# Getting Started
by Brent Welch

If you are already an MH or xmh user, you can start with the examples given in this tour. If you are a new user, be sure to read the Chapter Setting Up.

exmh uses the regular MH programs to manipulate your mail folders and messages. This means exmh is compatible with command-line use of MH programs, and its actions should be familar if you are an experienced MH user. If you are a new MH user, then the details of running MH programs are hidden behind the graphical interface.

When you run exmh for the first time, it checks a few things in your MH setup. In particular, it depends on the `Draft-Folder:` and `Unseen-Sequence:` profile entries. If these profile entries are not present, a dialog appears and exmh can set them up for you. If you neither let exmh create them nor set them up by hand, exmh will not work properly. The Section MH Profile describes the profile entries used by exmh.

exmh has been designed to be very flexible, although it works just fine "out of the box." This chapter introduces the Preference package used to adjust some of the settings in exmh, and it describes some of the more important settings. The Chapter Customizing exmh gives a more complete guide to customizing exmh.