EVOLUTION-MANAGER
Edit File: gettingstarted.html
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><title>Chapter 2. Getting Started</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.78.1" /><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="The Mutt E-Mail Client" /><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="The Mutt E-Mail Client" /><link rel="prev" href="intro.html" title="Chapter 1. Introduction" /><link rel="next" href="configuration.html" title="Chapter 3. Configuration" /><style xmlns="" type="text/css"> body { margin-left:2%; margin-right:2%; font-family:serif; } .toc, .list-of-tables, .list-of-examples { font-family:sans-serif; } h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 { font-family:sans-serif; } p { text-align:justify; } div.table p.title, div.example p.title { font-size:smaller; font-family:sans-serif; } .email, .email a { font-family:monospace; } div.table-contents table, div.informaltable table { border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #c0c0c0; } div.table-contents table td, div.informaltable td, div.table-contents table th, div.informaltable table th { padding:5px; text-align:left; } div.table-contents table th, div.informaltable table th { font-family:sans-serif; background:#d0d0d0; font-weight:normal; vertical-align:top; } div.cmdsynopsis { border-left:1px solid #707070; padding-left:5px; } li div.cmdsynopsis { border-left:none; padding-left:0px; } pre.screen, div.note { background:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #c0c0c0; padding:5px; margin-left:2%; margin-right:2%; } div.example p.title { margin-left:2%; } div.note h3 { font-size:small; font-style:italic; font-variant: small-caps; } div.note h3:after { content: ":" } div.note { margin-bottom: 5px; } .command { font-family: monospace; font-weight: normal; } .command strong { font-weight: normal; } tr { vertical-align: top; } .comment { color:#707070; } </style></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 2. Getting Started</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="configuration.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr /></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="gettingstarted"></a>Chapter 2. Getting Started</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#core-concepts">1. Core Concepts</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#concept-screens-and-menus">2. Screens and Menus</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-index">2.1. Index</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-pager">2.2. Pager</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-browser">2.3. File Browser</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-help">2.4. Help</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-compose">2.5. Compose Menu</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-alias">2.6. Alias Menu</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#intro-attach">2.7. Attachment Menu</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#menus">3. Moving Around in Menus</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing">4. Editing Input Fields</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing-intro">4.1. Introduction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#editing-history">4.2. History</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#reading">5. Reading Mail</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#index-menu">5.1. The Message Index</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#pager-menu">5.2. The Pager</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#threads">5.3. Threaded Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#reading-misc">5.4. Miscellaneous Functions</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#sending">6. Sending Mail</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#sending-intro">6.1. Introduction</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#edit-header">6.2. Editing the Message Header</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#sending-crypto">6.3. Sending Cryptographically Signed/Encrypted Messages</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect2"><a href="gettingstarted.html#ff">6.4. Sending Format=Flowed Messages</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#forwarding-mail">7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="gettingstarted.html#postponing-mail">8. Postponing Mail</a></span></dt></dl></div><p> 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 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.mutt.org/" target="_top">Mutt homepage</a> for more details. </p><p> 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 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">?</span>”</span> in any menu to display the current bindings. </p><p> The first thing you need to do is invoke Mutt, simply by typing <code class="literal">mutt</code> at the command line. There are various command-line options, see either the Mutt man page or the <a class="link" href="reference.html#commandline" title="1. Command-Line Options">reference</a>. </p><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="core-concepts"></a>1. Core Concepts</h2></div></div></div><p> 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 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">index</span>”</span> menu (listing all messages of the currently opened folder) or the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">alias</span>”</span> menu (allowing you to select recipients from a list). Examples for page-based menus are the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">pager</span>”</span> (showing one message at a time) or the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">help</span>”</span> menu listing all available key bindings. </p><p> The user interface consists of a context sensitive help line at the top, the menu's contents followed by a context sensitive status line and finally the command line. The command line is used to display informational and error messages as well as for prompts and for entering interactive commands. </p><p> 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. </p><p> Because Mutt allows for customizing almost all key bindings, there are so-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">functions</span>”</span> 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. </p><p> 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 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">tagged</span>”</span> 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 <span class="emphasis"><em>and</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>or</em></span> 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. </p><p> Mutt supports a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">hook</span>”</span> 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. </p><p> Besides an interactive mode, Mutt can also be used as a command-line tool only send messages. It also supports a <code class="literal">mailx(1)</code>-compatible interface, see <a class="xref" href="reference.html#tab-commandline-options" title="Table 9.1. Command line options">Table 9.1, “Command line options”</a> for a complete list of command-line options. </p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="concept-screens-and-menus"></a>2. Screens and Menus</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-index"></a>2.1. Index</h3></div></div></div><p> 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. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-pager"></a>2.2. Pager</h3></div></div></div><p> 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. </p><p> 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. </p><p> 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. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-browser"></a>2.3. File Browser</h3></div></div></div><p> 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. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-help"></a>2.4. Help</h3></div></div></div><p> 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). </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-compose"></a>2.5. Compose Menu</h3></div></div></div><p> 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. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-alias"></a>2.6. Alias Menu</h3></div></div></div><p> 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. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="intro-attach"></a>2.7. Attachment Menu</h3></div></div></div><p> 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. </p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="menus"></a>3. Moving Around in Menus</h2></div></div></div><p> The most important navigation keys common to line- or entry-based menus are shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-nav-line" title="Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus">Table 2.1, “Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus”</a> and in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-nav-page" title="Table 2.2. Most common navigation keys in page-based menus">Table 2.2, “Most common navigation keys in page-based menus”</a> for page-based menus. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-keys-nav-line"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.1. Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common navigation keys in entry-based menus" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>j or <Down></td><td><code class="literal"><next-entry></code></td><td>move to the next entry</td></tr><tr><td>k or <Up></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-entry></code></td><td>move to the previous entry</td></tr><tr><td>z or <PageDn></td><td><code class="literal"><page-down></code></td><td>go to the next page</td></tr><tr><td>Z or <PageUp></td><td><code class="literal"><page-up></code></td><td>go to the previous page</td></tr><tr><td>= or <Home></td><td><code class="literal"><first-entry></code></td><td>jump to the first entry</td></tr><tr><td>* or <End></td><td><code class="literal"><last-entry></code></td><td>jump to the last entry</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td><code class="literal"><quit></code></td><td>exit the current menu</td></tr><tr><td>?</td><td><code class="literal"><help></code></td><td>list all keybindings for the current menu</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-keys-nav-page"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.2. Most common navigation keys in page-based menus</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common navigation keys in page-based menus" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>J or <Return></td><td><code class="literal"><next-line></code></td><td>scroll down one line</td></tr><tr><td><Backspace></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-line></code></td><td>scroll up one line</td></tr><tr><td>K, <Space> or <PageDn></td><td><code class="literal"><next-page></code></td><td>move to the next page</td></tr><tr><td>- or <PageUp></td><td><code class="literal"><previous-page></code></td><td>move the previous page</td></tr><tr><td><Home></td><td><code class="literal"><top></code></td><td>move to the top</td></tr><tr><td><End></td><td><code class="literal"><bottom></code></td><td>move to the bottom</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="editing"></a>4. Editing Input Fields</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="editing-intro"></a>4.1. Introduction</h3></div></div></div><p> 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 <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-keys-editor" title="Table 2.3. Most common line editor keys">Table 2.3, “Most common line editor keys”</a> for a full reference of available functions, their default key bindings, and short descriptions. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-keys-editor"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.3. Most common line editor keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common line editor keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>^A or <Home></td><td><code class="literal"><bol></code></td><td>move to the start of the line</td></tr><tr><td>^B or <Left></td><td><code class="literal"><backward-char></code></td><td>move back one char</td></tr><tr><td>Esc B</td><td><code class="literal"><backward-word></code></td><td>move back one word</td></tr><tr><td>^D or <Delete></td><td><code class="literal"><delete-char></code></td><td>delete the char under the cursor</td></tr><tr><td>^E or <End></td><td><code class="literal"><eol></code></td><td>move to the end of the line</td></tr><tr><td>^F or <Right></td><td><code class="literal"><forward-char></code></td><td>move forward one char</td></tr><tr><td>Esc F</td><td><code class="literal"><forward-word></code></td><td>move forward one word</td></tr><tr><td><Tab></td><td><code class="literal"><complete></code></td><td>complete filename or alias</td></tr><tr><td>^T</td><td><code class="literal"><complete-query></code></td><td>complete address with query</td></tr><tr><td>^K</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-eol></code></td><td>delete to the end of the line</td></tr><tr><td>Esc d</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-eow></code></td><td>delete to the end of the word</td></tr><tr><td>^W</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-word></code></td><td>kill the word in front of the cursor</td></tr><tr><td>^U</td><td><code class="literal"><kill-line></code></td><td>delete entire line</td></tr><tr><td>^V</td><td><code class="literal"><quote-char></code></td><td>quote the next typed key</td></tr><tr><td><Up></td><td><code class="literal"><history-up></code></td><td>recall previous string from history</td></tr><tr><td><Down></td><td><code class="literal"><history-down></code></td><td>recall next string from history</td></tr><tr><td><BackSpace></td><td><code class="literal"><backspace></code></td><td>kill the char in front of the cursor</td></tr><tr><td>Esc u</td><td><code class="literal"><upcase-word></code></td><td>convert word to upper case</td></tr><tr><td>Esc l</td><td><code class="literal"><downcase-word></code></td><td>convert word to lower case</td></tr><tr><td>Esc c</td><td><code class="literal"><capitalize-word></code></td><td>capitalize the word</td></tr><tr><td>^G</td><td>n/a</td><td>abort</td></tr><tr><td><Return></td><td>n/a</td><td>finish editing</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p> You can remap the <span class="emphasis"><em>editor</em></span> functions using the <a class="link" href="configuration.html#bind" title="5. Changing the Default Key Bindings"><span class="command"><strong>bind</strong></span></a> command. For example, to make the <Delete> key delete the character in front of the cursor rather than under, you could use: </p><pre class="screen"> bind editor <delete> backspace </pre></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="editing-history"></a>4.2. History</h3></div></div></div><p> Mutt maintains a history for the built-in editor. The number of items is controlled by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#history" title="3.86. history">$history</a> variable and can be made persistent using an external file specified using <a class="link" href="reference.html#history-file" title="3.87. history_file">$history_file</a>. You may cycle through them at an editor prompt by using the <code class="literal"><history-up></code> and/or <code class="literal"><history-down></code> 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. </p><p> Mutt maintains several distinct history lists, one for each of the following categories: </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p><code class="literal">.muttrc</code> commands</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>addresses and aliases</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>shell commands</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>filenames</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>patterns</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>everything else</p></li></ul></div><p> 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. </p></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="reading"></a>5. Reading Mail</h2></div></div></div><p> Similar to many other mail clients, there are two modes in which mail is read in Mutt. The first is a list of messages in the mailbox, which is called the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">index</span>”</span> menu in Mutt. The second mode is the display of the message contents. This is called the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">pager.</span>”</span> </p><p> The next few sections describe the functions provided in each of these modes. </p><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="index-menu"></a>5.1. The Message Index</h3></div></div></div><p> Common keys used to navigate through and manage messages in the index are shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-index" title="Table 2.4. Most common message index keys">Table 2.4, “Most common message index keys”</a>. How messages are presented in the index menu can be customized using the <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.111. index_format">$index_format</a> variable. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-index"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.4. Most common message index keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common message index keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>c</td><td>change to a different mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>Esc c</td><td>change to a folder in read-only mode</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>copy the current message to another mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>Esc C</td><td>decode a message and copy it to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>Esc s</td><td>decode a message and save it to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td>delete messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>delete the current message</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>mark as important</td></tr><tr><td>l</td><td>show messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>N</td><td>mark message as new</td></tr><tr><td>o</td><td>change the current sort method</td></tr><tr><td>O</td><td>reverse sort the mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td>save changes and exit</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td>save-message</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>tag messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>t</td><td>toggle the tag on a message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc t</td><td>toggle tag on entire message thread</td></tr><tr><td>U</td><td>undelete messages matching a pattern</td></tr><tr><td>u</td><td>undelete-message</td></tr><tr><td>v</td><td>view-attachments</td></tr><tr><td>x</td><td>abort changes and exit</td></tr><tr><td><Return></td><td>display-message</td></tr><tr><td><Tab></td><td>jump to the next new or unread message</td></tr><tr><td>@</td><td>show the author's full e-mail address</td></tr><tr><td>$</td><td>save changes to mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>/</td><td>search</td></tr><tr><td>Esc /</td><td>search-reverse</td></tr><tr><td>^L</td><td>clear and redraw the screen</td></tr><tr><td>^T</td><td>untag messages matching a pattern</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p> 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 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">flags</span>”</span> in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-msg-status-flags" title="Table 2.5. Message status flags">Table 2.5, “Message status flags”</a> may appear, some of which can be turned on or off using these functions: <code class="literal"><set-flag></code> and <code class="literal"><clear-flag></code> bound by default to <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">w</span>”</span> and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">W</span>”</span> respectively. </p><p> Furthermore, the flags in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-msg-recip-flags" title="Table 2.6. Message recipient flags">Table 2.6, “Message recipient flags”</a> reflect who the message is addressed to. They can be customized with the <a class="link" href="reference.html#to-chars" title="3.289. to_chars">$to_chars</a> variable. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-msg-status-flags"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.5. Message status flags</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Message status flags" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Flag</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>D</td><td>message is deleted (is marked for deletion)</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>message has attachments marked for deletion</td></tr><tr><td>K</td><td>contains a PGP public key</td></tr><tr><td>N</td><td>message is new</td></tr><tr><td>O</td><td>message is old</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td>message is PGP encrypted</td></tr><tr><td>r</td><td>message has been replied to</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td>message is signed, and the signature is successfully verified</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td>message is signed</td></tr><tr><td>!</td><td>message is flagged</td></tr><tr><td>*</td><td>message is tagged</td></tr><tr><td>n</td><td>thread contains new messages (only if collapsed)</td></tr><tr><td>o</td><td>thread contains old messages (only if collapsed)</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-msg-recip-flags"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.6. Message recipient flags</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Message recipient flags" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Flag</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>+</td><td>message is to you and you only</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>message is to you, but also to or CC'ed to others</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>message is CC'ed to you</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>message is from you</td></tr><tr><td>L</td><td>message is sent to a subscribed mailing list</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="pager-menu"></a>5.2. The Pager</h3></div></div></div><p> By default, Mutt uses its built-in pager to display the contents of messages (an external pager such as <code class="literal">less(1)</code> can be configured, see <a class="link" href="reference.html#pager" title="3.144. pager">$pager</a> variable). The pager is very similar to the Unix program <code class="literal">less(1)</code> though not nearly as featureful. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-pager"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.7. Most common pager keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common pager keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><Return></td><td>go down one line</td></tr><tr><td><Space></td><td>display the next page (or next message if at the end of a message)</td></tr><tr><td>-</td><td>go back to the previous page</td></tr><tr><td>n</td><td>search for next match</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td>skip beyond quoted text</td></tr><tr><td>T</td><td>toggle display of quoted text</td></tr><tr><td>?</td><td>show keybindings</td></tr><tr><td>/</td><td>regular expression search</td></tr><tr><td>Esc /</td><td>backward regular expression search</td></tr><tr><td>\</td><td>toggle highlighting of search matches</td></tr><tr><td>^</td><td>jump to the top of the message</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p> In addition to key bindings in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-pager" title="Table 2.7. Most common pager keys">Table 2.7, “Most common pager keys”</a>, many of the functions from the index menu are also available in the pager, such as <code class="literal"><delete-message></code> or <code class="literal"><copy-message></code> (this is one advantage over using an external pager to view messages). </p><p> Also, the internal pager supports a couple other advanced features. For one, it will accept and translate the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">standard</span>”</span> nroff sequences for bold and underline. These sequences are a series of either the letter, backspace (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">^H</span>”</span>), the letter again for bold or the letter, backspace, <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">_</span>”</span> 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 <a class="link" href="configuration.html#color" title="9. Using Color and Mono Video Attributes">color</a> objects to specify a <span class="command"><strong>color</strong></span> or mono attribute for them. </p><p> Additionally, the internal pager supports the ANSI escape sequences for character attributes. Mutt translates them into the correct color and character settings. The sequences Mutt supports are: </p><pre class="screen"> \e[<span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span>;<span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span>;..<span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span>;m </pre><p> where <span class="emphasis"><em>Ps</em></span> can be one of the codes shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-ansi-esc" title="Table 2.8. ANSI escape sequences">Table 2.8, “ANSI escape sequences”</a>. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-ansi-esc"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.8. ANSI escape sequences</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="ANSI escape sequences" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Escape code</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>0</td><td>All attributes off</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Bold on</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Underline on</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Blink on</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Reverse video on</td></tr><tr><td>3<span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td><td>Foreground color is <span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span> (see <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-color" title="Table 2.9. Color sequences">Table 2.9, “Color sequences”</a>)</td></tr><tr><td>4<span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span></td><td>Background color is <span class="emphasis"><em><color></em></span> (see <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-color" title="Table 2.9. Color sequences">Table 2.9, “Color sequences”</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="table"><a id="tab-color"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.9. Color sequences</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Color sequences" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Color code</th><th>Color</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>0</td><td>Black</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Red</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Green</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Yellow</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Blue</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Magenta</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Cyan</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>White</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p> Mutt uses these attributes for handling <code class="literal">text/enriched</code> messages, and they can also be used by an external <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#auto-view" title="4. MIME Autoview">autoview</a> script for highlighting purposes. </p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> 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. </p></div><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> Note that the search commands in the pager take regular expressions, which are not quite the same as the more complex <a class="link" href="advancedusage.html#patterns" title="3. Patterns: Searching, Limiting and Tagging">patterns</a> used by the search command in the index. This is because patterns are used to select messages by criteria whereas the pager already displays a selected message. </p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="threads"></a>5.3. Threaded Mode</h3></div></div></div><p> So-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">threads</span>”</span> 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. </p><p> In Mutt, when a mailbox is <a class="link" href="reference.html#sort" title="3.259. sort">sorted</a> by <span class="emphasis"><em>threads</em></span>, there are a few additional functions available in the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> modes as shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-threads" title="Table 2.10. Most common thread mode keys">Table 2.10, “Most common thread mode keys”</a>. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-threads"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.10. Most common thread mode keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common thread mode keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>^D</td><td><code class="literal"><delete-thread></code></td><td>delete all messages in the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>^U</td><td><code class="literal"><undelete-thread></code></td><td>undelete all messages in the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>^N</td><td><code class="literal"><next-thread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the next thread</td></tr><tr><td>^P</td><td><code class="literal"><previous-thread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the previous thread</td></tr><tr><td>^R</td><td><code class="literal"><read-thread></code></td><td>mark the current thread as read</td></tr><tr><td>Esc d</td><td><code class="literal"><delete-subthread></code></td><td>delete all messages in the current subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc u</td><td><code class="literal"><undelete-subthread></code></td><td>undelete all messages in the current subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc n</td><td><code class="literal"><next-subthread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the next subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc p</td><td><code class="literal"><previous-subthread></code></td><td>jump to the start of the previous subthread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc r</td><td><code class="literal"><read-subthread></code></td><td>mark the current subthread as read</td></tr><tr><td>Esc t</td><td><code class="literal"><tag-thread></code></td><td>toggle the tag on the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc v</td><td><code class="literal"><collapse-thread></code></td><td>toggle collapse for the current thread</td></tr><tr><td>Esc V</td><td><code class="literal"><collapse-all></code></td><td>toggle collapse for all threads</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td><code class="literal"><parent-message></code></td><td>jump to parent message in thread</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p> 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 <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.111. index_format">$index_format</a>. For example, you could use <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%?M?(#%03M)&(%4l)?</span>”</span> in <a class="link" href="reference.html#index-format" title="3.111. index_format">$index_format</a> to optionally display the number of hidden messages if the thread is collapsed. The <code class="literal">%?<char>?<if-part>&<else-part>?</code> syntax is explained in detail in <a class="link" href="configuration.html#formatstrings-conditionals" title="29.2. Conditionals">format string conditionals</a>. </p><p> 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 <a class="link" href="reference.html#strict-threads" title="3.280. strict_threads">$strict_threads</a> variable. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="reading-misc"></a>5.4. Miscellaneous Functions</h3></div></div></div><p> In addition, the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> menus have these interesting functions: </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><create-alias></code><a id="create-alias"></a> (default: a) </span></dt><dd><p> Creates a new alias based upon the current message (or prompts for a new one). Once editing is complete, an <a class="link" href="configuration.html#alias" title="4. Defining/Using Aliases"><span class="command"><strong>alias</strong></span></a> command is added to the file specified by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#alias-file" title="3.3. alias_file">$alias_file</a> variable for future use </p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> Mutt does not read the <a class="link" href="reference.html#alias-file" title="3.3. alias_file">$alias_file</a> upon startup so you must explicitly <a class="link" href="configuration.html#source" title="27. Reading Initialization Commands From Another File"><span class="command"><strong>source</strong></span></a> the file. </p></div></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><check-traditional-pgp></code><a id="check-traditional-pgp"></a> (default: Esc P) </span></dt><dd><p> This function will search the current message for content signed or encrypted with PGP the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">traditional</span>”</span> 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 <a class="link" href="gettingstarted.html#edit-type"><code class="literal"><edit-type></code></a> function's effect. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><edit></code><a id="edit"></a> (default: e) </span></dt><dd><p> 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. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><edit-type></code><a id="edit-type"></a> (default: ^E on the attachment menu, and in the pager and index menus; ^T on the compose menu) </span></dt><dd><p> 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 <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#attach-menu" title="1.3. The Attachment Menu">attachment menu</a>, you can change any attachment's content type. These changes are not persistent, and get lost upon changing folders. </p><p> Note that this command is also available on the <a class="link" href="mimesupport.html#compose-menu" title="1.4. The Compose Menu">compose menu</a>. There, it's used to fine-tune the properties of attachments you are going to send. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><enter-command></code><a id="enter-command"></a> (default: <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">:</span>”</span>) </span></dt><dd><p> 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 <a class="link" href="configuration.html#macro" title="8. Keyboard Macros">macros</a> to change settings on the fly. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><extract-keys></code><a id="extract-keys"></a> (default: ^K) </span></dt><dd><p> This command extracts PGP public keys from the current or tagged message(s) and adds them to your PGP public key ring. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><forget-passphrase></code><a id="forget-passphrase"></a> (default: ^F) </span></dt><dd><p> This command wipes the passphrase(s) from memory. It is useful, if you misspelled the passphrase. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><list-reply></code><a id="list-reply"></a> (default: L) </span></dt><dd><p> Reply to the current or tagged message(s) by extracting any addresses which match the regular expressions given by the <a class="link" href="configuration.html#lists" title="12. Mailing Lists"><span class="command"><strong>lists</strong></span> or <span class="command"><strong>subscribe</strong></span></a> commands, but also honor any <code class="literal">Mail-Followup-To</code> header(s) if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#honor-followup-to" title="3.89. honor_followup_to">$honor_followup_to</a> 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. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><pipe-message></code><a id="pipe-message"></a> (default: |) </span></dt><dd><p> Asks for an external Unix command and pipes the current or tagged message(s) to it. The variables <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-decode" title="3.178. pipe_decode">$pipe_decode</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-split" title="3.180. pipe_split">$pipe_split</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#pipe-sep" title="3.179. pipe_sep">$pipe_sep</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#wait-key" title="3.300. wait_key">$wait_key</a> control the exact behavior of this function. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><resend-message></code><a id="resend-message"></a> (default: Esc e) </span></dt><dd><p> 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 <a class="link" href="reference.html#weed" title="3.301. weed">$weed</a> variable. </p><p> This function is also available from the attachment menu. You can use this to easily resend a message which was included with a bounce message as a <code class="literal">message/rfc822</code> body part. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><shell-escape></code><a id="shell-escape"></a> (default: !) </span></dt><dd><p> Asks for an external Unix command and executes it. The <a class="link" href="reference.html#wait-key" title="3.300. wait_key">$wait_key</a> 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. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><toggle-quoted></code><a id="toggle-quoted"></a> (default: T) </span></dt><dd><p> The pager uses the <a class="link" href="reference.html#quote-regexp" title="3.202. quote_regexp">$quote_regexp</a> 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. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"> <code class="literal"><skip-quoted></code><a id="skip-quoted"></a> (default: S) </span></dt><dd><p> This function will go to the next line of non-quoted text which comes after a line of quoted text in the internal pager. </p></dd></dl></div></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="sending"></a>6. Sending Mail</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="sending-intro"></a>6.1. Introduction</h3></div></div></div><p> The bindings shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-key-send" title="Table 2.11. Most common mail sending keys">Table 2.11, “Most common mail sending keys”</a> are available in the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> to start a new message. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-key-send"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.11. Most common mail sending keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common mail sending keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>m</td><td><code class="literal"><compose></code></td><td>compose a new message</td></tr><tr><td>r</td><td><code class="literal"><reply></code></td><td>reply to sender</td></tr><tr><td>g</td><td><code class="literal"><group-reply></code></td><td>reply to all recipients</td></tr><tr><td>L</td><td><code class="literal"><list-reply></code></td><td>reply to mailing list address</td></tr><tr><td>f</td><td><code class="literal"><forward></code></td><td>forward message</td></tr><tr><td>b</td><td><code class="literal"><bounce></code></td><td>bounce (remail) message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc k</td><td><code class="literal"><mail-key></code></td><td>mail a PGP public key to someone</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p> <span class="emphasis"><em>Bouncing</em></span> a message sends the message as-is to the recipient you specify. <span class="emphasis"><em>Forwarding</em></span> 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 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><a class="link" href="gettingstarted.html#forwarding-mail" title="7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail">Forwarding and Bouncing Mail</a>.</span>”</span> </p><p> Mutt will then enter the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu and prompt you for the recipients to place on the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">To:</span>”</span> header field when you hit <code class="literal">m</code> to start a new message. Next, it will ask you for the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">Subject:</span>”</span> 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 <a class="link" href="reference.html#askcc" title="3.10. askcc">$askcc</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#askbcc" title="3.9. askbcc">$askbcc</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#autoedit" title="3.18. autoedit">$autoedit</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#bounce" title="3.21. bounce">$bounce</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#fast-reply" title="3.61. fast_reply">$fast_reply</a>, and <a class="link" href="reference.html#include" title="3.108. include">$include</a> for changing how and if Mutt asks these questions. </p><p> When replying, Mutt fills these fields with proper values depending on the reply type. The types of replying supported are: </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Simple reply</span></dt><dd><p> Reply to the author directly. </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Group reply</span></dt><dd><p> Reply to the author as well to all recipients except you; this consults <a class="link" href="configuration.html#alternates" title="11. Alternative Addresses"><span class="command"><strong>alternates</strong></span></a>. </p></dd><dt><span class="term">List reply</span></dt><dd><p> Reply to all mailing list addresses found, either specified via configuration or auto-detected. See <a class="xref" href="configuration.html#lists" title="12. Mailing Lists">Section 12, “Mailing Lists”</a> for details. </p></dd></dl></div><p> After getting recipients for new messages, forwards or replies, Mutt will then automatically start your <a class="link" href="reference.html#editor" title="3.57. editor">$editor</a> on the message body. If the <a class="link" href="reference.html#edit-headers" title="3.56. edit_headers">$edit_headers</a> variable is set, the headers will be at the top of the message in your editor. Any messages you are replying to will be added in sort order to the message, with appropriate <a class="link" href="reference.html#attribution" title="3.16. attribution">$attribution</a>, <a class="link" href="reference.html#indent-string" title="3.110. indent_string">$indent_string</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#post-indent-string" title="3.190. post_indent_string">$post_indent_string</a>. When forwarding a message, if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.138. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> variable is unset, a copy of the forwarded message will be included. If you have specified a <a class="link" href="reference.html#signature" title="3.231. signature">$signature</a>, it will be appended to the message. </p><p> Once you have finished editing the body of your mail message, you are returned to the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu providing the functions shown in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-func-compose" title="Table 2.12. Most common compose menu keys">Table 2.12, “Most common compose menu keys”</a> to modify, send or postpone the message. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-func-compose"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.12. Most common compose menu keys</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Most common compose menu keys" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Key</th><th>Function</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>a</td><td><code class="literal"><attach-file></code></td><td>attach a file</td></tr><tr><td>A</td><td><code class="literal"><attach-message></code></td><td>attach message(s) to the message</td></tr><tr><td>Esc k</td><td><code class="literal"><attach-key></code></td><td>attach a PGP public key</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-description></code></td><td>edit description on attachment</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td><code class="literal"><detach-file></code></td><td>detach a file</td></tr><tr><td>t</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-to></code></td><td>edit the To field</td></tr><tr><td>Esc f</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-from></code></td><td>edit the From field</td></tr><tr><td>r</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-reply-to></code></td><td>edit the Reply-To field</td></tr><tr><td>c</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-cc></code></td><td>edit the Cc field</td></tr><tr><td>b</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-bcc></code></td><td>edit the Bcc field</td></tr><tr><td>y</td><td><code class="literal"><send-message></code></td><td>send the message</td></tr><tr><td>s</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-subject></code></td><td>edit the Subject</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td><code class="literal"><smime-menu></code></td><td>select S/MIME options</td></tr><tr><td>f</td><td><code class="literal"><edit-fcc></code></td><td>specify an <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">Fcc</span>”</span> mailbox</td></tr><tr><td>p</td><td><code class="literal"><pgp-menu></code></td><td>select PGP options</td></tr><tr><td>P</td><td><code class="literal"><postpone-message></code></td><td>postpone this message until later</td></tr><tr><td>q</td><td><code class="literal"><quit></code></td><td>quit (abort) sending the message</td></tr><tr><td>w</td><td><code class="literal"><write-fcc></code></td><td>write the message to a folder</td></tr><tr><td>i</td><td><code class="literal"><ispell></code></td><td>check spelling (if available on your system)</td></tr><tr><td>^F</td><td><code class="literal"><forget-passphrase></code></td><td>wipe passphrase(s) from memory</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p> The compose menu is also used to edit the attachments for a message which can be either files or other messages. The <code class="literal"><attach-message></code> 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. </p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> Note that certain operations like composing a new mail, replying, forwarding, etc. are not permitted when you are in that folder. The %r in <a class="link" href="reference.html#status-format" title="3.278. status_format">$status_format</a> will change to a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">A</span>”</span> to indicate that you are in attach-message mode. </p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="edit-header"></a>6.2. Editing the Message Header</h3></div></div></div><p> When editing the header because of <a class="link" href="reference.html#edit-headers" title="3.56. edit_headers">$edit_headers</a> being set, there are a several pseudo headers available which will not be included in sent messages but trigger special Mutt behavior. </p><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="fcc-header"></a>6.2.1. Fcc: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p> If you specify </p><p> <code class="literal">Fcc:</code> <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span> </p><p> as a header, Mutt will pick up <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span> just as if you had used the <code class="literal"><edit-fcc></code> function in the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu. It can later be changed from the compose menu. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="attach-header"></a>6.2.2. Attach: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p> You can also attach files to your message by specifying </p><p> <code class="literal">Attach:</code> <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span> [ <span class="emphasis"><em>description</em></span> ] </p><p> where <span class="emphasis"><em>filename</em></span> is the file to attach and <span class="emphasis"><em>description</em></span> is an optional string to use as the description of the attached file. Spaces in filenames have to be escaped using backslash (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">\</span>”</span>). The file can be removed as well as more added from the compose menu. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="pgp-header"></a>6.2.3. Pgp: Pseudo Header</h4></div></div></div><p> If you want to use PGP, you can specify </p><p> <code class="literal">Pgp:</code> [ <code class="literal">E</code> | <code class="literal">S</code> | <code class="literal">S</code><span class="emphasis"><em><id></em></span> ] </p><p> <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">E</span>”</span> selects encryption, <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">S</span>”</span> selects signing and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">S<id></span>”</span> selects signing with the given key, setting <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-sign-as" title="3.170. pgp_sign_as">$pgp_sign_as</a> permanently. The selection can later be changed in the compose menu. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="in-reply-to-header"></a>6.2.4. In-Reply-To: Header</h4></div></div></div><p> When replying to messages, the <span class="emphasis"><em>In-Reply-To:</em></span> header contains the Message-Id of the message(s) you reply to. If you remove or modify its value, Mutt will not generate a <span class="emphasis"><em>References:</em></span> 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. </p><p> If you intend to start a new thread by replying, please make really sure you remove the <span class="emphasis"><em>In-Reply-To:</em></span> header in your editor. Otherwise, though you'll produce a technically valid reply, some netiquette guardians will be annoyed by this so-called <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">thread hijacking</span>”</span>. </p></div></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="sending-crypto"></a>6.3. Sending Cryptographically Signed/Encrypted Messages</h3></div></div></div><p> 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. </p><p> 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 <code class="literal">^G</code>. When you do so, Mutt will return to the compose screen. </p><p> Once you have successfully finished the key selection, the message will be encrypted using the selected public keys when sent out. </p><p> Most fields of the entries in the key selection menu (see also <a class="link" href="reference.html#pgp-entry-format" title="3.157. pgp_entry_format">$pgp_entry_format</a>) have obvious meanings. But some explanations on the capabilities, flags, and validity fields are in order. </p><p> The flags sequence (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%f</span>”</span>) will expand to one of the flags in <a class="xref" href="gettingstarted.html#tab-pgp-menuflags" title="Table 2.13. PGP key menu flags">Table 2.13, “PGP key menu flags”</a>. </p><div class="table"><a id="tab-pgp-menuflags"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.13. PGP key menu flags</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="PGP key menu flags" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Flag</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>R</td><td>The key has been revoked and can't be used.</td></tr><tr><td>X</td><td>The key is expired and can't be used.</td></tr><tr><td>d</td><td>You have marked the key as disabled.</td></tr><tr><td>c</td><td>There are unknown critical self-signature packets.</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p> The capabilities field (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%c</span>”</span>) expands to a two-character sequence representing a key's capabilities. The first character gives the key's encryption capabilities: A minus sign (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-</span>”</span>) means that the key cannot be used for encryption. A dot (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">.</span>”</span>) means that it's marked as a signature key in one of the user IDs, but may also be used for encryption. The letter <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">e</span>”</span> indicates that this key can be used for encryption. </p><p> The second character indicates the key's signing capabilities. Once again, a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-</span>”</span> implies <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">not for signing</span>”</span>, <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">.</span>”</span> implies that the key is marked as an encryption key in one of the user-ids, and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">s</span>”</span> denotes a key which can be used for signing. </p><p> Finally, the validity field (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">%t</span>”</span>) indicates how well-certified a user-id is. A question mark (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">?</span>”</span>) indicates undefined validity, a minus character (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-</span>”</span>) marks an untrusted association, a space character means a partially trusted association, and a plus character (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">+</span>”</span>) indicates complete validity. </p></div><div class="sect2"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="ff"></a>6.4. Sending Format=Flowed Messages</h3></div></div></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-concept"></a>6.4.1. Concept</h4></div></div></div><p> <code class="literal">format=flowed</code>-style messages (or <code class="literal">f=f</code> for short) are <code class="literal">text/plain</code> 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 <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">flowable</span>”</span> paragraph end in spaces except for the last line. </p><p> 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. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-support"></a>6.4.2. Mutt Support</h4></div></div></div><p> Mutt only supports setting the required <code class="literal">format=flowed</code> MIME parameter on outgoing messages if the <a class="link" href="reference.html#text-flowed" title="3.282. text_flowed">$text_flowed</a> variable is set, specifically it does not add the trailing spaces. </p><p> After editing the initial message text and before entering the compose menu, Mutt properly space-stuffs the message. <span class="emphasis"><em>Space-stuffing</em></span> is required by RfC3676 defining <code class="literal">format=flowed</code> and means to prepend a space to: </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>all lines starting with a space</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>lines starting with the word <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">From</code></span>”</span> followed by space</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>all lines starting with <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">></code></span>”</span> which is not intended to be a quote character</p></li></ul></div><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> 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 <code class="literal">></code> character starts a quote or not. Furthermore, Mutt only applies space-stuffing <span class="emphasis"><em>once</em></span> after the initial edit is finished. </p></div><p> All leading spaces are to be removed by receiving clients to restore the original message prior to further processing. </p></div><div class="sect3"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a id="ff-editor"></a>6.4.3. Editor Considerations</h4></div></div></div><p> As Mutt provides no additional features to compose <code class="literal">f=f</code> 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 <code class="literal">f=f</code> messages. </p><p> 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 the message is properly space-stuffed. </p><p> For example, <span class="emphasis"><em>vim</em></span> provides the <code class="literal">w</code> flag for its <code class="literal">formatoptions</code> setting to assist in creating <code class="literal">f=f</code> messages, see <code class="literal">:help fo-table</code> for details. </p></div></div></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="forwarding-mail"></a>7. Forwarding and Bouncing Mail</h2></div></div></div><p> 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 <code class="literal"><bounce></code> function and forwarding using the <code class="literal"><forward></code> function bound to <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">b</span>”</span> and <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">f</span>”</span> respectively. </p><p> 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 <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.138. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> variable. Decoding of attachments, like in the pager, can be controlled by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#forward-decode" title="3.68. forward_decode">$forward_decode</a> and <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward-decode" title="3.139. mime_forward_decode">$mime_forward_decode</a> variables, respectively. The desired forwarding format may depend on the content, therefore <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.138. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> is a quadoption which, for example, can be set to <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">ask-no</span>”</span>. </p><p> The inclusion of headers is controlled by the current setting of the <a class="link" href="reference.html#weed" title="3.301. weed">$weed</a> variable, unless <a class="link" href="reference.html#mime-forward" title="3.138. mime_forward">$mime_forward</a> is set. </p><p> Editing the message to forward follows the same procedure as sending or replying to a message does. </p></div><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="postponing-mail"></a>8. Postponing Mail</h2></div></div></div><p> At times it is desirable to delay sending a message that you have already begun to compose. When the <code class="literal"><postpone-message></code> function is used in the <span class="emphasis"><em>compose</em></span> menu, the body of your message and attachments are stored in the mailbox specified by the <a class="link" href="reference.html#postponed" title="3.192. postponed">$postponed</a> variable. This means that you can recall the message even if you exit Mutt and then restart it at a later time. </p><p> Once a message is postponed, there are several ways to resume it. From the command line you can use the <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">-p</span>”</span> option, or if you compose a new message from the <span class="emphasis"><em>index</em></span> or <span class="emphasis"><em>pager</em></span> you will be prompted if postponed messages exist. If multiple messages are currently postponed, the <span class="emphasis"><em>postponed</em></span> menu will pop up and you can select which message you would like to resume. </p><div class="note"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p> 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. </p></div><p> See also the <a class="link" href="reference.html#postpone" title="3.191. postpone">$postpone</a> quad-option. </p></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr /><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="intro.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"> </td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="configuration.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Chapter 1. Introduction </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Chapter 3. Configuration</td></tr></table></div></body></html>