---
name: "Mail::Message::Construct::Text"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl-mail-message"
version: "4.05-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Mail::Message::Construct::Text"
---

# Mail::Message::Construct::Text(3pm)

capture a Mail::Message as text

## NAME

Mail::Message::Construct::Text - capture a Mail::Message as text

## SYNOPSIS

```
  my $text = $msg->string;
  my $text = "$msg";   # via overload
  my @text = $msg->lines;
  my @text = @$lines;  # via overload
  my $fh   = $msg->file;
  my $line = <$fh>;
  $msg->printStructure;
```

## DESCRIPTION

Complex functionality on Mail::Message objects is implemented in different files which are autoloaded.  This file implements the functionality related to creating message replies.

## METHODS

### The whole message as text

- $obj-\>**file**()

  Returns the message as file-handle.

- $obj-\>**lines**()

  Returns the whole message as set of lines.  In LIST context, copies of the lines are returned.  In SCALAR context, a reference to an array of lines is returned.

- $obj-\>**printStructure**( \[$fh\|undef\],\[$indent\] )

  Print the structure of a message to the specified `$fh` or the selected filehandle.  When explicitly `"undef"` is specified as handle, then the output will be returned as string.

  The message's subject and the types of all composing parts are displayed.

  `$indent` specifies the initial indentation string: it is added in front of each line. The `$indent` must contain at least one white-space.

  » example:

  ```
    my $msg = ...;
    $msg->printStructure(\*OUTPUT);
    $msg->printStructure;
    my $struct = $msg->printStructure(undef);
    # Possible output for one message:
    multipart/mixed: forwarded message from Pietje Puk (1550 bytes)
       text/plain (164 bytes)
       message/rfc822 (1043 bytes)
          multipart/alternative: A multipart alternative (942 bytes)
             text/plain (148 bytes, deleted)
             text/html (358 bytes)
  ```

- $obj-\>**string**()

  Returns the whole message as string.

### Flags

## SEE ALSO

This module is part of Mail-Message version 4.05, built on April 10, 2026. Website: *http://perl.overmeer.net/mailbox/*

## LICENSE

For contributors see file ChangeLog.

This software is copyright (c) 2001-2026 by Mark Overmeer.

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.