@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
@c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
@node Sending Mail, Rmail, Picture, Top
@chapter Sending Mail
@cindex mail
@cindex message

  To send a message in Emacs, you start by typing a command (@kbd{C-x m})
to select and initialize the @samp{*mail*} buffer.  Then you edit the text
and headers of the message in this buffer, and type another command
(@kbd{C-c C-c}) to send the message.

@table @kbd
@item C-x m
Begin composing a message to send (@code{mail}).
@item C-x 4 m
Likewise, but display the message in another window
(@code{mail-other-window}).
@item C-x 5 m
Likewise, but make a new frame (@code{mail-other-frame}).
@item C-c C-c
In Mail mode, send the message and switch to another buffer
(@code{mail-send-and-exit}).
@end table

@kindex C-x m
@findex mail
@kindex C-x 4 m
@findex mail-other-window
@kindex C-x 5 m
@findex mail-other-frame
  The command @kbd{C-x m} (@code{mail}) selects a buffer named
@samp{*mail*} and initializes it with the skeleton of an outgoing
message.  @kbd{C-x 4 m} (@code{mail-other-window}) selects the
@samp{*mail*} buffer in a different window, leaving the previous current
buffer visible.  @kbd{C-x 5 m} (@code{mail-other-frame}) creates a new
frame to select the @samp{*mail*} buffer.

  Because the mail composition buffer is an ordinary Emacs buffer, you can
switch to other buffers while in the middle of composing mail, and switch
back later (or never).  If you use the @kbd{C-x m} command again when you
have been composing another message but have not sent it, you are asked to
confirm before the old message is erased.  If you answer @kbd{n}, the
@samp{*mail*} buffer is left selected with its old contents, so you can
finish the old message and send it.  @kbd{C-u C-x m} is another way to do
this.  Sending the message marks the @samp{*mail*} buffer ``unmodified'',
which avoids the need for confirmation when @kbd{C-x m} is next used.

  If you are composing a message in the @samp{*mail*} buffer and want to
send another message before finishing the first, rename the
@samp{*mail*} buffer using @kbd{M-x rename-uniquely} (@pxref{Misc
Buffer}).  Then you can use @kbd{C-x m} or its variants described above
to make a new @samp{*mail} buffer.  Once you've done that, you can work
with each mail buffer independently.

@menu
* Format: Mail Format.     Format of the mail being composed.
* Headers: Mail Headers.   Details of permitted mail header fields.
* Aliases: Mail Aliases.   Abbreviating and grouping mail addresses.
* Mode: Mail Mode.         Special commands for editing mail being composed.
* Spook: Distracting NSA.  How to distract the NSA's attention.
@end menu

@node Mail Format
@section The Format of the Mail Buffer

  In addition to the @dfn{text} or @dfn{body}, a message has @dfn{header
fields} which say who sent it, when, to whom, why, and so on.  Some header
fields such as the date and sender are created automatically after the
message is sent.  Others, such as the recipient names, must be specified by
you in order to send the message properly.

  Mail mode provides a few commands to help you edit some header fields,
and some are preinitialized in the buffer automatically at times.  You can
insert or edit any header fields using ordinary editing commands.

  The line in the buffer that says

@example
--text follows this line--
@end example

@vindex mail-header-separator
@noindent
is a special delimiter that separates the headers you have specified from
the text.  Whatever follows this line is the text of the message; the
headers precede it.  The delimiter line itself does not appear in the
message actually sent.  The text used for the delimiter line is controlled
by the variable @code{mail-header-separator}.

Here is an example of what the headers and text in the @samp{*mail*} buffer
might look like.

@example
To: gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu
CC: lungfish@@spam.org, byob@@spam.org
Subject: The Emacs Manual
--Text follows this line--
Please ignore this message.
@end example

@node Mail Headers
@section Mail Header Fields
@cindex headers (of mail message)

  There are several header fields you can use in the @samp{*mail*}
buffer.  Each header field starts with a field name at the beginning of
a line, terminated by a colon.  Upper and lower case are equivalent in
field names (and in mailing addresses also).  After the colon and
optional whitespace comes the contents of the field.

@table @samp
@item To
This field contains the mailing addresses to which the message is
addressed.

@item Subject
The contents of the @samp{Subject} field should be a piece of text
that says what the message is about.  The reason @samp{Subject} fields
are useful is that most mail-reading programs can provide a summary of
messages, listing the subject of each message but not its text.

@item CC
This field contains additional mailing addresses to send the message
to, but whose readers should not regard the message as addressed to
them.

@item BCC
This field contains additional mailing addresses to send the message to,
which should not appear in the header of the message actually sent.
Copies sent this way are called @dfn{blind carbon copies}.

@vindex mail-self-blind
To send a blind carbon copy of every outgoing message to yourself, set
the variable @code{mail-self-blind} to @code{t}.

@item FCC
This field contains the name of one file (in system mail file format) to
which a copy of the message should be appended when the message is
sent.  Do not output directly into an Rmail file with FCC; instead,
output to an inbox file and ``get new mail'' from that inbox file into
the Rmail file.  @xref{Rmail Inbox}.

@item From
Use the @samp{From} field to say who you are, when the account you are
using to send the mail is not your own.  The contents of the
@samp{From} field should be a valid mailing address, since replies
will normally go there.

@item Reply-to
Use this field to direct replies to a different address.  Most
mail-reading programs (including Rmail) automatically send replies to
the @samp{Reply-to} address in preference to the @samp{From} address.
By adding a @samp{Reply-to} field to your header, you can work around
any problems your @samp{From} address may cause for replies.

@vindex mail-default-reply-to
If you want to put the same @samp{Reply-to} address into every outgoing
message, set the variable @code{mail-default-reply-to} to that address
(as a string).

@item In-reply-to
This field contains a piece of text describing a message you are
replying to.  Some mail systems can use this information to correlate
related pieces of mail.  Normally this field is filled in by Rmail
when you are replying to a message in Rmail, and you never need to
think about it (@pxref{Rmail}).
@end table

@noindent
The @samp{To}, @samp{CC}, @samp{BCC} and @samp{FCC} fields can appear
any number of times, to specify many places to send the message.

@noindent
The @samp{To}, @samp{CC}, and @samp{BCC} fields can have continuation
lines.  All the lines starting with whitespace, following the line on
which the field starts, are considered part of the field.  For
example,@refill

@example
@group
To: foo@@here.net, this@@there.net,
  me@@gnu.cambridge.mass.usa.earth.spiral3281
@end group
@end example

@vindex mail-archive-file-name
  If the variable @code{mail-archive-file-name} is non-@code{nil}, it
should be a string naming a file; every time you start to edit a message
to send, the message starts out with an @samp{FCC} field specifying that
file.  Unless you remove the @samp{FCC} field before sending, the
message will be written into that file when it is sent.

@node Mail Aliases
@section Mail Aliases
@cindex mail aliases
@cindex .mailrc file
@cindex mailrc file

  You can define @dfn{mail aliases} in a file named @file{~/.mailrc}.
These are short mnemonic names stand for mail addresses or groups of
mail addresses.  Like many other mail programs, Emacs expands aliases
when they occur in the @samp{To}, @samp{CC}, and @samp{BCC} fields.

  To define an alias in @file{~/.mailrc}, write a line in the following
format:

@example
alias @var{shortaddress} @var{fulladdress}
@end example

@noindent
For instance, if you send want to use @code{maingnu} as a short form of the
address @code{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu}, put in the line:@refill

@example
alias maingnu gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu
@end example

@noindent
The file @file{~/.mailrc} is used primarily by other mail-reading
programs; it can contain various other commands.  Emacs ignores
everything in it except for alias definitions.

@findex define-mail-alias
  Another way to define a mail alias, within Emacs alone, is with the
@code{define-mail-alias} command.  It prompts for the alias and then the
full address.  You can use it to define aliases in your @file{.emacs}
file, like this:

@example
(define-mail-alias "maingnu" "gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu")
@end example

@vindex mail-aliases
  @code{define-mail-alias} records aliases by adding them to a
variable named @code{mail-aliases}.  If your are comfortable with
manipulating Lisp lists, you can set @code{mail-aliases} directly.  The
initial value of @code{mail-aliases} is @code{t}, which means that
Emacs should read @file{.mailrc} to get the proper value.

  Normally, Emacs expands aliases when you send the message.  If you
like, you can have mail aliases expand as abbrevs, as soon as you type
them in.  To enable this feature, execute the following:

@example
(add-hook 'mail-setup-hook 'mail-abbrevs-setup)
@end example

@noindent
This can go in your @file{.emacs} file.  @xref{Hooks}.

  Note that abbrevs expand only if you insert a word-separator character
afterward.  However, any mail aliases that you didn't expand in the mail
buffer are expanded subsequently when you send the message.
@xref{Abbrevs}.

@node Mail Mode
@section Mail Mode

  The major mode used in the @samp{*mail*} buffer is Mail mode, which is
much like Text mode except that various special commands are provided on
the @kbd{C-c} prefix.  These commands all have to do specifically with
editing or sending the message.

@table @kbd
@item C-c C-s
Send the message, and leave the @samp{*mail*} buffer selected
(@code{mail-send}).
@item C-c C-c
Send the message, and select some other buffer (@code{mail-send-and-exit}).
@item C-c C-f C-t
Move to the @samp{To} header field, creating one if there is none
(@code{mail-to}).
@item C-c C-f C-s
Move to the @samp{Subject} header field, creating one if there is
none (@code{mail-subject}).
@item C-c C-f C-c
Move to the @samp{CC} header field, creating one if there is none
(@code{mail-cc}).
@item C-c C-w
Insert the file @file{~/.signature} at the end of the message text
(@code{mail-signature}).
@item C-c C-y
Yank the selected message from Rmail (@code{mail-yank-original}).
This command does nothing unless your command to start sending a
message was issued with Rmail.
@item C-c C-q
Fill all paragraphs of yanked old messages, each individually
(@code{mail-fill-yanked-message}).
@end table

@kindex C-c C-s @r{(Mail mode)}
@kindex C-c C-c @r{(Mail mode)}
@findex mail-send
@findex mail-send-and-exit
  There are two ways to send the message.  @kbd{C-c C-s}
(@code{mail-send}) sends the message and marks the @samp{*mail*} buffer
unmodified, but leaves that buffer selected so that you can modify the
message (perhaps with new recipients) and send it again.  @kbd{C-c C-c}
(@code{mail-send-and-exit}) sends and then deletes the window or
switches to another buffer.  It puts the @samp{*mail*} buffer at the
lowest priority for reselection by default, since you are finished with
using it.  This is the usual way to send the message.

@kindex C-c C-f C-t @r{(Mail mode)}
@findex mail-to
@kindex C-c C-f C-s @r{(Mail mode)}
@findex mail-subject
@kindex C-c C-f C-c @r{(Mail mode)}
@findex mail-cc
  Mail mode provides some other special commands that are useful for
editing the headers and text of the message before you send it.  There are
three commands defined to move point to particular header fields, all based
on the prefix @kbd{C-c C-f} (@samp{C-f} is for ``field'').  They are
@kbd{C-c C-f C-t} (@code{mail-to}) to move to the @samp{To} field, @kbd{C-c
C-f C-s} (@code{mail-subject}) for the @samp{Subject} field, and @kbd{C-c
C-f C-c} (@code{mail-cc}) for the @samp{CC} field.  These fields have
special motion commands because they are the most common fields for the
user to want to edit.

@kindex C-c C-w @r{(Mail mode)}
@findex mail-signature
  @kbd{C-c C-w} (@code{mail-signature}) adds a standard piece text at
the end of the message to say more about who you are.  The text comes
from the file @file{.signature} in your home directory.

@vindex mail-signature
  To insert signatures automatically, set the variable
@code{mail-signature} non-@code{nil}; then starting a mail message
automatically inserts the contents of your @file{.signature} file.  If
you want to omit your signature from a particular message, delete it
from the buffer before you send the message.

@kindex C-c C-y @r{(Mail mode)}
@findex mail-yank-original
  When mail sending is invoked from the Rmail mail reader using an Rmail
command, @kbd{C-c C-y} can be used inside the @samp{*mail*} buffer to insert
the text of the message you are replying to.  Normally it indents each line
of that message four spaces and eliminates most header fields.  A numeric
argument specifies the number of spaces to indent.  An argument of just
@kbd{C-u} says not to indent at all and not to eliminate anything.
@kbd{C-c C-y} always uses the current message from the @samp{RMAIL} buffer,
so you can insert several old messages by selecting one in @samp{RMAIL},
switching to @samp{*mail*} and yanking it, then switching back to
@samp{RMAIL} to select another.@refill

@vindex mail-yank-prefix
  You can specify the text for @kbd{C-c C-y} to insert at the beginning
of each line: set @code{mail-yank-prefix} to the desired string.  (A
value of @code{nil} means to use indentation; this is the default.)
However, @kbd{C-u C-c C-y} never adds anything at the beginning of the
inserted lines, regardless of the value of @code{mail-yank-prefix}.

@kindex C-c C-q @r{(Mail mode)}
@findex mail-fill-yanked-message
  After using @kbd{C-c C-y}, you can use the command @kbd{C-c C-q}
(@code{mail-fill-yanked-message}) to fill the paragraphs of the yanked
old message or messages.  One use of @kbd{C-c C-q} fills all such
paragraphs, each one individually.

  Mail mode defines the character @samp{%} as part of a word; this is
helpful for using the word commands to edit mail addresses.

@vindex mail-mode-hook
@vindex mail-setup-hook
  Turning on Mail mode (which @kbd{C-x m} does automatically) runs the
normal hooks @code{text-mode-hook} and @code{mail-mode-hook}.
Initializing a new outgoing message runs the normal hook
@code{mail-setup-hook}; if you want to add special fields to your mail
header or make other changes to the appearance of the mail buffer, use
that hook.  @xref{Hooks}.

  The main difference between these hooks is just when they are
invoked.  Whenever you type @kbd{M-x mail}, @code{mail-mode-hook} runs
as soon as the @samp{*mail*} buffer is created.  Then the
@code{mail-setup} function puts in the default contents of the buffer.
After these default contents are inserted, @code{mail-setup-hook} runs.

@node Distracting NSA
@section Distracting the NSA

@findex spook
@cindex NSA
  @kbd{M-x spook} adds a line of randomly chosen keywords to an outgoing
mail message.  The keywords are chosen from a list of words that suggest
you are discussing something subversive.

  The idea behind this feature is that the suspicion that the NSA snoops
on all electronic mail messages that contain keywords suggesting they
might be interested.  (The NSA says they don't, but there is no way to
be certain.)  The idea is that if lots of people add suspicious words to
their messages, the NSA will get so busy with spurious input that they
will have to give up reading it all.

  Whether or not this confuses the NSA, it at least amuses people.
