<!doctype linuxdoc system>

<article>

<title>The Mutt E-Mail Client
<author>by Michael Elkins <htmlurl url="mailto:me@cs.hmc.edu" name="&lt;me@cs.hmc.edu&gt;">
<date>v0.81, 4 Aug 1997
<abstract>
``All mail clients suck.  This one just sucks less.'' -me, circa 1995
</abstract>

<sect>Command line options
<p>
Running <tt/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.

<tscreen><verb>
-a	attach a file to a message
-c	specify a carbon-copy (Cc) address
-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
</verb></tscreen>

To read messages in a mailbox

<tt/mutt/ &lsqb; -nz &rsqb; &lsqb; -F <em/muttrc/ &rsqb; &lsqb; -m <em/type/ &rsqb; &lsqb; -f <em/mailbox/ &rsqb; 

To compose a new message

<tt/mutt/ &lsqb; -n &rsqb; &lsqb; -F <em/muttrc/ &rsqb; &lsqb; -a <em/file/ &rsqb; &lsqb; -c <em/address/ &rsqb; &lsqb; -i <em/filename/ &rsqb; &lsqb; -s <em/subject/ &rsqb; <em/address/ &lsqb; <em/address/ ... &rsqb; 

Mutt also supports a ``batch'' mode to send prepared messages.  Simply redirect
input from the file you wish to send.  For example,

<tt>mutt -s &dquot;data set for run &num;2&dquot; professor@bigschool.edu
&lt; &tilde;/run2.dat</tt>

This command will send a message to ``professor@bigschool.edu'' with a subject
of ``data set for run &num;2''.  In the body of the message will be the contents
of the file ``&tilde;/run2.dat''.

<sect>Getting Started
<p>

This section is intended as a brief overview of how to use Mutt.  There are
many other features which are described elsewhere in the manual.  There
is even more information available in the Mutt FAQ and various web
pages.  See the <htmlurl url="http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~me/mutt/"
name="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.

<sect1>Moving Around in Menus
<p>

Information is presented in menus, very similar to ELM.  Here is a table
showing the common keys used to navigate menus in Mutt.

<verb>
j or Down	move to the next entry
k or Up		move to the previous entry
z or PageDn	go to the next page
Z or PageUp	go to the previous page
=		jump to the first entry
*		jump to the last entry
q		exit the current menu
?		list all keybindings for the current menu
</verb>

<sect1>Editing Input Fields
<p>

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.

<verb>
^A		move to the start of the line
^B or <Left>	move back one char
^D		delete the char under the cursor
^E		move to the end of the line
^F or <Right>	move forward one char
^G		abort
^K		delete to the end of the line
^U		delete entire line
<Tab>		complete filename (only when prompting for a file)
<Up>		recall previous string from history
<Down>		recall next string from history
<Return>	finish editing
</verb>

<sect1>Searching and Regular Expressions<label id="regex">
<p>
All text patterns for searching and matching in Mutt must be
specified as regular expressions (regexp) in the ``POSIX extended''
syntax (which is more or less the syntax used by GNU awk). The search is
case sensitive if the pattern contains at least one upper case letter, and
case insensitive otherwise. Note that ``&bsol;'' must be quoted if used
for a regular expression in an initialization command: ``&bsol;&bsol;''.
For more information, see the section on 
<ref id="searching" name="searching">.

<sect1>Mailbox Formats
<p>
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 
<ref id="mbox_type" name="$mbox_type"> variable.

<bf/mbox/.  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).

<bf/MMDF/.  This is a variant of the <em/mbox/ format.  Each message is
surrounded by lines containing ``^A^A^A^A'' (four control-A's).

<bf/MH/.  A radical departure from <em/mbox/ and <em/MMDF/, 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. <bf/Note:/  Mutt detects this type of
mailbox by looking for either <tt/.mh_sequences/ or <tt/.xmhcache/ (needed
to distinguish normal directories from MH mailboxes).  Mutt does not
update these files, yet.

<bf/Maildir/.  The newest of the mailbox formats, used by the Qmail MTA (a
replacement for sendmail).  Similar to <em/MH/, except that it adds three
subdirectories of the mailbox: <em/tmp/, <em/new/ and <em/cur/.  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.

<sect1>Mailbox Shortcuts
<p>
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.

<itemize>
<item>! -- refers to your spool (incoming) mailbox
<item>&gt; -- refers to your &dollar;mbox file
<item>&lt; -- refers to your &dollar;record file
<item>&tilde; -- refers to your home directory
<item>= or + -- refers to your &dollar;folder directory
</itemize>

<sect1>Reading Mail
<p>

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.

<sect2>The Message Index
<p>

<verb>
c		change-folder		change to a different mailbox
C		copy-message
D		delete-pattern		delete messages matching a pattern
d		delete-message
F		flag-message		mark as important
J		next-message
K		previous-message
l		limit			show messages matching a pattern
N		mark-as-new		mark message as new
o		sort-mailbox		change the current sort method
O		sort-reverse		reverse sort the mailbox
q		quit			save changes and exit
s		save-message
t		tag-message
u		undelete-message
v		view-attachments
x		exit			abort changes and exit
<Return>	display-message
<Tab>		jump-new		jump to the next new message
$		sync-mailbox		save changes to mailbox
%		display-address		show the author's full e-mail address
/		search
ESC /		search-reverse
^L		redraw			clear and redraw the screen
^T		tag-pattern		tag messages matching a pattern
^U		undelete-pattern	undelete messages matching a pattern
</verb>

<sect3>Status Flags
<p>

In addition to who sent the message and the subject, a short summary of the
disposition of each message is printed beside the message number.  Zero or more of the following ``flags'' may appear, which mean:

<verb>
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
</verb>

Some of the status flags can be turned on or off using
<itemize>
<item><bf/set-flag/ (default: w)
<item><bf/clear-flag/ (default: W)
</itemize>

<sect2>The Pager
<p>

By default, Mutt uses its builtin pager to display the body of messages.
The pager is very similar to the Unix program <em/less/ though not nearly as
featureful.

<verb>
<Return>	go down one line
<Space>	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 patttern coloring
</verb>

In addition, many of the functions from the <em/index/ are available in
the pager, such as <em/delete-message/ or <em/copy-message/ (this is one
advantage over using an external pager to view messages).

<sect1>Using Tags
<p>

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 <ref id="searching"> for Mutt's searching
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 <bf/next/ operation will be applied to
all tagged messages if that operation can be used in that manner.  If
the <ref id="auto_tag" name="$auto_tag"> variable is set, the next
operation applies to the tagged messages automatically, without
requiring the ``tag-prefix''.

<sect1>Handling Mailing Lists<label id="using_lists">
<p>

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 <ref id="lists" name="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 <em/index/
menu display.  This is useful to distinguish between personal and list mail
in the same mailbox.  In the <ref id="hdr_format" name="$hdr_format">
variable, the escape ``&percnt;L'' will return the string ``To
&lt;list&gt;'' when ``list'' appears in the ``To'' field, and ``Cc
&lt;list&gt;'' 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 <em/index/ menu and <em/pager/, 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 <ref
id="reply_to" name="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 <ref id="sort" name="sort"> the mailbox into
<ref id="threads" name="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.

<sect1>Threaded Mode<label id="threads">
<p>
When the mailbox is <ref id="sort" name="sorted"> by <em/threads/, there are
a few additional functions available in the <em/index/ and <em/pager/ modes.

<verb>
^D	delete-thread		delete 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
</verb>

See also: <ref id="strict_threads" name="$strict_threads">.

<sect1>Miscellaneous Functions
<p>
<bf/browse-url/<label id="browse-url"> (default: &circ;B)<newline>

Uses the regular expression set by <ref id="url_regexp" name="url_regexp">
to extract all matching URLs in the header <em/and/ body of the current
message.  If more than one match occurs, the <em/url/ menu is brought up and
the user may select which to browse.  The program used to view the URL is
specified by the <ref id="web_browser" name="web_browser"> variable (see
<url url="ftp://ftp.cs.hmc.edu/pub/me/mutt/contrib/url_handler.sh"> for an
example of calling different programs based on the URL method).
<bf/Note:/ at this time, the search for URLs in the message searches the
equivalent of what you would see in the pager.  This includes whether or
not headers are being <ref id="display-headers" name="weeded">.

<p><bf/create-alias/<label id="create-alias"> (default: a)<newline>

Creates a new alias based upon the current message (or prompts for a new
one).  Once editing is complete, an <ref id="alias" name="alias"> command is
added to the file specified by the <ref id="alias_file" name="$alias_file">
variable for future use.  <bf/Note:/ Specifying an <ref id="alias_file"
name="$alias_file"> does not add the aliases specified there-in, you must 
also <ref id="source" name="source"> the file.

<p><bf/display-headers/<label id="display-headers"> (default: h)<newline>

Toggles the weeding of message header fields specified by <ref id="ignore"
name="ignore"> commands.

<p><bf/enter-command/<label id="enter-command"> (default: ``:'')<newline>

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 <ref id="macro" name="macros"> to change settings on the
fly.

<p><bf/list-reply/<label id="list-reply"> (default: L)<newline>

Reply to the current or tagged message(s) by extracting any addresses which
match the addresses given by the <ref id="lists" name="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.

<bf/toggle-quoted/<label id="toggle-quoted"> (default: T)<newline>

The <em/pager/ uses the <ref id="quote_regexp" name="$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.

<sect1>Sending Mail
<p>

The following bindings are available in the <em/index/ for sending
messages.

<verb>
m	compose a new message
r	reply to sender
g	reply to all recipients
L	reply to mailing list address
f	forward message
b	bounce (remail) message
</verb>

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.  Bouncing a message uses the ``-t'' option of 
sendmail to specify the recipient on the command line.

Mutt will then enter the <em/compose/ 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 <ref id="askcc" name="$askcc">, 
<ref id="askbcc" name="$askbcc">, 
<ref id="autoedit" name="$autoedit">,
and <ref id="fast_reply" name="$fast_reply"> for changing how mutt asks
these questions.

Mutt will then automatically start your <ref id="editor" name="$editor">
on the message body.  If the <ref id="edit_hdrs" name="$edit_hdrs">
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 <ref id="attribution"
name="$attribution">, <ref id="indent_str" name="$indent_str"> and <ref
id="post_indent_str" name="$post_indent_str">.  When forwarding a
message, if the <ref id="mime_fwd" name="$mime_fwd"> variable is unset,
a copy of the forwarded message will be included.  If you have specified
a <ref id="signature" name="$signature">, it will be appended to the
message. 

Once you have finished editing the body of your mail message, you are
returned to the <em/compose/ menu.  The following options are available:

<verb>
a	attach-file		attach a file
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
s	send-message		send the message
S	edit-subject		edit the Subject
f	edit-fcc		specify an ``Fcc'' mailbox
p	pgp-menu		select PGP options (US version only)
P	postpone-message	postpone this message until later
q	quit			quit (abort) sending the message
i	ispell			check spelling (if available on your system)
</verb>

<sect1>Postponing Mail<label id="postponing_mail">
<p>

At times it is desirable to delay sending a message that you have already
begun to compose.  When the <em/postpone-message/ function is used in the
<em/compose/ menu, the body of your message and 
attachments are stored in the mailbox specified by the <ref id="postponed"
name="$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 <em/compose/ a new
message from the <em/index/ or <em/pager/ you will be prompted if postponed
messages exist.  If multiple messages are currently postponed, the
<em/postponed/ menu will pop up and you can select which message you would
like to resume.

<bf/Note:/ 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 <ref id="postpone" name="$postpone"> quad-option.

<sect>Configuration
<p>

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
<tt>/usr/local/share/Muttrc</tt> or <tt>/usr/local/lib/Muttrc</tt>.  Next,
it looks for a file in your home directory named <tt/.muttrc/.  In this file
is where you place commands to configure Mutt.

<sect1>Syntax of Initialization Files
<p>

An initialization file consists of a series of commands, each on its own line.
The hash mark, or pound sign (``&num;''), is used as a ``comment'' character.  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,

<tscreen><verb>
my_hdr X-Disclaimer: Why are you listening to me? &num; This is a comment
</verb></tscreen>

&bsol; quotes the next character, just as in shells such as bash and zsh.
For example, if want to put quotes ``&dquot;'' inside of a string, you can use
``&bsol;'' to force the next character to be a literal instead of interpreted
character.
<tscreen><verb>
set realname='Michael \'MuttDude\' Elkins'
</verb></tscreen>

``&bsol;&bsol;'' means to insert a literal ``&bsol;'' into the line.
``&bsol;n'' and
``&bsol;r'' have their usual C meanings of linefeed and carriage-return,
respectively.

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,
<tscreen><verb>
my_hdr X-Operating-System: `uname -a`
</verb></tscreen>
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.

<sect1>Aliases<label id="alias">
<p>

Usage: <tt/alias/ <em/key/ <em/address/ &lsqb; , <em/address/, ... &rsqb;

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.

<bf/Note:/ if you want to create an alias for a group (by specifying more than
one address), you <bf/must/ separate the addresses with a comma (``,'').

To remove an alias or aliases:

<tt/unalias/ <em/addr/ &lsqb; <em/addr/ <em/.../ &rsqb;

<tscreen><verb>
alias muttdude me@cs.hmc.edu (Michael Elkins)
alias theguys manny, moe, jack
</verb></tscreen>

<sect1>Specify an alternate e-mail address
<p>
Usage: <tt/alternates/ <em/address/ &lsqb; <em/address/ ... &rsqb;

When displaying the contents of a mailbox, Mutt attempts to indicate messages
which are addressed to you (as opposed to mail from lists).  Often times you
might receive mail at an address that Mutt doesn't understand as being yours.
The <tt/alternates/ command allows you to specify <em/alternate/ addresses
where you receive mail.

If your network is such that you can receive mail at any number of hosts in a
subnetwork, it can be burdensome to list all possible addresses.  In this
case, you can make use of the wildcard character (``*'') to match any
possibility.  The wildcard character <bf/must/ be the first character in the
domain part of the address (the part <em/after/ the at sign (``@'').  For
example,

<tscreen><verb>
alternates joe@*.bigcompany.com
</verb></tscreen>

This example would make any host in the ``bigcompany.com'' domain match.

<sect1>Changing the default key bindings<label id="bind">
<p>
Usage: <tt/bind/ <em/map/ <em/key/ <em/function/

This command allows you to change the default key bindings (operation
invoked when pressing a key).  <em/key/ is the key (or key sequence) you
wish to bind.

To specify a control character, use the sequence <em/&bsol;Cx/, where <em/x/
is the letter of the control character (for example, to specify control-A
use ``&bsol;Ca'').  Note that the case of <em/x/ as well as <em/&bsol;C/ is
ignored, so that <em/&bsol;CA, &bsol;Ca, &bsol;cA/ and <em/&bsol;ca/ are all
equivalent.

In addition, <em/key/ may consist of:

<tscreen><verb>
\t		tab
\r		carriage return
\n		newline
\e		escape
up		up arrow
down		down arrow
left		left arrow
right		right arrow
pageup		Page Up
pagedown	Page Down
backspace	Backspace
delete		Delete
insert		Insert
enter		Enter
home		Home
end		End
f0		function key 1
f9		function key 10
</verb></tscreen>

<em/key/ does not need to be enclosed in quotes unless it contains a
space (`` '').

<em/function/ specifies which action to take when <em/key/ is pressed.

<em/map/ specifies in which menu the binding belongs.  The currently
defined maps are:

<itemize>
<item>alias
<item>attach
<item>browser
<item>index
<item>compose
<item>pager
<item>url
</itemize>

You will probably only want to customize the bindings for <em/index/ and
<em/pager/.

<sect1>Setting variables based upon mailbox
<p>
Usage: <tt/folder-hook/ <em/pattern/ <em/command/

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.  <em/pattern/ is a regular expression specifying
in which mailboxes to execute <em/command/ before loading.  If a mailbox
matches multiple folder-hook's, they are executed in the order given in the
muttrc.

Note that the settings are <em/not/ 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:

<verb>
folder-hook mutt set sort=thread
</verb>

However, the sorting method is not restored to its previous value when
reading a different mailbox.  To specify a <em/default/ command, use the
pattern ``.'':

<verb>
folder-hook . &dquot;set sort=date-sent&dquot;
</verb>

<sect1>Specifying alternate local hosts
<p>
Usage: <tt/localsite/ <em/address/ &lsqb; <em/address/ <em/.../ &rsqb;

Mutt gives you the ability to use a different signature file based on
whether you are sending a message to a local organization or to a remote
site.  The <tt/localsite/ command allows you to specify hosts that are to be
considered part of your local organization, thus using the
<ref id="local_sig" name="local_sig"> variable.

<sect1>Keyboard macros<label id="macro">
<p>
Usage: <tt/macro/ <em/menu/ <em/key/ <em/sequence/

Macros are useful when you would like a single key to perform a series of
actions.  When you press <em/key/ in menu <em/menu/, Mutt will behave as if
you had typed <em/sequence/.  So if you have a common sequence of commands
you type, you can create a macro to execute those commands with a single
key.

<sect1>Using color and mono video attributes
<p>
Usage: <tt/color/ <em/object/ <em/foreground/ <em/background/ &lsqb; <em/regexp/ &rsqb;

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 <bf/and/ a background color (it is not
possible to only specify one or the other).

<em/object/ can be one of:

<itemize>
<item>attachment
<item>body (match <em/regexp/ in the body of messages)
<item>bold (hiliting bold patterns in the body of messages)
<item>error (error messages printed by Mutt)
<item>header (match <em/regexp/ in the message header)
<item>hdrdefault (default color of the message header in the pager)
<item>indicator (arrow or bar used to indicate the current item in a menu)
<item>markers (the ``+'' markers at the beginning of wrapped lines in the pager)
<item>message (informational messages)
<item>normal
<item>quoted (text preceded by ``>'' in the body of a message)
<item>search (hiliting of words in the pager)
<item>signature
<item>status (mode lines used to display info about the mailbox or message)
<item>tilde (the ``&tilde;'' used to pad blank lines in the pager)
<item>tree (thread tree drawn in the message index and attachment menu)
<item>underline (hiliting underlined patterns in the body of messages)
</itemize>

<em/foreground/ and <em/background/ can be one of the following:

<itemize>
<item>white
<item>black
<item>green
<item>magenta
<item>blue
<item>cyan
<item>yellow
<item>red
</itemize>

<em/foreground/ can optionally be prefixed with the keyword <tt/bright/ to make
the foreground color boldfaced (e.g., <tt/brightred/).

If your terminal does not support color, it is still possible change the video
attributes through the use of the ``mono'' command:

Usage: <tt/mono/ <em/&lt;object&gt; &lt;attribute&gt;/

where <em/attribute/ is one of the following:

<itemize>
<item>none
<item>bold
<item>underline
<item>reverse
</itemize>

<sect1>Ignoring (weeding) unwanted message headers<label id="ignore">
<p>
Usage: <tt/&lsqb;un&rsqb;ignore/ <em/pattern/ &lsqb; <em/pattern/ ... &rsqb;

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 <bf/not/ make Mutt display headers
with the given pattern.

``unignore *'' will remove all tokens from the ignore list.

For example:
<tscreen><verb>
# 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:
</verb></tscreen>

<sect1>Mailing lists<label id="lists">
<p>
Usage: <tt/&lsqb;un&rsqb;lists/ <em/address/ &lsqb; <em/address/ ... &rsqb; 

Mutt has a few nice features for <ref id="using_lists" name="handling mailing
lists">.  In order to take advantage of them, you must specify which addresses
belong to mailing lists.

It is important to note that you should <bf/never/ specify the domain name (
the part after the ``@'') with the lists command.  You should only
specify the ``mailbox'' portion of the address (the part before the ``@'').
For example, if you've subscribed to the Mutt mailing list, you will receive
mail addressed to <em/mutt-users@cs.hmc.edu/.  So, to tell Mutt that this is a
mailing list, you would add ``lists mutt-users'' to your initialization file.

The ``unlists'' command is to remove a token from the list of mailing-lists.
Use ``unlists *'' to remove all tokens.

<sect1>Using Multiple spool mailboxes
<p>
Usage: <tt/mbox-hook/ <em/pattern/ <em/mailbox/

This command is used to move read messages from a specified mailbox to a
different mailbox automatically when you quit or change folders.
<em/pattern/ is a regular expression specifying the mailbox to treat as a
``spool'' mailbox and <em/mailbox/ specifies where mail should be saved when
read.

Unlike some of the other <em/hook/ commands, only the <em/first/ matching
pattern is used (it is not possible to save read mail in more than a single
mailbox).

<sect1>Defining mailboxes which receive mail
<p>
Usage: <tt/mailboxes/ <em/filename/ &lsqb; <em/filename/ ... &rsqb;

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.
<p>
When changing folders, pressing <em/space/ will cycle
through folders with new mail.
<p>
Pressing TAB in the directory browser will bring up a menu showing the files
specified by the <tt/mailboxes/ command, and indicate which contain new
messages.  Mutt will automatically enter this mode when invoked from the
command line with the <tt/-y/ option.
<p>
<bf/Note/: new mail is detected by comparing the last modification time to
the last access time.  Utilities like <tt/biff/ or <tt/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.

<sect1>User defined headers<label id="my_hdr">
<p>
Usage:<newline>
<tt/my_hdr/ <em/string/<newline>
<tt/unmy_hdr/ <em/field/ &lsqb; <em/field/ ... &rsqb;

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

<quote>
my_hdr Organization: A Really Big Company, Anytown, USA
</quote>

in your <tt/.muttrc/.

<bf/Note:/  space characters are <em/not/ 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 <ref id="edit_hdrs" name="edit_hdrs"> variable, or use the 
<em/edit-headers/
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:

<quote>
unmy_hdr to cc
</quote>

<sect1>Specify Default Save Filenames<label id="save-hook">
<p>
Usage: <tt/save-hook/ <em/regexp/ <em/filename/

Mutt attempts to determine a default filename when saving message based upon
defined <ref id="lists" name="mailing lists"> or who the message is from.
The <tt/save-hook/ command is used to override this default.  Messages which
are from addresses matching <em/regexp/ will use the <em/filename/ as the
default.  For example, if you want to save mail from a specific person, you
could add

<verb>
save-hook me@(turing\.)?cs\.hmc.edu +elkins
</verb>

or if you wanted to specify a default for all mail from a certain domain,
you could use

<verb>
save-hook aol\.com +spam
</verb>

<sect1>Change settings based upon message recipients
<p>
Usage: <tt/send-hook/ <em/regexp/ <em/command/

This command can be using to execute arbitrary configuration commands based
upon recipients of the message.  <em/regexp/ is a regular expression
matching the desired address.  <em/command/ is executed when <em/regexp/
matches recipients of the message.  When multiple matches occur, commands are
executed in the order they are specified in the muttrc.

Example: <tt/send-hook mutt &dquot;set mime_fwd signature=''&dquot;/

<bf/Note:/ 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.

<sect1>Setting variables
<p>
Usage: <tt/set/ &lsqb;no&rsqb;<em/variable/&lsqb;=<em/value/&rsqb; &lsqb; <em/variable/ ... &rsqb;

This command is used to set (and unset) <ref id="variables"
name="configuration variables">.  There are four basic types of variables:
boolean, number, string and quadoption.  <em/boolean/ variables can be
<em/set/ (true) or <em/unset/ (false).  <em/number/ variables can be
assigned a positive integer value.

<em/string/ variables consist of any number of printable characters.
<em/strings/ must be enclosed in quotes if they contain spaces or tabs.  You
may also use the ``C'' escape sequences <bf/&bsol;n/ and <bf/&bsol;t/ for
newline and tab, respectively.

<em/quadoption/ variables are used to control whether or not to be prompted
for certain actions, or to specify a default action.  A value of <em/yes/
will cause the action to be carried out automatically as if you had answered
yes to the question.  Similarly, a value of <em/no/ will cause the the
action to be carried out as if you had answered ``no.''  A value of
<em/ask-yes/ will cause a prompt with a default answer of ``yes'' and
<em/ask-no/ will provide a default answer of ``no.''

Prefixing a variable with ``no'' will unset it.  Example: <tt/set noaskbcc/.

For <em/boolean/ variables, you may optionally prefix the variable name with
<tt/inv/ to toggle the value (on or off).  This is useful when writing
macros.  Example: <tt/set invsmart_wrap/.

Using the enter-command function in the <em/index/ menu, you can query the
value of a variable by prefixing the name of the variable with a question
mark:

<tscreen><verb>
set ?allow_8bit
</verb></tscreen>

The question mark is actually only required for boolean variables.

<sect2>Reading initialization commands from another file<label id="source">
<p>
Usage: <tt/source/ <em/filename/

This command allows the inclusion of initialization commands from other files.
For example, I place all of my aliases in <tt>&tilde;/.mail_aliases</tt> so
 that I can make my <tt>&tilde;/.muttrc</tt> readable and keep my aliases private.

If the filename begins with a tilde (``&tilde;''), it will be expanded to the
path of your home directory.

<sect1>Configuration variables<label id="variables">
<p>

<sect2>abort_unmodified<label id="abort_unmodified">
<p>
Type: quadoption<newline>
Default: yes

If set to <em/yes/, composition will automatically abort after editing the
message body if no changes are made to the file (this check only happens
after the <em/first/ edit of the file).  When set to <em/no/, composition
will never be aborted.

<sect2>alias_file<label id="alias_file">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &tilde;/.muttrc

The default file in which to save aliases created by the
<ref id="create-alias" name="create-alias"> function.  <bf/Note:/  Mutt will
not automatically source this file; you must explicitly use the
<ref id="source" name="source"> command for it to be executed.

<sect2>allow_8bit
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

Controls whether 8-bit data is converted to 7-bit using either Quoted-Printable
or Base64 encoding when sending mail.

<sect2>arrow_cursor<label id="arrow_cursor">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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.

<sect2>askbcc<label id="askbcc">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

If set, Mutt will prompt you for blind-carbon-copy (Bcc) recipients before
editing an outgoing message.

<sect2>askcc<label id="askcc">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

If set, Mutt will prompt you for carbon-copy (Cc) recipients before editing
the body of an outgoing message.

<sect2>attribution<label id="attribution">
<p>
Type: format string<newline>
Default: &dquot;On &percnt;d, &percnt;n wrote:&dquot;

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 <ref id="hdr_format" name="hdr_format">.

<sect2>autoedit<label id="autoedit">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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 <ref id="edit_hdrs" name="edit_hdrs"> variable is also set, the
initial prompts in the send-menu are always skipped, even when composing a
new message.

<sect2>auto_tag<label id="auto_tag">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

When set, functions in the <em/index/ 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.

<sect2>charset<label id="charset">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
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.

<sect2>check_new<label id="check_new">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

<bf/Note:/ this option only affects <em/maildir/ and <em/MH/ style
mailboxes.

When <em/set/, 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 <em/check_new/ is <em/unset/, no check for new
mail is performed while the mailbox is open.

<sect2>confirmappend<label id="confirmappend">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when appending messages to an
existing mailbox.

<sect2>confirmcreate<label id="confirmcreate">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

When set, Mutt will prompt for confirmation when saving messages to a
mailbox which does not yet exist before creating it.

<sect2>copy<label id="copy">
<p>
Type: quadoption<newline>
Default: yes

This variable controls whether or not copies of your outgoing messages will be
saved for later references.  Also see <ref id="record" name="record">, <ref
id="save_name" name="save_name">, <ref id="force_name" name="force_name"> and
<ref id="save-hook" name="save-hook">.

<sect2>date_format<label id="date_format">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &dquot;!&percnt;a, &percnt;b &percnt;d, &percnt;Y at &percnt;I:&percnt;M:&percnt;S&percnt;p &percnt;Z&dquot;

This variable controls the format of the date printed by the
``&percnt;d'' sequence in <ref id="hdr_format" name="hdr_format">.
This is passed to the <em/strftime/ call to process the date. See the
man page for <em/strftime(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 <ref id="locale" name="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 <em/C/ locale (that
is in US English).

<sect2>delete
<p>
Type: quadoption<newline>
Default: ask-yes

Controls whether or not messages are really deleted when closing or
synchronizing a mailbox.  If set to <em/yes/, messages marked for deleting
will automatically be purged without prompting.  If set to <em/no/, messages
marked for deletion will be kept in the mailbox.

<sect2>dsn_notify<label id="dsn_notify">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: "failure,delay"

If Mutt was compiled with support for DSN, 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: <em/never/, to never
request notification, <em/failure/, to request notification on transmission
failure, <em/delay/, to be notified of message delays, <em/success/, to
be notified of successful transmission.

<sect2>dsn_return<label id="dsn_return">
<p>
Type: string
Default: "hdrs"

This variable controls how much of your message is returned in DSN messages.
It may be set to either <em/hdrs/ to return just the message header, or
<em/full/ to return the full message.

<sect2>edit_hdrs<label id="edit_hdrs">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

This option allows you to edit the header of your outgoing messages along
with the body of your message.

<sect2>editor<label id="editor">
<p>
Type: String<newline>
Default: value of environment variable &dollar;VISUAL, &dollar;EDITOR, or &dquot;vi&dquot;

This variable specifies which editor to use when composing messages.

<sect2>escape<label id="escape">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &tilde;

Escape character to use for functions in the builtin editor.

<sect2>fast_reply<label id="fast_reply">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

When set, the initial prompt for recipients and subject are skipped when
replying to messages.
<p>
<bf/Note:/ this variable has no effect when the <ref id="autoedit"
name="autoedit"> variable is set.

<sect2>fcc_attach<label id="fcc_attach">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

This variable controls whether or not attachments on outgoing messages are
saved along with the main body of your message.

<sect2>folder<label id="folder">
<p>
Type: String<newline>
Default: &tilde;/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 <em/before/ you use `+' or `=' for any
other variables since expansion takes place during the `set' command.

<sect2>force_name<label id="force_name">
<p>
Type: Boolean<newline>
Default: unset

This variable is similar to <ref id="save_name" name="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 <ref id="record" name="record"> variable.

<sect2>forw_format<label id="forw_format">
<p>
Type: format string<newline>
Default: "&lsqb;&percnt;a: &percnt;s&rsqb;"

This variable controls the default subject when forwarding a message.  It
uses the same format sequences as the <ref id="hdr_format"
name="hdr_format"> variable.

<sect2>hdr_format<label id="hdr_format">
<p>
Type: format string<newline>
Default: &dquot;&percnt;4C &percnt;Z &percnt;{&percnt;b &percnt;d} &percnt;-15.15L (&percnt;4l) &percnt;s&dquot;

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
<tt/printf/ to format output (see the man page for more detail).  The
following sequences are defined in Mutt:

<tscreen><verb>
%a	address of the author
%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''
%f	entire From: line (address + real name)
%F	entire From: line, unless from self
%i	message-id of the current message
%l	number of lines in the message
%L	list-from function
%n	real (personal) name of author
%s	subject of the message
%S	status of the message (N/D/!/*/r)
%T	total number of message in the mailbox
%t	the appropriate character from the $to_chars string
%u	user (login) name of the author
%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

%>X	right justify the rest of the string and pad with character "X"
%|X	pad to the end of the line with character "X"
</verb></tscreen>

<sect2>header
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

When set, this variable causes Mutt to include the <em/full/ header of
the message you are replying to into the edit buffer.

<sect2>help<label id="help">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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.

<em/Note:/ 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.

<sect2>history<label id="history">
<p>
Type: number<newline>
Default: 10

This variable controls the size (in number of strings remembered) of the
string history buffer.

<sect2>hold<label id="hold">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

If set, this causes Mutt <bf/not/ to move read messages from your <ref
id="spoolfile" name="spoolfile"> file to your <ref id="mbox" name="mbox"> file.

<sect2>hostname<label id="hostname">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
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.

<sect2>in_reply_to
<p>
Type: format string<newline>
Default: &dquot;&percnt;i; from &bsol;&dquot;&percnt;n&bsol;&dquot; on &percnt;{!&percnt;a, &percnt;b &percnt;d, &percnt;Y at &percnt;I:&percnt;M:&percnt;S&percnt;p}&dquot;

This specifies the format of the <tt/In-Reply-To:/ header field added when
replying to a message.  This uses the same format as the 
<ref id="hdr_format" name="$hdr_format"> variable.

<sect2>include<label id="include">
<p>
Type: quadoption<newline>
Default: ask-yes

Controls whether or not a copy of the message(s) you are replying to is
included in your reply.

<sect2>indent_str<label id="indent_str">
<p>
Type: format string<newline>
Default: "&gt; "

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.

<sect2>ispell<label id="ispell">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &dquot;ispell&dquot;

How to invoke ispell (GNU's spell-checking software).

<sect2>local_sig<label id="local_sig">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: none

The filename of your signature file which should be copied into the message
buffer when the recipients are all local.  <bf/Note:/ setting this
variable overrides the value of <ref id="signature" name="signature">.
Also see the <ref id="remote_sig" name="remote_sig"> variable.

<sect2>locale<label id="locale">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: "C"

The locale used by <em/strftime(3)/ to format dates. Legal values are
the strings your system accepts for the locale variable <em/LC_TIME/.

<sect2>mailcap_path<label id="mailcap_path">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &dollar;MAILCAPS or &tilde;/.mailcap:/usr/local/share/mailcap:/etc/mailcap:/usr/etc/mailcap:/usr/local/etc/mailcap

This variable specifies which files took consult when attempting to display
MIME bodies not directly supported by Mutt.

<sect2>mark_old
<p>
Type: Boolean<newline>
Default: set

Controls whether or not Mutt makes the distinction between <em/new/ messages
and <em/old/ <bf/unread/ 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.

<sect2>markers<label id="markers">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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 <ref id="smart_wrap" name="smart_wrap"> variable.

<sect2>mask<label id="mask">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: "^(&bsol;.&bsol;.$|&lsqb;^.&rsqb;)"

A regular expression used in the file browser. Files whose names don't
match this mask will not be shown.

<sect2>mbox<label id="mbox">
<p>
Type: String<newline>
Default: +inbox

This specifies the folder into which read mail in your <ref id="spoolfile"
name="spoolfile"> folder will be appended.

<sect2>mbox_type<label id="mbox_type">
<p>
Type: String<newline>
Default: mbox

The default mailbox type used when creating new folders. May be any of
mbox, MMDF, MH and Maildir.

<sect2>metoo
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

If set, Mutt will <bf/not/ remove your address from the list of recipients
when replying to a message.

<sect2>mime_fwd<label id="mime_fwd">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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.

<sect2>move
<p>
Type: quadoption<newline>
Default: ask-no

If the <ref id="hold" name="hold"> variable is unset, you will be asked to
confirm moving read messages from your spool mailbox to your
<ref id="mbox" name="mbox"> mailbox.

<sect2>no_hdrs<label id="no_hdrs">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

When set, the header fields normally added by the <ref id="my_hdr"
name="my_hdr"> command are not created.  This variable <em/must/ be set
before composing a new message or replying in order to take effect.
If unset, the user defined header fields are added to every new message
(except when sending in batch mode).

<sect2>pager<label id="pager">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: internal

This variable specifies which pager you would like to use to view messages.

<sect2>pager_context<label id="pager_context">
<p>
Type: number<newline>
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).

<sect2>pager_format<label id="pager_format">
<p>
Type: format string<newline>
Default: &dquot;-&percnt;S- %C/%T: %-20.20n   &percnt;s&dquot;

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 <ref id="hdr_format" name="hdr_format"> section.

<sect2>pager_stop<label id="pager_stop">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

When set, the internal-pager will <bf/not/ move to the next message when
you are at the end of a message and invoke the <em/next-page/ function.

<sect2>pgp<label id="pgp">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: system dependent

This variable allows you to override the compile time definition of where
the PGP binary resides on your system.

<sect2>pgp_autosign<label id="pgp_autosign">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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 <em/pgp-menu/,
when signing is not required or encryption is requested as well.

<sect2>pgp_encryptself<label id="pgp_encryptself">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

If set, the PGP <em/+encrypttoself/ flag is used when encrypting messages.

<sect2>pgp_replypgp<label id="pgp_replypgp">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

If set, automatically PGP encrypt replies to messages which are encrypted.

<sect2>pgp_sign_as<label id="pgp_sign_as">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
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'').

<sect2>pgp_timeout<label id="pgp_timeout">
<p>
Type: number<newline>
Default: 500

The number of seconds after which a cached passphrase will expire if not
used.

<sect2>pipe_decode<label id="pipe_decode">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

Used in connection with the <em/pipe-message/ 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.

<sect2>pipe_sep<label id="pipe_sep">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: newline

The separator to add between messages when piping a list of tagged messages
to an external Unix command.

<sect2>pipe_split<label id="pipe_split">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

Used in connection with the <em/pipe-message/ 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 
<ref id="pipe_sep" name="pipe_sep"> separator is added after each message.

<sect2>point_new<label id="point_new">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

This variable controls whether mutt will position you at the first new (or
unread) message in the mailbox when the mailbox is first opened.

<sect2>pop_delete<label id="pop_delete">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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.

<sect2>pop_host<label id="pop_host">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: none

The name or address of your POP3 server.

<sect2>pop_pass<label id="pop_pass">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: unset

Specifies the password for you POP account.  If unset, Mutt will prompt you
for your password when you invoke the fetch-mail function. <bf/Warning/:
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.

<sect2>pop_port<label id="pop_port">
<p>
Type: number<newline>
Default: 110

This variable specifies which port your POP server is listening on.

<sect2>pop_user<label id="pop_user">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: login name on local system

Your login name on the POP3 server.

<sect2>post_indent_str<label id="post_indent_str">
<p>
Type: format string<newline>
Default: none

Similar to the <ref id="attribution" name="attribution"> variable, Mutt will
append this string after the inclusion of a message which is being replied to.

<sect2>postpone<label id="postpone">
<p>
Type: quadoption<newline>
Default: ask-yes

Controls whether or not messages are saved in the <ref
id="postponed" name="postponed"> mailbox when you elect not to send
immediately.

<sect2>postponed<label id="postponed">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &tilde;/postponed

Mutt allows you to indefinitely <ref id="postponing_mail" name="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 <ref id="postpone" name="postpone"> variable.

<sect2>print
<p>
Type: quadoption<newline>
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.

<sect2>print_cmd<label id="print_cmd">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: lpr

This specifies the command that should be used to print messages.

<sect2>prompt_after<label id="prompt_after">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

If you use an <em/external/ <ref id="pager" name="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.

<sect2>quote_regexp<label id="quote_regexp">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: "^&lsqb;&gt;|#:}&rsqb; "

A regular expression used in the internal-pager to determine quoted sections
of text in the body of a message.

<sect2>read_inc<label id="read_inc">
<p>
Type: number<newline>
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
<em/read_inc/ 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 <ref id="write_inc" name="write_inc"> variable.

<sect2>realname<label id="realname">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: GCOS field from /etc/passwd

This variable specifies what "real" or "personal" name should be used when
sending messages.

<sect2>recall<label id="recall">
<p>
Type: quadoption<newline>
Default: ask-yes

Controls whether or not you are prompted to recall postponed messages when
composing a new message.  Also see <ref id="postponed" name="postponed">

<sect2>record<label id="record">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
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 <ref id="my_hdr" name="my_hdr"> command to
create a <em/Bcc:/ field with your email address in it.)

The value of <em/&dollar;record/ is overridden by the
<ref id="force_name" name="force_name"> and 
<ref id="save_name" name="save_name"> variables.

<sect2>references<label id="references">
<p>
Type: number<newline>
Default: 10

If set to a value greater than 0, Mutt will trim the reference list
in the <em/References:/ field to at most that number of entries when
replying. If set to 0, all entries are included.

<sect2>remote_sig<label id="remote_sig">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: none

The filename of the signature file which should be appended to the message
buffer when the destination of the message is a remote host. <bf/Note:/
setting this variable overrides the value of
<ref id="signature" name="signature">.  Also see the <ref id="local_sig"
name="local_sig"> variable.

<sect2>reply_to<label id="reply_to">
<p>
Type: quadoption<newline>
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.

<sect2>resolve<label id="resolve">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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.

<sect2>reverse_alias<label id="reverse_alias">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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&dollar;erve addresses).

<sect2>save_empty<label id="save_empty">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

When unset, mailboxes which contain no saved messages will be removed when
closed (the exception is <ref id="spoolfile" name="spoolfile"> which is
never removed).  If set, mailboxes are never removed.  <bf/Note:/ This
only applies to mbox and MMDF folders, mutt does not delete MH and
Maildir directories.

<sect2>save_name<label id="save_name">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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 <ref id="save-hook"
name="save-hook"> or a mailbox in the <ref id="folder" name="folder">
directory with the <em/username/ 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 <ref id="record" name="record">
mailbox.

Also see the <ref id="force_name" name="force_name"> variable.

<sect2>sendmail<label id="sendmail">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: /usr/lib/sendmail -t -oi -oem

Specifies the program and arguments used to deliver mail sent by Mutt.

<sect2>shell<label id="shell">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: retrieved from passwd file

Command to use when spawning a subshell.

<sect2>sig_dashes<label id="sig_dashes">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

If set, a line containing ``-- '' will be inserted before your <ref
id="signature" name="signature">.  It is <bf/strongly/ recommended that you
not unset this variable unless your ``signature'' contains just your name.
The reason for this is because many software packages use ``-- &bsol;n'' to
detect your signature.  For example, Mutt has the ability to hilite the
signature in a different color in the builtin pager.

<sect2>signature<label id="signature">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &tilde;/.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.

<bf/Note:/  This variable is overridden by both the <ref
id="remote_sig" name="remote_sig"> and <ref id="local_sig"
name="local_sig"> commands.

<sect2>smart_wrap<label id="smart_wrap">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
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
<ref id="markers" name="markers"> variable.

<sect2>sort<label id="sort">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: date-sent

Specifies how to sort messages in the <em/index/ menu.  Valid values are

<itemize>
<item>date-sent
<item>date-received
<item>from
<item>mailbox-order (unsorted)
<item>subject
<item>threads
</itemize>

You may optionally use the <tt/reverse-/ prefix to specify reverse sorting
order (example: <tt/set sort=reverse-date-sent/).

<sect2>sort_browser<label id="sort_browser">
<p>
Type: string<newline>

Specifies how to sort entries in the file browser.  By default, the entries
are sorted alphabetically.  Valid values:

<itemize>
<item>date
<item>alpha (alphabetically)
</itemize>

You may optionally use the <tt/reverse-/ prefix to specify reverse sorting
order (example: <tt/set sort_browser=reverse-date/).

<sect2>spoolfile<label id="spoolfile">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: most likely /var/mail/&dollar;USER or /usr/spool/mail/&dollar;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 <tt/&dollar;MAIL/
if it is not set.

<sect2>status_chars<label id="status_chars">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &dquot;-*&percnt;&dquot;

Controls the characters used by the &dquot;&percnt;r&dquot; indicator in
<ref id="status_format" name="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
for read-only mailboxes.

<sect2>status_format<label id="status_format">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &dquot;-&percnt;r-Mutt: &percnt;f &lsqb;&percnt;?M/?&percnt;m msgs, &percnt;?n new, ?&percnt;?d del, ?&percnt;?F flag, ?&percnt;?t tag, ?&percnt;?p post, ?&percnt;?b inc, ?&percnt;l&rsqb;---(&percnt;s)&percnt;|-&dquot;

Controls the format of the status line displayed in the <em/index/ menu.
This string is similar to <ref id="hdr_format" name="hdr_format">, but has
its own set of printf()-like sequences:

<tscreen><verb>
%b	number of mailboxes with new mail
%d	number of deleted messages
%h	local hostname
%f	the full pathname of the current mailbox
%l	size (in bytes) of the current mailbox
%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
%p	number of postponed messages
%r	modified/read-only indicator, according to $status_chars
%s	current sorting mode
%t	number of tagged messages
%v	Mutt version string

%>X	right justify the rest of the string and pad with "X"
%|X	pad to the end of the line with "X"
</verb></tscreen>

It is also possible to optionally print a variable if it is non-zero.  For
example, you might want to display a message about how many new messages
there are only if there actually are new messages.  To optionally print a
variable, use:

%?...?

Immediately after the first question mark (?) you should place the normal
sequence from the above table (<em/without/ the %).  You may then add an
optional string to it.  Here are some examples:

%?n new? %?t tagged? %?m shown?

This will print ``N new'' <bf/if/ ``N'' is not zero, otherwise it will
ignore everything between the question marks that surround it.  The same
goes for the other examples on that line.

<sect2>status_on_top<label id="status_on_top">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

Setting this variable causes the <ref id="status_format" name="status_format"> 
to be displayed on the first line of the screen rather than near the bottom.

<sect2>strict_threads<label id="strict_threads">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

If set, threading will only make use of the ``In-Reply-To'' and
``References'' fields when <ref id="sort" name="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.

<sect2>thread_chars<label id="thread_chars">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: unset

Overrides the characters used to display the thread trees when the
current sort method is <em/threads/.  The first character is used for
&dquot;lower left corner&dquot;, the second for &dquot;upper left
corner&dquot;, the third for &dquot;left tee&dquot;, the fourth for
&dquot;horizontal line&dquot; and the fifth for &dquot;vertical
line&dquot;.

<sect2>tilde<label id="tilde">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: unset

When set, the internal-pager will pad blank lines to the bottom of the
screen with a tilde (&tilde;).

<sect2>timeout<label id="timeout">
<p>
Type: number<newline>
Default: 600

This variable controls the <em/number of seconds/ 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.

<sect2>tmpdir<label id="tmpdir">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: /tmp

This variable allows you to specify where Mutt will place its temporary
files needed for displaying and composing messages.

<sect2>to_chars<label id="to_chars">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &dquot; +TCF&dquot;

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 <em/you/.

<sect2>url_regexp<label id="url_regexp">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &dquot;((http|ftp)://|mailto:)&lsqb;^ &bsol;n&bsol;t&rsqb;*&lsqb;^., &bsol;n&bsol;t&gt;&rsqb;&dquot;

Specifies the regular expression used to extract URLs from message bodies in
the browse-url menu.

<sect2>use_mailcap<label id="use_mailcap">
<p>
Type: quad-option<newline>
Default: ask

If set to ``yes'', always try to use a mailcap entry to display a MIME part
that Mutt can't understand what to do with.  If ``ask'', prompt as to
whether to display as text or to use a mailcap entry.  If ``no'', always
view unsupported MIME types as text.

<sect2>verify_sig<label id="verify_sig">
<p>
Type: quad-option<newline>
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.

<sect2>visual<label id="visual">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: &dollar;VISUAL

Specifies the visual editor to invoke when the <em/~v/ command is given in
the builtin editor.

<sect2>wait_key<label id="wait_key">
<p>
Type: boolean<newline>
Default: set

Controls whether Mutt will ask you to press a key after
<em/shell-escape/, <em/pipe-message/ and <em/pipe-entry/ commands. 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.

<sect2>web_browser<label id="web_browser">
<p>
Type: string<newline>
Default: unset

Command to start a textmode WWW browser on a URL.  This command will be
invoked by the browse-url function.  The sequence ``&percnt;s'' is replaced
by the URL.  If no ``&percnt;s'' is given, the URL will be appended to the
command.

Example: <tt/set web_browser=&dquot;lynx &percnt;s&dquot;/

<sect2>write_inc<label id="write_inc">
<p>
Type: number<newline>
Default: 10

When writing a mailbox, a message will be printed every <em/write_inc/
messages to indicate progress.  If set to 0, only a single message will be
displayed before writing a mailbox.

Also see the <ref id="read_inc" name="read_inc"> variable.

<sect>Searching<label id="searching">
<p>

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:

<tscreen><verb>
~b PATTERN	messages which contain PATTERN in the message body
~c USER		messages carbon-copied to USER
~d [MIN]-[MAX]	messages with ``date-sent'' in a Date range
~e PATTERN	message which contains PATTERN in the ``Sender'' field
~f USER		messages originating from USER
~h PATTERN	messages which contain PATTERN in the message header
~i ID		message which match ID in the ``Message-ID'' field
~r [MIN]-[MAX]	messages with ``date-received'' in a Date range
~s SUBJECT	messages having SUBJECT in the ``Subject'' field.
~t USER		messages addressed to USER
all		all messages
del		deleted messages
flag		flagged messages
new		new messages
old		old messages
read		read messages
repl		messages which have been replied to
tag		tagged messages
thread		the current thread of messages
unread		unread messages
M-N		messages in the range ``M'' through ``N''
M-		messages ``M'' and above
-N		messages ``N'' and below
</verb></tscreen>

Where PATTERN, USER, ID, and SUBJECT are 
<ref id="regex" name="regular expressions">.

<sect1>Complex Searches
<p>

Logical AND is performed by specifying more than one criterion.  For
example:

<tscreen><verb>
~t mutt ~f elkins
</verb></tscreen>

would select messages which contain the word ``mutt'' in the list of
recipients <bf/and/ that have the word ``elkins'' in the ``From'' header
field.

Mutt also recognizes the following operators to create more complex search
patterns:

<itemize>
<item>! -- logical NOT operator
<item>| -- logical OR operator
<item>() -- logical grouping operator
</itemize>

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''.

<tscreen><verb>
!(~t mutt|~c mutt) ~f elkins
</verb></tscreen>

<sect1>Searching by Date
<p>
All dates <bf/must/ 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:

<tscreen><verb>
Limit to messages matching: ~d 20/1/95-31/10
</verb></tscreen>

If you omit the minimum (first) date, and just specify ``-DD/MM/YY'', all
messages <em/before/ the given date will be selected.  If you omit the maximum
(second) date, and specify ``DD/MM/YY-'', all messages <em/after/ 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. 

<sect>Mutt's MIME Support
<p>
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
<tt/mime.types/ file, which contains the mapping of file extensions to 
IANA MIME types.  The other is the <tt/mailcap/ file, which specifies
the external commands to use for handling specific MIME types.

<sect1>MIME Type configuration with <tt/mime.types/
<p>
When you add an attachment to your mail message, Mutt searches your
personal mime.types file at <tt>${HOME}/.mime.types</tt>, and then
the system mime.types file at <tt>SHAREDIR/mime.types</tt>.
<tt/SHAREDIR/ is defined at compilation time, and can be determined
by typing <tt/mutt -v/ from the command line.

The mime.types file consist of lines containing a MIME type and a space
separated list of extensions.  For example:
<tscreen><verb>
application/postscript          ps eps
application/pgp                 pgp
audio/x-aiff                    aif aifc aiff
</verb></tscreen>
A sample <tt/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 <tt>text/plain</tt>.  If the file contains binary information, then mutt will
mark it as <tt>application/octect-stream</tt>.  You can change the MIME
type that mutt assigns to an attachment by using the <tt/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.

<sect1>MIME Viewer configuration with <tt/mailcap/
<p>
Mutt supports RFC 1524 MIME Configuration, in particular the Unix
specific format specified in Appendix A of RFC 1524.  This file format
is commonly refered 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, MosaicX, 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
<tscreen><verb>
${HOME}/.mailcap:SHAREDIR/mailcap:/etc/mailcap:/usr/etc/mailcap:/usr/local/etc/mailcap
</verb></tscreen>
where <tt/&dollar;HOME/ is your home directory and <tt/SHAREDIR/ is the
shared directory defined at compile time (visible from <tt/mutt -v/).

In particular, the metamail distribution will install a mailcap file,
usually as <tt>/usr/local/etc/mailcap</tt>, which contains some baseline
entries.

<sect2>The Basics of the mailcap file
<p>
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,
<tt>text/plain, text/html, image/gif, </tt>
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, <tt>image/*</tt>, or
<tt>video,</tt> 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:
<tscreen><verb>
text/plain; more
</verb></tscreen>
Or, you could send the message as a file:
<tscreen><verb>
text/plain; more %s
</verb></tscreen>
Perhaps you would like to use lynx to interactively view a text/html 
message:
<tscreen><verb>
text/html; lynx %s
</verb></tscreen>
In this case, lynx does not support viewing a file from stdin, so you
must use the %s syntax.
<em>Note: Some older versions of lynx contain a bug where they will check
the mailcap file for a viewer for text/html.  They will find the line
which calls lynx, and run it.  This causes lynx to continously spawn
itself to view the object.</em>

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:
<tscreen><verb>
text/html; lynx -dump %s | more
</verb></tscreen>

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:
<tscreen><verb>
text/html; lynx %s
text/*; more
</verb></tscreen>
This is the simplest form of a mailcap file.

<sect2>Advanced mailcap Usage
<p>

<sect3>Optional Fields
<p>
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:
<descrip>
<tag/copiousoutput/
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.  One could use this to replace
the pipe to <tt>more</tt> in the <tt>lynx -dump</tt> example in
the Basic section:
<tscreen><verb>
text/html; lynx -dump %s ; copiousoutput
</verb></tscreen>
This will cause lynx to format the text/html output as text/plain and
mutt will use your standard pager to display the results.
<tag/needsterminal/
Mutt recognizes this flag, but does nothing with it as it assumes
that an entry requires the terminal.  This flag is more useful for
programs which don't run in a terminal such as Netscape and MosaicX.
<tag>compose=&lt;command&gt;</tag>
Mutt recognizes this flag, but doesn't currently use it, instead calling
the edit command to create messages instead.
<tag>print=&lt;command&gt;</tag>
This flag specifies the command to use to print a specific MIME type.
Mutt supports this from the attachment and compose menus.
<tag>edit=&lt;command&gt;</tag>
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
attachmments.
<tag>nametemplate=&lt;template&gt;</tag>
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 <tt>text/html</tt> if the file ends in <tt/.html/.
So, you would specify lynx as a <tt>text/html</tt> viewer with a line in
the mailcap file like:
<tscreen><verb>
text/html; lynx %s; nametemplate=%s.html
</verb></tscreen>
<tag>test=&lt;command&gt;</tag>
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.
<em>Note: the content-type must match before mutt performs the test.</em>
For example:
<tscreen><verb>
text/html; netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)' ; test=RunningX
text/html; lynx %s
</verb></tscreen>
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 display 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.
</descrip>

<sect3>Search Order
<p>
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 <tt>image/gif</tt>, and you have the following
entries in your mailcap file, mutt will search for an entry with the
print command:
<tscreen><verb>
image/*;	xv %s
image/gif;	; print= anytopnm %s | pnmtops | lpr; \
		nametemplate=%s.gif
</verb></tscreen>
Mutt will skip the <tt>image/*</tt> entry and use the <tt>image/gif</tt>
entry with the print command.

In addition, you can use this with <ref id="auto_view" name="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.
<tscreen><verb>
text/html;	netscape -remote 'openURL(%s)' ; test=RunningX
text/html;	lynx %s; nametemplate=%s.html
text/html;	lynx -dump %s; nametemplate=%s.html; copiousoutput
</verb></tscreen>
For <ref id="auto_view" name="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 program returns non-zero, mutt will use the second entry
for interactive viewing.

<sect3>Command Expansion
<p>
The various commands defined in the mailcap files are passed to the
<tt>/bin/sh</tt> shell using the system() function.  Before the
command is passed to <tt>/bin/sh -c</tt>, it is parsed to expand
various special parameters with information from mutt.  The keywords
mutt expands are:
<descrip>
<tag/%s/
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.
<tag/%t/
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 <tt>text/html</tt> or
<tt>image/gif</tt>.
<tag>%{&lt;parameter&gt;}</tag>
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:
<tscreen><verb>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
</verb></tscreen>
then mutt will expand %{charset} to iso-8859-1.  The default metamail
mailcap file uses this feature to test the charset to spawn an xterm
using the right charset to view the message.
<tag>\%</tag>
This will be replaced by a %
</descrip>
Mutt does not currently support the %F and %n keywords specified in
RFC 1524.  The main purpose of these parameters is for multipart
messages, which is handled internally by mutt.

<sect2>Example mailcap files
<p>
This mailcap file is fairly simple and standard:
<code>
# 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)'
</code>

This mailcap file shows quite a number of examples:

<code>
# 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
</code>

<sect1>Using MIME in Mutt
<p>
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.

<sect2>Viewing MIME messages in the pager
<p>
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 <tt>text/plain, text/enriched,
message/rfc822, and message/news</tt>.  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:
<tscreen><verb>
[-- Attachment #1: Description --]
[-- Type: text/plain, Encoding: 7bit, Size: 10000 --]
</verb></tscreen>
Where the <tt/Description/ is the description or filename given for the
attachment, and the <tt/Encoding/ is one of
<tt>7bit/8bit/quoted-printable/base64/binary</tt>.

If mutt cannot deal with a MIME type, it will display a message like:
<tscreen><verb>
[-- image/gif is unsupported (use 'v' to view this part) --]
</verb></tscreen>

<sect2>The Attachment Menu
<p>
'v' is the default binding for <tt/view-attachments/, which displays the
attachment menu for a message.  The attachment menu displays a list of
the attachments in a message.  From the attachment menu, one can
save, print, pipe, and view attachments.  You can view attachments as
text, or view them using the mailcap viewer definition.  See the help
on the attachment menu for more information.

<sect2>The Compose Menu
<p>
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, edit, compose, and rename an attachment, as well as modifying
the attachment information, noteably the type, encoding and description.

Attachments appear as follows:
<tscreen><verb>
- 1  /tmp/mutt.pdxrs056.56360.3 [text/plain, 7bit, 1K] <no description>
  2  ~/src/mutt-0.74.tar.gz [applica/x-gunzip, base64, 359K] <no description>
</verb></tscreen>

The '-' denotes that mutt will delete the file after sending the
message.  It can be toggled with the <tt/toggle-unlink/ command
(default: u).  The next field is the filename, which can be changed with
the <tt/rename-file/ command (default: R).  The next field is the
MIME content-type, and can be changed with the <tt/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 <tt/edit-encoding/ command (default: ^E).
The next field is the size of the attachment, rounded to kilobytes or
megabytes.  The final field is the description of the attachment, and
can be changed with the <tt/edit-description/ command (default: d).

<sect1>MIME Autoview<label id="auto_view">
<p>
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 
<tt/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 <tt/auto_view/ muttrc command to list the content-types
that you wish to view automatically.

For instance, if you set auto_view to:
<tscreen><verb>
auto_view text/html text/enriched application/x-gunzip application/postscript image/gif application/x-tar-gz
</verb></tscreen>

Mutt could use the following mailcap entries to automatically view
attachmments of these types.
<tscreen><verb>
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
</verb></tscreen>

<sect>Optional features
<p>

<sect1>POP3 Support
<p>

If Mutt was compiled with POP3 support (by running the <em/configure/ script
with the <em/--enable-pop/ flag), it has the ability to fetch your mail from
a remote server for local browsing.  When you invoke the <em/fetch-mail/
function (default: G), Mutt attempts to connect to <ref id="pop_host"
name="pop_host"> and
authenticate by logging in as <ref id="pop_user" name="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 <ref id="spoolfile" name="spoolfile">.  After this 
point, Mutt runs exactly as if the mail had always been local.

<sect1>Delivery Status Notification (DSN) Support
<p>
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 8.7.x and 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.  <ref id="dsn_notify"
name="dsn_notify"> is used to request receipts for different results (such
as failed message, message delivered, etc.).  <ref id="dsn_return"
name="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.

<sect>Miscellany
<p>

<sect1>Copyright
<p>
Mutt is Copyright (C) 1996,1997 Michael R. Elkins &lt;me@cs.hmc.edu&gt;

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.

<sect1>Acknowledgements
<p>
Kari Hurrta
<htmlurl url="mailto:kari.hurtta@fmi.fi" name="&lt;kari.hurtta@fmi.fi&gt;">
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:

Francois Berjon <htmlurl url="mailto:Francois.Berjon@aar.alcatel-alsthom.fr"
name="&lt;Francois.Berjon@aar.alcatel-alsthom.fr&gt;">,<newline>
Aric Blumer <htmlurl url="mailto:aric@fore.com" name="&lt;aric@fore.com&gt;">,<newline>
John Capo <htmlurl url="mailto:jc@irbs.com" name="&lt;jc@irbs.com&gt;">,<newline>
Liviu Daia <htmlurl url="mailto:daia@stoilow.imar.ro" name="&lt;daia@stoilow.imar.ro&gt;">,<newline>
David DeSimone <htmlurl url="mailto:fox@convex.hp.com" name="&lt;fox@convex.hp.com&gt;">,<newline>
Nickolay N. Dudorov <htmlurl url="mailto:nnd@wint.itfs.nsk.su" name="&lt;nnd@wint.itfs.nsk.su&gt;">,<newline>
Michael Finken <htmlurl url="mailto:finken@conware.de" name="&lt;finken@conware.de&gt;">,<newline>
Sven Guckes <htmlurl url="mailto:guckes@math.fu-berlin.de" name="&lt;guckes@math.fu-berlin.de&gt;">,<newline>
Mark Holloman <htmlurl url="mailto:holloman@nando.net" name="&lt;holloman@nando.net&gt;">,<newline>
Andreas Holzmann <htmlurl url="mailto:holzmann@fmi.uni-passau.de" name="&lt;holzmann@fmi.uni-passau.de&gt;">,<newline>
David Jeske <htmlurl url="mailto:jeske@igcom.net" name="&lt;jeske@igcom.net&gt;">,<newline>
Christophe Kalt <htmlurl url="mailto:kalt@hugo.int-evry.fr" name="&lt;kalt@hugo.int-evry.fr&gt;">,<newline>
Felix von Leitner (a.k.a ``Fefe'') <htmlurl url="mailto:leitner@math.fu-berlin.de" name="&lt;leitner@math.fu-berlin.de&gt;">,<newline>
Brandon Long <htmlurl url="mailto:blong@uiuc.edu" name="&lt;blong@uiuc.edu&gt;">,<newline>
Lars Marowsky-Bree <htmlurl url="mailto:lmb@pointer.in-minden.de" name="&lt;lmb@pointer.in-minden.de&gt;">,<newline>
Thomas ``Mike'' Michlmayr <htmlurl url="mailto:mike@cosy.sbg.ac.at" name="&lt;mike@cosy.sbg.ac.at&gt;">,<newline>
David O'Brien <htmlurl url="mailto:obrien@Nuxi.cs.ucdavis.edu" name="&lt;obrien@Nuxi.cs.ucdavis.edu&gt;">,<newline>
Clint Olsen <htmlurl url="mailto:olsenc@ichips.intel.com" name="&lt;olsenc@ichips.intel.com&gt;">,<newline>
Park Myeong Seok <htmlurl url="mailto:pms@romance.kaist.ac.kr" name="&lt;pms@romance.kaist.ac.kr&gt;">,<newline>
Thomas Parmelan <htmlurl url="mailto:tom@ankh.fr.eu.org" name="&lt;tom@ankh.fr.eu.org&gt;">,<newline>
Ollivier Robert <htmlurl url="mailto:roberto@keltia.freenix.fr" name="&lt;roberto@keltia.freenix.fr&gt;">,<newline>
Allain Thivillon <htmlurl url="mailto:Allain.Thivillon@alma.fr" name="&lt;Allain.Thivillon@alma.fr&gt;">,<newline>
Ken Weinert <htmlurl url="mailto:kenw@ihs.com" name="&lt;kenw@ihs.com&gt;">

<sect1>About this document
<p>
This document was written in SGML, and then rendered using the
<htmlurl url="ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/text/linuxdoc-sgml-1.5.tar.gz"
name="LinuxDoc-SGML"> package.  For more information, see the
<url url="http://www.informatik.tu-muenchen.de/~schwarz/linuxdoc-sgml"
name="LinuxDoc-SGML Home Page">.

</article>
