Balsa User's Guide
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# Mail Options

Use this page to set the `Balsa`'s behaviour regarding incoming and outgoing messages.

## Incoming

`Check Mail Automatically`

  If selected, `Balsa` will connect to your POP3 servers at the given interval and check for mail.

`Check IMAP mailboxes`

  If selected, `Balsa` will include your IMAP mailboxes when checking for mail. You can also specify that INBOX is the only mailbox to be checked.

  Checking IMAP mailboxes can take some time; these options give you extra control over how long the mailbox check will take.

`Display message if new mail has arrived`

  If selected, `Balsa` will alert you when mail has arrived.

`Do background check quietly`

  If selected, `Balsa` will give you no indication that a background mail check is in progress.

`Quoted Text Regular Expression`

  The entry box allows you to set a regular expression you would like to use to identify text that should be considered quoted for incoming messages. The regular expression should match the beginning of line of quoted text a single level deep, the program will then use this to calculate the depth of quoting and alter the quoted text colours appropriately. A default regexp is provided that should work in most situations.

  This regexp affects both highlighting and spell checking, and uses the extended regular expression set. For more information see the grep(1) manual or info page.

`Wrap Incoming Text`

  If selected, `Balsa` will wrap text of incoming messages at the specified line length.

`Reflow messages of type `text/plain;format=flowed'`

  The `format' parameter distinguishes two ways of representing paragraphs in messages of type `text/plain' (that is, simple text). The value `flowed' indicates that paragraphs have been broken into lines ended with `soft' line breaks: a space is left at the end of the line. A `hard' line break (one that is not preceded by a space) indicates the end of a paragraph.

  `Balsa` can reflow the paragraphs, quoted or otherwise, in a message of this type. Reflowing eliminates the line fragments that are left when text is first wrapped at one length and then rewrapped to a shorter length, which are often misquoted.

  The only other value of `format' is `fixed', which is the value assumed by default when `format' is not specified, as with older mailers. In this case, all line breaks must be respected. If you do not select the `Reflow...' option, `Balsa` will treat all messages of type `text/plain' as if they were `format=fixed'. Long lines will still be wrapped, if the `Wrap Incoming Messages' option is selected, but this will usually leave unquoted line fragments.

`Message Disposition Notification request`

  You will sometimes receive a message whose sender has asked for notification that you have received or seen the message. You can specify how `Balsa` responds to these requests.

## Outgoing

`Wrap Outgoing Text`

  Have `Balsa` wrap all outgoing mail at the specified column.

`Send message as type `text/plain; format=flowed'`

  The `format' parameter distinguishes two ways of representing paragraphs in messages of type `text/plain' (that is, simple text). The value `flowed' indicates that paragraphs have been broken into lines ended with `soft' line breaks: a space is left at the end of the line. A `hard' line break (one that is not preceded by a space) indicates the end of a paragraph.

  `Balsa` can prepare the message using this convention, and a flowed-aware mailer receiving it can then reflow its paragraphs to fit its display without leaving misquoted line fragments. If you do not select this option, `Balsa` will use hard line breaks to end lines, and no receiving mailer will be able to identify paragraphs.

`Reply prefix`

  The string that `Balsa` should use as a prefix when quoting a message. Note: if you select `Send message as type text/plain; format=flowed', `Balsa` is required to use the one-character string ">".

`Automatically quote original when replying`

  Have `Balsa` include the text of a message in the reply. The text will be prefixed as shown above.

  You can instead include the original message using an option on the `Edit' menu, or by dragging the message from the message index into the text area of the reply. If you prefer to include text this way, do not select the `Automatically quote...' option.

`Don't include HTML parts as text when replying or forwarding mail`

  Tell `Balsa` to be sensible.

`Forward a mail as attachment instead of quoting it`

  If this option is selected, messages that are `Automatically quoted' will actually be attached unmodified, instead of included in the text of the reply, prefixed by the reply string.

  You can also attach any message to a new message by dragging it from the message index into the attachment area of the new message (or, in fact, any part of the new message window except the text area or the address lines).

`Send button always queues outgoing mail in outbox`

  This option gives you control over when `Balsa` connects to a server to send messages.

`Copy outgoing messages to sentbox`

  Have `Balsa` save a copy of each message you send in the mailbox marked as the `Sentbox'.

`Encoding`

  Set the character encoding method to either 7 bit, 8 bit, or what the quoted message is using.

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