Documentation/email-clients.txt: convert it to ReST markup

.. _email_clients:

Email clients info for Linux

======================================================================

============================

Git

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These days most developers use `git send-email` instead of regular

---

These days most developers use ``git send-email`` instead of regular

email clients.  The man page for this is quite good.  On the receiving

end, maintainers use `git am` to apply the patches.

end, maintainers use ``git am`` to apply the patches.

If you are new to git then send your first patch to yourself.  Save it

as raw text including all the headers.  Run `git am raw_email.txt` and

then review the changelog with `git log`.  When that works then send

If you are new to ``git`` then send your first patch to yourself.  Save it

as raw text including all the headers.  Run ``git am raw_email.txt`` and

then review the changelog with ``git log``.  When that works then send

the patch to the appropriate mailing list(s).

General Preferences

----------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------

Patches for the Linux kernel are submitted via email, preferably as

inline text in the body of the email.  Some maintainers accept

attachments, but then the attachments should have content-type

"text/plain".  However, attachments are generally frowned upon because

``text/plain``.  However, attachments are generally frowned upon because

it makes quoting portions of the patch more difficult in the patch

review process.

patch text untouched.  For example, they should not modify or delete tabs

or spaces, even at the beginning or end of lines.

Don't send patches with "format=flowed".  This can cause unexpected

Don't send patches with ``format=flowed``.  This can cause unexpected

and unwanted line breaks.

Don't let your email client do automatic word wrapping for you.

Some email client (MUA) hints

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-----------------------------

Here are some specific MUA configuration hints for editing and sending

patches for the Linux kernel.  These are not meant to be complete

software package configuration summaries.

Legend:

TUI = text-based user interface

GUI = graphical user interface

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- TUI = text-based user interface

- GUI = graphical user interface

Alpine (TUI)

************

Config options:

In the "Sending Preferences" section:

- "Do Not Send Flowed Text" must be enabled

- "Strip Whitespace Before Sending" must be disabled

In the :menuselection:`Sending Preferences` section:

- :menuselection:`Do Not Send Flowed Text` must be ``enabled``

- :menuselection:`Strip Whitespace Before Sending` must be ``disabled``

When composing the message, the cursor should be placed where the patch

should appear, and then pressing CTRL-R let you specify the patch file

should appear, and then pressing :kbd:`CTRL-R` let you specify the patch file

to insert into the message.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Claws Mail (GUI)

****************

Works. Some people use this successfully for patches.

To insert a patch use Message->Insert File (CTRL+i) or an external editor.

To insert a patch use :menuselection:`Message-->Insert` File (:kbd:`CTRL-I`)

or an external editor.

If the inserted patch has to be edited in the Claws composition window

"Auto wrapping" in Configuration->Preferences->Compose->Wrapping should be

"Auto wrapping" in

:menuselection:`Configuration-->Preferences-->Compose-->Wrapping` should be

disabled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evolution (GUI)

***************

Some people use this successfully for patches.

When composing mail select: Preformat

  from Format->Paragraph Style->Preformatted (Ctrl-7)

  from :menuselection:`Format-->Paragraph Style-->Preformatted` (:kbd:`CTRL-7`)

  or the toolbar

Then use:

  Insert->Text File... (Alt-n x)

:menuselection:`Insert-->Text File...` (:kbd:`ALT-N x`)

to insert the patch.

You can also "diff -Nru old.c new.c | xclip", select Preformat, then

paste with the middle button.

You can also ``diff -Nru old.c new.c | xclip``, select

:menuselection:`Preformat`, then paste with the middle button.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kmail (GUI)

***********

Some people use Kmail successfully for patches.

wrapping.

At the bottom of your email, put the commonly-used patch delimiter before

inserting your patch:  three hyphens (---).

inserting your patch:  three hyphens (``---``).

Then from the "Message" menu item, select insert file and choose your patch.

Then from the :menuselection:`Message` menu item, select insert file and

choose your patch.

As an added bonus you can customise the message creation toolbar menu

and put the "insert file" icon there.

and put the :menuselection:`insert file` icon there.

Make the composer window wide enough so that no lines wrap. As of

KMail 1.13.5 (KDE 4.5.4), KMail will apply word wrapping when sending

If you absolutely must send patches as attachments instead of inlining

them as text, right click on the attachment and select properties, and

highlight "Suggest automatic display" to make the attachment inlined to

make it more viewable.

highlight :menuselection:`Suggest automatic display` to make the attachment

inlined to make it more viewable.

When saving patches that are sent as inlined text, select the email that

contains the patch from the message list pane, right click and select

"save as".  You can use the whole email unmodified as a patch if it was

properly composed.  There is no option currently to save the email when you

are actually viewing it in its own window -- there has been a request filed

at kmail's bugzilla and hopefully this will be addressed.  Emails are saved

as read-write for user only so you will have to chmod them to make them

:menuselection:`save as`.  You can use the whole email unmodified as a patch

if it was properly composed.  There is no option currently to save the email

when you are actually viewing it in its own window -- there has been a request

filed at kmail's bugzilla and hopefully this will be addressed.  Emails are

saved as read-write for user only so you will have to chmod them to make them

group and world readable if you copy them elsewhere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lotus Notes (GUI)

*****************

Run away from it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mutt (TUI)

**********

Plenty of Linux developers use mutt, so it must work pretty well.

Plenty of Linux developers use ``mutt``, so it must work pretty well.

Mutt doesn't come with an editor, so whatever editor you use should be

used in a way that there are no automatic linebreaks.  Most editors have

an "insert file" option that inserts the contents of a file unaltered.

an :menuselection:`insert file` option that inserts the contents of a file

unaltered.

To use ``vim`` with mutt::

To use 'vim' with mutt:

  set editor="vi"

  If using xclip, type the command

If using xclip, type the command::

  :set paste

  before middle button or shift-insert or use

before middle button or shift-insert or use::

  :r filename

if you want to include the patch inline.

(a)ttach works fine without "set paste".

(a)ttach works fine without ``set paste``.

You can also generate patches with ``git format-patch`` and then use Mutt

to send them::

You can also generate patches with 'git format-patch' and then use Mutt

to send them:

    $ mutt -H 0001-some-bug-fix.patch

Config options:

It should work with default settings.

However, it's a good idea to set the "send_charset" to:

However, it's a good idea to set the ``send_charset`` to::

  set send_charset="us-ascii:utf-8"

Mutt is highly customizable. Here is a minimum configuration to start

using Mutt to send patches through Gmail:

using Mutt to send patches through Gmail::

  # .muttrc

  # ================  IMAP ====================

  set use_from = yes

The Mutt docs have lots more information:

    http://dev.mutt.org/trac/wiki/UseCases/Gmail

    http://dev.mutt.org/doc/manual.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pine (TUI)

**********

Pine has had some whitespace truncation issues in the past, but these

should all be fixed now.

Use alpine (pine's successor) if you can.

Config options:

- quell-flowed-text is needed for recent versions

- the "no-strip-whitespace-before-send" option is needed

- ``quell-flowed-text`` is needed for recent versions

- the ``no-strip-whitespace-before-send`` option is needed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sylpheed (GUI)

**************

- Works well for inlining text (or using attachments).

- Allows use of an external editor.

- Adding addresses to address book doesn't understand the display name

  properly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thunderbird (GUI)

*****************

Thunderbird is an Outlook clone that likes to mangle text, but there are ways

to coerce it into behaving.

- Allow use of an external editor:

  The easiest thing to do with Thunderbird and patches is to use an

  "external editor" extension and then just use your favorite $EDITOR

  "external editor" extension and then just use your favorite ``$EDITOR``

  for reading/merging patches into the body text.  To do this, download

  and install the extension, then add a button for it using

  View->Toolbars->Customize... and finally just click on it when in the

  Compose dialog.

  :menuselection:`View-->Toolbars-->Customize...` and finally just click on it

  when in the :menuselection:`Compose` dialog.

  Please note that "external editor" requires that your editor must not

  fork, or in other words, the editor must not return before closing.

  You may have to pass additional flags or change the settings of your

  editor. Most notably if you are using gvim then you must pass the -f

  option to gvim by putting "/usr/bin/gvim -f" (if the binary is in

  /usr/bin) to the text editor field in "external editor" settings. If you

  are using some other editor then please read its manual to find out how

  to do this.

  option to gvim by putting ``/usr/bin/gvim -f`` (if the binary is in

  ``/usr/bin``) to the text editor field in :menuselection:`external editor`

  settings. If you are using some other editor then please read its manual

  to find out how to do this.

To beat some sense out of the internal editor, do this:

- Edit your Thunderbird config settings so that it won't use format=flowed.

  Go to "edit->preferences->advanced->config editor" to bring up the

  thunderbird's registry editor.

- Edit your Thunderbird config settings so that it won't use ``format=flowed``.

  Go to :menuselection:`edit-->preferences-->advanced-->config editor` to bring up

  the thunderbird's registry editor.

- Set "mailnews.send_plaintext_flowed" to "false"

- Set ``mailnews.send_plaintext_flowed`` to ``false``

- Set "mailnews.wraplength" from "72" to "0"

- Set ``mailnews.wraplength`` from ``72`` to ``0``

- "View" > "Message Body As" > "Plain Text"

- :menuselection:`View-->Message Body As-->Plain Text`

- "View" > "Character Encoding" > "Unicode (UTF-8)"

- :menuselection:`View-->Character Encoding-->Unicode (UTF-8)`

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TkRat (GUI)

***********

Works.  Use "Insert file..." or external editor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gmail (Web GUI)

***************

Does not work for sending patches.

Another problem is that Gmail will base64-encode any message that has a

non-ASCII character. That includes things like European names.

                                ###