-<!-- -*- mode: text; indent-tabs-mode: nil -*- -->
+# Tips and Tricks for using notmuch with Emacs
-[[!img notmuch-logo.png alt="Notmuch logo" class="left"]]
-#Tips and Tricks for using notmuch with Emacs
+One of the more popular notmuch message reading clients is
+**notmuch.el**, an [emacs](http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/) major
+mode for interacting with notmuch. It is included in the notmuch
+package (notmuch-emacs in Debian). This page goes over some usage
+tips for using notmuch with Emacs.
[[!toc levels=2]]
-The main Notmuch message reading client is **notmuch.el**, which is an
-[emacs](http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/) major mode, and is
-included in the notmuch package.
-
## Setup
+Have a look at the [Howto](http://notmuchmail.org/howto/) for
+prerequisites. Be sure you have done the general setup using the
+notmuch cli command!
+
To use the Notmuch emacs mode, first add the following line to your
`.emacs` rc file:
## Navigating & reading mails
When first starting notmuch in emacs, you will be presented with the
-notmuch "hello" page. From here you can do searches, see lists of
-recent searches, saved searches, message tags, help information, etc.
+notmuch "hello" page. If it exits with an error after writing
+"Welcome to notmutch. You have" you need to do the basic notmuch setup
+first (see above).
+From here you can do searches, see lists of recent
+searches, saved searches, message tags, help information, etc.
Executing a search will open a new buffer in `notmuch-search-mode`
displaying the search results. Each line in the search results
done
emacsclient -a '' -c -e "(progn (compose-mail) $attach_cmds)"
+## Issues with Emacs 24
+
+If notmuch-show-mode behaves badly for you in emacs 24.x try adding one of
+
+ (setq gnus-inhibit-images nil)
+
+or
+
+ (require 'gnus-art)
+
+to your .emacs file.
-----
loaded when `notmuch` is invoked). To do this, write, for example
a file called `~/.emacs.d/my-notmuch.el`:
- ;; my-notmuch.el -- my notmuch mail configuration
- ;;
+ ;;; my-notmuch.el -- my notmuch mail configuration
+ ;;;
- ;; add here stuff required to be configured *before*
- ;; notmuch is loaded;
+ ;;; add here stuff required to be configured *before*
+ ;;; notmuch is loaded;
- ; uncomment and modify in case some elisp files are not found in load-path
- ; (add-to-list 'load-path "~/vc/ext/notmuch/emacs")
+ ;; uncomment and modify in case some elisp files are not found in load-path
+ ;; (add-to-list 'load-path "~/vc/ext/notmuch/emacs")
- ;; load notmuch
+ ;;; load notmuch
(require 'notmuch)
- ;; add here stuff required to be configured *after*
- ;; notmuch is loaded;
-
- ;(setq user-mail-address (notmuch-user-primary-email)
- ; user-full-name (notmuch-user-name))
+ ;;; add here stuff required to be configured *after*
+ ;;; notmuch is loaded;
- ; uncomment & modify if you want to use external smtp server to send mail
- ; (setq smtpmail-smtp-server "smtp.server.tld"
- ; message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
+ ;; uncomment & modify if you want to use external smtp server to send mail
+ ;; (setq smtpmail-smtp-server "smtp.server.tld"
+ ;; message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
+ ;; uncomment to debug smtp sending problems
+ ;; (setq smtpmail-debug-info t)
-Then, adto `.emacs`:
+Then, add to `.emacs`:
(autoload 'notmuch "~/.emacs.d/my-notmuch" "notmuch mail" t)
(notmuch-show-add-tag "spam")
(notmuch-show-remove-tag "inbox")))
-Starting from notmuch 0.12 (not released yet) the functions
-`notmuch-show-add-tag` and `notmuch-show-remove-tag` have changed to
-be more versatile and lost noninteractive use. When upgrading to 0.12
-the above needs to be changed to this:
+Starting from notmuch 0.12 the functions `notmuch-show-add-tag` and
+`notmuch-show-remove-tag` have changed to be more versatile and lost
+noninteractive use. When upgrading to 0.12 the above needs to be
+changed to this:
(define-key notmuch-show-mode-map "S"
(lambda ()
You can do the same for threads in `notmuch-search-mode` by just
replacing "show" with "search" in the called functions.
-(Starting from notmuch 0.12 use `notmuch-search-tag-thread` instead)
+Starting from notmuch 0.12 use `notmuch-search-tag-thread` instead:
+
+ (define-key notmuch-search-mode-map "S"
+ (lambda ()
+ "mark messages in thread as spam"
+ (interactive)
+ (notmuch-show-tag-thread "+spam" "-inbox")))
+
+Starting from notmuch 0.13 use `notmuch-search-tag` -- it has a little
+different usage syntax:
+
+ (define-key notmuch-search-mode-map "S"
+ (lambda ()
+ "mark messages in thread as spam"
+ (interactive)
+ (notmuch-search-tag '("+spam" "-inbox"))))
The definition above makes use of a lambda function, but you could
also define a separate function first:
- (defun notmuch-show-tag-spam()
+ (defun notmuch-show-tag-spam ()
"mark message as spam"
(interactive)
(notmuch-show-add-tag "spam")
(notmuch-show-remove-tag "deleted")
(notmuch-show-add-tag "deleted"))))
-And version for notmuch 0.12 (not released yet)
+And version for notmuch 0.12
(define-key notmuch-show-mode-map "d"
(lambda ()
* Shell/fgrep/perl combination [nottoomuch-addresses.sh](http://www.iki.fi/too/nottoomuch/nottoomuch-addresses/).
This tools maintains it's own address "database" gathered from email
- files notmuch knows and search from that "database" is done by fgrep(1).
+ files notmuch knows and search from that "database" is done by `fgrep(1)`.
-You can perform tab-completion using any of these programs. Just add the following to your .emacs:
+You can perform tab-completion using any of these programs.
+Just add the following to your .emacs:
(require 'notmuch-address)
(setq notmuch-address-command "/path/to/address_fetching_program")
## How to sign/encrypt messages with gpg
-Messages can by signed using gpg by invoking `M-x
-mml-secure-sign-pgpmime` (or `M-x
-mml-secure-encrypt-pgpmime`). These functions are available via the
-standard `message-mode` keybindings `C-c C-m s p` and `C-c C-m c
-p`. To sign outgoing mail by default, use the `message-setup-hook`
-in your `.emacs` file:
+Messages can by signed using gpg by invoking
+`M-x mml-secure-sign-pgpmime` (or `M-x mml-secure-encrypt-pgpmime`).
+These functions are available via the standard `message-mode` keybindings
+`C-c C-m s p` and `C-c C-m c p`. To sign outgoing mail by default, use the
+`message-setup-hook` in your `.emacs` file:
;; Sign messages by default.
(add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'mml-secure-sign-pgpmime)
2011-02-02. Note that if you have the Debian package easypg
installed, it will shadow the fixed version of easypg included with
emacs.
+
+## Multiple identities using gnus-alias
+
+[gnus-alias](http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/GnusAlias) allows you to
+define multiple identities when using `message-mode`. You can specify
+the from address, organization, extra headers (including *Bcc*), extra
+body text, and signature for each identity. Identities are chosen
+based on a set of rules. When you are in message mode, you can switch
+identities using gnus-alias.
+
+### Installation
+
+- put `gnus-alias.el` on your load Emacs-Lisp load path (add new directory
+ to load path by writing `(add-to-list 'load-path "/some/load/path")` into
+ your `.emacs`.
+
+- Add the following to your `.emacs`
+
+ (autoload 'gnus-alias-determine-identity "gnus-alias" "" t)
+ (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'gnus-alias-determine-identity)
+
+Looking into `gnus-alias.el` gives a bit more information...
+
+### Example Configuration
+
+Here is an example configuration.
+
+ ;; Define two identities, "home" and "work"
+ (setq gnus-alias-identity-alist
+ '(("home"
+ nil ;; Does not refer to any other identity
+ "John Doe <jdoe@example.net>" ;; Sender address
+ nil ;; No organization header
+ nil ;; No extra headers
+ nil ;; No extra body text
+ "~/.signature")
+ ("work"
+ nil
+ "John Doe <john.doe@example.com>"
+ "Example Corp."
+ (("Bcc" . "john.doe@example.com"))
+ nil
+ "~/.signature.work")))
+ ;; Use "home" identity by default
+ (setq gnus-alias-default-identity "home")
+ ;; Define rules to match work identity
+ (setq gnus-alias-identity-rules
+ '(("work" ("any" "john.doe@\\(example\\.com\\|help\\.example.com\\)" both) "work"))
+ ;; Determine identity when message-mode loads
+ (add-hook 'message-setup-hook 'gnus-alias-determine-identity)
+
+When `gnus-alias` has been loaded (using autoload, require, *M-x load-library*
+or *M-x load-file* (load-file takes file path -- therefore it can be used
+without any `.emacs` changes)) the following commands can be used to get(/set)
+more information (some of these have "extensive documentation"):
+
+ M-x describe-variable RET gnus-alias-identity-alist
+ M-x describe-variable RET gnus-alias-identity-rules
+ M-x describe-variable RET gnus-alias-default-identity
+
+ M-x customize-group RET gnus-alias RET
+ or
+ M-x gnus-alias-customize RET
+
+The last two do the same thing.
+
+See also the **Usage:** section in `gnus-alias.el`.
+
+## Resending (or bouncing) messages
+
+Add the following to your `.emacs` to be able to resend the current message in
+show mode.
+
+ (define-key notmuch-show-mode-map "b"
+ (lambda (&optional address)
+ "Bounce the current message."
+ (interactive "sBounce To: ")
+ (notmuch-show-view-raw-message)
+ (message-resend address)))
+
+## `notmuch-hello` refresh status message
+
+Add the following to your `.emacs` to get a status message about the change in
+the number of messages in the mail store when refreshing the `notmuch-hello`
+buffer.
+
+ (defvar notmuch-hello-refresh-count 0)
+
+ (defun notmuch-hello-refresh-status-message ()
+ (unless no-display
+ (let* ((new-count
+ (string-to-number
+ (car (process-lines notmuch-command "count"))))
+ (diff-count (- new-count notmuch-hello-refresh-count)))
+ (cond
+ ((= notmuch-hello-refresh-count 0)
+ (message "You have %s messages."
+ (notmuch-hello-nice-number new-count)))
+ ((> diff-count 0)
+ (message "You have %s more messages since last refresh."
+ (notmuch-hello-nice-number diff-count)))
+ ((< diff-count 0)
+ (message "You have %s fewer messages since last refresh."
+ (notmuch-hello-nice-number (- diff-count)))))
+ (setq notmuch-hello-refresh-count new-count))))
+
+ (add-hook 'notmuch-hello-refresh-hook 'notmuch-hello-refresh-status-message)
+
+## Replacing tabs with spaces in subject and header
+
+Mailman mailing list software rewrites and rewraps long message subjects in
+a way that causes TABs to appear in the middle of the subject and header
+lines. Add this to your `.emacs` to replace tabs with spaces in subject
+lines:
+
+ (defun notmuch-show-subject-tabs-to-spaces ()
+ "Replace tabs with spaces in subject line."
+ (goto-char (point-min))
+ (when (re-search-forward "^Subject:" nil t)
+ (while (re-search-forward "\t" (line-end-position) t)
+ (replace-match " " nil nil))))
+
+ (add-hook 'notmuch-show-markup-headers-hook 'notmuch-show-subject-tabs-to-spaces)
+
+And in header lines (this will only work with the yet to be released
+notmuch version 0.15):
+
+ (defun notmuch-show-header-tabs-to-spaces ()
+ "Replace tabs with spaces in header line."
+ (setq header-line-format
+ (notmuch-show-strip-re
+ (replace-regexp-in-string "\t" " " (notmuch-show-get-subject)))))
+
+ (add-hook 'notmuch-show-hook 'notmuch-show-header-tabs-to-spaces)