mirror of https://github.com/djcb/mu.git
3134 lines
115 KiB
Plaintext
3134 lines
115 KiB
Plaintext
\input texinfo.tex @c -*-texinfo-*-
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@c %**start of header
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@setfilename mu4e.info
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@settitle mu4e user manual
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@c Use proper quote and backtick for code sections in PDF output
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@c Cf. Texinfo manual 14.2
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@set txicodequoteundirected
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@set txicodequotebacktick
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@documentencoding UTF-8
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@c %**end of header
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@include texi.texi
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@copying
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Copyright @copyright{} 2012 Dirk-Jan C. Binnema
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@quotation
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Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
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under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
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any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
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Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A
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copy of the license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free
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Documentation License.''
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@end quotation
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@end copying
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@titlepage
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@title @t{mu4e} - an e-mail client for emacs
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@subtitle{version @value{mu-version}}
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@author Dirk-Jan C. Binnema
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@c The following two commands start the copyright page.
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@page
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@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
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@insertcopying
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@end titlepage
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@dircategory Emacs
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@direntry
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* mu4e: (mu4e). An email client for emacs.
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@end direntry
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@contents
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@ifnottex
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@node Top
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@top mu4e manual
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@end ifnottex
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@iftex
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@node Welcome to mu4e
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@unnumbered Welcome to mu4e
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@end iftex
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Welcome to @t{mu4e}!
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@t{mu4e} (@t{mu}-for-@command{emacs}) is an e-mail client for GNU-Emacs version 23
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and later, built on top of the
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@t{mu}@footnote{@url{http://www.djcbsoftware.nl/code/mu}} e-mail search
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engine. @t{mu4e} is optimized for fast handling of large amounts of e-mail.
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Some of its key characteristics include:
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@itemize
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@item Fully search-based: there are no folders@footnote{that is, instead of
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folders, you can use queries that match all messages in a folder}, only
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queries
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@item Fully documented, with example configurations
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@item User-interface optimized for speed, with quick key strokes for common actions
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@item Support for non-English languages (so ``angstrom'' will match ``Ångström'')
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@item Asynchronous; heavy actions don't block @command{emacs}@footnote{currently,
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the only exception to this is @emph{sending mail}}
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@item Support for crypto
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@item Writing rich-text e-mails using @t{org-mode}
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@item Address auto-completion based on your messages
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@item Extendable with your own code
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@end itemize
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In this manual, we go through the installation of @t{mu4e}, do some basic
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configuration and explain its daily use. We also show you how you can
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customize @t{mu4e} for your needs.
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At the end of the manual, there are some example configurations, to get up to
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speed quickly - @ref{Example configurations}. There's also a section of
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@ref{FAQ}, which should help you with some
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common questions.
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@menu
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* Introduction:: How it all began
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* Getting started:: Setting things up
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* Main view:: Where we go when starting @t{mu4e}
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* Headers view:: Lists of message headers
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* Message view:: Viewing specific messages
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* Editor view:: Creating / editing messages
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* Searching:: Some more background on searching/queries
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* Marking:: Marking messages and performing actions
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* Dynamic folders:: Folders that depend on the context
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* Actions:: Defining and using custom actions
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* Extending mu4e:: Writing code for @t{mu4e}
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Appendices
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* Interaction with other tools:: mu4e and the rest of the world
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* Example configurations:: Some examples to set you up quickly
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* FAQ:: Common questions and answers
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* How it works:: Some notes about the implementation of @t{mu4e}
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* Logging and debugging:: How to debug problems in @t{mu4e}
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* GNU Free Documentation License:: The license of this manual
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@end menu
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@node Introduction
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@chapter Introduction
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@menu
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* Why another e-mail client::
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* Other mail clients::
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* What mu4e does not do::
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* Becoming a mu4e user::
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@end menu
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@node Why another e-mail client
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@section Why another e-mail client?
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Fair question.
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I'm not sure the world needs yet another e-mail client, but perhaps @emph{I}
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do! I (the author) spend a @emph{lot} of time dealing with e-mail, both
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professionally and privately. Having an efficient e-mail client is essential.
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Since none of the existing ones worked the way I wanted, I created my
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own. @command{emacs} is an integral part of my workflow, so it made a lot of
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sense to use it for e-mail as well. And as I already had written an e-mail
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search engine (@t{mu}), it seemed only logical to use that as a basis.
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@node Other mail clients
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@section Other mail clients
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Under the hood, @t{mu4e} is fully search-based, similar to programs like
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@t{notmuch}@footnote{@url{http://notmuchmail.org}},
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@t{md}@footnote{@url{https://github.com/nicferrier/md}} and
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@t{sup}@footnote{@url{http://sup.rubyforge.org/}}. However, @t{mu4e}'s
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user-interface is quite different. @t{mu4e}'s mail handling (deleting, moving
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etc.) is inspired by
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@emph{Wanderlust}@footnote{@url{http://www.gohome.org/wl/}} (another
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@code{emacs}-based e-mail client),
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@t{mutt}@footnote{@url{http://www.mutt.org/}} and @t{dired}.
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@t{mu4e} tries to keep all the 'state' in your maildirs, so you can easily
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switch between clients, synchronize over @abbr{IMAP}, backup with @t{rsync}
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and so on. If you delete the database, you won't lose any information.
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@node What mu4e does not do
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@section What @t{mu4e} does not do
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There are a number of things that @t{mu4e} does @emph{not} do:
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@itemize
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@item @t{mu}/@t{mu4e} do @emph{not} deal with getting your e-mail messages from
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a mail server. That task is delegated to other tools, such as
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@t{offlineimap}@footnote{@url{http://offlineimap.org/}},
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@t{isync}@footnote{@url{http://isync.sourceforge.net/}} or
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@t{fetchmail}@footnote{@url{http://www.fetchmail.info/}}. As long as the
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messages end up in a maildir, @t{mu4e} and @t{mu} are happy to deal with them.
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@item @t{mu4e} also does @emph{not} implement sending of messages; instead, it
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depends on @t{smptmail} (@inforef{Top,,smtpmail}), which is part of
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@command{emacs}. In addition, @t{mu4e} piggybacks on Gnus' message editor;
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@inforef{Top,,message}.
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@end itemize
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Thus, many of the things an e-mail client traditionally needs to do, are
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delegated to other tools. This leaves @t{mu4e} to concentrate on what it does
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best: quickly finding the mails you are looking for, and handle them as
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efficiently as possible.
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@node Becoming a mu4e user
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@section Becoming a @t{mu4e} user
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If @t{mu4e} looks like something for you, give it a shot! We've been trying
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hard to make it as easy as possible to set up and use; and while you can use
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elisp is various places to augment @t{mu4e}, programming is by no mean required.
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When you take @t{mu4e} into use, it's a good idea to subscribe to the
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@t{mu}/@t{mu4e}-mailing
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list@footnote{@url{http://groups.google.com/group/mu-discuss}}. If you have
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suggestions for improvements or bug reports, please use the GitHub issues
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list@footnote{@url{https://github.com/djcb/mu/issues}}. In bug reports, please
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clearly specify the versions of @t{mu}/@t{mu4e} and @command{emacs} you are
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using, as well as any other relevant details. If you are new to all this, the
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somewhat paternalistic @emph{``How to ask questions the smart
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way''}@footnote{@url{http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html}} can be
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a good read.
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@node Getting started
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@chapter Getting started
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In this chapter, we go through the installation of @t{mu4e} and its basic
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setup. After we have succeeded in @ref{Getting mail}, and @ref{Indexing your
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messages}, we discuss @ref{Basic configuration}.
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After these steps, @t{mu4e} should be ready to go!
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@menu
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* Requirements:: What is needed
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* Installation:: How to install @t{mu} and @t{mu4e}
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* Getting mail:: Getting mail from a server
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* Indexing your messages:: Creating and maintaining the index
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* Basic configuration:: Settings for @t{mu4e}
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* Folders:: Setting up standard folders
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* Retrieval and indexing:: Doing it from mu4e
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* Sending mail:: How to send mail
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* Running mu4e:: Overview of the @t{mu4e} views
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@end menu
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@node Requirements
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@section Requirements
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@t{mu}/@t{mu4e} are known to work on a wide variety of Unix- and Unix-like
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systems, including many Linux distributions, MacOS and
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FreeBSD. @command{emacs} 23 or 24 is required, as well as
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Xapian@footnote{@url{http://xapian.org/}} and
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GMime@footnote{@url{http://spruce.sourceforge.net/gmime/}}. If you intend to
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compile yourself, you need to have the typical development tools, such as C
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and C++ compilers (both @command{gcc} and @command{clang} should work) and
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@command{make}.
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@node Installation
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@section Installation
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@t{mu4e} is part of @t{mu} - by installing the latter, the former is installed
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as well. Some Linux distributions provide packaged versions of
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@t{mu}/@t{mu4e}; if you can use those, there is no need to compile anything
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yourself. However, if there are no packages for your distribution, if they are
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outdated, or if you want to use the latest development versions, you can
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follow the steps below.
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First, you need make sure you have the necessary dependencies; the details
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depend on your distribution. If you're using another distribution (or another
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OS), the below at least be helpful in identifying the packages to install.
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We provide some instructions for Debian, Ubuntu and Fedora; if those do not
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apply to you, you can follow either @ref{Building from a release tarball} or
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@ref{Building from git}.
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@subsection Dependencies for Debian/Ubuntu
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@example
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$ sudo apt-get install libgmime-2.6-dev libxapian-dev
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# if libgmime-2.6-dev is not available, try libgmime-2.4-dev
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# get emacs 23 or 24 if you don't have it yet
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# emacs 24 works better; it may be available as 'emacs-snapshot'
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$ sudo apt-get install emacs23
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# optional
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$ sudo apt-get install guile-2.0-dev html2text xdg-utils
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# optional: only needed for msg2pdf and mug (toy gtk+ frontend)
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$ sudo apt-get install libwebkit-dev
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@end example
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@subsection Dependencies for Fedora
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@example
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$ sudo yum install gmime-devel xapian-core-devel
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# get emacs 23 or 24 if you don't have it yet
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$ sudo yum install emacs
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# optional
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$ sudo yum install html2text xdg-utils
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# optional: only needed for msg2pdf and mug (toy gtk+ frontend)
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$ sudo apt-get install webkitgtk-devel
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# or:
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$ sudo apt-get install webkitgtk3-devel
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@end example
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@subsection Building from a release tarball
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@anchor{Building from a release tarball}
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Using a release-tarball (as available from
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GoogleCode@footnote{@url{http://code.google.com/p/mu0/downloads/list}},
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installation follows the normal steps:
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@example
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$ tar xvfz mu-<version>.tar.gz # use the specific version
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$ cd mu-<version>
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# On the BSDs: use gmake instead of make
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$ ./configure && make
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$ sudo make install
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@end example
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Xapian, GMime and their dependencies must be installed.
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@subsection Building from git
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@anchor{Building from git}
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Alternatively, if you build from the git repository or use a tarball like the
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ones that @t{github} produces, the instructions are slightly different, and
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require you to have @t{autotools} installed:
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@example
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# get from git (alternatively, use a github tarball)
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$ git clone git://github.com/djcb/mu.git
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$ cd mu
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$ autoreconf -i && ./configure && make
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# On the BSDs: use gmake instead of make
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$ sudo make install
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@end example
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(Xapian, GMime and their dependencies must be installed).
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After this, @t{mu} and @t{mu4e} should be installed @footnote{there's a hard
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dependency between versions of @t{mu4e} and @t{mu} - you cannot combine
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different versions} on your system, and be available from the command line
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in @command{emacs}.
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You may need to restart @command{emacs}, so it can find @t{mu4e} in its
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@code{load-path}. If, even after restarting, @command{emacs} cannot find
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@t{mu4e}, you may need to add to your @code{load-path} explicitly; check where
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@t{mu4e} is installed, and add something like the following to your
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configuration before trying again:
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@lisp
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;; the exact path may differ -- check it
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(add-to-list 'load-path "/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp/mu4e")
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@end lisp
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@subsection mu4e and emacs customization
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There is some support for using the @command{emacs} customization system in
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@t{mu4e}, but for now, we recommend setting the values manually. Please refer
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to @ref{Example configurations} for a couple of examples of this; here we go
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through things step-by-step.
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@node Getting mail
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@section Getting mail
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In order for @t{mu} (and, by extension, @t{mu4e}) to work, you need to have
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your e-mail messages stored in a
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@emph{maildir}@footnote{@url{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maildir}; in this
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manual we use the term 'maildir' for both the standard and the hierarchy of
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maildirs that store your messages} - a specific directory structure with
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one-file-per-message. If you are already using a maildir, you are lucky. If
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not, some setup is required:
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@itemize
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@item @emph{Using an external IMAP or POP server} - if you are using an
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@abbr{IMAP} or @abbr{POP} server, you can use tools like @t{getmail},
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@t{fetchmail}, @t{offlineimap} or @t{isync} to download your messages into a
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maildir (@file{~/Maildir}, often). Because it is such a common case, there is
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a full example of setting @t{mu4e} up with @t{offlineimap} and Gmail;
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@pxref{Gmail configuration}.
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@item @emph{Using a local mail server} - if you are using a local mail-server
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(such as @t{postfix} or @t{qmail}), you can teach them to deliver into a
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maildir as well, maybe in combination with @t{procmail}. A bit of googling
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should be able to provide you with the details.
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@end itemize
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@node Indexing your messages
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@section Indexing your messages
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After you have succeeded in @ref{Getting mail}, we need to @emph{index} the
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messages. That is - we need to scan the message in the maildir and store the
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information about the mails into a special database. We can do that from
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@t{mu4e} -- @ref{Main view}, but the first time, it is a good idea to run
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it from the command line, to make sure everything works correctly.
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Assuming that your maildir is at @file{~/Maildir}, we give the following
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command:
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@example
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$ mu index --maildir=~/Maildir
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@end example
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This should scan your @file{~/Maildir}@footnote{In most cases, you do not even
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need to provide the @t{--maildir=~/Maildir} since it is the default; see the
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@t{mu-index} man-page for details} and fill the database, and give progress
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information while doing so.
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The indexing process may take a few minutes the first time you do it (for
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thousands of e-mails); afterwards it is much faster, since @t{mu} only scans
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messages that are new or have changed. Indexing is discussed in full detail in
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the @t{mu-index} man page.
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After the indexing process has finished, you can quickly test if everything
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worked, by trying some command-line searches, for example
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@example
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$ mu find hello
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@end example
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which should list all messages that match @t{hello}. For more examples of
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searches, see @ref{Queries}, or check the @t{mu-find} and @t{mu-easy} man pages.
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If all of this worked well, we are well on our way setting up @t{mu}; the next
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step is to do some basic configuration for @t{mu4e}.
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@node Basic configuration
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@section Basic configuration
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Before we can start using @t{mu4e}, we need to tell @command{emacs} to load
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it. So, add to your @file{~/.emacs} (or its moral equivalent, such as
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@file{~/.emacs.d/init.el}) something like:
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@lisp
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(require 'mu4e)
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@end lisp
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If @command{emacs} complains that it cannot find @t{mu4e}, check your
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@code{load-path} and make sure that @t{mu4e}'s installation directory is part
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of it. If not, you can add it:
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@lisp
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(add-to-list 'load-path MU4E-PATH)
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@end lisp
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with @t{MU4E-PATH} replaced with the actual path.
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@node Folders
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@section Folders
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The next step is to tell @t{mu4e} where it can find your Maildir, and some
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special folders. So, for example@footnote{Note that the folders
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(@t{mu4e-sent-folder}, @t{mu4e-drafts-folder}, @t{mu4e-trash-folder} and
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@t{mu4e-refile-folder}) can also be @emph{functions} that are evaluated at
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runtime. This allows for dynamically changing them depending on context. See
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@ref{Dynamic folders} for details.}:
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@lisp
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;; these are actually the defaults
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(setq
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mu4e-maildir "~/Maildir" ;; top-level Maildir
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mu4e-sent-folder "/sent" ;; folder for sent messages
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mu4e-drafts-folder "/drafts" ;; unfinished messages
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mu4e-trash-folder "/trash" ;; trashed messages
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mu4e-refile-folder "/archive") ;; saved messages
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@end lisp
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@code{mu4e-maildir} takes an actual filesystem-path, the other folder names
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are all relative to @code{mu4e-maildir}.
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@node Retrieval and indexing
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@section Retrieval and indexing
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As we have seen, we can do all of the mail retrieval @emph{outside} of
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@command{emacs}/@t{mu4e}. However, you can also do it from within
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@t{mu4e}. For that, set the variable @code{mu4e-get-mail-command} to the
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program or shell command you want to use for retrieving mail. You can then
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retrieve your e-mail from the @ref{Main view}. You can also set
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@code{mu4e-get-mail-command} to @t{"true"}, in which case @t{mu4e} won't try
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to get new mail, but still re-index your messages.
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You can also have this command run periodically in the background, by setting
|
|
the variable @code{mu4e-update-interval} to the number of seconds between
|
|
these updates. If set to @code{nil}, it won't update at all. After you make
|
|
changes to @code{mu4e-update-interval}, @t{mu4e} must be restarted before
|
|
the changes take effect.
|
|
|
|
A simple setup could look something like:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq
|
|
mu4e-get-mail-command "offlineimap" ;; or fetchmail, or ...
|
|
mu4e-update-interval 300) ;; update every 5 minutes
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
It is possible to get notifications when the indexing process does any updates
|
|
- for example when receiving new mail. See @code{mu4e-index-updated-hook} and
|
|
some tips on its usage in the @ref{FAQ}.
|
|
|
|
@node Sending mail
|
|
@section Sending mail
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} re-uses Gnu's @code{message-mode} (@inforef{Top,,message}) for
|
|
writing mail and inherits the setup for sending mail as well.
|
|
|
|
For sending mail using @abbr{SMTP}, @t{mu4e} uses @t{smtpmail}
|
|
(@inforef{Top,,smtpmail}). This package supports many different ways to send
|
|
mail; please refer to its documentation for the details.
|
|
|
|
Here, we only provide some simple examples - for more, see @ref{Example
|
|
configurations}.
|
|
|
|
A very minimal setup:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
;; tell message-mode how to send mail
|
|
(setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it)
|
|
;; if our mail server lives at smtp.example.org; if you have a local
|
|
;; mail-server, simply use 'localhost' here.
|
|
(setq smtpmail-smtp-server "smtp.example.org")
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
Since @t{mu4e} (re)uses the same @t{message mode} and @t{smtpmail} that Gnus
|
|
uses, many settings for those also apply to @t{mu4e}.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Dealing with sent messages
|
|
|
|
By default, @t{mu4e} puts a copy of messages you sent in the folder determined
|
|
by @code{mu4e-sent-folder}. In some cases, this may not be what you want -
|
|
for example, when using Gmail-over-@abbr{IMAP}, this interferes with Gmail's
|
|
handling of the sent messages folder, and you may end up with duplicate
|
|
messages.
|
|
|
|
You can use the the variable @code{mu4e-sent-messages-behavior} to customize
|
|
what happens with sent messages. The default is the symbol @code{sent} which,
|
|
as mentioned, causes the message to be copied to your sent-messages
|
|
folder. Other possible values are the symbols @code{trash} (the sent message
|
|
is moved to the trash-folder (@code{mu4e-trash-folder}), and @code{delete} to
|
|
simply discard the sent message altogether (so GMail can deal with it).
|
|
|
|
For Gmail-over-@abbr{IMAP}, you could add the following to your settings:
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
;; don't save messages to Sent Messages, Gmail/IMAP takes care of this
|
|
(setq mu4e-sent-messages-behavior 'delete)
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
And that's it! We should now be ready to go.
|
|
|
|
@node Running mu4e
|
|
@section Running mu4e
|
|
|
|
After following the steps in this chapter, we hopely now have a working
|
|
@t{mu4e} setup. Great! In the next chapters, we walk you through the various
|
|
views in @t{mu4e}.
|
|
|
|
For your orientation, the diagram below shows how the views relate to each
|
|
other, and the default key-bindings to navigate between them.
|
|
|
|
@cartouche
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
|
|
[C] +--------+ [RFCE]
|
|
--------> | editor | <--------
|
|
/ +--------+ \
|
|
/ [RFCE]^ \
|
|
/ | \
|
|
+-------+ [sjbB]+---------+ [RET] +---------+
|
|
| main | <---> | headers | <----> | message |
|
|
+-------+ [q] +---------+ [qbBjs]+---------+
|
|
[sjbB] ^
|
|
[.] | [q]
|
|
V
|
|
+-----+
|
|
| raw |
|
|
+-----+
|
|
|
|
Default bindings
|
|
----------------
|
|
R: Reply s: search .: raw view (toggle)
|
|
F: Forward j: jump-to-maildir q: quit
|
|
C: Compose b: bookmark-search
|
|
E: Edit B: edit bookmark-search
|
|
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
@end cartouche
|
|
|
|
@node Main view
|
|
@chapter The main view
|
|
|
|
After you have installed @t{mu4e} (@pxref{Getting started}), you can start it
|
|
with @kbd{M-x mu4e}. @t{mu4e} does some checks to ensure everything is set up
|
|
correctly, and then shows you the @t{mu4e} main view. Its major mode is
|
|
@code{mu4e-main-mode}.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* MV Overview::
|
|
* Basic actions::
|
|
* MV Bookmarks::
|
|
* Miscellaneous::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node MV Overview
|
|
@section Overview
|
|
|
|
The main view looks something like the following:
|
|
|
|
@cartouche
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
* mu4e - mu for emacs version x.x CG
|
|
|
|
Basics
|
|
|
|
* [j]ump to some maildir
|
|
* enter a [s]earch query
|
|
* [C]ompose a new message
|
|
|
|
Bookmarks
|
|
|
|
* [bu] Unread messages
|
|
* [bt] Today's messages
|
|
* [bw] Last 7 days
|
|
* [bp] Messages with images
|
|
Misc
|
|
|
|
* [U]pdate email & database
|
|
* toggle [m]ail sending mode (direct)
|
|
* [f]lush queued mail
|
|
|
|
* [A]bout mu4e
|
|
* [H]elp
|
|
* [q]uit mu4e
|
|
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
@end cartouche
|
|
|
|
In the example above, you can see the letters ``@t{CG}'', which indicate:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @t{C}: support for decryption of encrypted messages, and verifying
|
|
signatures. See @ref{MSGV Crypto} in the @ref{Message view} for details.
|
|
@item @t{G}: support for the Guile 2.0 programming language
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
Whether you see both, one or none of these letters depends on the way @t{mu}
|
|
is built.
|
|
|
|
Let's walk through the menu.
|
|
|
|
@node Basic actions
|
|
@section Basic actions
|
|
|
|
First, the @emph{Basics}:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @t{[j]ump to some maildir}: after pressing @key{j} (``jump''),
|
|
@t{mu4e} asks you for a maildir to visit. These are the maildirs you set in
|
|
@ref{Basic configuration} and any of your own. If you choose @key{o}
|
|
(``other'') or @key{/}, you can choose from all maildirs under
|
|
@code{mu4e-maildir}. After choosing a maildir, the messages in that maildir
|
|
are listed, in the @ref{Headers view}.
|
|
@item @t{enter a [s]earch query}: after pressing @key{s}, @t{mu4e} asks
|
|
you for a search query, and after entering one, shows the results in the
|
|
@ref{Headers view}.
|
|
@item @t{[C]ompose a new message}: after pressing @key{C}, you are dropped in
|
|
the @ref{Editor view} to write a new message.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node MV Bookmarks
|
|
@section Bookmarks
|
|
|
|
The next item in the Main view is @emph{Bookmarks}. Bookmarks are predefined
|
|
queries with a descriptive name and a shortcut - in the example above, we see
|
|
the default bookmarks. You can view the list of messages matching a certain
|
|
bookmark by pressing @key{b} followed by the bookmark's shortcut. If you'd
|
|
like to edit the bookmarked query first before invoking it, use @key{B}.
|
|
|
|
Bookmarks are stored in the variable @code{mu4e-bookmarks}; you can add your
|
|
own and/or replace the default ones; @xref{Bookmarks}.
|
|
|
|
@node Miscellaneous
|
|
@section Miscellaneous
|
|
|
|
Finally, there are some @emph{Misc} (miscellaneous) actions:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @t{[U]pdate email & database} executes the shell-command in the variable
|
|
@code{mu4e-get-mail-command}, and afterwards updates the @t{mu} database;
|
|
see @ref{Indexing your messages} and @ref{Getting mail} for details
|
|
@item @t{toggle [m]ail sending mode (direct)} toggles between sending
|
|
mail directly, and queuing it first (for example, when you are offline), and
|
|
@t{[f]lush queued mail} flushes any queued mail. This item is visible only
|
|
if you have actually set up mail-queuing. @ref{Queuing mail}
|
|
@item @t{[A]bout mu4e} provides general information about the program
|
|
@item @t{[H]elp} shows help information for this view
|
|
@item Finally, @t{[q]uit mu4e} quits your @t{mu4e}-session
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Headers view
|
|
@chapter The headers view
|
|
|
|
The headers view shows the results of a query. The topline shows the names of
|
|
the fields. Below that, there is a line with those fields, for each matching
|
|
message, followed by a footer line. The major-mode for the the headers view is
|
|
@code{mu4e-headers-mode}.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* HV Overview::
|
|
* Keybindings::
|
|
* Marking messages::
|
|
* Sort order and threading::
|
|
* HV Actions::
|
|
* Split view::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node HV Overview
|
|
@section Overview
|
|
|
|
An example headers view:
|
|
|
|
@cartouche
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
Date V Flgs From/To Subject
|
|
2011-12-16 18:38 S To Edmund Dantès + Re: Extensions?
|
|
2011-12-16 21:44 S Abbé Busoni + Re: Extensions?
|
|
2011-12-17 03:14 SR Pierre Morrel + Re: Extensions?
|
|
2011-12-17 04:04 uN Jacopo + Re: Extensions?
|
|
2011-12-17 14:36 uN Mercédès + Re: Extensions?
|
|
2011-12-18 06:05 uN Beachamp \ Re: Extensions?
|
|
2011-12-16 18:23 Ss Albert de Moncerf + Re: [O] A cool tool
|
|
2011-12-17 01:53 Sa Gaspard Caderousse \ Re: [O] A cool tool
|
|
2011-12-16 16:31 uN Baron Danglars | [O] imaxima?
|
|
End of search results
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
@end cartouche
|
|
|
|
Some notes to explain what you see in the example:
|
|
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item The fields shown in the headers view can be influenced by customizing
|
|
the variable @code{mu4e-headers-fields}; see @code{mu4e-header-info} for the
|
|
list of available fields.
|
|
@item By default, the date is shown with the @t{:human-date} field, which
|
|
shows the @emph{time} for today's messages, and the @emph{date} for older
|
|
messages. If you want to distinguish between 'today' and 'older', you can use
|
|
the @t{:date} field instead.
|
|
@item You can customize the date and time formats with the variable
|
|
@t{mu4e-headers-date-format} and @t{mu4e-headers-time-format}, respectively.
|
|
@item The header field used for sorting is indicated by ``@t{V}'' or
|
|
``@t{^}''@footnote{or you can use little graphical triangles; see variable
|
|
@code{mu4e-use-fancy-chars}}, indicating the sort order (descending or
|
|
ascending, respectively). You can influence this by a mouse click, or
|
|
@key{O}. Not all fields allow sorting.
|
|
@item Instead of showing the @t{From:} and @t{To:} fields separately, you
|
|
can use From/To (@t{:from-or-to} in @code{mu4e-headers-fields} as a more
|
|
compact way to convey the most important information: it shows @t{From:}
|
|
@emph{except} when the e-mail was sent by the user (i.e., you) - in that case
|
|
it shows @t{To:} (prefixed by @t{To}@footnote{You can customize this by
|
|
changing the variable @code{mu4e-headers-from-or-to-prefix} (a cons cell)}, as
|
|
in the example above). To determine whether a message was sent by you,
|
|
@t{mu4e} uses the variable @code{mu4e-user-mail-address-list}, a list of
|
|
your e-mail addresses.
|
|
@item The letters in the 'Flags' field correspond to the following: D=@emph{draft},
|
|
F=@emph{flagged} (i.e., 'starred'), N=@emph{new}, P=@emph{passed} (i.e.,
|
|
forwarded), R=@emph{replied}, S=@emph{seen}, T=@emph{trashed},
|
|
a=@emph{has-attachment}, x=@emph{encrypted}, s=@emph{signed},
|
|
u=@emph{unread}. The tooltip for this field also contains this information.
|
|
@item The subject field also indicates the discussion threads @footnote{using
|
|
Jamie Zawinski's mail threading algorithm,
|
|
@url{http://www.jwz.org/doc/threading.html}}.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Keybindings
|
|
@section Keybindings
|
|
|
|
Using the below key bindings, you can do various things with these messages;
|
|
these actions are also listed in the @t{Headers} menu in the @command{emacs}
|
|
menu bar.
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
key description
|
|
===========================================================
|
|
n,p go to next, previous message
|
|
y select the message view (if it's visible)
|
|
RET open the message at point in the message view
|
|
|
|
searching
|
|
---------
|
|
s search
|
|
S edit last query
|
|
/ narrow the search
|
|
b search bookmark
|
|
B edit bookmark before search
|
|
j jump to maildir
|
|
M-left previous query
|
|
M-right next query
|
|
|
|
O change sort order
|
|
P toggle threading
|
|
Q toggle full-search
|
|
|
|
|
|
marking
|
|
-------
|
|
d mark for moving to the trash folder
|
|
DEL,D mark for complete deletion
|
|
m mark for moving to another maildir folder
|
|
r mark for refiling
|
|
+,- mark for flagging/unflagging
|
|
?,! mark message as unread, read
|
|
|
|
u unmark message at point
|
|
U unmark *all* messages
|
|
|
|
% mark based on a regular expression
|
|
T,t mark whole thread, subthread
|
|
|
|
<insert> mark for 'something' (decide later)
|
|
# resolve deferred 'something' marks
|
|
|
|
x execute actions for the marked messages
|
|
|
|
composition
|
|
-----------
|
|
R,F,C reply/forward/compose
|
|
E edit (only allowed for draft messages)
|
|
|
|
|
|
misc
|
|
----
|
|
a execute some custom action on a header
|
|
| pipe message through shell command
|
|
C-+,C-- increase / decrease the number of headers shown
|
|
H get help
|
|
q,z leave the headers buffer
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Marking messages
|
|
@section Marking messages
|
|
|
|
When processing messages, the first step is to @emph{mark} them for a certain
|
|
action, such as deletion or move. Then, after one or more messages are marked,
|
|
you execute (@code{mu4e-mark-execute-all}, @key{x}) these actions. This
|
|
two-step mark-execute sequence is similar to what e.g. @t{dired} does. This is
|
|
how @t{mu4e} tries to be as quick as possible, while avoiding accidents.
|
|
|
|
The mark/unmark commands support the @emph{region} (i.e., ``selection'') --
|
|
so, for example, if you select some messages and press @key{DEL}, all messages
|
|
in the region are marked for deletion.
|
|
|
|
You can mark all messages that match a certain pattern with @key{%}. In
|
|
addition, you can mark all messages in the current thread (@key{T}) or
|
|
sub-thread (@key{t}).
|
|
|
|
When you do a new search or refresh the headers buffer while you still have
|
|
marked messages, you are asked what to do with those marks -- whether to
|
|
@emph{apply} them before leaving, or @emph{ignore} them. This behavior can be
|
|
influenced with the variable @code{mu4e-headers-leave-behavior}.
|
|
|
|
For more information about marking, see @ref{Marking}.
|
|
|
|
@node Sort order and threading
|
|
@section Sort order and threading
|
|
|
|
By default, @t{mu4e} sorts messages by date, in descending order: the most
|
|
recent messages are shown at the top. In addition, the messages are
|
|
@emph{threaded}, i.e., shown in the context of a discussion thread; this also
|
|
affects the sort order.
|
|
|
|
The header field used for sorting is indicated by ``@t{V}'' or
|
|
``@t{^}''@footnote{or you can use little graphical triangles; see variable
|
|
@code{mu4e-use-fancy-chars}}, indicating the sort order (descending or
|
|
ascending, respectively).
|
|
|
|
You can change the sort order by clicking the corresponding field with the
|
|
mouse, or with @kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-change-sorting} (@key{O}); note that not
|
|
all fields can be used for sorting. You can toggle threading on/off using
|
|
@kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-toggle-threading} or @key{P}. For both of these functions,
|
|
unless you provide a prefix argument (@key{C-u}), the current search is
|
|
updated immediately using the new parameters. You can toggle full-search
|
|
(@ref{Searching}) using @kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-toggle-full-search} or @key{Q}.
|
|
|
|
If you want to change the defaults for these settings, you can use the
|
|
variables @code{mu4e-headers-sortfield} and @code{mu4e-headers-show-threads}.
|
|
|
|
@node HV Actions
|
|
@section Actions
|
|
|
|
@code{mu4e-headers-action} (@key{a}) lets you pick custom actions to perform
|
|
on the message at point. You can specify these actions using the variable
|
|
@code{mu4e-headers-actions}. See @ref{Actions} for the details.
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} defines some default actions. One of those is for @emph{capturing} a
|
|
message: @key{a c} 'captures' the current message. Next, when you're editing
|
|
some message, you can include the previously captured message as an
|
|
attachment, using @code{mu4e-compose-attach-captured-message}. See
|
|
@file{mu4e-actions.el} in the @t{mu4e} source distribution for more example
|
|
actions.
|
|
|
|
@node Split view
|
|
@section Split view
|
|
|
|
Using the @emph{Split view}, we can see the @ref{Headers view} and the
|
|
@ref{Message view} next to each other, with the message selected in the
|
|
former, visible in the latter. You can influence the way the splitting is done
|
|
by customizing the variable @code{mu4e-split-view}. Possible values are:
|
|
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @t{horizontal} (this is the default): display the message view below the
|
|
header view. Use @code{mu4e-headers-visible-lines} the set the number of lines
|
|
shown (default: 8).
|
|
@item @t{vertical}: display the message view on the
|
|
right side of the header view. Use @code{mu4e-headers-visible-columns} to set
|
|
the number of visible columns (default: 30).
|
|
@item anything else: don't do any splitting
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
Some useful key bindings in the split view:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @key{C-+} and @key{C--}: interactively change the number of columns or
|
|
headers shown
|
|
@item You can change the selected window from the
|
|
headers-view to the message-view and vice-versa with
|
|
@code{mu4e-select-other-view}, bound to @key{y}
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Message view
|
|
@chapter The message view
|
|
|
|
After selecting a message in the @ref{Headers view}, it appears in a message
|
|
view window: the message headers, followed by the message body. Its major
|
|
mode is @code{mu4e-view-mode}.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* MSGV Overview::
|
|
* MSGV Keybindings::
|
|
* Opening and saving attachments::
|
|
* Viewing images inline::
|
|
* Displaying rich-text messages::
|
|
* MSGV Crypto::
|
|
* MSGV Actions::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node MSGV Overview
|
|
@section Overview
|
|
|
|
An example message view:
|
|
|
|
@cartouche
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
From: randy@epiphyte.com
|
|
To: julia@eruditorum.org
|
|
Subject: Re: some pics
|
|
Flags: (seen attach)
|
|
Date: Mon 19 Jan 2004 09:39:42 AM EET
|
|
Maildir: /inbox
|
|
Attachments(2): [1]DSCN4961.JPG(1.3M), [2]DSCN4962.JPG(1.4M)
|
|
|
|
Hi Julia,
|
|
|
|
Some pics from our trip to Cerin Amroth. Enjoy!
|
|
|
|
All the best,
|
|
Randy.
|
|
|
|
On Sun 21 Dec 2003 09:06:34 PM EET, Julia wrote:
|
|
|
|
[....]
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
@end cartouche
|
|
|
|
Some notes:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item The variable @code{mu4e-view-fields} determines the header fields to be shown.
|
|
@item You can set the date format with the variable
|
|
@code{mu4e-date-format-long}.
|
|
@item By default, only the names of contacts in address fields are visible
|
|
(see @code{mu4e-view-show-addresses} to change this). You can view the e-mail
|
|
addresses by clicking on the name, or pressing @key{M-RET}.
|
|
@item You can compose a message for the contact at point by either clicking
|
|
@key{[mouse-2]} or pressing @key{C}.
|
|
@item The body text can be line-wrapped using @t{longlines-mode}. @t{mu4e}
|
|
defines @key{w} to toggle between the wrapped and unwrapped state. If you want
|
|
to do this automatically when viewing a message, invoke @code{longlines-mode}
|
|
in your @code{mu4e-view-mode-hook}.
|
|
@item You can hide cited parts in messages (the parts starting with ``@t{>}'')
|
|
using @code{mu4e-view-hide-cited}, bound to @key{h}. If you want to do this
|
|
automatically for every message, invoke the function in your
|
|
@code{mu4e-view-mode-hook}.
|
|
@item For search-related operations, see @ref{Searching}.
|
|
@item You can scroll down the message using @key{SPC}; if you do this at the
|
|
end of a message,it automatically takes you to the next one. If you want to
|
|
prevent this behavior, set @code{mu4e-view-scroll-to-next} to @code{nil}.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node MSGV Keybindings
|
|
@section Keybindings
|
|
|
|
You can find most things you can do with this message in the @emph{View} menu,
|
|
or by using the keyboard; the default bindings are:
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
key description
|
|
==============================================================
|
|
n,p go to next, previous message
|
|
y select the headers view (if it's visible)
|
|
|
|
RET scroll down
|
|
M-RET open URL at point / attachment at point
|
|
|
|
SPC scroll down, if at end, move to next message
|
|
|
|
searching
|
|
---------
|
|
s search
|
|
e edit last query
|
|
/ narrow the search
|
|
b search bookmark
|
|
B edit bookmark before search
|
|
j jump to maildir
|
|
|
|
M-left previous query
|
|
M-right next query
|
|
|
|
marking
|
|
-------
|
|
d mark for moving to the trash folder
|
|
DEL,D mark for complete deletion
|
|
m mark for moving to another maildir folder
|
|
r mark for refiling
|
|
+,- mark for flagging/unflagging
|
|
|
|
u unmark message at point
|
|
U unmark *all* messages
|
|
|
|
% mark based on a regular expression
|
|
T,t mark whole thread, subthread
|
|
|
|
<insert> mark for 'something' (decide later)
|
|
# resolve deferred 'something' marks
|
|
|
|
x execute actions for the marked messages
|
|
|
|
composition
|
|
-----------
|
|
R,F,C reply/forward/compose
|
|
E edit (only allowed for draft messages)
|
|
|
|
actions
|
|
-------
|
|
g go to (visit) numbered URL (using `browse-url')
|
|
(or: <mouse-1> or M-RET with point on url)
|
|
e extract (save) attachment (asks for number)
|
|
(or: <mouse-2> or S-RET with point on attachment)
|
|
C-u e extracts multiple attachments
|
|
o open attachment (asks for number)
|
|
(or: <mouse-1> or M-RET with point on attachment)
|
|
|
|
a execute some custom action on the message
|
|
A execute some custom action on an attachment
|
|
|
|
misc
|
|
----
|
|
w toggle line wrapping
|
|
h toggle showing cited parts
|
|
|
|
v show details about the cryptographic signature
|
|
|
|
. show the raw message view. 'q' takes you back.
|
|
C-+,C-- increase / decrease the number of headers shown
|
|
H get help
|
|
q,z leave the message view
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
For the marking commands, please refer to @ref{Marking messages}.
|
|
|
|
@node Opening and saving attachments
|
|
@section Opening and saving attachments
|
|
|
|
By default, @t{mu4e} uses the @t{xdg-open}-program
|
|
@footnote{@url{http://portland.freedesktop.org/wiki/}} or (on MacOS) the
|
|
@t{open} program for opening attachments. If you want to use another program,
|
|
you do so by setting the @t{MU_PLAY_PROGRAM} environment variable to the
|
|
program to be used.
|
|
|
|
The default directory for extracting (saving) attachments is your home
|
|
directory (@file{~/}); you can change this using the variable
|
|
@code{mu4e-attachment-dir}, for example:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq mu4e-attachment-dir "~/Downloads")
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
For more flexibility, @code{mu4e-attachment-dir} can also be a user-provided
|
|
function. This function receives two parameters: the file-name and the
|
|
mime-type@footnote{sadly, often @t{application/octet-stream} is used for the
|
|
mime-type, even if a better type is available} of the attachment, either or
|
|
both of which can be @t{nil}. For example:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq mu4e-attachment-dir
|
|
(lambda (fname mtype)
|
|
(cond
|
|
;; docfiles go to ~/Desktop
|
|
((and fname (string-match "\\.doc$" fname)) "~/Desktop")
|
|
;; ... other cases ...
|
|
(t "~/Downloads")))) ;; everything else
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
You can extract multiple attachments at once by prefixing the extracting
|
|
command by @key{C-u}; so @kbd{C-u e} asks you for a range of attachments to
|
|
extract (for example, @kbd{1 3-6 8}). The range "@samp{a}" is a shortcut for
|
|
@emph{all} attachments.
|
|
|
|
@node Viewing images inline
|
|
@section Viewing images inline
|
|
|
|
It is possible to show images inline in the message view buffer if you run
|
|
@command{emacs} in GUI-mode. You can enable this by setting the variable
|
|
@code{mu4e-view-show-images} to @t{t}. Since @command{emacs} does not always
|
|
handle images correctly, this is not enabled by default. If you are using
|
|
@command{emacs} 24 with
|
|
@emph{ImageMagick}@footnote{@url{http://www.imagemagick.org}} support, make
|
|
sure you call @code{imagemagick-register-types} in your configuration, so it
|
|
is used for images.
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
;; enable inline images
|
|
(setq mu4e-view-show-images t)
|
|
;; use imagemagick, if available
|
|
(when (fboundp 'imagemagick-register-types)
|
|
(imagemagick-register-types))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@node Displaying rich-text messages
|
|
@section Displaying rich-text messages
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} normally prefers the plain-text version for messages that consist of
|
|
both a plain-text and html (rich-text) versions of the body-text. You change
|
|
this by setting @code{mu4e-view-prefer-html} to @t{t}.
|
|
|
|
If there is only an html-version, or if the plain-text version is too short in
|
|
comparison with the html part@footnote{this is for the case where the
|
|
text-part only warns that you should use the html-version}, @t{mu4e} tries to
|
|
convert the html into plain-text for display. The default way to do that is to
|
|
use the @command{emacs} built-in @code{html2text} function. However, you can
|
|
set the variable @code{mu4e-html2text-command} to use some external program
|
|
instead. This program is expected to take html from standard input and write
|
|
plain text in @t{utf-8} encoding on standard output.
|
|
|
|
An example of such a program is the program that is actually @emph{called}
|
|
@t{html2text}@footnote{@url{http://www.mbayer.de/html2text/}}. After
|
|
installation, you can set it up with something like the following:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq mu4e-html2text-command "html2text -utf8 -width 72")
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
An alternative to this is the Python @t{python-html2text} package; after
|
|
installing that, you can tell @t{mu4e} to use it with something like:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq mu4e-html2text-command
|
|
"html2markdown | grep -v ' _place_holder;'")
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@node MSGV Crypto
|
|
@section Crypto
|
|
|
|
The @t{mu4e} message view supports@footnote{Crypto-support in @t{mu4e}
|
|
requires @t{mu} to have been build with crypto-support; see the @ref{FAQ}}
|
|
decryption of encrypted messages, as well as verification of signatures. For
|
|
signing/encrypting messages your outgoing messages, see @ref{Signing and
|
|
encrypting}.
|
|
|
|
Currently, only PGP/MIME is supported; PGP-inline and S/MIME are not.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Decryption
|
|
@anchor{Decryption}
|
|
|
|
If you receive messages that are encrypted (using PGP/MIME), @t{mu4e} can try
|
|
to decrypt them. For this, @t{gnupg-agent} must be running; in many mainstream
|
|
Linux/Unix desktop environments this should work automatically.
|
|
|
|
You can influence how @t{mu4e} deals with encrypted messages using
|
|
@code{mu4e-decryption-policy}. If you set it to @t{t}, @t{mu4e} attempts to
|
|
decrypt messages automatically; this is the default. If you set it to @t{nil},
|
|
@t{mu4e} @emph{won't} attempt to decrypt anything. Finally, if you set it to
|
|
@t{'ask}, it asks you what to do, each time an encrypted message is
|
|
encountered.
|
|
|
|
When opening an encrypted message, @t{mu} consults @t{gpg-agent} to see if it
|
|
already has unlocked the key needed to decrypt the message; if not, it prompts
|
|
you for a password (typically with a separate top-level window). This is only
|
|
needed once per session.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Verifying signatures
|
|
@anchor{Verifying signatures}
|
|
|
|
Some e-mail messages are cryptographically signed, and @t{mu4e} can check the
|
|
validity of these signatures. If a message has one or more signatures, the
|
|
message view shows an extra header @t{Signature:} (assuming it is part of your
|
|
@code{mu4e-view-fields}), and one or more 'verdicts' of the signatures found;
|
|
either @t{verified}, @t{unverified} or @t{error}. For instance:
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
Signature: unverified (Details)
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
You can see the details of the signature verification by activating the
|
|
@t{Details} or pressing @key{v}. This pops up a little window with the
|
|
details of the signatures found and whether they could be verified or not.
|
|
|
|
For more information, see the @command{mu-verify} manual page.
|
|
|
|
@node MSGV Actions
|
|
@section Actions
|
|
|
|
You can perform custom functions (``actions'') on messages and their
|
|
attachments. For a general discussion on how to define your own, see see @ref{Actions}.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Message actions
|
|
|
|
@code{mu4e-view-action} (@key{a}) lets you pick some custom action to perform
|
|
on the current message. You can specify these actions using the variable
|
|
@code{mu4e-view-actions}; @t{mu4e} defines a number of example actions.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Attachment actions
|
|
Similarly, there is @code{mu4e-view-attachment-action} (@key{A}) for actions
|
|
on attachments, which you can specify with
|
|
@code{mu4e-view-attachment-actions}.
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} predefines a number of attachment-actions:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @t{open-with} (@key{w}): open the attachment with some arbitrary
|
|
program. For example, suppose you have received a message with a picture
|
|
attachment; then, @kbd{A w 1 RET gimp RET} opens that attachment in @emph{The
|
|
Gimp}
|
|
@item @t{pipe} (@key{|}: process the attachment with some Unix shell-pipe and
|
|
see the results. Suppose you receive a patch file, and would like to get an
|
|
overview of the changes, using the @t{diffstat} program. You can use something
|
|
like: @kbd{A | 1 RET diffstat -b RET}.
|
|
@item @command{emacs} (@key{e}): open the attachment in your running @command{emacs}. For
|
|
example, if you receive some text file you'd like to open in @command{emacs}:
|
|
@kbd{A e 1 RET}.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
These actions all work on a @emph{temporary copy} of the attachment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Editor view
|
|
@chapter The editor view
|
|
|
|
Writing e-mail messages takes place in the Editor View. @t{mu4e}'s editor view
|
|
builds on top of Gnu's @t{message-mode}. Most of the @t{message-mode}
|
|
functionality is available, as well some @t{mu4e}-specifics. Its major mode is
|
|
@code{mu4e-compose-mode}.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* EV Overview::
|
|
* Useful keybindings::
|
|
* Address autocompletion::
|
|
* Compose hooks::
|
|
* Signing and encrypting::
|
|
* Queuing mail::
|
|
* Other settings::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node EV Overview
|
|
@section Overview
|
|
|
|
@cartouche
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
From: Rupert the Monkey <rupert@example.com>
|
|
To: Wally the Walrus <wally@example.com>
|
|
Subject: Re: Eau-qui d'eau qui?
|
|
--text follows this line--
|
|
|
|
On Mon 16 Jan 2012 10:18:47 AM EET, Wally the Walrus wrote:
|
|
|
|
> Hi Rupert,
|
|
>
|
|
> Dude - how are things?
|
|
>
|
|
> Later -- wally.
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
@end cartouche
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Useful keybindings
|
|
@section Useful keybindings
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e}'s editor view derives from Gnu's message editor and shares most of
|
|
its keybindings. Here are some of the more useful ones (you can use the menu
|
|
to find more):
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
key description
|
|
--- -----------
|
|
C-c C-c send message
|
|
C-c C-d save to drafts and leave
|
|
C-c C-k kill the message
|
|
C-c C-a attach a file (pro-tip: drag & drop works as well)
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
@node Address autocompletion
|
|
@section Address autocompletion
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} supports@footnote{@command{emacs} 23.2 or higher is required}
|
|
autocompleting addresses when composing e-mail messages. @t{mu4e} uses the
|
|
e-mail addresses from the messages you sent or received as the source for
|
|
this. Address auto-completion is enabled by default; if you want to disable it
|
|
for some reason, set @t{mu4e-compose-complete-addresses} to @t{nil}.
|
|
|
|
Emacs 24 also supports cycling through the alternatives. When there are more
|
|
than @emph{5} matching addresses, they are shown in a @t{*Completions*}
|
|
buffer. Once the number of matches gets below this number, one is inserted in
|
|
the address field and you can cycle through the alternatives using @key{TAB}.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Limiting the number of addresses
|
|
|
|
If you have a lot of mail, especially from mailing lists and the like, there
|
|
can be a @emph{lot} of e-mail addresses, many of which may not be very useful
|
|
when auto-completing. For this reason, @t{mu4e} attempts to limit the number
|
|
of e-mail addresses in the completion pool by filtering out the ones that are
|
|
not likely to be relevant. The following variables are available for tuning
|
|
this:
|
|
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-compose-complete-only-personal} - when set to @t{t},
|
|
only consider addresses that were seen in @emph{personal} messages -- that is,
|
|
messages in which one of my e-mail addresses was seen in one of the address
|
|
fields. This is to exclude mailing list posts. You can define what is
|
|
considered 'my e-mail address' using @code{mu4e-user-mail-address-list}, a
|
|
list of e-mail address (defaults to @code{user-mail-address}, and when
|
|
indexing from the command line, the @t{--my-address} parameter for @t{mu
|
|
index}.
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-compose-complete-only-after} - only consider e-mail
|
|
addresses last seen after some date. Parameter is a string, parseable by
|
|
@code{org-parse-time-string}. This excludes old e-mail addresses. The default
|
|
is @t{"2010-01-01"}, i.e., only consider e-mail addresses seen since the start
|
|
of 2010.
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-compose-complete-ignore-address-regexp} - a regular expression to
|
|
filter out other 'junk' e-mail addresses; defaults to ``@t{no-?reply}''.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Compose hooks
|
|
@section Compose hooks
|
|
|
|
If you want to change some setting, or execute some custom action before
|
|
message composition starts, you can define a @emph{hook function}. @t{mu4e}
|
|
offers two hooks:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-compose-pre-hook}: this hook is run @emph{before} composition
|
|
starts; if you are composing a @emph{reply}, @emph{forward} a message, or
|
|
@emph{edit} an existing message, the variable
|
|
@code{mu4e-compose-parent-message} points to the message being replied to,
|
|
forwarded or edited, and you can use @code{mu4e-message-field} to get the
|
|
value of various properties (and see @ref{Message functions}).
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-compose-mode-hook}: this hook is run just before composition
|
|
starts, when the whole buffer has already been set up. This is a good place
|
|
for editing-related settings. @code{mu4e-compose-parent-message} (see above)
|
|
is also at your disposal.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
Let's look at some examples. First, let's suppose we want to set the
|
|
@t{From:}-address for a reply message based on the receiver of the original:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
;; 1) messages to me@@foo.com should be replied with From:me@@foo.com
|
|
;; 2) messages to me@@bar.com should be replied with From:me@@bar.com
|
|
;; 3) all other mail should use From:me@@cuux.com
|
|
(add-hook 'mu4e-compose-pre-hook
|
|
(defun my-set-from-address ()
|
|
"Set the From address based on the To address of the original."
|
|
(let ((msg mu4e-compose-parent-message) ;; msg is shorter...
|
|
(setq user-mail-address
|
|
(cond
|
|
((mu4e-contact-field-matches msg :to "me@@foo.com")
|
|
"me@@foo.com")
|
|
((mu4e-contact-field-matches msg :to "me@@bar.com")
|
|
"me@@bar.com")
|
|
(t "me@@cuux.com")))))))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
Second, as mentioned, @code{mu4e-compose-mode-hook} is especially useful for
|
|
editing-related settings. For example:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(add-hook 'mu4e-compose-mode-hook
|
|
(defun my-do-compose-stuff ()
|
|
"My settings for message composition."
|
|
(set-fill-column 72)
|
|
(flyspell-mode)))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
This hook is also useful for adding headers or changing headers, since the
|
|
message is fully formed when this hook runs. For example, to add a
|
|
@t{Bcc:}-header, you could add something like the following, using
|
|
@code{message-add-header} from @code{message-mode}.
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(add-hook 'mu4e-compose-mode-hook
|
|
(defun my-add-bcc ()
|
|
"Add a Bcc: header."
|
|
(message-add-header "Bcc: me@@example.com\n")))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
For a more general discussion about extending @t{mu4e}, see @ref{Extending
|
|
mu4e}.
|
|
|
|
@node Signing and encrypting
|
|
@section Signing and encrypting
|
|
|
|
Signing and encrypting of messages is possible using @t{emacs-mime}
|
|
(@inforef{Composing,,emacs-mime}), most easily accessed through the
|
|
@t{Attachments}-menu while composing a message, or with @kbd{M-x
|
|
mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp}, @kbd{M-x mml-secure-message-sign-pgp}.
|
|
|
|
The support for encryption and signing is @emph{independent} of the support
|
|
for their counterparts, decrypting and signature verification (as discussed in
|
|
@ref{MSGV Crypto}). Even if your @t{mu4e} does have support for the latter
|
|
two, you can still sign/encrypt messages.
|
|
|
|
Currently, decryption and signature verification only works for PGP/MIME;
|
|
inline-PGP and S/MIME are not supported.
|
|
|
|
@node Queuing mail
|
|
@section Queuing mail
|
|
|
|
If you cannot send mail right now, for example because you are currently
|
|
offline, you can @emph{queue} the mail, and send it when you have restored
|
|
your internet connection. You can control this from the @ref{Main view}.
|
|
|
|
To allow for queuing, you need to tell @t{smtpmail} where you want to store
|
|
the queued messages. For example:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq smtpmail-queue-mail nil ;; start in non-queuing mode
|
|
smtpmail-queue-dir "~/Maildir/queue/cur")
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
For convenience, we put the queue directory somewhere in our normal
|
|
maildir. If you want to use queued mail, you should create this directory
|
|
before starting @t{mu4e}. The @command{mu mkdir} command may be useful here,
|
|
so for example:
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
$ mu mkdir ~/Maildir/queue
|
|
$ touch ~/Maildir/queue/.noindex
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
The file created by the @command{touch} command tells @t{mu} to ignore this
|
|
directory for indexing, which makes sense since it contains @t{smtpmail}
|
|
meta-data rather than 'normal' messages; see the @t{mu-mkdir} and @t{mu-index}
|
|
man pages for details.
|
|
|
|
@emph{Warning}: when you switch on queued-mode, your messages @emph{won't}
|
|
reach their destination until you switch it off again; so, be careful not to
|
|
do this accidentally!
|
|
|
|
@node Other settings
|
|
@section Other settings
|
|
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item If you want use @t{mu4e} as @command{emacs}' default program for sending mail,
|
|
see @ref{Setting the default emacs mail program}.
|
|
@item Normally, @t{mu4e} @emph{buries} the message buffer after sending; if you want
|
|
to kill the buffer instead, add something like the following to your
|
|
configuration:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq message-kill-buffer-on-exit t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Searching
|
|
@chapter Searching
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} is fully search-based: even if you 'jump to a folder', you are
|
|
executing a query for messages that happen to have the property of being in a
|
|
certain folder.
|
|
|
|
By default, queries return up to @code{mu4e-search-results-limit} (default:
|
|
500) results. That is usually more than enough, and makes things significantly
|
|
faster. Sometimes, however, you may want to show @emph{all} results; you can
|
|
enable this with @kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-toggle-full-search}, or by customizing
|
|
the variable @code{mu4e-headers-full-search}. This applies to all search
|
|
commands.
|
|
|
|
You can also influence the sort order and whether threads are shown or not;
|
|
see @ref{Sort order and threading}.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Queries::Searching for messages
|
|
* Bookmarks::Remembering queries
|
|
* Maildir searches::Queries for maildirs
|
|
* Other search functionality::Some more tricks
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node Queries
|
|
@section Queries
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} queries are the same as the ones that @t{mu find}
|
|
understands@footnote{with the caveat that command-line queries are subject to
|
|
the shell's interpretation before @t{mu} sees them}. Let's look at some
|
|
examples here, please refer to the @code{mu-find} and @code{mu-easy} man pages
|
|
for details and even more examples.
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
# get all messages regarding bananas:
|
|
bananas
|
|
|
|
# get all messages regarding bananas from John with an attachment:
|
|
from:john flag:attach bananas
|
|
|
|
# get all messages with subject wombat in June 2009
|
|
subject:wombat date:20090601..20090630
|
|
|
|
# get all messages with PDF attachments in the /projects folder
|
|
maildir:/projects mime:application/pdf
|
|
|
|
# get all messages about Rupert in the Sent Items folder
|
|
maildir:"/Sent Items" rupert
|
|
# note: terms with spaces need quoting
|
|
|
|
# get all important messages which are signed:
|
|
flag:signed prio:high
|
|
|
|
# get all messages from Jim without an attachment:
|
|
from:jim AND NOT flag:attach
|
|
|
|
# get all message with Alice in one of the contacts fields (to, from, cc,
|
|
# bcc):
|
|
contact:alice
|
|
|
|
# get all unread messages where the subject mentions Angstrom:
|
|
# (search is case-insensitive and accent-insensitive)
|
|
subject:angstrom flag:unread
|
|
|
|
# get all unread messages between Mar-2002 and Aug-2003 about some bird:
|
|
date:20020301..20030831 nightingale flag:unread
|
|
|
|
# get today's messages:
|
|
date:today..now
|
|
|
|
# get all messages we got in the last two weeks regarding emacs:
|
|
date:2w..now emacs
|
|
|
|
# get mails with a subject soccer, Socrates, society...:
|
|
subject:soc*
|
|
# note: the '*' wildcard can only appear as the term's rightmost character
|
|
|
|
# get all mails with attachment with filenames starting with 'pic':
|
|
file:pic*
|
|
# note: the '*' wildcard can only appear as the term's rightmost character
|
|
|
|
# get all messages with PDF attachments:
|
|
mime:application/pdf
|
|
|
|
# get all messages with image attachments:
|
|
mime:image/*
|
|
# note: the '*' wildcard can only appear as the term's rightmost character
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
@node Bookmarks
|
|
@section Bookmarks
|
|
|
|
If you have queries that you use often, you may want to store them as
|
|
@emph{bookmarks}. Bookmark searches are available in the main view @ref{Main
|
|
view}, header view @xref{Headers view}, and message view @xref{Message view},
|
|
using (by default) the key @key{b} (@kbd{M-x mu4e-search-bookmark}), or
|
|
@key{B} (@kbd{M-x mu4e-search-bookmark-edit}) which lets you edit the bookmark
|
|
first.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Setting up bookmarks
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} provides a number of default bookmarks. Their definition is
|
|
instructive:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(defvar mu4e-bookmarks
|
|
'( ("flag:unread AND NOT flag:trashed" "Unread messages" ?u)
|
|
("date:today..now" "Today's messages" ?t)
|
|
("date:7d..now" "Last 7 days" ?w)
|
|
("mime:image/*" "Messages with images" ?p))
|
|
"A list of pre-defined queries; these show up in the main
|
|
screen. Each of the list elements is a three-element list of the
|
|
form (QUERY DESCRIPTION KEY), where QUERY is a string with a mu
|
|
query, DESCRIPTION is a short description of the query (this
|
|
shows up in the UI), and KEY is a shortcut key for the query.")
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
You can replace these or add your own items, by putting in your
|
|
configuration (@file{~/.emacs}) something like:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(add-to-list 'mu4e-bookmarks
|
|
'("size:5M..500M" "Big messages" ?b))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
This prepends your bookmark to the list, and assigns the key @key{b} to it. If
|
|
you want to @emph{append} your bookmark, you can use @code{t} as the third
|
|
argument to @code{add-to-list}.
|
|
|
|
In the various @t{mu4e} views, pressing @key{b} lists all the bookmarks
|
|
defined in the echo area, with the shortcut key highlighted. So, to invoke the
|
|
bookmark we just defined (to get the list of "Big Messages"), all you need to
|
|
type is @kbd{bb}.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Editing bookmarks before searching
|
|
|
|
There is also @kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-search-bookmark-edit} (key @key{B}), which
|
|
lets you edit the bookmarked query before invoking it. This can be useful if
|
|
you have many similar queries, but need to change some parameter. For example,
|
|
you could have a bookmark @samp{"date:today..now AND "}@footnote{Not a valid
|
|
search query by itself}, which limits any result to today's messages.
|
|
|
|
@node Maildir searches
|
|
@section Maildir searches
|
|
|
|
Maildir searches are quite similar to bookmark searches (see @ref{Bookmarks}),
|
|
with the difference being that the target is always a maildir -- maildir
|
|
queries provide a 'traditional' folder-like interface to a search-based e-mail
|
|
client. By default, maildir searches are available in the @ref{Main view},
|
|
@ref{Headers view}, and @ref{Message view}, with the key @key{j}
|
|
(@code{mu4e-jump-to-maildir}).
|
|
|
|
@subsection Setting up maildir shortcuts
|
|
|
|
You can search for maildirs like can for any other messsage property
|
|
(e.g. with a query like @t{maildir:/myfolder}), but since it is so common,
|
|
@t{mu4e} offers a shortcut for this.
|
|
|
|
For this to work, you need to set the variable @code{mu4e-maildir-shortcuts}
|
|
to the list of maildirs you want to have quick access to, for example:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq mu4e-maildir-shortcuts
|
|
'( ("/inbox" . ?i)
|
|
("/archive" . ?a)
|
|
("/lists" . ?l)
|
|
("/work" . ?w)
|
|
("/sent" . ?s))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
This sets @key{i} as a shortcut for the @t{/inbox} folder -- effectively a
|
|
query @t{maildir:/inbox}. There is a special shortcut @key{o} or @key{/} for
|
|
@emph{other} (so don't use those for your own shortcuts!), which allows you to
|
|
choose from @emph{all} maildirs that you have. There is support for
|
|
autocompletion; note that the list of maildirs is determined when @t{mu4e}
|
|
starts; if there are changes in the maildirs while @t{mu4e} is running, you
|
|
need to restart @t{mu4e}.
|
|
|
|
Each of the folder names is relative to your top-level maildir directory; so
|
|
if you keep your mail in @file{~/Maildir}, @file{/inbox} would refer to
|
|
@file{~/Maildir/inbox}. With these shortcuts, you can jump around your
|
|
maildirs (folders) very quickly - for example, getting to the @t{/lists}
|
|
folder only requires you to type @kbd{jl}, then change to @t{/work} with
|
|
@kbd{jw}.
|
|
|
|
The very same shortcuts are used by @kbd{M-x mu4e-mark-for-move} (default
|
|
shortcut @key{m}); so, for example, if you want to move a message the
|
|
@t{/archive} folder, you can do so by typing @kbd{ma}.
|
|
|
|
@node Other search functionality
|
|
@section Other search functionality
|
|
|
|
@subsection Navigating through search queries
|
|
You can navigate through previous/next queries using
|
|
@code{mu4e-headers-query-prev} and @code{mu4e-headers-query-next}, which are
|
|
bound to @key{M-left} and @key{M-right}, similar to what some web browsers do.
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} tries to be smart and not record duplicate queries. Also, the number
|
|
of queries remembered has a fixed limit, so @t{mu4e} won't use too much
|
|
memory, even if used for a long time. However, if you want to forget
|
|
previous/next queries, you can use @kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-forget-queries}.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Narrowing search results
|
|
|
|
It can be useful to narrow existing search results, that is, to add some
|
|
clauses to the current query to match fewer messages.
|
|
|
|
For example, suppose you're looking at the some mailing list, perhaps by
|
|
jumping to a maildir (@kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-jump-to-maildir}, @key{j}) or
|
|
because you followed some bookmark (@kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-search-bookmark},
|
|
@key{b}). Now, you want to narrow things down to only those messages that have
|
|
attachments.
|
|
|
|
This is when @kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-search-narrow} (@key{/}) comes in handy. It
|
|
asks for an additional search pattern, which is appended to the current search
|
|
query, in effect getting you the subset of the currently shown headers that
|
|
also match this extra search pattern. @key{\} takes you back to the previous
|
|
query, so, effectively 'widens' the search. Technically, narrowing the results
|
|
of query @t{x} with expression @t{y} implies doing a search @t{(x) AND y}.
|
|
|
|
Note, messages that were not in your in your original search results because
|
|
of @code{mu4e-search-results-limit}, may show up in the narrowed query.
|
|
|
|
@node Marking
|
|
@chapter Marking
|
|
|
|
In @t{mu4e}, the common way to do things with messages is a two-step process -
|
|
first you @emph{mark} them for a certain action, then you @emph{execute}
|
|
(@key{x}) those marks. This is similar to the way @t{dired} operates. Marking
|
|
can happen in both the @ref{Headers view} and the @ref{Message view}.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Selecting messages for marking::
|
|
* What to mark for::
|
|
* Executing the marks::
|
|
* Leaving the headers buffer::
|
|
* Built-in marking functions::
|
|
* Custom mark functions::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node Selecting messages for marking
|
|
@section Selecting messages for marking
|
|
|
|
There are multiple ways to mark messages:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @emph{message at point}: you can put a mark on the message-at-point in
|
|
either the @ref{Headers view} or @ref{Message view}
|
|
@item @emph{region}: you can put a mark on all messages in the current region
|
|
(selection) in the @ref{Headers view}
|
|
@item @emph{pattern}: you can put a mark on all messages in the @ref{Headers
|
|
view} matching a certain pattern with @kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-mark-pattern}
|
|
(@key{%})
|
|
@item @emph{thread/subthread}: You can put a mark on all the messages in the
|
|
thread/subthread at point with @kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-mark-thread} and @kbd{M-x
|
|
mu4e-headers-mark-subthread}, respectively
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node What to mark for
|
|
@section What to mark for
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} supports a number of different marks - i.e., different actions to
|
|
apply to messages:
|
|
|
|
@cartouche
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
mark for/as | keybinding | description
|
|
--------------+-------------+--------------------------
|
|
'something' | <insert> | mark now, decide later
|
|
delete | D, <delete> | delete
|
|
flag | + | mark as 'flagged' (``starred'')
|
|
move | m | move to some maildir
|
|
read | ! | mark as read
|
|
refile | r | mark for refiling
|
|
trash | d | move to the trash folder
|
|
unflag | - | remove 'flagged' mark
|
|
unmark | u | remove mark at point
|
|
unmark all | U | remove all marks
|
|
unread | ? | marks as unread
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
@end cartouche
|
|
|
|
After marking a message for something, the left-most columns in the headers
|
|
view show some information to indicate what it is marked. This is informative,
|
|
but if you mark many (thousands) messages, this slows things down
|
|
significantly@footnote{this uses an @command{emacs} feature called
|
|
@emph{overlays}, which are slow when used a lot in a buffer}. For this reason,
|
|
you can disable this by setting @code{mu4e-headers-show-target} to @code{nil}.
|
|
|
|
@t{something} is a special kind of mark; you can use it to mark messages for
|
|
'something', and then decide later what the 'something' should
|
|
be@footnote{This kind of 'deferred marking' is similar to the facility in
|
|
@t{midnight commander} (@url{http://www.midnight-commander.org/}) and the
|
|
like, and uses the same key binding (@key{insert}).} , using @kbd{M-x
|
|
mu4e-mark-resolve-deferred-marks} (@key{#}). Alternatively, @t{mu4e} will ask
|
|
you when you execute the marks (@key{x}).
|
|
|
|
@node Executing the marks
|
|
@section Executing the marks
|
|
|
|
After you have marked some messages, you can execute them with @key{x}
|
|
(@kbd{M-x mu4e-mark-execute-all}).
|
|
|
|
@node Leaving the headers buffer
|
|
@section Leaving the headers buffer
|
|
|
|
When you quit or update a headers buffer that has marked messages (for
|
|
example, by doing a new search), @t{mu4e} asks you what to do with them,
|
|
depending on the value of the variable @code{mu4e-headers-leave-behavior} --
|
|
see its documentation.
|
|
|
|
@node Built-in marking functions
|
|
@section Built-in marking functions
|
|
|
|
Some examples of @t{mu4e}'s built-in marking functions.
|
|
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @emph{Mark the message at point for trashing}: press @key{d}
|
|
@item @emph{Mark all messages in the buffer as unread}: press @kbd{C-x h o}
|
|
@item @emph{Delete the messages in the current thread}: press @kbd{T D}
|
|
@item @emph{Mark messages with a subject matching ``hello'' for flagging}:
|
|
press @kbd{% s hello RET}.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Custom mark functions
|
|
@section Custom mark functions
|
|
|
|
Sometimes, the built-in functions to mark messages may not be sufficient for
|
|
your needs. For this, @t{mu4e} offers an easy way to define your own custom
|
|
mark functions. You can choose one of the custom marker functions by pressing
|
|
@key{&} in the @ref{Headers view} and @ref{Message view}.
|
|
|
|
Custom mark functions are to be appended to the list
|
|
@code{mu4e-headers-custom-markers}. Each of the elements of this list
|
|
('markers') is a list with two or three elements:
|
|
@enumerate
|
|
@item The name of the marker - a short string describing this marker. The
|
|
first character of this string determines its shortcut, so these should be
|
|
unique. If necessary, simply prefix the name with a unique character.
|
|
@item a predicate function, taking two arguments @var{msg} and @var{param}.
|
|
@var{msg} is the message plist (see @ref{Message functions} and @var{param} is
|
|
a parameter provided by the third of the marker elements (see the next
|
|
item). The predicate function should return non-@t{nil} if the message
|
|
matches.
|
|
@item (optionally) a function that is evaluated once, and the result is passed as a
|
|
parameter to the predicate function. This is useful when user-input is needed.
|
|
@end enumerate
|
|
|
|
Let's look at an example: suppose we want to match all messages that have more
|
|
than @emph{n} recipients -- we could do this with the following recipe:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(add-to-list 'mu4e-headers-custom-markers
|
|
'("More than n recipients"
|
|
(lambda (msg n)
|
|
(> (+ (length (mu4e-message-field msg :to))
|
|
(length (mu4e-message-field msg :cc))) n))
|
|
(lambda ()
|
|
(read-number "Match messages with more recipients than: "))) t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
After evaluating this expression, you can use it by pressing @key{&} in the
|
|
headers buffer to select a custom marker function, and then @key{M} to choose
|
|
this particular one (@t{M} because it is the first character of the
|
|
description).
|
|
|
|
As you can see, it's not very hard to define simple functions to match
|
|
messages. There are more examples in the defaults for
|
|
@code{mu4e-headers-custom-markers}; see @file{mu4e-headers.el} and see
|
|
@ref{Extending mu4e} for general information about writing your own functions.
|
|
|
|
@node Dynamic folders
|
|
@chapter Dynamic folders
|
|
|
|
In @ref{Folders}, we explained how you can set up @t{mu4e}'s special folders:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq
|
|
mu4e-sent-folder "/sent" ;; sent messages
|
|
mu4e-drafts-folder "/drafts" ;; unfinished messages
|
|
mu4e-trash-folder "/trash" ;; trashed messages
|
|
mu4e-refile-folder "/archive") ;; saved messages
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
In some cases, having such static folders may not suffice - perhaps you want
|
|
to change the folders depending on the context. For example, the folder for
|
|
refiling could vary, based on the sender of the message.
|
|
|
|
To make this possible, instead of setting the standard folders to a string,
|
|
you can set them to be a @emph{function} that takes a message as its
|
|
parameter, and returns the desired folder name. This chapter shows you how to
|
|
do that. For a more general discussion of how to extend @t{mu4e} and writing
|
|
your own functions, see @ref{Extending mu4e}.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Smart refiling:: Automatically choose the target folder
|
|
* Other dynamic folders:: Flexible folders for sent, trash, drafts
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Smart refiling
|
|
@section Smart refiling
|
|
|
|
When refiling messages, perhaps to archive them, it can be useful to have
|
|
different target folders for different messages, based on some property of
|
|
those message -- smart refiling.
|
|
|
|
To accomplish this, we can set the refiling folder (@code{mu4e-refile-folder})
|
|
to a function that returns the actual refiling folder for the particular
|
|
message. An example should clarify this:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq mu4e-refile-folder
|
|
(lambda (msg)
|
|
(cond
|
|
;; messages to the mu mailing list go to the /mu folder
|
|
((mu4e-message-contact-field-matches msg :to
|
|
"mu-discuss@@googlegroups.com")
|
|
"/mu")
|
|
;; messages sent directly to me go to /archive
|
|
;; also `mu4e-user-mail-address-p' can be used
|
|
((mu4e-message-contact-field-matches msg :to "me@@example.com")
|
|
"/private")
|
|
;; messages with football or soccer in the subject go to /football
|
|
((string-match "football\\|soccer"
|
|
(mu4e-message-field msg :subject))
|
|
"/football")
|
|
;; everything else goes to /archive
|
|
;; important to have a catch-all at the end!
|
|
(t "/archive"))))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
This can be very powerful; you can select some messages in the headers view,
|
|
then press @key{r}, and have them all marked for refiling to their particular
|
|
folders.
|
|
|
|
Some notes:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item We set @code{mu4e-refile-folder} to an anonymous (@t{lambda}) function. This
|
|
function takes one argument, a message plist@footnote{a property list
|
|
describing a message}. The plist corresponds to the message at point. See
|
|
@ref{Message functions} for a discussion on how to deal with them.
|
|
@item In our function, we use a @t{cond} control structure; the function
|
|
returns the first of the clauses that matches. It's important to make the last
|
|
clause a catch-all, so we always return @emph{some} folder.
|
|
@item We use
|
|
the convenience function @code{mu4e-message-contact-field-matches}, which
|
|
evaluates to @code{t} if any of the names or e-mail addresses in a contact
|
|
field (in this case, the @t{To:}-field) matches the regular expression.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Other dynamic folders
|
|
@section Other dynamic folders
|
|
|
|
Using the same mechanism, you can create dynamic sent-, trash-, and
|
|
drafts-folders. The message-parameter you receive for the sent and drafts
|
|
folder is the @emph{original} message, that is, the message you reply to, or
|
|
forward, or edit. If there is no such message (for example when composing a
|
|
brand new message) the message parameter is @t{nil}.
|
|
|
|
Let's look at an example. Suppose you want a different trash folder for
|
|
work-email. You can achieve this with something like:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq mu4e-trash-folder
|
|
(lambda (msg)
|
|
;; the 'and msg' is to handle the case where msg is nil
|
|
(if (and msg
|
|
(mu4e-message-contact-field-matches msg :to "me@@work.com"))
|
|
"/trash-work"
|
|
"/trash")))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
Good to remember:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item The @var{msg} parameter you receive in the function refers to the
|
|
@emph{original message}, that is, the message being replied to or
|
|
forwarded. When re-editing a message, it refers to the message being
|
|
edited. When you compose a totally new message, the @var{msg} parameter is
|
|
@code{nil}.
|
|
@item When re-editing messages, the value of @code{mu4e-drafts-folder} is ignored.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Actions
|
|
@chapter Actions
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} lets you define custom actions for messages in the @ref{Headers view}
|
|
and for both messages and attachments in the @ref{Message view}. Custom
|
|
actions allow you to easily extend @t{mu4e} for specific needs -- for example,
|
|
marking messages as spam in a spam filter or applying an attachment with a
|
|
source code patch.
|
|
|
|
You can invoke the actions with key @key{a} for actions on messages, and key
|
|
@key{A} for actions on attachments.
|
|
|
|
For general information extending @t{mu4e} and writing your own functions, see
|
|
@ref{Extending mu4e}.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Defining actions::
|
|
* Adding an action in the headers view::
|
|
* Adding an action in the message view::
|
|
* Adding an attachment action::
|
|
* More example actions::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node Defining actions
|
|
@section Defining actions
|
|
|
|
Defining a new custom action comes down to writing an elisp-function to do the
|
|
work. Functions that operate on messages receive a @var{msg} parameter, which
|
|
corresponds to the message at point. Something like:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(defun my-action-func (msg)
|
|
"Describe my message function."
|
|
;; do stuff
|
|
)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
Messages that operate on attachments receive a @var{msg} parameter, which
|
|
corresponds to the message at point, and an @var{attachment-num}, which is the
|
|
number of the attachment as seen in the message view. An attachment function
|
|
looks like:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(defun my-attachment-action-func (msg attachment-num)
|
|
"Describe my attachment function."
|
|
;; do stuff
|
|
)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
After you have defined your function, you can add it to the list of
|
|
actions@footnote{Instead of defining the functions separately, you can
|
|
obviously also add a @code{lambda}-function directly to the list; however,
|
|
separate functions are easier to change}, either @code{mu4e-headers-actions},
|
|
@code{mu4e-view-actions} or @code{mu4e-view-attachment-actions}. The
|
|
format@footnote{Note, the format of the actions has changed since version
|
|
0.9.8.4, and you must change your configuration to use the new format;
|
|
@t{mu4e} warns you when you are using the old format.} of each action is a
|
|
cons-cell, @code{(DESCRIPTION . VALUE)}; see below for some examples. If your
|
|
shortcut is not also the first character of the description, simply prefix the
|
|
description with that character.
|
|
|
|
Let's look at some examples.
|
|
|
|
@node Adding an action in the headers view
|
|
@section Adding an action in the headers view
|
|
|
|
Suppose we want to inspect the number of recipients for a message in the
|
|
@ref{Headers view}. We add the following to our configuration:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(defun show-number-of-recipients (msg)
|
|
"Display the number of recipients for the message at point."
|
|
(message "Number of recipients: %d"
|
|
(+ (length (mu4e-message-field msg :to))
|
|
(length (mu4e-message-field msg :cc)))))
|
|
|
|
;; define 'N' (the first letter of the description) as the shortcut
|
|
;; the 't' argument to add-to-list puts it at the end of the list
|
|
(add-to-list 'mu4e-headers-actions
|
|
'("Number of recipients" . show-number-of-recipients) t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
After evaluating this, @kbd{a N} in the headers view shows the number of
|
|
recipients for the message at point.
|
|
|
|
@node Adding an action in the message view
|
|
@section Adding an action in the message view
|
|
|
|
As another example, suppose we would like to search for messages by the sender
|
|
of the message at point:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(defun search-for-sender (msg)
|
|
"Search for messages sent by the sender of the message at point."
|
|
(mu4e-headers-search
|
|
(concat "from:" (cdar (mu4e-message-field msg :from)))))
|
|
|
|
;; define 'x' as the shortcut
|
|
(add-to-list 'mu4e-view-actions
|
|
'("xsearch for sender" . search-for-sender) t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@indent
|
|
If you wonder why we use @code{cdar}, remember that the @t{From:}-field is a
|
|
list of @code{(NAME . EMAIL)} cells; thus, @code{cdar} gets us the e-mail
|
|
address of the first in the list. @t{From:}-fields rarely contain multiple
|
|
cells.
|
|
|
|
@node Adding an attachment action
|
|
@section Adding an attachment action
|
|
|
|
Finally, let's define an attachment action. As mentioned, attachment-action
|
|
functions receive @emph{2} arguments, the message and the attachment number to
|
|
use.
|
|
|
|
The following example action counts the number of lines in an attachment, and
|
|
defines @key{n} as its shortcut key (the @key{n} is prefixed to the
|
|
description).
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(defun count-lines-in-attachment (msg attachnum)
|
|
"Count the number of lines in an attachment."
|
|
(mu4e-view-pipe-attachment msg attachnum "wc -l"))
|
|
|
|
;; defining 'n' as the shortcut
|
|
(add-to-list 'mu4e-view-attachment-actions
|
|
'("ncount lines" . count-lines-in-attachment) t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@node More example actions
|
|
@section More example actions
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} includes a number of example actions in the file
|
|
@file{mu4e-actions.el} in the source distribution (see @kbd{C-h f
|
|
mu4e-action-TAB}). For example, for viewing messages in an external web
|
|
browser, or listening to a message's body-text using text-to-speech.
|
|
|
|
@node Extending mu4e
|
|
@chapter Extending mu4e
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} is designed to be easily extendible - that is, write your own
|
|
emacs-lisp to make @t{mu4e} behave exactly as you want. Here, we provide some
|
|
guidelines for doing so.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Extension points::
|
|
* Available functions::
|
|
* Message functions::
|
|
* Utility functions::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node Extension points
|
|
@section Extension points
|
|
|
|
There are a number of places where @t{mu4e} lets you plug in your own
|
|
functions:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item Using message-specific folders for drafts, trash, sent messages and
|
|
refiling, based on a function - see @ref{Dynamic folders}
|
|
@item Using an attachment-specific download-directory - see the
|
|
variable @code{mu4e-attachment-dir}.
|
|
@item Apply a function to a message in the headers view -
|
|
see @ref{Adding an action in the headers view}
|
|
@item Apply a function to a message in the message view - see @ref{Adding an
|
|
action in the message view}
|
|
@item Apply a function to to an attachment - see @ref{Adding an attachment
|
|
action}
|
|
@item Custom function to mark certain messages - see @ref{Custom mark functions}
|
|
@item Using various @emph{mode}-hooks, @code{mu4e-compose-pre-hook} (see
|
|
@ref{Compose hooks}), @code{mu4e-index-updated-hook} (see @ref{FAQ})
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
You can also write your own functions without using the above. If you want to
|
|
do so, key useful functions are @code{mu4e-message-at-point} (see below),
|
|
@code{mu4e-headers-for-each} (to iterate over all headers, see its docstring)
|
|
and @code{mu4e-view-for-each-part} (to iterate over all parts/attachments, see
|
|
its docstring).
|
|
|
|
@node Available functions
|
|
@section Available functions
|
|
|
|
The whole of @t{mu4e} consists of hundreds of elisp functions. However, the
|
|
majority of those are for @emph{internal} use only; you can recognize them
|
|
easily, because they all start with @code{mu4e~}. These function make all
|
|
kinds of assumptions, and they are subject to change, and should therefore
|
|
@emph{not} be used. The same is true for @emph{variables} that start with
|
|
@code{mu4e~}; don't touch them. Let me repeat that:
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
Do not use mu4e~... functions or variables!
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
In addition, you should use functions in the right context; functions that
|
|
start with @t{mu4e-view-} are only applicable to the message view, while
|
|
functions starting with @t{mu4e-headers-} are only applicable to the headers
|
|
view. Functions without such prefixes are applicable everywhere.
|
|
|
|
@node Message functions
|
|
@section Message functions
|
|
|
|
Many functions in @t{mu4e} deal with message plist (property lists). They
|
|
contain information about messages, such as sender and recipient, subject,
|
|
date and so on. To deal with these plists, there are a number of
|
|
@code{mu4e-message-} functions (in @file{mu4e-message.el}), such as
|
|
@code{mu4e-message-field} and @code{mu4e-message-at-point}
|
|
|
|
For example, to get the subject of the message at point, in either the headers
|
|
view or the message view, you could write:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(mu4e-message-field (mu4e-message-at-point) :subject)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
@noindent
|
|
Note that:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item The contact fields (To, From, Cc, Bcc) are lists of cons-pairs
|
|
@code{(name . email)}; @code{name} may be @code{nil}. So, for example:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(mu4e-message-field some-msg :to)
|
|
;; => (("Jack" . "jack@@example.com") (nil . "foo@@example.com"))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
If you are only looking for a match in this list (e.g., ``Is Jack one of the
|
|
recipients of the message?''), there is a convenience function
|
|
@code{mu4e-message-contact-field-matches} to make this easy.
|
|
@item The message body is only available in the message view, not in the
|
|
headers view.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Utility functions
|
|
@section Utility functions
|
|
|
|
@file{mu4e-utils} contains a number of utility functions; we list a few here;
|
|
see their docstrings for the details:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-read-option}: read one option from a list. For example:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(mu4e-read-option "Choose an animal: "
|
|
'(("Monkey" . monkey) ("Gnu" . gnu) ("xMoose" . moose)))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
The user is presented with:
|
|
@example
|
|
Choose an animal: [M]onkey, [G]nu, [x]Moose
|
|
@end example
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-ask-maildir}: ask for a maildir; try one of the
|
|
shortcuts (@code{mu4e-maildir-shortcuts}), or the full set of available
|
|
maildirs.
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-running-p}: return @code{t} if the @t{mu4e} process is
|
|
running, @code{nil} otherwise.
|
|
@item @code{(mu4e-user-mail-address-p addr)}: return @code{t} if @var{addr} is
|
|
one of the user's e-mail addresses (as per @code{mu4e-user-mail-address-list}).
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-log} logs to the @t{mu4e} debugging log if it is enabled;
|
|
see @code{mu4e-toggle-logging}.
|
|
@item @code{mu4e-message}, @code{mu4e-warning}, @code{mu4e-error} are the
|
|
@t{mu4e} equivalents of the normal @t{elisp} @code{message},
|
|
@code{user-error}@footnote{@code{user-error} only appears in @command{emacs}
|
|
24.2 and later; in older versions it falls back to @code{error}} and
|
|
@code{error} functions.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Interaction with other tools
|
|
@appendix Interaction with other tools
|
|
|
|
In this chapter we discuss some ways in ways in which @t{mu4e} can cooperate
|
|
with other tools.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Setting the default emacs mail program::
|
|
* Creating org-mode links::
|
|
* Rich-text messages with org-mode::
|
|
* Maintaining an address-book with org-contacts::
|
|
* Getting new mail notifications with Sauron::
|
|
* Speedbar support::
|
|
* Citations with mu-cite::
|
|
* Attaching files with dired::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node Setting the default emacs mail program
|
|
@section Setting the default @command{emacs} mail program
|
|
|
|
@command{emacs} allows you to select an e-mail program as the default program
|
|
it uses when you press @key{C-x m} (@code{compose-mail}), call
|
|
@code{report-emacs-bug} and so on. If you want to use @t{mu4e} for this, you
|
|
do so by adding the following to your configuration:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq mail-user-agent 'mu4e-user-agent)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
At the present time, support is experimental.
|
|
|
|
@node Creating org-mode links
|
|
@section Creating @t{org-mode} links
|
|
It can be useful to include links to e-mail messages or even search queries in
|
|
your org-mode files. @t{mu4e} supports this with the @t{org-mu4e} module; you
|
|
can set it up by adding it to your configuration:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(require 'org-mu4e)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
After this, you can use the normal @t{org-mode} mechanisms to store links:
|
|
@kbd{M-x org-store-link} stores a link to a particular message when you're
|
|
in @ref{Message view}, and a link to a query when you are in @ref{Headers
|
|
view}.
|
|
|
|
You can insert this link later with @kbd{M-x org-insert-link}. From
|
|
@t{org-mode}, you can go to the query or message the link points to with
|
|
either @kbd{M-x org-agenda-open-link} in agenda buffers, or @kbd{M-x
|
|
org-open-at-point} elsewhere - both typically bound to @kbd{C-c C-o}.
|
|
|
|
@node Rich-text messages with org-mode
|
|
@section Rich-text messages with @t{org-mode}
|
|
|
|
@t{org-mode} has some nice facilities for editing texts -- creating lists,
|
|
tables, mathematical formulae etc. In addition, it can convert them to
|
|
@abbr{HTML}.
|
|
|
|
An @emph{experimental} @t{mu4e} feature lets you edit your messages with
|
|
@t{org-mode}, and (optionally) convert them on the fly (when sending them) to
|
|
messages with an HTML-part containing the rich-text version of your messages.
|
|
|
|
To enable this, make sure you have
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(require 'org-mu4e)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
somewhere in your setup, and also make sure that the @t{dvipng} program is
|
|
available in your path.
|
|
|
|
Then, when composing a message, you can use @kbd{M-x
|
|
org-mu4e-compose-org-mode} to enable this mode.
|
|
|
|
@code{org-mu4e-compose-org-mode} behaves more or less like a minor-mode. When
|
|
it is active, editing the message body takes place in @t{org-mode}, while
|
|
editing the headers uses the normal message editing mode,
|
|
@code{mu4e-compose-mode}.
|
|
|
|
If you want to automatically convert the @t{org-mode} markup to rich-text when
|
|
sending messages, you need to set the variable @code{org-mu4e-convert-to-html}
|
|
to non-nil:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq org-mu4e-convert-to-html t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
To send the message or execute other
|
|
@code{mu4e-compose-mode}/@code{message-mode} commands on the message, first
|
|
press @key{M-m}. Thus, for example, to send the message, you'd press @key{M-m
|
|
C-c}.
|
|
|
|
The code for doing the conversion is based on Eric Schultze's
|
|
@t{org-mime}@footnote{@url{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/org-mime.php}},
|
|
but has been customized for use with @t{mu4e}. In particular, the
|
|
mode-switching between @code{org-mode} and @code{mu4e-compose-mode} is
|
|
@t{mu4e-specific}.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Some caveats
|
|
|
|
It is better @emph{not} to put @t{org-mu4e-compose-org-mode} in a mode-hook
|
|
for @t{mu4e-compose-mode}, since that makes it impossible to shut it off again
|
|
for the particular message@footnote{This is because @t{mu4e-compose-mode} in
|
|
invoked again internally when switching, which re-triggers the
|
|
hook-function.}.
|
|
|
|
In addition, currently the rich-text code does not work well with the
|
|
@abbr{MIME}-functionality, such as adding attachments or signing/encrypting
|
|
messages. If you need any of that, it's better to use plain-text messages.
|
|
|
|
@node Maintaining an address-book with org-contacts
|
|
@section Maintaining an address-book with org-contacts
|
|
|
|
Note, @t{mu4e} supports built-in address autocompletion; @ref{Address
|
|
autocompletion}, and that is the recommended way to do this. However, it is
|
|
also possible to manage your addresses with @t{org-mode}, using
|
|
@t{org-contacts}@footnote{@url{http://julien.danjou.info/software/org-contacts.el}}.
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e-actions} defines a useful action (@ref{Actions}) for adding a contact
|
|
based on the @t{From:}-address in the message at point. To enable this, add to
|
|
your configuration something like:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq mu4e-org-contacts-file <full-path-to-your-org-contacts-file>)
|
|
(add-to-list 'mu4e-headers-actions
|
|
'("org-contact-add" . mu4e-action-add-org-contact) t)
|
|
(add-to-list 'mu4e-view-actions
|
|
'("org-contact-add" . mu4e-action-add-org-contact) t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
After this, you should be able to add contacts using @key{a o} in the headers
|
|
view and the message view, using the @t{org-capture} mechanism. Note, the
|
|
shortcut character @key{o} is due to the first character of
|
|
@t{org-contact-add}.
|
|
|
|
@node Getting new mail notifications with Sauron
|
|
@section Getting new mail notifications with Sauron
|
|
|
|
The @command{emacs}-package @t{sauron}@footnote{Sauron can be found at
|
|
@url{https://github.com/djcb/sauron}, or in the Marmalade package-repository
|
|
at @url{http://http://marmalade-repo.org/}} (by the same author) can be used
|
|
to get notifications about new mails. If you put something like the below
|
|
script in your @t{crontab} (or have some other way of having it execute every
|
|
@emph{n} minutes) you receive notifications in the sauron-buffer when new
|
|
messages arrive.
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
#!/bin/sh
|
|
# put the path to your Inbox folder here
|
|
|
|
CHECKDIR="/home/$LOGNAME/Maildir/Inbox"
|
|
sauron-msg () {
|
|
DBUS_COOKIE="/home/$LOGNAME/.sauron-dbus"
|
|
if test "x$DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS" = "x"; then
|
|
if test -e $DBUS_COOKIE; then
|
|
export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS="`cat $DBUS_COOKIE`"
|
|
fi
|
|
fi
|
|
if test -n "x$DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS"; then
|
|
dbus-send --session \
|
|
--dest="org.gnu.Emacs" \
|
|
--type=method_call \
|
|
"/org/gnu/Emacs/Sauron" \
|
|
"org.gnu.Emacs.Sauron.AddMsgEvent" \
|
|
string:shell uint32:3 string:"$1"
|
|
fi
|
|
}
|
|
|
|
#
|
|
# -mmin -5: consider only messages that were created / changed in the
|
|
# the last 5 minutes
|
|
#
|
|
for f in `find $CHECKDIR -mmin -5 -a -type f`; do
|
|
subject=`$MU view $f | grep '^Subject:' | sed 's/^Subject://'`
|
|
sauron-msg "mail: $subject"
|
|
done
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
You might want to put:
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq sauron-dbus-cookie t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
@noindent
|
|
in your setup, to allow the script to find the D-Bus session bus, even when
|
|
running outside its session.
|
|
|
|
@node Speedbar support
|
|
@section Speedbar support
|
|
|
|
@code{speedbar} is an @command{emacs}-extension that shows navigational information for
|
|
an @command{emacs} buffer in a separate frame. Using @code{mu4e-speedbar}, @t{mu4e}
|
|
lists your bookmarks and maildir folders and allows for one-click access to
|
|
them.
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} loads @t{mu4e-speedbar} automatically; all you need to do to activate
|
|
it is @kbd{M-x speedbar}. Then, when then switching to the @ref{Main view},
|
|
the speedbar-frame is updated with your bookmarks and maildirs. For speed
|
|
reasons, the list of maildirs is determined when @t{mu4e} starts; if the list
|
|
of maildirs changes while @t{mu4e} is running, you need to restart @t{mu4e} to
|
|
have those changes reflected in the speedbar and in other places that use this
|
|
list, such as auto-completion when jumping to a maildir.
|
|
|
|
@code{mu4e-speedbar} was contributed by @emph{Antono Vasiljev}.
|
|
|
|
@node Citations with mu-cite
|
|
@section Citations with @t{mu-cite}
|
|
|
|
@t{mu-cite}@footnote{Note, despite its name, @t{mu-cite} is a project
|
|
unconnected to @t{mu}/@t{mu4e}} is a package to control the way message
|
|
citations look like (i.e., the message you responded to when you reply to them
|
|
or forward them), with its latest version available at
|
|
@url{http://www.jpl.org/elips/mu/}.
|
|
|
|
After installing @t{mu-cite}, you can use something like the following to make
|
|
it work with @t{mu4e}:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(require 'mu-cite)
|
|
(setq message-cite-function 'mu-cite-original)
|
|
(setq mu-cite-top-format
|
|
'("On " date ", " from " wrote:\n\n"))
|
|
(setq mu-cite-prefix-format '(" > ")))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@node Attaching files with dired
|
|
@section Attaching files with @t{dired}
|
|
|
|
It is possible to attach files to @t{mu4e} messages using @t{dired}
|
|
(@inforef{Dired,,emacs}), using the following steps (based on a post on the
|
|
@t{mu-discuss} mailing list by @emph{Stephen Eglen}).
|
|
|
|
To prepare for this, you need a special version of the
|
|
@code{gnus-dired-mail-buffers} function so it understands @t{mu4e} buffers as
|
|
well; so put in your configuration:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(require 'gnus-dired)
|
|
;; make the `gnus-dired-mail-buffers' function also work on
|
|
;; message-mode derived modes, such as mu4e-compose-mode
|
|
(defun gnus-dired-mail-buffers ()
|
|
"Return a list of active message buffers."
|
|
(let (buffers)
|
|
(save-current-buffer
|
|
(dolist (buffer (buffer-list t))
|
|
(set-buffer buffer)
|
|
(when (and (derived-mode-p 'message-mode)
|
|
(null message-sent-message-via))
|
|
(push (buffer-name buffer) buffers))))
|
|
(nreverse buffers)))
|
|
|
|
(setq gnus-dired-mail-mode 'mu4e-user-agent)
|
|
(add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
Then, mark the file(s) in @t{dired} you would like to attach and press @t{C-c
|
|
RET C-a}, and you'll be asked whether to attach them to an existing message,
|
|
or create a new one.
|
|
|
|
@node Example configurations
|
|
@appendix Example configurations
|
|
|
|
In this chapter, we show some example configurations. While it is very useful
|
|
to see some working settings, we'd like to warn against blindly copying such
|
|
things.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Minimal configuration::
|
|
* Longer configuration::
|
|
* Gmail configuration::
|
|
* Some other useful settings::
|
|
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Minimal configuration
|
|
@section Minimal configuration
|
|
|
|
An (almost) minimal configuration for @t{mu4e} might look like this - as you
|
|
see most is commented-out.
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
;; example configuration for mu4e
|
|
|
|
;; make sure mu4e is in your load-path
|
|
(require 'mu4e)
|
|
|
|
;; Only needed if your maildir is _not_ ~/Maildir
|
|
;;(setq mu4e-maildir "/home/user/Maildir")
|
|
|
|
;; these must start with a "/", and must exist
|
|
;; (i.e.. /home/user/Maildir/sent must exist)
|
|
;; you use e.g. 'mu mkdir' to make the Maildirs if they don't
|
|
;; already exist
|
|
|
|
;; below are the defaults; if they do not exist yet, mu4e offers to
|
|
;; create them. they can also functions; see their docstrings.
|
|
;; (setq mu4e-sent-folder "/sent")
|
|
;; (setq mu4e-drafts-folder "/drafts")
|
|
;; (setq mu4e-trash-folder "/trash")
|
|
|
|
;; smtp mail setting; these are the same that `gnus' uses.
|
|
(setq
|
|
message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
|
|
smtpmail-default-smtp-server "smtp.example.com"
|
|
smtpmail-smtp-server "smtp.example.com"
|
|
smtpmail-local-domain "example.com")
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Longer configuration
|
|
@section Longer configuration
|
|
|
|
A somewhat longer configuration, showing some more things that you can
|
|
customize.
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
;; example configuration for mu4e
|
|
(require 'mu4e)
|
|
|
|
;; path to our Maildir directory
|
|
(setq mu4e-maildir "/home/user/Maildir")
|
|
|
|
;; the next are relative to `mu4e-maildir'
|
|
;; instead of strings, they can be functions too, see
|
|
;; their docstring or the chapter 'Dynamic folders'
|
|
(setq mu4e-sent-folder "/sent"
|
|
mu4e-drafts-folder "/drafts"
|
|
mu4e-trash-folder "/trash")
|
|
|
|
;; the maildirs you use frequently; access them with 'j' ('jump')
|
|
(setq mu4e-maildir-shortcuts
|
|
'(("/archive" . ?a)
|
|
("/inbox" . ?i)
|
|
("/work" . ?w)
|
|
("/sent" . ?s)))
|
|
|
|
;; a list of user's e-mail addresses
|
|
(setq mu4e-user-mail-address-list '("foo@@bar.com" "cuux@@example.com")
|
|
|
|
;; when you want to use some external command for text->html
|
|
;; conversion, e.g. the 'html2text' program
|
|
;; (setq mu4e-html2text-command "html2text")
|
|
|
|
;; the headers to show in the headers list -- a pair of a field
|
|
;; and its width, with `nil' meaning 'unlimited'
|
|
;; (better only use that for the last field.
|
|
;; These are the defaults:
|
|
(setq mu4e-headers-fields
|
|
'( (:date . 25)
|
|
(:flags . 6)
|
|
(:from . 22)
|
|
(:subject . nil)))
|
|
|
|
;; program to get mail; alternatives are 'fetchmail', 'getmail'
|
|
;; isync or your own shellscript. called when 'U' is pressed in
|
|
;; main view.
|
|
|
|
;; If you get your mail without an explicit command,
|
|
;; use "true" for the command (this is the default)
|
|
(setq mu4e-get-mail-command "offlineimap")
|
|
|
|
;; general emacs mail settings; used when composing e-mail
|
|
;; the non-mu4e-* stuff is inherited from emacs/message-mode
|
|
(setq mu4e-reply-to-address "foo@@bar.com"
|
|
user-mail-address "foo@@bar.com"
|
|
user-full-name "Foo X. Bar")
|
|
;; include in message with C-c C-w
|
|
(setq message-signature
|
|
"Foo X. Bar\nhttp://www.example.com\n")
|
|
|
|
;; smtp mail setting
|
|
(setq
|
|
message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
|
|
smtpmail-default-smtp-server "smtp.example.com"
|
|
smtpmail-smtp-server ""smtp.example.com"
|
|
smtpmail-local-domain "example.com"
|
|
|
|
;; if you need offline mode, set these -- and create the queue dir
|
|
;; with 'mu mkdir', i.e.. mu mkdir /home/user/Maildir/queue
|
|
smtpmail-queue-mail nil
|
|
smtpmail-queue-dir "/home/user/Maildir/queue/cur")
|
|
|
|
;; don't keep message buffers around
|
|
(setq message-kill-buffer-on-exit t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Gmail configuration
|
|
@section Gmail configuration
|
|
|
|
@emph{Gmail} is a popular e-mail provider; let's see how we can make it work
|
|
with @t{mu4e}. Since we are using @abbr{IMAP}, you must enable that in the
|
|
Gmail web interface (in the settings, under the ``Forwarding and
|
|
POP/IMAP''-tab).
|
|
|
|
@subsection Setting up offlineimap
|
|
|
|
First of all, we need a program to get the e-mail from Gmail to our local
|
|
machine; for this we use @t{offlineimap}; on Debian (and derivatives like
|
|
Ubuntu), this is as easy as:
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
$ sudo apt-get install offlineimap
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
while on Fedora (and similar) you need:
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
$ sudo yum install offlineimap
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
Then, we can configure @t{offlineimap} by editing @file{~/.offlineimaprc}:
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
[general]
|
|
accounts = Gmail
|
|
maxsyncaccounts = 3
|
|
|
|
[Account Gmail]
|
|
localrepository = Local
|
|
remoterepository = Remote
|
|
|
|
[Repository Local]
|
|
type = Maildir
|
|
localfolders = ~/Maildir
|
|
|
|
[Repository Remote]
|
|
type = IMAP
|
|
remotehost = imap.gmail.com
|
|
remoteuser = USERNAME@gmail.com
|
|
remotepass = PASSWORD
|
|
ssl = yes
|
|
maxconnections = 1
|
|
realdelete = no
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
Obviously, you need to replace @t{USERNAME} and @t{PASSWORD} with your actual
|
|
Gmail username and password. After this, you should be able to download your
|
|
mail:
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
$ offlineimap
|
|
OfflineIMAP 6.3.4
|
|
Copyright 2002-2011 John Goerzen & contributors.
|
|
Licensed under the GNU GPL v2+ (v2 or any later version).
|
|
|
|
Account sync Gmail:
|
|
***** Processing account Gmail
|
|
Copying folder structure from IMAP to Maildir
|
|
Establishing connection to imap.gmail.com:993.
|
|
Folder sync [Gmail]:
|
|
Syncing INBOX: IMAP -> Maildir
|
|
Syncing [Gmail]/All Mail: IMAP -> Maildir
|
|
Syncing [Gmail]/Drafts: IMAP -> Maildir
|
|
Syncing [Gmail]/Sent Mail: IMAP -> Maildir
|
|
Syncing [Gmail]/Spam: IMAP -> Maildir
|
|
Syncing [Gmail]/Starred: IMAP -> Maildir
|
|
Syncing [Gmail]/Trash: IMAP -> Maildir
|
|
Account sync Gmail:
|
|
***** Finished processing account Gmail
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
We can now run @command{mu} to make sure things work:
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
$ mu index
|
|
mu: indexing messages under /home/foo/Maildir [/home/foo/.mu/xapian]
|
|
| processing mail; processed: 520; updated/new: 520, cleaned-up: 0
|
|
mu: elapsed: 3 second(s), ~ 173 msg/s
|
|
mu: cleaning up messages [/home/foo/.mu/xapian]
|
|
/ processing mail; processed: 520; updated/new: 0, cleaned-up: 0
|
|
mu: elapsed: 0 second(s)
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
We can run both the @t{offlineimap} and the @t{mu index} from within @t{mu4e},
|
|
but running it from the command line makes it a bit easier to troubleshoot as
|
|
we are setting things up.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Settings
|
|
|
|
Next step: let's make a @t{mu4e} configuration for this:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(require 'mu4e)
|
|
|
|
;; default
|
|
;; (setq mu4e-maildir ("~/Maildir")
|
|
|
|
(setq mu4e-drafts-folder "/[Gmail].Drafts")
|
|
(setq mu4e-sent-folder "/[Gmail].Sent Mail")
|
|
(setq mu4e-trash-folder "/[Gmail].Trash")
|
|
|
|
;; don't save message to Sent Messages, Gmail/IMAP takes care of this
|
|
(setq mu4e-sent-messages-behavior 'delete)
|
|
|
|
;; setup some handy shortcuts
|
|
;; you can quickly switch to your Inbox -- press ``ji''
|
|
;; then, when you want archive some messages, move them to
|
|
;; the 'All Mail' folder by pressing ``ma''.
|
|
|
|
(setq mu4e-maildir-shortcuts
|
|
'( ("/INBOX" . ?i)
|
|
("/[Gmail].Sent Mail" . ?s)
|
|
("/[Gmail].Trash" . ?t)
|
|
("/[Gmail].All Mail" . ?a)))
|
|
|
|
;; allow for updating mail using 'U' in the main view:
|
|
(setq mu4e-get-mail-command "offlineimap")
|
|
|
|
;; something about ourselves
|
|
(setq
|
|
user-mail-address "USERNAME@@gmail.com"
|
|
user-full-name "Foo X. Bar"
|
|
message-signature
|
|
(concat
|
|
"Foo X. Bar\n"
|
|
"http://www.example.com\n"))
|
|
|
|
;; sending mail -- replace USERNAME with your gmail username
|
|
;; also, make sure the gnutls command line utils are installed
|
|
;; package 'gnutls-bin' in Debian/Ubuntu
|
|
|
|
(require 'smtpmail)
|
|
(setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
|
|
starttls-use-gnutls t
|
|
smtpmail-starttls-credentials '(("smtp.gmail.com" 587 nil nil))
|
|
smtpmail-auth-credentials
|
|
'(("smtp.gmail.com" 587 "USERNAME@@gmail.com" nil))
|
|
smtpmail-default-smtp-server "smtp.gmail.com"
|
|
smtpmail-smtp-server "smtp.gmail.com"
|
|
smtpmail-smtp-service 587)
|
|
|
|
;; alternatively, for emacs-24 you can use:
|
|
;;(setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
|
|
;; smtpmail-stream-type 'starttls
|
|
;; smtpmail-default-smtp-server "smtp.gmail.com"
|
|
;; smtpmail-smtp-server "smtp.gmail.com"
|
|
;; smtpmail-smtp-service 587)
|
|
|
|
;; don't keep message buffers around
|
|
(setq message-kill-buffer-on-exit t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
And that's it -- put the above in your @file{~/.emacs}, change @t{USERNAME}
|
|
etc. to your own, and restart @command{emacs}, and run @kbd{M-x mu4e}.
|
|
|
|
@node Some other useful settings
|
|
@section Some other useful settings
|
|
|
|
Finally, here are some more settings that are useful, but not enabled by
|
|
default for various reasons.
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
;; use 'fancy' non-ascii characters in various places in mu4e
|
|
(setq mu4e-use-fancy-chars t)
|
|
|
|
;; save attachment to my desktop (this can also be a function)
|
|
(setq mu4e-attachment-dir "~/Desktop")
|
|
|
|
;; attempt to show images when viewing messages
|
|
(setq
|
|
mu4e-view-show-images t
|
|
mu4e-view-image-max-width 800)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@node FAQ
|
|
@appendix FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
|
|
|
|
In this chapter we list a number of actual and anticipated questions and their
|
|
answers.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* General::
|
|
* Reading messages::
|
|
* Writing messages::
|
|
* Known issues::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node General
|
|
@section General
|
|
|
|
@enumerate
|
|
@item @emph{How can I quickly delete/move/trash a lot of messages?} You can
|
|
select ('mark' in @command{emacs}-speak) the messages like you would select
|
|
text in a buffer; the actions you then take (e.g., @key{DEL} for delete,
|
|
@key{m} for move and @key{t} for trash) apply to all selected messages. You
|
|
can also use functions like @code{mu4e-headers-mark-thread} (@key{T}),
|
|
@code{mu4e-headers-mark-subthread} (@key{t}) to mark whole threads at the same
|
|
time, and @code{mu4e-headers-mark-pattern} (@key{%}) to mark all messages
|
|
matching a certain regular expression.
|
|
@item @emph{@t{mu4e} seems to return a subset of all matches - how can I get
|
|
all?} For speed reasons, @t{mu4e} returns only up to the value of the
|
|
variable @code{m4ue-search-result-limit} (default: 500) matches. To show
|
|
@emph{all}, use @kbd{M-x mu4e-headers-toggle-full-search}, or customize
|
|
the variable @code{mu4e-headers-full-search}. This applies to all search
|
|
commands.
|
|
@item @emph{How can I get notifications when receiving mail?} There is
|
|
@code{mu4e-index-updated-hook}, which gets triggered when the indexing process
|
|
triggered sees an update (not just new mail though). To use this hook, put
|
|
something like the following in your setup (assuming you have @t{aplay} and
|
|
some soundfile, change as needed):
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(add-hook 'mu4e-index-updated-hook
|
|
(defun new-mail-sound ()
|
|
(shell-command "aplay ~/Sounds/boing.wav&")))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
@item @emph{I don't use @t{offlineimap}, @t{fetchmail} etc., I get my mail
|
|
through my own mailserver. What should I use for
|
|
@code{mu4e-get-mail-command}}? Use @t{"true"} (or don't do anything, it's the
|
|
default). This makes getting mail a no-op, but the messages are still
|
|
re-indexed.
|
|
@item @emph{When I try to run @t{mu index} while @t{mu4e} is running I get
|
|
errors like:}
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
mu: mu_store_new_writable: xapian error
|
|
'Unable to get write lock on ~/.mu/xapian: already locked
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
@emph{What to do about this?} You get this error because the underlying
|
|
Xapian database is locked by some other process; it can be opened only once in
|
|
read-write mode. There is not much @t{mu4e} can do about this, but if is
|
|
another @command{mu} instance that is holding the lock, you can ask it to
|
|
(gracefully) terminate:
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
pkill -2 -u $UID mu # send SIGINT
|
|
sleep 1
|
|
mu index
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
@t{mu4e} automatically restarts @t{mu} when it needs it. In practice, this
|
|
seems to work quite well.
|
|
@item @emph{Can I automatically apply the marks on messages when
|
|
leaving the headers buffer?} Yes you can -- see the documentation for the
|
|
variable @t{mu4e-headers-leave-behavior}.
|
|
@item @emph{Is there context-sensitive help available?} Yes - pressing @key{H}
|
|
should take you to the right place in this manual.
|
|
@item @emph{How can I set @t{mu4e} as the default e-mail client in @command{emacs}?}
|
|
See @ref{Setting the default emacs mail program}.
|
|
@item @emph{Can @t{mu4e} use some fancy Unicode characters instead of these
|
|
boring plain-ASCII ones?} Glad you asked! Yes, if you set
|
|
@code{mu4e-use-fancy-chars} to @t{t}, @t{mu4e} uses such fancy characters in a
|
|
number of places.
|
|
@end enumerate
|
|
|
|
@node Reading messages
|
|
@section Reading messages
|
|
|
|
@enumerate
|
|
@item @emph{How can I show attached images in my message view buffers?} See
|
|
@ref{Viewing images inline}.
|
|
@item @emph{How can I word-wrap long lines in when viewing a
|
|
message?} You can toggle between wrapped and non-wrapped states using
|
|
@key{w}. If you want to do this automatically, invoke @code{longlines-mode} in
|
|
your @code{mu4e-view-mode-hook}.
|
|
@item @emph{What about hiding cited parts?} Toggle between hiding and showing
|
|
of cited parts with @key{h}. If you want to hide parts automatically, call
|
|
@code{mu4e-view-toggle-hide-cited} in your @code{mu4e-view-mode-hook}.
|
|
@item @emph{How can I perform custom actions on messages and attachments?} See
|
|
@ref{Actions}.
|
|
@item @emph{Does @t{mu4e} support crypto (i.e., decrypting messages and
|
|
verifying signatures)?} Yes -- if @t{mu} was built with @t{GMime} 2.6 or
|
|
later, it is possible to do both (note, only PGP/MIME is supported). In the
|
|
@ref{Main view} the support is indicated by a big letter @t{C} on the right
|
|
hand side of the @t{mu4e} version. See @ref{Decryption} and @ref{Verifying
|
|
signatures}. For encryption and signing messages, see the @ref{Writing
|
|
messages}.
|
|
@end enumerate
|
|
|
|
@node Writing messages
|
|
@section Writing messages
|
|
|
|
@enumerate
|
|
@item @emph{How can I automatically set the @t{From:}-address for a
|
|
reply-message, based on some field in the original?} See @ref{Compose hooks}.
|
|
@item @emph{And what about customizable folders for draft messages, sent
|
|
messages, trashed messages, based on e.g. the @t{From:} header?} See
|
|
@ref{Dynamic folders}.
|
|
@item @emph{How can I automatically add some header to an outgoing message?}
|
|
Once more, see @ref{Compose hooks}.
|
|
@item @emph{How can I influence the way the original message looks when
|
|
replying or forwarding?} Since @code{mu4e-compose-mode} derives from
|
|
@code{message-mode}, you can re-use many of the latter's facilities.
|
|
@inforef{Insertion Variables,,message}.
|
|
@item @emph{How can I easily include attachments in the messages I write?}
|
|
You can drag-and-drop from your desktop; alternatively, you can use @t{dired}
|
|
-- see @ref{Attaching files with dired}.
|
|
@item @emph{@t{mu4e} seems to remove myself from the @t{Cc:}-list; how can I
|
|
prevent that?} Set @code{mu4e-compose-keep-self-cc} to @t{t} in your
|
|
configuration.
|
|
@item @emph{How can I sign or encrypt messages?} You can do so using @command{emacs}'
|
|
MIME-support -- check the @t{Attachments}-menu while composing a message. Also
|
|
see @ref{Signing and encrypting}.
|
|
@item @emph{Can I use @t{BBDB} with @t{mu4e}?} It should be possible, but
|
|
there is no built-in support. Instead, we recommend using @t{mu4e}'s
|
|
@ref{Address autocompletion}.
|
|
@item @emph{After sending some messages, it seems the buffer for these
|
|
messages stay around. How can I get rid of those?}
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(setq message-kill-buffer-on-exit t)
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
@end enumerate
|
|
|
|
@node Known issues
|
|
@section Known issues
|
|
|
|
Although they are not really @emph{questions}, we end this chapter with a list
|
|
of known issue and/or missing features in @t{mu4e}. Thus, users won't have to
|
|
search in vain for things that are not there (yet), and the author can use it
|
|
as a todo-list.
|
|
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @emph{mu4e does not work well if the @command{emacs} language environment is not
|
|
utf-8}; so, if you problems with encodings, be sure to have
|
|
@code{(set-language-environment "UTF-8")} in your @file{~/.emacs}.
|
|
@item @emph{Thread handling is incomplete.} While threads are calculated and are
|
|
visible in the headers buffer, you can not collapse/open them.
|
|
@item @emph{The key-bindings are @emph{somewhat} hard-coded.} That is, the main
|
|
menu assumes the default key-bindings, as do the clicks-on-bookmarks.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node How it works
|
|
@appendix How it works
|
|
|
|
While perhaps not interesting for all users of @t{mu4e}, some curious souls
|
|
may want to know how @t{mu4e} does its job.
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* High-level overview::
|
|
* mu server::
|
|
* Reading from the server::
|
|
* The message s-expression::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node High-level overview
|
|
@section High-level overview
|
|
|
|
At a high level, we can summarize the structure of the @t{mu4e} system using
|
|
some ascii-art:
|
|
|
|
@cartouche
|
|
@example
|
|
+---------+
|
|
| emacs |
|
|
| +------+
|
|
+----| mu4e | --> send mail (smtpmail)
|
|
+------+
|
|
| A
|
|
V | ---/ search, view, move mail
|
|
+---------+ \
|
|
| mu |
|
|
+---------+
|
|
| A
|
|
V |
|
|
+---------+
|
|
| Maildir | <--- receive mail (fetchmail,
|
|
+---------+ offlineimap, ...)
|
|
@end example
|
|
@end cartouche
|
|
|
|
In words:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item Your e-mail messages are stored in a Maildir-directory
|
|
(typically, @file{~/Maildir} and its subdirectories), and new mail comes in
|
|
using tools like @t{fetchmail}, @t{offlineimap}, or through a local mail
|
|
server.
|
|
@item @t{mu} indexes these messages periodically, so you can quickly search for
|
|
them. @t{mu} can run in a special @t{server}-mode, where it provides services
|
|
to client software.
|
|
@item @t{mu4e}, which runs inside @command{emacs} is
|
|
such a client; it communicates with @command{mu} (in its @t{server}-mode to search
|
|
for messages, and manipulate them.
|
|
@item @t{mu4e} uses the facilities
|
|
offered by @command{emacs} (the Gnus message editor and @t{smtpmail}) to send
|
|
messages.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node mu server
|
|
@section @t{mu server}
|
|
|
|
@t{mu4e} is based on the @t{mu} e-mail searching/indexer. The latter is a
|
|
C-program; there are different ways to communicate with a client that is
|
|
emacs-based.
|
|
|
|
One way to implement this, would be to call the @t{mu} command-line tool with
|
|
some parameters and then parse the output. In fact, that was the first
|
|
approach -- @t{mu4e} would invoke e.g., @t{mu find} and process the output in
|
|
@command{emacs}.
|
|
|
|
However, with this approach, we need to load the entire e-mail @emph{Xapian}
|
|
database (in which the message is stored) for each invocation. Wouldn't it be
|
|
nicer to keep a running @t{mu} instance around? Indeed, it would - and thus,
|
|
the @t{mu server} sub-command was born. Running @t{mu server} starts a simple
|
|
shell, in which you can give commands to @command{mu}, which then spits out
|
|
the results/errors. @command{mu server} is not meant for humans, but it can be
|
|
used manually, which is great for debugging.
|
|
|
|
@node Reading from the server
|
|
@section Reading from the server
|
|
|
|
In the design, the next question was what format @t{mu} should use for its
|
|
output for @t{mu4e} (@command{emacs}) to process. Some other programs use
|
|
@abbr{JSON} here, but it seemed easier (and possibly, more efficient) just to
|
|
talk to @command{emacs} in its native language: @emph{s-expressions}, and
|
|
interpret those using the @command{emacs}-function
|
|
@code{read-from-string}. See @ref{The message s-expression} for details on the
|
|
format.
|
|
|
|
So, now let's look how we process the data from @t{mu server} in
|
|
@command{emacs}. We'll leave out a lot of detail, @t{mu4e}-specifics, and look
|
|
at a bit more generic approach.
|
|
|
|
The first thing to do is to create a process (for example, with
|
|
@code{start-process}), and then register a filter function for it, which is
|
|
invoked whenever the process has some data for us. Something like:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(let ((proc (start-process <arguments>)))
|
|
(set-process-filter proc 'my-process-filter)
|
|
(set-process-sentinel proc 'my-process-sentinel))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
Note, the process sentinel is invoked when the process is terminated -- so
|
|
there you can clean things up. The function @code{my-process-filter} is a
|
|
user-defined function that takes the process and the chunk of output as
|
|
arguments; in @t{mu4e} it looks something like (pseudo-lisp):
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(defun my-process-filter (proc str)
|
|
;; mu4e-buf: a global string variable to which data gets appended
|
|
;; as we receive it
|
|
(setq mu4e-buf (concat mu4e-buf str))
|
|
(when <we-have-received-a-full-expression>
|
|
<eat-expression-from mu4e-buf>
|
|
<evaluate-expression>))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
@code{<evaluate-expression>} de-multiplexes the s-expression we got. For
|
|
example, if the s-expression looks like an e-mail message header, it is
|
|
processed by the header-handling function, which appends it to the header
|
|
list. If the s-expression looks like an error message, it is reported to the
|
|
user. And so on.
|
|
|
|
The language between frontend and backend is documented in the @t{mu-server}
|
|
man-page. @t{mu4e} can log these communications; you can use @kbd{M-x
|
|
mu4e-toggle-logging} to turn logging on and off, and you can view the log
|
|
using @kbd{M-x mu4e-show-log} (@key{$}).
|
|
|
|
@node The message s-expression
|
|
@section The message s-expression
|
|
|
|
A typical message s-expression looks something like the following:
|
|
|
|
@lisp
|
|
(:docid 32461
|
|
:from (("Nikola Tesla" . "niko@@example.com"))
|
|
:to (("Thomas Edison" . "tom@@example.com"))
|
|
:cc (("Rupert The Monkey" . "rupert@@example.com"))
|
|
:subject "RE: what about the 50K?"
|
|
:date (20369 17624 0)
|
|
:size 4337
|
|
:message-id "C8233AB82D81EE81AF0114E4E74@@123213.mail.example.com"
|
|
:path "/home/tom/Maildir/INBOX/cur/133443243973_1.10027.atlas:2,S"
|
|
:maildir "/INBOX"
|
|
:priority normal
|
|
:flags (seen)
|
|
:parts ( (:index 1 :mime-type "text/plain" :size 12345 :attachment nil)
|
|
(:index 2 :name "photo.jpg" :mime-type "image/jpeg"
|
|
:size 147331 :attachment t)
|
|
(:index 3 :name "book.pdf" :mime-type "application/pdf"
|
|
:size 192220 :attachment t))
|
|
:references ("C8384574032D81EE81AF0114E4E74@@123213.mail.example.com"
|
|
"38203498230942D81EE81AF0114E4E74@@123213.mail.example.com")
|
|
:in-reply-to "38203498230942D81EE81AF0114E4E74@@123213.mail.example.com"
|
|
:body-txt "Hi Tom,
|
|
....
|
|
"))
|
|
@end lisp
|
|
|
|
This s-expression forms a property list (@t{plist}), and we can get values
|
|
from it using @t{plist-get}; for example @code{(plist-get msg :subject)} would
|
|
get you the message subject. However, it's better to use the function
|
|
@code{mu4e-message-field} to shield you from some of the implementation
|
|
details that are subject to change; and see the other convenience functions in
|
|
@file{mu4e-message.el}.
|
|
|
|
Some notes on the format:
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item The address fields are @emph{lists} of pairs @code{(name . email)},
|
|
where @t{name} can be nil.
|
|
@item The date is in format @command{emacs} uses (for example in
|
|
@code{current-time}).@footnote{Emacs 32-bit integers have only 29 bits
|
|
available for the actual number; the other bits are use by @command{emacs} for
|
|
internal purposes. Therefore, we need to split @t{time_t} in two numbers.}
|
|
@item Attachments are a list of elements with fields @t{:index} (the number of
|
|
the MIME-part), @t{:name} (the file name, if any), @t{:mime-type} (the
|
|
MIME-type, if any) and @t{:size} (the size in bytes, if any).
|
|
@item Messages in the @ref{Headers view} come from the database and do not have
|
|
@t{:attachments}. @t{:body-txt} or @t{:body-html} fields. Message in the
|
|
@ref{Message view} use the actual message file, and do include these fields.
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@subsection Example: ping-pong
|
|
|
|
As an example of the communication between @t{mu4e} and @command{mu}, let's
|
|
look at the @t{ping-pong}-sequence. When @t{mu4e} starts, it sends a command
|
|
@t{ping} to the the @t{mu server} backend, to learn about its version. @t{mu
|
|
server} then responds with a @t{pong} s-expression to provide this information
|
|
(this is implemented in @file{mu-cmd-server.c}).
|
|
|
|
We start this sequence when @t{mu4e} is invoked (when the program is
|
|
started). It calls @t{mu4e-proc-ping}, and registers a (lambda) function for
|
|
@t{mu4e-proc-pong-func}, to handle the response.
|
|
|
|
@verbatim
|
|
-> ping
|
|
<- (pong "mu" :version "x.x.x" :doccount 10000)
|
|
@end verbatim
|
|
|
|
When we receive such a @t{pong} (in @file{mu4e-proc.el}), the lambda function
|
|
we registered is called, and it compares the version we got from the @t{pong}
|
|
with the version we expected, and raises an error, if they differ.
|
|
|
|
@node Logging and debugging
|
|
@appendix Logging and debugging
|
|
|
|
As explained in @ref{How it works}, @t{mu4e} communicates with its backend
|
|
(@t{mu server}) by sending commands and receiving responses (s-expressions).
|
|
|
|
For debugging purposes, it can be very useful to see this data. For this
|
|
reason, @t{mu4e} can log all these messages. Note that the 'protocol' is
|
|
documented to some extent in the @t{mu-server} manpage.
|
|
|
|
You can enable (and disable) logging with @kbd{M-x mu4e-toggle-logging}. The
|
|
log-buffer is called @t{*mu4e-log*}, and in the @ref{Main view}, @ref{Headers
|
|
view} and @ref{Message view}, there's a keybinding @key{$} that takes you
|
|
there. You can quit it by pressing @key{q}.
|
|
|
|
Logging can be a bit resource-intensive, so you may not want to leave it on
|
|
all the time. By default, the log only maintains the most recent 1200
|
|
lines. @t{mu} itself keeps a log as well, you can find this it in
|
|
@t{<MUHOME>/log/mu.log}, typically @t{~/.mu/log/mu.log}.
|
|
|
|
@node GNU Free Documentation License
|
|
@appendix GNU Free Documentation License
|
|
|
|
@include fdl.texi
|
|
|
|
@bye
|