutt will stop "eating" the macro when it encounters the âend-condâ -operator; after this operator the rest of the macro will be executed as -normal. -
-A hook is a concept found in many other programs which allows you to -execute arbitrary commands before performing some operation. For example, -you may wish to tailor your configuration based upon which mailbox you are -reading, or to whom you are sending mail. In the Mutt world, a hook -consists of a regular expression or -pattern along with a -configuration option/command. See +âtag-prefixâ operator, which is the â;â +(semicolon) key by default. When the âtag-prefixâ operator +is used, the next operation will be applied to all +tagged messages if that operation can be used in that manner. If the +$auto_tag variable is set, the next +operation applies to the tagged messages automatically, without +requiring the âtag-prefixâ. +
+In macros or push commands, you can use the +
<tag-prefix-cond>operator. If there are no +tagged messages, Mutt will âeatâ the rest of the macro to +abort it's execution. Mutt will stop âeatingâ the macro +when it encounters the<end-cond>operator; +after this operator the rest of the macro will be executed as normal. ++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: -
-folder-hook -
-send-hook -
-message-hook -
-save-hook -
-mbox-hook -
-fcc-hook -
+account-hook +
+charset-hook +
+crypt-hook +
+fcc-hook +
+folder-hook +
+iconv-hook +
+mbox-hook +
+message-hook +
+reply-hook +
+save-hook +
+send-hook +
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: -
Example 4.2. Combining
send-hookandmy_hdr+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 âdefaultâ hook needs to be added before all +other hooks of that type to restore configuration defaults. +
Example 4.3. Specifying a âdefaultâ hook
send-hook . 'unmy_hdr From:' send-hook ~C'^b@b\.b$' my_hdr from: c@c.c --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 -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 -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 -the message (i.e., from, to, cc, date, subject, etc.). +
+In Example 4.3, âSpecifying a âdefaultâ hookâ, by default the value of $from and $realname is not overridden. When sending +messages either To: or Cc: to
<b@b.b>, the +From: header is changed to<c@c.c>. ++Hooks that act upon messages (message-hook, +reply-hook, send-hook, +send2-hook, save-hook, +fcc-hook) are evaluated in a slightly different +manner. For the other types of hooks, a regular +expression is sufficient. But in dealing with messages a finer +grain of control is needed for matching since for different purposes you +want to match different criteria. +
+Mutt allows the use of the search +pattern language for matching messages in hook commands. This +works in exactly the same way as it would when +limiting or searching the +mailbox, except that you are restricted to those operators which match +information Mutt extracts from the header of the message (i.e., from, +to, cc, date, subject, etc.).
For example, if you wanted to set your return address based upon sending mail to a specific address, you could do something like: @@ -2207,21 +2658,20 @@ send-hook '~t ^me@cs\.hmc\.edu$' '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 -at that time will be used. -
+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 at that +time will be used. +
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 -command to use. For example: +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'" +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 @@ -2236,258 +2686,365 @@ 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). -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 -to mail, start a new query, or have a new query appended to the current +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 to mail, +start a new query, or have a new query appended to the current 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 -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 -menu. At the query menu, you can select one or more addresses to be -added to the prompt. --Mutt supports reading and writing of four different 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. -
-mbox. This is the most widely used mailbox format for UNIX. All -messages are stored in a single file. Each message has a line of the form: +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 menu. At the query menu, you +can select one or more addresses to be added to the prompt. ++Mutt supports reading and writing of four different local mailbox +formats: mbox, MMDF, MH and Maildir. The mailbox type is auto detected, +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. A short description of +the formats follows. +
+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 PSTto denote the start of a new message (this is often referred to as the -âFrom_â line). -
-MMDF. This is a variant of the mbox format. Each message is -surrounded by lines containing â^A^A^A^Aâ (four control-A's). -
-MH. A radical departure from mbox and MMDF, a mailbox +âFrom_â 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 â^A^A^A^Aâ (four times 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. 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 -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. -
-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. -
-! -- refers to your $spoolfile (incoming) mailbox -
-> -- refers to your $mbox file -
-< -- refers to your $record file -
-^ -- refers to the current mailbox -
-- or !! -- refers to the file you've last visited -
-Ë -- refers to your home directory -
-= or + -- refers to your $folder directory -
-@alias -- refers to the default save folder as determined by the address of the alias -
+renamed with a comma (â,â) prepended to the filename. Mutt +detects this type of mailbox by looking for either +
.mh_sequencesor.xmhcachefiles +(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, âHeader Cachingâ 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 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. +
+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 or in path-related configuration variables. Note +that these only work at the beginning of a string. +
Table 4.7. Mailbox shortcuts
Shortcut Refers to... !your $spoolfile (incoming) mailbox >your $mbox file <your $record file ^the current mailbox -or!!the file you've last visited ~your home directory =or+your $folder directory @alias to the default save folder as determined by the address of the alias +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=^'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. +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.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 â%Lâ -will return the string âTo <list>â when âlistâ appears in the -âToâ field, and âCc <list>â when it appears in the âCcâ -field (otherwise it returns the name of the author). -
-Often times the âToâ and âCcâ fields in mailing list messages -tend to get quite large. Most people do not bother to remove the -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 âLâ 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 +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 expando +â%Lâ will print the string âTo <list>â +when âlistâ appears in the âToâ field, and +âCc <list>â when it appears in the âCcâ +field (otherwise it prints the name of the author). ++Often times the âToâ and âCcâ fields in +mailing list messages tend to get quite large. Most people do not bother +to remove the 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 âLâ 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 byMail-Followup-To, see below).-Mutt also supports the
Mail-Followup-Toheader. 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 -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 âfollowupsâ) to this -message should only be sent to the original recipients of the +Mutt also supports theMail-Followup-Toheader. 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 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 âfollowupsâ) +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-Toheader, 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 theMail-Followup-To. -Note
+Conversely, when group-replying or list-replying to a message which has +a
Mail-Followup-Toheader, 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
When header editing is enabled, you can create a -
Mail-Followup-Toheader manually. Mutt will only auto-generate -this header if it doesn't exist when you send the message. +Mail-Followup-Toheader 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 -âReply-Toâ 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 âReply-Toâ -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 âReply-Toâ field, or reply directly to the address given in the -âFromâ field. When set to yes, the âReply-Toâ field will be used when -present. -
-The âX-Label:â header field can be used to further identify mailing -lists or list subject matter (or just to annotate messages -individually). The $index_format variable's â%yâ and -â%Yâ escapes can be used to expand âX-Label:â fields in the -index, and Mutt's pattern-matcher can match regular expressions to -âX-Label:â fields with the âËyâ selector. âX-Label:â is not a -standard message header field, but it can easily be inserted by procmail -and other mail filtering agents. -
-Lastly, Mutt has the ability to sort the mailbox into -threads. A thread is a group of messages which all relate to the same -subject. This is usually organized into a tree-like structure where a -message and all of its replies are represented graphically. If you've ever -used a threaded news client, this is the same concept. It makes dealing -with large volume mailing lists easier because you can easily delete -uninteresting threads and quickly find topics of value. -
-Mutt supports setups with multiple folders, allowing all of them to -be monitored for new mail (see Section 14, âMonitoring incoming mailâ for details). -
-When in the index menu and being idle (also see -$timeout), Mutt periodically checks -for new mail in all folders which have been configured via the -
mailboxescommand. 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 themailboxescommand, -and indicate which contain new messages. Mutt will automatically enter this -mode when invoked from the command line with the-yoption. +âReply-Toâ 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 +âReply-Toâ 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 âReply-Toâ +field, or reply directly to the address given in the âFromâ +field. When set to yes, the +âReply-Toâ field will be used when present. ++The âX-Label:â 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 â%yâ and â%Yâ expandos can be used +to expand âX-Label:â fields in the index, and Mutt's +pattern-matcher can match regular expressions to âX-Label:â +fields with the â~yâ selector. âX-Label:â 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 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. +
+Mutt supports setups with multiple folders, allowing all of them to be +monitored for new mail (see Section 14, âMonitoring Incoming Mailâ for details). +
+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 +
bifforfrmor 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. 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 (for Linux systems, see the +relatimeoption). +Note
+Contrary to older Mutt releases, it now maintains the new mail status of +a folder by properly resetting the access time if the folder contains at +least one message which is neither read, nor deleted, nor marked as old. +
+In cases where new mail detection for Mbox or Mmdf folders appears to be +unreliable, the $check_mbox_size +option can be used to make Mutt track and consult file sizes for new +mail detection instead which won't work for size-neutral changes. +
+New mail for Maildir is assumed if there is one message in the +
new/subdirectory which is not marked deleted (see +$maildir_trash). For MH folders, a +mailbox is considered having new mail if there's at least one message in +the âunseenâ sequence as specified by $mh_seq_unseen. ++Mutt does not poll POP3 folders for new mail, it only periodically +checks the currently opened folder (if it's a POP3 folder). +
+For IMAP, by default Mutt uses recent message counts provided by the +server to detect new mail. If the $imap_idle option is set, it'll use the IMAP +IDLE extension if advertised by the server. +
+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 $pop_checkinterval for POP folders. +
+Outside the index menu the directory browser supports checking for new +mail using the
<check-new>function which is +unbound by default. Pressing TAB will bring up a menu showing the files +specified by the mailboxes command, and indicate +which contain new messages. Mutt will automatically enter this mode when +invoked from the command line with the-yoption.For the pager, index and directory browser menus, Mutt contains the -
<buffy-list>function (bound to â.â by default) -which will print a list of folders with new mail in the command line at -the bottom of the screen. +<buffy-list>function (bound to +â.â by default) which will print a list of folders with new +mail in the command line at the bottom of the screen.For the index, by default Mutt displays the number of mailboxes with new -mail in the status bar, please refer to the -$index_format -variable for details. +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. -
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. -
-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. --You can also connect multiple children at once, tagging them and using the -tag-prefix command (';') or the auto_tag option. -
+
+Some mailers tend to âforgetâ to correctly set the +âIn-Reply-To:â and âReferences:â 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. ++You can also connect multiple children at once, tagging them and using +the
<tag-prefix>command (â;â) or +the $auto_tag option. +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 -the subject to a totally unrelated one. -You can fix such threads by using the
<break-thread>function (bound -by default to #), which will turn the subthread starting from the +discussion by hitting âreplyâ 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 by default to #), which will turn the subthread starting from the current message into a whole different thread. -RFC1894 defines a set of MIME content types for relaying information -about the status of electronic mail messages. These can be thought of as -âreturn receipts.â +about the status of electronic mail messages. These can be thought of +as âreturn receipts.â
-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 -of your message should be returned with the receipt (headers or full -message). -
-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 $smtp_url, it depends on the -capabilities announced by the server whether mutt will attempt to -request DSN or not. -
-If a message contains URLs, it is efficient to get -a menu with all the URLs and start a WWW browser on one of them. This -functionality is provided by the external urlview program which can be -retrieved at +$dsn_return requests how much of your +message should be returned with the receipt (headers or full message). +
+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 request DSN or not. +
+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:
macro index \cb |urlview\n macro pager \cb |urlview\n -Table of Contents
+
+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
$MAILDIRis 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 +-fcommand line option. +Table of Contents
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.typesfile, which contains the mapping of file extensions to -IANA MIME types. The other is themailcapfile, which specifies -the external commands to use for handling specific MIME types. --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. -
+
mime.typesfile, which contains the mapping of file +extensions to IANA MIME types. The other is the +mailcapfile, which specifies the external commands +to use for handling specific MIME types. ++MIME is short for âMultipurpose Internet Mail Extensionâ +and describes mechanisms to internationalize and structure mail +messages. Before the introduction of MIME, messages had a single text +part and were limited to us-ascii header and content. With MIME, +messages can have attachments (and even attachments which itself have +attachments and thus form a tree structure), nearly arbitrary characters +can be used for sender names, recipients and subjects. +
+Besides the handling of non-ascii characters in message headers, to Mutt +the most important aspect of MIME are so-called MIME types. These are +constructed using a major and +minor type separated by a forward slash. These +specify details about the content that follows. Based upon these, Mutt +decides how to handle this part. The most popular major type is +â
textâ with minor types for plain text, +HTML and various other formats. Major types also exist for images, +audio, video and of course general application data (e.g. to separate +cryptographically signed data with a signature, send office documents, +and in general arbitrary binary data). There's also the +multipartmajor type which represents the root of a +subtree of MIME parts. A list of supported MIME types can be found in +Table 5.1, âSupported MIME typesâ. ++MIME also defines a set of encoding schemes for transporting MIME +content over the network:
7bit, +8bit,quoted-printable, +base64andbinary. There're some +rules when to choose what for encoding headers and/or body (if needed), +and Mutt will in general make a good choice. ++Mutt does most of MIME encoding/decoding behind the scenes to form +messages conforming to MIME on the sending side. On reception, it can be +flexibly configured as to how what MIME structure is displayed (and if +it's displayed): these decisions are based on the content's MIME type. +There are three areas/menus in dealing with MIME: the pager (while +viewing a message), the attachment menu and the compose menu. +
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, -message/rfc822, and message/news. In addition, the export -controlled version of Mutt recognizes a variety of PGP MIME types, -including PGP/MIME and application/pgp. +decodes as much of a message as possible to a text representation. Mutt +internally supports a number of MIME types, including the +textmajor type (with all minor types), the +message/rfc822(mail messages) type and some +multiparttypes. In addition, it recognizes a variety +of PGP MIME types, including PGP/MIME and +application/pgp.Mutt will denote attachments with a couple lines describing them. These lines are of the form: @@ -2495,105 +3052,121 @@ These lines are of the form: [-- Attachment #1: Description --] [-- Type: text/plain, Encoding: 7bit, Size: 10000 --]
-Where the
Descriptionis the description or filename given for the -attachment, and theEncodingis one of -7bit/8bit/quoted-printable/base64/binary. +Where the Description is the description or +filename given for the attachment, and the Encoding +is one of the already mentioned content encodings.If Mutt cannot deal with a MIME type, it will display a message like:
[-- image/gif is unsupported (use 'v' to view this part) --] --The default binding for
view-attachmentsis `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 âtag-prefixâ 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 typemessage/rfc822. --See the help on the attachment menu for more information. -
+The default binding for
<view-attachments>is +âvâ, 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 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 +(the mailcap mechanism is explained later in detail). ++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 table Table 9.7, âDefault Attachment Menu Bindingsâ for all available +functions. +
The compose menu is the menu you see before you send a message. It -allows you to edit the recipient list, the subject, and other aspects -of your message. It also contains a list of the attachments of your +allows you to edit the recipient list, the subject, and other aspects of +your message. It also contains a list of the attachments of your message, including the main body. From this menu, you can print, copy, -filter, pipe, edit, compose, review, and rename an attachment or a -list of tagged attachments. You can also modifying the attachment +filter, pipe, edit, compose, review, and rename an attachment or a list +of tagged attachments. You can also modifying the attachment information, notably the type, encoding and description.
-Attachments appear as follows: +Attachments appear as follows by default:
- 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-unlinkcommand (default: u). The next field is the MIME -content-type, and can be changed with theedit-typecommand -(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 theedit-encodingcommand -(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 therename-filecommand (default: R). -The final field is the description of the attachment, and can be -changed with theedit-descriptioncommand (default: d). -+The â-â 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 (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 (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). The +final field is the description of the attachment, and can be changed +with the<edit-description>command (default: +d). See $attach_format for a full +list of available expandos to format this display to your needs. ++To get most out of MIME, it's important that a MIME part's content type +matches the content as closely as possible so that the recipient's +client can automatically select the right viewer for the +content. However, there's no reliable for Mutt to know how to detect +every possible file type. Instead, it uses a simple plain text mapping +file that specifies what file extension corresponds to what MIME +type. This file is called
mime.types. +When you add an attachment to your mail message, Mutt searches your -personal mime.types file at
${HOME}/.mime.types, and then -the system mime.types file at/usr/local/share/mutt/mime.typesor +personalmime.typesfile at +$HOME/.mime.types, and then the system +mime.typesfile at +/usr/local/share/mutt/mime.typesor/etc/mime.types-The mime.types file consist of lines containing a MIME type and a space -separated list of extensions. For example: -
+Each line starts with the full MIME type, followed by a space and +space-separated list of file extensions. For example you could use: +Example 5.1.Â
mime.typesapplication/postscript ps eps application/pgp pgp audio/x-aiff aif aifc aiff --A sample
mime.typesfile comes with the Mutt distribution, and -should contain most of the MIME types you are likely to use. ++A sample
mime.typesfile comes with the Mutt +distribution, and should contain most of the MIME types you are likely +to use.-If Mutt can not determine the mime type by the extension of the file you +If Mutt can not determine the MIME type by the extension of the file you 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 asapplication/octet-stream. You can change the MIME -type that Mutt assigns to an attachment by using theedit-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 -if the recipient of the message is likely to be expecting such attachments. -+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>command from the compose menu +(default: ^T), see Table 5.1, âSupported MIME typesâ for supported +major types. Mutt recognizes all of these if the appropriate entry is +found in themime.typesfile. Non-recognized mime +types should only be used if the recipient of the message is likely to +be expecting such attachments. +Table 5.1. Supported MIME types
MIME major type Standard Description applicationyes General application data audioyes Audio data imageyes Image data messageyes Mail messages, message status information modelyes VRML and other modeling data multipartyes Container for other MIME parts textyes Text data videoyes Video data chemicalno Mostly molecular data +MIME types are not arbitrary, they need to be assigned by IANA. +
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. -
-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: -
$HOME/.mailcap
$PKGDATADIR/mailcap
$SYSCONFDIR/mailcap
/etc/mailcap
/usr/etc/mailcap
/usr/local/etc/mailcap+is commonly referred to as the âmailcapâ 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 Firefox, lynx and metamail. +
+In order to handle various MIME types that Mutt doesn't have built-in +support for, it 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: +
$HOME/.mailcap
$PKGDATADIR/mailcap
$SYSCONFDIR/mailcap
/etc/mailcap
/usr/etc/mailcap
/usr/local/etc/mailcapwhere
$HOMEis your home directory. The -$PKGDATADIRand the -$SYSCONFDIRdirectories depend on where mutt -is installed: the former is the default for shared data, the -latter for system configuration files. +$PKGDATADIRand the$SYSCONFDIR+directories depend on where Mutt is installed: the former is the default +for shared data, the latter for system configuration files.The default search path can be obtained by running the following command: @@ -2601,9 +3174,9 @@ command: 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. -+usually as
/usr/local/etc/mailcap, which contains +some baseline entries. +A mailcap file consists of a series of lines which are comments, blank, or definitions.
@@ -2613,29 +3186,35 @@ A blank line is blank.
A definition line consists of a content type, a view command, and any number of optional fields. Each field of a definition line is divided -by a semicolon ';' character. -
-The content type is specified in the MIME standard type/subtype method. -For example, -
text/plain, text/html, image/gif,-etc. In addition, the mailcap format includes two formats for -wildcards, one using the special '*' subtype, the other is the implicit -wild, where you only include the major type. For example,image/*, or -video,will match all image types and video types, +by a semicolon â;â character. ++The content type is specified in the MIME standard +âtype/subtypeâ notation. For example, +
text/plain,text/html, +image/gif, etc. In addition, the mailcap format +includes two formats for wildcards, one using the special +â*â subtype, the other is the implicit wild, where you only +include the major type. For example,image/*, or +videowill match all image types and video types, respectively.The view command is a Unix command for viewing the type specified. There are two different types of commands supported. The default is to send the body of the MIME message to the command on stdin. You can change -this behavior by using %s as a parameter to your view command. -This will cause Mutt to save the body of the MIME message to a temporary -file, and then call the view command with the %s replaced by -the name of the temporary file. In both cases, Mutt will turn over the -terminal to the view program until the program quits, at which time Mutt -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: +this behavior by using
%sas a parameter to your view +command. This will cause Mutt to save the body of the MIME message to a +temporary file, and then call the view command with the +%sreplaced by the name of the temporary file. In +both cases, Mutt will turn over the terminal to the view program until +the program quits, at which time Mutt will remove the temporary file if +it exists. This means that mailcap does not work +out of the box with programs which detach themselves from the terminal +right after starting, likeopenon Mac OS X. In order +to nevertheless use these programs with mailcap, you probably need +custom shell scripts. ++So, in the simplest form, you can send a
text/plain+message to the external pager more on standard input:text/plain; more@@ -2643,256 +3222,288 @@ 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 -message: +Perhaps you would like to use lynx to interactively view a +
text/htmlmessage: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 -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. +In this case, lynx does not support viewing a file from standard input, +so you must use the
%ssyntax. +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: +just want to have it convert the
text/htmlto +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: +Perhaps you wish to use lynx to view
text/htmlfiles, +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. -
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. -
-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: -
-Keep the %-expandos away from shell quoting. -Don't quote them with single or double quotes. Mutt does this for -you, the right way, as should any other program which interprets -mailcap. Don't put them into backtick expansions. Be highly careful -with eval statements, and avoid them if possible at all. Trying to fix -broken behavior with quotes introduces new leaks - there is no +can lead to security problems in general. Mutt tries to quote +parameters in expansion of
%ssyntaxes properly, and +avoids risky characters by substituting them, see the $mailcap_sanitize variable. ++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: +
+Keep the %-expandos away from shell quoting. Don't +quote them with single or double quotes. Mutt does this for you, the +right way, as should any other program which interprets mailcap. Don't +put them into backtick expansions. Be highly careful with evil +statements, and avoid them if possible at all. Trying to fix broken +behavior with quotes introduces new leaks â there is no alternative to correct quoting in the first place.
If you have to use the %-expandos' values in context where you need -quoting or backtick expansions, put that value into a shell variable -and reference the shell variable where necessary, as in the following -example (using
$charsetinside the backtick expansion is safe, -since it is not itself subject to any further expansion): +quoting or backtick expansions, put that value into a shell variable and +reference the shell variable where necessary, as in the following +example (using$charsetinside 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 -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: +can add semi-colon â;â separated fields to set flags and +other options. Mutt recognizes the following optional fields:
- copiousoutput
This flag tells Mutt that the command passes possibly large amounts of -text on stdout. This causes Mutt to invoke a pager (either the internal -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 thelynx -dumpexample in the Basic section: +text on standard output. This causes Mutt to invoke a pager (either +the internal 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 +morein thelynx -dumpexample 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. +This will cause lynx to format the
text/htmloutput +astext/plainand Mutt will use your standard pager +to display the results. ++Note that when using the built-in pager, only +entries with this flag will be considered a handler for a MIME type +â all other entries will be ignored.
- needsterminal
-Mutt uses this flag when viewing attachments with auto_view, in order to decide whether it should honor the setting -of the $wait_key variable or -not. When an attachment is viewed using an interactive program, and the -corresponding mailcap entry has a needsterminal flag, Mutt will use -$wait_key and the exit status -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. +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 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.
- compose=<command>
This flag specifies the command to use to create a new attachment of a 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. +attachment. Mutt supports this from the compose menu.
- print=<command>
This flag specifies the command to use to print a specific MIME type. Mutt supports this from the attachment and compose menus.
- edit=<command>
This flag specifies the command to use to edit a specific MIME type. Mutt supports this from the compose menu, and also uses it to compose -new attachments. Mutt will default to the defined editor for text -attachments. +new attachments. Mutt will default to the defined $editor for text attachments.
- nametemplate=<template>
-This field specifies the format for the file denoted by %s in the -command fields. Certain programs will require a certain file extension, -for instance, to correctly view a file. For instance, lynx will only -interpret a file as
text/htmlif the file ends in.html. -So, you would specify lynx as atext/htmlviewer with a line in -the mailcap file like: +This field specifies the format for the file denoted by +%sin the command fields. Certain programs will +require a certain file extension, for instance, to correctly view a +file. For instance, lynx will only interpret a file as +text/htmlif the file ends in +.html. So, you would specify lynx as a +text/htmlviewer with a line in the mailcap file +like:text/html; lynx %s; nametemplate=%s.html- 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 that the content-type must match before Mutt performs the test. -For example: +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 +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. -
+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. IfRunningXreturns 0, then Mutt will run +firefox to display thetext/htmlobject. If RunningX +doesn't return 0, then Mutt will go on to the next entry and use lynx to +display thetext/htmlobject. +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: +attempting to print animage/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 theimage/gif-entry with the print command. --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. +Mutt will skip the
image/*entry and use the +image/gifentry with the print command. ++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 using the +
<view-mailcap>function (bound to +âmâ by default). 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 -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. -
+For auto_view, Mutt +will choose the third entry because of the +
copiousoutputtag. For interactive viewing, Mutt +will run the programRunningXto determine if it +should use the first entry. If the program returns non-zero, Mutt will +use the second entry for interactive viewing. The last entry is for +inline display in the pager and the +<view-attach>function in the attachment menu. ++Entries with the
copiousoutputtag should always be +specified as the last one per type. For non-interactive use, the last +entry will then actually be the first matching one with the tag set. +For non-interactive use, onlycopiousoutput-tagged +entries are considered. For interactive use, Mutt ignores this tag and +treats all entries equally. Therefore, if not specified last, all +following entries without this tag would never be considered for +<view-attach>because the +copiousoutputbefore them matched already. +The various commands defined in the mailcap files are passed to the -
/bin/shshell using the system() 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: +/bin/shshell using thesystem(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:
- %s
-As seen in the basic mailcap section, this variable is expanded -to a filename specified by the calling program. This file contains -the body of the message to view/print/edit or where the composing -program should place the results of composition. In addition, the -use of this keyword causes Mutt to not pass the body of the message -to the view/print/edit program on stdin. +As seen in the basic mailcap section, this variable is expanded to a +filename specified by the calling program. This file contains the body +of the message to view/print/edit or where the composing program should +place the results of composition. In addition, the use of this keyword +causes Mutt to not pass the body of the message to the view/print/edit +program on stdin.
- %t
-Mutt will expand %t to the text representation of the content -type of the message in the same form as the first parameter of the -mailcap definition line, ie
text/htmlor +Mutt will expand%tto the text representation of the +content type of the message in the same form as the first parameter of +the mailcap definition line, i.e.text/htmlorimage/gif.- %{<parameter>}
-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: +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. +then Mutt will expand
%{charset}to +âiso-8859-1â. The default metamail mailcap file uses this +feature to test the charset to spawn an xterm using the right charset to +view the message.- \%
-This will be replaced by a % +This will be replaced by a literal
%.-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. -
This mailcap file is fairly simple and standard:
-# I'm always running X :) +# 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 +# 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 -# object -text/html; netscape %s; test=RunningX +# If I'm not running firefox but I am running X, start firefox on the +# object +text/html; firefox %s; test=RunningX -# Else use lynx to view it as text +# Else use lynx to view it as text text/html; lynx %s -# This version would convert the text/html to text/plain +# This version would convert the text/html to text/plain text/html; lynx -dump %s; copiousoutput -# I use enscript to print text in two columns to a page +# 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 -# In addition, this uses the \ to extend the line and set my editor -# for images +# Use xv to view images if I'm running X +# In addition, this uses the \ to extend the line and set my editor +# for images image/*;xv %s; test=RunningX; \ edit=xpaint %s -# Convert images to text using the netpbm tools +# Convert images to text using the netpbm tools image/*; (anytopnm %s | pnmscale -xysize 80 46 | ppmtopgm | pgmtopbm | pbmtoascii -1x2 ) 2>&1 ; copiousoutput -# Send excel spreadsheets to my NT box +# Send excel spreadsheets to my NT box application/ms-excel; open.pl %s -+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 -
copiousoutputoption 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_viewmuttrc command to list the -content-types that you wish to view automatically. --For instance, if you set auto_view to: +MIME viewer defined in the mailcap file from the attachments menu, Mutt +has support for automatically viewing MIME attachments while in the +pager. +
+For this to work, you must define a viewer in the mailcap file which +uses the
copiousoutputoption 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 configuration 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. +...Mutt would try to find corresponding entries for rendering +attachments of these types as text. A corresponding mailcap could look +like:
text/html; lynx -dump %s; copiousoutput; nametemplate=%s.html image/*; anytopnm %s | pnmscale -xsize 80 -ysize 50 | ppmtopgm | \ @@ -2901,337 +3512,399 @@ application/x-gunzip; gzcat; copiousoutput application/x-tar-gz; gunzip -c %s | tar -tf - ; copiousoutput application/postscript; ps2ascii %s; copiousoutput-âunauto_viewâ 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. -âunauto_view *â will remove all previous entries. -
+unauto_view can be used to remove previous entries +from the auto_view list. This can be used with message-hook to +autoview messages based on size, etc. +âunauto_view *â will remove all previous +entries. +
+The
multipart/alternativecontainer type only has +child MIME parts which represent the same content in an alternative +way. This is often used to send HTML messages which contain an +alternative plain text representation. +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/alternativetype 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 MIME types 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 -look for any type it knows how to handle. -
-To remove a MIME type from the
alternative_orderlist, use the -unalternative_ordercommand. -+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 look for any type it knows how to handle. +
+To remove a MIME type from the alternative_order +list, use the unalternative_order command. +
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 -all messages affected first. This can slow down operation especially for +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. +or not though using Section 7.2, âBody Cachingâ usually means to +download the message just once.
The syntax is: -
-attachments {+|-}disposition mime-type -unattachments {+|-}disposition mime-type -attachments ? --Disposition is the attachment's Content-disposition type -- either -
inlineorattachment. -You can abbreviate this toIorA. --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 +
attachments+{ + | - }disposition+ +mime-type+unattachments+{ + | - }disposition+ +mime-type+attachments+?++disposition is the attachment's Content-Disposition +type â either
inlineor +attachment. You can abbreviate this to +IorA. ++Disposition is prefixed by either a â+â symbol or a +â-â symbol. If it's a â+â, you're saying that +you want to allow this disposition and MIME type to qualify. If it's a +â-â, you're saying that this disposition and MIME type is +an exception to previous â+â 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 -majordescribes the broad category of document you're looking at, and -minordescribes the specific type within that category. The major -part of mime-type must be literal text (or the special token â*â), but -the minor part may be a regular expression. (Therefore, â*/.*â 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 -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. -They're only matched when actually evaluating a message. +mime-type is the MIME type of the attachment you +want the command to affect. A MIME type is always of the format +
major/minor, wheremajordescribes +the broad category of document you're looking at, and +minordescribes the specific type within that +category. The major part of mime-type must be literal text (or the +special token â*â), but the minor part +may be a regular expression. (Therefore, +â*/.*â 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 is removed from the list. +The patterns are not expanded and matched to specific MIME types at this +time â 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. -## -## attachments +A */.* -## attachments +A image/jpeg -## unattachments +A */.* -## -## This leaves "attached" image/jpeg files on the allowed attachments -## list. It does not remove all items, as you might expect, because the -## second */.* is not a matching expression at this time. -## -## Remember: "unattachments" only undoes what "attachments" has done! -## It does not trigger any matching on actual messages. +Example 5.2. Attachment counting
+ +# Removing a pattern from a list removes that pattern literally. It +# does not remove any type matching the pattern. +# +# attachments +A */.* +# attachments +A image/jpeg +# unattachments +A */.* +# +# This leaves "attached" image/jpeg files on the allowed attachments +# list. It does not remove all items, as you might expect, because the +# second */.* is not a matching expression at this time. +# +# Remember: "unattachments" only undoes what "attachments" has done! +# It does not trigger any matching on actual messages. - -## Qualify any MIME part with an "attachment" disposition, EXCEPT for -## text/x-vcard and application/pgp parts. (PGP parts are already known -## to mutt, and can be searched for with ~g, ~G, and ~k.) -## -## I've added x-pkcs7 to this, since it functions (for S/MIME) -## analogously to PGP signature attachments. S/MIME isn't supported -## in a stock mutt build, but we can still treat it specially here. -## +# Qualify any MIME part with an "attachment" disposition, EXCEPT for +# text/x-vcard and application/pgp parts. (PGP parts are already known +# to mutt, and can be searched for with ~g, ~G, and ~k.) +# +# I've added x-pkcs7 to this, since it functions (for S/MIME) +# analogously to PGP signature attachments. S/MIME isn't supported +# in a stock mutt build, but we can still treat it specially here. +# + attachments +A */.* attachments -A text/x-vcard application/pgp.* attachments -A application/x-pkcs7-.* -## Discount all MIME parts with an "inline" disposition, unless they're -## text/plain. (Why inline a text/plain part unless it's external to the -## message flow?) -## + +# Discount all MIME parts with an "inline" disposition, unless they're +# text/plain. (Why inline a text/plain part unless it's external to the +# message flow?) + attachments +I text/plain -## These two lines make Mutt qualify MIME containers. (So, for example, -## a message/rfc822 forward will count as an attachment.) The first -## line is unnecessary if you already have "attach-allow */.*", of -## course. These are off by default! The MIME elements contained -## within a message/* or multipart/* are still examined, even if the -## containers themseves don't qualify. -## + +# These two lines make Mutt qualify MIME containers. (So, for example, +# a message/rfc822 forward will count as an attachment.) The first +# line is unnecessary if you already have "attach-allow */.*", of +# course. These are off by default! The MIME elements contained +# within a message/* or multipart/* are still examined, even if the +# containers themselves don't qualify. + #attachments +A message/.* multipart/.* #attachments +I message/.* multipart/.* + -## You probably don't really care to know about deleted attachments. +## You probably don't really care to know about deleted attachments. attachments -A message/external-body attachments -I message/external-body-Entering the command â
attachments ?â -as a command will list your current settings in Muttrc format, so that -it can be pasted elsewhere. --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 -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 -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: +Entering the command âattachments ?â as +a command will list your current settings in Muttrc format, so that it +can be pasted elsewhere. +
+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 +MIME type is listed in mime_lookup, then the +extension of the filename will be compared to the list of extensions in +themime.typesfile. 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: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. -
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
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 âOptional featuresâ section of -the configure --help output. +disabled at compile-time by giving the configure +script certain arguments. These are listed in the âOptional +featuresâ 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 -â+â it is enabled and disabled if prefixed with â-â. For example, if -mutt was compiled using GnuTLS for encrypted communication instead of -OpenSSL,mutt -vwould contain: +â+â it is enabled and disabled if prefixed with +â-â. For example, if Mutt was compiled using GnuTLS for +encrypted communication instead of OpenSSL,mutt -v+would contain:--USE_SSL_OPENSSL +USE_SSL_GNUTLSMutt 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 -may be omitted): +in Mutt is (an item enclosed in[]means it is +optional and may be omitted):-proto[s]://[username[:password]@]server[:port]/[path] +proto[s]://[username[:password]@]server[:port][/path]-
protois the communication protocol: +proto is the communication protocol:imapfor IMAP,popfor POP3 and -smtpfor SMTP. If âsâ for âsecure communicationâ -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_useror -imap_uservariables. It may contain the â@â 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. --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-orimap://username2@imapserver[:port]/path/to/folder. -Replacingimap://byimaps://-would make mutt attempt to connect using SSL or TLS on a different port -to encrypt the communication. --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 +
smtpfor SMTP. If âsâ for âsecure +communicationâ 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, $imap_user). The username may contain the +â@â symbol being used by many mail systems as part of the +login name. The special characters â/â +(
%2F), â:â (%3A) and +â%â (%25) have to be URL-encoded in +usernames using the%-notation. ++A password can be given, too but is not recommended if the URL is +specified in a configuration file on disk. +
+If no port number is given, Mutt will use the system's default for the +given protocol (usually consulting
/etc/services). ++The optional path is only relevant for IMAP and ignored elsewhere. +
+If Mutt is compiled with IMAP, POP3 and/or SMTP support, it can also be +compiled with support for SSL or TLS using either OpenSSL or GnuTLS ( by +running the configure script with the --enable-ssl=... option for OpenSSL or --enable-gnutls=... for GnuTLS). Mutt can then attempt to encrypt communication with remote servers if these protocols -are suffixed with âsâ for âsecure communicationâ. -
-If Mutt was compiled with POP3 support (by running the configure -script with the --enable-pop flag), it has the ability to work -with mailboxes located on a remote POP3 server and fetch mail for local +are suffixed with âsâ for âsecure +communicationâ. +
+If Mutt is compiled with POP3 support (by running the +configure script with the +--enable-pop flag), it has the ability to work with +mailboxes located on a remote POP3 server and fetch mail for local browsing.
-Remote POP3 servers can be accessed using URLs with the
popprotocol -for unencrypted andpopsfor encrypted -communication, see Section 1.2, âURL syntaxâ for details. +Remote POP3 servers can be accessed using URLs with the +popprotocol for unencrypted and +popsfor encrypted communication, see Section 1.2, âURL Syntaxâ for details.Polling for new mail is more expensive over POP3 than locally. For this reason the frequency at which Mutt will check for mail remotely can be -controlled by the -$pop_checkinterval -variable, which defaults to every 60 seconds. +controlled by the $pop_checkinterval variable, which +defaults to every 60 seconds. +
+POP is read-only which doesn't allow for some features like editing +messages or changing flags. However, using Section 7.1, âHeader Cachingâ and Section 7.2, âBody Cachingâ Mutt +simulates the new/old/read flags as well as flagged and replied. Mutt +applies some logic on top of remote messages but cannot change them so +that modifications of flags are lost when messages are downloaded from +the POP server (either by Mutt or other tools).
-Another way to access your POP3 mail is the
<fetch-mail$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 -local mailbox you should consider using a specialized program, such as -
fetchmail,getmailor similar. --If Mutt was compiled with IMAP support (by running the configure -script with the --enable-imap flag), it has the ability to work +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 $spoolfile. After this point, Mutt runs +exactly as if the mail had always been local. +Note
+If you only need to fetch all messages to a local mailbox you should +consider using a specialized program, such as +
fetchmail(1),getmail(1)or +similar. ++If Mutt was compiled with IMAP support (by running the +configure script with the +--enable-imap flag), it has the ability to work with folders located on a remote IMAP server.
-You can access the remote inbox by selecting the folder by its URL -(see Section 1.2, âURL syntaxâ for details) using the +You can access the remote inbox by selecting the folder by its URL (see +Section 1.2, âURL Syntaxâ for details) using the
imaporimapsprotocol. -Alternatively, a pine-compatible notation is also supported, ie +Alternatively, a pine-compatible notation is also supported, i.e.{[username@]imapserver[:port][/ssl]}path/to/folder-Note that not all servers use â/â as the hierarchy separator. Mutt should -correctly notice which separator is being used by the server and convert -paths accordingly. +Note that not all servers use â/â as the hierarchy +separator. Mutt should correctly notice which separator is being used +by the server and convert paths accordingly.
When browsing folders on an IMAP server, you can toggle whether to look at only the folders you are subscribed to, or all folders with the -toggle-subscribed command. See also the -$imap_list_subscribed variable. -
-Polling for new mail on an IMAP server can cause noticeable delays. So, you'll -want to carefully tune the -$mail_check -and -$timeout -variables. Personally I use +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 and $timeout variables. Reasonable values are:
set mail_check=90 set timeout=15-with relatively good results over my slow modem line. -
Note
+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. -
-As of version 1.2, mutt supports browsing mailboxes on an IMAP +v12.250, the server has been reported to disconnect a client if another +client selects the same folder. +
+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 -that the entry contains both messages and subfolders. On +
+In lieu of file permissions, Mutt displays the string +âIMAPâ, possibly followed by the symbol â+â, +indicating that the entry contains both messages and subfolders. On Cyrus-like servers folders will often contain both messages and subfolders. -
-For the case where an entry can contain both messages and -subfolders, the selection key (bound to
enterby default) -will choose to descend into the subfolder view. If you wish to view -the messages in that folder, you must useview-fileinstead -(bound tospaceby default). -+
+For the case where an entry can contain both messages and subfolders, +the selection key (bound to
enterby default) will +choose to descend into the subfolder view. If you wish to view the +messages in that folder, you must useview-file+instead (bound tospaceby default). +You can create, delete and rename mailboxes with the -
create-mailbox,delete-mailbox, and -rename-mailboxcommands (default bindings:C, -dandr, respectively). You may also -subscribeandunsubscribeto mailboxes (normally -these are bound tosandu, respectively). -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". -
-SASL is a special super-authenticator, which selects among several protocols -(including GSSAPI, CRAM-MD5, ANONYMOUS, and DIGEST-MD5) the most secure -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. -
-Mutt will try whichever methods are compiled in and available on the server, -in the following order: SASL, ANONYMOUS, GSSAPI, CRAM-MD5, LOGIN. +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 âanonymousâ. +
+SASL is a special super-authenticator, which selects among several +protocols (including GSSAPI, CRAM-MD5, ANONYMOUS, and DIGEST-MD5) the +most secure 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. +
+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: -
-$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 +
+$imap_user - controls the username +under which you request authentication on the IMAP server, for all +authenticators. This is overridden by an explicit username in the +mailbox path (i.e. by using a mailbox name of the form
{user@host}). --$imap_pass - a -password which you may preset, used by all authentication methods where -a password is needed. -
-$imap_authenticators - a colon-delimited list of IMAP -authentication methods to try, in the order you wish to try them. If -specified, this overrides mutt's default (attempt everything, in the order -listed above). -
+
+$imap_pass - a password which you may +preset, used by all authentication methods where a password is needed. +
+$imap_authenticators - a +colon-delimited list of IMAP authentication methods to try, in the order +you wish to try them. If specified, this overrides Mutt's default +(attempt everything, in the order listed above). +
Besides supporting traditional mail delivery through a -sendmail-compatible program, mutt supports delivery through SMTP if it +sendmail-compatible program, Mutt supports delivery through SMTP if it was configured and built with
--enable-smtp.-If the configuration variable -$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. -
-For details on the URL syntax, please see Section 1.2, âURL syntaxâ. -
-The built-in SMTP support supports encryption (the
smtpsprotocol -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 -from most-secure to least-secure. --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 -(including inside the folder browser), not just when you open the -mailbox which 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). +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, âURL Syntaxâ. +
+The built-in SMTP support supports encryption (the +
smtpsprotocol 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 from +most-secure to least-secure. ++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 Mutt needs to access a remote mailbox (including inside +the folder browser), not just when you open the 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:
@@ -3239,134 +3912,244 @@ 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"' --Mutt contains two types of local caching: (1) -the so-called âheader cachingâ and (2) the -so-called âbody cachingâ which are both described in this section. +
+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, âManaging multiple accountsâ 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 +â+â mailbox shortcut +refers to depends on the current value of $folder and therefore has to be set separately +per account. Setting other values like $from +or $signature is analogous to setting +$record. +
+Mutt contains two types of local caching: (1) the +so-called âheader cachingâ and (2) the +so-called âbody cachingâ 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). -
+
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 -usually only need to be downloaded once. For Maildir and MH, reading the -headers from a single file is much faster than looking at possibly -thousands of single files (since Maildir and MH use one file per message.) +greatly speeds up opening large folders because for remote folders, +headers usually only need to be downloaded once. For Maildir and MH, +reading the headers from a single file is much faster than looking at +possibly 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 tokyocabinet, qdbm, gdbm or bdb must be present. -
-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
md5sumcommand may also be -namedmd5, depending on your operating system. -+--enable-hcache option. It's not turned on by +default because external database libraries are required: one of +tokyocabinet, qdbm, gdbm or bdb must be present. +
+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. +
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 -whole message bodies. This results in faster display of messages -for POP and IMAP folders because messages usually have to be -downloaded only once. +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 named like the account and mailbox +path the cache is for. +
+For using both, header and body caching, $header_cache and $message_cachedir can be safely set +to the same value.
-For configuration, the variable $message_cachedir must point to a -directory. There, mutt will create a hierarchy of subdirectories +In a header or body cache directory, Mutt creates a directory hierarchy named like:
proto:user@hostnamewhere -protois either âpopâ or âimap.â Within -there for each folder, mutt stores messages in single files (just -like Maildir) so that with manual symlink creation these cache -directories can be examined with mutt as read-only Maildir folders. --All files can be removed as needed if the consumed disk space -becomes an issue as mutt will silently fetch missing items again. -
+
protois either âpopâ or +âimap.â Within there, for each folder, Mutt stores messages +in single files and header caches in files with the +â.hcacheâ extension. All files can be removed as needed if +the consumed disk space becomes an issue as Mutt will silently fetch +missing items again. Pathnames are always stored in UTF-8 encoding. ++For Maildir and MH, the header cache files are named after the MD5 +checksum of the path. +
Mutt does not (yet) support maintenance features for header cache database files so that files have to be removed in case they grow too big. It depends on the database library used for header caching whether disk space freed by removing messages is re-used.
-For body caches, mutt can keep the local cache in sync with the -remote mailbox if the -$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 -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. -
-Mutt supports the âName <user@host>â address syntax for reading and -writing messages, the older âuser@host (Name)â 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_ADDRESSin the output of -mutt -vindicates whether it's supported. -Table of Contents
+For body caches, Mutt can keep the local cache in sync with the remote +mailbox if the $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 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. +
+Mutt supports the âName <user@host>â address syntax +for reading and writing messages, the older âuser@host +(Name)â 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_ADDRESSin the output ofmutt +-vindicates whether it's supported. ++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 or later. +
+To use it, you'll have to obey certain restrictions. Most important, +you cannot use the
CcandBcc+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 thehand +lkeys (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) theReturnkey. ++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 âmiddlemanâ capability, indicated by a capital +âMâ: 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. +
Table of Contents
+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. +
+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. +
+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. +
+Message-Id: headers contain a local part that is to be created in a +unique fashion. In order to do so, Mutt will âleakâ 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 habits depending on the number of +messages sent. If this is not desired, the header can be manually +provided using $edit_headers (though +not recommended). +
+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: +pseudoheader. 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@hostif the user doesn't follow the information +on screen carefully enough. ++Mutt in many places has to rely on external applications or for +convenience supports mechanisms involving external applications. +
+One of these is the
mailcapmechanism as defined by +RfC1524. Details about a secure use of the mailcap mechanisms is given +in Section 3.2, âSecure Use of Mailcapâ. ++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. +
Table of Contents
Mutt's performance when reading mailboxes can be improved in two ways: -
-For remote folders (IMAP and POP) as well as folders using -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. -
-Mutt provides the $read_inc -and $write_inc -variables to specify at which rate to update progress -counters. If these values are too low, mutt may spend more -time on updating the progress counter than it spends on -actually reading/writing folders. -
-For example, when opening a maildir folder with a few -thousand messages, the default value for -$read_inc -may be too low. It can be tuned on on a folder-basis using -folder-hooks: +
+For remote folders (IMAP and POP) as well as folders using one-file-per +message storage (Maildir and MH), Mutt's performance can be greatly +improved using header caching. +using a single database per folder. +
+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 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 may be +too low. It can be tuned on on a folder-basis using folder-hooks:
-# use very high $read_inc to speed up reading hcache'd maildirs +# use very high $read_inc to speed up reading hcache'd maildirs folder-hook . 'set read_inc=1000' -# use lower value for reading slower remote IMAP folders +# use lower value for reading slower remote IMAP folders folder-hook ^imap 'set read_inc=100' -# use even lower value for reading even slower remote POP folders -folder-hook ^pop 'set read_inc=1'These settings work on a per-message basis. However, as messages may -greatly differ in size and certain operations are much faster than others, -even per-folder settings of the increment variables may not be +# use even lower value for reading even slower remote POP folders +folder-hook ^pop 'set read_inc=1'
+These settings work on a per-message basis. However, as messages may +greatly differ in size and certain operations are much faster than +others, even per-folder settings of the increment variables may not be desirable as they produce either too few or too much progress updates. -Thus, Mutt allows to limit the number of progress updates per second it'll -actually send to the terminal using the -$time_inc variable.
-Reading messages from remote folders such as IMAP an POP can be -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. -
-When searching mailboxes either via a search or a limit action, for -some patterns mutt distinguishes between regular expression and string +Thus, Mutt allows to limit the number of progress updates per second +it'll actually send to the terminal using the $time_inc variable. +
+Reading messages from remote folders such as IMAP an POP can be 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. +
+When searching mailboxes either via a search or a limit action, for some +patterns Mutt distinguishes between regular expression and string searches. For regular expressions, patterns are prefixed with -âËâ and with â=â for string searches. +â~â and with â=â for string searches.
Even though a regular expression search is fast, it's several times slower than a pure string search which is noticeable especially on large @@ -3377,17 +4160,18 @@ search pattern. For example, when limiting a large folder to all messages sent to or by an author, it's much faster to search for the initial part of an e-mail address via
=Luser@instead of -ËLuser@. This is especially true for searching +~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. -
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_pipeline_depth
- 3.95. imap_servernoise
- 3.96. imap_user
- 3.97. implicit_autoview
- 3.98. include
- 3.99. include_onlyfirst
- 3.100. indent_string
- 3.101. index_format
- 3.102. ispell
- 3.103. keep_flagged
- 3.104. locale
- 3.105. mail_check
- 3.106. mailcap_path
- 3.107. mailcap_sanitize
- 3.108. header_cache
- 3.109. maildir_header_cache_verify
- 3.110. header_cache_pagesize
- 3.111. header_cache_compress
- 3.112. maildir_trash
- 3.113. mark_old
- 3.114. markers
- 3.115. mask
- 3.116. mbox
- 3.117. mbox_type
- 3.118. metoo
- 3.119. menu_context
- 3.120. menu_move_off
- 3.121. menu_scroll
- 3.122. meta_key
- 3.123. mh_purge
- 3.124. mh_seq_flagged
- 3.125. mh_seq_replied
- 3.126. mh_seq_unseen
- 3.127. mime_forward
- 3.128. mime_forward_decode
- 3.129. mime_forward_rest
- 3.130. mix_entry_format
- 3.131. mixmaster
- 3.132. move
- 3.133. message_cachedir
- 3.134. message_cache_clean
- 3.135. message_format
- 3.136. narrow_tree
- 3.137. net_inc
- 3.138. pager
- 3.139. pager_context
- 3.140. pager_format
- 3.141. pager_index_lines
- 3.142. pager_stop
- 3.143. crypt_autosign
- 3.144. crypt_autoencrypt
- 3.145. pgp_ignore_subkeys
- 3.146. crypt_replyencrypt
- 3.147. crypt_replysign
- 3.148. crypt_replysignencrypted
- 3.149. crypt_timestamp
- 3.150. pgp_use_gpg_agent
- 3.151. crypt_verify_sig
- 3.152. smime_is_default
- 3.153. smime_ask_cert_label
- 3.154. smime_decrypt_use_default_key
- 3.155. pgp_entry_format
- 3.156. pgp_good_sign
- 3.157. pgp_check_exit
- 3.158. pgp_long_ids
- 3.159. pgp_retainable_sigs
- 3.160. pgp_autoinline
- 3.161. pgp_replyinline
- 3.162. pgp_show_unusable
- 3.163. pgp_sign_as
- 3.164. pgp_strict_enc
- 3.165. pgp_timeout
- 3.166. pgp_sort_keys
- 3.167. pgp_mime_auto
- 3.168. pgp_auto_decode
- 3.169. pgp_decode_command
- 3.170. pgp_getkeys_command
- 3.171. pgp_verify_command
- 3.172. pgp_decrypt_command
- 3.173. pgp_clearsign_command
- 3.174. pgp_sign_command
- 3.175. pgp_encrypt_sign_command
- 3.176. pgp_encrypt_only_command
- 3.177. pgp_import_command
- 3.178. pgp_export_command
- 3.179. pgp_verify_key_command
- 3.180. pgp_list_secring_command
- 3.181. pgp_list_pubring_command
- 3.182. forward_decrypt
- 3.183. smime_timeout
- 3.184. smime_encrypt_with
- 3.185. smime_keys
- 3.186. smime_ca_location
- 3.187. smime_certificates
- 3.188. smime_decrypt_command
- 3.189. smime_verify_command
- 3.190. smime_verify_opaque_command
- 3.191. smime_sign_command
- 3.192. smime_sign_opaque_command
- 3.193. smime_encrypt_command
- 3.194. smime_pk7out_command
- 3.195. smime_get_cert_command
- 3.196. smime_get_signer_cert_command
- 3.197. smime_import_cert_command
- 3.198. smime_get_cert_email_command
- 3.199. smime_default_key
- 3.200. ssl_client_cert
- 3.201. ssl_force_tls
- 3.202. ssl_starttls
- 3.203. certificate_file
- 3.204. ssl_usesystemcerts
- 3.205. entropy_file
- 3.206. ssl_use_sslv2
- 3.207. ssl_use_sslv3
- 3.208. ssl_use_tlsv1
- 3.209. ssl_min_dh_prime_bits
- 3.210. ssl_ca_certificates_file
- 3.211. pipe_split
- 3.212. pipe_decode
- 3.213. pipe_sep
- 3.214. pop_authenticators
- 3.215. pop_auth_try_all
- 3.216. pop_checkinterval
- 3.217. pop_delete
- 3.218. pop_host
- 3.219. pop_last
- 3.220. pop_reconnect
- 3.221. pop_user
- 3.222. pop_pass
- 3.223. post_indent_string
- 3.224. postpone
- 3.225. postponed
- 3.226. preconnect
- 3.227. print
- 3.228. print_command
- 3.229. print_decode
- 3.230. print_split
- 3.231. prompt_after
- 3.232. query_command
- 3.233. query_format
- 3.234. quit
- 3.235. quote_regexp
- 3.236. read_inc
- 3.237. read_only
- 3.238. realname
- 3.239. recall
- 3.240. record
- 3.241. reply_regexp
- 3.242. reply_self
- 3.243. reply_to
- 3.244. resolve
- 3.245. reverse_alias
- 3.246. reverse_name
- 3.247. reverse_realname
- 3.248. rfc2047_parameters
- 3.249. save_address
- 3.250. save_empty
- 3.251. save_history
- 3.252. save_name
- 3.253. score
- 3.254. score_threshold_delete
- 3.255. score_threshold_flag
- 3.256. score_threshold_read
- 3.257. send_charset
- 3.258. sendmail
- 3.259. sendmail_wait
- 3.260. shell
- 3.261. sig_dashes
- 3.262. sig_on_top
- 3.263. signature
- 3.264. simple_search
- 3.265. smart_wrap
- 3.266. smileys
- 3.267. sleep_time
- 3.268. smtp_authenticators
- 3.269. smtp_pass
- 3.270. smtp_url
- 3.271. sort
- 3.272. sort_alias
- 3.273. sort_aux
- 3.274. sort_browser
- 3.275. sort_re
- 3.276. spam_separator
- 3.277. spoolfile
- 3.278. status_chars
- 3.279. status_format
- 3.280. status_on_top
- 3.281. strict_threads
- 3.282. suspend
- 3.283. text_flowed
- 3.284. thread_received
- 3.285. thorough_search
- 3.286. tilde
- 3.287. time_inc
- 3.288. timeout
- 3.289. tmpdir
- 3.290. to_chars
- 3.291. tunnel
- 3.292. use_8bitmime
- 3.293. use_domain
- 3.294. use_envelope_from
- 3.295. use_from
- 3.296. use_idn
- 3.297. use_ipv6
- 3.298. user_agent
- 3.299. visual
- 3.300. wait_key
- 3.301. weed
- 3.302. wrap
- 3.303. wrap_search
- 3.304. wrapmargin
- 3.305. write_inc
- 3.306. write_bcc
- 4. Functions
-Running
muttwith 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
Option Description -A expand an alias -a attach a file to a message -b specify a blind carbon-copy (BCC) address -c specify a carbon-copy (Cc) address -D print the value of all mutt variables to stdout -e specify a config command to be run after initialization files are read -f specify a mailbox to load -F specify an alternate file to read initialization commands -h print help on command line options -H specify a draft file from which to read a header and body -i specify a file to include in a message composition -m specify a default mailbox type -n do not read the system Muttrc -p recall a postponed message -Q query a configuration variable -R open mailbox in read-only mode -s specify a subject (enclose in quotes if it contains spaces) -v show version number and compile-time definitions -x simulate the mailx(1) compose mode -y show a menu containing the files specified by the mailboxes command -z exit immediately if there are no messages in the mailbox -Z open the first folder with new message,exit immediately if none +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-insensitivity). +
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. mail_check_recent
- 3.120. mailcap_path
- 3.121. mailcap_sanitize
- 3.122. maildir_header_cache_verify
- 3.123. maildir_trash
- 3.124. mark_old
- 3.125. markers
- 3.126. mask
- 3.127. mbox
- 3.128. mbox_type
- 3.129. menu_context
- 3.130. menu_move_off
- 3.131. menu_scroll
- 3.132. message_cache_clean
- 3.133. message_cachedir
- 3.134. message_format
- 3.135. meta_key
- 3.136. metoo
- 3.137. mh_purge
- 3.138. mh_seq_flagged
- 3.139. mh_seq_replied
- 3.140. mh_seq_unseen
- 3.141. mime_forward
- 3.142. mime_forward_decode
- 3.143. mime_forward_rest
- 3.144. mix_entry_format
- 3.145. mixmaster
- 3.146. move
- 3.147. narrow_tree
- 3.148. net_inc
- 3.149. pager
- 3.150. pager_context
- 3.151. pager_format
- 3.152. pager_index_lines
- 3.153. pager_stop
- 3.154. pgp_auto_decode
- 3.155. pgp_autoinline
- 3.156. pgp_check_exit
- 3.157. pgp_clearsign_command
- 3.158. pgp_decode_command
- 3.159. pgp_decrypt_command
- 3.160. pgp_encrypt_only_command
- 3.161. pgp_encrypt_sign_command
- 3.162. pgp_entry_format
- 3.163. pgp_export_command
- 3.164. pgp_getkeys_command
- 3.165. pgp_good_sign
- 3.166. pgp_ignore_subkeys
- 3.167. pgp_import_command
- 3.168. pgp_list_pubring_command
- 3.169. pgp_list_secring_command
- 3.170. pgp_long_ids
- 3.171. pgp_mime_auto
- 3.172. pgp_replyinline
- 3.173. pgp_retainable_sigs
- 3.174. pgp_show_unusable
- 3.175. pgp_sign_as
- 3.176. pgp_sign_command
- 3.177. pgp_sort_keys
- 3.178. pgp_strict_enc
- 3.179. pgp_timeout
- 3.180. pgp_use_gpg_agent
- 3.181. pgp_verify_command
- 3.182. pgp_verify_key_command
- 3.183. pipe_decode
- 3.184. pipe_sep
- 3.185. pipe_split
- 3.186. pop_auth_try_all
- 3.187. pop_authenticators
- 3.188. pop_checkinterval
- 3.189. pop_delete
- 3.190. pop_host
- 3.191. pop_last
- 3.192. pop_pass
- 3.193. pop_reconnect
- 3.194. pop_user
- 3.195. post_indent_string
- 3.196. postpone
- 3.197. postponed
- 3.198. preconnect
- 3.199. print
- 3.200. print_command
- 3.201. print_decode
- 3.202. print_split
- 3.203. prompt_after
- 3.204. query_command
- 3.205. query_format
- 3.206. quit
- 3.207. quote_regexp
- 3.208. read_inc
- 3.209. read_only
- 3.210. realname
- 3.211. recall
- 3.212. record
- 3.213. reply_regexp
- 3.214. reply_self
- 3.215. reply_to
- 3.216. resolve
- 3.217. reverse_alias
- 3.218. reverse_name
- 3.219. reverse_realname
- 3.220. rfc2047_parameters
- 3.221. save_address
- 3.222. save_empty
- 3.223. save_history
- 3.224. save_name
- 3.225. score
- 3.226. score_threshold_delete
- 3.227. score_threshold_flag
- 3.228. score_threshold_read
- 3.229. search_context
- 3.230. send_charset
- 3.231. sendmail
- 3.232. sendmail_wait
- 3.233. shell
- 3.234. sig_dashes
- 3.235. sig_on_top
- 3.236. signature
- 3.237. simple_search
- 3.238. sleep_time
- 3.239. smart_wrap
- 3.240. smileys
- 3.241. smime_ask_cert_label
- 3.242. smime_ca_location
- 3.243. smime_certificates
- 3.244. smime_decrypt_command
- 3.245. smime_decrypt_use_default_key
- 3.246. smime_default_key
- 3.247. smime_encrypt_command
- 3.248. smime_encrypt_with
- 3.249. smime_get_cert_command
- 3.250. smime_get_cert_email_command
- 3.251. smime_get_signer_cert_command
- 3.252. smime_import_cert_command
- 3.253. smime_is_default
- 3.254. smime_keys
- 3.255. smime_pk7out_command
- 3.256. smime_sign_command
- 3.257. smime_sign_opaque_command
- 3.258. smime_timeout
- 3.259. smime_verify_command
- 3.260. smime_verify_opaque_command
- 3.261. smtp_authenticators
- 3.262. smtp_pass
- 3.263. smtp_url
- 3.264. sort
- 3.265. sort_alias
- 3.266. sort_aux
- 3.267. sort_browser
- 3.268. sort_re
- 3.269. spam_separator
- 3.270. spoolfile
- 3.271. ssl_ca_certificates_file
- 3.272. ssl_client_cert
- 3.273. ssl_force_tls
- 3.274. ssl_min_dh_prime_bits
- 3.275. ssl_starttls
- 3.276. ssl_use_sslv2
- 3.277. ssl_use_sslv3
- 3.278. ssl_use_tlsv1
- 3.279. ssl_usesystemcerts
- 3.280. ssl_verify_dates
- 3.281. ssl_verify_host
- 3.282. status_chars
- 3.283. status_format
- 3.284. status_on_top
- 3.285. strict_threads
- 3.286. suspend
- 3.287. text_flowed
- 3.288. thorough_search
- 3.289. thread_received
- 3.290. tilde
- 3.291. time_inc
- 3.292. timeout
- 3.293. tmpdir
- 3.294. to_chars
- 3.295. tunnel
- 3.296. uncollapse_jump
- 3.297. use_8bitmime
- 3.298. use_domain
- 3.299. use_envelope_from
- 3.300. use_from
- 3.301. use_idn
- 3.302. use_ipv6
- 3.303. user_agent
- 3.304. visual
- 3.305. wait_key
- 3.306. weed
- 3.307. wrap
- 3.308. wrap_headers
- 3.309. wrap_search
- 3.310. wrapmargin
- 3.311. write_bcc
- 3.312. write_inc
- 4. Functions
+Running
muttwith 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 9.1. Command line options
Option Description -A expand an alias -a attach a file to a message -b specify a blind carbon-copy (BCC) address -c specify a carbon-copy (Cc) address -D print the value of all Mutt variables to stdout -e specify a config command to be run after initialization files are read -f specify a mailbox to load -F specify an alternate file to read initialization commands -h print help on command line options -H specify a draft file from which to read a header and body -i specify a file to include in a message composition -m specify a default mailbox type -n do not read the system Muttrc -p recall a postponed message -Q query a configuration variable -R open mailbox in read-only mode -s specify a subject (enclose in quotes if it contains spaces) -v show version number and compile-time definitions -x simulate the mailx(1) compose mode -y show a menu containing the files specified by the mailboxes command -z exit immediately if there are no messages in the mailbox -Z open the first folder with new message, exit immediately if none To read messages in a mailbox
mutt[-nz] [-Fmuttrc@@ -3399,8 +4183,6 @@ To read messages in a mailbox To compose a new message
mutt[-n] [-Fmuttrc-] [-a-file] [-caddress] [-i@@ -3408,34 +4190,46 @@ To compose a new message ] [-ssubject] [ -[ +-afile-...] - -- -] + [...] +-- +]address- [ -address-...]-Mutt also supports a âbatchâ 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 -< Ë/run2.dat--This command will send a message to âprofessor@bigschool.eduâ with a subject -of âdata set for run #2â. In the body of the message will be the contents -of the file âË/run2.datâ. -
-All files passed with -a file will be attached as a MIME -part to the message. To attach several files, use â--â to separate files and -recipient addresses:
mutt -a *.png -- some@one.org--The following are the commands understood by mutt. -
account-hook+ | +mailto_url+ ...+Mutt also supports a âbatchâ 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+will send a message to +
<professor@bigschool.edu>with a subject of +âdata set for run #2â. In the body of the message will be +the contents of the file â~/run2.datâ. ++All files passed with
-afile +will be attached as a MIME part to the message. To attach a single or +several files, use â--â to separate files and recipient +addresses: ++mutt -a image.png -- some@one.org+or +
+mutt -a *.png -- some@one.orgNote
+The
-aoption must be last in the option list. ++In addition to accepting a list of email addresses, Mutt also accepts a URL with +the
mailto:schema as specified in RFC2368. This is useful +when configuring a web browser to launch Mutt when clicking on mailto links. ++mutt mailto:some@one.org?subject=test&cc=other@one.org+The following are the commands understood by Mutt: +
account-hookpatterncommand-
alias[ +
alias[-groupname...] @@ -3444,64 +4238,72 @@ The following are the commands understood by mutt.address[address-...]
alternates[ +... }
alternates[-groupname...]regexp[regexp-...]
unalternates[ +...]unalternates[-groupname...] {*|regexp-... }
alternative-order+... }
alternative-ordermimetype[mimetype-...]
unalternative-order{ +...]unalternative-order{*|mimetype-... }
auto-view+... }
attachments+{ + | - }disposition+ +mime-type+unattachments+{ + | - }disposition+ +mime-type+
auto_viewmimetype[mimetype-...]
unauto-view{ +...]unauto_view{*|mimetype-... }
bind+... }
bindmapkeyfunction-
charset-hookaliascharset-
iconv-hookcharsetlocal-charset-
color+
colorobjectforegroundbackground-
exec+... }
crypt-hook+pattern+ +keyid+
execfunction[function-...]
fcc-hook+...]
fcc-hook[!]patternmailbox-
fcc-save-hook[!]patternmailbox-
folder-hook[!]regexpcommand-
group[ +
group[-groupname...] { @@ -3548,7 +4360,7 @@ The following are the commands understood by mutt. ... |-addrexpr-... }
hdr_order+... }
hdr_orderheader[header-...]
unhdr_order{ +...]unhdr_order{*|header-... }
ignore+... }
ignorepattern[pattern-...]
lists[ +... }
lists[-groupname]regexp[regexp-...]
macro+... }
macromenukey@@ -3597,35 +4409,35 @@ The following are the commands understood by mutt.sequence[description-]
mailboxes+]
mailboxesmailbox[mailbox-...]
unmailboxes{ +...]unmailboxes{*|mailbox-... }
mbox-hook+... }
mbox-hook[!]patternmailbox-
message-hook[!]patterncommand-
mime-lookupmimetype[mimetype-...]
unmime-lookup{ +...]unmime-lookup{*|mimetype-... }
mono+... }
monoobjectattribute-
my_hdr+... }
my_hdrstring-
crypt-hook-pattern- -keyid-
push+... }
pushstring-
reset-variable- [ -variable-...]
save-hook[!]patternmailbox-
score+
scorepatternvalue-
reply-hook+... }
reply-hook[!]patterncommand-
send-hook[!]patterncommand-
send2-hook[!]patterncommand-
set{ +
set{ [no|inv]variable|variable=value- } [...]
source+...]
sourcefilename-
spam+
spampatternformat-
subscribe[ + }
subscribe[-groupname...]regexp[regexp-...]
unsubscribe[ +...]unsubscribe[-groupname...] {*|regexp-... }
toggle-variable- [ -variable-...]
unhook{ +... }
unhook{*|hook-type- }Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â ask-yesIf set to yes, when composing messages and no subject is given at the subject prompt, composition will be aborted. If set to no, composing messages with no subject given at the subject prompt will never be aborted. -
Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â yesIf set to yes, composition will automatically abort after 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. -
Type:Â path
+Default:Â â~/.muttrcâThe 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 +encoded in the character set specified by $config_charset if it is set or the current character set otherwise.Note: Mutt will not automatically source this file; you must -explicitly use the âsourceâ command for it to be executed in case +explicitly use the âsourceâ command for it to be executed in case this option points to a dedicated alias file.
The default for this option is the currently used muttrc file, or -âË/.muttrcâ if no user muttrc was found. -
Type:Â string
-Default: â%4n %2f %t %-10a   %râ-Specifies the format of the data displayed for the âaliasâ menu. The +â~/.muttrcâ if no user muttrc was found. +
Type:Â string
+Default: â%4n %2f %t %-10a   %râ+Specifies the format of the data displayed for the âaliasâ menu. The following
printf(3)-style sequences are available: -
- %a
alias name -
- %f
flags - currently, a âdâ for an alias marked for deletion -
- %n
index number -
- %r
address which alias expands to -
- %t
character which indicates if the alias is tagged for inclusion -
Type:Â boolean
+
%a alias name + %f flags - currently, a âdâ for an alias marked for deletion + %n index number + %r address which alias expands to + %t character which indicates if the alias is tagged for inclusion + Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesControls whether 8-bit data is converted to 7-bit using either Quoted- Printable or Base64 encoding when sending mail. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noControls whether ANSI color codes in messages (and color tags in rich text messages) are to be interpreted. @@ -3776,143 +4588,173 @@ message could include a line like
[-- PGP output follows ... -and give it the same color as your attachment color (see also -$crypt_timestamp). -
Type:Â boolean
+$crypt_timestamp). +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â no-When set, an arrow (â->â) will be used to indicate the current entry +When set, an arrow (â->â) 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIf set, Mutt will use plain ASCII characters when displaying thread and attachment trees, instead of the default ACS characters. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIf set, Mutt will prompt you for blind-carbon-copy (Bcc) recipients before editing an outgoing message. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIf set, Mutt will prompt you for carbon-copy (Cc) recipients before editing the body of an outgoing message. -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 âus-asciiâ. +indication are assumed to be in âus-asciiâ.
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. -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)This variable is a colon-separated list of character encoding -schemes for text file attachments. -If unset, the value of $charset 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: for Japanese users, âiso-2022-*â must be put at the head +Note: for Japanese users, âiso-2022-*â must be put at the head of the value as shown above if included. -
Type:Â string
-Default: â%u%D%I %t%4n %T%.40d%> [%.7m/%.10M, %.6e%?C?, %C?, %s]Ââ-This variable describes the format of the âattachmentâ menu. The +
Type:Â string
+Default: â%u%D%I %t%4n %T%.40d%> [%.7m/%.10M, %.6e%?C?, %C?, %s]Ââ+This variable describes the format of the âattachmentâ menu. The following
printf(3)-style sequences are understood: -
- %C
charset -
- %c
requires charset conversion (ânâ or âcâ) -
- %D
deleted flag -
- %d
description -
- %e
MIME content-transfer-encoding -
- %f
filename -
- %I
disposition (âIâ for inline, âAâ for attachment) -
- %m
major MIME type -
- %M
MIME subtype -
- %n
attachment number -
- %Q
âQâ, 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 âattachmentsâ section for possible speed effects) -
- %>X
right justify the rest of the string and pad with character âXâ -
- %|X
pad to the end of the line with character âXâ -
- %*X
soft-fill with character âXâ as pad -
-For an explanation of âsoft-fillâ, see the $index_format documentation. -
Type:Â string
-Default:Â â\nâ+
%C charset + %c requires charset conversion (ânâ or âcâ) + %D deleted flag + %d description + %e MIME content-transfer-encoding + %f filename + %I disposition (âIâ for inline, âAâ for attachment) + %m major MIME type + %M MIME subtype + %n attachment number + %Q âQâ, 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 âattachmentsâ section for possible speed effects) + %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with character âXâ + %|X pad to the end of the line with character âXâ + %*X soft-fill with character âXâ as pad + +For an explanation of âsoft-fillâ, see the $index_format documentation. +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â â\nâThe separator to add between attachments when operating (saving, printing, piping, etc) on a list of tagged attachments. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesIf this variable is unset, when operating (saving, printing, piping, etc) on a list of tagged attachments, Mutt will concatenate the attachments and will operate on them as a single attachment. The -$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. -
Type:Â string
+Default: âOn %d, %n wrote:âThis is the string that will precede a message which has been included in a reply. For a full listing of defined
printf(3)-like sequences see -the section on $index_format. -Type:Â boolean
+the section on $index_format. +Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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 (bound to â;â +by default) to make the next function apply to all tagged messages. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â no-When set along with $edit_headers, Mutt will skip the initial +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. -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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 (bound to â;â -by default) to make the next function apply to all tagged messages. -Type:Â boolean
+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 $fast_reply. +
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen this variable is set, mutt will beep when an error occurs. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen this variable is set, mutt will beep whenever it prints a message notifying you of new mail. This is independent of the setting of the -$beep variable. -
Type:Â quadoption
+$beep variable. +Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â ask-yesControls whether you will be asked to confirm bouncing messages. If set to yes you don't get asked if you want to bounce a message. Setting this variable to no is not generally useful, and thus not recommended, because you are unable to bounce messages. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen this variable is set, mutt will include Delivered-To headers when bouncing messages. Postfix users may wish to unset this variable. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen this variable is set, mutt will place the cursor at the beginning -of the current line in menus, even when the $arrow_cursor variable +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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â path
+Default:Â â~/.mutt_certificatesâ+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 +Type:Â string
+Default:Â (empty)+Character set your terminal uses to display and enter textual data. +It is also the fallback for $send_charset. +
+Upon startup Mutt tries to derive this value from environment variables +such as
$LC_CTYPEor$LANG. ++Note: It should only be set in case Mutt isn't able to determine the +character set used correctly. +
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen this variable is set, mutt will use file size attribute instead of access time when checking for new mail in mbox and mmdf folders. @@ -3920,25 +4762,15 @@ 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 âmailboxesâ +Note that enabling this variable should happen before any âmailboxesâ 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. -
Type:Â string
-Default:Â (empty)-Character set your terminal uses to display and enter textual data. -It is also the fallback for $send_charset. -
-Upon startup Mutt tries to derive this value from environment variables -such as
$LC_CTYPEor$LANG. --Note: It should only be set in case Mutt isn't abled to determine the -character set used correctly. -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â yes-Note: this option only affects maildir and MH style -mailboxes. +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â yes+Note: this option only affects maildir and MH style +mailboxes.
When set, Mutt will check for new mail delivered while the mailbox is open. Especially with MH mailboxes, this operation can @@ -3946,100 +4778,150 @@ take quite some time since it involves scanning the directory and checking each file to see if it has already been looked at. If this variable is unset, no check for new mail is performed while the mailbox is open. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen unset, Mutt will not collapse a thread if it contains any unread messages. -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â no-When set, Mutt will jump to the next unread message, if any, -when the current thread is uncollapsed. -
Type:Â string
-Default: â-- Mutt: Compose  [Approx. msg size: %l   Atts: %a]%>-â-Controls the format of the status line displayed in the âcomposeâ -menu. This string is similar to $status_format, but has its own +
Type:Â string
+Default: â-- Mutt: Compose  [Approx. msg size: %l   Atts: %a]%>-â+Controls the format of the status line displayed in the âcomposeâ +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. -
Type:Â string
+
%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. +
Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)When defined, Mutt will recode commands in rc files from this -encoding to the current character set as specified by $charset -and aliases written to $alias_file from the current character set. +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. +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). -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when appending messages to an existing mailbox. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when saving messages to a mailbox which does not yet exist before creating it. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 30Causes 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 attempt to succeed. -
Type:Â string
+Default:Â âtext/plainâSets the default Content-Type for the body of newly composed messages. -
Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â yesThis variable controls whether or not copies of your outgoing messages -will be saved for later references. Also see $record, -$save_name, $force_name and âfcc-hookâ. -
Type:Â boolean
+will be saved for later references. Also see $record, +$save_name, $force_name and âfcc-hookâ. +Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â no+Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to PGP +encrypt outgoing messages. This is probably only useful in +connection to the âsend-hookâ 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) +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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. +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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) +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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 $smime_is_default. +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â yes+If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL encrypt replies to messages which are +encrypted. +(Crypto only) +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â no+If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages which are +signed. +
+Note: this does not work on messages that are encrypted +and signed! +(Crypto only) +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â no+If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages +which are encrypted. This makes sense in combination with +$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) +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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) +
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noThis 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noControls whether mutt uses PKA (see http://www.g10code.de/docs/pka-intro.de.pdf) during signature verification (only supported by the GPGME backend). -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â 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. -
Type:Â string
-Default: â!%a, %b %d, %Y at %I:%M:%S%p %Zâ-This variable controls the format of the date printed by the â%dâ -sequence in $index_format. This is passed to the
strftime(3)+If âyesâ, always attempt to verify PGP or S/MIME signatures. +If âask-*â, ask whether or not to verify the signature. +If ânoâ, never attempt to verify cryptographic signatures. +(Crypto only) +Type:Â string
+Default: â!%a, %b %d, %Y at %I:%M:%S%p %Zâ+This variable controls the format of the date printed by the â%dâ +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 (â!â), the month +Unless the first character in the string is a bang (â!â), 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 +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). -
Type:Â string
-Default: âËf %s !ËP | (ËP ËC %s)â-This variable controls how âmessage-hookâ, âreply-hookâ, âsend-hookâ, -âsend2-hookâ, âsave-hookâ, and âfcc-hookâ will +
Type:Â string
+Default: â~f %s !~P | (~P ~C %s)â+This variable controls how âmessage-hookâ, âreply-hookâ, âsend-hookâ, +âsend2-hookâ, âsave-hookâ, and âfcc-hookâ 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 @@ -4048,33 +4930,33 @@ 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 -âalternatesâ) and is to or cc'ed to a user matching the given +âalternatesâ) and is to or cc'ed to a user matching the given regular expression. -
Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â ask-yesControls 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesIf 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesIf 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 âvâ on that menu. -
Type:Â path
+individual messages in a multipart/digest. To see these subparts, press âvâ on that menu. +Type:Â path
Default:Â (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. -
Type:Â path
+Default:Â â/usr/local/bin/mutt_dotlockâContains the path of the
mutt_dotlock(8)binary to be used by mutt. -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 @@ -4087,14 +4969,13 @@ Example:
set dsn_notify="failure,delay" --Note: when using $sendmail for delivery, you should not enable +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-Noption -for DSN. For SMTP delivery, DSN support is autodetected so that it +for DSN. For SMTP delivery, DSN support is auto-detected so that it depends on the server whether DSN will be used or not. -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 @@ -4104,98 +4985,104 @@ Example:
set dsn_return=hdrs --Note: when using $sendmail for delivery, you should not enable +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-Roption -for DSN. For SMTP delivery, DSN support is autodetected so that it +for DSN. For SMTP delivery, DSN support is auto-detected so that it depends on the server whether DSN will be used or not. -Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yes-This variable controls whether mutt, when $sort is set to threads, threads +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 tree. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noThis 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. -
Type:Â path
+Type:Â path
Default:Â (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 âviâ if neither of those are set. -Type:Â boolean
+variable, or to the string âviâ if neither of those are set. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen set, mutt will quoted-printable encode messages when -they contain the string âFrom â (note the trailing space) in the beginning of a line. +they contain the string âFrom â (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). -
Type: e-mail address
+Type:Â path
+Default:Â (empty)+The file which includes random data that is used to initialize SSL +library functions. +
Type: e-mail address
Default:Â (empty)Manually sets the envelope sender for outgoing messages. -This value is ignored if $use_envelope_from is unset. -
Type:Â string
-Default: âËâ-Escape character to use for functions in the builtin editor. -
Type:Â boolean
+This value is ignored if $use_envelope_from is unset. +Type:Â string
+Default:Â â~â+Escape character to use for functions in the built-in editor. +
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen 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 +Note: this variable has no effect when the $autoedit variable is set. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â yesThis variable controls whether or not attachments on outgoing messages are saved along with the main body of your message. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen this variable is set, FCCs will be stored unencrypted and unsigned, even when the actual message is encrypted and/or signed. (PGP only) -
Type:Â path
-Default: âË/Mailâ-Specifies the default location of your mailboxes. A â+â or â=â at the +
Type:Â path
+Default:Â â+Specifies the default location of your mailboxes. A â+â or â=â 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) value you need to make sure that the assignment occurs before -you use â+â or â=â for any other variables since expansion takes place -when handling the âmailboxesâ command. -
Type:Â string
-Default: â%2C %t %N %F %2l %-8.8u %-8.8g %8s %d %fâ+you use â+â or â=â for any other variables since expansion takes place +when handling the âmailboxesâ command. +
Type:Â string
+Default: â%2C %t %N %F %2l %-8.8u %-8.8g %8s %d %fâThis variable allows you to customize the file browser display to your -personal taste. This string is similar to $index_format, but has +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 -
- %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
â*â 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 âXâ -
- %|X
pad to the end of the line with character âXâ -
- %*X
soft-fill with character âXâ as pad -
-For an explanation of âsoft-fillâ, see the $index_format documentation. -
Type:Â boolean
+
%C current file number + %d date/time folder was last modified + %D date/time folder was last modified using $date_format. + %f filename (â/â is appended to directory names, +â@â to symbolic links and â*â 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 â*â 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 âXâ + %|X pad to the end of the line with character âXâ + %*X soft-fill with character âXâ as pad + +For an explanation of âsoft-fillâ, see the $index_format documentation. +
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yes-Controls whether or not the âMail-Followup-To:â header field is +Controls whether or not the âMail-Followup-To:â 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 âsubscribeâ or âlistsâ commands. +the âsubscribeâ or âlistsâ commands.
This field has two purposes. First, preventing you from receiving duplicate copies of replies to messages which you send @@ -4209,65 +5096,96 @@ 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Also see the $record variable. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesControls the decoding of complex MIME messages into
text/plainwhen 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. -Type:Â quadoption
+This variable is only used, if $mime_forward is unset, +otherwise $mime_forward_decode is used instead. +Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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) +
Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â yesThis 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 ânoâ. -
Type:Â string
-Default:Â â[%a:Â %s]â+to forward with no modification, use a setting of ânoâ. +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â â[%a:Â %s]âThis variable controls the default subject when forwarding a message. -It uses the same format sequences as the $index_format variable. -
Type:Â boolean
+It uses the same format sequences as the $index_format variable. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen set, forwarded messages included in the main body of the -message (when $mime_forward is unset) will be quoted using -$indent_string. -
Type: e-mail address
+message (when $mime_forward is unset) will be quoted using +$indent_string. +Type: e-mail address
Default:Â (empty)When set, this variable contains a default from address. It -can be overridden using âmy_hdrâ (including from a âsend-hookâ) and -$reverse_name. This variable is ignored if $use_from is unset. +can be overridden using âmy_hdrâ (including from a âsend-hookâ) and +$reverse_name. This variable is ignored if $use_from is unset.
This setting defaults to the contents of the environment variable
Type: regular expression
+Default:Â â^[^,]*âA regular expression used by mutt to parse the GECOS field of a password entry when expanding the alias. The default value -will return the string up to the first â,â encountered. -If the GECOS field contains a string like âlastname, firstnameâ then you -should set it to â
.*â. +will return the string up to the first â,â encountered. +If the GECOS field contains a string like âlastname, firstnameâ then you +should set it to â.*â.-This can be useful if you see the following behavior: you address a e-mail -to user ID âstevefâ whose full name is âSteve Franklinâ. If mutt expands -âstevefâ to â"Franklin" stevef@foo.barâ then you should set the $gecos_mask to +This can be useful if you see the following behavior: you address an e-mail +to user ID âstevefâ whose full name is âSteve Franklinâ. If mutt expands +âstevefâ to â"Franklin" stevef@foo.barâ then you should set the $gecos_mask to a regular expression that will match the whole name so mutt will expand -âFranklinâ to âFranklin, Steveâ. -
Type:Â boolean
+âFranklinâ to âFranklin, Steveâ. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yes-When unset, the header fields normally added by the âmy_hdrâ +When unset, the header fields normally added by the âmy_hdrâ command are not created. This variable must be unset before composing a new message or replying in order to take effect. If set, the user defined header fields are added to every new message. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen set, this variable causes Mutt to include the header of the message you are replying to into the edit buffer. -The $weed setting applies. -
Type:Â boolean
+The $weed setting applies. +Type:Â path
+Default:Â (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 âcachingâ for details. +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â yes+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 decompression can result in a +slower opening of cached folder(s) which in general is still +much faster than opening non header cached folders. +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â â16384â+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. +
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen set, help lines describing the bindings for the major functions provided by each menu are displayed on the first line of the screen. @@ -4277,86 +5195,95 @@ 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:Â boolean
+3.83. hidden_host
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â no-When set, mutt will skip the host name part of $hostname variable +When set, mutt will skip the host name part of $hostname variable when adding the domain part to addresses. This variable does not affect the generation of Message-IDs, and it will not lead to the cut-off of first-level domains. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen set, mutt will not show the presence of messages that are hidden by limiting, in the thread tree. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen set, mutt will not show the presence of missing messages in the thread tree. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen set, mutt will not show the subject of messages in the thread tree that have the same subject as their parent or closest previously displayed sibling. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen set, mutt will not show the presence of messages that are hidden by limiting, at the top of threads in the thread tree. Note that when -$hide_limited is set, this option will have no effect. -
Type:Â boolean
+$hide_limited is set, this option will have no effect. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen 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 +top of threads in the thread tree. Note that when $hide_missing is set, this option will have no effect. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 10This variable controls the size (in number of strings remembered) of the string history buffer per category. The buffer is cleared each time the variable is set. -
Type:Â path
+Default:Â â~/.mutthistoryâThe file in which Mutt will save its history. -
Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â no+When set, Mutt will not display attachments with a +disposition of âattachmentâ 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. +
Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â yesThis variable controls whether or not a Mail-Followup-To header is honored when group-replying to a message. -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 â@â) for local email addresses as well as +as the domain part (after â@â) 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 âdomainâ or âsearchâ +domain, these are used to construct $hostname. If there is no +domain part returned, Mutt will look for a âdomainâ or âsearchâ line in/etc/resolv.confto 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Also see $use_domain and $hidden_host. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noThis option replaces linear-white-space between encoded-word and text to a single space to prevent the display of MIME-encoded -âSubject:â field from being divided into multiple lines. -
Type:Â boolean
+âSubject:â field from being divided into multiple lines. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â no-Affects the behaviour of the
<reply>function when replying to -messages from mailing lists (as defined by the âsubscribeâ or -âlistsâ commands). When set, if the âReply-To:â field is -set to the same value as the âTo:â field, Mutt assumes that the -âReply-To:â field was set by the mailing list to automate responses +Affects the behavior of the<reply>function when replying to +messages from mailing lists (as defined by the âsubscribeâ or +âlistsâ commands). When set, if the âReply-To:â field is +set to the same value as the âTo:â field, Mutt assumes that the +âReply-To:â 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 list. -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 âloginâ or the right -side of an IMAP âAUTH=xxxâ capability string, eg âdigest-md5â, âgssapiâ -or âcram-md5â. This option is case-insensitive. If it's +try them. Authentication methods are either âloginâ or the right +side of an IMAP âAUTH=xxxâ capability string, e.g. âdigest-md5â, âgssapiâ +or âcram-md5â. 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.
@@ -4364,42 +5291,41 @@ 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen 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 just as if you had issued individual âmailboxesâ +it polls for new mail just as if you had issued individual âmailboxesâ commands. -
Type:Â string
+Default:Â â/.âThis 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 â=â shortcut for your folder variable. -
Type:Â string
+helps in using the â=â shortcut for your folder variable. +Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)Mutt requests these header fields in addition to the default headers -(âDate:â, âFrom:â, âSubject:â, âTo:â, âCc:â, âMessage-Id:â, -âReferences:â, âContent-Type:â, âContent-Description:â, âIn-Reply-To:â, -âReply-To:â, âLines:â, âList-Post:â, âX-Label:â) from IMAP +(âDate:â, âFrom:â, âSubject:â, âTo:â, âCc:â, âMessage-Id:â, +âReferences:â, âContent-Type:â, âContent-Description:â, âIn-Reply-To:â, +âReply-To:â, âLines:â, âList-Post:â, âX-Label:â) 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, items should be uppercase -and not contain the colon, e.g. âX-BOGOSITY X-SPAM-STATUSâ for the -âX-Bogosity:â and âX-Spam-Status:â header fields. -
Type:Â boolean
+and not contain the colon, e.g. âX-BOGOSITY X-SPAM-STATUSâ for the +âX-Bogosity:â and âX-Spam-Status:â header fields. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen 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. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 900This variable specifies the maximum amount of time in seconds that mutt will wait before polling open IMAP connections, to prevent the server @@ -4408,39 +5334,39 @@ 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noThis 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. -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)Your login name on the IMAP server.
-This variable defaults to the value of $imap_user. -
Type:Â string
+This variable defaults to the value of $imap_user. +Type:Â string
Default:Â (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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen 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. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 15Controls 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 @@ -4449,114 +5375,113 @@ 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen 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. -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â no-If set to âyesâ, mutt will look for a mailcap entry with the -â
copiousoutputâ flag set for every MIME attachment it doesn't have +If set to âyesâ, mutt will look for a mailcap entry with the +âcopiousoutputâ 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. -Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â ask-yesControls whether or not a copy of the message(s) you are replying to is included in your reply. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noControls whether or not Mutt includes only the first attachment of the message you are replying. -
Type:Â string
+Default:Â â>ÂâSpecifies 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.
-This option is a format string, please see the description of -$index_format for supported
printf(3)-style sequences. +The value of this option is ignored if $text_flowed is set, too because +the quoting mechanism is strictly defined for format=flowed.-Because for
format=lowedstyle messages the quoting mechanism -is strictly defined, this setting is ignored if $text_flowed is -set. -Type:Â string
-Default: â%4C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15L (%?l?%4l&%4c?) %sâ+This option is a format string, please see the description of +$index_format for supported
printf(3)-style sequences. +Type:Â string
+Default: â%4C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15L (%?l?%4l&%4c?) %sâThis variable allows you to customize the message index display to your personal taste.
-âFormat stringsâ are similar to the strings used in the C +âFormat stringsâ 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 âTo:â or âCc:â header field matches an address -defined by the users âsubscribeâ command, this displays +
%L If an address in the âTo:â or âCc:â header field matches an address +defined by the users âsubscribeâ 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
original save folder where mutt would formerly have +
%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 (âNâ/âDâ/âdâ/â!â/ârâ/*) -
- %t
âTo:â 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 âattachmentsâ section for possible speed effects) -
- %y
âX-Label:â field, if present -
- %Y
âX-Label:â field, if present, and (1) not at part of a thread tree, -(2) at the top of a thread, or (3) âX-Label:â is different from -preceding message's âX-Label:â. -
- %Z
message status flags -
- %{fmt}
the date and time of the message is converted to sender's -time zone, and âfmtâ is expanded by the library function +
%P progress indicator for the built-in pager (how much of the file has been displayed) + %s subject of the message + %S status of the message (âNâ/âDâ/âdâ/â!â/ârâ/*) + %t âTo:â 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 âattachmentsâ section for possible speed effects) + %y âX-Label:â field, if present + %Y âX-Label:â field, if present, and (1) not at part of a thread tree, +(2) at the top of a thread, or (3) âX-Label:â is different from +preceding message's âX-Label:â. + %Z message status flags + %{fmt} the date and time of the message is converted to sender's +time zone, and âfmtâ 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 âfmtâ is expanded by the library function +
%[fmt] the date and time of the message is converted to the local +time zone, and âfmtâ is expanded by the library function strftime(3); a leading bang disables locales -- %(fmt)
the local date and time when the message was received. -âfmtâ is expanded by the library function
strftime(3); +%(fmt) the local date and time when the message was received. +âfmtâ is expanded by the library function strftime(3); a leading bang disables locales -- %<fmt>
the current local time. âfmtâ is expanded by the library +
%<fmt> the current local time. âfmtâ 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 âXâ -
- %|X
pad to the end of the line with character âXâ -
- %*X
soft-fill with character âXâ as pad -
-âSoft-fillâ deserves some explanation: Normal right-justification -will print everything to the left of the â%>â, displaying padding and +
%>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with character âXâ + %|X pad to the end of the line with character âXâ + %*X soft-fill with character âXâ as pad + +âSoft-fillâ deserves some explanation: Normal right-justification +will print everything to the left of the â%>â, 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 @@ -4564,28 +5489,37 @@ necessary, soft-fill will eat text leftwards to make room for rightward text.
Note that these expandos are supported in -âsave-hookâ, âfcc-hookâ and âfcc-save-hookâ, too. -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â âispellâ+âsave-hookâ, âfcc-hookâ and âfcc-save-hookâ, too. +
Type:Â path
+Default:Â âispellâHow to invoke ispell (GNU's spell-checking software). -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIf set, read messages marked as flagged will not be moved -from your spool mailbox to your $mbox mailbox, or as a result of -a âmbox-hookâ command. -
Type:Â string
-Default:Â âCâ+from your spool mailbox to your $mbox mailbox, or as a result of +a âmbox-hookâ command. +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â âCâThe locale used by
strftime(3)to format dates. Legal values are the strings your system accepts for the locale environment variable$LC_TIME. -Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 5This variable configures how often (in seconds) mutt should look for -new mail. Also see the $timeout variable. -
Type:Â string
+new mail. Also see the $timeout variable. +Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â yes+When set, Mutt will only notify you about new mail that has been received +since the last time you opened the mailbox. When unset, Mutt will notify you +if any new mail exists in the mailbox, regardless of whether you have visited it +recently. +
+When $mark_old is set, Mutt does not consider the mailbox to contain new +mail if only old messages exist. +
Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)This variable specifies which files to consult when attempting to display MIME bodies not directly supported by Mutt. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesIf set, mutt will restrict possible characters in mailcap % expandos to a well-defined set of safe characters. This is the safe setting, @@ -4593,194 +5527,171 @@ 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! -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â (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 âcachingâ for details. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesCheck 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 (which can be very slow for NFS folders). -Type:Â string
-Default:Â â16384â-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. -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â yes-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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIf 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesControls 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 âOâ next to them in the index menu, +will show up with an âOâ next to them in the index menu, indicating that they are old. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesControls the display of wrapped lines in the internal pager. If set, a -â+â marker is displayed at the beginning of wrapped lines. +â+â marker is displayed at the beginning of wrapped lines.
-Also see the $smart_wrap variable. -
Type: regular expression
-Default:Â â!^\.[^.]â+Also see the $smart_wrap variable. +
Type: regular expression
+Default:Â â!^\.[^.]âA regular expression used in the file browser, optionally preceded by -the not operator â!â. Only files whose names match this mask +the not operator â!â. Only files whose names match this mask will be shown. The match is always case-sensitive. -
Type:Â path
-Default: âË/mboxâ-This specifies the folder into which read mail in your $spoolfile +
Type:Â path
+Default:Â â~/mboxâ+This specifies the folder into which read mail in your $spoolfile folder will be appended.
-Also see the $move variable. -
Type: folder magic
+Also see the $move variable. +Type: folder magic
Default:Â mboxThe default mailbox type used when creating new folders. May be any of -âmboxâ, âMMDFâ, âMHâ and âMaildirâ. -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â no-If unset, Mutt will remove your address (see the âalternatesâ -command) from the list of recipients when replying to a message. -
Type:Â number
+âmboxâ, âMMDFâ, âMHâ and âMaildirâ. This is overridden by the +-mcommand-line option. +Type:Â number
Default:Â 0This variable controls the number of lines of context that are given -when scrolling through menus. (Similar to $pager_context.) -
Type:Â boolean
+when scrolling through menus. (Similar to $pager_context.) +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen 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). -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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). +
Type:Â path
+Default:Â (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. +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â â%sâ+This is the string displayed in the âattachmentâ menu for +attachments of type
message/rfc822. For a full listing of defined +printf(3)-like sequences see the section on $index_format. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIf 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 âxâ. This is because the result of removing the +pressed Esc then âxâ. This is because the result of removing the high bit from0xf8is0x78, which is the ASCII character -âxâ. -Type:Â boolean
+âxâ. +Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â no+If unset, Mutt will remove your address (see the âalternatesâ +command) from the list of recipients when replying to a message. +
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â no-When unset, mutt will mimic mh's behaviour and rename deleted messages +When unset, mutt will mimic mh's behavior and rename deleted messages to ,<old file name> in mh folders instead of really deleting 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.
-This option is similar to $maildir_trash for Maildir folders. -
Type:Â string
-Default:Â âflaggedâ+This option is similar to $maildir_trash for Maildir folders. +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â âflaggedâThe name of the MH sequence used for flagged messages. -
Type:Â string
+Default:Â ârepliedâThe name of the MH sequence used to tag replied messages. -
Type:Â string
+Default:Â âunseenâThe name of the MH sequence used for unseen messages. -
Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â noWhen set, the message you are forwarding will be attached as a separate
message/rfc822MIME 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 âask-noâ or âask-yesâ. +variable to âask-noâ or âask-yesâ.-Also see $forward_decode and $mime_forward_decode. -
Type:Â boolean
+Also see $forward_decode and $mime_forward_decode. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noControls the decoding of complex MIME messages into
text/plainwhen -forwarding a message while $mime_forward is set. Otherwise -$forward_decode is used instead. -Type:Â quadoption
+forwarding a message while $mime_forward is set. Otherwise +$forward_decode is used instead. +Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â yesWhen 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. -
Type:Â string
+Default: â%4n %c %-16s %aâThis variable describes the format of a remailer line on the mixmaster 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. -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â âmixmasterâ+
%n The running number on the menu. + %c Remailer capabilities. + %s The remailer's short name. + %a The remailer's e-mail address. + Type:Â path
+Default:Â âmixmasterâThis 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. -
Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â noControls whether or not Mutt will move read messages -from your spool mailbox to your $mbox mailbox, or as a result of -a âmbox-hookâ command. -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â (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. -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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). -
Type:Â string
-Default:Â â%sâ-This is the string displayed in the âattachmentâ menu for -attachments of type
message/rfc822. For a full listing of defined -printf(3)-like sequences see the section on $index_format. -Type:Â boolean
+from your spool mailbox to your $mbox mailbox, or as a result of +a âmbox-hookâ command. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noThis variable, when set, makes the thread tree narrower, allowing deeper threads to fit on the screen. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 10Operations 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, $write_inc and $net_inc. -
Type:Â path
+Default:Â âbuiltinâThis variable specifies which pager you would like to use to view -messages. The value âbuiltinâ means to use the builtin pager, otherwise this +messages. The value âbuiltinâ means to use the built-in pager, otherwise this variable should specify the pathname of the external pager you would like to use.
@@ -4788,19 +5699,23 @@ 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. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 0This 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). -
Type:Â string
-Default: â-%Z- %C/%m: %-20.20n   %s%*  -- (%P)â-This variable controls the format of the one-line message âstatusâ +
+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. +
Type:Â string
+Default: â-%Z- %C/%m: %-20.20n   %s%*  -- (%P)â+This variable controls the format of the one-line message âstatusâ 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. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 0Determines 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 @@ -4811,141 +5726,22 @@ remain to be read in the current thread. One of the lines is reserved 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen 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. -Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â no-Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to PGP -encrypt outgoing messages. This is probably only useful in -connection to the âsend-hookâ command. It can be overridden -by use of the pgp menu, when encryption is not required or -signing is requested as well. If $smime_is_default is set, -then OpenSSL is used instead to create S/MIME messages and -settings can be overridden by use of the smime menu instead. -(Crypto only) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â yes-Setting this variable will cause Mutt to ignore OpenPGP subkeys. Instead, -the principal key will inherit the subkeys' capabilities. Unset this -if you want to play interesting key selection games. -(PGP only) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â yes-If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL encrypt replies to messages which are -encrypted. -(Crypto only) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â no-If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages which are -signed. -
-Note: this does not work on messages that are encrypted -and signed! -(Crypto only) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â no-If set, automatically PGP or OpenSSL sign replies to messages -which are encrypted. This makes sense in combination with -$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) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â no-If set, mutt will use a possibly-running
gpg-agent(1)process. -(PGP only) -Type:Â quadoption
-Default:Â yes-If âyesâ, always attempt to verify PGP or S/MIME signatures. -If âask-*â, ask whether or not to verify the signature. -If \Fiânoâ, never attempt to verify cryptographic signatures. -(Crypto only) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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) -
Type:Â string
-Default: â%4n %t%f %4l/0x%k %-4a %2c %uâ-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) -
Type: regular expression
-Default:Â (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 -the text. Use this variable if the exit code from the command is 0 -even for bad signatures. -(PGP only) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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. -(PGP only) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â no-If set, use 64 bit PGP key IDs, if unset use the normal 32 bit key IDs. -(PGP only) -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â no-If set, signed and encrypted messages will consist of nested -
multipart/signedandmultipart/encryptedbody parts. --This is useful for applications like encrypted and signed mailing -lists, where the outer layer (
multipart/encrypted) can be easily -removed, while the innermultipart/signedpart is retained. -(PGP only) -Type:Â 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. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noThis option controls whether Mutt generates old-style inline (traditional) PGP encrypted or signed messages under certain @@ -4957,452 +5753,283 @@ 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) -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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 -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. -
-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 see the $pgp_mime_auto variable.
Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is strongly deprecated. (PGP only) -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yes-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 âdisabledâ by the user. +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) -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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). -(PGP only) -Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â yes-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) -
Type:Â number
-Default:Â 300-The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will expire if -not used. -(PGP only) -
Type: sort order
-Default:Â 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 -âreverse-â. -(PGP only) -
Type:Â quadoption
-Default:Â 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 +This format is used to create an old-style âclearsignedâ PGP +message. Note that the use of this format is strongly deprecated. +
+This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible
printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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. -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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: -
- %p
Expands to PGPPASSFD=0 when a pass phrase is needed, to an empty +
%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 +
%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/signedattachment when verifying it. -- %a
The value of $pgp_sign_as. -
- %r
One or more key IDs. -
+
%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) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (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) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (empty)-This command is used to verify PGP signatures. -
-This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for -possible
printf(3)-like sequences. -(PGP only) -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)This command is used to decrypt a PGP encrypted message.
-This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for possible
printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)-This format is used to create a old-style âclearsignedâ PGP -message. Note that the use of this format is strongly -deprecated. -
-This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for -possible
printf(3)-like sequences. -(PGP only) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (empty)-This command is used to create the detached PGP signature for a -
multipart/signedPGP/MIME body part. +This command is used to encrypt a body part without signing it.-This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for possible
printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for possible
printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
+Default: â%4n %t%f %4l/0x%k %-4a %2c %uâ+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) +
Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)-This command is used to encrypt a body part without signing it. +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 +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for possible
printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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. +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) -Type:Â string
+Type: regular expression
Default:Â (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. +If you assign a text to this variable, then a PGP signature is only +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) -Type:Â string
+Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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. +(PGP only) +
Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)-This command is used to verify key information from the key selection -menu. +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 +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for possible
printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)-This command is used to list the secret key ring's contents. The -output format must be analogous to the one used by: +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
pgpringutility which comes with mutt.-This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for possible
printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)-This command is used to list the public key ring's contents. The -output format must be analogous to the one used by +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
pgpringutility which comes with mutt.-This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for possible
printf(3)-like sequences. (PGP only) -Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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. +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â no+If set, use 64 bit PGP key IDs, if unset use the normal 32 bit key IDs. (PGP only) -
Type:Â number
-Default:Â 300-The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will expire if -not used. -(S/MIME only) -
Type:Â string
-Default:Â (empty)-This sets the algorithm that should be used for encryption. -Valid choices are âdesâ, âdes3â, ârc2-40â, ârc2-64â, ârc2-128â. -If unset, â3desâ (TripleDES) is used. -(S/MIME only) -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â (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) -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â (empty)-This variable contains the name of either a directory, or a file which -contains trusted certificates for use with OpenSSL. -(S/MIME only) -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â (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) -
Type:Â string
-Default:Â (empty)-This format string specifies a command which is used to decrypt -
application/x-pkcs7-mimeattachments. --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/signedattachment 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 - â-CApath $smime_ca_locationâ or â-CAfile $smime_ca_locationâ. -
-For examples on how to configure these formats, see the
smime.rcin -thesamples/subdirectory which has been installed on your system -alongside the documentation. -(S/MIME only) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (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) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (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) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (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) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (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. +Type:Â quadoption
+Default:Â 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).
-This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for -possible
printf(3)-like sequences. -(S/MIME only) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (empty)-This command is used to create encrypted S/MIME messages. +Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is strongly +deprecated. +(PGP only) +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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 +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.
-This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for -possible
printf(3)-like sequences. -(S/MIME only) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (empty)-This command is used to extract PKCS7 structures of S/MIME signatures, -in order to extract the public X509 certificate(s). +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.
-This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for -possible
printf(3)-like sequences. -(S/MIME only) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (empty)-This command is used to extract X509 certificates from a PKCS7 structure. +Also see the $pgp_mime_auto variable.
-This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for -possible
printf(3)-like sequences. -(S/MIME only) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (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 âFrom:â field. +Also note that using the old-style PGP message format is strongly +deprecated. +(PGP only) +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â no+If set, signed and encrypted messages will consist of nested +
multipart/signedandmultipart/encryptedbody parts.-This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for -possible
printf(3)-like sequences. -(S/MIME only) -Type:Â string
+This is useful for applications like encrypted and signed mailing +lists, where the outer layer (multipart/encrypted) can be easily +removed, while the innermultipart/signedpart is retained. +(PGP only) +Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â yes+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 âdisabledâ by the user. +(PGP only) +
Type:Â string
Default:Â (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) -Type:Â string
+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). +(PGP only) +Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 command is used to create the detached PGP signature for a +
multipart/signedPGP/MIME body part.-This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for possible
printf(3)-like sequences. -(S/MIME only) -Type:Â string
-Default:Â (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) -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â (empty)-The file containing a client certificate and its associated private -key. -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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. -
Type:Â quadoption
-Default:Â yes-If set (the default), mutt will attempt to use
STARTTLSon servers -advertising the capability. When unset, mutt will not attempt to -useSTARTTLSregardless of the server's capabilities. -Type:Â path
-Default: âË/.mutt_certificatesâ-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 +(PGP only) +Type: sort order
+Default:Â address+Specifies how the entries in the pgp menu are sorted. The +following are legal values: -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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. -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â (empty)-The file which includes random data that is used to initialize SSL -library functions. -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â yes-This variables specifies whether to attempt to use SSLv2 in the -SSL authentication process. -
Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â yes-This variables specifies whether to attempt to use SSLv3 in the -SSL authentication process. -
Type:Â boolean
+
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 +âreverse-â. +(PGP only) +
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yes-This variables specifies whether to attempt to use TLSv1 in the -SSL authentication process. -
Type:Â number
-Default:Â 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. -
Type:Â path
+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) +Type:Â number
+Default:Â 300+The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will expire if +not used. +(PGP only) +
Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â no+If set, mutt will use a possibly-running
gpg-agent(1)process. +(PGP only) +Type:Â string
Default:Â (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. +This command is used to verify PGP signatures.
-Example: - -
-set ssl_ca_certificates_file=/etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt - -Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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. -Type:Â boolean
+This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possibleprintf(3)-like sequences. +(PGP only) +Type:Â string
+Default:Â (empty)+This command is used to verify key information from the key selection +menu. +
+This is a format string, see the $pgp_decode_command command for +possible
printf(3)-like sequences. +(PGP only) +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noUsed 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. -Type:Â string
+Default:Â â\nâThe separator to add between messages when piping a list of tagged messages to an external Unix command. -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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. +Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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. +
Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 âuserâ, âapopâ or any -SASL mechanism, eg âdigest-md5â, âgssapiâ or âcram-md5â. +try them. Authentication methods are either âuserâ, âapopâ or any +SASL mechanism, e.g. âdigest-md5â, âgssapiâ or âcram-md5â. 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. @@ -5411,47 +6038,30 @@ Example:
set pop_authenticators="digest-md5:apop:user" - -Type:Â boolean
-Default:Â 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. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 60This variable configures how often (in seconds) mutt should look for new mail in the currently selected mailbox if it is a POP mailbox. -
Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â ask-noIf 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. -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)The name of your POP server for the
<fetch-mail>function. You -can also specify an alternative port, username and password, ie: +can also specify an alternative port, username and password, i.e.:[pop[s]://][username[:password]@]popserver[:port] --where â[...]â denotes an optional part. -
Type:Â boolean
+where â[...]â denotes an optional part. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â no-If this variable is set, mutt will try to use the â
LASTâ POP command +If this variable is set, mutt will try to use the âLASTâ POP command for retrieving only unread messages from the POP server when using the<fetch-mail>function. -Type:Â quadoption
-Default:Â ask-yes-Controls whether or not Mutt will try to reconnect to the POP server if -the connection is lost. -
Type:Â string
-Default:Â (empty)-Your login name on the POP server. -
-This variable defaults to your user name on the local machine. -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)Specifies the password for your POP account. If unset, Mutt will prompt you for your password when you open a POP mailbox. @@ -5459,24 +6069,33 @@ 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. -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â quadoption
+Default:Â ask-yes+Controls whether or not Mutt will try to reconnect to the POP server if +the connection is lost. +
Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)-Similar to the $attribution variable, Mutt will append this +Your login name on the POP server. +
+This variable defaults to your user name on the local machine. +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â (empty)+Similar to the $attribution variable, Mutt will append this string after the inclusion of a message which is being replied to. -
Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â ask-yes-Controls whether or not messages are saved in the $postponed +Controls whether or not messages are saved in the $postponed mailbox when you elect not to send immediately.
-Also see the $recall variable. -
Type:Â path
-Default: âË/postponedâ-Mutt allows you to indefinitely âpostpone sending a messageâ which +Also see the $recall variable. +
Type:Â path
+Default:Â â~/postponedâ+Mutt allows you to indefinitely âpostpone sending a messageâ 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. -
Type:Â string
+Also see the $postpone variable. +Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 @@ -5486,90 +6105,92 @@ status, mutt gives up opening the server. Example:
set preconnect="ssh -f -q -L 1234:mailhost.net:143 mailhost.net \ sleep 20 < /dev/null > /dev/null" --Mailbox âfooâ on âmailhost.netâ can now be reached -as â{localhost:1234}fooâ. +Mailbox âfooâ on âmailhost.netâ can now be reached +as â{localhost:1234}fooâ.
Note: For this example to work, you must be able to log in to the remote machine without having to enter a password. -
Type:Â quadoption
+Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â ask-noControls whether or not Mutt really prints messages. -This is set to âask-noâ by default, because some people -accidentally hit âpâ often. -
Type:Â path
-Default:Â âlprâ+This is set to âask-noâ by default, because some people +accidentally hit âpâ often. +
Type:Â path
+Default:Â âlprâThis specifies the command pipe that should be used to print messages. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesUsed 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 +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. -Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noUsed in connection with the
<print-message>command. If this option -is set, the command specified by $print_command is executed once for +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 +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. -Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â 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 index menu when the external pager exits. -
Type:Â path
+Type:Â path
Default:Â (empty)-This specifies the command that mutt will use to make external address -queries. The string should contain a â%sâ, which will be substituted -with the query string the user types. See âqueryâ for more -information. -
Type:Â string
-Default: â%4c %t %-25.25a %-25.25n %?e?(%e)?â-This variable describes the format of the âqueryâ menu. The +This specifies the command Mutt will use to make external address +queries. The string may contain a â%sâ, which will be substituted +with the query string the user types. Mutt will add quotes around the +string substituted for â%sâ automatically according to shell quoting +rules, so you should avoid adding your own. If no â%sâ is found in +the string, Mutt will append the user's query to the end of the string. +See âqueryâ for more information. +
Type:Â string
+Default: â%4c %t %-25.25a %-25.25n %?e?(%e)?â+This variable describes the format of the âqueryâ menu. The following
printf(3)-style sequences are understood: -
- %a
destination address -
- %c
current entry number -
- %e
extra information * -
- %n
destination name -
- %t
â*â if current entry is tagged, a space otherwise -
- %>X
right justify the rest of the string and pad with âXâ -
- %|X
pad to the end of the line with âXâ -
- %*X
soft-fill with character âXâ as pad -
-For an explanation of âsoft-fillâ, see the $index_format documentation. -
-* = can be optionally printed if nonzero, see the $status_format documentation. -
Type:Â quadoption
+
%a destination address + %c current entry number + %e extra information * + %n destination name + %t â*â if current entry is tagged, a space otherwise + %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with âXâ + %|X pad to the end of the line with âXâ + %*X soft-fill with character âXâ as pad + +For an explanation of âsoft-fillâ, see the $index_format documentation. +
+* = can be optionally printed if nonzero, see the $status_format documentation. +
Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â yes-This variable controls whether âquitâ and âexitâ actually quit +This variable controls whether âquitâ and âexitâ 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. -
Type: regular expression
+Default:Â â^([Â \t]*[|>:}#])+âA 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 -âcolor quotedâ family of directives. +âcolor quotedâ family of directives.-Higher levels of quoting may be colored differently (âcolor quoted1â, -âcolor quoted2â, etc.). The quoting level is determined by removing +Higher levels of quoting may be colored differently (âcolor quoted1â, +âcolor quoted2â, 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. -
Type:Â number
+Match detection may be overridden by the $smileys regular expression. +Type:Â number
Default:Â 10If 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 @@ -5581,20 +6202,20 @@ 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, $net_inc and $time_inc variables and the -âtuningâ section of the manual for performance considerations. -
Type:Â boolean
+Also see the $write_inc, $net_inc and $time_inc variables and the +âtuningâ section of the manual for performance considerations. +Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)-This variable specifies what ârealâ or âpersonalâ name should be used +This variable specifies what ârealâ or âpersonalâ name should be used when sending messages.
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. -Type:Â quadoption
+in the $from variable. +Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â ask-yesControls whether or not Mutt recalls postponed messages when composing a new message. @@ -5602,29 +6223,29 @@ when composing a new message. Setting this variable to is not generally useful, and thus not recommended.
-Also see $postponed variable. -
Type:Â path
+Default:Â â~/sentâThis 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 âmy_hdrâ -command to create a âBcc:â field with your email address in it.) +your messages, but another way to do this is using the âmy_hdrâ +command to create a âBcc:â field with your email address in it.)
-The value of $record is overridden by the $force_name and -$save_name variables, and the âfcc-hookâ command. -
3.241. reply_regexp
Type: regular expression
-Default:Â â^(re([\[0-9\]+])*|aw):[Â \t]*â+The value of $record is overridden by the $force_name and +$save_name variables, and the âfcc-hookâ command. +
3.213. reply_regexp
Type: regular expression
+Default:Â â^(re([\[0-9\]+])*|aw):[Â \t]*âA regular expression used to recognize reply messages when threading and replying. The default value corresponds to the English "Re:" and the German "Aw:". -
3.242. reply_self
Type:Â boolean
+3.214. reply_self
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIf 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.
-Also see the âalternatesâ command. -
3.243. reply_to
Type:Â quadoption
+Also see the âalternatesâ command. +3.215. reply_to
Type:Â quadoption
Default:Â ask-yesIf 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, @@ -5632,50 +6253,48 @@ 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen set, the cursor will be automatically advanced to the next (possibly undeleted) message whenever a command that modifies the current message is executed. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â no-This variable controls whether or not Mutt will display the âpersonalâ +This variable controls whether or not Mutt will display the âpersonalâ 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 âJoe Userâ instead of -âabd30425@somewhere.net.â This is useful when the person's e-mail +It would be displayed in the index menu as âJoe Userâ instead of +âabd30425@somewhere.net.â This is useful when the person's e-mail address is not human friendly. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIt 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 the reply messages is built using the address where you received the messages you are replying to if that address matches your -âalternatesâ. If the variable is unset, or the address that would be -used doesn't match your âalternatesâ, the From: line will use +âalternatesâ. If the variable is unset, or the address that would be +used doesn't match your âalternatesâ, the From: line will use your address on the current machine.
-Also see the âalternatesâ command. -
Type:Â boolean
+Also see the âalternatesâ command. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yes-This variable fine-tunes the behaviour of the $reverse_name feature. +This variable fine-tunes the behavior 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+override any such real names with the setting of the $realname variable. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noWhen this variable is set, Mutt will decode RFC2047-encoded MIME parameters. You want to set this variable when mutt suggests you @@ -5683,7 +6302,6 @@ 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. @@ -5695,145 +6313,310 @@ wild. 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 RFC2231. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIf set, mutt will take the sender's full address when choosing a -default folder for saving a mail. If $save_name or $force_name +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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen unset, mailboxes which contain no saved messages will be removed -when closed (the exception is $spoolfile which is never removed). +when closed (the exception is $spoolfile which is never removed). If set, mailboxes are never removed.
Note: This only applies to mbox and MMDF folders, Mutt does not delete MH and Maildir directories. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 0This variable controls the size of the history (per category) saved in the -$history_file file. -
Type:Â boolean
+$history_file file. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noThis variable controls how copies of outgoing messages are saved. 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. -
Type:Â boolean
+Also see the $force_name variable. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesWhen this variable is unset, scoring is turned off. This can be useful to selectively disable scoring for certain folders when the -$score_threshold_delete variable and related are used. -
Type:Â number
+$score_threshold_delete variable and related are used. +Type:Â number
Default:Â -1Messages 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. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 9999Messages which have been assigned a score greater than or equal to this variable's value are automatically marked "flagged". -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â -1Messages 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. -
Type:Â number
+Default:Â 0+For the pager, this variable specifies the number of lines shown +before search results. By default, search results will be top-aligned. +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â âus-ascii:iso-8859-1:utf-8âA 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 âiso-8859-1â and recipients may not -understand âUTF-8â, it is advisable to include in the list an +If your $charset is not âiso-8859-1â and recipients may not +understand âUTF-8â, it is advisable to include in the list an appropriate widely used standard character set (such as -âiso-8859-2â, âkoi8-râ or âiso-2022-jpâ) either instead of or after -âiso-8859-1â. +âiso-8859-2â, âkoi8-râ or âiso-2022-jpâ) either instead of or after +âiso-8859-1â.
In case the text cannot be converted into one of these exactly, -mutt uses $charset as a fallback. -
Type:Â path
-Default: â/usr/sbin/sendmail -oem -oiâ+mutt uses $charset as a fallback. +
Type:Â path
+Default: â/usr/sbin/sendmail -oem -oiâSpecifies the program and arguments used to deliver mail sent by Mutt. Mutt expects that the specified program interprets additional arguments as recipient addresses. -
Type:Â number
+Type:Â number
Default:Â 0-Specifies the number of seconds to wait for the $sendmail process +Specifies the number of seconds to wait for the $sendmail process to finish before giving up and putting delivery in the background.
Mutt interprets the value of this variable as follows: -
- >0
number of seconds to wait for sendmail to finish before continuing -
- 0
wait forever for sendmail to finish -
- <0
always put sendmail in the background without waiting -
+
>0 number of seconds to wait for sendmail to finish before continuing + 0 wait forever for sendmail to finish + <0 always put sendmail in the background without waiting + Note that if you specify a value other than 0, the output of the child process will be put in a temporary file. If there is some error, you will be informed as to where to find the output. -
Type:Â path
+Type:Â path
Default:Â (empty)Command to use when spawning a subshell. By default, the user's login shell from
/etc/passwdis used. -Type:Â boolean
+Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yes-If set, a line containing â-- â (note the trailing space) will be inserted before your -$signature. It is strongly recommended that you not unset +If set, a line containing â-- â (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 â-- \nâ to +reason for this is because many software packages use â-- \nâ to detect your signature. For example, Mutt has the ability to highlight -the signature in a different color in the builtin pager. -
Type:Â boolean
+the signature in a different color in the built-in pager. +Type:Â boolean
Default:Â noIf 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. -
Type:Â path
+Default:Â â~/.signatureâSpecifies the filename of your signature, which is appended to all -outgoing messages. If the filename ends with a pipe (â|â), it is +outgoing messages. If the filename ends with a pipe (â|â), it is assumed that filename is a shell command and input should be read from its standard output. -
Type:Â string
+Default: â~f %s | ~s %sâSpecifies how Mutt should expand a simple search into a real search -pattern. A simple search is one that does not contain any of the âËâ pattern -operators. See âpatternsâ for more information on search patterns. +pattern. A simple search is one that does not contain any of the â~â pattern +operators. See âpatternsâ for more information on search patterns.
-For example, if you simply type âjoeâ at a search or limit prompt, Mutt +For example, if you simply type âjoeâ at a search or limit prompt, Mutt will automatically expand it to the value specified by this variable by -replacing â%sâ with the supplied string. -For the default value, âjoeâ would be expanded to: âËf joe | Ës joeâ. -
Type:Â boolean
+replacing â%sâ with the supplied string. +For the default value, âjoeâ would be expanded to: â~f joe | ~s joeâ. +Type:Â number
+Default:Â 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 +a value of zero for this option suppresses the pause. +
Type:Â boolean
Default:Â yesControls 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. -
Type: regular expression
-Default: â(>From )|(:[-^]?[][)(><}{|/DP])â+$markers variable. +
Type: regular expression
+Default: â(>From )|(:[-^]?[][)(><}{|/DP])âThe 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 +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. -
Type:Â number
-Default:Â 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 -a value of zero for this option suppresses the pause. -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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) +
Type:Â path
+Default:Â (empty)+This variable contains the name of either a directory, or a file which +contains trusted certificates for use with OpenSSL. +(S/MIME only) +
Type:Â path
+Default:Â (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) +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â (empty)+This format string specifies a command which is used to decrypt +
application/x-pkcs7-mimeattachments. ++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/signedattachment 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 + â-CApath $smime_ca_locationâ or â-CAfile $smime_ca_locationâ. + +For examples on how to configure these formats, see the
smime.rcin +thesamples/subdirectory which has been installed on your system +alongside the documentation. +(S/MIME only) +Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â 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) +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +Type:Â string
+Default:Â (empty)+This sets the algorithm that should be used for encryption. +Valid choices are âdesâ, âdes3â, ârc2-40â, ârc2-64â, ârc2-128â. +If unset, â3desâ (TripleDES) is used. +(S/MIME only) +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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 âFrom:â field. +
+This is a format string, see the $smime_decrypt_command command for +possible
printf(3)-like sequences. +(S/MIME only) +Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +Type:Â boolean
+Default:Â no+The default behavior 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) +
Type:Â path
+Default:Â (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) +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +Type:Â number
+Default:Â 300+The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will expire if +not used. +(S/MIME only) +
Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +Type:Â string
+Default:Â (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) +Type:Â string
Default:Â (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 -âdigest-md5â, âgssapiâ or âcram-md5â. -This option is case-insensitive. If it is âunsetâ +try them. Authentication methods are any SASL mechanism, e.g. +âdigest-md5â, âgssapiâ or âcram-md5â. +This option is case-insensitive. If it is âunsetâ (the default) mutt will try all available methods, in order from most-secure to least-secure.
@@ -5841,156 +6624,213 @@ Example:
set smtp_authenticators="digest-md5:cram-md5" - -Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (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. -
Type:Â string
+Type:Â string
Default:Â (empty)Defines the SMTP smarthost where sent messages should relayed for -delivery. This should take the form of an SMTP URL, eg: +delivery. This should take the form of an SMTP URL, e.g.:
-smtp[s]://[user[:pass]@]host[:port]/ - +smtp[s]://[user[:pass]@]host[:port]-... where â[...]â denotes an optional part. -Setting this variable overrides the value of the $sendmail +where â[...]â denotes an optional part. +Setting this variable overrides the value of the $sendmail variable. -
Type: sort order
+Type: sort order
Default:Â date-Specifies how to sort messages in the âindexâ menu. Valid values +Specifies how to sort messages in the âindexâ menu. Valid values are: -
date or date-sent -
date-received -
from -
mailbox-order (unsorted) -
score -
size -
spam -
subject -
threads -
to +
date or date-sent +
date-received +
from +
mailbox-order (unsorted) +
score +
size +
spam +
subject +
threads +
to
-You may optionally use the âreverse-â prefix to specify reverse sorting -order (example: â
set sort=reverse-date-sentâ). -Type: sort order
+You may optionally use the âreverse-â prefix to specify reverse sorting +order (example: âset sort=reverse-date-sentâ). +Type: sort order
Default:Â alias-Specifies how the entries in the âaliasâ menu are sorted. The +Specifies how the entries in the âaliasâ 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) -
Type: sort order
+
address (sort alphabetically by email address) +
alias (sort alphabetically by alias name) +
unsorted (leave in order specified in .muttrc) +
Type: sort order
Default:Â dateWhen 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 -âthreadsâ (in that case, mutt will just use âdate-sentâ). You can also -specify the âlast-â prefix in addition to the âreverse-â prefix, but âlast-â -must come after âreverse-â. The âlast-â prefix causes messages to be +are sorted. This can be set to any value that $sort can, except +âthreadsâ (in that case, mutt will just use âdate-sentâ). You can also +specify the âlast-â prefix in addition to the âreverse-â prefix, but âlast-â +must come after âreverse-â. The âlast-â 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, +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 â
set sort=reverse-threadsâ.) +you have âset sort=reverse-threadsâ.)-Note: For reversed $sort -order $sort_aux is reversed again (which is not the right thing to do, +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). -