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(emacs)Rmail Basics

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Basic Concepts of Rmail
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   Using Rmail in the simplest fashion, you have one Rmail file
`~/RMAIL' in which all of your mail is saved.  It is called your
"primary Rmail file".  The command `M-x rmail' reads your primary Rmail
file, merges new mail in from your inboxes, displays the first message
you haven't read yet, and lets you begin reading.  The variable
`rmail-file-name' specifies the name of the primary Rmail file.

   Rmail uses narrowing to hide all but one message in the Rmail file.
The message that is shown is called the "current message".  Rmail
mode's special commands can do such things as delete the current
message, copy it into another file, send a reply, or move to another
message.  You can also create multiple Rmail files and use Rmail to move
messages between them.

   Within the Rmail file, messages are normally arranged sequentially in
order of receipt; you can specify other ways to sort them.  Messages are
assigned consecutive integers as their "message numbers".  The number
of the current message is displayed in Rmail's mode line, followed by
the total number of messages in the file.  You can move to a message by
specifying its message number with the `j' key (Note: Rmail Motion).

   Following the usual conventions of Emacs, changes in an Rmail file
become permanent only when the file is saved.  You can save it with `s'
(`rmail-expunge-and-save'), which also expunges deleted messages from
the file first (Note: Rmail Deletion).  To save the file without
expunging, use `C-x C-s'.  Rmail also saves the Rmail file after
merging new mail from an inbox file (Note: Rmail Inbox).

   You can exit Rmail with `q' (`rmail-quit'); this expunges and saves
the Rmail file and then switches to another buffer.  But there is no
need to "exit" formally.  If you switch from Rmail to editing in other
buffers, and never happen to switch back, you have exited.  (The Rmail
command `b', `rmail-bury', does this for you.)  Just make sure to save
the Rmail file eventually (like any other file you have changed).  `C-x
s' is a good enough way to do this (Note: Saving).