This is Info file ../info/emacs, produced by Makeinfo-1.55 from the input file emacs.texi.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Motion, Next: Rmail Deletion, Prev: Rmail Scrolling, Up: Rmail Moving Among Messages ===================== The most basic thing to do with a message is to read it. The way to do this in Rmail is to make the message current. The usual practice is to move sequentially through the file, since this is the order of receipt of messages. When you enter Rmail, you are positioned at the first message that you have not yet made current (that is, the first one that has the `unseen' attribute; *note Rmail Labels::.). Move forward to see the other new messages; move backward to reexamine old messages. `n' Move to the next nondeleted message, skipping any intervening deleted messages (`rmail-next-undeleted-message'). `p' Move to the previous nondeleted message (`rmail-previous-undeleted-message'). `M-n' Move to the next message, including deleted messages (`rmail-next-message'). `M-p' Move to the previous message, including deleted messages (`rmail-previous-message'). `j' Move to the first message. With argument N, move to message number N (`rmail-show-message'). `>' Move to the last message (`rmail-last-message'). `<' Move to the first message (`rmail-first-message'). `M-s REGEXP RET' Move to the next message containing a match for REGEXP (`rmail-search'). `- M-s REGEXP RET' Move to the previous message containing a match for REGEXP. `n' and `p' are the usual way of moving among messages in Rmail. They move through the messages sequentially, but skip over deleted messages, which is usually what you want to do. Their command definitions are named `rmail-next-undeleted-message' and `rmail-previous-undeleted-message'. If you do not want to skip deleted messages--for example, if you want to move to a message to undelete it--use the variants `M-n' and `M-p' (`rmail-next-message' and `rmail-previous-message'). A numeric argument to any of these commands serves as a repeat count. In Rmail, you can specify a numeric argument by typing just the digits. You don't need to type `C-u' first. The `M-s' (`rmail-search') command is Rmail's version of search. The usual incremental search command `C-s' works in Rmail, but it searches only within the current message. The purpose of `M-s' is to search for another message. It reads a regular expression (*note Regexps::.) nonincrementally, then searches starting at the beginning of the following message for a match. It then selects that message. If REGEXP is empty, `M-s' reuses the regexp used the previous time. To search backward in the file for another message, give `M-s' a negative argument. In Rmail you can do this with `- M-s'. It is also possible to search for a message based on labels. *Note Rmail Labels::. To move to a message specified by absolute message number, use `j' (`rmail-show-message') with the message number as argument. With no argument, `j' selects the first message. `<' (`rmail-first-message') also selects the first message. `>' (`rmail-last-message') selects the last message.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Deletion, Next: Rmail Inbox, Prev: Rmail Motion, Up: Rmail Deleting Messages ================= When you no longer need to keep a message, you can "delete" it. This flags it as ignorable, and some Rmail commands pretend it is no longer present; but it still has its place in the Rmail file, and still has its message number. "Expunging" the Rmail file actually removes the deleted messages. The remaining messages are renumbered consecutively. Expunging is the only action that changes the message number of any message, except for undigestifying (*note Rmail Digest::.). `d' Delete the current message, and move to the next nondeleted message (`rmail-delete-forward'). `C-d' Delete the current message, and move to the previous nondeleted message (`rmail-delete-backward'). `u' Undelete the current message, or move back to a deleted message and undelete it (`rmail-undelete-previous-message'). `x' Expunge the Rmail file (`rmail-expunge'). There are two Rmail commands for deleting messages. Both delete the current message and select another message. `d' (`rmail-delete-forward') moves to the following message, skipping messages already deleted, while `C-d' (`rmail-delete-backward') moves to the previous nondeleted message. If there is no nondeleted message to move to in the specified direction, the message that was just deleted remains current. Whenever Rmail deletes a message, it invokes the function(s) listed in `rmail-delete-message-hook'. When the hook functions are invoked, the message has been marked deleted, but it is still the current message in the Rmail buffer. To make all the deleted messages finally vanish from the Rmail file, type `x' (`rmail-expunge'). Until you do this, you can still "undelete" the deleted messages. The undeletion command, `u' (`rmail-undelete-previous-message'), is designed to cancel the effect of a `d' command in most cases. It undeletes the current message if the current message is deleted. Otherwise it moves backward to previous messages until a deleted message is found, and undeletes that message. You can usually undo a `d' with a `u' because the `u' moves back to and undeletes the message that the `d' deleted. But this does not work when the `d' skips a few already-deleted messages that follow the message being deleted; then the `u' command undeletes the last of the messages that were skipped. There is no clean way to avoid this problem. However, by repeating the `u' command, you can eventually get back to the message that you intend to undelete. You can also select a particular deleted message with the `M-p' command, then type `u' to undelete it. A deleted message has the `deleted' attribute, and as a result `deleted' appears in the mode line when the current message is deleted. In fact, deleting or undeleting a message is nothing more than adding or removing this attribute. *Note Rmail Labels::.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Inbox, Next: Rmail Files, Prev: Rmail Deletion, Up: Rmail Rmail Files and Inboxes ======================= The operating system places incoming mail for you in a file that we call your "inbox". When you start up Rmail, it runs a C program called `movemail' to copy the new messages from your inbox into your primary Rmail file, which also contains other messages saved from previous Rmail sessions. It is in this file that you actually read the mail with Rmail. This operation is called "getting new mail". You can get new mail at any time in Rmail by typing `g'. The variable `rmail-primary-inbox-list' contains a list of the files which are inboxes for your primary Rmail file. If you don't set this variable explicitly, it is initialized from the `MAIL' environment variable, or, as a last resort, set to `nil', which means to use the default inbox. The default inbox is `/var/mail/USERNAME', `/usr/spool/mail/USERNAME', or `/usr/mail/USERNAME', depending on your operating system. You can specify the inbox file(s) for any Rmail file with the command `set-rmail-inbox-list'; see *Note Rmail Files::. Some sites use a method called POP for accessing users' inbox data instead of storing the data in inbox files. `movemail' can work with POP if you compile it with the macro `MAIL_USE_POP' defined, and then install it setuid to `root'. It is safe to install `movemail' in this way. Assuming you have compiled and installed `movemail' appropriately, you can specify a POP inbox with a "file name" of the form `po:USERNAME'. `movemail' handles such a name by opening a connection to the POP server. The `MAILHOST' environment variable specifies the machine to look for the server on. There are three reason for having separate Rmail files and inboxes. 1. The inbox file format varies between operating systems and according to the other mail software in use. Only one part of Rmail needs to know about the alternatives, and it need only understand how to convert all of them to Rmail's own format. 2. The inbox file format usually doesn't provide a place for all the information that Rmail records. 3. It is very cumbersome to access an inbox file without danger of losing mail, because it is necessary to interlock with mail delivery. Moreover, different operating systems use different interlocking techniques. The strategy of moving mail out of the inbox once and for all into a separate Rmail file avoids the need for interlocking in all the rest of Rmail, since only Rmail operates on the Rmail file. When getting new mail, Rmail first copies the new mail from the inbox file to the Rmail file; then it saves the Rmail file; then it truncates the inbox file. This way, a system crash may cause duplication of mail between the inbox and the Rmail file, but cannot lose mail. When `movemail' copies mail from an inbox in the system's mailer directory, it actually puts it in an intermediate file `~/.newmail-INBOXNAME'. Once it finishes, Rmail reads that file, merges the new mail, saves the Rmail file, and only then deletes the intermediate file. If there is a crash at the wrong time, this file continues to exist and Rmail will use it again the next time it gets new mail from that inbox.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Files, Next: Rmail Output, Prev: Rmail Inbox, Up: Rmail Multiple Rmail Files ==================== Rmail operates by default on your "primary Rmail file", which is named `~/RMAIL' and receives your incoming mail from your system inbox file. But you can also have other Rmail files and edit them with Rmail. These files can receive mail through their own inboxes, or you can move messages into them with explicit Rmail commands (*note Rmail Output::.). `i FILE RET' Read FILE into Emacs and run Rmail on it (`rmail-input'). `M-x set-rmail-inbox-list RET FILES RET' Specify inbox file names for current Rmail file to get mail from. `g' Merge new mail from current Rmail file's inboxes (`rmail-get-new-mail'). `C-u g FILE RET' Merge new mail from inbox file FILE. To run Rmail on a file other than your primary Rmail file, you may use the `i' (`rmail-input') command in Rmail. This visits the file in Rmail mode. You can use `M-x rmail-input' even when not in Rmail. The file you read with `i' should normally be a valid Rmail file. If it is not, Rmail tries to decompose it into a stream of messages in various known formats. If it succeeds, it converts the whole file to an Rmail file. If you specify a file name that doesn't exist, `i' initializes a new buffer for creating a new Rmail file. You can also select an Rmail file from a menu. Choose first the menu bar Classify item, then from the Classify menu choose the Input Rmail File item; then choose the Rmail file you want. The variables `rmail-secondary-file-directory' and `rmail-secondary-file-regexp' specify which files to offer in the menu: the first variable says which directory to find them in; the second says which files in that directory to offer (all those that match the regular expression). These variables also apply to choosing a file for output (*note Rmail Output::.). Each Rmail file can contain a list of inbox file names; you can specify this list with `M-x set-rmail-inbox-list RET FILES RET'. The argument can contain any number of file names, separated by commas. It can also be empty, which specifies that this file should have no inboxes. Once a list of inboxes is specified, the Rmail file remembers it permanently until you specify a different list. As a special exception, if your primary Rmail file does not specify any inbox files, it uses your standard system inbox. The `g' command (`rmail-get-new-mail') merges mail into the current Rmail file from its specified inboxes. If the Rmail file has no inboxes, `g' does nothing. The command `M-x rmail' also merges new mail into your primary Rmail file. To merge mail from a file that is not the usual inbox, give the `g' key a numeric argument, as in `C-u g'. Then it reads a file name and merges mail from that file. The inbox file is not deleted or changed in any way when `g' with an argument is used. This is, therefore, a general way of merging one file of messages into another.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Output, Next: Rmail Labels, Prev: Rmail Files, Up: Rmail Copying Messages Out to Files ============================= These commands copy messages from an Rmail file into another file. `o FILE RET' Append a copy of the current message to the file FILE, using Rmail file format by default (`rmail-output-to-rmail-file'). `C-o FILE RET' Append a copy of the current message to the file FILE, using system inbox file format by default (`rmail-output'). The commands `o' and `C-o' copy the current message into a specified file. This file may be an Rmail file or it may be in system inbox format; the output commands ascertain the file's format and write the copied message in that format. The `o' and `C-o' commands differ in two ways: each has its own separate default file name, and each specifies a choice of format to use when the file does not already exist. The `o' command uses Rmail format when it creates a new file, while `C-o' uses system inbox format for a new file. The default file name for `o' is the file name used last with `o', and the default file name for `C-o' is the file name used last with `C-o'. If the output file is an Rmail file currently visited in an Emacs buffer, the output commands copy the message into that buffer. It is up to you to save the buffer eventually in its file. You can also output a message to an Rmail file chosen with a menu. Choose first the menu bar Classify item, then from the Classify menu choose the Output Rmail Menu item; then choose the Rmail file you want. This outputs the current message to that file, like the `o' command. The variables `rmail-secondary-file-directory' and `rmail-secondary-file-regexp' specify which files to offer in the menu: the first variable says which directory to find them in; the second says which files in that directory to offer (all those that match the regular expression). Copying a message gives the original copy of the message the `filed' attribute, so that `filed' appears in the mode line when such a message is current. If you like to keep just a single copy of every mail message, set the variable `rmail-delete-after-output' to `t'; then the `o' and `C-o' commands delete the original message after copying it. (You can undelete the original afterward if you wish.) Copying messages into files in system inbox format uses the header fields that are displayed in Rmail at the time. Thus, if you use the `t' command to view the entire header and then copy the message, the entire header is copied. *Note Rmail Display::. The variable `rmail-output-file-alist' lets you specify intelligent defaults for the output file, based on the contents of the current message. The value should be a list whose elements have this form: (REGEXP . NAME-EXP) If there's a match for REGEXP in the current message, then the default file name for output is NAME-EXP. If multiple elements match the message, the first matching element decides the default file name. The subexpression NAME-EXP may be a string constant giving the file name to use, or more generally it may be any Lisp expression that returns a file name as a string. `rmail-output-file-alist' applies to both `o' and `C-o'.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Labels, Next: Rmail Reply, Prev: Rmail Output, Up: Rmail Labels ====== Each message can have various "labels" assigned to it as a means of classification. Each label has a name; different names are different labels. Any given label is either present or absent on a particular message. A few label names have standard meanings and are given to messages automatically by Rmail when appropriate; these special labels are called "attributes". All other labels are assigned only by users. `a LABEL RET' Assign the label LABEL to the current message (`rmail-add-label'). `k LABEL RET' Remove the label LABEL from the current message (`rmail-kill-label'). `C-M-n LABELS RET' Move to the next message that has one of the labels LABELS (`rmail-next-labeled-message'). `C-M-p LABELS RET' Move to the previous message that has one of the labels LABELS (`rmail-previous-labeled-message'). `C-M-l LABELS RET' Make a summary of all messages containing any of the labels LABELS (`rmail-summary-by-labels'). The `a' (`rmail-add-label') and `k' (`rmail-kill-label') commands allow you to assign or remove any label on the current message. If the LABEL argument is empty, it means to assign or remove the same label most recently assigned or removed. Once you have given messages labels to classify them as you wish, there are two ways to use the labels: in moving and in summaries. The command `C-M-n LABELS RET' (`rmail-next-labeled-message') moves to the next message that has one of the labels LABELS. The argument LABELS specifies one or more label names, separated by commas. `C-M-p' (`rmail-previous-labeled-message') is similar, but moves backwards to previous messages. A numeric argument to either command serves as a repeat count. The command `C-M-l LABELS RET' (`rmail-summary-by-labels') displays a summary containing only the messages that have at least one of a specified set of messages. The argument LABELS is one or more label names, separated by commas. *Note Rmail Summary::, for information on summaries. If the LABELS argument to `C-M-n', `C-M-p' or `C-M-l' is empty, it means to use the last set of labels specified for any of these commands. Some labels such as `deleted' and `filed' have built-in meanings and are assigned to or removed from messages automatically at appropriate times; these labels are called "attributes". Here is a list of Rmail attributes: `unseen' Means the message has never been current. Assigned to messages when they come from an inbox file, and removed when a message is made current. When you start Rmail, it initially shows the first message that has this attribute. `deleted' Means the message is deleted. Assigned by deletion commands and removed by undeletion commands (*note Rmail Deletion::.). `filed' Means the message has been copied to some other file. Assigned by the file output commands (*note Rmail Files::.). `answered' Means you have mailed an answer to the message. Assigned by the `r' command (`rmail-reply'). *Note Rmail Reply::. `forwarded' Means you have forwarded the message. Assigned by the `f' command (`rmail-forward'). *Note Rmail Reply::. `edited' Means you have edited the text of the message within Rmail. *Note Rmail Editing::. `resent' Means you have resent the message. Assigned by the command `M-x rmail-resend'. *Note Rmail Reply::. All other labels are assigned or removed only by the user, and have no standard meaning.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Reply, Next: Rmail Summary, Prev: Rmail Labels, Up: Rmail Sending Replies =============== Rmail has several commands that use Mail mode to send outgoing mail. *Note Sending Mail::, for information on using Mail mode. What are documented here are the special commands of Rmail for entering Mail mode. Note that the usual keys for sending mail--`C-x m', `C-x 4 m', and `C-x 5 m'--are available in Rmail mode and work just as they usually do. `m' Send a message (`rmail-mail'). `c' Continue editing already started outgoing message (`rmail-continue'). `r' Send a reply to the current Rmail message (`rmail-reply'). `f' Forward current message to other users (`rmail-forward'). `C-u f' Resend the current message to other users (`rmail-resend'). `M-m' Try sending a bounced message a second time (`rmail-retry-failure'). The most common reason to send a message while in Rmail is to reply to the message you are reading. To do this, type `r' (`rmail-reply'). This displays the `*mail*' buffer in another window, much like `C-x 4 m', but preinitializes the `Subject', `To', `CC' and `In-reply-to' header fields based on the message you are replying to. The `To' field starts out as the address of the person who sent the message you received, and the `CC' field starts out with all the other recipients of that message. You can exclude certain recipients from being placed automatically in the `CC', using the variable `rmail-dont-reply-to-names'. Its value should be a regular expression (as a string); any recipient that the regular expression matches, is excluded from the `CC' field. The default value matches your own name, and any name starting with `info-'. (Those names are excluded because there is a convention of using them for large mailing lists to broadcast announcements.) To omit the `CC' field completely for a particular reply, enter the reply command with a numeric argument: `C-u r' or `1 r'. Once the `*mail*' buffer has been initialized, editing and sending the mail goes as usual (*note Sending Mail::.). You can edit the presupplied header fields if they are not right for you. You can also use the commands of Mail mode, including `C-c C-y' to yank in the message that you are replying to, and `C-c C-q' to fill what was thus yanked. You can also switch to the Rmail buffer, select a different message, switch back, and yank the new current message. Sometimes a message does not reach its destination. Mailers usually send the failed message back to you, enclosed in a "failure message". The Rmail command `M-m' (`rmail-retry-failure') prepares to send the same message a second time: it sets up a `*mail*' buffer with the same text and header fields as before. If you type `C-c C-c' right away, you send the message again exactly the same as the first time. Alternatively, you can edit the text or headers and then send it. The variable `rmail-retry-ignored-headers', in the same format as `rmail-ignored-headers' (*note Rmail Display::.), controls which headers are stripped from the failed message when retrying it; it defaults to nil. Another frequent reason to send mail in Rmail is to "forward" the current message to other users. `f' (`rmail-forward') makes this easy by preinitializing the `*mail*' buffer with the current message as the text, and a subject designating a forwarded message. All you have to do is fill in the recipients and send. When you forward a message, recipients get a message which is "from" you, and which has the original message in its contents. "Resending" is an alternative similar to forwarding; the difference is that resending sends a message that is "from" the original sender, just as it reached you--with a few added header fields `Resent-from' and `Resent-to' to indicate that it came via you. To resend a message in Rmail, use `C-u f'. (`f' runs `rmail-forward', which is programmed to invoke `rmail-resend' if you provide a numeric argument.) The `m' (`rmail-mail') command is used to start editing an outgoing message that is not a reply. It leaves the header fields empty. Its only difference from `C-x 4 m' is that it makes the Rmail buffer accessible for `C-c C-y', just as `r' does. Thus, `m' can be used to reply to or forward a message; it can do anything `r' or `f' can do. The `c' (`rmail-continue') command resumes editing the `*mail*' buffer, to finish editing an outgoing message you were already composing, or to alter a message you have sent. If you set the variable `rmail-mail-new-frame' to a non-`nil' value, then all the Rmail commands to start sending a message create a new frame to edit it in. This frame is deleted when you send the message, or when you use the `Don't Send' item in the `Mail' menu.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Summary, Next: Rmail Sorting, Prev: Rmail Reply, Up: Rmail Summaries ========= A "summary" is a buffer containing one line per message to give you an overview of the mail in an Rmail file. Each line shows the message number, the sender, the labels, and the subject. Almost all Rmail commands are valid in the summary buffer also; these apply to the message described by the current line of the summary. Moving point in the summary buffer selects messages as you move to their summary lines. A summary buffer applies to a single Rmail file only; if you are editing multiple Rmail files, each one can have its own summary buffer. The summary buffer name is made by appending `-summary' to the Rmail buffer's name. Normally only one summary buffer is displayed at a time. * Menu: * Rmail Make Summary:: Making various sorts of summaries. * Rmail Summary Edit:: Manipulating messages from the summary.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Make Summary, Next: Rmail Summary Edit, Up: Rmail Summary Making Summaries ---------------- Here are the commands to create a summary for the current Rmail file. Once the Rmail file has a summary buffer, changes in the Rmail file (such as deleting or expunging messages, and getting new mail) automatically update the summary. `h' `C-M-h' Summarize all messages (`rmail-summary'). `l LABELS RET' `C-M-l LABELS RET' Summarize message that have one or more of the specified labels (`rmail-summary-by-labels'). `C-M-r RCPTS RET' Summarize messages that have one or more of the specified recipients (`rmail-summary-by-recipients'). `C-M-t TOPIC RET' Summarize messages that have a match for the specified regexp TOPIC in their subjects (`rmail-summary-by-topic'). The `h' or `C-M-h' (`rmail-summary') command fills the summary buffer for the current Rmail file with a summary of all the messages in the file. It then displays and selects the summary buffer in another window. `C-M-l LABELS RET' (`rmail-summary-by-labels') makes a partial summary mentioning only the messages that have one or more of the labels LABELS. LABELS should contain label names separated by commas. `C-M-r RCPTS RET' (`rmail-summary-by-recipients') makes a partial summary mentioning only the messages that have one or more of the recipients RCPTS. RCPTS should contain mailing addresses separated by commas. `C-M-t TOPIC RET' (`rmail-summary-by-topic') makes a partial summary mentioning only the messages whose subjects have a match for the regular expression TOPIC. Note that there is only one summary buffer for any Rmail file; making one kind of summary discards any previously made summary. The variable `rmail-summary-window-size' says how many lines to use for the summary window.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Summary Edit, Prev: Rmail Make Summary, Up: Rmail Summary Editing in Summaries -------------------- You can use the Rmail summary buffer to do almost anything you can do in the Rmail buffer itself. In fact, once you have a summary buffer, there's no need to switch back to the Rmail buffer. You can select and display various messages in the Rmail buffer, from the summary buffer, just by moving point in the summary buffer to different lines. It doesn't matter what Emacs command you use to move point; whichever line point is on at the end of the command, that message is selected in the Rmail buffer. Almost all Rmail commands work in the summary buffer as well as in the Rmail buffer. Thus, `d' in the summary buffer deletes the current message, `u' undeletes, and `x' expunges. `o' and `C-o' output the current message to a file; `r' starts a reply to it. You can scroll the current message while remaining in the summary buffer using SPC and DEL. The Rmail commands to move between messages also work in the summary buffer, but with a twist: they move through the set of messages included in the summary. They also ensure the Rmail buffer appears on the screen (unlike cursor motion commands, which update the contents of the Rmail buffer but don't display it in a window unless it already appears). Here is a list of these commands: `n' Move to next line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select its message. `p' Move to previous line, skipping lines saying `deleted', and select its message. `M-n' Move to next line and select its message. `M-p' Move to previous line and select its message. `>' Move to the last line, and select its message. `<' Move to the first line, and select its message. `M-s PATTERN RET' Search through messages for PATTERN starting with the current message; select the message found, and move point in the summary buffer to that message's line. Deletion, undeletion, and getting new mail, and even selection of a different message all update the summary buffer when you do them in the Rmail buffer. If the variable `rmail-redisplay-summary' is non-`nil', these actions also bring the summary buffer back onto the screen. When you are finished using the summary, type `w' (`rmail-summary-wipe') to delete the summary buffer's window. You can also exit Rmail while in the summary: `q' (`rmail-summary-quit') deletes the summary window, then exits from Rmail by saving the Rmail file and switching to another buffer.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Sorting, Next: Rmail Display, Prev: Rmail Summary, Up: Rmail Sorting the Rmail File ====================== `M-x rmail-sort-by-date' Sort messages of current Rmail file by date. `M-x rmail-sort-by-subject' Sort messages of current Rmail file by subject. `M-x rmail-sort-by-author' Sort messages of current Rmail file by author's name. `M-x rmail-sort-by-recipient' Sort messages of current Rmail file by recipient's names. `M-x rmail-sort-by-correspondent' Sort messages of current Rmail file by the name of the other correspondent. `M-x rmail-sort-by-lines' Sort messages of current Rmail file by size (number of lines). `M-x rmail-sort-by-keywords RET LABELS RET' Sort messages of current Rmail file by labels. The argument LABELS should be a comma-separated list of labels. The order of these labels specifies the order of messages; messages with the first label come first, messages with the second label come second, and so on. Messages which have none of these labels come last. The Rmail sort commands perform a *stable sort*: if there is no reason to prefer either one of two messages, their order remains unchanged. You can use this to sort by more than one criterion. For example, if you use `rmail-sort-by-date' and then `rmail-sort-by-author', messages from the same author appear in order by date. With a numeric argument, all these commands reverse the order of comparison. This means they sort messages from newest to oldest, from biggest to smallest, or in reverse alphabetical order.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Display, Next: Rmail Editing, Prev: Rmail Sorting, Up: Rmail Display of Messages =================== Rmail reformats the header of each message before displaying it for the first time. Reformatting hides uninteresting header fields to reduce clutter. You can use the `t' command to show the entire header or to repeat the header reformatting operation. `t' Toggle display of complete header (`rmail-toggle-header'). Reformatting the header involves deleting most header fields, on the grounds that they are not interesting. The variable `rmail-ignored-headers' holds a regular expression that specifies which header fields to hide in this way--if it matches the beginning of a header field, that whole field is hidden. Rmail saves the complete original header before reformatting; to see it, use the `t' command (`rmail-toggle-header'). This discards the reformatted headers of the current message and displays it with the original header. Repeating `t' reformats the message again. Selecting the message again also reformats. One consequence of this is that if you edit the reformatted header (using `e'; *note Rmail Editing::.), subsequent use of `t' will discard your edits. On the other hand, if you use `e' after `t', to edit the original (unreformatted) header, those changes are permanent. When used with a window system that supports multiple fonts, Rmail highlights certain header fields that are especially interesting--by default, the `From' and `Subject' fields. The variable `rmail-highlighted-headers' holds a regular expression that specifies the header fields to highlight; if it matches the beginning of a header field, that whole field is highlighted. If you specify unusual colors for your text foreground and background, the colors used for highlighting may not go well with them. If so, specify different colors for the `highlight' face. That is worth doing because the `highlight' face is used for other kinds of highlighting as well. *Note Faces::, for how to do this. To turn off highlighting entirely in Rmail, set `rmail-highlighted-headers' to `nil'.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Editing, Next: Rmail Digest, Prev: Rmail Display, Up: Rmail Editing Within a Message ======================== Most of the usual Emacs commands are available in Rmail mode, though a few, such as `C-M-n' and `C-M-h', are redefined by Rmail for other purposes. However, the Rmail buffer is normally read only, and most of the letters are redefined as Rmail commands. If you want to edit the text of a message, you must use the Rmail command `e'. `e' Edit the current message as ordinary text. The `e' command (`rmail-edit-current-message') switches from Rmail mode into Rmail Edit mode, another major mode which is nearly the same as Text mode. The mode line indicates this change. In Rmail Edit mode, letters insert themselves as usual and the Rmail commands are not available. When you are finished editing the message and are ready to go back to Rmail, type `C-c C-c', which switches back to Rmail mode. Alternatively, you can return to Rmail mode but cancel all the editing that you have done, by typing `C-c C-]'. Entering Rmail Edit mode runs the hook `text-mode-hook'; then it runs the hook `rmail-edit-mode-hook' (*note Hooks::.). It adds the attribute `edited' to the message.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Digest, Next: Out of Rmail, Prev: Rmail Editing, Up: Rmail Digest Messages =============== A "digest message" is a message which exists to contain and carry several other messages. Digests are used on some moderated mailing lists; all the messages that arrive for the list during a period of time such as one day are put inside a single digest which is then sent to the subscribers. Transmitting the single digest uses much less computer time than transmitting the individual messages even though the total size is the same, because the per-message overhead in network mail transmission is considerable. When you receive a digest message, the most convenient way to read it is to "undigestify" it: to turn it back into many individual messages. Then you can read and delete the individual messages as it suits you. To do this, select the digest message and type the command `M-x undigestify-rmail-message'. This extracts the submessages as separate Rmail messages, and inserts them following the digest. The digest message itself is flagged as deleted.  File: emacs, Node: Out of Rmail, Next: Rmail Rot13, Prev: Rmail Digest, Up: Rmail Converting an Rmail File to Inbox Format ======================================== The command `M-x unrmail' converts a file in Rmail format to inbox format (also known as the system mailbox format), so that you can use it with other mail-editing tools. You must specify two arguments, the name of the Rmail file and the name to use for the converted file. `M-x unrmail' does not alter the Rmail file itself.  File: emacs, Node: Rmail Rot13, Prev: Out of Rmail, Up: Rmail Reading Rot13 Messages ====================== Mailing list messages that might offend some readers are sometimes encoded in a simple code called "rot13"--so named because it rotates the alphabet by 13 letters. This code is not for secrecy, as it provides none; rather, it enables those who might be offended to avoid ever seeing the real text of the message. To view a buffer using the rot13 code, use the command `M-x rot13-other-window'. This displays the current buffer in another window which applies the code when displaying the text.  File: emacs, Node: Dired, Next: Calendar/Diary, Prev: Rmail, Up: Top Dired, the Directory Editor *************************** Dired makes an Emacs buffer containing a listing of a directory, and optionally some of its subdirectories as well. You can use the normal Emacs commands to move around in this buffer, and special Dired commands to operate on the files listed. * Menu: * Enter: Dired Enter. How to invoke Dired. * Commands: Dired Commands. Commands in the Dired buffer. * Deletion: Dired Deletion. Deleting files with Dired. * Flagging Many Files:: Flagging files based on their names. * Visit: Dired Visiting. Other file operations through Dired. * Marks vs Flags:: Flagging for deletion vs marking. * Operating on Files:: How to copy, rename, print, compress, etc. either one file or several files. * Shell Commands in Dired:: Running a shell command on the marked files. * Transforming File Names:: Using patterns to rename multiple files. * Comparison in Dired:: Running `diff' by way of Dired. * Subdirectories in Dired:: Adding subdirectories to the Dired buffer. * Subdirectory Motion:: Moving across subdirectories, and up and down. * Hiding Subdirectories:: Making subdirectories visible or invisible. * Updating: Dired Updating. Discarding lines for files of no interest. * Find: Dired and Find. Using `find' to choose the files for Dired.  File: emacs, Node: Dired Enter, Next: Dired Commands, Up: Dired Entering Dired ============== To invoke Dired, do `C-x d' or `M-x dired'. The command reads a directory name or wildcard file name pattern as a minibuffer argument to specify which files to list. Where `dired' differs from `list-directory' is in putting the buffer into Dired mode so that the special commands of Dired are available. The variable `dired-listing-switches' specifies the options to give to `ls' for listing directory; this string *must* contain `-l'. If you use a numeric prefix argument with the `dired' command, you can specify the `ls' switches with the minibuffer after you finish entering the directory specification. To display the Dired buffer in another window rather than in the selected window, use `C-x 4 d' (`dired-other-window)' instead of `C-x d'. `C-x 5 d' (`dired-other-frame') uses a separate frame to display the Dired buffer.  File: emacs, Node: Dired Commands, Next: Dired Deletion, Prev: Dired Enter, Up: Dired Commands in the Dired Buffer ============================ The Dired buffer is "read-only", and inserting text in it is not useful, so ordinary printing characters such as `d' and `x' are used for special Dired commands. Some Dired commands "mark" or "flag" the "current file" (that is, the file on the current line); other commands operate on the marked files or on the flagged files. All the usual Emacs cursor motion commands are available in Dired buffers. Some special purpose cursor motion commands are also provided. The keys `C-n' and `C-p' are redefined to put the cursor at the beginning of the file name on the line, rather than at the beginning of the line. For extra convenience, SPC and `n' in Dired are equivalent to `C-n'. `p' is equivalent to `C-p'. (Moving by lines is so common in Dired that it deserves to be easy to type.) DEL (move up and unflag) is often useful simply for moving up.  File: emacs, Node: Dired Deletion, Next: Flagging Many Files, Prev: Dired Commands, Up: Dired Deleting Files with Dired ========================= The primary use of Dired is to "flag" files for deletion and then delete the files previously flagged. `d' Flag this file for deletion. `u' Remove deletion flag on this line. `DEL' Move point to previous line and remove the deletion flag on that line. `x' Delete the files that are flagged for deletion. You can flag a file for deletion by moving to the line describing the file and typing `d'. The deletion flag is visible as a `D' at the beginning of the line. This command moves point to the next line, so that repeated `d' commands flag successive files. A numeric argument serves as a repeat count. The files are flagged for deletion rather than deleted immediately to reduce the danger of deleting a file accidentally. Until you direct Dired to expunge the flagged files, you can remove deletion flags using the commands `u' and DEL. `u' works just like `d', but removes flags rather than making flags. DEL moves upward, removing flags; it is like `u' with numeric argument automatically negated. To delete the flagged files, type `x' (`dired-expunge'). This command first displays a list of all the file names flagged for deletion, and requests confirmation with `yes'. If you confirm, Dired deletes the flagged files, then deletes their lines from the text of the Dired buffer. The shortened Dired buffer remains selected. If you answer `no' or quit with `C-g' when asked to confirm, you return immediately to Dired, with the deletion flags still present in the buffer, and no files actually deleted.  File: emacs, Node: Flagging Many Files, Next: Dired Visiting, Prev: Dired Deletion, Up: Dired Flagging Many Files =================== `#' Flag all auto-save files (files whose names start and end with `#') for deletion (*note Auto Save::.). `~' Flag all backup files (files whose names end with `~') for deletion (*note Backup::.). `. (Period)' Flag excess numeric backup files for deletion. The oldest and newest few backup files of any one file are exempt; the middle ones are flagged. `% d REGEXP RET' Flag for deletion all files whose names match the regular expression REGEXP (`dired-flag-files-regexp'). The `#', `~' and `.' commands flag many files for deletion, based on their file names. These commands are useful precisely because they do not actually delete any files; you can remove the deletion flags from any flagged files that you really wish to keep. `#' flags for deletion all files whose names look like auto-save files (*note Auto Save::.)--that is, files whose names begin and end with `#'. `~' flags for deletion all files whose names say they are backup files (*note Backup::.)--that is, whose names end in `~'. `.' (Period) flags just some of the backup files for deletion: all but the oldest few and newest few backups of any one file. Normally `dired-kept-versions' (*not* `kept-new-versions'; that applies only when saving) specifies the number of newest versions of each file to keep, and `kept-old-versions' specifies the number of oldest versions to keep. Period with a positive numeric argument, as in `C-u 3 .', specifies the number of newest versions to keep, overriding `dired-kept-versions'. A negative numeric argument overrides `kept-old-versions', using minus the value of the argument to specify the number of oldest versions of each file to keep. The `% d' command flags all files whose names match a specified regular expression (`dired-flag-files-regexp'). Only the non-directory part of the file name is used in matching. You can use `^' and `$' to anchor matches. You can exclude subdirectories by hiding them (*note Hiding Subdirectories::.).  File: emacs, Node: Dired Visiting, Next: Marks vs Flags, Prev: Flagging Many Files, Up: Dired Visiting Files in Dired ======================= There are several Dired commands for visiting or examining the files listed in the Dired buffer. All of them apply to the current line's file; if that file is really a directory, these commands invoke Dired on that subdirectory (making a separate Dired buffer). `f' Visit the file described on the current line, like typing `C-x C-f' and supplying that file name (`dired-find-file'). *Note Visiting::. `RET' Equivalent to `f'. `o' Like `f', but uses another window to display the file's buffer (`dired-find-file-other-window'). The Dired buffer remains visible in the first window. This is like using `C-x 4 C-f' to visit the file. *Note Windows::. `C-o' Visit the file described on the current line, and display the buffer in another window, but do not select that window (`dired-display-file'). `Mouse-2' Visit the file named by the line you click on (`dired-mouse-find-file-other-window'). This uses another window to display the file, like the `o' command. `v' View the file described on the current line, using `M-x view-file' (`dired-view-file'). Viewing a file is like visiting it, but is slanted toward moving around in the file conveniently and does not allow changing the file. *Note View File: Misc File Ops.  File: emacs, Node: Marks vs Flags, Next: Operating on Files, Prev: Dired Visiting, Up: Dired Dired Marks vs. Flags ===================== Instead of flagging a file with `D', you can "mark" the file with some other character (usually `*'). Most Dired commands to operate on files, aside from "expunge" (`x'), look for files marked with `*'. Here are some commands for marking with `*' (and also for unmarking). (*Note Dired Deletion::, for commands to flag and unflag files.) `m' Mark the current file with `*' (`dired-mark'). With a numeric argument N, mark the next N files starting with the current file. (If N is negative, mark the previous -N files.) `*' Mark all executable files with `*' (`dired-mark-executables'). With a numeric argument, unmark all those files. `@' Mark all symbolic links with `*' (`dired-mark-symlinks'). With a numeric argument, unmark all those files. `/' Mark with `*' all files which are actually directories, except for `.' and `..' (`dired-mark-directories'). With a numeric argument, unmark all those files. `M-DEL MARKCHAR' Remove all marks that use the character MARKCHAR (`dired-unmark-all-files'). If you specify RET as MARKCHAR, this command removes all marks, no matter what the marker character is. With a numeric argument, this command queries about each marked file, asking whether to remove its mark. You can answer `y' meaning yes, `n' meaning no, `!' to remove the marks from the remaining files without asking about them. `c OLD NEW' Replace all marks that use the character OLD with marks that use the character NEW (`dired-change-marks'). This command is the primary way to create or use marks other than `*' or `D'. The arguments are single characters--do not use RET to terminate them. You can use almost any character as a mark character by means of this command, to distinguish various classes of files. If OLD is a space (` '), then the command operates on all unmarked files; if NEW is a space, then the command unmarks the files it acts on. To illustrate the power of this command, here is how to put `*' marks on all the files that are unmarked, while unmarking all those that have `*' marks: c * t c SPC * c t SPC `% m REGEXP RET' Mark (with `*') all files whose names match the regular expression REGEXP (`dired-mark-files-regexp'). `% m' is like `% d', except that it marks files with `*' instead of flagging with `D'. *Note Flagging Many Files::. Only the non-directory part of the file name is used in matching. Use `^' and `$' to anchor matches. Exclude subdirectories by hiding them (*note Hiding Subdirectories::.).