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3.5.4.3 Editing the Message: ~e and ~v

If you are not satisfied with the message as it is, you can edit it using a text editor specified either by EDITOR or by VISUAL environment variables. The ‘~e’ uses the former, and ‘~v’ uses the latter.

By default both escapes allow you to edit only the body of the message. However, if the editheaders variable is set, mail will load into the editor the complete text of the message with headers included, thus allowing you to change the headers as well.

This document was generated on December 11, 2025 using makeinfo.

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