Starting Up

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Starting Up
***********

The first time VM is started in an Emacs session, it attempts to load
the file specified by the variable (`vm-init-file'), normally `~/.vm'.
If present this file should contain Lisp code, much like the `.emacs'
file.  Since VM has well over one hundred configuration variables, use
of the `~/.vm' can considerably reduce clutter in the `.emacs' file.
You can reload this file by typing `L' (`vm-load-init-file') from
within VM.

`M-x vm' causes VM to visit a file known as your "primary inbox".  If
the variable (`vm-auto-get-new-mail') is set non-`nil', VM will gather
any mail present in your system mailbox and integrate it into your
primary inbox.  The default name of your primary inbox is `~/INBOX',
but VM will use whatever file is named by the variable
`vm-primary-inbox'.

VM transfers the mail from the system mailbox to the primary inbox via
a temporary file known as the "crash box".  The variable
`vm-crash-box' names the crash box file.  VM first copies the mail to
the crash box, truncates the system mailbox to zero messages, merges
the crash box contents into the primary inbox, and then deletes the
crash box.  If the system or Emacs should crash in the midst of this
activity, any message not present in the primary inbox will be either
in the system mailbox or the crash box.  Some messages may be
duplicated but no mail will be lost.

If the file named by `vm-crash-box' already exists when VM is started
up, VM will merge that file with the primary inbox before retrieving
any new messages from the system mailbox.

`M-x vm-visit-folder' (`v' from within VM) allows you to visit some
other mail folder than the primary inbox.  The folder name will be
prompted for in the minibuffer.

Once VM has read the folder, any spool files associated with the
folder are checked for new messages if `vm-auto-get-new-mail' is
non-`nil'.  See Spool Files.  After this, the first new or unread
message will be selected, if any.  If there is no such message, VM
will select whatever the selected message was when this folder was
last saved.  If this folder has never been visited and saved by VM,
then the first message in the folder is selected.

`M-x vm-mode' can be used on a buffer already loaded into Emacs to put
it into the VM major mode so that VM commands can be executed on it
This command is suitable for use in Lisp programs, and for inclusion
in `auto-mode-alist' to automatically start VM on a file based on a
particular filename suffix.  `vm-mode' skips some of VM's startup
procedures (e.g. starting up a summary) to make non-interactive use
easier.

The variable `vm-startup-with-summary' controls whether VM
automatically displays a summary of the folder's contents at startup.
A value of `nil' gives no summary; a value of `t' always gives a
summary.  A value that is a positive integer N means that VM should
generate a summary on if there are N or more messages in the folder.
A negative value -N means generate a summary only if there are N or
fewer messages.  The default value of `vm-startup-with-summary' is
`t'.
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