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Q: how can I attach multiple files to an outbound email with a minimum amount of fuss?

I'm using mu4e (which reuses message-mode, if that helps) to work with email. I often need to send emails with multiple attachments. mu4e uses mml-attach-file to handle attachments.

So far so good. However: it's an unpleasant task to use multiple attachments. mml-attach-file prompts for each file anew, which is time-consuming when the file is buried deep in a subtree.

It is almost always the case that, when I need to attach multiple files, they are all in the same directory. In this situation, how can I convince mml-attach-file to detect an attachment in the existing message buffer and, if it finds one, use that attachment's directory as the default for the next file I attempt to attach?

NB: If one digs into the source code, mml-attach-file relies on mml-minibuffer-read-file, which in turn uses either mml-default-directory or default-directory.

PS: I'm aware of How to attach multiple files in message-mode, but there's no answer there.

Community
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Dan
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    **(1)** Do you like the idea of popping open a `dired-mode` buffer from the the email message in `recursive-edit`, then marking the files in `dired-mode` and exiting `recursive-edit` while throwing the result of `dired-get-marked-files`, which is then used by a `mapcar` to attach each file in one fell swoop? **(2)** Or, do you like the idea of starting in `dired-mode`, marking your files, and then pressing an email generate button that creates the message and attaches all marked files using `dired-get-marked-files` and a `mapcar` to run down the list and attach all files in one fell swoop? – lawlist Aug 11 '15 at 16:23
  • @lawlist: I've got the dired version going from the [mu4e manual](http://www.djcbsoftware.nl/code/mu/mu4e/Attaching-files-with-dired.html), but I'm looking for a way to do this without going through dired. – Dan Aug 11 '15 at 17:47
  • I'm a little surprised to see "there's no answer" as an argument for asking a duplicate question. However since your question attracted a valid answer, I guess I'm happy. – YoungFrog Aug 12 '15 at 10:18

5 Answers5

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I can only suggest a solution for gnus and dired but it is at least easier as lawlist suggested. Open the directory in dired with C-x 4 d and type M-x turn-on-gnus-dired-mode. Then mark the required files and type C-c RET C-a. That's it and the files can be attached to an already opened or a new message buffer (I'm not sure if this works for other MUAs as well)!

Dieter.Wilhelm
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  • IIUC the OP doesn't want to use `dired`, but if you'd answer my own question (at http://emacs.stackexchange.com/questions/14514/how-to-attach-multiple-files-in-message-mode) I'd be very happy to accept it there. – YoungFrog Aug 12 '15 at 10:41
  • @YoungFrog: He should get used to dired as soon as possible ;-) and thanks for the hint, answered your question. – Dieter.Wilhelm Aug 12 '15 at 15:45
  • @Dieter.Wilhelm: I *am* using `dired`, but also want to have the specific functionality I mentioned in the question. I'll leave the question open for a bit longer to see if anyone has any ideas on it. – Dan Aug 12 '15 at 18:33
3

open up a GUI file browser and drag the files to your emacs draft window/buffer

user3357659
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I like to use helm-find-files for this. You navigate to where the files are, mark the ones you want with C-spc, and attach them with C-c C-a (or press tab and find the attach files to email action).

The ivy equivalent of this is counsel-find-file. First, add this action to it:

(ivy-add-actions
 'counsel-find-file
 '(("a" (lambda (x)
      (unless (memq major-mode '(mu4e-compose-mode message-mode))
        (compose-mail)) 
      (mml-attach-file x)) "Attach to email")))

In this case, you navigate to the files, and type C-M-o then a, and continue to the next file. I don't like this as much as marking them all at once in helm, but I don't often attach many files.

John Kitchin
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Old post but I got here having the same basic desire and rolled my own snippet to solve it. For others coming here this might be something suitable.

(defun compose-attach-marked-files ()
  "Compose mail and attach all the marked files from a dired buffer."
  (interactive)
  (let ((files (dired-get-marked-files)))
    (compose-mail nil nil nil t)
    (dolist (file files)
          (if (file-regular-p file)
              (mml-attach-file file
                               (mm-default-file-encoding file)
                               nil "attachment")
            (message "skipping non-regular file %s" file)))))

This code means to attach all marked dired "normal" files to a new message buffer if none exist or add attachments to an existing message buffer. Works perfect here.

Tompa
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0

Old post, but I want to propose an improvement on @Tompa answer. Here is how to attach multiple files to an existing email:

  1. I open a dired buffer and select the files I want to attach
  2. I run the following function:
   (defun attach-marked-files (buffer)
      "Attach all marked files to BUFFER"
      (interactive "BAttach to buffer: ")
      (let ((files (dired-get-marked-files)))
        (with-current-buffer (get-buffer buffer)
          (dolist (file files)
            (if (file-regular-p file)
              (mml-attach-file file
                (mm-default-file-encoding file)
                nil "attachment")
              (message "skipping non-regular file %s" file)))))
      (switch-to-buffer buffer))
  1. The function will interactively ask me to which buffer I want to attach the files, and it's done.
knulp
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