The Mutt E-Mail Client by Michael Elkins version 1.0pre2 ``All mail clients suck. This one just sucks less.'' -me, circa 1995 11.. IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn MMuutttt is a small but very powerful text-based MIME mail client. Mutt is highly configurable, and is well suited to the mail power user with advanced features like key bindings, keyboard macros, mail threading, regular expression searches and a powerful pattern matching language for selecting groups of messages. 11..11.. MMuutttt HHoommee PPaaggee http://www.mutt.org/ 11..22.. MMaaiilliinngg LLiissttss To subscribe to one of the following mailing lists, send a message with the word _s_u_b_s_c_r_i_b_e in the subject to list-name_-_r_e_q_u_e_s_t@mutt.org. · mutt-announce@mutt.org -- low traffic list for announcements · mutt-users@mutt.org -- help, bug reports and feature requests · mutt-dev@mutt.org -- development mailing list NNoottee:: all messages posted to _m_u_t_t_-_a_n_n_o_u_n_c_e are automatically forwarded to _m_u_t_t_-_u_s_e_r_s, so you do not need to be subscribed to both lists. 11..33.. SSooffttwwaarree DDiissttrriibbuuttiioonn SSiitteess · ftp://ftp.guug.de/pub/mutt/ 11..44.. IIRRCC Visit channel _#_m_u_t_t on DALnet (www.dal.net) to chat with other people interested in Mutt. 11..55.. UUSSEENNEETT See the newsgroup comp.mail.mutt. 11..66.. CCooppyyrriigghhtt Mutt is Copyright (C) 1996-8 Michael R. Elkins This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. 22.. GGeettttiinngg SSttaarrtteedd This section is intended as a brief overview of how to use Mutt. There are many other features which are described elsewhere in the manual. There is even more information available in the Mutt FAQ and various web pages. See the Mutt Page for more details. The keybindings described in this section are the defaults as distributed. Your local system administrator may have altered the defaults for your site. You can always type ``?'' in any menu to display the current bindings. The first thing you need to do is invoke mutt, simply by typing mutt at the command line. There are various command-line options, see either the mutt man page or the ``reference''. 22..11.. MMoovviinngg AArroouunndd iinn MMeennuuss Information is presented in menus, very similar to ELM. Here is a table showing the common keys used to navigate menus in Mutt. j or Down next-entry move to the next entry k or Up previous-entry move to the previous entry z or PageDn page-down go to the next page Z or PageUp page-up go to the previous page = or Home first-entry jump to the first entry * or End last-entry jump to the last entry q quit exit the current menu ? help list all keybindings for the current menu 22..22.. EEddiittiinngg IInnppuutt FFiieellddss Mutt has a builtin line editor which is used as the primary way to input textual data such as email addresses or filenames. The keys used to move around while editing are very similar to those of Emacs. ^A or bol move to the start of the line ^B or backward-char move back one char ^D or delete-char delete the char under the cursor ^E or eol move to the end of the line ^F or forward-char move forward one char ^K kill-eol delete to the end of the line ^U kill-line delete entire line ^W kill-word kill the word in front of the cursor history-up recall previous string from history history-down recall next string from history backspace kill the char in front of the cursor ^G n/a abort n/a complete filename (only when prompting for a file) n/a finish editing You can remap the _e_d_i_t_o_r functions using the ``bind'' command. For example, to make the _D_e_l_e_t_e key delete the character in front of the cursor rather than under, you could use bind editor backspace 22..33.. RReeaaddiinngg MMaaiill -- TThhee IInnddeexx aanndd PPaaggeerr Similar to many other mail clients, there are two modes in which mail is read in Mutt. The first is the index of messages in the mailbox, which is called the ``index'' in Mutt. The second mode is the display of the message contents. This is called the ``pager.'' The next few sections describe the functions provided in each of these modes. 22..33..11.. TThhee MMeessssaaggee IInnddeexx c change to a different mailbox ESC c change to a folder in read-only mode C copy the current message to another mailbox ESC C decode a message and copy it to a folder ESC s decode a message and save it to a folder D delete messages matching a pattern d delete the current message F mark as important l show messages matching a pattern N mark message as new o change the current sort method O reverse sort the mailbox q save changes and exit s save-message t toggle the tag on a message ESC t toggle tag on entire message thread u undelete-message v view-attachments x abort changes and exit display-message jump to the next new message @ show the author's full e-mail address $ save changes to mailbox / search ESC / search-reverse ^L clear and redraw the screen ^T tag messages matching a pattern ^U undelete messages matching a pattern 22..33..11..11.. SSttaattuuss FFllaaggss In addition to who sent the message and the subject, a short summary of the disposition of each message is printed beside the message number. Zero or more of the following ``flags'' may appear, which mean: D message is deleted K contains a PGP public key M requires mailcap to view N message is new O message is old P message is PGP encrypted r message has been replied to S message is PGP signed ! message is flagged * message is tagged Some of the status flags can be turned on or off using · sseett--ffllaagg (default: w) · cclleeaarr--ffllaagg (default: W) Furthermore, the following flags reflect who the message is addressed to. They can be customized with the ``$to_chars'' variable. + message is to you and you only T message is to you, but also to or cc'ed to others C message is cc'ed to you F message is from you 22..33..22.. TThhee PPaaggeerr By default, Mutt uses its builtin pager to display the body of messages. The pager is very similar to the Unix program _l_e_s_s though not nearly as featureful. go down one line display the next page (or next message if at the end of a message) - go back to the previous page n display the next message ? show keybindings / search for a regular expression (pattern) \ toggle search pattern coloring In addition, many of the functions from the _i_n_d_e_x are available in the pager, such as _d_e_l_e_t_e_-_m_e_s_s_a_g_e or _c_o_p_y_-_m_e_s_s_a_g_e (this is one advantage over using an external pager to view messages). Also, the internal pager supports a couple other advanced features. For one, it will accept and translate the ``standard'' nroff sequences for bold and underline. These sequences are a series of either the letter, backspace (^H), the letter again for bold or the letter, backspace, ``_'' for denoting underline. Mutt will attempt to display these in bold and underline respectively if your terminal supports them. If not, you can use the bold and underline ``color'' objects to specify a color or mono attribute for them. Additionally, the internal pager supports the ANSI escape sequences for character attributes. Mutt translates them into the correct color and character settings. The sequences Mutt supports are: ESC [ Ps;Ps;Ps;...;Ps m where Ps = 0 All Attributes Off 1 Bold on 4 Underline on 5 Blink on 7 Reverse video on 3x Foreground color is x 4x Background color is x Colors are 0 black 1 red 2 green 3 yellow 4 blue 5 magenta 6 cyan 7 white Mutt uses these attributes for handling text/enriched messages, and they can also be used by an external ``autoview'' script for highlighting purposes. NNoottee:: If you change the colors for your display, for example by changing the color associated with color2 for your xterm, then that color will be used instead of green. 22..33..33.. TThhrreeaaddeedd MMooddee When the mailbox is ``sorted'' by _t_h_r_e_a_d_s, there are a few additional functions available in the _i_n_d_e_x and _p_a_g_e_r modes. ^D delete-thread delete all messages in the current thread ^U undelete-thread undelete all messages in the current thread ^N next-thread jump to the start of the next thread ^P previous-thread jump to the start of the previous thread ^R read-thread mark the current thread as read ESC d delete-subthread delete all messages in the current subthread ESC u undelete-subthread undelete all messages in the current subthread ESC n next-subthread jump to the start of the next subthread ESC p previous-subthread jump to the start of the previous subthread ESC r read-subthread mark the current subthread as read ESC t tag-thread toggle the tag on the current thread ESC v collapse-thread toggle collapse for the current thread ESC V collapse-all toggle collapse for all threads NNoottee:: Collapsing a thread displays only the first message in the thread and hides the others. This is useful when threads contain so many messages that you can only see a handful of threads on the screen. See %M in ``$index_format''. For example, you could use "%?M?(#%03M)&(%4l)?" in ``$index_format'' to optionally display the number of hidden messages if the thread is collapsed. See also: ``$strict_threads''. 22..33..44.. MMiisscceellllaanneeoouuss FFuunnccttiioonnss ccrreeaattee--aalliiaass (default: a) Creates a new alias based upon the current message (or prompts for a new one). Once editing is complete, an ``alias'' command is added to the file specified by the ``$alias_file'' variable for future use. NNoottee:: Specifying an ``$alias_file'' does not add the aliases specified there-in, you must also ``source'' the file. ddiissppllaayy--hheeaaddeerrss (default: h) Toggles the weeding of message header fields specified by ``ignore'' commands. eeddiitt (default: e) This command (available in the ``index'' and ``pager'') allows you to edit the current message. Once editing is complete, the _C_o_m_p_o_s_e menu is shown. You can now re-send the message or write the edited message to any folder using the ``write-fcc'' function. eenntteerr--ccoommmmaanndd (default: ``:'') This command is used to execute any command you would normally put in a configuration file. A common use is to check the settings of variables, or in conjunction with ``macros'' to change settings on the fly. eexxttrraacctt--kkeeyyss (default: ^K) This command extracts PGP public keys from the current or tagged message(s) and adds them to your ``$pgp_v2_pubring'' or ``$pgp_v5_pubring'' depending on ``$pgp_key_version''. ffoorrggeett--ppaasssspphhrraassee (default: ^F) This command wipes the PGP passphrase from memory. It is useful, if you misspelled the passphrase. lliisstt--rreeppllyy (default: L) Reply to the current or tagged message(s) by extracting any addresses which match the addresses given by the ``lists'' command. Using this when replying to messages posted to mailing lists help avoid duplicate copies being sent to the author of the message you are replying to. ppiippee--mmeessssaaggee (default: |) Asks for an external Unix command and pipes the current or tagged message(s) to it. The variables ``$pipe_decode'', ``$pipe_split'', ``$pipe_sep'' and ``$wait_key'' control the exact behaviour of this function. sshheellll--eessccaappee (default: !) Asks for an external Unix command and executes it. The ``$wait_key'' can be used to control whether Mutt will wait for a key to be pressed when the command returns (presumably to let the user read the output of the command), based on the return status of the named command. ttooggggllee--qquuootteedd (default: T) The _p_a_g_e_r uses the ``$quote_regexp'' variable to detect quoted text when displaying the body of the message. This function toggles the display of the quoted material in the message. It is particularly useful when are interested in just the response and there is a large amount of quoted text in the way. sskkiipp--qquuootteedd (default: S) This function will go to the next line of non-quoted text which come after a line of quoted text in the internal pager. 22..44.. SSeennddiinngg MMaaiill The following bindings are available in the _i_n_d_e_x for sending messages. m compose compose a new message r reply reply to sender g group-reply reply to all recipients L list-reply reply to mailing list address f forward forward message b bounce bounce (remail) message ESC k mail-key mail a PGP public key to someone Bouncing a message sends the message as is to the recipient you specify. Forwarding a message allows you to add comments or modify the message you are forwarding. These items are discussed in greater detail in the next chapter ````Forwarding and Bouncing Mail''''. Mutt will then enter the _c_o_m_p_o_s_e menu and prompt you for the recipients to place on the ``To:'' header field. Next, it will ask you for the ``Subject:'' field for the message, providing a default if you are replying to or forwarding a message. See also ``$askcc'', ``$askbcc'', ``$autoedit'', and ``$fast_reply'' for changing how Mutt asks these questions. Mutt will then automatically start your ``$editor'' on the message body. If the ``$edit_headers'' variable is set, the headers will be at the top of the message in your editor. Any messages you are replying to will be added in sort order to the message, with appropriate ``$attribution'', ``$indent_string'' and ``$post_indent_string''. When forwarding a message, if the ``$mime_forward'' variable is unset, a copy of the forwarded message will be included. If you have specified a ``$signature'', it will be appended to the message. Once you have finished editing the body of your mail message, you are returned to the _c_o_m_p_o_s_e menu. The following options are available: a attach-file attach a file A attach-message attach message(s) to the message ESC k attach-key attach a PGP public key d edit-description edit description on attachment D detach-file detach a file T edit-to edit the To field c edit-cc edit the Cc field b edit-bcc edit the Bcc field y send-message send the message s edit-subject edit the Subject f edit-fcc specify an ``Fcc'' mailbox p pgp-menu select PGP options (``i'' version only) P postpone-message postpone this message until later q quit quit (abort) sending the message w write-fcc write the message to a folder i ispell check spelling (if available on your system) ^F forget-passphrase whipe PGP passphrase from memory NNoottee:: The attach-message function will prompt you for a folder to attach messages from. You can now tag messages in that folder and they will be attached to the message you are sending. Note that certain operations like composing a new mail, replying, forwarding, etc. are not permitted when you are in that folder. The %r in ``$status_format'' will change to a 'A' to indicate that you are in attach-message mode. 22..44..11.. EEddiittiinngg tthhee mmeessssaaggee hheeaaddeerr When editing the header of your outgoing message, there are a couple of special features available. If you specify Fcc: _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e Mutt will pick up _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e just as if you had used the _e_d_i_t_-_f_c_c function in the _c_o_m_p_o_s_e menu. You can also attach files to your message by specifying Attach: _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e [ _d_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n ] where _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e is the file to attach and _d_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n is an optional string to use as the description of the attached file. When replying to messages, if you remove the _I_n_-_R_e_p_l_y_-_T_o_: field from the header field, Mutt will not generate a _R_e_f_e_r_e_n_c_e_s_: field, which allows you to create a new message thread. If you want to use PGP, you can specify Pgp: [ E | S | S ] ``E'' encrypts, ``S'' signs and ``S'' signs with the given key, setting ``$pgp_sign_as'' permanently. Also see ``edit_headers''. 22..55.. FFoorrwwaarrddiinngg aanndd BBoouunncciinngg MMaaiill Bouncing and forwarding let you send an existing message to recipients that you specify. Bouncing a message uses the ``sendmail'' command to send a copy to alternative addresses as if they were the message's original recipients. Forwarding a message, on the other hand, allows you to modify the message before it is resent (for example, by adding your own comments). The following keys are bound by default: f forward forward message b bounce bounce (remail) message Forwarding can be done by including the original message in the new message's body (surrounded by indicating lines) or including it as a MIME attachment, depending on the value of the ``$mime_forward'' variable. Decoding of attachments, like in the pager, can be controlled by the ``$forward_decode'' and ``$mime_forward_decode'' variables, respectively. The desired forwarding format may depend on the content, therefore _$_m_i_m_e___f_o_r_w_a_r_d is a quadoption which, for example, can be set to ``ask-no''. Messages are always forwarded with full headers, except when $mime_forward=no, $forward_decode=yes and ``$forward_weed''=yes (which is the default). Editing the message to forward follows the same procedure as sending or replying to a message does. 22..66.. PPoossttppoonniinngg MMaaiill At times it is desirable to delay sending a message that you have already begun to compose. When the _p_o_s_t_p_o_n_e_-_m_e_s_s_a_g_e function is used in the _c_o_m_p_o_s_e menu, the body of your message and attachments are stored in the mailbox specified by the ``$postponed'' variable. This means that you can recall the message even if you exit Mutt and then restart it at a later time. Once a message is postponed, there are several ways to resume it. From the command line you can use the ``-p'' option, or if you _c_o_m_p_o_s_e a new message from the _i_n_d_e_x or _p_a_g_e_r you will be prompted if postponed messages exist. If multiple messages are currently postponed, the _p_o_s_t_p_o_n_e_d menu will pop up and you can select which message you would like to resume. NNoottee:: If you postpone a reply to a message, the reply setting of the message is only updated when you actually finish the message and send it. Also, you must be in the same folder with the message you replied to for the status of the message to be updated. See also the ``$postpone'' quad-option. 33.. CCoonnffiigguurraattiioonn While the default configuration (or ``preferences'') make Mutt usable right out of the box, it is often desirable to tailor Mutt to suit your own tastes. When Mutt is first invoked, it will attempt to read the ``system'' configuration file (defaults set by your local system administrator), unless the ``-n'' ``command line'' option is specified. This file is typically /usr/local/share/mutt/Muttrc or ${prefix}/etc/Muttrc. Mutt will next look for a file named .muttrc in your home directory. If this file does not exist and your home directory has a subdirectory named .mutt, mutt try to load a file named .mutt/muttrc. .muttrc is the file where you will usually place your ``commands'' to configure Mutt. In addition, mutt supports version specific configuration files that are parsed instead of the default files as explained above. For instance, if your system has a Muttrc-0.88 file in the system configuration directory, and you are running version 0.88 of mutt, this file will be sourced instead of the Muttrc file. The same is true of the user configuration file, if you have a file .muttrc-0.88.6 in your home directory, when you run mutt version 0.88.6, it will source this file instead of the default .muttrc file. The version number is the same which is visible using the ``-v'' ``command line'' switch or using the show-version key (default: V) from the index menu. 33..11.. SSyynnttaaxx ooff IInniittiiaalliizzaattiioonn FFiilleess An initialization file consists of a series of ``commands''. Each line of the file may contain one or more commands. When multiple commands are used, they must be separated by a semicolon (;). set realname='Mutt user' ; ignore x- The hash mark, or pound sign (``#''), is used as a ``comment'' charac­ ter. You can use it to annotate your initialization file. All text after the comment character to the end of the line is ignored. For example, my_hdr X-Disclaimer: Why are you listening to me? # This is a comment Single quotes (') and double quotes (") can be used to quote strings which contain spaces or other special characters. The difference between the two types of quotes is similar to that of many popular shell programs, namely that a single quote is used to specify a literal string (one that is not interpreted for shell variables or quoting with a backslash [see next paragraph]), while double quotes indicate a string for which should be evaluated. For example, backtics are evaluated inside of double quotes, but nnoott for single quotes. \ quotes the next character, just as in shells such as bash and zsh. For example, if want to put quotes ``"'' inside of a string, you can use ``\'' to force the next character to be a literal instead of interpreted character. set realname="Michael \"MuttDude\" Elkins" ``\\'' means to insert a literal ``\'' into the line. ``\n'' and ``\r'' have their usual C meanings of linefeed and carriage-return, respectively. A \ at the end of a line can be used to split commands over multiple lines, provided that the split points don't appear in the middle of command names. It is also possible to substitute the output of a Unix command in an initialization file. This is accomplished by enclosing the command in backquotes (``). For example, my_hdr X-Operating-System: `uname -a` The output of the Unix command ``uname -a'' will be substituted before the line is parsed. Note that since initialization files are line oriented, only the first line of output from the Unix command will be substituted. UNIX environments can be accessed like the way it is done in shells like sh and bash: Prepend the name of the environment by a ``$dollar;''. For example, set record=+sent_on_$HOSTNAME The commands understood by mutt are explained in the next paragraphs. For a complete list, see the ``command reference''. 33..22.. DDeeffiinniinngg//UUssiinngg aalliiaasseess Usage: alias _k_e_y _a_d_d_r_e_s_s [ , _a_d_d_r_e_s_s, ... ] It's usually very cumbersome to remember or type out the address of someone you are communicating with. Mutt allows you to create ``aliases'' which map a short string to a full address. NNoottee:: if you want to create an alias for a group (by specifying more than one address), you mmuusstt separate the addresses with a comma (``,''). To remove an alias or aliases: unalias _a_d_d_r [ _a_d_d_r _._._. ] alias muttdude me@cs.hmc.edu (Michael Elkins) alias theguys manny, moe, jack Unlike other mailers, Mutt doesn't require aliases to be defined in a special file. The alias command can appear anywhere in a configuration file, as long as this file is ``sourced''. Consequently, you can have multiple alias files, or you can have all aliases defined in your muttrc. On the other hand, the ``create-alias'' function can use only one file, the one pointed to by the ``$alias_file'' variable (which is ~/.muttrc by default). This file is not special either, in the sense that Mutt will happily append aliases to any file, but in order for the new aliases to take effect you need to explicitly ``source'' this file too. For example: source /usr/local/share/Mutt.aliases source ~/.mail_aliases set alias_file=~/.mail_aliases To use aliases, you merely use the alias at any place in mutt where mutt prompts for addresses, such as the _T_o_: or _C_c_: prompt. You can also enter aliases in your editor at the appropriate headers if you have the ``$edit_headers'' variable set. In addition, at the various address prompts, you can use the tab character to expand a partial alias to the full alias. If there are multiple matches, mutt will bring up a menu with the matching aliases. In order to be presented with the full list of aliases, you must hit tab with out a partial alias, such as at the beginning of the prompt or after a comma denoting multiple addresses. In the alias menu, you can select as many aliases as you want with the _s_e_l_e_c_t_-_e_n_t_r_y key (default: RET), and use the _e_x_i_t key (default: q) to return to the address prompt. 33..33.. CChhaannggiinngg tthhee ddeeffaauulltt kkeeyy bbiinnddiinnggss Usage: bind _m_a_p _k_e_y _f_u_n_c_t_i_o_n This command allows you to change the default key bindings (operation invoked when pressing a key). _m_a_p specifies in which menu the binding belongs. The currently defined maps are: · generic · alias · attach · browser · editor · index · compose · pager · pgp · postpone _k_e_y is the key (or key sequence) you wish to bind. To specify a control character, use the sequence _\_C_x, where _x is the letter of the control character (for example, to specify control-A use ``\Ca''). Note that the case of _x as well as _\_C is ignored, so that _\_C_A_, _\_C_a_, _\_c_A and _\_c_a are all equivalent. An alternative form is to specify the key as a three digit octal number prefixed with a ``\'' (for example _\_1_7_7 is equivalent to _\_c_?). In addition, _k_e_y may consist of: \t tab tab \r carriage return \n newline \e escape escape up arrow down arrow left arrow right arrow Page Up Page Down Backspace Delete Insert Enter Home End Space bar function key 1 function key 10 _k_e_y does not need to be enclosed in quotes unless it contains a space (`` ''). _f_u_n_c_t_i_o_n specifies which action to take when _k_e_y is pressed. For a complete list of functions, see the ``reference''. The special function noop unbinds the specify key sequence. 33..44.. SSeettttiinngg vvaarriiaabblleess bbaasseedd uuppoonn mmaaiillbbooxx Usage: folder-hook [!]_r_e_g_e_x_p _c_o_m_m_a_n_d It is often desirable to change settings based on which mailbox you are reading. The folder-hook command provides a method by which you can execute any configuration command. _p_a_t_t_e_r_n is a regular expression specifying in which mailboxes to execute _c_o_m_m_a_n_d before loading. If a mailbox matches multiple folder-hook's, they are executed in the order given in the muttrc. NNoottee:: if you use the ``!'' shortcut for ``$spoolfile'' at the beginning of the pattern, you must place it inside of double or single quotes in order to distinguish it from the logical _n_o_t operator for the expression. Note that the settings are _n_o_t restored when you leave the mailbox. For example, a command action to perform is to change the sorting method based upon the mailbox being read: folder-hook mutt set sort=threads However, the sorting method is not restored to its previous value when reading a different mailbox. To specify a _d_e_f_a_u_l_t command, use the pattern ``.'': folder-hook . set sort=date-sent 33..55.. KKeeyybbooaarrdd mmaaccrrooss Usage: macro _m_e_n_u _k_e_y _s_e_q_u_e_n_c_e [ _d_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n ] Macros are useful when you would like a single key to perform a series of actions. When you press _k_e_y in menu _m_e_n_u, Mutt will behave as if you had typed _s_e_q_u_e_n_c_e. So if you have a common sequence of commands you type, you can create a macro to execute those commands with a single key. _k_e_y and _s_e_q_u_e_n_c_e are expanded by the same rules as the ``key bindings'', with the addition that control characters in _s_e_q_u_e_n_c_e can also be specified as _^_x. In order to get a caret (``^'') you need to use _^_^. Optionally you can specify a descriptive text, which is shown in the help screens. NNoottee:: Macro definitions (if any) listed in the help screen(s), are silently truncated at the screen width, and are not wrapped. 33..66.. UUssiinngg ccoolloorr aanndd mmoonnoo vviiddeeoo aattttrriibbuutteess Usage: color _o_b_j_e_c_t _f_o_r_e_g_r_o_u_n_d _b_a_c_k_g_r_o_u_n_d [ _r_e_g_e_x_p ] Usage: color index _f_o_r_e_g_r_o_u_n_d _b_a_c_k_g_r_o_u_n_d [ _p_a_t_t_e_r_n ] Usage: uncolor index _p_a_t_t_e_r_n [ _p_a_t_t_e_r_n ... ] If your terminal supports color, you can spice up Mutt by creating your own color scheme. To define the color of an object (type of information), you must specify both a foreground color aanndd a background color (it is not possible to only specify one or the other). _o_b_j_e_c_t can be one of: · attachment · body (match _r_e_g_e_x_p in the body of messages) · bold (hiliting bold patterns in the body of messages) · error (error messages printed by Mutt) · header (match _r_e_g_e_x_p in the message header) · hdrdefault (default color of the message header in the pager) · index (match _p_a_t_t_e_r_n in the message index) · indicator (arrow or bar used to indicate the current item in a menu) · markers (the ``+'' markers at the beginning of wrapped lines in the pager) · message (informational messages) · normal · quoted (text matching ``$quote_regexp'' in the body of a message) · quoted1, quoted2, ..., quotedNN (higher levels of quoting) · search (hiliting of words in the pager) · signature · status (mode lines used to display info about the mailbox or message) · tilde (the ``~'' used to pad blank lines in the pager) · tree (thread tree drawn in the message index and attachment menu) · underline (hiliting underlined patterns in the body of messages) _f_o_r_e_g_r_o_u_n_d and _b_a_c_k_g_r_o_u_n_d can be one of the following: · white · black · green · magenta · blue · cyan · yellow · red · default · color_x _f_o_r_e_g_r_o_u_n_d can optionally be prefixed with the keyword bright to make the foreground color boldfaced (e.g., brightred). If your terminal supports it, the special keyword _d_e_f_a_u_l_t can be used as a transparent color. The value _b_r_i_g_h_t_d_e_f_a_u_l_t is also valid. If Mutt is linked against the _S_-_L_a_n_g library, you also need to set the _C_O_L_O_R_F_G_B_G environment variable to the default colors of your terminal for this to work; for example (for Bourne-like shells): set COLORFGBG="green;black" export COLORFGBG NNoottee:: The _S_-_L_a_n_g library requires you to use the _l_i_g_h_t_g_r_a_y and _b_r_o_w_n keywords instead of _w_h_i_t_e and _y_e_l_l_o_w when setting this variable. NNoottee:: The uncolor command can be applied to the index object only. It removes entries from the list. You mmuusstt specify the same pattern specified in the color command for it to be removed. The pattern ``*'' is a special token which means to clear the color index list of all entries. Mutt also recognizes the keywords _c_o_l_o_r_0, _c_o_l_o_r_1, ..., _c_o_l_o_rNN--11 (NN being the number of colors supported by your terminal). This is useful when you remap the colors for your display (for example by changing the color associated with _c_o_l_o_r_2 for your xterm), since color names may then lose their normal meaning. If your terminal does not support color, it is still possible change the video attributes through the use of the ``mono'' command: Usage: mono _<_o_b_j_e_c_t_> _<_a_t_t_r_i_b_u_t_e_> [ _r_e_g_e_x_p ] where _a_t_t_r_i_b_u_t_e is one of the following: · none · bold · underline · reverse · standout 33..77.. IIggnnoorriinngg ((wweeeeddiinngg)) uunnwwaanntteedd mmeessssaaggee hheeaaddeerrss Usage: [un]ignore _p_a_t_t_e_r_n [ _p_a_t_t_e_r_n ... ] Messages often have many header fields added by automatic processing systems, or which may not seem useful to display on the screen. This command allows you to specify header fields which you don't normally want to see. You do not need to specify the full header field name. For example, ``ignore content-'' will ignore all header fields that begin with the pattern ``content-''. To remove a previously added token from the list, use the ``unignore'' command. Note that if you do ``ignore x-'' it is not possible to ``unignore x-mailer,'' for example. The ``unignore'' command does nnoott make Mutt display headers with the given pattern. ``unignore *'' will remove all tokens from the ignore list. For example: # Sven's draconian header weeding ignore * unignore from date subject to cc unignore organization organisation x-mailer: x-newsreader: x-mailing-list: unignore posted-to: 33..88.. MMaaiilliinngg lliissttss Usage: [un]lists _a_d_d_r_e_s_s [ _a_d_d_r_e_s_s ... ] Mutt has a few nice features for ``handling mailing lists''. In order to take advantage of them, you must specify which addresses belong to mailing lists. Specify as much of the address as you need to to remove ambiguity. For example, if you've subscribed to the Mutt mailing list, you will receive mail addresssed to _m_u_t_t_-_u_s_e_r_s_@_m_u_t_t_._o_r_g. So, to tell Mutt that this is a mailing list, you could add ``lists mutt-users'' to your initialization file. If you also happen to get mail from someone whose address is _m_u_t_t_-_u_s_e_r_s_@_e_x_a_m_p_l_e_._c_o_m. you could use ``lists mutt- users@mutt.org'' to match only mail from the actual list. The ``unlists'' command is to remove a token from the list of mailing- lists. Use ``unlists *'' to remove all tokens. 33..99.. UUssiinngg MMuullttiippllee ssppooooll mmaaiillbbooxxeess Usage: mbox-hook [!]_p_a_t_t_e_r_n _m_a_i_l_b_o_x This command is used to move read messages from a specified mailbox to a different mailbox automatically when you quit or change folders. _p_a_t_t_e_r_n is a regular expression specifying the mailbox to treat as a ``spool'' mailbox and _m_a_i_l_b_o_x specifies where mail should be saved when read. Unlike some of the other _h_o_o_k commands, only the _f_i_r_s_t matching pattern is used (it is not possible to save read mail in more than a single mailbox). 33..1100.. DDeeffiinniinngg mmaaiillbbooxxeess wwhhiicchh rreecceeiivvee mmaaiill Usage: mailboxes [!]_f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e [ _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e ... ] This command specifies folders which can receive mail and which will be checked for new messages. By default, the main menu status bar displays how many of these folders have new messages. When changing folders, pressing _s_p_a_c_e will cycle through folders with new mail. Pressing TAB in the directory browser will bring up a menu showing the files specified by the mailboxes command, and indicate which contain new messages. Mutt will automatically enter this mode when invoked from the command line with the -y option. NNoottee:: new mail is detected by comparing the last modification time to the last access time. Utilities like biff or frm or any other program which accesses the mailbox might cause Mutt to never detect new mail for that mailbox if they do not properly reset the access time. NNoottee:: the filenames in the mailboxes command are resolved when the command is executed, so if these names contain ``shortcut characters'' (such as ``='' and ``!''), any variable definition that affect these characters (like ``$folder'' and ``$spool'') should be executed before the mailboxes command. 33..1111.. UUsseerr ddeeffiinneedd hheeaaddeerrss Usage: my_hdr _s_t_r_i_n_g unmy_hdr _f_i_e_l_d [ _f_i_e_l_d ... ] The ``my_hdr'' command allows you to create your own header fields which will be added to every message you send. For example, if you would like to add an ``Organization:'' header field to all of your outgoing messages, you can put the command my_hdr Organization: A Really Big Company, Anytown, USA in your .muttrc. NNoottee:: space characters are _n_o_t allowed between the keyword and the colon (``:''). The standard for electronic mail (RFC822) says that space is illegal there, so Mutt enforces the rule. If you would like to add a header field to a single message, you should either set the ``edit_headers'' variable, or use the _e_d_i_t_- _h_e_a_d_e_r_s function (default: ``E'') in the send-menu so that you can edit the header of your message along with the body. To remove user defined header fields, use the ``unmy_hdr'' command. You may specify an asterisk (``*'') to remove all header fields, or the fields to remove. For example, to remove all ``To'' and ``Cc'' header fields, you could use: unmy_hdr to cc 33..1122.. DDeeffiinniinngg tthhee oorrddeerr ooff hheeaaddeerrss wwhheenn vviieewwiinngg mmeessssaaggeess Usage: hdr_order _h_e_a_d_e_r_1 _h_e_a_d_e_r_2 _h_e_a_d_e_r_3 With this command, you can specify an order in which mutt will attempt to present headers to you when viewing messages. ``unhdr_order *'' will clear all previous headers from the order list, thus removing the header order effects set by the system-wide startup file. hdr_order From Date: From: To: Cc: Subject: 33..1133.. SSppeecciiffyy ddeeffaauulltt ssaavvee ffiilleennaammee Usage: save-hook [!]_p_a_t_t_e_r_n _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e This command is used to override the default filename used when saving messages. _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e will be used as the default filename if the message is _F_r_o_m_: an address matching _r_e_g_e_x_p or if you are the author and the message is addressed _t_o_: something matching _r_e_g_e_x_p. See ``matching messages'' for information on the exact format of _p_a_t_t_e_r_n. Examples: save-hook me@(turing\\.)?cs\\.hmc\\.edu$ +elkins save-hook aol\\.com$ +spam Also see the ``fcc-save-hook'' command. 33..1144.. SSppeecciiffyy ddeeffaauulltt FFcccc:: mmaaiillbbooxx wwhheenn ccoommppoossiinngg Usage: fcc-hook [!]_p_a_t_t_e_r_n _m_a_i_l_b_o_x This command is used to save outgoing mail in a mailbox other than ``$record''. Mutt searches the initial list of message recipients for the first matching _r_e_g_e_x_p and uses _m_a_i_l_b_o_x as the default Fcc: mailbox. If no match is found the message will be saved to ``$record'' mailbox. See ``matching messages'' for information on the exact format of _p_a_t_t_e_r_n. Example: fcc-hook aol.com$ +spammers The above will save a copy of all messages going to the aol.com domain to the `+spammers' mailbox by default. Also see the ``fcc-save-hook'' command. 33..1155.. SSppeecciiffyy ddeeffaauulltt ssaavvee ffiilleennaammee aanndd ddeeffaauulltt FFcccc:: mmaaiillbbooxx aatt oonnccee Usage: fcc-save-hook [!]_p_a_t_t_e_r_n _m_a_i_l_b_o_x This command is a shortcut, equivalent to doing both a ``fcc-hook'' and a ``save-hook'' with its arguments. 33..1166.. CChhaannggee sseettttiinnggss bbaasseedd uuppoonn mmeessssaaggee rreecciippiieennttss Usage: send-hook [!]_p_a_t_t_e_r_n _c_o_m_m_a_n_d This command can be used to execute arbitrary configuration commands based upon recipients of the message. _p_a_t_t_e_r_n is a regular expression matching the desired address. _c_o_m_m_a_n_d is executed when _r_e_g_e_x_p matches recipients of the message. When multiple matches occur, commands are executed in the order they are specified in the muttrc. See ``matching messages'' for information on the exact format of _p_a_t_t_e_r_n. Example: send-hook mutt "set mime_forward signature=''" Another typical use for this command is to change the values of the ``$attribution'', ``$signature'' and ``$locale'' variables in order to change the language of the attributions and signatures based upon the recipients. NNoottee:: the send-hook's are only executed ONCE after getting the initial list of recipients. Adding a recipient after replying or editing the message will NOT cause any send-hook to be executed. 33..1177.. CChhoooossiinngg tthhee PPGGPP kkeeyy ooff tthhee rreecciippiieenntt Usage: pgp-hook _p_a_t_t_e_r_n _k_e_y_i_d When encrypting messages with PGP, you may want to associate a certain PGP key with a given e-mail address automatically, either because the recipient's public key can't be deduced from the destination address, or because, for some reasons, you need to override the key Mutt would normally use. The pgp-hook command provides a method by which you can specify the ID of the public key to be used when encrypting messages to a certain recipient. 33..1188.. AAddddiinngg kkeeyy sseeqquueenncceess ttoo tthhee kkeeyybbooaarrdd bbuuffffeerr Usage: push _s_t_r_i_n_g This command adds the named string to the keyboard buffer. You may use it to automatically run a sequence of commands at startup, or when entering certain folders. 33..1199.. MMeessssaaggee SSccoorriinngg Usage: score _p_a_t_t_e_r_n _v_a_l_u_e Usage: unscore _p_a_t_t_e_r_n [ _p_a_t_t_e_r_n ... ] The score commands adds _v_a_l_u_e to a message's score if _p_a_t_t_e_r_n matches it. _p_a_t_t_e_r_n is a string in the format described in the ``patterns'' section. _v_a_l_u_e is a positive or negative integer. A message's final score is the sum total of all matching score entries. However, you may optionally prefix _v_a_l_u_e with an equal sign (=) to cause evaluation to stop at a particular entry if there is a match. Negative final scores are rounded up to 0. The unscore command removes score entries from the list. You mmuusstt specify the same pattern specified in the score command for it to be removed. The pattern ``*'' is a special token which means to clear the list of all score entries. 33..2200.. SSeettttiinngg vvaarriiaabblleess Usage: set [no|inv]_v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e[=_v_a_l_u_e] [ _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e ... ] Usage: toggle _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e [_v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e ... ] Usage: unset _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e [_v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e ... ] Usage: reset _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e [_v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e ... ] This command is used to set (and unset) ``configuration variables''. There are four basic types of variables: boolean, number, string and quadoption. _b_o_o_l_e_a_n variables can be _s_e_t (true) or _u_n_s_e_t (false). _n_u_m_b_e_r variables can be assigned a positive integer value. _s_t_r_i_n_g variables consist of any number of printable characters. _s_t_r_i_n_g_s must be enclosed in quotes if they contain spaces or tabs. You may also use the ``C'' escape sequences \\nn and \\tt for newline and tab, respectively. _q_u_a_d_o_p_t_i_o_n variables are used to control whether or not to be prompted for certain actions, or to specify a default action. A value of _y_e_s will cause the action to be carried out automatically as if you had answered yes to the question. Similarly, a value of _n_o will cause the the action to be carried out as if you had answered ``no.'' A value of _a_s_k_-_y_e_s will cause a prompt with a default answer of ``yes'' and _a_s_k_-_n_o will provide a default answer of ``no.'' Prefixing a variable with ``no'' will unset it. Example: set noaskbcc. For _b_o_o_l_e_a_n variables, you may optionally prefix the variable name with inv to toggle the value (on or off). This is useful when writing macros. Example: set invsmart_wrap. The toggle command automatically prepends the inv prefix to all specified variables. The unset command automatically prepends the no prefix to all specified variables. Using the enter-command function in the _i_n_d_e_x menu, you can query the value of a variable by prefixing the name of the variable with a question mark: set ?allow_8bit The question mark is actually only required for boolean variables. The reset command resets all given variables to the compile time defaults (hopefully mentioned in this manual). If you use the command set and prefix the variable with ``&'' this has the same behavior as the reset command. With the reset command there exists the special variable ``all'', which allows you to reset all variables to their system defaults. 33..2211.. RReeaaddiinngg iinniittiiaalliizzaattiioonn ccoommmmaannddss ffrroomm aannootthheerr ffiillee Usage: source _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e This command allows the inclusion of initialization commands from other files. For example, I place all of my aliases in ~/.mail_aliases so that I can make my ~/.muttrc readable and keep my aliases private. If the filename begins with a tilde (``~''), it will be expanded to the path of your home directory. If the filename ends with a vertical bar (|), then _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e is considered to be an executable program from which to read input (eg. source ~bin/myscript|/). 44.. AAddvvaanncceedd UUssaaggee 44..11.. RReegguullaarr EExxpprreessssiioonnss All string patterns in Mutt including those in more complex ``patterns'' must be specified using regular expressions (regexp) in the ``POSIX extended'' syntax (which is more or less the syntax used by egrep and GNU awk). For your convenience, we have included below a brief description of this syntax. The search is case sensitive if the pattern contains at least one upper case letter, and case insensitive otherwise. Note that ``\'' must be quoted if used for a regular expression in an initialization command: ``\\''. A regular expression is a pattern that describes a set of strings. Regular expressions are constructed analogously to arithmetic expressions, by using various operators to combine smaller expressions. The fundamental building blocks are the regular expressions that match a single character. Most characters, including all letters and digits, are regular expressions that match themselves. Any metacharacter with special meaning may be quoted by preceding it with a backslash. The period ``.'' matches any single character. The caret ``^'' and the dollar sign ``$'' are metacharacters that respectively match the empty string at the beginning and end of a line. A list of characters enclosed by ``['' and ``]'' matches any single character in that list; if the first character of the list is a caret ``^'' then it matches any character nnoott in the list. For example, the regular expression [[00112233445566778899]] matches any single digit. A range of ASCII characters may be specified by giving the first and last characters, separated by a hyphen ``-''. Most metacharacters lose their special meaning inside lists. To include a literal ``]'' place it first in the list. Similarly, to include a literal ``^'' place it anywhere but first. Finally, to include a literal hyphen ``-'' place it last. Certain named classes of characters are predefined. Character classes consist of ``[:'', a keyword denoting the class, and ``:]''. The following classes are defined by the POSIX standard: [[::aallnnuumm::]] Alphanumeric characters. [[::aallpphhaa::]] Alphabetic characters. [[::bbllaannkk::]] Space or tab characters. [[::ccnnttrrll::]] Control characters. [[::ddiiggiitt::]] Numeric characters. [[::ggrraapphh::]] Characters that are both printable and visible. (A space is printable, but not visible, while an ``a'' is both.) [[::lloowweerr::]] Lower-case alphabetic characters. [[::pprriinntt::]] Printable characters (characters that are not control characters.) [[::ppuunncctt::]] Punctuation characters (characters that are not letter, digits, control characters, or space characters). [[::ssppaaccee::]] Space characters (such as space, tab and formfeed, to name a few). [[::uuppppeerr::]] Upper-case alphabetic characters. [[::xxddiiggiitt::]] Characters that are hexadecimal digits. A character class is only valid in a regular expression inside the brackets of a character list. Note that the brackets in these class names are part of the symbolic names, and must be included in addition to the brackets delimiting the bracket list. For example, [[[[::ddiiggiitt::]]]] is equivalent to [[00--99]]. Two additional special sequences can appear in character lists. These apply to non-ASCII character sets, which can have single symbols (called collating elements) that are represented with more than one character, as well as several characters that are equivalent for collating or sorting purposes: CCoollllaattiinngg SSyymmbboollss A collating symbols is a multi-character collating element enclosed in ``[.'' and ``.]''. For example, if ``ch'' is a collating element, then [[[[..cchh..]]]] is a regexp that matches this collating element, while [[cchh]] is a regexp that matches either ``c'' or ``h''. EEqquuiivvaalleennccee CCllaasssseess An equivalence class is a locale-specific name for a list of characters that are equivalent. The name is enclosed in ``[='' and ``=]''. For example, the name ``e'' might be used to represent all of ``è'' ``é'' and ``e''. In this case, [[[[==ee==]]]] is a regexp that matches any of ``è'', ``é'' and ``e''. A regular expression matching a single character may be followed by one of several repetition operators: ?? The preceding item is optional and matched at most once. ** The preceding item will be matched zero or more times. ++ The preceding item will be matched one or more times. {{nn}} The preceding item is matched exactly _n times. {{nn,,}} The preceding item is matched _n or more times. {{,,mm}} The preceding item is matched at most _m times. {{nn,,mm}} The preceding item is matched at least _n times, but no more than _m times. Two regular expressions may be concatenated; the resulting regular expression matches any string formed by concatenating two substrings that respectively match the concatenated subexpressions. Two regular expressions may be joined by the infix operator ``|''; the resulting regular expression matches any string matching either subexpression. Repetition takes precedence over concatenation, which in turn takes precedence over alternation. A whole subexpression may be enclosed in parentheses to override these precedence rules. NNoottee:: If you compile Mutt with the GNU _r_x package, the following operators may also be used in regular expressions: \\\\yy Matches the empty string at either the beginning or the end of a word. \\\\BB Matches the empty string within a word. \\\\<< Matches the empty string at the beginning of a word. \\\\>> Matches the empty string at the end of a word. \\\\ww Matches any word-constituent character (letter, digit, or underscore). \\\\WW Matches any character that is not word-constituent. \\\\`` Matches the empty string at the beginning of a buffer (string). \\\\'' Matches the empty string at the end of a buffer. Please note however that these operators are not defined by POSIX, so they may or may not be available in stock libraries on various systems. 44..22.. PPaatttteerrnnss Many of Mutt's commands allow you to specify a pattern to match (limit, tag-pattern, delete-pattern, etc.). There are several ways to select messages: ~A all messages ~b EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the message body ~B EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the whole message ~c USER messages carbon-copied to USER ~C EXPR message is either to: or cc: EXPR ~D deleted messages ~d [MIN]-[MAX] messages with ``date-sent'' in a Date range ~E expired messages ~e EXPR message which contains EXPR in the ``Sender'' field ~F flagged messages ~f USER messages originating from USER ~g PGP signed messages ~G PGP encrypted messages ~h EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the message header ~k message contains PGP key material ~i ID message which match ID in the ``Message-ID'' field ~L EXPR message is either originated or received by EXPR ~l message is addressed to a known mailing list ~m [MIN]-[MAX] message in the range MIN to MAX *) ~n [MIN]-[MAX] messages with a score in the range MIN to MAX *) ~N new messages ~O old messages ~p message is addressed to you (consults $alternates) ~P message is from you (consults $alternates) ~Q messages which have been replied to ~R read messages ~r [MIN]-[MAX] messages with ``date-received'' in a Date range ~S superseded messages ~s SUBJECT messages having SUBJECT in the ``Subject'' field. ~T tagged messages ~t USER messages addressed to USER ~U unread messages ~v message is part of a collapsed thread. ~x EXPR messages which contain EXPR in the `References' field ~z [MIN]-[MAX] messages with a size in the range MIN to MAX *) Where EXPR, USER, ID, and SUBJECT are ``regular expressions''. *) The forms <[MAX], >[MIN], [MIN]- and -[MAX] are allowed, too. 44..22..11.. PPaatttteerrnn MMooddiiffiieerr Note that patterns matching 'lists' of addresses (notably c,C,p,P and t) match if there is at least one match in the whole list. If you want to make sure that all elements of that list match, you need to prefix your pattern with ^. This example matches all mails which only has recipients from Germany. ^~C \.de$ 44..22..22.. CCoommpplleexx PPaatttteerrnnss Logical AND is performed by specifying more than one criterion. For example: ~t mutt ~f elkins would select messages which contain the word ``mutt'' in the list of recipients aanndd that have the word ``elkins'' in the ``From'' header field. Mutt also recognizes the following operators to create more complex search patterns: · ! -- logical NOT operator · | -- logical OR operator · () -- logical grouping operator Here is an example illustrating a complex search pattern. This pattern will select all messages which do not contain ``mutt'' in the ``To'' or ``Cc'' field and which are from ``elkins''. !(~t mutt|~c mutt) ~f elkins 44..22..33.. SSeeaarrcchhiinngg bbyy DDaattee Mutt supports two types of dates, _a_b_s_o_l_u_t_e and _r_e_l_a_t_i_v_e. AAbbssoolluuttee. Dates mmuusstt be in DD/MM/YY format (month and year are optional, defaulting to the current month and year). An example of a valid range of dates is: Limit to messages matching: ~d 20/1/95-31/10 If you omit the minimum (first) date, and just specify ``-DD/MM/YY'', all messages _b_e_f_o_r_e the given date will be selected. If you omit the maximum (second) date, and specify ``DD/MM/YY-'', all messages _a_f_t_e_r the given date will be selected. If you specify a single date with no dash (``-''), only messages sent on the given date will be selected. RReellaattiivvee. This type of date is relative to the current date, and may be specified as: · >_o_f_f_s_e_t (messages older than _o_f_f_s_e_t units) · <_o_f_f_s_e_t (messages newer than _o_f_f_s_e_t units) · =_o_f_f_s_e_t (messages exactly _o_f_f_s_e_t units old) _o_f_f_s_e_t is specified as a positive number with one of the following units: y years m months w weeks d days Example: to select messages less than 1 month old, you would use Limit to messages matching: ~d <1m NNoottee:: all dates used when searching are relative to the llooccaall time zone, so unless you change the setting of your ``$index_format'' to include a %[...] format, these are nnoott the dates shown in the main index. 44..33.. UUssiinngg TTaaggss Sometimes it is desirable to perform an operation on a group of messages all at once rather than one at a time. An example might be to save messages to a mailing list to a separate folder, or to delete all messages with a given subject. To tag all messages matching a pattern, use the tag-pattern function, which is bound to ``control-T'' by default. Or you can select individual messages by hand using the ``tag-message'' function, which is bound to ``t'' by default. See ``patterns'' for Mutt's pattern matching syntax. Once you have tagged the desired messages, you can use the ``tag- prefix'' operator, which is the ``;'' (semicolon) key by default. When the ``tag-prefix'' operator is used, the nneexxtt operation will be applied to all tagged messages if that operation can be used in that manner. If the ``$auto_tag'' variable is set, the next operation applies to the tagged messages automatically, without requiring the ``tag-prefix''. 44..44.. UUssiinngg HHooookkss A _h_o_o_k is a concept borrowed from the EMACS editor which allows you to execute arbitrary commands before performing some operation. For example, you may wish to tailor your configuration based upon which mailbox you are reading, or to whom you are sending mail. In the Mutt world, a _h_o_o_k consists of a ``regular expression'' or ``pattern'' along with a configuration option/command. See · ``folder-hook'' · ``send-hook'' · ``save-hook'' · ``mbox-hook'' · ``fcc-hook'' · ``fcc-save-hook'' for specific details on each type of _h_o_o_k available. 44..44..11.. MMeessssaaggee MMaattcchhiinngg iinn HHooookkss Hooks that act upon messages (send-hook, save-hook, fcc-hook) are evaluated in a slightly different manner. For the other types of hooks, a ``regular expression'' is sufficient. But in dealing with messages a finer grain of control is needed for matching since for different purposes you want to match different criteria. Mutt allows the use of the ``search pattern'' language for matching messages in hook commands. This works in exactly the same way as it would when _l_i_m_i_t_i_n_g or _s_e_a_r_c_h_i_n_g the mailbox, except that you are restricted to those operators which match information from the envelope of the message (i.e. from, to, cc, date, subject, etc.). For example, if you wanted to set your return address based upon sending mail to a specific address, you could do something like: send-hook '~t ^me@cs\.hmc\.edu$' 'my_hdr From: Mutt User ' which would execute the given command when sending mail to _m_e_@_c_s_._h_m_c_._e_d_u. However, it is not required that you write the pattern to match using the full searching language. You can still specify a simple _r_e_g_u_l_a_r _e_x_p_r_e_s_s_i_o_n like the other hooks, in which case Mutt will translate your pattern into the full language, using the translation specified by the ``$default_hook'' variable. The pattern is translated at the time the hook is declared, so the value of ``$dfault_hook'' that is in effect at that time will be used. 44..55.. EExxtteerrnnaall AAddddrreessss QQuueerriieess Mutt supports connecting to external directory databases such as LDAP, ph/qi, bbdb, or NIS through a wrapper script which connects to mutt using a simple interface. Using the ``$query_command'' variable, you specify the wrapper command to use. For example: set query_command = "mutt_ldap_query.pl '%s'" The wrapper script should accept the query on the command-line. It should return a one line message, then each matching response on a single line, each line containing a tab separated address then name then some other optional information. On error, or if there are no matching addresses, return a non-zero exit code and a one line error message. An example multiple response output: Searching database ... 20 entries ... 3 matching: me@cs.hmc.edu Michael Elkins mutt dude blong@fiction.net Brandon Long mutt and more roessler@guug.de Thomas Roessler mutt pgp There are two mechanisms for accessing the query function of mutt. One is to do a query from the index menu using the query function (default: Q). This will prompt for a query, then bring up the query menu which will list the matching responses. From the query menu, you can select addresses to create aliases, or to mail. You can tag multiple messages to mail, start a new query, or have a new query appended to the current responses. The other mechanism for accessing the query function is for address completion, similar to the alias completion. In any prompt for address entry, you can use the complete-query function (default: ^T) to run a query based on the current address you have typed. Like aliases, mutt will look for what you have typed back to the last space or comma. If there is a single response for that query, mutt will expand the address in place. If there are multiple responses, mutt will activate the query menu. At the query menu, you can select one or more addresses to be added to the prompt. 44..66.. MMaaiillbbooxx FFoorrmmaattss Mutt supports reading and writing of four different mailbox formats: mbox, MMDF, MH and Maildir. The mailbox type is autodetected, so there is no need to use a flag for different mailbox types. When creating new mailboxes, Mutt uses the default specified with the ``$mbox_type'' variable. mmbbooxx. This is the most widely used mailbox format for UNIX. All messages are stored in a single file. Each message has a line of the form: From me@cs.hmc.edu Fri, 11 Apr 1997 11:44:56 PST to denote the start of a new message (this is often referred to as the ``From_'' line). MMMMDDFF. This is a variant of the _m_b_o_x format. Each message is surrounded by lines containing ``^A^A^A^A'' (four control-A's). MMHH. A radical departure from _m_b_o_x and _M_M_D_F, a mailbox consists of a directory and each message is stored in a separate file. The filename indicates the message number (however, this is may not correspond to the message number Mutt displays). Deleted messages are renamed with a comma (,) prepended to the filename. NNoottee:: Mutt detects this type of mailbox by looking for either .mh_sequences or .xmhcache (needed to distinguish normal directories from MH mailboxes). Mutt does not update these files, yet. MMaaiillddiirr. The newest of the mailbox formats, used by the Qmail MTA (a replacement for sendmail). Similar to _M_H, except that it adds three subdirectories of the mailbox: _t_m_p, _n_e_w and _c_u_r. Filenames for the messages are chosen in such a way they are unique, even when two programs are writing the mailbox over NFS, which means that no file locking is needed. 44..77.. MMaaiillbbooxx SShhoorrttccuuttss There are a number of built in shortcuts which refer to specific mailboxes. These shortcuts can be used anywhere you are prompted for a file or mailbox path. · ! -- refers to your ``$spool'' (incoming) mailbox · > -- refers to your ``$mbox'' file · < -- refers to your ``$record'' file · - -- refers to the file you've last visited · ~ -- refers to your home directory · = or + -- refers to your ``$folder'' directory · @_a_l_i_a_s -- refers to the ``default save folder'' as determined by the address of the alias 44..88.. HHaannddlliinngg MMaaiilliinngg LLiissttss Mutt has a few configuration options that make dealing with large amounts of mail easier. The first thing you must do is to let Mutt know what addresses you consider to be mailing lists (technically this does not have to be a mailing list, but that is what it is most often used for). This is accomplished through the use of the ``lists'' command in your muttrc. Now that Mutt knows what your mailing lists are, it can do several things, the first of which is the ability to show the list name in the _i_n_d_e_x menu display. This is useful to distinguish between personal and list mail in the same mailbox. In the ``$index_format'' variable, the escape ``%L'' will return the string ``To '' when ``list'' appears in the ``To'' field, and ``Cc '' when it appears in the ``Cc'' field (otherwise it returns the name of the author). Often times the ``To'' and ``Cc'' fields in mailing list messages tend to get quite large. Most people do not bother to remove the author of the message they are reply to from the list, resulting in two or more copies being sent to that person. The ``list-reply'' function, which by default is bound to ``L'' in the _i_n_d_e_x menu and _p_a_g_e_r, helps reduce the clutter by only replying to the mailing list addresses instead of all recipients. The other method some mailing list admins use is to generate a ``Reply-To'' field which points back to the mailing list address rather than the author of the message. This can create problems when trying to reply directly to the author in private, since most mail clients will automatically reply to the address given in the ``Reply- To'' field. Mutt uses the ``$reply_to'' variable to help decide which address to use. If set, you will be prompted as to whether or not you would like to use the address given in the ``Reply-To'' field, or reply directly to the address given in the ``From'' field. When unset, the ``Reply-To'' field will be used when present. Lastly, Mutt has the ability to ``sort'' the mailbox into ``threads''. A thread is a group of messages which all relate to the same subject. This is usually organized into a tree-like structure where a message and all of its replies are represented graphically. If you've ever used a threaded news client, this is the same concept. It makes dealing with large volume mailing lists easier because you can easily delete uninteresting threads and quickly find topics of value. 44..99.. DDeelliivveerryy SSttaattuuss NNoottiiffiiccaattiioonn ((DDSSNN)) SSuuppppoorrtt RFC1894 defines a set of MIME content types for relaying information about the status of electronic mail messages. These can be thought of as ``return receipts.'' Berkeley sendmail 8.8.x currently has some command line options in which the mail client can make requests as to what type of status messages should be returned. To support this, there are two variables. ``$dsn_notify'' is used to request receipts for different results (such as failed message, message delivered, etc.). ``$dsn_return'' requests how much of your message should be returned with the receipt (headers or full message). Refer to the man page on sendmail for more details on DSN. 44..1100.. PPOOPP33 SSuuppppoorrtt ((OOPPTTIIOONNAALL)) If Mutt was compiled with POP3 support (by running the _c_o_n_f_i_g_u_r_e script with the _-_-_e_n_a_b_l_e_-_p_o_p flag), it has the ability to fetch your mail from a remote server for local browsing. When you invoke the _f_e_t_c_h_-_m_a_i_l function (default: G), Mutt attempts to connect to ``pop_host'' and authenticate by logging in as ``pop_user''. After the connection is established, you will be prompted for your password on the remote system. Once you have been authenticated, Mutt will fetch all your new mail and place it in the local ``spoolfile''. After this point, Mutt runs exactly as if the mail had always been local. NNoottee:: The POP3 support is there only for convenience, and it's rather limited. If you need more functionality you should consider using a specialized program, such as fetchmail 44..1111.. IIMMAAPP SSuuppppoorrtt ((OOPPTTIIOONNAALL)) If Mutt was compiled with IMAP support (by running the _c_o_n_f_i_g_u_r_e script with the _-_-_e_n_a_b_l_e_-_i_m_a_p flag), it has the ability to work with folders located on a remote imap server. You can access the remote inbox by selecting the folder {imapserver}inbox, where imapserver is the name of the IMAP server and inbox is the special name for your spool mailbox on the IMAP server. If you want to access another mail folder at the IMAP server, you should use {imapserver}path/to/folder where path/to/folder is the path of the folder you want to access relative to your home directory. NNoottee:: The IMAP support is in a very early state and quite unstable at the moment. If you need a more stable way to access your IMAP folder, consider using a specialized program, such as fetchmail. 44..1122.. SSttaarrtt aa WWWWWW BBrroowwsseerr oonn UURRLLss ((EEXXTTEERRNNAALL)) If a message contains URLs (_u_n_i_f_i_e_d _r_e_s_s_o_u_r_c_e _l_o_c_a_t_o_r = address in the WWW space like _h_t_t_p_:_/_/_w_w_w_._m_u_t_t_._o_r_g_/), it is efficient to get a menu with all the URLs and start a WWW browser on one of them. This functionality is provided by the external urlview program which can be retrieved at ftp://ftp.guug.de/pub/mutt/contrib/ and the configuration commands: macro index \cb |urlview\n macro pager \cb |urlview\n 55.. MMuutttt''ss MMIIMMEE SSuuppppoorrtt Quite a bit of effort has been made to make Mutt the premier text-mode MIME MUA. Every effort has been made to provide the functionality that the discerning MIME user requires, and the conformance to the standards wherever possible. When configuring Mutt for MIME, there are two extra types of configuration files which Mutt uses. One is the mime.types file, which contains the mapping of file extensions to IANA MIME types. The other is the mailcap file, which specifies the external commands to use for handling specific MIME types. 55..11.. UUssiinngg MMIIMMEE iinn MMuutttt There are three areas/menus in Mutt which deal with MIME, they are the pager (while viewing a message), the attachment menu and the compose menu. 55..11..11.. VViieewwiinngg MMIIMMEE mmeessssaaggeess iinn tthhee ppaaggeerr When you select a message from the index and view it in the pager, Mutt decodes the message to a text representation. Mutt internally supports a number of MIME types, including text/plain, text/enriched, message/rfc822, and message/news. In addition, the export controlled version of Mutt recognizes a variety of PGP MIME types, including PGP/MIME and application/pgp. Mutt will denote attachments with a couple lines describing them. These lines are of the form: [-- Attachment #1: Description --] [-- Type: text/plain, Encoding: 7bit, Size: 10000 --] Where the Description is the description or filename given for the attachment, and the Encoding is one of 7bit/8bit/quoted-print­ able/base64/binary. If Mutt cannot deal with a MIME type, it will display a message like: [-- image/gif is unsupported (use 'v' to view this part) --] 55..11..22.. TThhee AAttttaacchhmmeenntt MMeennuu The default binding for view-attachments is `v', which displays the attachment menu for a message. The attachment menu displays a list of the attachments in a message. From the attachment menu, you can save, print, pipe, delete, and view attachments. You can apply these operations to a group of attachments at once, by tagging the attachments and by using the ``tag-prefix'' operator. You can also reply to the current message from this menu, and only the current attachment (or the attachments tagged) will be quoted in your reply. You can view attachments as text, or view them using the mailcap viewer definition. See the help on the attachment menu for more information. 55..11..33.. TThhee CCoommppoossee MMeennuu The compose menu is the menu you see before you send a message. It allows you to edit the recipient list, the subject, and other aspects of your message. It also contains a list of the attachments of your message, including the main body. From this menu, you can print, copy, filter, pipe, edit, compose, review, and rename an attachment or a list of tagged attachments. You can also modifying the attachment information, notably the type, encoding and description. Attachments appear as follows: - 1 [text/plain, 7bit, 1K] /tmp/mutt-euler-8082-0 2 [applica/x-gunzip, base64, 422K] ~/src/mutt-0.85.tar.gz The '-' denotes that Mutt will delete the file after sending the message. It can be toggled with the toggle-unlink command (default: u). The next field is the MIME content-type, and can be changed with the edit-type command (default: ^T). The next field is the encoding for the attachment, which allows a binary message to be encoded for transmission on 7bit links. It can be changed with the edit-encoding command (default: ^E). The next field is the size of the attachment, rounded to kilobytes or megabytes. The next field is the filename, which can be changed with the rename-file command (default: R). The final field is the description of the attachment, and can be changed with the edit-description command (default: d). 55..22.. MMIIMMEE TTyyppee ccoonnffiigguurraattiioonn wwiitthh mmiimmee..ttyyppeess When you add an attachment to your mail message, Mutt searches your personal mime.types file at ${HOME}/.mime.types, and then the system mime.types file at /usr/local/share/mutt/mime.types or ${prefix}/etc/mime.types The mime.types file consist of lines containing a MIME type and a space separated list of extensions. For example: application/postscript ps eps application/pgp pgp audio/x-aiff aif aifc aiff A sample mime.types file comes with the Mutt distribution, and should contain most of the MIME types you are likely to use. If Mutt can not determine the mime type by the extension of the file you attach, it will look at the file. If the file is free of binary information, Mutt will assume that the file is plain text, and mark it as text/plain. If the file contains binary information, then Mutt will mark it as application/octect-stream. You can change the MIME type that Mutt assigns to an attachment by using the edit-type command from the compose menu (default: ^T). When typing in the MIME type, Mutt requires that major type be one of the 5 types: application, text, image, video, or audio. If you attempt to use a different major type, Mutt will abort the change. 55..33.. MMIIMMEE VViieewweerr ccoonnffiigguurraattiioonn wwiitthh mmaaiillccaapp Mutt supports RFC 1524 MIME Configuration, in particular the Unix specific format specified in Appendix A of RFC 1524. This file format is commonly referred to as the mailcap format. Many MIME compliant programs utilize the mailcap format, allowing you to specify handling for all MIME types in one place for all programs. Programs known to use this format include Netscape, XMosaic, lynx and metamail. In order to handle various MIME types that Mutt can not handle internally, Mutt parses a series of external configuration files to find an external handler. The default search string for these files is a colon delimited list set to ${HOME}/.mailcap:/usr/local/share/mutt/mailcap:${prefix}/etc/mailcap:/etc/mailcap:/usr/etc/mailcap:/usr/local/etc/mailcap where $HOME is your home directory. In particular, the metamail distribution will install a mailcap file, usually as /usr/local/etc/mailcap, which contains some baseline entries. 55..33..11.. TThhee BBaassiiccss ooff tthhee mmaaiillccaapp ffiillee A mailcap file consists of a series of lines which are comments, blank, or definitions. A comment line consists of a # character followed by anything you want. A blank line is blank. A definition line consists of a content type, a view command, and any number of optional fields. Each field of a definition line is divided by a semicolon ';' character. The content type is specified in the MIME standard type/subtype method. For example, text/plain, text/html, image/gif, etc. In addition, the mailcap format includes two formats for wildcards, one using the special '*' subtype, the other is the implicit wild, where you only include the major type. For example, image/*, or video, will match all image types and video types, respectively. The view command is a Unix command for viewing the type specified. There are two different types of commands supported. The default is to send the body of the MIME message to the command on stdin. You can change this behaviour by using %s as a parameter to your view command. This will cause Mutt to save the body of the MIME message to a temporary file, and then call the view command with the %s replaced by the name of the temporary file. In both cases, Mutt will turn over the terminal to the view program until the program quits, at which time Mutt will remove the temporary file if it exists. So, in the simplest form, you can send a text/plain message to the external pager more on stdin: text/plain; more Or, you could send the message as a file: text/plain; more %s Perhaps you would like to use lynx to interactively view a text/html message: text/html; lynx "%s" In this case, lynx does not support viewing a file from stdin, so you must use the %s syntax. NNoottee:: _S_o_m_e _o_l_d_e_r _v_e_r_s_i_o_n_s _o_f _l_y_n_x _c_o_n_t_a_i_n _a _b_u_g _w_h_e_r_e _t_h_e_y _w_i_l_l _c_h_e_c_k _t_h_e _m_a_i_l_c_a_p _f_i_l_e _f_o_r _a _v_i_e_w_e_r _f_o_r _t_e_x_t_/_h_t_m_l_. _T_h_e_y _w_i_l_l _f_i_n_d _t_h_e _l_i_n_e _w_h_i_c_h _c_a_l_l_s _l_y_n_x_, _a_n_d _r_u_n _i_t_. _T_h_i_s _c_a_u_s_e_s _l_y_n_x _t_o _c_o_n_t_i_n_u_o_u_s_l_y _s_p_a_w_n _i_t_s_e_l_f _t_o _v_i_e_w _t_h_e _o_b_j_e_c_t_. On the other hand, maybe you don't want to use lynx interactively, you just want to have it convert the text/html to text/plain, then you can use: text/html; lynx -dump "%s" | more Perhaps you wish to use lynx to view text/html files, and a pager on all other text formats, then you would use the following: text/html; lynx "%s" text/*; more This is the simplest form of a mailcap file. 55..33..22.. AAddvvaanncceedd mmaaiillccaapp UUssaaggee 55..33..22..11.. OOppttiioonnaall FFiieellddss In addition to the required content-type and view command fields, you can add semi-colon ';' separated fields to set flags and other options. Mutt recognizes the following optional fields: ccooppiioouussoouuttppuutt This flag tells Mutt that the command passes possibly large amounts of text on stdout. This causes Mutt to invoke a pager (either the internal pager or the external pager defined by the pager variable) on the output of the view command. Without this flag, Mutt assumes that the command is interactive. One could use this to replace the pipe to more in the lynx -dump example in the Basic section: text/html; lynx -dump %s ; copiousoutput This will cause lynx to format the text/html output as text/plain and Mutt will use your standard pager to display the results. nneeeeddsstteerrmmiinnaall Mutt uses this flag when viewing attachments with ``autoview'', in order to decide whether it should honor the setting of the ``$wait_key'' variable or not. When an attachment is viewed using an interactive program, and the corresponding mailcap entry has a _n_e_e_d_s_t_e_r_m_i_n_a_l flag, Mutt will use ``$wait_key'' and the exit status of the program to decide if it will ask you to press a key after the external program has exited. In all other situations it will not prompt you for a key. ccoommppoossee==<> This flag specifies the command to use to create a new attachment of a specific MIME type. Mutt supports this from the compose menu. ccoommppoosseettyyppeedd==<> This flag specifies the command to use to create a new attachment of a specific MIME type. This command differs from the compose command in that mutt will expect standard MIME headers on the data. This can be used to specify parameters, filename, description, etc. for a new attachment. Mutt supports this from the compose menu. pprriinntt==<> This flag specifies the command to use to print a specific MIME type. Mutt supports this from the attachment and compose menus. eeddiitt==<> This flag specifies the command to use to edit a specific MIME type. Mutt supports this from the compose menu, and also uses it to compose new attachments. Mutt will default to the defined editor for text attachments. nnaammeetteemmppllaattee==<> This field specifies the format for the file denoted by %s in the command fields. Certain programs will require a certain file extension, for instance, to correctly view a file. For instance, lynx will only interpret a file as text/html if the file ends in .html. So, you would specify lynx as a text/html viewer with a line in the mailcap file like: text/html; lynx %s; nametemplate=%s.html tteesstt==<> This field specifies a command to run to test whether this mailcap entry should be used. The command is defined with the command expansion rules defined in the next section. If the command returns 0, then the test passed, and Mutt uses this entry. If the command returns non-zero, then the test failed, and Mutt continues searching for the right entry. NNoottee:: _t_h_e _c_o_n_t_e_n_t_-_t_y_p_e _m_u_s_t _m_a_t_c_h _b_e_f_o_r_e _M_u_t_t _p_e_r_f_o_r_m_s _t_h_e _t_e_s_t_. For example: text/html; netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)' ; test=RunningX text/html; lynx %s In this example, Mutt will run the program RunningX which will return 0 if the X Window manager is running, and non-zero if it isn't. If RunningX returns 0, then Mutt will call netscape to dis­ play the text/html object. If RunningX doesn't return 0, then Mutt will go on to the next entry and use lynx to display the text/html object. 55..33..22..22.. SSeeaarrcchh OOrrddeerr When searching for an entry in the mailcap file, Mutt will search for the most useful entry for its purpose. For instance, if you are attempting to print an image/gif, and you have the following entries in your mailcap file, Mutt will search for an entry with the print command: image/*; xv %s image/gif; ; print= anytopnm %s | pnmtops | lpr; \ nametemplate=%s.gif Mutt will skip the image/* entry and use the image/gif entry with the print command. In addition, you can use this with ``Autoview'' to denote two commands for viewing an attachment, one to be viewed automatically, the other to be viewed interactively from the attachment menu. In addition, you can then use the test feature to determine which viewer to use interactively depending on your environment. text/html; netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)' ; test=RunningX text/html; lynx %s; nametemplate=%s.html text/html; lynx -dump %s; nametemplate=%s.html; copiousoutput For ``Autoview'', Mutt will choose the third entry because of the copiousoutput tag. For interactive viewing, Mutt will run the program RunningX to determine if it should use the first entry. If the pro­ gram returns non-zero, Mutt will use the second entry for interactive viewing. 55..33..22..33.. CCoommmmaanndd EExxppaannssiioonn The various commands defined in the mailcap files are passed to the /bin/sh shell using the system() function. Before the command is passed to /bin/sh -c, it is parsed to expand various special parameters with information from Mutt. The keywords Mutt expands are: %%ss As seen in the basic mailcap section, this variable is expanded to a filename specified by the calling program. This file contains the body of the message to view/print/edit or where the composing program should place the results of composition. In addition, the use of this keyword causes Mutt to not pass the body of the message to the view/print/edit program on stdin. %%tt Mutt will expand %t to the text representation of the content type of the message in the same form as the first parameter of the mailcap definition line, ie text/html or image/gif. %%{{<>}} Mutt will expand this to the value of the specified parameter from the Content-Type: line of the mail message. For instance, if Your mail message contains: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 then Mutt will expand %{charset} to iso-8859-1. The default meta­ mail mailcap file uses this feature to test the charset to spawn an xterm using the right charset to view the message. \\%% This will be replaced by a % Mutt does not currently support the %F and %n keywords specified in RFC 1524. The main purpose of these parameters is for multipart mes­ sages, which is handled internally by Mutt. 55..33..33.. EExxaammppllee mmaaiillccaapp ffiilleess This mailcap file is fairly simple and standard: ______________________________________________________________________ # I'm always running X :) video/*; xanim %s > /dev/null image/*; xv %s > /dev/null # I'm always running netscape (if my computer had more memory, maybe) text/html; netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)' ______________________________________________________________________ This mailcap file shows quite a number of examples: ______________________________________________________________________ # Use xanim to view all videos Xanim produces a header on startup, # send that to /dev/null so I don't see it video/*; xanim %s > /dev/null # Send html to a running netscape by remote text/html; netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)'; test=RunningNetscape # If I'm not running netscape but I am running X, start netscape on the # object text/html; netscape %s; test=RunningX # Else use lynx to view it as text text/html; lynx %s # This version would convert the text/html to text/plain text/html; lynx -dump %s; copiousoutput # enriched.sh converts text/enriched to text/html and then uses # lynx -dump to convert it to text/plain text/enriched; enriched.sh ; copiousoutput # I use enscript to print text in two columns to a page text/*; more %s; print=enscript -2Gr %s # Netscape adds a flag to tell itself to view jpegs internally image/jpeg;xv %s; x-mozilla-flags=internal # Use xv to view images if I'm running X # In addition, this uses the \ to extend the line and set my editor # for images image/*;xv %s; test=RunningX; \ edit=xpaint %s # Convert images to text using the netpbm tools image/*; (anytopnm %s | pnmscale -xysize 80 46 | ppmtopgm | pgmtopbm | pbmtoascii -1x2 ) 2>&1 ; copiousoutput # Send excel spreadsheets to my NT box application/ms-excel; open.pl %s ______________________________________________________________________ 55..44.. MMIIMMEE AAuuttoovviieeww In addition to explicitly telling Mutt to view an attachment with the MIME viewer defined in the mailcap file, Mutt has support for automatically viewing MIME attachments while in the pager. To work, you must define a viewer in the mailcap file which uses the copiousoutput option to denote that it is non-interactive. Usually, you also use the entry to convert the attachment to a text representation which you can view in the pager. You then use the auto_view muttrc command to list the content-types that you wish to view automatically. For instance, if you set auto_view to: auto_view text/html text/enriched application/x-gunzip application/postscript image/gif application/x-tar-gz Mutt could use the following mailcap entries to automatically view attachments of these types. text/html; lynx -dump %s; copiousoutput; nametemplate=%s.html text/enriched; enriched.sh ; copiousoutput image/*; anytopnm %s | pnmscale -xsize 80 -ysize 50 | ppmtopgm | pgmtopbm | pbmtoascii ; copiousoutput application/x-gunzip; gzcat; copiousoutput application/x-tar-gz; gunzip -c %s | tar -tf - ; copiousoutput application/postscript; ps2ascii %s; copiousoutput 55..55.. MMIIMMEE MMuullttiippaarrtt//AAlltteerrnnaattiivvee Mutt has some heuristics for determining which attachment of a multipart/alternative type to display. First, mutt will check the alternative_order list to determine if one of the available types is preferred. The alternative_order list consists of a number of mimetypes in order, including support for implicit and explicit wildcards, for example: alternative_order text/enriched text/plain text application/postscript image/* Next, mutt will check if any of the types have a defined ``auto_view'', and use that. Failing that, Mutt will look for any text type. As a last attempt, mutt will look for any type it knows how to handle. 66.. RReeffeerreennccee 66..11.. CCoommmmaanndd lliinnee ooppttiioonnss Running mutt with no arguments will make Mutt attempt to read your spool mailbox. However, it is possible to read other mailboxes and to send messages from the command line as well. -a attach a file to a message -c specify a carbon-copy (Cc) address -e specify a config command to be run after initilization files are read -F specify an alternate file to read initialization commands -f specify a mailbox to load -h print help on command line options -H specify a draft file from which to read a header and body -i specify a file to include in a message composition -n do not read the system Muttrc -m specify a default mailbox type -p recall a postponed message -R open mailbox in read-only mode -s specify a subject (enclose in quotes if it contains spaces) -v show version number and compile-time definitions -x simulate the mailx(1) compose mode -y show a menu containing the files specified by the mailboxes command -z exit immediately if there are no messages in the mailbox -Z open the first folder with new message,exit immediately if none To read messages in a mailbox mutt [ -nz ] [ -F _m_u_t_t_r_c ] [ -m _t_y_p_e ] [ -f _m_a_i_l_b_o_x ] To compose a new message mutt [ -n ] [ -F _m_u_t_t_r_c ] [ -a _f_i_l_e ] [ -c _a_d_d_r_e_s_s ] [ -i _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e ] [ -s _s_u_b_j_e_c_t ] _a_d_d_r_e_s_s [ _a_d_d_r_e_s_s ... ] Mutt also supports a ``batch'' mode to send prepared messages. Simply redirect input from the file you wish to send. For example, mutt -s "data set for run #2" professor@bigschool.edu < ~/run2.dat This command will send a message to ``professor@bigschool.edu'' with a subject of ``data set for run #2''. In the body of the message will be the contents of the file ``~/run2.dat''. 66..22.. CCoonnffiigguurraattiioonn CCoommmmaannddss The following are the commands understood by mutt. · ``alias'' _k_e_y _a_d_d_r_e_s_s [ , _a_d_d_r_e_s_s, ... ] · ``unalias'' _k_e_y _a_d_d_r_e_s_s [ , _a_d_d_r_e_s_s, ... ] · ``alternative_order'' _m_i_m_e_t_y_p_e [ _m_i_m_e_t_y_p_e ... ] · ``auto_view'' _m_i_m_e_t_y_p_e [ _m_i_m_e_t_y_p_e ... ] · ``bind'' _m_a_p _k_e_y _f_u_n_c_t_i_o_n · ``color'' _o_b_j_e_c_t _f_o_r_e_g_r_o_u_n_d _b_a_c_k_g_r_o_u_n_d [ _r_e_g_e_x_p ] · ``folder-hook'' _p_a_t_t_e_r_n _c_o_m_m_a_n_d · ``ignore'' _p_a_t_t_e_r_n [ _p_a_t_t_e_r_n ... ] · ``unignore'' _p_a_t_t_e_r_n [ _p_a_t_t_e_r_n ... ] · ``hdr_order'' _h_e_a_d_e_r [ _h_e_a_d_e_r ... ] · ``unhdr_order'' _h_e_a_d_e_r [ _h_e_a_d_e_r ... ] · ``lists'' _a_d_d_r_e_s_s [ _a_d_d_r_e_s_s ... ] · ``unlists'' _a_d_d_r_e_s_s [ _a_d_d_r_e_s_s ... ] · ``macro'' _m_e_n_u _k_e_y _s_e_q_u_e_n_c_e · ``mailboxes'' _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e [ _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e ... ] · ``mono'' _o_b_j_e_c_t _a_t_t_r_i_b_u_t_e [ _r_e_g_e_x_p ] · ``mbox-hook'' _p_a_t_t_e_r_n _m_a_i_l_b_o_x · ``my_hdr'' _s_t_r_i_n_g · ``unmy_hdr'' _f_i_e_l_d [ _f_i_e_l_d ... ] · ``push'' _s_t_r_i_n_g · ``save-hook'' _r_e_g_e_x_p _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e · ``send-hook'' _r_e_g_e_x_p _c_o_m_m_a_n_d · ``set'' [no|inv]_v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e[=_v_a_l_u_e] [ _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e ... ] · ``toggle'' _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e [_v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e ... ] · ``unset'' _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e [_v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e ... ] · ``source'' _f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e 66..33.. CCoonnffiigguurraattiioonn vvaarriiaabblleess 66..33..11.. aabboorrtt__nnoossuubbjjeecctt Type: quadoption Default: ask-yes If set to _y_e_s, when composing messages and no subject is given at the subject prompt, composition will be aborted. If set to _n_o, composing messages with no subject given at the subject prompt will never be aborted. 66..33..22.. aabboorrtt__uunnmmooddiiffiieedd Type: quadoption Default: yes If set to _y_e_s, composition will automatically abort after editing the message body if no changes are made to the file (this check only happens after the _f_i_r_s_t edit of the file). When set to _n_o, composition will never be aborted. 66..33..33.. aalliiaass__ffiillee Type: string Default: ~/.muttrc The default file in which to save aliases created by the ``create- alias'' function. NNoottee:: Mutt will not automatically source this file; you must explicitly use the ``source'' command for it to be executed. 66..33..44.. aalliiaass__ffoorrmmaatt Type: string Default: "%2n %t %-10a %r" Specifies the format of the data displayed for the `alias' menu. The following printf(3)-style sequences are available. %a alias name %n index number %r address which alias expands to %t character which indicates if the alias is tagged for inclusion (*/ ) 66..33..55.. aallllooww__88bbiitt Type: boolean Default: set Controls whether 8-bit data is converted to 7-bit using either Quoted- Printable or Base64 encoding when sending mail. 66..33..66.. aalltteerrnnaatteess Type: string Default: none A regexp that allows you to specify _a_l_t_e_r_n_a_t_e addresses where you receive mail. This affects Mutt's idea about messages from you and addressed to you. 66..33..77.. aarrrrooww__ccuurrssoorr Type: boolean Default: unset When set, an arrow (``->'') will be used to indicate the current entry in menus instead of hiliting the whole line. On slow network or modem links this will make response faster because there is less that has to be redrawn on the screen when moving to the next or previous entries in the menu. 66..33..88.. aasscciiii__cchhaarrss Type: boolean Default: unset If set, Mutt will use plain ASCII characters when displaying thread and attachment trees, instead of the default _A_C_S characters. 66..33..99.. aasskkbbcccc Type: boolean Default: unset If set, Mutt will prompt you for blind-carbon-copy (Bcc) recipients before editing an outgoing message. 66..33..1100.. aasskkcccc Type: boolean Default: unset If set, Mutt will prompt you for carbon-copy (Cc) recipients before editing the body of an outgoing message. 66..33..1111.. aattttaacchh__ffoorrmmaatt Type: format string Default: "%u%D%t%2n %T%.40d%> [%.7m/%.10M, %.6e, %s] " This variable describes the format of the `attachment' menu. The following printf-style sequences are understood: %D deleted flag %d description %e MIME content-transfer-encoding %f filename %m major MIME type %M MIME subtype %n attachment number %s size %t tagged flag %u unlink (=to delete) flag %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with character "X" %|X pad to the end of the line with character "X" 66..33..1122.. aattttaacchh__sseepp Type: string Default: newline The separator to add between attachments when operating (saving, printing, piping, etc) on a list of tagged attachments. 66..33..1133.. aattttaacchh__sspplliitt Type: boolean Default: set If this variable is unset, when operating (saving, printing, piping, etc) on a list of tagged attachments, Mutt will concatenate the attachments and will operate on them as a single attachment. The ``$attach_sep'' separator is added after each attachment. When set, Mutt will operate on the attachments one by one. 66..33..1144.. aattttrriibbuuttiioonn Type: format string Default: "On %d, %n wrote:" This is the string that will precede a message which has been included in a reply. For a full listing of defined escape sequences see the section on ``$index_format''. 66..33..1155.. aauuttooeeddiitt Type: boolean Default: unset When set, Mutt will skip the initial send-menu and allow you to immediately begin editing the body of your message when replying to another message. The send-menu may still be accessed once you have finished editing the body of your message. If the ``$edit_headers'' variable is also set, the initial prompts in the send-menu are always skipped, even when composing a new message. 66..33..1166.. aauuttoo__ttaagg Type: boolean Default: unset When set, functions in the _i_n_d_e_x menu which affect a message will be applied to all tagged messages (if there are any). When unset, you must first use the tag-prefix function (default: ";") to make the next function apply to all tagged messages. 66..33..1177.. bbeeeepp Type: boolean Default: set When this variable is set, mutt will beep when an error occurs. 66..33..1188.. bbeeeepp__nneeww Type boolean Default: unset When this variable is set, mutt will beep whenever it prints a message notifying you of new mail. This is independent of the setting of the ``beep'' variable. 66..33..1199.. bboouunnccee__ddeelliivveerreedd Type boolean Default: set When this variable is set, mutt will include Delivered-To headers when bouncing messages. Postfix users may wish to unset this variable. 66..33..2200.. cchhaarrsseett Type: string Default: iso-8859-1 Character set your terminal uses to display and enter textual data. This information is required to properly label outgoing messages which contain 8-bit characters so that receiving parties can display your messages in the correct character set. 66..33..2211.. cchheecckk__nneeww Type: boolean Default: set NNoottee:: this option only affects _m_a_i_l_d_i_r and _M_H style mailboxes. When _s_e_t, Mutt will check for new mail delivered while the mailbox is open. Especially with MH mailboxes, this operation can take quite some time since it involves scanning the directory and checking each file to see if it has already been looked at. If _c_h_e_c_k___n_e_w is _u_n_s_e_t, no check for new mail is performed while the mailbox is open. 66..33..2222.. ccoollllaappssee__uunnrreeaadd Type: boolean Default: set When _u_n_s_e_t, Mutt will not collapse a thread if it contains any unread messages. 66..33..2233.. ccoonnffiirrmmaappppeenndd Type: boolean Default: set When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when appending messages to an existing mailbox. 66..33..2244.. ccoonnffiirrmmccrreeaattee Type: boolean Default: set When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when saving messages to a mailbox which does not yet exist before creating it. 66..33..2255.. ccooppyy Type: quadoption Default: yes This variable controls whether or not copies of your outgoing messages will be saved for later references. Also see ``record'', ``save_name'', ``force_name'' and ``fcc-hook''. 66..33..2266.. ddaattee__ffoorrmmaatt Type: string Default: "!%a, %b %d, %Y at %I:%M:%S%p %Z" This variable controls the format of the date printed by the ``%d'' sequence in ``$index_format''. This is passed to the _s_t_r_f_t_i_m_e call to process the date. See the man page for _s_t_r_f_t_i_m_e_(_3_) for the proper syntax. Unless the first character in the string is a bang (``!''), the month and week day names are expanded according to the locale specified in the variable ``locale''. If the first character in the string is a bang, the bang is discarded, and the month and week day names in the rest of the string are expanded in the _C locale (that is in US English). 66..33..2277.. ddeeffaauulltt__hhooookk Type: string Default: "~f %s !~P | (~P ~C %s)" This variable controls how send-hooks, save-hooks, and fcc-hooks will be interpreted if they are specified with only a simple regexp, instead of a matching pattern. The hooks are expanded when they are declared, so a hook will be interpreted according to the value of this variable at the time the hook is declared. The default value matches if the message is either from a user matching the regular expression given, or if it is from you (if the from address matches ``alternates'') and is to or cc'ed to a user matching the given regular expression. 66..33..2288.. ddeelleettee Type: quadoption Default: ask-yes Controls whether or not messages are really deleted when closing or synchronizing a mailbox. If set to _y_e_s, messages marked for deleting will automatically be purged without prompting. If set to _n_o, messages marked for deletion will be kept in the mailbox. 66..33..2299.. ddssnn__nnoottiiffyy Type: string Default: none NNoottee:: you should not enable this unless you are using Sendmail 8.8.x or greater. This variable sets the request for when notification is returned. The string consists of a comma separated list (no spaces!) of one or more of the following: _n_e_v_e_r, to never request notification, _f_a_i_l_u_r_e, to request notification on transmission failure, _d_e_l_a_y, to be notified of message delays, _s_u_c_c_e_s_s, to be notified of successful transmission. Example: set dsn_notify="failure,delay" 66..33..3300.. ddssnn__rreettuurrnn Type: string Default: none NNoottee:: you should not enable this unless you are using Sendmail 8.8.x or greater. This variable controls how much of your message is returned in DSN messages. It may be set to either _h_d_r_s to return just the message header, or _f_u_l_l to return the full message. Example: set dsn_return=hdrs 66..33..3311.. eeddiitt__hheeaaddeerrss Type: boolean Default: unset This option allows you to edit the header of your outgoing messages along with the body of your message. 66..33..3322.. eeddiittoorr Type: String Default: value of environment variable $VISUAL, $EDITOR, or "vi" This variable specifies which editor to use when composing messages. 66..33..3333.. eessccaappee Type: string Default: ~ Escape character to use for functions in the builtin editor. 66..33..3344.. ffaasstt__rreeppllyy Type: boolean Default: unset When set, the initial prompt for recipients and subject are skipped when replying to messages, and the initial prompt for subject is skipped when forwarding messages. NNoottee:: this variable has no effect when the ``$autoedit'' variable is set. 66..33..3355.. ffcccc__aattttaacchh Type: boolean Default: set This variable controls whether or not attachments on outgoing messages are saved along with the main body of your message. 66..33..3366.. ffoollddeerr Type: String Default: ~/Mail Specifies the default location of your mailboxes. A `+' or `=' at the beginning of a pathname will be expanded to the value of this variable. Note that if you change this variable from the default value you need to make sure that the assignment occurs _b_e_f_o_r_e you use `+' or `=' for any other variables since expansion takes place during the `set' command. 66..33..3377.. ffoollddeerr__ffoorrmmaatt Type: format string Default: "%N %F %2l %-8.8u %-8.8g %8s %d %f" This variable allows you to customize the file browser display to your personal taste. This string is similar to ``$index_format'', but has its own set of printf()-like sequences: %d date/time folder was last modified %f filename %F file permissions %g group name (or numeric gid, if missing) %l number of hard links %N N if folder has new mail, blank otherwise %s size in bytes %u owner name (or numeric uid, if missing) %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with character "X" %|X pad to the end of the line with character "X" 66..33..3388.. ffoolllloowwuupp__ttoo Type: boolean Default: set Controls whether or not the _M_a_i_l_-_F_o_l_l_o_w_u_p_-_T_o header field is generated when sending mail. When _s_e_t, Mutt will generate this field when you are replying to a known mailing ``lists''. The purpose of this field is to prevent you from receiving duplicate copies of replies to messages which you send by specifying that you will receive a copy of the message if it is addressed to the mailing list (and thus there is no need to also include your address in a group reply). 66..33..3399.. ffoorrccee__nnaammee Type: boolean Default: unset This variable is similar to ``$save_name'', except that Mutt will store a copy of your outgoing message by the username of the address you are sending to even if that mailbox does not exist. Also see the ``$record'' variable. 66..33..4400.. ffoorrwwaarrdd__ddeeccooddee Type: boolean Default: set Controls the decoding of complex MIME messages into text/plain when forwarding a message. The message header is also RFC2047 decoded. This variable is only used, if ``mime_forward'' is _u_n_s_e_t, otherwise ``mime_forward_decode'' is used instead. 66..33..4411.. ffoorrwwaarrdd__ddeeccrryypptt Type: boolean Default: unset Controls the handling of encrypted messages when forwarding a message. When set, the outer layer of encryption is stripped off. This variable is only used if ``mime_forward'' is _s_e_t and ``mime_forward_decode'' is _u_n_s_e_t. 66..33..4422.. ffoorrwwaarrdd__ffoorrmmaatt Type: format string Default: "[%a: %s]" This variable controls the default subject when forwarding a message. It uses the same format sequences as the ``$index_format'' variable. 66..33..4433.. ffoorrwwaarrdd__qquuoottee Type: boolean Default: unset When _s_e_t forwarded messages included in the main body of the message (when ``mime_forward'' is _u_n_s_e_t) will be quoted using ``indent_string''. 66..33..4444.. ffoorrwwaarrdd__wweeeedd Type: boolean Default: set When _s_e_t, message headers will be weeded when forwarding a decoded version of the message. 66..33..4455.. hhddrrss Type: boolean Default: set When unset, the header fields normally added by the ``my_hdr'' command are not created. This variable _m_u_s_t be unset before composing a new message or replying in order to take effect. If set, the user defined header fields are added to every new message. 66..33..4466.. hheeaaddeerr Type: boolean Default: unset When set, this variable causes Mutt to include the _f_u_l_l header of the message you are replying to into the edit buffer. 66..33..4477.. hheellpp Type: boolean Default: set When set, help lines describing the bindings for the major functions provided by each menu are displayed on the first line of the screen. NNoottee:: The binding will not be displayed correctly if the function is bound to a sequence rather than a single keystroke. Also, the help line may not be updated if a binding is changed while Mutt is running. Since this variable is primarily aimed at new users, neither of these should present a major problem. 66..33..4488.. hhiiddddeenn__hhoosstt Type: boolean Default: unset When set, mutt will skip the host name part of ``hostname'' variable when adding the domain part to addresses. This variable does not affect the generation, and it will not lead to the cut-off of first- level domains. 66..33..4499.. hhiissttoorryy Type: number Default: 10 This variable controls the size (in number of strings remembered) of the string history buffer. The buffer is cleared each time the variable is set. 66..33..5500.. hhoossttnnaammee Type: string Default: varies Specifies the hostname to use after the ``@'' in local e-mail addresses. This overrides the compile time definition obtained from /etc/resolv.conf. 66..33..5511.. iiggnnoorree__lliisstt__rreeppllyy__ttoo Type: boolean Default: unset Affects the behaviour of the _r_e_p_l_y function when replying to messages from mailing lists. When set, if the ``Reply-To:'' field is set to the same value as the ``To:'' field, Mutt assumes that the ``Reply- To:'' field was set by the mailing list to automate responses to the list, and will ignore this field. To direct a response to the mailing list when this option is set, use the _l_i_s_t_-_r_e_p_l_y function; _g_r_o_u_p_-_r_e_p_l_y will reply to both the sender and the list. 66..33..5522.. iimmaapp__cchheecckkiinntteerrvvaall Type: number Default: 0 This variable configures how often (in seconds) IMAP should look for new mail. 66..33..5533.. iimmaapp__ppaassss Type: string Default: unset Specifies the password for your IMAP account. If unset, Mutt will prompt you for your password when you invoke the fetch-mail function. WWaarrnniinngg: you should only use this option when you are on a fairly secure machine, because the superuser can read your muttrc even if you are the only one who can read the file. 66..33..5544.. iimmaapp__uusseerr Type: string Default: login name on local system Your login name on the IMAP server. 66..33..5555.. iimmpplliicciitt__aauuttoovviieeww Type: boolean Default: no If set to ``yes'', mutt will look for a a mailcap entry with the copiousoutput flag set for _e_v_e_r_y MIME attachment it doesn't have an internal viewer defined for. If such an entry is found, mutt will use the viewer defined in that entry to convert the body part to text form. NNoottee:: For compatibility with mmeettaammaaiill, Mutt will also look at the environment variable _M_M___N_O_A_S_K. Setting this to 11 is equivalent to setting _i_m_p_l_i_c_i_t___a_u_t_o_v_i_e_w to ``yes''. Otherwise, the value of _M_M___N_O_A_S_K is interpreted as a comma-separated list of type names (without white space) for which the corresponding mailcap entries will be used to display MIME parts. 66..33..5566.. iinncclluuddee Type: quadoption Default: ask-yes Controls whether or not a copy of the message(s) you are replying to is included in your reply. 66..33..5577.. iinnddeenntt__ssttrriinngg Type: format string Default: "> " Specifies the string to prepend to each line of text quoted in a message to which you are replying. You are strongly encouraged not to change this value, as it tends to agitate the more fanatical netizens. 66..33..5588.. iinnddeexx__ffoorrmmaatt Type: format string Default: "%4C %Z %{%b %d} %-15.15L (%4l) %s" This variable allows you to customize the message index display to your personal taste. ``Format strings'' are similar to the strings used in the ``C'' function printf to format output (see the man page for more detail). The following sequences are defined in Mutt: %a address of the author %b filename of the original message folder (think mailBox) %B the list to which the letter was sent, or else the folder name (%b). %c number of characters (bytes) in the message %C current message number %d date and time of the message in the format specified by ``date_format'' converted to sender's time zone %D date and time of the message in the format specified by ``date_format'' converted to the local time zone %f entire From: line (address + real name) %F author name, or recipient name if the message is from you %i message-id of the current message %l number of lines in the message %L list-from function %m total number of message in the mailbox %M number of hidden messages if the thread is collapsed. %N message score %n author's real name (or address if missing) %O (_O_riginal save folder) Where mutt would formerly have stashed the message: list name or recipient name if no list %s subject of the message %S status of the message (N/D/d/!/*/r) %t `to:' field (recipients) %T the appropriate character from the $to_chars string %u user (login) name of the author %v first name of the author, or the recipient if the message is from you %Z message status flags %{fmt} the date and time of the message is converted to sender's time zone, and ``fmt'' is expanded by the system call ``strftime''; a leading bang disables locales %[fmt] the date and time of the message is converted to the local time zone, and ``fmt'' is expanded by the system call ``strftime''; a leading bang disables locales %(fmt) the local date and time when the message was received. ``fmt'' is expanded by the system call ``strftime''; a leading bang disables locales % the current local time. ``fmt'' is expanded by the system call ``strftime''; a leading bang disables locales. %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with character "X" %|X pad to the end of the line with character "X" See also: ``$to_chars''. 66..33..5599.. iissppeellll Type: string Default: "ispell" How to invoke ispell (GNU's spell-checking software). 66..33..6600.. llooccaallee Type: string Default: "C" The locale used by _s_t_r_f_t_i_m_e_(_3_) to format dates. Legal values are the strings your system accepts for the locale variable _L_C___T_I_M_E. 66..33..6611.. mmaaiillccaapp__ppaatthh Type: string Default: $MAILCAPS or ~/.mailcap:/usr/local/share/mailcap:/etc/mailcap:/usr/etc/mailcap:/usr/local/etc/mailcap This variable specifies which files to consult when attempting to display MIME bodies not directly supported by Mutt. 66..33..6622.. mmaaiillccaapp__ssaanniittiizzee Type: boolean Default: set If set, mutt will restrict possible characters in mailcap % expandos to a well-defined set of safe characters. This is the safe setting, but we are not sure it doesn't break some more advanced MIME stuff. DDOONN''TT CCHHAANNGGEE TTHHIISS SSEETTTTIINNGG UUNNLLEESSSS YYOOUU AARREE RREEAALLLLYY SSUURREE WWHHAATT YYOOUU AARREE DDOOIINNGG!! 66..33..6633.. mmaaiill__cchheecckk Type: number Default: 5 This variable configures how often (in seconds) mutt should look for new mail. 66..33..6644.. mmaarrkk__oolldd Type: boolean Default: set Controls whether or not Mutt makes the distinction between _n_e_w messages and _o_l_d uunnrreeaadd messages. By default, Mutt will mark new messages as old if you exit a mailbox without reading them. The next time you start Mutt, the messages will show up with an "O" next to them in the index menu, indicating that they are old. In order to make Mutt treat all unread messages as new only, you can unset this variable. 66..33..6655.. mmaarrkkeerrss Type: boolean Default: set Controls the display of wrapped lines in the internal pager. If set, a ``+'' marker is displayed at the beginning of wrapped lines. Also see the ``$smart_wrap'' variable. 66..33..6666.. mmaasskk Type: string Default: "!^\.[^.]" A regular expression used in the file browser, optionally preceded by the _n_o_t operator ``!''. Only files whose names match this mask will be shown. The match is always case-sensitive. NNoottee:: if you need ``!'' at the beginning of the regular expression you should enclose it in paranthesis, in order to distinguish it from the logical _n_o_t operator for the expression. 66..33..6677.. mmbbooxx Type: String Default: +inbox This specifies the folder into which read mail in your ``spoolfile'' folder will be appended. 66..33..6688.. mmbbooxx__ttyyppee Type: String Default: mbox The default mailbox type used when creating new folders. May be any of mbox, MMDF, MH and Maildir. 66..33..6699.. mmeettoooo Type: boolean Default: unset If unset, Mutt will remove your address from the list of recipients when replying to a message. 66..33..7700.. mmeennuu__ssccrroollll Type: boolean Default: unset When _s_e_t, menus will be scrolled up or down one line when you attempt to move across a screen boundary. If _u_n_s_e_t, the screen is cleared and the next or previous page of the menu is displayed (useful for slow links to avoid many redraws). 66..33..7711.. mmeettaa__kkeeyy Type: boolean Default: unset If set, forces Mutt to interpret keystrokes with the high bit (bit 8) set as if the user had pressed the ESC key and whatever key remains after having the high bit removed. For example, if the key pressed has an ASCII value of 0xf4, then this is treated as if the user had pressed ESC then ``x''. This is because the result of removing the high bit from ``0xf4'' is ``0x74'', which is the ASCII character ``x''. 66..33..7722.. mmhh__ppuurrggee Type: boolean Default: unset When unset, mutt will mimic mh's behaviour and rename deleted messages to _,_<_o_l_d _f_i_l_e _n_a_m_e_> in mh folders instead of really deleting them. If the variable is set, the message files will simply be deleted. 66..33..7733.. mmiimmee__ffoorrwwaarrdd Type: quadoption Default: unset When set, the message you are forwarding will be attached as a separate MIME part instead of included in the main body of the message. This is useful for forwarding MIME messages so the receiver can properly view the message as it was delivered to you. If you like to switch between MIME and not MIME from mail to mail, set this variable to ask-no or ask-yes. Also see ``forward_decode'' and ``mime_forward_decode''. 66..33..7744.. mmiimmee__ffoorrwwaarrdd__ddeeccooddee Type: boolean Default: unset Controls the decoding of complex MIME messages into text/plain when forwarding a message while ``mime_forward'' is _s_e_t. Otherwise ``forward_decode'' is used instead. 66..33..7755.. mmoovvee Type: quadoption Default: ask-no Controls whether you will be asked to confirm moving read messages from your spool mailbox to your ``$mbox'' mailbox, or as a result of a ``mbox-hook'' command. 66..33..7766.. mmeessssaaggee__ffoorrmmaatt Type: format string Default: "%s" This is the string displayed in the ``attachment'' menu for attachments of type _m_e_s_s_a_g_e_/_r_f_c_8_2_2. For a full listing of defined escape sequences see the section on ``index_format''. 66..33..7777.. ppaaggeerr Type: string Default: builtin This variable specifies which pager you would like to use to view messages. builtin means to use the builtin pager, otherwise this variable should specify the pathname of the external pager you would like to use. Using an external pager may have some disadvantages: Additional keystrokes are necessary because you can't call mutt functions directly from the pager, and screen resizes cause lines longer than the screen width to be badly formatted in the help menu. 66..33..7788.. ppaaggeerr__ccoonntteexxtt Type: number Default: 0 This variable controls the number of lines of context that are given when displaying the next or previous page in the internal pager. By default, Mutt will display the line after the last one on the screen at the top of the next page (0 lines of context). 66..33..7799.. ppaaggeerr__ffoorrmmaatt Type: format string Default: "-%S- %C/%m: %-20.20n %s" This variable controls the format of the one-line message ``status'' displayed before each message in either the internal or an external pager. The valid sequences are listed in the ``index_format'' section. 66..33..8800.. ppaaggeerr__iinnddeexx__lliinneess Type: number Default: 0 Determines the number of lines of a mini-index which is shown when in the pager. The current message, unless near the top or bottom of the folder, will be roughly one third of the way down this mini-index, giving the reader the context of a few messages before and after the message. This is useful, for example, to determine how many messages remain to be read in the current thread. One of the lines is reserved for the status bar from the index, so a _p_a_g_e_r___i_n_d_e_x___l_i_n_e_s of 6 will only show 5 lines of the actual index. A value of 0 results in no index being shown. If the number of messages in the current folder is less than _p_a_g_e_r___i_n_d_e_x___l_i_n_e_s, then the index will only use as many lines as it needs. 66..33..8811.. ppaaggeerr__ssttoopp Type: boolean Default: unset When set, the internal-pager will nnoott move to the next message when you are at the end of a message and invoke the _n_e_x_t_-_p_a_g_e function. 66..33..8822.. ppggpp__aauuttooeennccrryypptt Type: boolean Default: unset Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to PGP/MIME encrypt outgoing messages. This is probably only useful in connection to the _s_e_n_d_-_h_o_o_k command. It can be overridden by use of the _p_g_p_- _m_e_n_u, when encryption is not required or signing is requested as well. 66..33..8833.. ppggpp__aauuttoossiiggnn Type: boolean Default: unset Setting this variable will cause Mutt to always attempt to PGP/MIME sign outgoing messages. This can be overridden by use of the _p_g_p_- _m_e_n_u, when signing is not required or encryption is requested as well. 66..33..8844.. ppggpp__ddeeffaauulltt__vveerrssiioonn Type: string Default: pgp2 (or pgp5, if PGP 2.* is not installed, or gpg, if none of them is installed) Set this to pgp2 (PGP 2.*), pgp5 (PGP 5.*), or gpg (GNU privacy guard), depending on the version that you primarily use. This variable is not directly used, but it is the default for the variables ``$pgp_receive_version'', ``$pgp_send_version'', and ``$pgp_key_version''. 66..33..8855.. ppggpp__eennccrryyppttsseellff Type: boolean Default: set If set, the PGP _+_e_n_c_r_y_p_t_t_o_s_e_l_f flag is used when encrypting messages. 66..33..8866.. ppggpp__ggppgg Type: string Default: system dependent This variable allows you to override the compile time definition of where the gpg (GNU Privacy Guard) binary resides on your system. 66..33..8877.. ppggpp__kkeeyy__vveerrssiioonn Type: string Default: ``default'' This variable determines which PGP version is used for key ring operations like extracting keys from messages and extracting keys from your keyring. If you set this to default, the default defined in ``$pgp_default_version'' is used. Set this to pgp2 (PGP 2.*), pgp5 (PGP 5.*), or gpg (GNU privacy guard) if you want to use a different PGP version for key operations. 66..33..8888.. ppggpp__lloonngg__iiddss Type: boolean Default: unset If set, use 64 bit PGP key IDs. Unset uses the normal 32 bit Key IDs. 66..33..8899.. ppggpp__rreecceeiivvee__vveerrssiioonn Type: string Default: ``default'' This variable determines which PGP version is used for decrypting messages and verifying signatures. If you set this to default, the default defined in ``$pgp_default_version'' will be used. Set this to pgp2 (PGP 2.*), pgp5 (PGP 5.*), or gpg (GNU privacy guard) if you want to use a different PGP version for receiving operations. 66..33..9900.. ppggpp__rreeppllyyeennccrryypptt Type: boolean Default: unset If set, automatically PGP encrypt replies to messages which are encrypted. 66..33..9911.. ppggpp__rreeppllyyssiiggnn Type: boolean Default: unset If set, automatically PGP sign replies to messages which are signed. NNoottee:: this does not work on messages, that are encrypted aanndd signed! 66..33..9922.. ppggpp__sseenndd__vveerrssiioonn Type: string Default: ``default'' This variable determines which PGP version is used for composing new messages like encrypting and signing. If you set this to default, the default defined in ``$pgp_default_version'' will be used. Set this to pgp2 (PGP 2.*), pgp5 (PGP 5.*), or gpg (GNU privacy guard) if you want to use a different PGP version for sending operations. 66..33..9933.. ppggpp__ssiiggnn__aass Type: string Default: unset If you have more than one key pair, this option allows you to specify which of your private keys to use. It is recommended that you use the keyid form to specify your key (e.g., ``0xABCDEFGH''). 66..33..9944.. ppggpp__ssiiggnn__mmiiccaallgg Type: string Default: pgp-md5 This variable contains the default message integrity check algorithm. Valid values are ``pgp-md5'', ``pgp-sha1'', and ``pgp-rmd160''. If you select a signing key using the sign as option on the compose menu, mutt will automagically figure out the correct value to insert here, but it does not know about the user's default key. So if you are using an RSA key for signing, set this variable to ``pgp-md5'', if you use a PGP 5 DSS key for signing, say ``pgp-sha1'' here. The value of this variable will show up in the micalg parameter of MIME headers when creating RFC 2015 signatures. 66..33..9955.. ppggpp__ssttrriicctt__eenncc Type: boolean Default: set If set, Mutt will automatically encode PGP/MIME signed messages as _q_u_o_t_e_d_-_p_r_i_n_t_a_b_l_e. Please note that unsetting this variable may lead to problems with non-verifyable PGP signatures, so only change this if you know what you are doing. 66..33..9966.. ppggpp__ttiimmeeoouutt Type: number Default: 300 The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will expire if not used. 66..33..9977.. ppggpp__vv22 Type: string Default: system dependent This variable allows you to override the compile time definition of where the PGP 2.* binary resides on your system. 66..33..9988.. ppggpp__vv22__llaanngguuaaggee Type: string Default: en Sets the language, which PGP 2.* should use. If you use language.txt from the mutt doc directory, you can try the languages "mutt" (English) or "muttde" (German) to reduce the noise produced by pgp. 66..33..9999.. ppggpp__vv22__ppuubbrriinngg Type: string Default: $PGPPATH/pubring.pgp or ~/.pgp/pubring.pgp if $PGPPATH isn't set. Points to the PGP 2.* public keyring. 66..33..110000.. ppggpp__vv22__sseeccrriinngg Type: string Default: $PGPPATH/secring.pgp or ~/.pgp/secring.pgp if $PGPPATH isn't set. Points to the PGP 2.* secret keyring. 66..33..110011.. ppggpp__vv55 Type: string Default: system dependent This variable allows you to override the compile time definition of where the PGP 5.* binary resides on your system. 66..33..110022.. ppggpp__vv55__llaanngguuaaggee Type: string Default: en Sets the language, which PGP 5.* should use. If you use language50.txt from the mutt doc directory, you can try the languages "mutt" (English) to reduce the noise produced by pgp. 66..33..110033.. ppggpp__vv55__ppuubbrriinngg Type: string Default: $PGPPATH/pubring.pkr or ~/.pgp/pubring.pkr if $PGPPATH isn't set. Points to the PGP 5.* public keyring. 66..33..110044.. ppggpp__vv55__sseeccrriinngg Type: string Default: $PGPPATH/secring.skr or ~/.pgp/secring.skr if $PGPPATH isn't set. Points to the PGP 5.* secret keyring. 66..33..110055.. ppiippee__ddeeccooddee Type: boolean Default: unset Used in connection with the _p_i_p_e_-_m_e_s_s_a_g_e command. When unset, Mutt will pipe the messages without any preprocessing. When set, Mutt will weed headers and will attempt to PGP/MIME decode the messages first. 66..33..110066.. ppiippee__sseepp Type: string Default: newline The separator to add between messages when piping a list of tagged messages to an external Unix command. 66..33..110077.. ppiippee__sspplliitt Type: boolean Default: unset Used in connection with the _p_i_p_e_-_m_e_s_s_a_g_e command and the ``tag- prefix'' operator. If this variable is unset, when piping a list of tagged messages Mutt will concatenate the messages and will pipe them as a single folder. When set, Mutt will pipe the messages one by one. In both cases the the messages are piped in the current sorted order, and the ``$pipe_sep'' separator is added after each message. 66..33..110088.. ppoopp__ddeelleettee Type: boolean Default: unset If set, Mutt will delete successfully downloaded messages from the POP server when using the fetch-mail function. When unset, Mutt will download messages but also leave them on the POP server. 66..33..110099.. ppoopp__hhoosstt Type: string Default: none The name or address of your POP3 server. 66..33..111100.. ppoopp__llaasstt Type: boolean Default: unset If this variable is set, mutt will try to use the "LAST" POP command for retrieving only unread messages from the POP server. 66..33..111111.. ppoopp__ppaassss Type: string Default: unset Specifies the password for your POP account. If unset, Mutt will prompt you for your password when you invoke the fetch-mail function. WWaarrnniinngg: you should only use this option when you are on a fairly secure machine, because the superuser can read your muttrc even if you are the only one who can read the file. 66..33..111122.. ppoopp__ppoorrtt Type: number Default: 110 This variable specifies which port your POP server is listening on. 66..33..111133.. ppoopp__uusseerr Type: string Default: login name on local system Your login name on the POP3 server. 66..33..111144.. ppoosstt__iinnddeenntt__ssttrriinngg Type: format string Default: none Similar to the ``$attribution'' variable, Mutt will append this string after the inclusion of a message which is being replied to. 66..33..111155.. ppoossttppoonnee Type: quadoption Default: ask-yes Controls whether or not messages are saved in the ``$postponed'' mailbox when you elect not to send immediately. 66..33..111166.. ppoossttppoonneedd Type: string Default: ~/postponed Mutt allows you to indefinitely ``postpone sending a message'' which you are editing. When you choose to postpone a message, Mutt saves it in the folder specified by this variable. Also see the ``$postpone'' variable. 66..33..111177.. pprriinntt Type: quadoption Default: ask-no Controls whether or not Mutt asks for confirmation before printing. This is useful for people (like me) who accidentally hit ``p'' often. 66..33..111188.. pprriinntt__ccoommmmaanndd Type: string Default: lpr This specifies the command pipe that should be used to print messages. 66..33..111199.. pprroommpptt__aafftteerr Type: boolean Default: set If you use an _e_x_t_e_r_n_a_l ``pager'', setting this variable will cause Mutt to prompt you for a command when the pager exits rather than returning to the index menu. If unset, Mutt will return to the index menu when the external pager exits. 66..33..112200.. qquueerryy__ccoommmmaanndd Type: string Default: null This specifies the command that mutt will use to make external address queries. The string should contain a %s, which will be substituted with the query string the user types. See ``query'' for more information. 66..33..112211.. qquuiitt Type: quadoption Default: yes This variable controls whether ``quit'' and ``exit'' actually quit from mutt. If it set to yes, they do quit, if it is set to no, they have no effect, and if it is set to ask-yes or ask-no, you are prompted for confirmation when you try to quit. 66..33..112222.. qquuoottee__rreeggeexxpp Type: string Default: "^([ \t]*[>|#:}])+" A regular expression used in the internal-pager to determine quoted sections of text in the body of a message. NNoottee:: In order to use the _q_u_o_t_e_dxx patterns in the internal pager, you need to set this to a regular expression that matches _e_x_a_c_t_l_y the quote characters at the beginning of quoted lines. 66..33..112233.. rreeaadd__iinncc Type: number Default: 10 If set to a value greater than 0, Mutt will display which message it is currently on when reading a mailbox. The message is printed after _r_e_a_d___i_n_c messages have been read (e.g., if set to 25, Mutt will print a message when it reads message 25, and then again when it gets to message 50). This variable is meant to indicate progress when reading large mailboxes which may take some time. When set to 0, only a single message will appear before the reading the mailbox. Also see the ``$write_inc'' variable. 66..33..112244.. rreeaadd__oonnllyy Type: boolean Default: unset If set, all folders are opened in read-only mode. 66..33..112255.. rreeaallnnaammee Type: string Default: GCOS field from /etc/passwd This variable specifies what "real" or "personal" name should be used when sending messages. 66..33..112266.. rreeccaallll Type: quadoption Default: ask-yes Controls whether or not you are prompted to recall postponed messages when composing a new message. Also see ``postponed'' 66..33..112277.. rreeccoorrdd Type: string Default: none This specifies the file into which your outgoing messages should be appended. (This is meant as the primary method for saving a copy of your messages, but another way to do this is using the ``my_hdr'' command to create a _B_c_c_: field with your email address in it.) The value of _$_r_e_c_o_r_d is overridden by the ``$force_name'' and ``$save_name'' variables, and the ``fcc-hook'' command. 66..33..112288.. rreeppllyy__rreeggeexxpp Type: string Default: "^(re|aw):[ \t]*" A regular expression used to recognize reply messages when threading and replying. The default value corresponds to the English "Re:" and the German "Aw:". 66..33..112299.. rreeppllyy__sseellff Type: boolean Default: unset If unset and you are replying to a message sent by you, Mutt will assume that you want to reply to the recipients of that message rather than to yourself. 66..33..113300.. rreeppllyy__ttoo Type: quadoption Default: ask-yes If set, Mutt will ask you if you want to use the address listed in the Reply-To: header field when replying to a message. If you answer no, it will use the address in the From: header field instead. This option is useful for reading a mailing list that sets the Reply-To: header field to the list address and you want to send a private message to the author of a message. 66..33..113311.. rreessoollvvee Type: boolean Default: set When set, the cursor will be automatically advanced to the next (possibly undeleted) message whenever a command that modifies the current message is executed. 66..33..113322.. rreevveerrssee__aalliiaass Type: boolean Default: unset This variable controls whether or not Mutt will display the "personal" name from your aliases in the index menu if it finds an alias that matches the message's sender. For example, if you have the following alias: alias juser abd30425@somewhere.net (Joe User) and then you receive mail which contains the following header: From: abd30425@somewhere.net It would be displayed in the index menu as ``Joe User'' instead of ``abd30425@somewhere.net.'' This is useful when the person's e-mail address is not human friendly (like Compu$erve addresses). 66..33..113333.. rreevveerrssee__nnaammee Type: boolean Default: unset It may sometimes arrive that you receive mail to a certain machine, move the messages to another machine, and reply to some the messages from there. If this variable is set, the default _F_r_o_m_: line of the reply messages is built using the address where you received the messages you are replying to. If the variable is unset, the _F_r_o_m_: line will use your address on the current machine. 66..33..113344.. ssaavvee__aaddddrreessss Type: boolean Default: unset If set, mutt will take the sender's full address when choosing a default folder for saving a mail. If ``save_name'' or ``force_name'' is set too, the selection of the fcc folder will be changed as well. 66..33..113355.. ssaavvee__eemmppttyy Type: boolean Default: set When unset, mailboxes which contain no saved messages will be removed when closed (the exception is ``spoolfile'' which is never removed). If set, mailboxes are never removed. NNoottee:: This only applies to mbox and MMDF folders, Mutt does not delete MH and Maildir directories. 66..33..113366.. ssaavvee__nnaammee Type: boolean Default: unset This variable controls how copies of outgoing messages are saved. When set, a check is made to see if a mailbox specified by the recipient address exists (this is done by searching for a mailbox in the ``folder'' directory with the _u_s_e_r_n_a_m_e part of the recipient address). If the mailbox exists, the outgoing message will be saved to that mailbox, otherwise the message is saved to the ``record'' mailbox. Also see the ``$force_name'' variable. 66..33..113377.. sseennddmmaaiill Type: string Default: /usr/lib/sendmail -oi -oem Specifies the program and arguments used to deliver mail sent by Mutt. Mutt expects that the specified program interprets additional arguments as recipient addresses. 66..33..113388.. sseennddmmaaiill__wwaaiitt Type: number Default: 0 Specifies the number of seconds to wait for the ``sendmail'' process to finish before giving up and putting delivery in the background. Mutt interprets the value of this variable as follows: >0 number of seconds to wait for sendmail to finish before continuing 0 wait forever for sendmail to finish <0 always put sendmail in the background without waiting Note that if you specify a value other than 0, the output of the child process will be put in a temporary file. If there is some error, you will be informed as to where to find the output. 66..33..113399.. sshheellll Type: string Default: retrieved from passwd file Command to use when spawning a subshell. 66..33..114400.. ssiigg__ddaasshheess Type: boolean Default: set If set, a line containing ``-- '' will be inserted before your ``signature''. It is ssttrroonnggllyy recommended that you not unset this variable unless your ``signature'' contains just your name. The reason for this is because many software packages use ``-- \n'' to detect your signature. For example, Mutt has the ability to highlight the signature in a different color in the builtin pager. 66..33..114411.. ssiiggnnaattuurree Type: string Default: ~/.signature Specifies the filename of your signature, which is appended to all outgoing messages. If the filename ends with a pipe (``|''), it is assumed that filename is a shell command and input should be read from its stdout. 66..33..114422.. ssiimmppllee__sseeaarrcchh Type: string Default: "~f %s | ~s %s" Specifies how Mutt should expand a simple search into a real search pattern. A simple search is one that does not contain any of the ~ operators. See ``patterns'' for more information on search patterns. For example, if you simply type joe at a search or limit prompt, Mutt will automatically expand it to the value specified by this variable. For the default value it would be: ~f joe | ~s joe 66..33..114433.. ssmmaarrtt__wwrraapp Type: boolean Default: set Controls the display of lines longer then the screen width in the internal pager. If set, long lines are wrapped at a word boundary. If unset, lines are simply wrapped at the screen edge. Also see the ``$markers'' variable. 66..33..114444.. ssmmiilleeyyss Type: string Default: (>From)|(:[-^]?[][)(><}{|/DP]) The _p_a_g_e_r uses this variable to catch some common false positives of ``quote_regexp'', most notably smileys in the beginning of a line 66..33..114455.. ssoorrtt Type: string Default: date-sent Specifies how to sort messages in the _i_n_d_e_x menu. Valid values are · date or date-sent · date-received · from · mailbox-order (unsorted) · score · size · subject · threads · to You may optionally use the reverse- prefix to specify reverse sorting order (example: set sort=reverse-date-sent). 66..33..114466.. ssoorrtt__aalliiaass Type: string Default: alias Specifies how the entries in the `alias' menu are sorted. The following are legal values: · address (sort alphabetically by email address) · alias (sort alphabetically by alias name) · unsorted (leave in order specified in .muttrc) 66..33..114477.. ssoorrtt__aauuxx Type: string Default: date-sent When sorting by threads, this variable controls how threads are sorted in relation to other threads, and how the branches of the thread trees are sorted. This can be set to any value that ``sort'' can, except threads (in that case, mutt will just use date-sent). You can also specify the last- prefix in addition to the reverse- prefix, but last- must come after reverse-. The last- prefix causes messages to be sorted against its siblings by which has the last descendant, using the rest of sort_aux as an ordering. For instance, set sort_aux=last- date-received would mean that if a new message is received in a thread, that thread becomes the last one displayed (or the first, if you have set sort=reverse-threads.) 66..33..114488.. ssoorrtt__bbrroowwsseerr Type: string Specifies how to sort entries in the file browser. By default, the entries are sorted alphabetically. Valid values: · alpha (alphabetically) · date · size · unsorted You may optionally use the reverse- prefix to specify reverse sorting order (example: set sort_browser=reverse-date). 66..33..114499.. ssppoooollffiillee Type: string Default: most likely /var/mail/$USER or /usr/spool/mail/$USER If your spool mailbox is in a non-default place where Mutt cannot find it, you can specify its location with this variable. Mutt will automatically set this variable to the value of the environment variable $MAIL if it is not set. 66..33..115500.. ssoorrtt__rree Type: boolean Default: set This variable is only useful when sorting by threads with ``strict_threads'' unset. In that case, it changes the heuristic mutt uses to thread messages by subject. With sort_re set, mutt will only attach a message as the child of another message by subject if the subject of the child message starts with a substring matching the setting of ``reply_regexp''. With sort_re unset, mutt will attach the message whether or not this is the case, as long as the non-``reply_regexp'' parts of both messages are identical. 66..33..115511.. ssttaattuuss__cchhaarrss Type: string Default: "-*%A" Controls the characters used by the "%r" indicator in ``status_format''. The first character is used when the mailbox is unchanged. The second is used when the mailbox has been changed, and it needs to be resynchronized. The third is used if the mailbox is in read-only mode, or if the mailbox will not be written when exiting that mailbox (You can toggle whether to write changes to a mailbox with the toggle-write operation, bound by default to "%"). The fourth is used to indicate that the current folder has been opened in attach- message mode (Certain operations like composing a new mail, replying, forwarding, etc. are not permitted in this mode). 66..33..115522.. ssttaattuuss__ffoorrmmaatt Type: string Default: "-%r-Mutt: %f [Msgs:%?M?%M/?%m%?n? New:%n?%?o? Old:%o?%?d? Del:%d?%?F? Flag:%F?%?t? Tag:%t?%?p? Post:%p?%?b? Inc:%b? %?l? %l?]---(%s/%S)-%>-(%P)---" Controls the format of the status line displayed in the _i_n_d_e_x menu. This string is similar to ``$index_format'', but has its own set of printf()-like sequences: %b number of mailboxes with new mail * %d number of deleted messages * %h local hostname %f the full pathname of the current mailbox %F number of flagged messages * %l size (in bytes) of the current mailbox * %L size (in bytes) of the messages shown (i.e., which match the current limit) * %m the number of messages in the mailbox * %M the number of messages shown (i.e., which match the current limit) * %n number of new messages in the mailbox * %o number of old unread messages %p number of postponed messages * %P percentage of the way through the index %r modified/read-only/won't-write/attach-message indicator, according to $status_chars %s current sorting mode ($sort) %S current aux sorting method ($sort_aux) %t number of tagged messages * %u number of unread messages * %v Mutt version string %V currently active limit pattern, if any * %>X right justify the rest of the string and pad with "X" %|X pad to the end of the line with "X" * = can be optionally printed if nonzero Some of the above sequences can be used to optionally print a string if their value is nonzero. For example, you may only want to see the number of flagged messages if such messages exist, since zero is not particularly meaningful. To optionally print a string based upon one of the above sequences, the following construct is used %??? where _s_e_q_u_e_n_c_e___c_h_a_r is a character from the table above, and _o_p_t_i_o_n_a_l___s_t_r_i_n_g is the string you would like printed if _s_t_a_t_u_s___c_h_a_r is nonzero. _o_p_t_i_o_n_a_l___s_t_r_i_n_g mmaayy contain other sequence as well as normal text, but you may nnoott nest optional strings. Here is an example illustrating how to optionally print the number of new messages in a mailbox: %?n?%n new messages.? Additionally you can switch between two strings, the first one, if a value is zero, the second one, if the value is nonzero, by using the following construct: %??&? 66..33..115533.. ssttaattuuss__oonn__ttoopp Type: boolean Default: unset Setting this variable causes the ``status bar'' to be displayed on the first line of the screen rather than near the bottom. 66..33..115544.. ssttrriicctt__tthhrreeaaddss Type: boolean Default: unset If set, threading will only make use of the ``In-Reply-To'' and ``References'' fields when ``sorting'' by message threads. By default, messages with the same subject are grouped together in ``pseudo threads.'' This may not always be desirable, such as in a personal mailbox where you might have several unrelated messages with the subject ``hi'' which will get grouped together. 66..33..115555.. ssuussppeenndd Type: boolean Default: set When _u_n_s_e_t, mutt won't stop when the user presses the terminal's _s_u_s_p key, usually ``control-Z''. This is useful if you run mutt inside an xterm using a command like xterm -e mutt. 66..33..115566.. tthhoorroouugghh__sseeaarrcchh Type: boolean Default: unset Affects the _~_b and _~_h search operations described in section ``patterns'' above. If set, the headers and attachments of messages to be searched are decoded before searching. If unset, messages are searched as they appear in the folder. 66..33..115577.. ttiillddee Type: boolean Default: unset When set, the internal-pager will pad blank lines to the bottom of the screen with a tilde (~). 66..33..115588.. ttiimmeeoouutt Type: number Default: 600 This variable controls the _n_u_m_b_e_r _o_f _s_e_c_o_n_d_s Mutt will wait for a key to be pressed in the main menu before timing out and checking for new mail. A value of zero or less will cause Mutt not to ever time out. 66..33..115599.. ttmmppddiirr Type: string Default: /tmp This variable allows you to specify where Mutt will place its temporary files needed for displaying and composing messages. 66..33..116600.. ttoo__cchhaarrss Type: string Default: " +TCF" Controls the character used to indicate mail addressed to you. The first character is the one used when the mail is NOT addressed to your address (default: space). The second is used when you are the only recipient of the message (default: +). The third is when your address appears in the TO header field, but you are not the only recipient of the message (default: T). The fourth character is used when your address is specified in the CC header field, but you are not the only recipient. The fifth character is used to indicate mail that was sent by _y_o_u. 66..33..116611.. uunnccoollllaappssee__jjuummpp Type: boolean Default: unset When _s_e_t, Mutt will jump to the next unread message, if any, when the current thread is _u_ncollapsed. 66..33..116622.. uussee__88bbiittmmiimmee Type: boolean Default: unset WWaarrnniinngg:: do not set this variable unless you are using a version of sendmail which supports the -B8BITMIME flag (such as sendmail 8.8.x) or you may not be able to send mail. When _s_e_t, Mutt will invoke ``$sendmail'' with the -B8BITMIME flag when sending 8-bit messages to enable ESMTP negotiation. 66..33..116633.. uussee__ddoommaaiinn Type: boolean Default: set When set, Mutt will qualify all local addresses (ones without the @host portion) with the value of ``$hostname''. If _u_n_s_e_t, no addresses will be qualified. 66..33..116644.. uussee__ffrroomm Type: boolean Default: set When _s_e_t, Mutt will generate the `From:' header field when sending messages. If _u_n_s_e_t, no `From:' header field will be generated unless the user explicitly sets one using the ``my_hdr'' command. 66..33..116655.. ppggpp__vveerriiffyy__ssiigg Type: quad-option Default: yes If ``yes'', always attempt to verify PGP/MIME signatures. If ``ask'', ask whether or not to verify the signature. If ``no'', never attempt to verify PGP/MIME signatures. 66..33..116666.. vviissuuaall Type: string Default: $VISUAL Specifies the visual editor to invoke when the _~_v command is given in the builtin editor. 66..33..116677.. wwaaiitt__kkeeyy Type: boolean Default: set Controls whether Mutt will ask you to press a key after _s_h_e_l_l_-_e_s_c_a_p_e, _p_i_p_e_-_m_e_s_s_a_g_e, _p_i_p_e_-_e_n_t_r_y, _p_r_i_n_t_-_m_e_s_s_a_g_e, and _p_r_i_n_t_-_e_n_t_r_y commands. It is also used when viewing attachments with ``autoview'', provided that the corresponding mailcap entry has a _n_e_e_d_s_t_e_r_m_i_n_a_l flag, and the external program is interactive. When set, Mutt will always ask for a key. When unset, Mutt will wait for a key only if the external command returned a non-zero status. 66..33..116688.. wwrraapp__sseeaarrcchh Type: boolean Default: set Controls whether searches wrap around the end of the mailbox. When set, searches will wrap around the first (or last) message. When unset, searches will not wrap. 66..33..116699.. wwrriittee__iinncc Type: number Default: 10 When writing a mailbox, a message will be printed every _w_r_i_t_e___i_n_c messages to indicate progress. If set to 0, only a single message will be displayed before writing a mailbox. Also see the ``$read_inc'' variable. 66..33..117700.. wwrriittee__bbcccc Type: boolean Default: set Controls whether mutt writes out the Bcc header when preparing messages to be sent. Exim users may wish to use this. 66..44.. FFuunnccttiioonnss The following is the list of available functions listed by the mapping in which they are available. The default key setting is given, and an explanation of what the function does. The key bindings of these functions can be changed with the ``bind'' command. 66..44..11.. ggeenneerriicc The _g_e_n_e_r_i_c menu is not a real menu, but specifies common functions (such as movement) available in all menus except for _p_a_g_e_r and _e_d_i_t_o_r. Changing settings for this menu will affect the default bindings for all menus (except as noted). bottom-page L move to the bottom of the page current-bottom not bound move current entry to bottom of page current-middle not bound move current entry to middle of page current-top not bound move current entry to top of page enter-command : enter a muttrc command exit q exit this menu first-entry = move to the first entry half-down ] scroll down 1/2 page half-up [ scroll up 1/2 page help ? this screen jump number jump to an index number last-entry * move to the last entry middle-page M move to the middle of the page next-entry j move to the next entry next-line > scroll down one line next-page z move to the next page previous-entry k move to the previous entry previous-line < scroll up one line previous-page Z move to the previous page refresh ^L clear and redraw the screen search / search for a regular expression search-next n search for next match search-opposite not bound search for next match in opposite direction search-reverse ESC / search backwards for a regular expression select-entry RET select the current entry shell-escape ! run a program in a subshell tag-entry t toggle the tag on the current entry tag-prefix ; apply next command to tagged entries top-page H move to the top of the page 66..44..22.. iinnddeexx bounce-message b remail a message to another user change-folder c open a different folder change-folder-readonly ESC c open a different folder in read only mode clear-flag W clear a status flag from a message copy-message C copy a message to a file/mailbox create-alias a create an alias from a message sender decode-copy ESC C decode a message and copy it to a file/mailbox decode-save ESC s decode a message and save it to a file/mailbox delete-message d delete the current entry delete-pattern D delete messages matching a pattern delete-subthread ESC d delete all messages in subthread delete-thread ^D delete all messages in thread display-address @ display full address of sender display-headers h display message with full headers display-message RET display a message edit e edit the current message exit x exit without saving changes extract-keys ^K extract PGP public keys fetch-mail G retrieve mail from POP server flag-message F toggle a message's 'important' flag forget-passphrase ^F wipe PGP passphrase from memory forward-message f forward a message with comments group-reply g reply to all recipients limit l show only messages matching a pattern list-reply L reply to specified mailing list mail m compose a new mail message mail-key ESC k mail a PGP public key next-new TAB jump to the next new message next-subthread ESC n jump to the next subthread next-thread ^N jump to the next thread next-undeleted j move to the next undeleted message next-unread not bound jump to the next unread message pipe-message | pipe message/attachment to a shell command previous-new ESC TAB jump to the previous new message previous-page Z move to the previous page previous-subthread ESC p jump to previous subthread previous-thread ^P jump to previous thread previous-undeleted k move to the last undelete message previous-unread not bound jump to the previous unread message print-message p print the current entry query Q query external program for addresses quit q save changes to mailbox and quit read-subthread ESC r mark the current subthread as read read-thread ^R mark the current thread as read recall-message R recall a postponed message reply r reply to a message save-message s save message/attachment to a file set-flag w set a status flag on a message show-version V show the Mutt version number and date show-limit ESC l show currently active limit pattern, if any sort-mailbox o sort messages sort-reverse O sort messages in reverse order sync-mailbox $ save changes to mailbox tag-pattern T tag messages matching a pattern tag-thread ESC t tag/untag all messages in the current thread toggle-new N toggle a message's 'new' flag toggle-write % toggle whether the mailbox will be rewritten undelete-message u undelete the current entry undelete-pattern U undelete messages matching a pattern undelete-subthread ESC u undelete all messages in subthread undelete-thread ^U undelete all messages in thread untag-pattern ^T untag messages matching a pattern view-attachments v show MIME attachments 66..44..33.. ppaaggeerr bottom $ jump to the bottom of the message bounce-message b remail a message to another user change-folder c open a different folder change-folder-readonly ESC c open a different folder in read only mode copy-message C copy a message to a file/mailbox create-alias a create an alias from a message sender decode-copy ESC C decode a message and copy it to a file/mailbox decode-save ESC s decode a message and save it to a file/mailbox delete-message d delete the current entry delete-subthread ESC d delete all messages in subthread delete-thread ^D delete all messages in thread display-address @ display full address of sender display-headers h display message with full headers edit e edit the current message enter-command : enter a muttrc command exit i return to the main-menu extract-keys ^K extract PGP public keys flag-message F toggle a message's 'important' flag forget-passphrase ^F wipe PGP passphrase from memory forward-message f forward a message with comments group-reply g reply to all recipients half-up not bound move up one-half page half-down not bound move down one-half page help ? this screen list-reply L reply to specified mailing list mail m compose a new mail message mail-key ESC k mail a PGP public key mark-as-new N toggle a message's 'new' flag next-line RET scroll down one line next-entry J move to the next entry next-new TAB jump to the next new message next-page move to the next page next-subthread ESC n jump to the next subthread next-thread ^N jump to the next thread next-undeleted j move to the next undeleted message next-unread not bound jump to the next unread message pipe-message | pipe message/attachment to a shell command previous-line BackSpace scroll up one line previous-entry K move to the previous entry previous-new not bound jump to the previous new message previous-page - move to the previous page previous-subthread ESC p jump to previous subthread previous-thread ^P jump to previous thread previous-undeleted k move to the last undelete message previous-unread not bound jump to the previous unread message print-message p print the current entry quit Q save changes to mailbox and quit read-subthread ESC r mark the current subthread as read read-thread ^R mark the current thread as read recall-message R recall a postponed message redraw-screen ^L clear and redraw the screen reply r reply to a message save-message s save message/attachment to a file search / search for a regular expression search-next n search for next match search-opposite not bound search for next match in opposite direction search-reverse ESC / search backwards for a regular expression search-toggle \ toggle search pattern coloring shell-escape ! invoke a command in a subshell show-version V show the Mutt version number and date skip-quoted S skip beyond quoted text tag-message t tag a message toggle-quoted T toggle display of quoted text top ^ jump to the top of the message undelete-message u undelete the current entry undelete-subthread ESC u undelete all messages in subthread undelete-thread ^U undelete all messages in thread view-attachments v show MIME attachments 66..44..44.. aalliiaass search / search for a regular expression search-next n search for next match search-reverse ESC / search backwards for a regular expression 66..44..55.. qquueerryy create-alias a create an alias from a message sender mail m compose a new mail message query Q query external program for addresses query-append A append new query results to current results search / search for a regular expression search-next n search for next match search-opposite not bound search for next match in opposite direction search-reverse ESC / search backwards for a regular expression 66..44..66.. aattttaacchh bounce-message b remail a message to another user decode-copy ESC C decode a message and copy it to a file/mailbox decode-save ESC s decode a message and save it to a file/mailbox delete-entry d delete the current entry display-headers h display message with full headers extract-keys ^K extract PGP public keys forward-message f forward a message with comments group-reply g reply to all recipients list-reply L reply to specified mailing list pipe-entry | pipe message/attachment to a shell command print-entry p print the current entry reply r reply to a message save-entry s save message/attachment to a file undelete-entry u undelete the current entry view-attach RET view attachment using mailcap entry if necessary view-mailcap m force viewing of attachment using mailcap view-text T view attachment as text 66..44..77.. ccoommppoossee attach-file a attach a file(s) to this message attach-message A attach message(s) to this message attach-key ESC k attach a PGP public key copy-file C save message/attachment to a file detach-file D delete the current entry display-headers h display message with full headers edit-bcc b edit the BCC list edit-cc c edit the CC list edit-description d edit attachment description edit-encoding ^E edit attachment trasfer-encoding edit-fcc f enter a file to save a copy of this message in edit-from ESC f edit the from: field edit-file ^X e edit the file to be attached edit-headers E edit the message with headers edit-message e edit the message edit-mime m edit attachment using mailcap entry edit-reply-to r edit the Reply-To field edit-subject s edit the subject of this message edit-to t edit the TO list edit-type ^T edit attachment type filter-entry F filter attachment through a shell command forget-passphrase ^F wipe PGP passphrase from memory ispell i run ispell on the message new-mime n compose new attachment using mailcap entry pgp-menu p show PGP options pipe-entry | pipe message/attachment to a shell command postpone-message P save this message to send later print-entry l print the current entry rename-file R rename/move an attached file send-message y send the message toggle-unlink u toggle whether to delete file after sending it view-attach RET view attachment using mailcap entry if necessary write-fcc w write the message to a folder 66..44..88.. ppoossttppoonnee delete-entry d delete the current entry undelete-entry u undelete the current entry 66..44..99.. bbrroowwsseerr change-dir c change directories check-new TAB check mailboxes for new mail enter-mask m enter a file mask search / search for a regular expression search-next n search for next match search-reverse ESC / search backwards for a regular expression select-new N select a new file in this directory sort o sort messages sort-reverse O sort messages in reverse order 66..44..1100.. ppggpp view-name % view the key's user id verify-key c verify a PGP public key 66..44..1111.. eeddiittoorr backspace BackSpace delete the char in front of the cursor backward-char ^B move the cursor one character to the left bol ^A jump to the beginning of the line buffy-cycle Space cycle among incoming mailboxes complete TAB complete filename or alias complete-query ^T complete address with query delete-char ^D delete the char under the cursor eol ^E jump to the end of the line forward-char ^F move the cursor one character to the right history-down not bound scroll up through the history list history-up not bound scroll up through the history list kill-eol ^K delete chars from cursor to end of line kill-line ^U delete all chars on the line kill-word ^W delete the word in front of the cursor quote-char ^V quote the next typed key 77.. MMiisscceellllaannyy 77..11.. AAcckknnoowwlleeddggeemmeennttss Kari Hurtta co-developed the original MIME parsing code back in the ELM-ME days. The following people have been very helpful to the development of Mutt: Vikas Agnihotri , Francois Berjon , Aric Blumer , John Capo , Liviu Daia , David DeSimone , Nickolay N. Dudorov , Michael Finken , Sven Guckes , Mark Holloman , Andreas Holzmann , Byrial Jensen , David Jeske , Christophe Kalt , Felix von Leitner (a.k.a ``Fefe'') , Brandon Long , Jimmy Mäkelä , Lars Marowsky-Bree , Thomas ``Mike'' Michlmayr , David O'Brien , Clint Olsen , Park Myeong Seok , Thomas Parmelan , Ollivier Robert , Roland Rosenfeld , Allain Thivillon , Gero Treuner , Ken Weinert 77..22.. AAbboouutt tthhiiss ddooccuummeenntt This document was written in SGML, and then rendered using the sgml- tools package.