4.1.2 Controlling the Format of the Exported Message

By default, MsgEd TE exports a message in raw message format, also called MsgEd format. This format saves the mail raw as it is stored in the message base, which means that line feeds will only be placed after each paragraph. This format is well suited if you later want to import the mail into the internal message editor, because it will exactly keep the paragraph format of the message. However, it is not suitable for printing or editing the file with a normal text editor, because there, you will only see one very long line per paragraph, which is mostly not what you wanted to have.

If you want to print the file with the exported message or to view it with a normal text editor, you must instruct MsgEd TE to export the file in the text format. In text format, the message will be saved in a line-wrapped form, that is, the file will look just like the mail that you see on screen in message reading mode, with a linefeed placed after each line. You instruct MsgEd TE to export a mail in text format by appending `,t' to the file name like in this example:

*---------------------- Export File ----------------------*
| Name of file to export?                                 |
| mail.txt,t                                              |
|                      Ok    !   Cancel  !                |
|                   **********  **********                |
*---------------------------------------------------------*

This format is well suited for printing and editing.

MsgEd TE also has some other formats for exporting mails. All of them are invoked by placing a comma and the corresponding letter after the file name. Here is a complete list:

`,t'

Text mode. Place a line feed after each line. Well suited for printing or editing with a standard text editor.

`,m'

Raw message mode. This is your choice if you later wish to re-import the message into the internal message editor.

`,q'

Quoted mode. This is like text mode, but each line will be prefixed with the quote string.

If you cannot remember these format characters, you can also ask MsgEd TE to present you a menu with all possible export formats by putting a questionmark in front of the file name like in this example:

*---------------------- Export File ----------------------*
| Name of file to export?                                 |
| ?mail.txt                                               |
|                      Ok    !   Cancel  !                |
|                   **********  **********                |
*---------------------------------------------------------*

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