Chapter 5: Sending Messages

When sending messages from within VM, you will be using the standard Mail major mode provided with GNU Emacs, plus some extensions added by VM. See Mail Mode. However, mail composition buffers created by VM have some extra command keys.

`C-c C-y (vm-yank-message)`	Copies a message from the folder that is the parent of this composition into the mail composition buffer. The message number is read from the minibuffer. By default, each line of the copy is prepended with the value of the variable `vm-included-text-prefix`. All message headers are yanked along with the text. Point is left before the inserted text, the mark after. Any hook functions bound to `mail-yank-hooks` are run, after inserting the text and setting point and mark. If a prefix argument is given, this tells VM to ignore `mail-yank-hooks`, don't set the mark, don't prepend the value of `vm-included-text-prefix` to every yanked line, and don't yank any headers other than those specified in `vm-visible-headers` and `vm-invisible-headers`. To yank a message from a different folder than the parent of this composition, use `M-X VM-YANK-MESSAGE-OTHER-BUFFER`.
`C-c C-v <Any VM command key>`	All VM commands may be accessed in a VM Mail mode buffer by prefixing them with C-c C-v.
`C-c C-a (vm-mime-attach-file)`	Attaches a file to the composition. When you send the message, VM will insert the file and MIME encode it. The variable `vm-send-using-mime` must be set non-`nil` for this command to work. You will be asked for the file's type, and a brief description of the attachment. The description is optional. If the file's type is a text type, you will also be asked for the character set in which the text should be displayed. The new attachment will appear as a highlighted tag in the composition buffer. You can use mouse button 3 on this tag to set the default content disposition of the attachment. The content disposition gives a hint to the recipient's mailer how to treat the attachment. Specifically the disposition will indicate whether the attachment should be displayed along with the message or saved to a file. Any text in the composition that appears before the tag will appear in a MIME text part before the attachment when the message is encoded and sent. Similarly, any text after the tag will appear after the attachment in the encoded message. If you change your mind about using the attachment, you can remove it from the composition with `C-K`. If you want to move the attachment to some other part of the message, you can kill it `C-K` and yank it back with `C-Y`.
`C-c C-m (vm-mime-attach-message)`	Attaches a mail message to the composition. If invoked with a prefix arg, the name of a folder read from the minibuffer and the attached message is copied from that folder. You will be prompted for the message number of the message to be attached.
`C-c C-b (vm-mime-attach-buffer)`	Attaches an Emacs buffer to the composition.
`C-c C-e (vm-mime-encode-composition)`	Encodes the composition using MIME, but does not send it. This is useful if you want to use PGP to sign a message before sending it. After signing the message, you would use C-c C-c as usual to send the message. Emacs' `undo` command can be used to undo the encoding, so that you can continue composing the unencoded message.
`C-c C-p (vm-preview-composition)`	Previews the current composition. The message is copied into a temporary folder and you can read the message and interact with it using normal VM mode commands to see how it might look to a recipient. Type `Q` to quit the temporary folder and resume composing your message.

The simplest command is m (vm-mail) which sends a mail message much as M-x mail does but allows the added commands described above.

vm-mail can be invoked outside of VM by typing M-x vm-mail. However, only (vm-yank-message-other-folder) will work; all the other commands require a parent folder.

If you send a message and it is returned by the mail system because it was undeliverable, you can resend the message by typing M-r (vm-resend-bounced-message). VM will extract the old message and its pertinent headers from the returned message, and place you in a VM Mail mode buffer. A Resent-To header will be added, which you can fill in with the corrected addresses of the recipients that bounced. You can also added a Resent-Cc header, which has the same meaning as a Cc header in a normal message. Mail will only be sent to the addresses in the Resent-To and Resent-Cc headers unless you delete both of those headers. In that case the To and Cc headers will be used.

MIME Composition Sending a message using MIME attachments.

Replying Describes the various ways to reply to a message.

Forwarding Messages How to forward a message to a third party.

Reading Messages

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Saving Messages