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325 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
335 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
337 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
345 @top The Gnus Newsreader
349 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
350 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
351 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
354 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
355 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
370 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
371 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
373 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
374 being accused of plagiarism:
376 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
377 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
378 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
379 can even read news with it!
381 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
382 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
383 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
384 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
385 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
388 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
389 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
391 @heading Other related manuals
393 @item Message manual: Composing messages
394 @item Emacs-MIME: Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
395 @item Sieve: Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
396 @item PGG: @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
397 @item SASL: @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
403 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
404 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
405 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
406 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
407 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
408 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
409 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
410 * Various:: General purpose settings.
411 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
412 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
413 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
414 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
415 * Key Index:: Key Index.
417 Other related manuals
419 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
420 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
421 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
422 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
423 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
426 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
430 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
431 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
432 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
433 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
434 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
435 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
438 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
439 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
440 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
444 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
445 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
446 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
450 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
451 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
452 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
453 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
454 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
455 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
456 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
457 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
458 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
459 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
460 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
461 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
462 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
463 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
464 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
465 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
466 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
467 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
471 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
472 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
473 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
477 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
478 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
479 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
480 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
481 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
485 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
486 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
487 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
488 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
489 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
493 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
494 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
495 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
496 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
497 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
498 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
499 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
500 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
501 * Threading:: How threads are made.
502 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
503 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
504 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
505 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
506 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
507 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
508 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
509 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
510 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
511 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
512 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
513 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
514 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
515 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
516 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
517 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
518 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
519 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
520 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
521 or reselecting the current group.
522 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
523 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
524 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
525 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
527 Summary Buffer Format
529 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
530 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
531 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
532 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
536 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
537 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
539 Reply, Followup and Post
541 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
542 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
543 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
544 * Canceling and Superseding::
548 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
549 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
550 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
551 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
552 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
553 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
557 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
558 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
560 Customizing Threading
562 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
563 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
564 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
565 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
569 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
570 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
571 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
572 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
573 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
574 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
578 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
579 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
580 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
584 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
585 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
586 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
587 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
588 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
589 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
590 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
591 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
592 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
593 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
594 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
596 Alternative Approaches
598 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
599 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
601 Various Summary Stuff
603 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
604 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
605 * Summary Generation Commands::
606 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
610 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
611 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
612 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
613 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
614 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
618 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
619 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
620 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
621 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
622 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
623 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
624 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
625 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
626 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
630 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
631 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
632 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
633 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
634 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
635 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
636 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
637 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
638 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
642 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
643 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
644 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
645 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
646 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
647 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
648 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
652 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
653 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
657 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
658 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
659 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
660 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
664 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
665 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
666 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
667 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
668 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
669 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
670 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
671 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
672 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
673 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
674 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
675 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
676 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
680 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
681 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
682 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
684 Choosing a Mail Back End
686 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
687 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
688 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
689 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
690 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
691 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
692 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
697 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
698 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
699 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
703 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
704 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
705 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
706 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
707 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
708 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
712 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
713 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
714 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
715 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
719 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
723 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
727 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
728 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
729 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
733 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
734 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
735 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
737 The Gnus Diary Library
739 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
740 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
741 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
742 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
746 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
747 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
748 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
749 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
750 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
751 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
752 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
753 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
754 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
755 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
756 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
757 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
758 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
759 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
763 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
764 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
765 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
769 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
770 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
771 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
775 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
776 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
777 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
778 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
779 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
780 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
781 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
782 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
783 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
784 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
785 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
786 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
787 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
788 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
789 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
790 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
794 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
795 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
796 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
800 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
801 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
802 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
803 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
804 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
805 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
806 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
807 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
808 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
809 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
810 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
811 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
812 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
813 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
814 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
815 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
816 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
817 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
818 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
819 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
820 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
821 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
825 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
826 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
827 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
828 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
829 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
830 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
831 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
832 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
836 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
837 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
838 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
840 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
841 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
845 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
846 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
847 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
848 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
852 * Spam Package Introduction::
853 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
854 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
855 * Spam and Ham Processors::
856 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
858 * Extending the Spam package::
859 * Spam Statistics Package::
861 Spam Statistics Package
863 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
864 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
865 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
869 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
870 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
871 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
872 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
873 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
874 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
875 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
876 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
877 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
881 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
882 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
883 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
884 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
885 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
886 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
887 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
888 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
889 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
893 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
894 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
895 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
896 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
897 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
898 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
899 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
903 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
904 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
905 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
906 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
910 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
911 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
912 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
913 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
914 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
915 * Group Info:: The group info format.
916 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
917 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
918 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
922 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
923 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
924 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
925 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
926 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
927 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
931 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
932 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
936 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
937 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
943 @chapter Starting Gnus
946 If you haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs for
951 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
952 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
953 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
954 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
955 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
956 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
958 @findex gnus-other-frame
959 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
960 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
961 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
963 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
964 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
965 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
967 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
968 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
971 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
972 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
973 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
974 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
975 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
976 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
977 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
978 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
979 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
980 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
984 @node Finding the News
985 @section Finding the News
988 First of all, you should know that there is a special buffer called
989 @code{*Server*} that lists all the servers Gnus knows about. You can
990 press @kbd{^} from the Group buffer to see it. In the Server buffer,
991 you can press @kbd{RET} on a defined server to see all the groups it
992 serves (subscribed or not!). You can also add or delete servers, edit
993 a foreign server's definition, agentize or de-agentize a server, and
994 do many other neat things. @xref{Server Buffer}.
995 @xref{Foreign Groups}. @xref{Agent Basics}.
997 @vindex gnus-select-method
999 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
1000 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1001 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1002 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1005 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1006 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1009 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1012 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1015 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1018 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1019 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1020 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1021 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1023 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1025 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1026 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1027 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1028 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1029 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1030 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1031 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1033 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1034 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1035 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1036 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1038 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1039 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1040 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1041 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1042 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1043 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1044 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1045 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1046 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1049 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1051 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1052 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1053 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1054 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1055 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1056 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1058 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1060 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1061 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1062 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1063 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1064 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1065 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1068 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1069 you would typically set this variable to
1072 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1075 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1076 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1077 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1078 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1081 @node The First Time
1082 @section The First Time
1083 @cindex first time usage
1085 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1086 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1088 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1089 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1090 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1091 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1094 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1095 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1096 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1098 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1099 help you with most common problems.
1101 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1102 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1106 @node The Server is Down
1107 @section The Server is Down
1108 @cindex server errors
1110 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1111 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1112 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1114 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1115 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1116 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1117 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1118 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1119 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1120 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1122 @findex gnus-no-server
1123 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1125 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1126 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1127 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1128 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1129 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1130 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1131 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1135 @section Slave Gnusae
1138 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1139 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1140 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1141 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1143 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1144 @file{.newsrc} file.
1146 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1147 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1148 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1149 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1150 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1151 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1152 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1155 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1156 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1157 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1158 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1159 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1160 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1161 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1162 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1164 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1165 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1167 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1168 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1169 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1170 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1171 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1178 @cindex subscription
1180 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1181 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1182 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1183 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1184 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1185 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1186 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1187 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1188 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1191 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1192 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1193 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1197 @node Checking New Groups
1198 @subsection Checking New Groups
1200 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1201 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1202 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1203 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1204 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1205 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1206 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1207 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1208 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1209 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1211 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1212 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1213 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1214 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1215 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1216 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1217 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1218 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1219 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1220 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1221 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1223 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1224 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1225 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1226 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1227 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1228 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1231 @node Subscription Methods
1232 @subsection Subscription Methods
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1235 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1236 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1238 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1239 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1241 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1247 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1248 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1249 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1251 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1252 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1253 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1254 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1256 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1257 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1258 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1260 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1261 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1262 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1263 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1264 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1265 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1266 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1267 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1268 up. Or something like that.
1270 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1271 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1272 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1273 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1274 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1276 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1277 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1278 Kill all new groups.
1280 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1281 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1282 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1283 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1284 topic parameter that looks like
1290 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1293 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1298 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1299 A closely related variable is
1300 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1301 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1302 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1303 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1306 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1307 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1308 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1309 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1312 @node Filtering New Groups
1313 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1315 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1316 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1317 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1320 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1323 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1324 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1325 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1326 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1327 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1328 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1329 subscribing these groups.
1330 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1331 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1333 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1334 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1335 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1336 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1337 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1338 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1339 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1340 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1342 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1343 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1344 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1345 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1346 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1347 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1348 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1349 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1350 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1351 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1354 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1355 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1358 @node Changing Servers
1359 @section Changing Servers
1360 @cindex changing servers
1362 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1363 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1364 very flaky and you want to use another.
1366 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1367 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1371 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1372 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1373 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1374 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1377 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1378 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1379 You can use the @kbd{M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups}
1380 command to clear out all data that you have on your native groups.
1383 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1384 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1385 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1386 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1388 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1389 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1390 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1391 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1392 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1393 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1394 cache for all groups).
1398 @section Startup Files
1399 @cindex startup files
1404 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1405 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1406 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1409 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1410 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1411 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1412 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1413 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1414 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1415 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1417 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1418 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1419 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1420 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1421 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1422 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1424 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1425 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1426 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1427 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1428 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1429 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1430 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1431 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1432 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1433 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1434 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1437 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1438 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1439 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1440 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1441 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1442 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1443 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1444 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1445 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1446 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1447 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1448 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1450 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1451 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1452 @vindex version-control
1453 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1454 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1455 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1456 If you want version control for this file, set
1457 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1458 @code{version-control} variable.
1460 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1461 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1462 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1463 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1464 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1465 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1466 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1467 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1468 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1469 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1472 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1473 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1475 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1476 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1479 @vindex gnus-init-file
1480 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1481 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1482 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1483 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1484 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1485 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1486 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1487 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1488 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1489 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1490 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1491 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1492 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1497 @cindex dribble file
1500 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1501 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1502 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1503 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1504 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1507 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1508 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1511 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1512 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1513 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1515 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1516 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1517 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1518 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1519 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1520 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1522 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1523 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1524 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1527 @node The Active File
1528 @section The Active File
1530 @cindex ignored groups
1532 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1533 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1534 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1536 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1537 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1538 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1539 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1540 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1541 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1542 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1545 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1546 @c if you set it to anything else.
1548 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1550 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1551 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1552 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1554 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1555 you actually subscribe to.
1557 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1558 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1559 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1560 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1562 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1563 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1564 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1565 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1566 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1567 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1569 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1570 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1571 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1574 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1575 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1576 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1577 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1578 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1579 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1581 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1582 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1584 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1585 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1587 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1588 secondary select methods.
1591 @node Startup Variables
1592 @section Startup Variables
1596 @item gnus-load-hook
1597 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1598 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1599 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1600 times you start Gnus.
1602 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1603 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1604 A hook called as the first thing when Gnus is started.
1606 @item gnus-startup-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1608 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1610 @item gnus-started-hook
1611 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1612 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1615 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1616 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1617 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1618 generating the group buffer.
1620 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1621 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1622 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1623 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1624 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1625 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1626 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1627 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1629 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1630 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1631 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1632 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1633 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1634 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1636 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1637 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1638 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1640 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1641 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1642 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1644 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1645 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1646 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1647 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1653 @chapter Group Buffer
1654 @cindex group buffer
1656 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1658 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1659 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1660 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1661 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1662 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1663 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1664 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1665 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1666 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1667 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1668 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1669 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1670 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1671 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1672 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1673 @c human rights at 9...
1676 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1677 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1678 long as Gnus is active.
1682 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1683 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1684 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1685 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1686 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1687 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1688 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1689 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1695 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1696 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1697 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1698 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1699 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1700 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1701 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1702 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1703 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1704 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1705 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1706 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1707 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1708 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1709 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1710 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1711 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
1712 * Searching:: Mail search engines.
1713 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1717 @node Group Buffer Format
1718 @section Group Buffer Format
1721 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1722 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1723 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1726 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1727 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1730 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1731 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1732 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1733 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1736 @node Group Line Specification
1737 @subsection Group Line Specification
1738 @cindex group buffer format
1740 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1741 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1743 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1746 25: news.announce.newusers
1747 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1752 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1753 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1754 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1755 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1757 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1758 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1759 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1760 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1761 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1762 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1764 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1766 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1767 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1768 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1769 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1770 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1772 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1773 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1774 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1776 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1781 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1784 Whether the group is subscribed.
1787 Level of subscribedness.
1790 Number of unread articles.
1793 Number of dormant articles.
1796 Number of ticked articles.
1799 Number of read articles.
1802 Number of unseen articles.
1805 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1806 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1808 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1809 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1810 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1811 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1812 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1813 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1814 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job.
1816 The nnml backend (@pxref{Mail Spool}) has a feature called ``group
1817 compaction'' which circumvents this deficiency: the idea is to
1818 renumber all articles from 1, removing all gaps between numbers, hence
1819 getting a correct total count. Other backends may support this in the
1820 future. In order to keep your total article count relatively up to
1821 date, you might want to compact your groups (or even directly your
1822 server) from time to time. @xref{Misc Group Stuff}, @xref{Server Commands}.
1825 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1828 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1837 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1838 comment element in the group parameters.
1841 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1842 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1843 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1847 @samp{m} if moderated.
1850 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1856 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1862 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1866 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1869 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1870 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1871 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1872 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1873 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1876 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1878 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1882 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1885 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1889 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1890 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1891 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1892 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1895 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1896 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1897 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1898 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1899 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1900 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1905 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1906 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1907 group, or a bogus native group.
1910 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1911 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1912 @cindex group mode line
1914 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1915 The mode line can be changed by setting
1916 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1917 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1921 The native news server.
1923 The native select method.
1927 @node Group Highlighting
1928 @subsection Group Highlighting
1929 @cindex highlighting
1930 @cindex group highlighting
1932 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1933 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1934 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1935 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1936 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1938 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1942 (cond (window-system
1943 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1944 (defface my-group-face-1
1945 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1946 (defface my-group-face-2
1947 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1948 "Second group face")
1949 (defface my-group-face-3
1950 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1951 (defface my-group-face-4
1952 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1953 (defface my-group-face-5
1954 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1956 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1957 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1958 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1959 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1960 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1961 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1964 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1966 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1973 The number of unread articles in the group.
1977 Whether the group is a mail group.
1979 The level of the group.
1981 The score of the group.
1983 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1985 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1986 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1988 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1989 topic being inserted.
1992 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1993 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1994 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1996 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1997 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1998 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1999 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2000 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2003 @node Group Maneuvering
2004 @section Group Maneuvering
2005 @cindex group movement
2007 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2008 expected, hopefully.
2014 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2015 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2016 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2022 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2023 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2024 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2028 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2029 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2033 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2034 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2038 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2039 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2040 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2044 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2045 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2046 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2049 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2055 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2056 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2057 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2062 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2063 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2064 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2068 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2069 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2070 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2073 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2074 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2075 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2076 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2079 @vindex gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit
2080 If @code{gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit} is @code{t}, when a summary is
2081 exited, the point in the group buffer is moved to the next unread group.
2082 Otherwise, the point is set to the group just exited. The default is
2085 @node Selecting a Group
2086 @section Selecting a Group
2087 @cindex group selection
2092 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2093 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2094 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2095 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2096 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2097 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2098 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2099 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2100 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2101 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2103 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2104 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2105 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2107 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2108 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2113 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2114 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2115 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2116 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2117 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2121 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2122 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2123 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2124 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2125 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2126 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2127 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2128 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2129 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2130 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2133 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2134 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2135 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2136 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2137 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2140 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2141 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2142 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2143 doing any processing of its contents
2144 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2145 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2146 manner will have no permanent effects.
2150 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2151 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2152 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2153 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2154 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2155 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2156 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2157 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2158 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2159 most recently will be fetched.
2161 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2162 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2163 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2166 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles
2167 In groups in some news servers, there might be a big gap between a few
2168 very old articles that will never be expired and the recent ones. In
2169 such a case, the server will return the data like @code{(1 . 30000000)}
2170 for the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, for example. Even if there
2171 are actually only the articles 1-10 and 29999900-30000000, Gnus doesn't
2172 know it at first and prepares for getting 30000000 articles. However,
2173 it will consume hundreds megabytes of memories and might make Emacs get
2174 stuck as the case may be. If you use such news servers, set the
2175 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} to a positive number.
2176 The value means that Gnus ignores articles other than this number of the
2177 latest ones in every group. For instance, the value 10000 makes Gnus
2178 get only the articles 29990001-30000000 (if the latest article number is
2179 30000000 in a group). Note that setting this variable to a number might
2180 prevent you from reading very old articles. The default value of the
2181 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} is @code{nil}, which
2182 means Gnus never ignores old articles.
2184 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2185 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2186 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2187 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2188 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2189 Which article this is controlled by the
2190 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2196 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2199 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2202 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2204 @item unseen-or-unread
2205 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2206 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2210 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2214 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2215 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2217 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2218 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2219 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2220 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2224 @node Subscription Commands
2225 @section Subscription Commands
2226 @cindex subscription
2234 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2235 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2236 Toggle subscription to the current group
2237 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2243 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2244 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2245 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2246 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2252 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2253 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2254 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2260 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2261 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2264 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2265 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2266 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2267 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2268 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2274 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2275 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2279 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2280 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2283 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2284 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2285 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2286 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2287 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2288 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2289 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2290 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2291 @file{.newsrc} file.
2295 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2305 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2306 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2307 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2308 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2309 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2310 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2315 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2316 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2317 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2321 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2322 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2323 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2325 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2326 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2327 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2328 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2329 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2330 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2337 @section Group Levels
2341 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2342 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2343 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2344 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2345 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2347 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2353 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2354 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2355 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2356 prompted for a level.
2359 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2360 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2361 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2362 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2363 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2364 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2365 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2366 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2367 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2368 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2369 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2370 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2371 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2372 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2373 reasons of efficiency.
2375 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2376 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2378 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2379 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2380 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2381 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2382 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2383 groups are hidden, in a way.
2385 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2386 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2387 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2388 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2389 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2390 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2392 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2393 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2394 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2395 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2396 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2397 list of killed groups.)
2399 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2400 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2401 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2403 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2404 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2405 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2406 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2407 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2408 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2409 relevant valid ranges.
2411 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2412 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2413 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2414 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2415 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2416 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2419 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2420 one with the best level.
2422 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2423 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2424 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2427 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2428 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2429 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2430 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2433 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2434 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2435 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2436 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2438 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2439 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2440 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2441 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2442 to 5. The default is 6.
2446 @section Group Score
2451 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2452 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2453 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2456 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2457 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2458 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2459 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2460 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2461 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2462 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2463 least significant part.))
2465 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2466 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2467 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2468 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2469 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2470 action after each summary exit, you can add
2471 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2472 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2473 slow things down somewhat.
2476 @node Marking Groups
2477 @section Marking Groups
2478 @cindex marking groups
2480 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2481 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2482 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2483 bidding on those groups.
2485 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2486 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2487 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2495 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2496 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2502 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2503 Remove the mark from the current group
2504 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2508 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2509 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2514 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2518 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2519 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2523 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2524 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2525 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2528 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2530 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2531 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2532 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2533 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2534 the command to be executed.
2537 @node Foreign Groups
2538 @section Foreign Groups
2539 @cindex foreign groups
2541 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2542 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2543 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2544 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2547 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2548 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2549 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2555 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2556 @cindex making groups
2557 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2558 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2559 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2563 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2564 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2565 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2569 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2570 @cindex renaming groups
2571 Rename the current group to something else
2572 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2573 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2579 @findex gnus-group-customize
2580 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2584 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2585 @cindex renaming groups
2586 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2587 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2591 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2592 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2593 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2597 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2598 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2599 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2603 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2605 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2606 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2611 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2612 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2616 @cindex (ding) archive
2617 @cindex archive group
2618 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2619 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2620 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2621 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2622 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2623 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2624 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2628 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2630 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2631 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2632 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2636 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2637 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2639 Make a group based on some file or other
2640 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2641 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2642 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2643 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2644 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2645 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2646 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2647 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2648 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2652 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2653 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2654 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2655 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2659 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2663 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2664 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2665 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2666 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2667 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2668 @xref{Web Searches}.
2670 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2671 to a particular group by using a match string like
2672 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2676 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2677 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2678 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2682 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2683 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2684 This function will delete the current group
2685 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2686 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2687 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2688 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2689 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2693 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2694 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2695 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2699 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2700 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2701 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2704 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2707 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2708 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2709 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2710 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2711 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2712 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2716 The following commands create ephemeral groups. They can be called not
2717 only from the Group buffer, but in any Gnus buffer.
2720 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2721 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2722 @vindex gnus-gmane-group-download-format
2723 Read an ephemeral group on Gmane.org. The articles are downloaded via
2724 HTTP using the URL specified by @code{gnus-gmane-group-download-format}.
2725 Gnus will prompt you for a group name, the start article number and an
2728 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2729 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2730 This command is similar to @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group}, but
2731 the group name and the article number and range are constructed from a
2732 given @acronym{URL}. Supported @acronym{URL} formats include e.g.
2733 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12300/focus=12399},
2734 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2735 @url{http://article.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2736 @url{http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/}, and
2737 @url{http://news.gmane.org/group/gmane.foo.bar/thread=12345}.
2739 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2740 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2741 Read an Emacs bug report in an ephemeral group. Gnus will prompt for a
2742 bug number. The default is the number at point. The @acronym{URL} is
2743 specified in @code{gnus-bug-group-download-format-alist}.
2745 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2746 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2747 Read a Debian bug report in an ephemeral group. Analog to
2748 @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group}.
2751 Some of these command are also useful for article buttons, @xref{Article
2759 '("#\\([0-9]+\\)\\>" 1
2760 (string-match "\\<emacs\\>" (or gnus-newsgroup-name ""))
2761 gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group 1))
2765 @node Group Parameters
2766 @section Group Parameters
2767 @cindex group parameters
2769 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2771 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2772 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2773 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2774 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2775 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2776 Additionally, you can set group parameters via the
2777 @code{gnus-parameters} variable, see below.
2779 Here's an example group parameter list:
2782 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2786 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2787 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2788 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2789 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2791 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2792 is an alist of regexps and values.
2794 The following group parameters can be used:
2799 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2802 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2805 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2806 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2807 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2808 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2809 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2811 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2812 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2813 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2814 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2815 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2816 list address instead.
2818 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2822 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2825 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2828 It is totally ignored
2829 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2830 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2832 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2833 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2834 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2835 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2836 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2838 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2839 @cindex mail list groups
2840 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2841 entering summary buffer.
2843 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2848 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2849 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2850 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2851 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2852 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2853 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2854 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2855 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2858 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2859 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2862 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2863 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2867 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2868 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2869 of whether it has any unread articles.
2871 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2872 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2874 @item broken-reply-to
2875 @cindex broken-reply-to
2876 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2877 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2878 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2879 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2880 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2881 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2885 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2886 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2890 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2891 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2892 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2897 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2898 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2899 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2900 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2901 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2902 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2903 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2905 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2906 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2907 doesn't accept articles.
2911 @cindex expiring mail
2912 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2913 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2914 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2916 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2919 @cindex total-expire
2920 @cindex expiring mail
2921 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2922 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2923 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2924 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2927 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2931 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2932 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2933 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2934 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2935 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2936 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2937 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2940 @cindex expiry-target
2941 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2942 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2945 @cindex score file group parameter
2946 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2947 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2948 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2951 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2952 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2953 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2954 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2957 @cindex admin-address
2958 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2959 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2960 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2961 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2965 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2966 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2970 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2973 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2974 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2977 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2981 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2983 Here are some examples:
2987 Display only unread articles.
2990 Display everything except expirable articles.
2992 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2993 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2997 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2998 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2999 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
3000 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
3001 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
3005 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
3006 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
3007 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
3011 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
3012 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
3013 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
3017 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
3018 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
3019 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
3021 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
3023 @item ignored-charsets
3024 @cindex ignored-charset
3025 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
3026 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
3027 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
3029 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
3032 @cindex posting-style
3033 You can store additional posting style information for this group
3034 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
3035 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
3036 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
3037 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
3039 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
3040 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
3041 like this in the group parameters:
3046 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
3047 (signature "Funky Signature"))
3050 If you're using topics to organize your group buffer
3051 (@pxref{Group Topics}), note that posting styles can also be set in
3052 the topics parameters. Posting styles in topic parameters apply to all
3053 groups in this topic. More precisely, the posting-style settings for a
3054 group result from the hierarchical merging of all posting-style
3055 entries in the parameters of this group and all the topics it belongs
3061 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
3062 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
3066 If it is set, and the setting of @code{mail-sources} includes a
3067 @code{group} mail source (@pxref{Mail Sources}), the value is a
3068 mail source for this group.
3072 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
3073 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
3074 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
3075 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
3076 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3080 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3081 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3082 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3083 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3085 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3086 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3087 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3088 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3091 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3092 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3096 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3097 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3098 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3099 like the following is generated:
3102 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3103 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3107 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3108 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3110 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3111 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3113 @item (agent parameters)
3114 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3115 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3116 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3117 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3118 minimize the configuration effort.
3120 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3121 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3122 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3123 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3124 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3125 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3126 @code{eval}ed there.
3128 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer
3129 if and only if @var{variable} has been bound as a variable. Otherwise,
3130 only evaluating the form will take place. So, you may want to bind the
3131 variable in advance using @code{defvar} or other if the result of the
3132 form needs to be set to it.
3134 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3135 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3136 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3137 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3138 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3139 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3140 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3143 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3146 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3147 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3148 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3151 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3154 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3155 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3156 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3157 into the group parameters for the group.
3159 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3160 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3161 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group. If
3162 @code{dummy-variable} has been bound (see above), it will be set to the
3163 (meaningless) result of the @code{(ding)} form.
3165 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3166 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3167 following is added to a group parameter
3170 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3171 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3174 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3179 @vindex gnus-parameters
3180 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3181 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3182 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3186 (setq gnus-parameters
3188 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3189 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3190 (gnus-summary-line-format
3191 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3195 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3199 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3203 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3206 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3207 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3209 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3210 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3211 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3212 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3213 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3214 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3215 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3216 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3217 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3218 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3219 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3220 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3222 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3223 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3224 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3225 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3226 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3227 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3228 weekly news RSS feed
3229 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3235 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3236 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3237 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3238 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3239 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3241 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3242 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3243 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3244 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3245 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3246 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3250 @node Listing Groups
3251 @section Listing Groups
3252 @cindex group listing
3254 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3262 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3263 List all groups that have unread articles
3264 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3265 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3266 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3267 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3274 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3275 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3276 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3277 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3278 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3279 unsubscribed groups).
3283 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3284 List all unread groups on a specific level
3285 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3286 with no unread articles.
3290 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3291 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3292 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3293 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3298 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3299 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3303 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3304 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3305 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3309 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3310 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3314 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3315 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3316 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3317 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3318 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3319 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3320 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3321 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3325 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3326 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3327 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3331 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3332 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3333 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3337 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3338 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3342 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3343 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3347 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3348 List groups limited within the current selection
3349 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3353 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3354 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3358 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3359 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3363 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3364 @cindex visible group parameter
3365 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3366 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3367 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3368 get the same effect.
3370 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3371 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3372 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3373 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3374 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3377 @node Sorting Groups
3378 @section Sorting Groups
3379 @cindex sorting groups
3381 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3382 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3383 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3384 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3385 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3386 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3391 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3392 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3393 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3395 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3396 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3397 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3399 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3400 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3401 Sort by group level.
3403 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3404 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3405 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3407 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3408 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3409 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3410 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3412 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3413 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3414 Sort by number of unread articles.
3416 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3417 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3418 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3420 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3421 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3422 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3427 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3428 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3432 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3433 some sorting criteria:
3437 @kindex G S a (Group)
3438 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3439 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3440 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3443 @kindex G S u (Group)
3444 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3445 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3446 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3449 @kindex G S l (Group)
3450 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3451 Sort the group buffer by group level
3452 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3455 @kindex G S v (Group)
3456 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3457 Sort the group buffer by group score
3458 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3461 @kindex G S r (Group)
3462 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3463 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3464 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3467 @kindex G S m (Group)
3468 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3469 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3470 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3473 @kindex G S n (Group)
3474 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3475 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3476 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3480 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3481 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3483 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3484 commands will sort in reverse order.
3486 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3490 @kindex G P a (Group)
3491 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3492 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3493 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3496 @kindex G P u (Group)
3497 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3498 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3499 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3502 @kindex G P l (Group)
3503 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3504 Sort the groups by group level
3505 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3508 @kindex G P v (Group)
3509 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3510 Sort the groups by group score
3511 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3514 @kindex G P r (Group)
3515 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3516 Sort the groups by group rank
3517 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3520 @kindex G P m (Group)
3521 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3522 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3523 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3526 @kindex G P n (Group)
3527 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3528 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3529 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3532 @kindex G P s (Group)
3533 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3534 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3538 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3542 @node Group Maintenance
3543 @section Group Maintenance
3544 @cindex bogus groups
3549 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3550 Find bogus groups and delete them
3551 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3555 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3556 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3557 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3558 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3559 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3563 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3564 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3565 @cindex expiring mail
3566 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3567 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3568 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3569 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3572 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3573 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3574 @cindex expiring mail
3575 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3576 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3581 @node Browse Foreign Server
3582 @section Browse Foreign Server
3583 @cindex foreign servers
3584 @cindex browsing servers
3589 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3590 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3591 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3592 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3595 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3596 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3597 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3598 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3600 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3605 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3606 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3610 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3611 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3614 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3615 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3616 Enter the current group and display the first article
3617 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3620 @kindex RET (Browse)
3621 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3622 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3626 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3627 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3628 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3634 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3635 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3639 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3640 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3644 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3645 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3646 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3651 @section Exiting Gnus
3652 @cindex exiting Gnus
3654 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3659 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3660 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3661 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3662 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3666 @findex gnus-group-exit
3667 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3668 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3672 @findex gnus-group-quit
3673 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3674 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3677 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3678 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3679 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3680 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3681 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3682 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3688 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3689 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3690 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3696 @section Group Topics
3699 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3700 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3701 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3702 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3703 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3704 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3708 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3709 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3720 2: alt.religion.emacs
3723 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3725 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3726 13: comp.sources.unix
3729 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3731 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3732 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3733 is a toggling command.)
3735 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3736 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3737 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3738 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3741 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3742 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3743 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3746 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3750 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3751 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3752 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3753 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3754 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3758 @node Topic Commands
3759 @subsection Topic Commands
3760 @cindex topic commands
3762 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3763 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3764 definitions slightly.
3766 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3767 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3768 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3769 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3770 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3771 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3773 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3780 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3781 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3782 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3786 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3788 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3789 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3790 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3791 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3794 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3795 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3796 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3797 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3801 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3802 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3803 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3804 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3810 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3811 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3812 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3816 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3817 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3818 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3821 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3822 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3823 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3824 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3825 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3827 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3828 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3832 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3833 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3840 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3842 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3843 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3844 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3845 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3846 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3847 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3851 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3857 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3858 Move the current group to some other topic
3859 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3860 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3864 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3865 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3869 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3870 Copy the current group to some other topic
3871 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3872 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3876 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3877 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3878 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3882 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3883 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3884 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3888 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3889 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3890 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3891 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3892 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3893 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3894 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3897 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3898 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3902 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3903 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3904 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3908 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3909 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3910 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3914 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3915 Toggle hiding empty topics
3916 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3920 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3921 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3922 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3923 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3926 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3927 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3928 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3929 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3930 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3933 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3934 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3935 @cindex expiring mail
3936 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3937 expiry process (if any)
3938 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3942 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3943 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3946 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3947 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3948 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3952 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3953 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3954 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3957 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3958 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3959 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3962 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3963 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3964 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3968 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3969 @cindex group parameters
3970 @cindex topic parameters
3972 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3973 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3978 @node Topic Variables
3979 @subsection Topic Variables
3980 @cindex topic variables
3982 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3983 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3985 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3986 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3987 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4000 Number of groups in the topic.
4002 Number of unread articles in the topic.
4004 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
4007 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
4008 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
4009 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
4012 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
4013 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
4015 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
4016 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
4017 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
4021 @subsection Topic Sorting
4022 @cindex topic sorting
4024 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
4030 @kindex T S a (Topic)
4031 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
4032 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
4033 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
4036 @kindex T S u (Topic)
4037 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
4038 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
4039 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
4042 @kindex T S l (Topic)
4043 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
4044 Sort the current topic by group level
4045 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
4048 @kindex T S v (Topic)
4049 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
4050 Sort the current topic by group score
4051 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
4054 @kindex T S r (Topic)
4055 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
4056 Sort the current topic by group rank
4057 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
4060 @kindex T S m (Topic)
4061 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
4062 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
4063 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
4066 @kindex T S e (Topic)
4067 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
4068 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
4069 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
4072 @kindex T S s (Topic)
4073 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
4074 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
4075 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
4076 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
4080 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
4081 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
4085 @node Topic Topology
4086 @subsection Topic Topology
4087 @cindex topic topology
4090 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4097 2: alt.religion.emacs
4100 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4102 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4103 13: comp.sources.unix
4107 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4108 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4109 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4114 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4115 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4119 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4120 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4121 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4122 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4123 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4124 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4126 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4127 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4128 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4131 @node Topic Parameters
4132 @subsection Topic Parameters
4133 @cindex topic parameters
4135 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4136 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4137 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4138 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4139 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4141 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4146 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4147 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4148 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4151 @item subscribe-level
4152 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4153 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4154 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4158 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4159 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4160 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4161 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4168 2: alt.religion.emacs
4172 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4174 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4175 13: comp.sources.unix
4180 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4181 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4182 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4183 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4184 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4185 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4187 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4188 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4189 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4190 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4191 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4193 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4194 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4195 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4196 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4197 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4198 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4199 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4200 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4203 @node Non-ASCII Group Names
4204 @section Accessing groups of non-English names
4205 @cindex non-ascii group names
4207 There are some news servers that provide groups of which the names are
4208 expressed with their native languages in the world. For instance, in a
4209 certain news server there are some newsgroups of which the names are
4210 spelled in Chinese, where people are talking in Chinese. You can, of
4211 course, subscribe to such news groups using Gnus. Currently Gnus
4212 supports non-@acronym{ASCII} group names not only with the @code{nntp}
4213 back end but also with the @code{nnml} back end and the @code{nnrss}
4216 Every such group name is encoded by a certain charset in the server
4217 side (in an @acronym{NNTP} server its administrator determines the
4218 charset, but for groups in the other back ends it is determined by you).
4219 Gnus has to display the decoded ones for you in the group buffer and the
4220 article buffer, and needs to use the encoded ones when communicating
4221 with servers. However, Gnus doesn't know what charset is used for each
4222 non-@acronym{ASCII} group name. The following two variables are just
4223 the ones for telling Gnus what charset should be used for each group:
4226 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4227 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4228 An alist of select methods and charsets. The default value is
4229 @code{nil}. The names of groups in the server specified by that select
4230 method are all supposed to use the corresponding charset. For example:
4233 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4234 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4237 Charsets specified for groups with this variable are preferred to the
4238 ones specified for the same groups with the
4239 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} variable (see below).
4241 A select method can be very long, like:
4245 (nntp-address "news.gmane.org")
4246 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
4247 (nntp-open-connection-function
4248 nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
4249 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
4250 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
4251 ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
4252 (nntp-via-address @dots{}))
4255 In that case, you can truncate it into @code{(nntp "gmane")} in this
4256 variable. That is, it is enough to contain only the back end name and
4259 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4260 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4261 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4262 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
4263 @code{((".*" . utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported,
4264 otherwise the default is @code{nil}. For example:
4267 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4268 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)
4272 Note that this variable is ignored if the match is made with
4273 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist}.
4276 Those two variables are used also to determine the charset for encoding
4277 and decoding non-@acronym{ASCII} group names that are in the back ends
4278 other than @code{nntp}. It means that it is you who determine it. If
4279 you do nothing, the charset used for group names in those back ends will
4280 all be @code{utf-8} because of the last element of
4281 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4283 There is one more important variable for non-@acronym{ASCII} group
4287 @item nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4288 @vindex nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4289 The value of this variable should be a coding system or @code{nil}. The
4290 default is @code{nil} in Emacs, or is the aliasee of the coding system
4291 named @code{file-name} (a certain coding system of which an alias is
4292 @code{file-name}) in XEmacs.
4294 The @code{nnml} back end, the @code{nnrss} back end, the @acronym{NNTP}
4295 marks feature (@pxref{NNTP marks}), the agent, and the cache use
4296 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names in those files and directories. This
4297 variable overrides the value of @code{file-name-coding-system} which
4298 specifies the coding system used when encoding and decoding those file
4299 names and directory names.
4301 In XEmacs (with the @code{mule} feature), @code{file-name-coding-system}
4302 is the only means to specify the coding system used to encode and decode
4303 file names. On the other hand, Emacs uses the value of
4304 @code{default-file-name-coding-system} if @code{file-name-coding-system}
4305 is @code{nil} or it is bound to the value of
4306 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} which is @code{nil}.
4308 Normally the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system} in Emacs or
4309 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} in XEmacs is initialized according
4310 to the locale, so you will need to do nothing if the value is suitable
4311 to encode and decode non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4313 The value of this variable (or @code{default-file-name-coding-system})
4314 does not necessarily need to be the same value that is determined by
4315 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} and
4316 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4318 If @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable is
4319 initialized by default to @code{iso-latin-1} for example, although you
4320 want to subscribe to the groups spelled in Chinese, that is the most
4321 typical case where you have to customize
4322 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}. The @code{utf-8} coding system is
4323 a good candidate for it. Otherwise, you may change the locale in your
4324 system so that @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable
4325 may be initialized to an appropriate value.
4328 Note that when you copy or move articles from a non-@acronym{ASCII}
4329 group to another group, the charset used to encode and decode group
4330 names should be the same in both groups. Otherwise the Newsgroups
4331 header will be displayed incorrectly in the article buffer.
4338 * nnir:: Searching on IMAP, with swish, namazu, etc.
4339 * nnmairix:: Searching maildir, MH or mbox with Mairix.
4344 FIXME: This node is a stub.
4346 FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
4347 comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
4350 FIXME: Explain difference to @ref{Searching for Articles}, add reference
4356 FIXME: As a first step, convert the commentary of @file{nnir} to texi.
4360 @subsection nnmairix
4364 This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
4365 @code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
4366 Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
4367 bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
4370 * About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
4371 * nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
4372 * What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
4373 * Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
4374 * Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
4375 * nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
4376 * Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
4377 * nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
4378 * nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
4381 @c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
4382 @c E.g. adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
4383 @c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
4386 @subsubsection About mairix
4388 Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
4389 mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
4390 GPL. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
4391 runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
4393 @uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
4395 Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
4396 swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
4397 has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
4398 can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
4399 thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
4400 necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
4401 done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
4402 therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
4405 For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
4406 @code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
4407 end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
4408 results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
4409 which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
4410 made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
4411 mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
4412 for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
4415 @node nnmairix requirements
4416 @subsubsection nnmairix requirements
4418 Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
4419 direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
4420 server (e.g. an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
4421 access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g. via ssh.
4423 Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
4424 ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
4425 one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
4426 @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
4428 If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
4429 you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
4430 @code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
4431 files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
4432 really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
4433 the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
4435 @node What nnmairix does
4436 @subsubsection What nnmairix does
4438 The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
4439 either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
4440 database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
4441 several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g. to quickly
4442 search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
4443 display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
4444 mails are in different folders.
4446 Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
4447 to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
4448 containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
4449 even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID. If you check for
4450 new mail in these folders (e.g. by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
4451 automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
4453 You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
4454 creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
4455 then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
4456 does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
4457 strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
4458 claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
4459 the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
4460 its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g. if you
4461 use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
4462 about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
4463 group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
4465 @code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
4466 a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
4467 the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
4468 different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
4469 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
4470 binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
4471 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
4472 present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
4473 You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
4474 but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
4475 groups alongside your other mail, you can also create e.g. a new
4476 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
4477 make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
4478 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
4479 mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
4480 folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
4482 @node Setting up mairix
4483 @subsubsection Setting up mairix
4485 First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
4487 Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
4488 (at least) the following entries:
4491 # Your Maildir/MH base folder
4495 This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
4496 are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
4497 with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
4498 directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
4501 maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
4502 mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
4503 mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
4506 This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
4507 base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
4508 @code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
4509 directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
4510 section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
4516 @vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
4517 This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
4518 search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
4519 variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
4522 mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
4523 database= ... location of database file ...
4526 The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
4527 search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
4528 with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
4530 To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
4534 maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
4535 mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
4536 mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
4539 database=~/.mairixdatabase
4542 In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
4543 folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
4544 colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
4545 because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
4546 @code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
4547 @code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
4548 to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
4549 notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
4550 to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
4551 dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
4552 old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
4553 The other lines should be obvious.
4555 See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
4556 especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
4557 than you are used to.
4559 Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
4560 Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
4561 the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
4563 @node Configuring nnmairix
4564 @subsubsection Configuring nnmairix
4566 In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
4567 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
4568 necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
4569 server. You will have to specify the following:
4574 The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
4578 The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
4579 searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
4580 Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
4581 which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
4582 @code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
4583 mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
4584 However, you can also create e.g. a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
4585 server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
4586 (@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
4587 just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
4588 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might loose mail
4589 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
4590 @acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
4591 @code{nnimap} server here.
4594 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
4595 The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
4596 be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
4597 SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g. on your
4598 @acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
4599 mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
4600 @code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
4603 The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
4604 where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e. all searches which
4605 are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
4609 If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
4610 asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e. with hidden maildir
4611 folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
4612 @samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
4613 server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
4617 @node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4618 @subsubsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4625 @kindex G b c (Group)
4626 @findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
4627 Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
4628 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
4629 this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
4632 @kindex G b s (Group)
4633 @findex nnmairix-search
4634 Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
4635 results are put into the default search group which is automatically
4636 displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
4639 @kindex G b m (Group)
4640 @findex nnmairix-widget-search
4641 Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
4642 comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
4643 group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
4646 @kindex G b i (Group)
4647 @findex nnmairix-search-interactive
4648 Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
4649 only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
4652 @kindex G b g (Group)
4653 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group
4654 Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
4655 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
4656 automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
4660 @kindex G b q (Group)
4661 @findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
4662 Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
4663 (@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
4666 @kindex G b t (Group)
4667 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
4668 Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
4669 i.e. if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
4670 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
4673 @kindex G b u (Group)
4674 @findex nnmairix-update-database
4675 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
4676 Calls mairix binary for updating the database
4677 (@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
4678 and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
4679 @code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
4683 @kindex G b r (Group)
4684 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
4685 Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
4686 marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
4689 @kindex G b d (Group)
4690 @findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
4691 Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
4692 (@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
4693 you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
4696 @kindex G b a (Group)
4697 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
4698 Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
4699 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
4700 behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
4701 update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
4702 mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
4703 upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
4704 lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
4705 entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
4708 @kindex G b p (Group)
4709 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
4710 Toggle marks propagation for this group
4711 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
4715 @kindex G b o (Group)
4716 @findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
4717 Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
4718 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
4727 @kindex $ m (Summary)
4728 @findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
4729 Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
4730 message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
4731 (@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
4734 @kindex $ g (Summary)
4735 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
4736 Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
4737 message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
4738 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
4741 @kindex $ t (Summary)
4742 @findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
4743 Searches thread for the current article
4744 (@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
4745 shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
4746 current article and enabled threads.
4749 @kindex $ f (Summary)
4750 @findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
4751 Searches all messages from sender of the current article
4752 (@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
4753 calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
4756 @kindex $ o (Summary)
4757 @findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
4758 (Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
4759 originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that
4760 e.g. replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
4761 parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
4762 function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
4763 article file name as a fallback method.
4766 @kindex $ u (Summary)
4767 @findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
4768 Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
4769 (@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
4774 @node Propagating marks
4775 @subsubsection Propagating marks
4777 First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
4778 propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
4779 the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
4781 @uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
4783 You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
4784 is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
4785 marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
4786 fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
4789 With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
4790 alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
4791 example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
4792 into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
4793 @samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
4794 all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
4795 create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
4796 can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
4797 implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
4798 groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
4800 There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
4801 @samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
4802 ``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
4803 search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
4804 enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
4805 marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
4806 mail group it will be still shown as unread.
4808 You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
4809 tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
4810 created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
4811 @code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
4812 shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
4813 even more cumbersome.
4815 Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
4816 automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
4817 @emph{marks propagation} is about.
4819 Marks propagation is deactivated by default. You can activate it for a
4820 certain @code{nnmairix} group with
4821 @code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
4822 p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
4823 search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
4824 temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
4825 this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
4827 With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
4828 group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
4829 you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
4830 magically be set for the original article, too.
4832 A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
4834 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
4835 Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
4836 not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
4837 dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
4838 will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
4839 via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
4842 Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
4843 article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
4844 the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
4845 fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
4846 marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
4847 set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
4848 the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
4850 @vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
4851 If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
4852 original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
4853 search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
4854 way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
4855 marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
4856 setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
4858 Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e. if you
4859 tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
4860 article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
4861 reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
4862 immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
4863 @code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
4864 not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
4865 groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
4866 maildir as its file format.
4868 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
4869 If you work with this setup, just set
4870 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
4871 happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
4872 problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
4873 usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
4874 groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
4875 back end using @kbd{G b d}.
4877 @node nnmairix tips and tricks
4878 @subsubsection nnmairix tips and tricks
4884 @findex nnmairix-update-groups
4885 I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
4886 have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
4889 I use the following to check for mails:
4892 (defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
4894 ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
4895 (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
4896 (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
4897 (gnus-group-list-groups))
4899 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
4902 Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
4903 server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
4907 Example: search group for ticked articles
4909 For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
4910 articles always stay unread:
4912 Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g. @samp{important}), use
4913 @samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
4915 Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
4916 activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
4918 So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
4919 group? There are two options: You may simply use
4920 @code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
4921 tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
4922 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
4923 comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
4924 also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
4925 e.g. by marking an article as read.
4927 When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
4928 article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
4929 mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
4930 for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
4931 snippet and the doc string for details.
4934 Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
4936 As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
4937 the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
4938 see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
4939 should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
4940 usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
4941 @code{nnml}, i.e. you will suddenly see groups of the form
4942 @samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
4943 simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
4944 auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
4945 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
4946 Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
4947 for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
4950 (setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
4951 "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
4956 @node nnmairix caveats
4957 @subsubsection nnmairix caveats
4961 You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
4962 you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
4963 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
4964 put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
4965 an example server definition:
4968 (nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
4971 (The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variabe
4972 @code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
4973 have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
4977 If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
4978 @code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
4979 @code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}). Be @emph{extra careful} if
4980 you use @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are
4981 split into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as
4982 you check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
4985 Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
4986 groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
4989 If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
4990 @code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
4993 mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
4996 @code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
4997 completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
4998 called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
4999 back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
5000 don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
5001 own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
5005 All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
5006 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
5007 is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
5008 it is gone for good.
5011 @findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
5012 If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
5013 ``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
5014 delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
5015 @code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
5016 save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
5017 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
5018 @code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
5019 @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
5022 The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
5023 for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
5025 A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
5026 comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
5027 @samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
5028 file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
5029 update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
5030 mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
5031 while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
5032 @samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
5033 after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
5034 non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
5035 ``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
5036 to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
5040 @node Misc Group Stuff
5041 @section Misc Group Stuff
5044 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
5045 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
5046 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
5047 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
5048 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
5055 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
5056 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5057 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5060 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
5063 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
5066 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
5067 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
5071 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
5072 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
5073 @xref{Server Buffer}.
5077 @findex gnus-group-post-news
5078 Start composing a message (a news by default)
5079 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
5080 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5081 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
5082 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
5083 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5087 @findex gnus-group-mail
5088 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
5089 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
5090 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5091 @xref{Composing Messages}.
5095 @findex gnus-group-news
5096 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
5097 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
5098 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5100 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5101 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5102 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5103 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5104 for this to work though.
5108 @findex gnus-group-compact-group
5110 Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
5111 Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
5112 gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
5117 Variables for the group buffer:
5121 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
5122 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
5123 is called after the group buffer has been
5126 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
5127 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5128 is called after the group buffer is
5129 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
5132 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
5133 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5134 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
5135 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
5137 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5138 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5139 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
5140 whether they are empty or not.
5144 @node Scanning New Messages
5145 @subsection Scanning New Messages
5146 @cindex new messages
5147 @cindex scanning new news
5153 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
5154 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
5155 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
5156 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
5157 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
5158 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
5163 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
5164 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
5165 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
5166 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
5167 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
5168 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
5169 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
5171 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
5172 @cindex activating groups
5174 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
5175 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
5180 @findex gnus-group-restart
5181 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
5182 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
5183 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
5187 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
5188 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
5190 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
5191 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
5195 @node Group Information
5196 @subsection Group Information
5197 @cindex group information
5198 @cindex information on groups
5205 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
5206 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
5209 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
5210 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
5211 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
5212 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
5213 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
5214 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
5215 used for fetching the file.
5217 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
5218 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
5222 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
5223 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
5225 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
5226 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
5229 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
5230 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
5231 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
5235 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
5236 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
5237 @cindex control message
5238 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
5239 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
5240 group if given a prefix argument.
5242 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
5243 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
5244 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
5245 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
5247 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
5248 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
5249 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
5253 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
5255 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
5256 @cindex describing groups
5257 @cindex group description
5258 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
5259 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
5260 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
5264 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
5265 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
5266 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
5273 @findex gnus-version
5274 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
5278 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
5279 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
5282 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
5285 @findex gnus-info-find-node
5286 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
5290 @node Group Timestamp
5291 @subsection Group Timestamp
5293 @cindex group timestamps
5295 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
5296 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
5297 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
5300 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
5303 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
5305 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
5306 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
5309 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5310 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
5313 This will result in lines looking like:
5316 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
5317 0: custom 19961002T012713
5320 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
5321 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
5325 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5326 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
5329 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
5330 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
5334 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5335 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
5336 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
5337 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
5339 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
5345 @subsection File Commands
5346 @cindex file commands
5352 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
5353 @vindex gnus-init-file
5354 @cindex reading init file
5355 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
5356 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
5360 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
5361 @cindex saving .newsrc
5362 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
5363 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
5364 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
5367 @c @kindex Z (Group)
5368 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
5369 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
5374 @node Sieve Commands
5375 @subsection Sieve Commands
5376 @cindex group sieve commands
5378 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
5379 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
5380 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
5381 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
5382 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
5384 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5385 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
5386 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
5387 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
5388 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
5389 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
5390 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
5391 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
5392 regenerate the Sieve script.
5394 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
5395 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
5396 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
5397 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
5398 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
5399 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
5400 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
5401 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
5402 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
5403 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
5406 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
5407 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
5412 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
5418 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
5419 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5420 @cindex generating sieve script
5421 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
5422 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
5426 @findex gnus-sieve-update
5427 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5428 @cindex updating sieve script
5429 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
5430 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
5431 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
5436 @node Summary Buffer
5437 @chapter Summary Buffer
5438 @cindex summary buffer
5440 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
5441 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
5443 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
5444 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
5446 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
5448 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
5449 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
5453 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
5454 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5455 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5457 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
5461 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
5462 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
5463 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
5464 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
5465 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
5466 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
5467 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
5468 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
5469 * Threading:: How threads are made.
5470 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
5471 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
5472 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
5473 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
5474 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
5475 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
5476 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
5477 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
5478 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
5479 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
5480 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
5481 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
5482 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
5483 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
5484 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
5485 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
5486 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
5487 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
5488 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
5489 or reselecting the current group.
5490 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
5491 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
5492 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
5493 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
5497 @node Summary Buffer Format
5498 @section Summary Buffer Format
5499 @cindex summary buffer format
5503 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
5504 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
5505 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
5511 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
5512 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
5513 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
5514 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
5517 @findex mail-extract-address-components
5518 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
5519 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
5520 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
5521 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
5522 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
5523 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
5524 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
5525 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
5526 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
5527 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
5530 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
5531 'mail-extract-address-components)
5534 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
5535 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
5536 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
5537 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
5540 @node Summary Buffer Lines
5541 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
5543 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5544 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
5545 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
5546 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
5547 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
5549 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
5550 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
5551 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
5552 possible to change this. Just write a new function
5553 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
5554 @xref{Positioning Point}.
5556 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
5558 The following format specification characters and extended format
5559 specification(s) are understood:
5565 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
5566 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
5568 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
5569 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
5570 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
5572 Full @code{From} header.
5574 The name (from the @code{From} header).
5576 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
5579 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
5580 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
5581 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
5582 may be more thorough.
5584 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
5587 Number of lines in the article.
5589 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
5590 in some methods (like nnfolder).
5592 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
5593 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
5595 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5597 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
5598 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
5611 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
5612 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
5613 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
5614 line-drawing glyphs.
5616 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5617 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5618 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
5619 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5621 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5622 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5623 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
5624 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5626 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5627 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5628 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
5629 instead. The default is @samp{}.
5631 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5632 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5633 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
5635 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5636 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5637 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
5639 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5640 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5641 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
5643 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5644 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5645 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
5650 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
5651 pushes everything after it off the screen).
5653 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
5654 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5656 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
5657 for adopted articles.
5659 One space for each thread level.
5661 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
5663 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
5666 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
5667 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
5668 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
5671 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
5673 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
5674 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
5675 default level. If the difference between
5676 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
5677 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
5685 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
5687 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
5693 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
5694 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
5696 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
5697 article has any children.
5703 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
5705 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
5706 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
5708 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
5709 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
5710 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
5711 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
5712 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
5713 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
5716 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
5717 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
5718 There can only be one such area.
5720 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
5721 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
5722 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
5723 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
5724 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
5725 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
5727 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
5728 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
5730 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
5733 @node To From Newsgroups
5734 @subsection To From Newsgroups
5738 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
5739 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
5740 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
5741 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
5742 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
5746 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
5747 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
5748 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
5752 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5753 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
5756 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
5757 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
5760 @findex gnus-extra-header
5761 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
5762 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
5763 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
5766 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
5770 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5771 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
5772 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
5773 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
5774 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
5775 headers are used instead.
5777 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
5778 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
5779 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
5780 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
5781 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
5782 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
5786 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
5787 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
5788 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
5789 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
5790 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
5791 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
5794 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5795 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
5796 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
5797 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
5799 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
5803 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5805 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
5806 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
5807 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
5808 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5812 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
5815 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
5816 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
5819 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
5820 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
5821 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
5827 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
5828 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
5831 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
5832 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
5834 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
5835 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
5836 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
5837 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
5839 Here are the elements you can play with:
5845 Unprefixed group name.
5847 Current article number.
5849 Current article score.
5853 Number of unread articles in this group.
5855 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
5858 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
5859 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
5860 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
5861 and no unselected ones.
5863 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
5864 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
5866 Subject of the current article.
5868 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
5870 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
5872 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5874 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5876 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
5878 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
5882 @node Summary Highlighting
5883 @subsection Summary Highlighting
5887 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5888 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5889 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
5890 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
5891 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5893 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
5894 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
5895 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
5896 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5898 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
5899 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
5900 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
5901 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
5903 @item gnus-summary-highlight
5904 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
5905 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
5906 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
5907 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
5908 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5911 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5912 ((> score default) . bold))
5914 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5915 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5919 @node Summary Maneuvering
5920 @section Summary Maneuvering
5921 @cindex summary movement
5923 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5924 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5926 None of these commands select articles.
5931 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5932 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5933 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5934 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5935 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5939 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5940 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5942 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5943 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5946 @kindex G g (Summary)
5947 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5948 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5949 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5952 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5953 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5954 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5955 to the group buffer.
5957 Variables related to summary movement:
5961 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5962 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5963 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5964 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5965 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5966 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5967 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5968 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5969 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5970 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5971 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5972 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5973 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5974 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5976 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5977 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5978 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5979 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5980 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5981 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5982 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5984 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5986 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5987 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5988 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5989 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5990 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5992 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5993 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5994 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5995 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5996 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5997 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5998 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5999 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
6002 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
6003 the given number of lines from the top.
6005 @item gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
6006 @vindex gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
6007 If non-@code{nil}, don't go to the next article when hitting
6008 @kbd{SPC}, and you're at the end of the article.
6013 @node Choosing Articles
6014 @section Choosing Articles
6015 @cindex selecting articles
6018 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
6019 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
6023 @node Choosing Commands
6024 @subsection Choosing Commands
6026 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
6027 and they all select and display an article.
6029 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
6030 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
6034 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
6036 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
6037 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
6039 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
6040 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
6041 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
6046 @kindex G n (Summary)
6047 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
6048 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
6049 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
6054 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
6055 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
6056 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
6061 @kindex G N (Summary)
6062 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
6063 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
6068 @kindex G P (Summary)
6069 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
6070 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
6073 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
6074 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
6075 Go to the next article with the same subject
6076 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
6079 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
6080 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
6081 Go to the previous article with the same subject
6082 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
6086 @kindex G f (Summary)
6088 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
6089 Go to the first unread article
6090 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
6094 @kindex G b (Summary)
6096 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
6097 Go to the unread article with the highest score
6098 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
6099 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
6104 @kindex G l (Summary)
6105 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
6106 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
6109 @kindex G o (Summary)
6110 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
6112 @cindex article history
6113 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
6114 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
6115 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
6116 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
6117 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
6118 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
6123 @kindex G j (Summary)
6124 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
6125 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
6126 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
6131 @node Choosing Variables
6132 @subsection Choosing Variables
6134 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
6137 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6138 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6139 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
6140 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
6141 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
6142 the server and display it in the article buffer.
6144 @item gnus-select-article-hook
6145 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
6146 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
6147 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
6148 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
6151 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
6152 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
6153 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
6154 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
6155 @findex gnus-unread-mark
6156 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
6157 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
6158 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
6159 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
6160 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
6161 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
6162 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
6163 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
6164 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
6169 @node Paging the Article
6170 @section Scrolling the Article
6171 @cindex article scrolling
6176 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
6177 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
6178 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
6179 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
6180 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
6182 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
6183 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
6184 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
6185 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
6186 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
6187 what is considered uninteresting with
6188 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
6189 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
6192 @kindex DEL (Summary)
6193 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
6194 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
6197 @kindex RET (Summary)
6198 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
6199 Scroll the current article one line forward
6200 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
6203 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
6204 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
6205 Scroll the current article one line backward
6206 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
6210 @kindex A g (Summary)
6212 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
6213 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6214 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
6215 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
6216 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
6217 the way it came from the server.
6219 @cindex charset, view article with different charset
6220 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
6221 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
6222 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
6225 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6230 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
6235 @kindex A < (Summary)
6236 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
6237 Scroll to the beginning of the article
6238 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
6243 @kindex A > (Summary)
6244 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
6245 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
6249 @kindex A s (Summary)
6251 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
6252 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
6253 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
6257 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
6258 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
6263 @node Reply Followup and Post
6264 @section Reply, Followup and Post
6267 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
6268 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
6269 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
6270 * Canceling and Superseding::
6274 @node Summary Mail Commands
6275 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
6277 @cindex composing mail
6279 Commands for composing a mail message:
6285 @kindex S r (Summary)
6287 @findex gnus-summary-reply
6288 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
6289 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
6290 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
6291 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
6296 @kindex S R (Summary)
6297 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
6298 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
6299 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6300 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
6301 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6304 @kindex S w (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
6306 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
6307 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
6308 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6309 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
6310 present, that's used instead.
6313 @kindex S W (Summary)
6314 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
6315 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
6316 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
6317 the process/prefix convention, but only uses the headers from the
6318 first article to determine the recipients.
6321 @kindex S v (Summary)
6322 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
6323 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
6324 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
6325 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6326 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
6327 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
6330 @kindex S V (Summary)
6331 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
6332 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
6333 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
6334 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6337 @kindex S B r (Summary)
6338 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
6339 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
6340 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
6341 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
6342 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
6343 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
6344 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
6347 @kindex S B R (Summary)
6348 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
6349 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6350 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
6351 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
6355 @kindex S o m (Summary)
6356 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
6358 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
6359 Forward the current article to some other person
6360 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
6361 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
6362 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6363 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6364 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6365 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6366 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6367 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6368 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
6374 @kindex S m (Summary)
6375 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
6376 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
6377 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
6378 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6379 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
6382 @kindex S i (Summary)
6383 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
6384 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
6385 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
6386 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
6388 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
6389 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
6390 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
6391 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
6392 for this to work though.
6395 @kindex S D b (Summary)
6396 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
6397 @cindex bouncing mail
6398 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
6399 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
6400 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
6401 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
6402 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
6403 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
6404 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
6405 very well fail, though.
6408 @kindex S D r (Summary)
6409 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
6410 Not to be confused with the previous command,
6411 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
6412 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
6413 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
6414 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
6415 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
6416 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
6417 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
6419 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
6420 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
6421 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
6422 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
6423 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
6425 This command understands the process/prefix convention
6426 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6429 @kindex S D e (Summary)
6430 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
6432 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
6433 if it were a new message before resending.
6436 @kindex S O m (Summary)
6437 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
6438 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
6439 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
6440 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6443 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
6444 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
6445 @cindex crossposting
6446 @cindex excessive crossposting
6447 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
6448 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
6450 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
6451 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
6452 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
6453 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
6454 command understands the process/prefix convention
6455 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
6459 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6460 Manual}, for more information.
6463 @node Summary Post Commands
6464 @subsection Summary Post Commands
6466 @cindex composing news
6468 Commands for posting a news article:
6474 @kindex S p (Summary)
6475 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
6476 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
6477 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
6478 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6479 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
6484 @kindex S f (Summary)
6485 @findex gnus-summary-followup
6486 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
6487 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
6491 @kindex S F (Summary)
6493 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
6494 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
6495 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
6496 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
6497 process/prefix convention.
6500 @kindex S n (Summary)
6501 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
6502 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6503 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
6506 @kindex S N (Summary)
6507 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
6508 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6509 message through mail and include the original message
6510 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
6511 the process/prefix convention.
6514 @kindex S o p (Summary)
6515 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
6516 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
6517 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
6518 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
6519 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
6520 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6521 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6522 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6523 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6524 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6525 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6526 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
6529 @kindex S O p (Summary)
6530 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
6532 @cindex making digests
6533 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
6534 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
6535 process/prefix convention.
6538 @kindex S u (Summary)
6539 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
6540 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
6541 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
6542 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
6545 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6546 Manual}, for more information.
6549 @node Summary Message Commands
6550 @subsection Summary Message Commands
6554 @kindex S y (Summary)
6555 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
6556 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
6557 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
6558 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
6559 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6564 @node Canceling and Superseding
6565 @subsection Canceling Articles
6566 @cindex canceling articles
6567 @cindex superseding articles
6569 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
6570 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
6572 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
6574 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
6576 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
6577 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
6578 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
6579 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
6580 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
6581 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6583 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
6584 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
6587 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
6588 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
6589 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
6591 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
6592 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
6593 message, Message Manual}).
6595 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
6596 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
6597 your original article.
6599 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
6601 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
6602 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
6603 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
6606 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
6607 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
6608 have posted almost the same article twice.
6610 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
6611 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
6612 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
6613 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
6614 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
6615 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
6616 header by substituting one of those words for the word
6617 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
6618 you would do normally. The previous article will be
6619 canceled/superseded.
6621 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
6623 @node Delayed Articles
6624 @section Delayed Articles
6625 @cindex delayed sending
6626 @cindex send delayed
6628 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
6629 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
6630 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
6631 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
6634 (gnus-delay-initialize)
6637 @findex gnus-delay-article
6638 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
6639 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
6640 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
6641 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
6645 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
6646 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
6647 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
6648 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
6651 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
6652 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
6653 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
6656 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
6657 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
6658 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
6659 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
6660 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
6661 that means a time tomorrow.
6664 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
6665 couple of variables:
6668 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
6669 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
6670 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
6671 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
6673 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
6674 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
6675 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
6676 formats described above.
6678 @item gnus-delay-group
6679 @vindex gnus-delay-group
6680 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
6681 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
6682 value is @code{"delayed"}.
6684 @item gnus-delay-header
6685 @vindex gnus-delay-header
6686 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
6687 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
6688 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
6691 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
6692 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
6693 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
6694 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
6695 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
6697 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
6698 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
6699 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
6700 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
6701 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
6702 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
6703 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
6706 @item gnus-delay-initialize
6707 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
6708 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
6709 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
6710 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
6711 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
6712 argument is ignored.
6714 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
6715 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
6716 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
6719 When delaying an article with @kbd{C-c C-j}, Message mode will
6720 automatically add a @code{"Date"} header with the current time. In
6721 many cases you probably want the @code{"Date"} header to reflect the
6722 time the message is sent instead. To do this, you have to delete
6723 @code{Date} from @code{message-draft-headers}.
6726 @node Marking Articles
6727 @section Marking Articles
6728 @cindex article marking
6729 @cindex article ticking
6732 There are several marks you can set on an article.
6734 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
6735 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
6736 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
6738 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
6741 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
6745 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
6746 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
6747 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
6748 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
6749 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
6750 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
6754 @node Unread Articles
6755 @subsection Unread Articles
6757 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
6762 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
6763 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
6765 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
6766 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
6767 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
6768 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
6769 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
6770 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
6771 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
6774 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
6775 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
6777 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
6778 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
6779 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
6780 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
6784 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
6785 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
6787 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
6792 @subsection Read Articles
6793 @cindex expirable mark
6795 All the following marks mark articles as read.
6800 @vindex gnus-del-mark
6801 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
6802 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
6805 @vindex gnus-read-mark
6806 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
6809 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
6810 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
6811 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
6814 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
6815 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
6818 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
6819 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
6822 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
6823 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
6826 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
6827 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
6830 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
6831 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
6834 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
6835 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
6839 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
6840 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
6841 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6845 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
6846 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
6848 One more special mark, though:
6852 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
6853 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
6855 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
6856 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
6857 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
6858 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
6864 @subsection Other Marks
6865 @cindex process mark
6868 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
6874 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
6875 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
6876 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
6877 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
6878 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
6881 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
6882 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
6883 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
6884 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
6887 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
6888 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
6889 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
6892 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
6893 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
6894 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6897 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
6898 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
6899 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
6900 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
6903 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
6904 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
6905 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
6906 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
6907 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
6908 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
6911 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
6912 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
6913 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
6914 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
6917 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6918 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6919 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6920 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6921 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6925 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6926 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6927 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6928 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6929 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6930 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6933 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6934 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6935 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6936 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6937 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6938 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6942 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6943 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6944 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6945 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6946 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6949 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6950 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6951 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6952 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6953 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6954 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6958 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6959 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6960 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6962 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6963 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6964 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6968 @subsection Setting Marks
6969 @cindex setting marks
6971 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6976 @kindex M c (Summary)
6977 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6978 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6979 @cindex mark as unread
6980 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6981 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6987 @kindex M t (Summary)
6988 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6989 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6990 @xref{Article Caching}.
6995 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6996 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6997 Mark the current article as dormant
6998 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
7002 @kindex M d (Summary)
7004 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
7005 Mark the current article as read
7006 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
7010 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
7011 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
7012 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
7017 @kindex M k (Summary)
7018 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
7019 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
7020 and then select the next unread article
7021 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
7025 @kindex M K (Summary)
7026 @kindex C-k (Summary)
7027 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
7028 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
7029 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
7032 @kindex M C (Summary)
7033 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
7034 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
7035 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
7038 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
7039 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
7040 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
7041 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
7044 @kindex M H (Summary)
7045 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
7046 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
7047 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
7050 @kindex M h (Summary)
7051 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
7052 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
7053 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
7056 @kindex C-w (Summary)
7057 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
7058 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
7059 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
7062 @kindex M V k (Summary)
7063 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
7064 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
7065 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
7069 @kindex M e (Summary)
7071 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
7072 Mark the current article as expirable
7073 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
7076 @kindex M b (Summary)
7077 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
7078 Set a bookmark in the current article
7079 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
7082 @kindex M B (Summary)
7083 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
7084 Remove the bookmark from the current article
7085 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
7088 @kindex M V c (Summary)
7089 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
7090 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
7091 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7094 @kindex M V u (Summary)
7095 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
7096 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
7097 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
7100 @kindex M V m (Summary)
7101 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
7102 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
7103 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
7104 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7107 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
7108 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
7109 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
7110 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
7111 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
7112 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
7113 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
7114 The default is @code{t}.
7117 @node Generic Marking Commands
7118 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
7120 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
7121 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
7122 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
7123 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
7124 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
7127 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
7128 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
7131 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
7132 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
7133 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
7134 to list in this manual.
7136 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
7137 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
7138 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
7139 article, you could say something like:
7143 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
7144 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7145 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
7153 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7154 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
7158 @node Setting Process Marks
7159 @subsection Setting Process Marks
7160 @cindex setting process marks
7162 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
7163 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
7164 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
7165 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
7166 articles into the cache. For more information,
7167 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
7174 @kindex M P p (Summary)
7175 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
7176 Mark the current article with the process mark
7177 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
7178 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
7182 @kindex M P u (Summary)
7183 @kindex M-# (Summary)
7184 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
7185 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
7188 @kindex M P U (Summary)
7189 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
7190 Remove the process mark from all articles
7191 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
7194 @kindex M P i (Summary)
7195 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
7196 Invert the list of process marked articles
7197 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
7200 @kindex M P R (Summary)
7201 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
7202 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7203 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
7206 @kindex M P G (Summary)
7207 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
7208 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7209 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
7212 @kindex M P r (Summary)
7213 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
7214 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
7217 @kindex M P g (Summary)
7218 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
7219 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
7222 @kindex M P t (Summary)
7223 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7224 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7225 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7228 @kindex M P T (Summary)
7229 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7230 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7231 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7234 @kindex M P v (Summary)
7235 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
7236 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
7237 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
7240 @kindex M P s (Summary)
7241 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
7242 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
7245 @kindex M P S (Summary)
7246 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
7247 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
7248 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
7251 @kindex M P a (Summary)
7252 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
7253 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
7256 @kindex M P b (Summary)
7257 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
7258 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
7259 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
7262 @kindex M P k (Summary)
7263 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
7264 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
7265 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
7268 @kindex M P y (Summary)
7269 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
7270 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
7271 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
7274 @kindex M P w (Summary)
7275 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
7276 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
7277 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
7281 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
7282 set process marks based on article body contents.
7289 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
7290 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
7291 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
7294 Limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched from
7295 the servers. These commands don't query the server for additional
7302 @kindex / / (Summary)
7303 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
7304 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
7305 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
7309 @kindex / a (Summary)
7310 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
7311 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
7312 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
7316 @kindex / R (Summary)
7317 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
7318 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
7319 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
7323 @kindex / A (Summary)
7324 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-address
7325 Limit the summary buffer to articles in which contents of From, To or Cc
7326 header match a given address (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-address}). If
7327 given a prefix, exclude matching articles.
7330 @kindex / S (Summary)
7331 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons
7332 Limit the summary buffer to articles that aren't part of any displayed
7333 threads (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons}). If given a prefix,
7334 limit to articles that are part of displayed threads.
7337 @kindex / x (Summary)
7338 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
7339 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
7340 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
7341 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
7346 @kindex / u (Summary)
7348 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
7349 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
7350 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
7351 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
7352 dormant articles will also be excluded.
7355 @kindex / m (Summary)
7356 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
7357 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
7358 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
7361 @kindex / t (Summary)
7362 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
7363 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
7364 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
7365 articles younger than that number of days.
7368 @kindex / n (Summary)
7369 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
7370 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
7371 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
7372 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
7375 @kindex / w (Summary)
7376 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
7377 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
7378 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
7382 @kindex / . (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
7384 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
7385 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
7388 @kindex / v (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
7390 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
7391 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
7394 @kindex / p (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
7396 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
7397 group parameter predicate
7398 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
7399 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
7402 @kindex / r (Summary)
7403 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
7404 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
7405 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
7410 @kindex M S (Summary)
7411 @kindex / E (Summary)
7412 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
7413 Include all expunged articles in the limit
7414 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
7417 @kindex / D (Summary)
7418 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
7419 Include all dormant articles in the limit
7420 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
7423 @kindex / * (Summary)
7424 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
7425 Include all cached articles in the limit
7426 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
7429 @kindex / d (Summary)
7430 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
7431 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
7432 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
7435 @kindex / M (Summary)
7436 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
7437 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
7440 @kindex / T (Summary)
7441 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
7442 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
7445 @kindex / c (Summary)
7446 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
7447 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
7448 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
7451 @kindex / C (Summary)
7452 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
7453 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
7454 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
7455 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
7458 @kindex / b (Summary)
7459 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
7460 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
7461 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
7462 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
7463 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
7466 @kindex / h (Summary)
7467 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
7468 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
7469 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
7474 The following commands aren't limiting commands, but use the @kbd{/}
7479 @kindex / N (Summary)
7480 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
7481 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
7482 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
7485 @kindex / o (Summary)
7486 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
7487 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
7488 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
7496 @cindex article threading
7498 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
7499 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
7500 hierarchical fashion.
7502 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
7503 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
7504 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
7505 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
7506 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
7507 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
7508 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
7510 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
7514 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
7517 A tree-like article structure.
7520 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
7523 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
7524 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
7525 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
7526 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
7527 called loose threads.
7529 @item thread gathering
7530 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
7532 @item sparse threads
7533 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
7534 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
7540 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
7541 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
7545 @node Customizing Threading
7546 @subsection Customizing Threading
7547 @cindex customizing threading
7550 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
7551 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
7552 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
7553 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
7558 @subsubsection Loose Threads
7561 @cindex loose threads
7564 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
7565 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
7566 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
7567 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
7568 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
7569 read or killed the root in a previous session.
7571 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
7572 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
7573 There are four possible values:
7577 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
7578 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
7579 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
7580 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
7581 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
7586 @cindex adopting articles
7591 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
7592 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
7593 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
7594 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
7597 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
7598 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
7599 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
7600 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
7601 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
7602 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
7603 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
7604 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7605 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
7606 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
7609 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
7610 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
7611 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
7615 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
7616 display them after one another.
7619 Don't gather loose threads.
7622 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7623 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7624 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
7625 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
7626 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
7627 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
7628 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
7629 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
7630 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
7631 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
7632 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
7634 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
7635 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
7636 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
7639 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7640 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7641 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
7642 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
7643 simplification is used.
7645 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7646 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7647 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
7648 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
7650 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
7652 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7658 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
7659 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
7660 "answer" "reference" "announce"
7661 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
7666 (mapconcat 'identity
7667 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
7669 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
7672 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
7675 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7676 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7677 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
7678 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
7679 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
7680 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
7682 Useful functions to put in this list include:
7685 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
7686 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
7687 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
7689 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7690 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7693 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
7694 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
7695 Remove excessive whitespace.
7697 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7698 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7699 Remove all whitespace.
7702 You may also write your own functions, of course.
7705 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7706 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7707 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
7708 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
7709 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
7710 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
7711 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
7712 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
7714 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7715 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7716 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
7717 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
7718 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
7719 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
7720 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
7721 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
7722 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
7726 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7727 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7728 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
7729 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
7731 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7732 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7733 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
7736 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
7740 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7741 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
7747 @node Filling In Threads
7748 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
7751 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
7752 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
7753 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
7754 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
7755 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
7756 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
7757 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
7758 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
7759 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
7760 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
7761 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
7762 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
7765 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
7766 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
7767 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
7769 The server has to support @acronym{NOV} for any of this to work.
7771 @cindex Gmane, gnus-fetch-old-headers
7772 This feature can seriously impact performance it ignores all locally
7773 cached header entries. Setting it to @code{t} for groups for a server
7774 that doesn't expire articles (such as news.gmane.org), leads to very
7775 slow summary generation.
7777 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7778 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7779 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
7782 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
7783 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
7784 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
7785 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
7786 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
7787 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
7788 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
7789 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
7790 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
7791 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
7792 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
7793 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
7794 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
7795 @code{nil} by default.
7797 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
7798 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
7799 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
7800 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
7801 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
7802 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
7805 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
7806 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
7807 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
7812 @node More Threading
7813 @subsubsection More Threading
7816 @item gnus-show-threads
7817 @vindex gnus-show-threads
7818 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
7819 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
7820 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
7821 slower and more awkward.
7823 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7824 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7825 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
7828 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
7829 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
7830 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
7835 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7836 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
7837 gnus-article-unseen-p))
7840 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
7841 unread, but you get my drift.)
7844 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
7845 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
7846 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
7847 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
7848 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
7849 threads are expunged.
7851 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
7852 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
7853 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
7856 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7857 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7858 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
7859 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
7860 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
7861 result in a new thread.
7863 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
7864 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
7865 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
7868 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7869 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7870 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
7871 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
7872 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
7873 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
7874 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
7875 Setting this variable to an alternate value
7876 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
7877 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
7878 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
7883 @node Low-Level Threading
7884 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
7888 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
7889 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
7890 Hook run before parsing any headers.
7892 @item gnus-alter-header-function
7893 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
7894 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
7895 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
7896 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
7897 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
7898 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
7899 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
7900 meaningful. Here's one example:
7903 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
7905 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
7906 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
7908 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
7910 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
7917 @node Thread Commands
7918 @subsection Thread Commands
7919 @cindex thread commands
7925 @kindex T k (Summary)
7926 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
7927 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
7928 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
7929 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
7930 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
7935 @kindex T l (Summary)
7936 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
7937 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
7938 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
7939 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
7942 @kindex T i (Summary)
7943 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
7944 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
7945 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7948 @kindex T # (Summary)
7949 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7950 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7951 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7954 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7955 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7956 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7957 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7960 @kindex T T (Summary)
7961 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7962 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7965 @kindex T s (Summary)
7966 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7967 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7968 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7971 @kindex T h (Summary)
7972 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7973 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7976 @kindex T S (Summary)
7977 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7978 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7981 @kindex T H (Summary)
7982 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7983 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7986 @kindex T t (Summary)
7987 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7988 Re-thread the current article's thread
7989 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7990 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7993 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7994 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7995 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7996 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7999 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
8000 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
8001 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
8002 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
8006 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
8007 understand the numeric prefix.
8012 @kindex T n (Summary)
8014 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
8016 @kindex M-down (Summary)
8017 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
8018 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
8021 @kindex T p (Summary)
8023 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
8025 @kindex M-up (Summary)
8026 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
8027 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
8030 @kindex T d (Summary)
8031 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
8032 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
8035 @kindex T u (Summary)
8036 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
8037 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
8040 @kindex T o (Summary)
8041 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
8042 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
8045 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
8046 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
8047 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
8048 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
8049 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
8050 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
8051 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
8052 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
8053 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
8054 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
8055 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
8056 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
8060 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
8061 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
8063 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
8064 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
8065 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
8066 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8067 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
8068 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
8069 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8070 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
8071 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
8072 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
8073 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
8074 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
8075 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
8076 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
8077 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
8079 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
8080 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
8081 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
8082 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
8083 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date},
8084 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
8085 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
8086 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
8087 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
8088 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
8090 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
8091 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
8092 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
8094 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
8095 last function in the list. You should probably always include
8096 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
8097 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
8098 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
8099 ascending article order.
8101 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
8102 by number, you could do something like:
8105 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8106 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8107 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8108 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
8111 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
8112 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
8113 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
8114 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
8115 which the articles arrived.
8117 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
8121 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8122 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
8123 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
8126 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
8127 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
8128 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
8129 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
8132 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
8133 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
8134 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-date
8135 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
8136 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
8137 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
8138 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
8139 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
8140 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-number
8141 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
8142 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
8143 variable. It is very similar to the
8144 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
8145 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
8146 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
8147 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
8148 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
8149 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
8150 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
8152 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
8156 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
8157 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
8158 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
8161 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
8162 @xref{Group Parameters}.
8165 @node Asynchronous Fetching
8166 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
8167 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
8168 @cindex article pre-fetch
8171 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
8172 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
8173 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
8174 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
8175 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
8177 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
8178 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
8180 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
8181 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
8182 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
8183 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
8184 connection is blocked.
8186 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
8187 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
8188 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
8189 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
8191 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
8192 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
8193 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
8194 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
8197 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
8200 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
8201 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
8202 happen automatically.
8204 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
8205 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
8206 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
8207 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
8208 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
8209 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
8210 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
8212 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
8213 @findex gnus-async-unread-p
8214 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
8215 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
8216 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
8217 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
8218 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-unread-p}, which
8219 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
8220 article data structure as the only parameter.
8222 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
8223 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
8226 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
8227 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
8228 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
8229 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
8232 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
8235 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
8236 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
8237 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
8239 @vindex gnus-async-post-fetch-function
8240 @findex gnus-html-prefetch-images
8241 After an article has been prefetched, this
8242 @code{gnus-async-post-fetch-function} will be called. The buffer will
8243 be narrowed to the region of the article that was fetched. A useful
8244 value would be @code{gnus-html-prefetch-images}, which will prefetch
8245 and store images referenced in the article, so that you don't have to
8246 wait for them to be fetched when you read the article. This is useful
8247 for @acronym{HTML} messages that have external images.
8249 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
8250 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
8251 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
8252 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
8256 Remove articles when they are read.
8259 Remove articles when exiting the group.
8262 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
8264 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
8265 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
8266 @c from the next group.
8269 @node Article Caching
8270 @section Article Caching
8271 @cindex article caching
8274 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
8275 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
8276 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
8277 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
8278 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
8280 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
8282 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8283 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
8284 @vindex gnus-use-cache
8285 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
8286 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
8287 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
8288 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
8289 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
8291 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
8292 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
8293 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
8294 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
8295 as dormant, and don't worry.
8297 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
8299 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
8300 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
8301 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
8302 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
8303 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
8304 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
8305 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
8306 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
8307 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
8308 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
8310 @findex gnus-jog-cache
8311 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
8312 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
8313 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
8314 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
8315 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
8316 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
8317 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
8318 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
8319 not then be downloaded by this command.
8321 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
8322 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
8323 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
8324 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
8325 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
8326 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
8328 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
8329 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
8330 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
8331 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
8332 variables, the group is not cached.
8334 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
8335 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
8336 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
8337 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
8338 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
8339 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
8340 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
8341 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
8342 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
8345 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
8346 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
8347 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
8348 where, isn't that cool?
8350 @node Persistent Articles
8351 @section Persistent Articles
8352 @cindex persistent articles
8354 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
8355 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
8356 useful in my opinion.
8358 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
8359 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
8360 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
8361 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
8362 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
8363 the expiry going on at the news server.
8365 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
8366 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
8367 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
8373 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
8374 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
8377 @kindex M-* (Summary)
8378 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
8379 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
8380 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
8384 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
8386 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
8387 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
8388 interested in persistent articles:
8391 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
8394 @node Sticky Articles
8395 @section Sticky Articles
8396 @cindex sticky articles
8398 When you select an article the current article buffer will be reused
8399 according to the value of the variable
8400 @code{gnus-single-article-buffer}. If its value is non-@code{nil} (the
8401 default) all articles reuse the same article buffer. Else each group
8402 has its own article buffer.
8404 This implies that it's not possible to have more than one article buffer
8405 in a group at a time. But sometimes you might want to display all the
8406 latest emails from your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle and
8407 your 17 cousins to coordinate the next christmas party.
8409 That's where sticky articles come in handy. A sticky article buffer
8410 basically is a normal article buffer, but it won't be reused when you
8411 select another article. You can make an article sticky with:
8415 @kindex A S (Summary)
8416 @findex gnus-sticky-article
8417 Make the current article sticky. If a prefix arg is given, ask for a
8418 name for this sticky article buffer.
8421 To close a sticky article buffer you can use these commands:
8427 Puts this sticky article buffer at the end of the list of all buffers.
8431 @findex gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffer
8432 Kills this sticky article buffer.
8435 To kill all sticky article buffers you can use:
8437 @defun gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffers ARG
8438 Kill all sticky article buffers.
8439 If a prefix ARG is given, ask for confirmation.
8442 @node Article Backlog
8443 @section Article Backlog
8445 @cindex article backlog
8447 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
8448 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
8449 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
8450 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
8451 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
8452 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
8453 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
8454 increase memory usage some.
8456 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
8457 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
8458 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
8459 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
8460 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
8461 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
8462 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
8464 The default value is 20.
8467 @node Saving Articles
8468 @section Saving Articles
8469 @cindex saving articles
8471 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
8472 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
8473 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
8474 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
8475 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
8477 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
8478 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
8479 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8481 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
8482 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
8483 unwanted headers before saving the article.
8485 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
8486 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
8487 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
8488 deleted before saving.
8494 @kindex O o (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
8497 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
8498 Save the current article using the default article saver
8499 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
8502 @kindex O m (Summary)
8503 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
8504 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
8505 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
8508 @kindex O r (Summary)
8509 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
8510 Save the current article in Rmail format
8511 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}). This is mbox since Emacs 23,
8512 Babyl in older versions.
8515 @kindex O f (Summary)
8516 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
8517 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
8518 Save the current article in plain file format
8519 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
8522 @kindex O F (Summary)
8523 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
8524 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
8525 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
8528 @kindex O b (Summary)
8529 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
8530 Save the current article body in plain file format
8531 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
8534 @kindex O h (Summary)
8535 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
8536 Save the current article in mh folder format
8537 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
8540 @kindex O v (Summary)
8541 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
8542 Save the current article in a VM folder
8543 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
8547 @kindex O p (Summary)
8549 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
8550 @vindex gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command
8551 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
8552 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
8553 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
8554 complete headers in the piped output. The symbolic prefix @code{r} is
8555 special; it lets this command pipe a raw article including all headers.
8556 The @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} variable can be set
8557 to a string containing the default command and options (default
8561 @kindex O P (Summary)
8562 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
8563 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
8564 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
8565 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
8566 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
8567 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
8568 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
8572 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
8573 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
8574 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
8575 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
8576 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
8577 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
8578 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
8579 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
8580 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
8581 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
8582 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
8583 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
8587 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
8588 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
8589 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
8590 functions below, or you can create your own.
8594 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8595 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8596 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
8597 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8598 This is the default format, that used by the Rmail package. Since Emacs
8599 23, Rmail uses standard mbox format. Before this, it used the
8600 @dfn{Babyl} format. Accordingly, this command writes mbox format since
8601 Emacs 23, unless appending to an existing Babyl file. In older versions
8602 of Emacs, it always uses Babyl format. Uses the function in the
8603 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8604 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8606 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8607 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8608 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
8609 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
8610 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8611 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8613 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
8614 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
8615 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
8616 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8617 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
8618 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8619 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8621 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
8622 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
8623 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8624 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8625 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8626 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8628 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8629 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8630 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
8631 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8632 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8634 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8635 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8636 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8637 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8638 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8639 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8641 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8642 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8643 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
8644 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
8645 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
8648 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
8649 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
8650 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
8651 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
8652 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
8654 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8655 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8656 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
8657 reader to use this setting.
8659 @item gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8660 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8661 Pipe the article to a shell command. This function takes optional two
8662 arguments COMMAND and RAW. Valid values for COMMAND include:
8666 The executable command name and possibly arguments.
8668 You will be prompted for the command in the minibuffer.
8669 @item the symbol @code{default}@*
8670 It will be replaced with the command which the variable
8671 @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} holds or the command
8672 last used for saving.
8675 Non-@code{nil} value for RAW overrides @code{:decode} and
8676 @code{:headers} properties (see below) and the raw article including all
8677 headers will be piped.
8680 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
8684 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
8685 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
8686 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
8687 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file},
8688 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}, and
8689 @code{gnus-summary-save-in-pipe}.
8692 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
8693 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
8694 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
8695 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
8696 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
8697 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
8700 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
8701 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
8702 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
8703 headers should be saved.
8706 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
8707 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
8708 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
8709 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
8712 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
8713 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
8714 available functions that generate names:
8718 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
8719 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
8720 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8722 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
8723 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8724 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8726 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
8727 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
8728 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8730 @item gnus-plain-save-name
8731 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8732 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8734 @item gnus-sender-save-name
8735 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
8736 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
8739 @vindex gnus-split-methods
8740 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
8741 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
8742 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
8743 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
8747 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
8748 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
8749 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
8750 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
8753 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
8754 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
8755 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
8756 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
8757 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
8758 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
8759 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
8760 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
8761 called returns a string or a list of strings.
8763 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
8764 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
8765 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
8766 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
8768 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
8769 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
8770 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
8773 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
8774 lots of mail groups called things like
8775 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
8776 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
8777 following will do just that:
8780 (defun my-save-name (group)
8781 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
8782 (substring group (match-end 0))))
8784 (setq gnus-split-methods
8785 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
8790 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8791 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
8792 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
8793 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
8794 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
8795 all the files in the top level directory
8796 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
8797 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
8798 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
8799 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
8801 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
8802 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
8803 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
8804 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
8805 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
8808 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
8812 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
8813 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
8814 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
8817 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
8818 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
8819 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
8820 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
8823 @node Decoding Articles
8824 @section Decoding Articles
8825 @cindex decoding articles
8827 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
8828 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
8831 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
8832 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
8833 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
8834 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
8835 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
8836 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
8840 @cindex article series
8841 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
8842 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
8843 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
8844 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
8845 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
8847 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
8848 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
8849 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
8851 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
8852 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
8853 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
8855 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
8856 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
8857 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
8860 @node Uuencoded Articles
8861 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
8863 @cindex uuencoded articles
8868 @kindex X u (Summary)
8869 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
8870 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
8871 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
8874 @kindex X U (Summary)
8875 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
8876 Uudecodes and saves the current series
8877 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8880 @kindex X v u (Summary)
8881 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
8882 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
8885 @kindex X v U (Summary)
8886 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
8887 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
8888 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
8892 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
8893 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
8894 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
8895 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
8896 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8898 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
8899 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
8900 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
8901 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
8904 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
8905 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
8906 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
8907 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
8908 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
8909 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
8913 @node Shell Archives
8914 @subsection Shell Archives
8916 @cindex shell archives
8917 @cindex shared articles
8919 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
8920 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
8921 some commands to deal with these:
8926 @kindex X s (Summary)
8927 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
8928 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
8931 @kindex X S (Summary)
8932 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
8933 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
8936 @kindex X v s (Summary)
8937 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
8938 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
8941 @kindex X v S (Summary)
8942 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
8943 Unshars, views and saves the current series
8944 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
8948 @node PostScript Files
8949 @subsection PostScript Files
8955 @kindex X p (Summary)
8956 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
8957 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
8960 @kindex X P (Summary)
8961 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
8962 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
8963 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
8966 @kindex X v p (Summary)
8967 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
8968 View the current PostScript series
8969 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
8972 @kindex X v P (Summary)
8973 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
8974 View and save the current PostScript series
8975 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
8980 @subsection Other Files
8984 @kindex X o (Summary)
8985 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
8986 Save the current series
8987 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
8990 @kindex X b (Summary)
8991 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
8992 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
8993 doesn't really work yet.
8996 @kindex X Y (Summary)
8997 @findex gnus-uu-decode-yenc
8998 yEnc-decode the current series and save it (@code{gnus-uu-decode-yenc}).
9002 @node Decoding Variables
9003 @subsection Decoding Variables
9005 Adjective, not verb.
9008 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
9009 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
9010 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
9014 @node Rule Variables
9015 @subsubsection Rule Variables
9016 @cindex rule variables
9018 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
9019 variables are of the form
9022 (list '(regexp1 command2)
9029 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9030 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9032 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
9033 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
9036 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
9037 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
9040 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
9041 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
9042 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
9043 user and default view rules.
9045 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9046 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9047 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
9052 @node Other Decode Variables
9053 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
9056 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9058 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9059 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
9060 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
9061 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
9062 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
9066 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
9067 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
9070 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
9071 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
9072 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
9075 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9076 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9077 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
9078 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
9079 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
9082 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9083 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9084 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
9086 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9087 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9088 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
9089 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
9090 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
9093 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9094 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9095 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
9097 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9098 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9099 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
9100 looking for files to display.
9102 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
9103 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
9104 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
9107 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9108 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9109 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
9112 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9113 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9114 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
9117 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9118 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9119 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
9122 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9123 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9124 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
9125 decoded articles as unread.
9127 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9128 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9129 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
9130 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
9132 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9133 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9134 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
9136 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9137 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9139 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
9140 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
9141 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
9142 @code{metamail} for viewing.
9144 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9145 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9146 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
9147 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
9148 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
9149 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
9150 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
9151 simply dropped them.
9156 @node Uuencoding and Posting
9157 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
9161 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9162 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9163 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
9164 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
9165 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
9166 for you when you post the article.
9168 @item gnus-uu-post-length
9169 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
9170 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
9171 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
9173 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
9174 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
9175 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
9176 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
9177 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
9178 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
9179 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
9181 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9182 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9183 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
9184 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
9185 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
9186 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
9187 Default is @code{t}.
9193 @subsection Viewing Files
9194 @cindex viewing files
9195 @cindex pseudo-articles
9197 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
9198 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
9199 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
9200 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
9201 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
9202 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
9203 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
9205 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
9206 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
9207 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
9208 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
9210 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
9211 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
9212 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
9214 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
9215 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
9216 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
9217 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
9218 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
9220 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
9221 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
9222 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
9223 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
9224 a list of parameters to that command.
9226 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
9227 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
9228 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
9230 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
9231 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
9232 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
9235 @node Article Treatment
9236 @section Article Treatment
9238 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
9239 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
9240 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
9241 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
9242 these articles easier.
9245 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
9246 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
9247 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
9248 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
9249 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
9250 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
9251 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
9252 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
9253 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
9254 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
9255 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
9259 @node Article Highlighting
9260 @subsection Article Highlighting
9261 @cindex highlighting
9263 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
9264 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
9269 @kindex W H a (Summary)
9270 @findex gnus-article-highlight
9271 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
9272 Do much highlighting of the current article
9273 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
9274 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
9277 @kindex W H h (Summary)
9278 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
9279 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
9280 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
9281 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
9282 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
9283 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
9284 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
9285 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
9286 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
9287 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
9288 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
9291 @kindex W H c (Summary)
9292 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
9293 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
9295 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
9298 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9300 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9301 If the article size in bytes is bigger than this variable (which is
9302 25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
9304 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
9305 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
9306 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
9308 @item gnus-cite-face-list
9309 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
9310 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
9311 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
9312 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
9313 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
9315 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
9316 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
9317 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
9319 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9320 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9321 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
9323 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9324 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9325 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
9326 that it's a citation.
9328 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9329 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9330 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
9332 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9333 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9334 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
9336 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
9337 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
9338 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
9339 cited text belonging to the attribution.
9341 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9342 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9343 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
9344 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
9345 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
9352 @kindex W H s (Summary)
9353 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9354 @vindex gnus-signature-face
9355 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
9356 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
9357 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
9358 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
9359 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
9364 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
9367 @node Article Fontisizing
9368 @subsection Article Fontisizing
9370 @cindex article emphasis
9372 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
9373 @kindex W e (Summary)
9374 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
9375 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
9376 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
9377 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
9379 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
9380 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
9381 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
9382 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
9383 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
9384 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
9385 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
9386 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
9390 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
9391 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
9392 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
9401 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
9402 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
9403 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
9404 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
9405 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
9406 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
9407 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
9408 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
9409 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
9410 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
9411 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
9412 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
9413 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
9415 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
9416 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
9417 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
9421 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
9424 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
9426 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
9427 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
9428 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
9429 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
9431 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
9434 @node Article Hiding
9435 @subsection Article Hiding
9436 @cindex article hiding
9438 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
9439 too much cruft in most articles.
9444 @kindex W W a (Summary)
9445 @findex gnus-article-hide
9446 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
9447 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
9448 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
9451 @kindex W W h (Summary)
9452 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
9453 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
9457 @kindex W W b (Summary)
9458 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9459 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
9460 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
9463 @kindex W W s (Summary)
9464 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
9465 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
9469 @kindex W W l (Summary)
9470 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
9471 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9472 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
9473 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
9474 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
9475 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
9476 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
9480 @item gnus-list-identifiers
9481 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9482 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
9483 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
9488 @kindex W W P (Summary)
9489 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
9490 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
9491 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
9494 @kindex W W B (Summary)
9495 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
9496 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
9497 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9500 @cindex stripping advertisements
9501 @cindex advertisements
9502 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
9503 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
9504 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
9505 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
9506 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
9507 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
9508 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
9509 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
9510 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
9511 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
9514 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
9515 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
9516 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
9520 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9521 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9522 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
9523 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
9524 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
9525 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
9526 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
9527 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
9528 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
9529 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
9530 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
9533 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
9534 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
9540 @kindex W W c (Summary)
9541 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
9542 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
9543 customizing the hiding:
9547 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9548 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9549 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9550 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9551 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
9552 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
9553 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
9558 Starting point of the hidden text.
9560 Ending point of the hidden text.
9562 Number of characters in the hidden region.
9564 Number of lines of hidden text.
9567 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
9568 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
9569 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
9570 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
9571 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
9576 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
9577 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
9579 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
9580 following two variables:
9583 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9584 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9585 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
9586 50), hide the cited text.
9588 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9589 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9590 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
9595 @kindex W W C (Summary)
9596 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
9597 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
9598 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
9599 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
9600 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9604 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
9605 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
9606 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
9608 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
9609 citation customization.
9611 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
9615 @node Article Washing
9616 @subsection Article Washing
9618 @cindex article washing
9620 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
9621 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
9623 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
9624 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
9627 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
9628 articles by default.
9633 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
9634 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
9638 Force redisplaying of the current article
9639 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
9640 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
9641 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
9642 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9645 @kindex W l (Summary)
9646 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
9647 Remove page breaks from the current article
9648 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
9652 @kindex W r (Summary)
9653 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
9654 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
9655 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
9656 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
9657 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
9658 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
9660 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
9661 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
9662 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
9663 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
9666 @kindex W m (Summary)
9667 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
9668 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
9671 @kindex W i (Summary)
9672 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
9673 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
9674 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
9675 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
9676 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
9677 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
9682 @kindex W t (Summary)
9684 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
9685 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
9686 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
9689 @kindex W v (Summary)
9690 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
9691 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
9692 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
9695 @kindex W o (Summary)
9696 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
9697 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
9700 @kindex W d (Summary)
9701 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
9702 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
9704 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
9706 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
9707 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
9708 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
9709 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
9712 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
9713 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
9714 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
9715 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
9718 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
9719 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
9720 @cindex Outlook Express
9721 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
9722 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
9723 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
9726 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
9727 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
9728 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
9729 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
9730 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
9731 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
9732 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
9733 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
9734 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
9735 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
9738 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
9739 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
9740 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
9741 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
9744 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
9745 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
9746 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
9747 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
9750 @kindex W w (Summary)
9751 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
9752 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
9754 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
9758 @kindex W Q (Summary)
9759 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
9760 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
9763 @kindex W C (Summary)
9764 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
9765 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
9766 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
9769 @kindex W c (Summary)
9770 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
9771 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
9772 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
9773 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
9774 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
9777 @kindex W q (Summary)
9778 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
9779 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
9780 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
9781 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
9782 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
9783 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
9784 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9785 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9786 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9789 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
9790 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
9791 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
9792 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
9793 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
9794 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9795 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9796 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9799 @kindex W Z (Summary)
9800 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
9801 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
9802 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
9803 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
9806 @kindex W A (Summary)
9807 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
9808 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
9809 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
9810 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
9811 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
9814 @kindex W u (Summary)
9815 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
9816 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
9817 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
9818 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
9819 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
9822 @kindex W h (Summary)
9823 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
9824 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
9825 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9826 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
9828 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
9829 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
9830 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
9832 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
9833 The default is to use the function specified by
9834 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
9835 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
9836 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
9837 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
9841 @item gnus-article-html
9842 Use Gnus rendered based on w3m.
9848 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
9850 @item w3m-standalone
9851 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
9854 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
9857 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
9860 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
9865 @kindex W b (Summary)
9866 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
9867 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
9868 @xref{Article Buttons}.
9871 @kindex W B (Summary)
9872 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
9873 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
9874 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
9877 @kindex W p (Summary)
9878 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
9879 Verify a signed control message
9880 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
9881 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
9882 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
9883 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
9884 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
9885 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
9888 @kindex W s (Summary)
9889 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
9890 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
9891 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
9892 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
9895 @kindex W a (Summary)
9896 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
9897 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
9898 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
9901 @kindex W E l (Summary)
9902 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
9903 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
9904 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
9907 @kindex W E m (Summary)
9908 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
9909 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
9910 lines with a single empty line.
9911 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
9914 @kindex W E t (Summary)
9915 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
9916 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
9917 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
9920 @kindex W E a (Summary)
9921 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
9922 Do all the three commands above
9923 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
9926 @kindex W E A (Summary)
9927 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
9928 Remove all blank lines
9929 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
9932 @kindex W E s (Summary)
9933 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
9934 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
9935 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
9938 @kindex W E e (Summary)
9939 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
9940 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
9941 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
9945 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
9948 @node Article Header
9949 @subsection Article Header
9951 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
9956 @kindex W G u (Summary)
9957 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
9958 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
9961 @kindex W G n (Summary)
9962 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
9963 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
9964 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
9967 @kindex W G f (Summary)
9968 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
9969 Fold all the message headers
9970 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
9973 @kindex W E w (Summary)
9974 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
9975 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
9976 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
9981 @node Article Buttons
9982 @subsection Article Buttons
9985 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
9986 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
9987 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
9988 button on these references.
9990 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9991 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
9992 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
9993 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
9994 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
9998 @item gnus-button-alist
9999 @vindex gnus-button-alist
10000 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
10003 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
10009 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
10010 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
10011 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
10012 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
10013 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
10016 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
10017 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
10018 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
10021 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
10022 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
10023 avoid false matches. Often variables named
10024 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
10025 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
10027 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
10030 This function will be called when you click on this button.
10033 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
10034 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
10038 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
10041 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
10044 @item gnus-header-button-alist
10045 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
10046 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
10047 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
10048 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
10051 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
10054 @var{header} is a regular expression.
10057 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
10060 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
10061 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
10063 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
10065 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
10066 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
10067 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
10068 default values of the variables above.
10070 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
10072 @item gnus-button-man-handler
10073 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
10074 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
10075 argument with a string naming the man page.
10077 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
10079 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10080 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10081 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
10083 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10084 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10085 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
10086 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
10087 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
10088 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
10089 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
10090 @code{ask}, always query the user what to do. If it is a function, this
10091 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
10092 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
10093 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
10094 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10096 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10097 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10098 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
10099 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
10100 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
10103 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10104 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10105 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
10106 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10108 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
10110 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
10111 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
10112 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
10113 argument, the string naming the URL.
10115 @item gnus-ctan-url
10116 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
10117 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
10118 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
10122 @item gnus-article-button-face
10123 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
10124 Face used on buttons.
10126 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
10127 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
10128 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
10132 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
10135 @node Article Button Levels
10136 @subsection Article button levels
10137 @cindex button levels
10138 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
10139 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
10140 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
10141 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
10142 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
10143 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
10144 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
10145 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
10148 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
10149 (setq gnus-parameters
10150 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
10151 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
10152 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
10157 @item gnus-button-browse-level
10158 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
10159 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
10160 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
10161 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
10162 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
10164 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
10165 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
10166 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
10167 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
10168 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
10169 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
10170 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
10171 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
10172 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
10173 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
10174 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
10175 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
10176 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
10178 @item gnus-button-man-level
10179 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
10180 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
10181 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
10183 @item gnus-button-message-level
10184 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
10185 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
10186 Related variables and functions include
10187 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
10188 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
10189 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
10190 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
10192 @item gnus-button-tex-level
10193 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
10194 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
10195 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
10196 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
10197 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
10198 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
10204 @subsection Article Date
10206 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
10207 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
10208 when the article was sent.
10213 @kindex W T u (Summary)
10214 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
10215 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
10216 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
10219 @kindex W T i (Summary)
10220 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
10222 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
10223 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
10226 @kindex W T l (Summary)
10227 @findex gnus-article-date-local
10228 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
10231 @kindex W T p (Summary)
10232 @findex gnus-article-date-english
10233 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
10234 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
10237 @kindex W T s (Summary)
10238 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
10239 @findex gnus-article-date-user
10240 @findex format-time-string
10241 Display the date using a user-defined format
10242 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
10243 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
10244 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
10245 for a list of possible format specs.
10248 @kindex W T e (Summary)
10249 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
10250 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
10251 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
10252 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
10253 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
10256 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
10259 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
10260 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
10261 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
10264 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
10265 into wonderful absurdities.
10267 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
10270 (gnus-start-date-timer)
10273 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
10274 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
10278 @kindex W T o (Summary)
10279 @findex gnus-article-date-original
10280 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
10281 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
10282 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
10283 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
10284 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
10288 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
10289 preferred format automatically.
10292 @node Article Display
10293 @subsection Article Display
10298 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
10299 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
10301 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
10302 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
10304 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
10305 headers (@pxref{Face}).
10307 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
10308 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
10310 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
10311 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
10313 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
10314 they'll be removed.
10318 @kindex W D x (Summary)
10319 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
10320 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
10321 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
10324 @kindex W D d (Summary)
10325 @findex gnus-article-display-face
10326 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
10327 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
10330 @kindex W D s (Summary)
10331 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
10332 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
10335 @kindex W D f (Summary)
10336 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
10337 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
10340 @kindex W D m (Summary)
10341 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
10342 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
10343 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
10346 @kindex W D n (Summary)
10347 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
10348 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
10349 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
10352 @kindex W D D (Summary)
10353 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
10354 Remove all images from the article buffer
10355 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
10358 @kindex W D W (Summary)
10359 @findex gnus-html-show-images
10360 If you're reading an @acronym{HTML} article rendered with
10361 @code{gnus-article-html}, then you can insert any blocked images in
10362 the buffer with this command.
10363 (@code{gnus-html-show-images}).
10369 @node Article Signature
10370 @subsection Article Signature
10372 @cindex article signature
10374 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
10375 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
10376 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
10377 that says what is to be considered a signature is
10378 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
10379 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
10380 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
10381 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
10382 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
10385 (setq gnus-signature-separator
10386 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
10387 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
10388 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
10389 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
10390 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
10391 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
10392 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
10395 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
10398 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
10399 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
10400 signature when displaying articles.
10404 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
10407 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
10410 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
10411 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
10413 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
10414 in question is not a signature.
10417 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
10418 listed above. Here's an example:
10421 (setq gnus-signature-limit
10422 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
10425 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
10426 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
10427 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
10428 signature after all.
10431 @node Article Miscellanea
10432 @subsection Article Miscellanea
10436 @kindex A t (Summary)
10437 @findex gnus-article-babel
10438 Translate the article from one language to another
10439 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
10444 @node MIME Commands
10445 @section MIME Commands
10446 @cindex MIME decoding
10447 @cindex attachments
10448 @cindex viewing attachments
10450 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
10451 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
10456 @kindex b (Summary)
10457 @kindex K v (Summary)
10458 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
10461 @kindex K o (Summary)
10462 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
10465 @kindex K O (Summary)
10466 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
10467 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
10468 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
10471 @kindex K r (Summary)
10472 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
10475 @kindex K d (Summary)
10476 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
10480 @kindex K c (Summary)
10481 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
10484 @kindex K e (Summary)
10485 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
10488 @kindex K i (Summary)
10489 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
10492 @kindex K | (Summary)
10493 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
10496 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
10501 @kindex K H (Summary)
10502 @findex gnus-article-browse-html-article
10503 View @samp{text/html} parts of the current article with a WWW browser.
10504 Inline images embedded in a message using the @code{cid} scheme, as they
10505 are generally considered to be safe, will be processed properly. The
10506 message header is added to the beginning of every @acronym{HTML} part
10507 unless the prefix argument is given.
10509 Warning: Spammers use links to images (using the @code{http} scheme) in
10510 @acronym{HTML} articles to verify whether you have read the message. As
10511 this command passes the @acronym{HTML} content to the browser without
10512 eliminating these ``web bugs'' you should only use it for mails from
10515 If you always want to display @acronym{HTML} parts in the browser, set
10516 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} to @code{nil}.
10518 This command creates temporary files to pass @acronym{HTML} contents
10519 including images if any to the browser, and deletes them when exiting
10520 the group (if you want).
10523 @kindex K b (Summary)
10524 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
10525 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
10529 @kindex K m (Summary)
10530 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
10531 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
10532 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
10533 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
10534 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
10537 @kindex X m (Summary)
10538 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
10539 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
10540 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
10541 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10544 @kindex M-t (Summary)
10545 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
10546 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
10547 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
10550 @kindex W M w (Summary)
10551 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
10552 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
10553 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
10556 @kindex W M c (Summary)
10557 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
10558 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
10559 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
10561 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
10562 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
10563 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
10564 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
10565 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
10566 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10569 @kindex W M v (Summary)
10570 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
10571 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
10572 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
10576 Relevant variables:
10579 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
10580 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
10581 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10582 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
10585 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
10588 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
10592 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
10593 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
10594 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
10595 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
10596 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
10597 default is @code{t}.
10599 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
10600 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
10603 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
10604 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
10605 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
10606 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
10607 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
10608 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
10609 for encoding in Gnus.
10611 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10612 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10613 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10614 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10615 displayed or this variable is overridden by
10616 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
10617 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
10618 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
10620 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10621 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10622 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10623 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10624 displayed. This variable overrides
10625 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
10626 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
10629 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
10630 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
10631 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
10633 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
10634 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
10635 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
10636 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
10637 Emacs MIME Manual}).
10639 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10640 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10641 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
10642 default value is @code{nil}.
10644 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
10645 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
10646 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
10647 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
10648 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
10649 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
10650 save all jpegs into some directory).
10652 Here's an example function the does the latter:
10655 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
10656 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
10658 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
10659 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
10660 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
10661 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
10662 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
10665 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10666 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10667 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
10669 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10670 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10671 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10673 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10674 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10675 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10677 If displaying @samp{text/html} is discouraged, see
10678 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
10679 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
10680 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
10681 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
10683 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10684 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10685 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
10686 overrides @code{nil} values of
10687 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
10688 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
10690 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10691 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10692 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
10693 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
10695 Ready-made functions include@*
10696 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
10697 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
10698 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
10699 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
10700 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
10701 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
10702 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
10703 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
10704 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10705 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10706 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10707 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10709 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
10710 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
10712 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
10713 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
10714 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
10717 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10718 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10719 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10720 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
10724 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
10733 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
10734 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
10735 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
10736 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
10737 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
10738 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
10739 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
10741 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
10742 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
10743 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
10744 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
10746 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
10747 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
10748 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
10749 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
10750 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
10751 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
10752 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
10753 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
10754 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
10756 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
10757 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
10758 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
10759 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
10760 quoted-printable header encoding.
10762 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
10763 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
10764 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
10768 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
10771 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
10772 means encode all charsets),
10774 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
10775 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
10776 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
10783 @cindex coding system aliases
10784 @cindex preferred charset
10786 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
10787 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
10788 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
10790 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
10792 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
10793 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
10796 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
10797 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
10800 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
10801 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
10803 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
10806 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
10809 This will almost do the right thing.
10811 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
10815 (codepage-setup 1251)
10816 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
10820 @node Article Commands
10821 @section Article Commands
10828 @kindex A P (Summary)
10829 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
10830 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
10831 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
10832 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
10833 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
10834 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
10839 @node Summary Sorting
10840 @section Summary Sorting
10841 @cindex summary sorting
10843 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
10844 can't really see why you'd want that.
10849 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10850 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
10851 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
10853 @item C-c C-s C-m C-n
10854 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10855 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number
10856 Sort by most recent article number
10857 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number}).
10860 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
10861 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
10862 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
10865 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
10866 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
10867 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
10870 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
10871 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
10872 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
10875 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
10876 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
10877 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
10879 @item C-c C-s C-m C-d
10880 @kindex C-c C-s C-m C-d (Summary)
10881 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date
10882 Sort by most recent date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date}).
10885 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
10886 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
10887 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
10890 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
10891 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
10892 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
10895 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
10896 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
10897 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
10900 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
10901 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
10902 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
10905 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
10906 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
10907 Sort using the default sorting method
10908 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
10911 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
10912 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
10913 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
10914 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
10915 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
10918 If a prefix argument if given, the sort order is reversed.
10921 @node Finding the Parent
10922 @section Finding the Parent
10923 @cindex parent articles
10924 @cindex referring articles
10928 @kindex ^ (Summary)
10929 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
10930 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
10931 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
10932 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
10933 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
10934 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
10935 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
10936 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
10937 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
10939 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
10940 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
10941 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
10942 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
10943 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
10946 @item A R (Summary)
10947 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
10948 @kindex A R (Summary)
10949 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
10950 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
10952 @item A T (Summary)
10953 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
10954 @kindex A T (Summary)
10955 Display the full thread where the current article appears
10956 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
10957 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
10958 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
10959 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
10960 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
10961 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
10963 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
10964 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
10965 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
10966 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
10967 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
10968 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
10970 @item M-^ (Summary)
10971 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
10972 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
10974 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
10975 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
10976 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
10977 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
10978 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
10979 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
10981 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
10982 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
10983 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
10986 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
10987 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
10988 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
10989 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
10990 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
10991 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
10994 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
10995 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
10996 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
10999 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
11000 then ask Google if that fails:
11003 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
11005 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
11008 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
11009 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
11010 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
11011 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
11012 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
11013 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
11014 not support this at all.
11017 @node Alternative Approaches
11018 @section Alternative Approaches
11020 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
11021 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
11024 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
11025 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
11029 @node Pick and Read
11030 @subsection Pick and Read
11031 @cindex pick and read
11033 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
11034 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
11035 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
11036 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
11038 @findex gnus-pick-mode
11039 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
11040 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
11041 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
11042 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
11043 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
11045 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
11050 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
11051 Pick the article or thread on the current line
11052 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11053 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
11054 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
11055 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
11056 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
11057 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
11060 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
11061 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
11062 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
11063 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
11067 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
11068 Unpick the thread or article
11069 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11070 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
11071 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
11072 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
11073 the thread or article at that line.
11077 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
11078 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
11079 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
11080 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
11081 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
11082 will still be visible when you are reading.
11086 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
11087 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
11088 which is mapped to the same function
11089 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
11091 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
11094 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
11097 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
11098 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
11100 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
11101 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
11102 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
11104 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
11105 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
11106 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
11107 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
11108 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
11109 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
11110 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
11113 @node Binary Groups
11114 @subsection Binary Groups
11115 @cindex binary groups
11117 @findex gnus-binary-mode
11118 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
11119 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
11120 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
11121 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
11122 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
11123 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
11126 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
11127 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
11128 command, when you have turned on this mode
11129 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
11131 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
11132 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
11136 @section Tree Display
11139 @vindex gnus-use-trees
11140 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
11141 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
11142 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
11143 in the tree buffer.
11145 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
11148 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
11149 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
11150 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
11152 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11153 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11154 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
11155 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
11156 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
11158 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
11159 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
11160 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
11161 default is @code{modeline}.
11163 @item gnus-tree-line-format
11164 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
11165 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
11166 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
11167 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
11168 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
11169 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
11175 The name of the poster.
11177 The @code{From} header.
11179 The number of the article.
11181 The opening bracket.
11183 The closing bracket.
11188 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
11190 Variables related to the display are:
11193 @item gnus-tree-brackets
11194 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
11195 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
11196 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
11198 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
11199 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
11200 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
11202 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
11204 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11205 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11206 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
11207 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
11211 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
11212 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
11213 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
11214 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
11215 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
11216 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
11217 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
11218 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
11219 other windows displayed next to it.
11221 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
11225 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
11226 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
11229 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
11230 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
11231 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11232 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
11233 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
11234 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
11235 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
11239 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
11242 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
11252 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
11257 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
11258 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
11260 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
11262 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
11268 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
11269 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
11270 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11273 (setq gnus-use-trees t
11274 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11275 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
11276 (gnus-add-configuration
11280 (summary 0.75 point)
11285 @xref{Window Layout}.
11288 @node Mail Group Commands
11289 @section Mail Group Commands
11290 @cindex mail group commands
11292 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
11293 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
11295 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
11296 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11301 @kindex B e (Summary)
11302 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
11303 @cindex expiring mail
11304 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
11305 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
11306 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
11307 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
11310 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
11311 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
11312 @cindex expiring mail
11313 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
11314 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
11315 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
11316 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
11319 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
11320 @cindex deleting mail
11321 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
11322 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
11323 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
11324 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
11325 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
11328 @kindex B m (Summary)
11330 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
11331 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
11332 Move the article from one mail group to another
11333 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11334 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11337 @kindex B c (Summary)
11339 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
11340 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
11341 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
11342 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11343 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11346 @kindex B B (Summary)
11347 @cindex crosspost mail
11348 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
11349 Crosspost the current article to some other group
11350 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
11351 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
11352 be properly updated.
11355 @kindex B i (Summary)
11356 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
11357 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
11358 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
11359 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11362 @kindex B I (Summary)
11363 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
11364 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
11365 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
11366 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11369 @kindex B r (Summary)
11370 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
11371 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
11372 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
11373 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
11374 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
11375 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
11376 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
11377 (which is the default).
11381 @kindex B w (Summary)
11382 @kindex e (Summary)
11383 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
11384 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
11385 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
11386 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
11387 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
11388 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
11389 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
11392 @kindex B q (Summary)
11393 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
11394 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
11395 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
11396 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
11399 @kindex B t (Summary)
11400 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
11401 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
11402 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
11405 @kindex B p (Summary)
11406 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
11407 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
11408 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
11409 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
11410 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
11411 article from your news server (or rather, from
11412 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
11413 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
11414 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
11415 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
11416 just not have arrived yet.
11419 @kindex K E (Summary)
11420 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
11421 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
11422 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
11423 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
11424 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
11428 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
11429 @cindex moving articles
11430 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
11431 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
11432 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
11433 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
11434 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
11435 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
11436 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
11439 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
11440 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
11441 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
11442 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
11446 @node Various Summary Stuff
11447 @section Various Summary Stuff
11450 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
11451 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
11452 * Summary Generation Commands::
11453 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
11457 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
11458 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
11459 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
11460 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
11461 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
11462 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
11464 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
11465 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
11466 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
11469 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
11470 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
11471 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
11473 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
11474 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
11475 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
11476 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
11477 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
11478 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
11481 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11482 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11483 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
11484 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
11485 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
11487 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11488 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11489 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
11492 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11493 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11494 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
11495 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
11496 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
11497 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
11498 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
11499 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
11500 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
11501 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
11503 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11504 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11505 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
11506 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
11507 list of articles to be selected.
11509 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
11510 the list in one particular group:
11513 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
11514 (if (string= group "some.group")
11515 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
11519 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
11520 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
11521 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
11522 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
11523 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
11526 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
11527 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
11528 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
11529 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
11530 variable will be used instead.
11532 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
11533 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
11534 buffers. For example:
11537 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
11538 '(message-use-followup-to
11539 (gnus-visible-headers .
11540 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
11543 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
11545 @vindex gnus-propagate-marks
11546 @item gnus-propagate-marks
11547 If non-@code{nil}, propagate marks to the backends for possible
11548 storing. @xref{NNTP marks}, and friends, for a more fine-grained
11554 @node Summary Group Information
11555 @subsection Summary Group Information
11560 @kindex H f (Summary)
11561 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
11562 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
11563 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
11564 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
11565 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
11566 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
11567 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
11568 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
11569 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
11572 @kindex H d (Summary)
11573 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
11574 Give a brief description of the current group
11575 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
11576 rereading the description from the server.
11579 @kindex H h (Summary)
11580 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
11581 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
11582 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
11585 @kindex H i (Summary)
11586 @findex gnus-info-find-node
11587 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
11591 @node Searching for Articles
11592 @subsection Searching for Articles
11597 @kindex M-s (Summary)
11598 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
11599 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
11600 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
11603 @kindex M-r (Summary)
11604 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
11605 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
11606 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
11609 @kindex M-S (Summary)
11610 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
11611 Repeat the previous search forwards
11612 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
11615 @kindex M-R (Summary)
11616 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
11617 Repeat the previous search backwards
11618 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
11621 @kindex & (Summary)
11622 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
11623 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
11624 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
11625 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
11626 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
11627 search backward instead.
11629 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
11630 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
11633 @kindex M-& (Summary)
11634 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
11635 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
11636 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
11639 @node Summary Generation Commands
11640 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
11645 @kindex Y g (Summary)
11646 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
11647 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
11650 @kindex Y c (Summary)
11651 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
11652 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11653 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
11656 @kindex Y d (Summary)
11657 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
11658 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11659 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
11662 @kindex Y t (Summary)
11663 @findex gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles
11664 Pull all ticked articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11665 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles}).
11670 @node Really Various Summary Commands
11671 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
11677 @kindex C-d (Summary)
11678 @kindex A D (Summary)
11679 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
11680 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
11681 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
11682 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
11683 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
11684 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
11685 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
11686 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
11689 @vindex gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit
11690 The variable @code{gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit} controls what
11691 article should be selected after exiting a digest group. Valid values
11696 Select the next article.
11699 Select the next unread article.
11701 @item next-noselect
11702 Move the cursor to the next article. This is the default.
11704 @item next-unread-noselect
11705 Move the cursor to the next unread article.
11708 If it has any other value or there is no next (unread) article, the
11709 article selected before entering to the digest group will appear.
11712 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
11713 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
11714 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
11715 several documents into one biiig group
11716 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
11717 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
11718 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
11719 command understands the process/prefix convention
11720 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11723 @kindex C-t (Summary)
11724 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
11725 Toggle truncation of summary lines
11726 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
11727 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
11728 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
11731 @kindex = (Summary)
11732 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
11733 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
11734 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
11737 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
11738 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
11739 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11740 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
11743 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
11744 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
11745 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11746 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
11751 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
11752 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
11753 @cindex summary exit
11754 @cindex exiting groups
11756 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
11757 group and return you to the group buffer.
11764 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
11765 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
11766 @kindex q (Summary)
11767 @findex gnus-summary-exit
11768 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
11769 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
11770 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
11771 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
11772 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
11773 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
11774 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
11775 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
11776 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
11777 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
11778 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
11782 @kindex Z E (Summary)
11783 @kindex Q (Summary)
11784 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
11785 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
11786 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
11790 @kindex Z c (Summary)
11791 @kindex c (Summary)
11792 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
11793 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
11794 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
11795 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
11798 @kindex Z C (Summary)
11799 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
11800 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
11801 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
11804 @kindex Z n (Summary)
11805 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
11806 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
11807 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
11810 @kindex Z p (Summary)
11811 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
11812 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
11813 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
11817 @kindex Z R (Summary)
11818 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
11819 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
11820 Exit this group, and then enter it again
11821 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
11822 all articles, both read and unread.
11826 @kindex Z G (Summary)
11827 @kindex M-g (Summary)
11828 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
11829 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
11830 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
11831 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
11832 articles, both read and unread.
11835 @kindex Z N (Summary)
11836 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
11837 Exit the group and go to the next group
11838 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
11841 @kindex Z P (Summary)
11842 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
11843 Exit the group and go to the previous group
11844 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
11847 @kindex Z s (Summary)
11848 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
11849 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
11850 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
11851 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
11852 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
11855 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
11856 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
11857 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
11858 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
11860 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
11861 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
11862 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
11863 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
11864 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
11865 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
11866 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
11867 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
11868 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
11869 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
11870 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
11871 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
11873 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
11875 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
11876 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
11877 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
11878 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
11879 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
11880 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
11881 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
11882 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
11883 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
11886 @node Crosspost Handling
11887 @section Crosspost Handling
11891 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
11892 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
11893 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
11894 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
11895 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
11896 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
11899 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
11900 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
11901 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
11902 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
11903 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
11905 @cindex cross-posting
11907 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
11908 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
11909 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
11910 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
11911 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
11912 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
11913 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
11914 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
11915 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
11916 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
11917 the cross reference mechanism.
11919 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
11920 @cindex overview.fmt
11921 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
11922 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
11923 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
11924 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
11925 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
11926 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
11929 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
11930 set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
11931 considerably. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
11935 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
11938 @node Duplicate Suppression
11939 @section Duplicate Suppression
11941 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
11942 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
11943 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
11944 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
11949 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
11950 is evil and not very common.
11953 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
11954 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
11957 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
11958 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
11961 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
11964 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
11965 well, but these four are the most common situations.
11967 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
11968 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
11969 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
11970 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
11971 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
11972 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
11973 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
11976 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
11977 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
11978 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
11979 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
11980 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
11981 saw the article in.
11984 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
11985 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
11986 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
11988 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
11989 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
11990 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
11991 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
11992 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
11993 session are suppressed.
11995 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
11996 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
11997 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
11998 suppression list. The default is 10000.
12000 @item gnus-duplicate-file
12001 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
12002 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
12003 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
12006 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
12007 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
12008 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
12009 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
12010 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
12011 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
12012 to you to figure out, I think.
12017 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
12018 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
12019 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
12024 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
12025 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
12026 to GnuPG included with Emacs is called EasyPG (@pxref{Top, ,EasyPG,
12027 epa, EasyPG Assistant user's manual}), but PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg,
12028 PGG Manual}), Mailcrypt, and gpg.el are also supported.
12031 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
12032 or newer is recommended.
12036 The variables that control security functionality on reading/composing
12040 @item mm-verify-option
12041 @vindex mm-verify-option
12042 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
12043 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
12044 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12046 @item mm-decrypt-option
12047 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
12048 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
12049 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
12050 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12052 @item mm-sign-option
12053 @vindex mm-sign-option
12054 Option of creating signed parts. @code{nil}, use default signing
12055 keys; @code{guided}, ask user to select signing keys from the menu.
12057 @item mm-encrypt-option
12058 @vindex mm-encrypt-option
12059 Option of creating encrypted parts. @code{nil}, use the first
12060 public-key matching the @samp{From:} header as the recipient;
12061 @code{guided}, ask user to select recipient keys from the menu.
12064 @vindex mml1991-use
12065 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12066 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but @code{pgg},
12067 @code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported although
12068 deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available interface in
12072 @vindex mml2015-use
12073 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12074 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but
12075 @code{pgg}, @code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported
12076 although deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available
12077 interface in this order.
12081 By default the buttons that display security information are not
12082 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
12083 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
12084 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
12085 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
12086 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
12087 how to customize these variables to always display security
12090 @cindex snarfing keys
12091 @cindex importing PGP keys
12092 @cindex PGP key ring import
12093 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
12094 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
12095 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
12096 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
12097 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
12098 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
12099 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
12100 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
12101 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
12104 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
12107 This happens to also be the default action defined in
12108 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
12110 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
12111 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
12112 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
12115 @section Mailing List
12116 @cindex mailing list
12119 @kindex A M (summary)
12120 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
12121 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
12122 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
12123 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
12126 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
12131 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
12132 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
12133 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
12136 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
12137 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
12138 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
12141 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
12142 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
12143 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
12147 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
12148 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
12149 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
12152 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
12153 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
12154 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
12157 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
12158 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
12159 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
12164 @node Article Buffer
12165 @chapter Article Buffer
12166 @cindex article buffer
12168 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
12169 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
12170 tell Gnus otherwise.
12173 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
12174 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
12175 * HTML:: Reading @acronym{HTML} messages.
12176 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
12177 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
12178 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
12182 @node Hiding Headers
12183 @section Hiding Headers
12184 @cindex hiding headers
12185 @cindex deleting headers
12187 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
12188 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
12190 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
12191 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
12192 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
12193 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
12194 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
12195 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
12196 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
12197 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
12198 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
12200 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
12204 @item gnus-visible-headers
12205 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
12206 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
12207 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
12208 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
12210 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
12211 the article and the subject, you'd say:
12214 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
12217 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12220 @item gnus-ignored-headers
12221 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
12222 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
12223 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
12224 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
12225 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
12227 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
12228 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
12231 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
12234 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12237 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
12238 variable will have no effect.
12242 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
12243 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
12244 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
12245 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
12246 the headers are to be displayed.
12248 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
12249 and then the subject, you might say something like:
12252 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
12255 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
12256 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
12258 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
12259 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
12260 You can hide further boring headers by setting
12261 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
12262 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
12263 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
12264 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
12267 These conditions are:
12270 Remove all empty headers.
12272 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
12273 @code{Newsgroups} header.
12275 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
12276 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
12279 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
12282 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12283 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
12285 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12286 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12288 Remove the @code{Cc} header if it only contains the address identical to
12289 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12291 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
12294 Remove the @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} header if it is very long.
12296 Remove all @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} headers if there are more than one.
12299 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
12302 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
12303 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
12306 This is also the default value for this variable.
12310 @section Using MIME
12311 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12313 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
12314 while people stand around yawning.
12316 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
12317 while all newsreaders die of fear.
12319 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
12320 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
12321 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
12323 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
12324 @findex gnus-display-mime
12325 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
12326 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
12327 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
12328 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
12330 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
12331 @acronym{MIME} button:
12334 @findex gnus-article-press-button
12335 @item RET (Article)
12336 @kindex RET (Article)
12337 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
12338 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
12339 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
12340 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
12341 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
12342 object is displayed inline.
12344 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
12345 @item M-RET (Article)
12346 @kindex M-RET (Article)
12348 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12349 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
12351 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
12353 @kindex t (Article)
12354 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
12355 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
12357 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
12359 @kindex C (Article)
12360 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12361 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
12363 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
12365 @kindex o (Article)
12366 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
12367 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
12369 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
12370 @item C-o (Article)
12371 @kindex C-o (Article)
12372 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
12373 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
12374 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
12375 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
12376 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
12377 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
12379 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
12381 @kindex r (Article)
12382 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
12383 external body refering to the file via the message/external-body
12384 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
12386 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
12388 @kindex d (Article)
12389 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
12390 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
12391 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
12393 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
12395 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
12397 @kindex c (Article)
12398 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
12399 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
12400 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
12401 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
12402 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
12403 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
12404 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
12405 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12407 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
12409 @kindex p (Article)
12410 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
12411 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
12412 @file{.mailcap} file.
12414 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
12416 @kindex i (Article)
12417 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
12418 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as @samp{text/plain}. If given a prefix, insert
12419 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
12420 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
12421 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
12422 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
12423 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
12424 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
12425 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12427 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
12429 @kindex E (Article)
12430 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
12431 viewer is available, use an external viewer
12432 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
12434 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
12436 @kindex e (Article)
12437 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
12438 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
12440 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
12442 @kindex | (Article)
12443 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
12445 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
12447 @kindex . (Article)
12448 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
12449 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
12453 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
12454 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
12455 @acronym{MIME} manual.
12457 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
12458 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
12459 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
12460 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
12461 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
12462 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
12463 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
12464 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
12465 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
12467 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
12469 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
12473 @section @acronym{HTML}
12474 @cindex @acronym{HTML}
12476 If you have @code{w3m} installed on your system, Gnus can display
12477 @acronym{HTML} articles in the article buffer. There are many Gnus
12478 add-ons for doing this, using various approaches, but there's one
12479 (sort of) built-in method that's used by default.
12481 For a complete overview, consult @xref{Display Customization,
12482 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. This
12483 section only describes the default method.
12486 @item mm-text-html-renderer
12487 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
12488 If set to @code{gnus-article-html}, Gnus will use the built-in method,
12489 that's based on @code{curl} and @code{w3m}.
12491 @item gnus-blocked-images
12492 @vindex gnus-blocked-images
12493 Images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't be
12494 fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s that
12495 have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
12498 (setq gnus-blocked-images "ads")
12501 The default is to block all external images.
12503 @item gnus-html-cache-directory
12504 @vindex gnus-html-cache-directory
12505 Gnus will download and cache images according to how
12506 @code{gnus-blocked-images} is set. These images will be stored in
12509 @item gnus-html-cache-size
12510 @vindex gnus-html-cache-size
12511 When @code{gnus-html-cache-size} bytes have been used in that
12512 directory, the oldest files will be deleted. The default is 500MB.
12514 @item gnus-html-frame-width
12515 @vindex gnus-html-frame-width
12516 The width to use when rendering HTML. The default is 70.
12518 @item gnus-max-image-proportion
12519 @vindex gnus-max-image-proportion
12520 How big pictures displayed are in relation to the window they're in.
12521 A value of 0.7 (the default) means that they are allowed to take up
12522 70% of the width and height of the window. If they are larger than
12523 this, and Emacs supports it, then the images will be rescaled down to
12524 fit these criteria.
12528 To use this, make sure that you have @code{w3m} and @code{curl}
12529 installed. If you have, then Gnus should display @acronym{HTML}
12534 @node Customizing Articles
12535 @section Customizing Articles
12536 @cindex article customization
12538 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
12539 exist. You can call these functions interactively
12540 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
12541 called automatically when you select the articles.
12543 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
12544 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
12545 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
12546 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
12548 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
12549 for sensible values.
12553 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
12556 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
12559 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
12562 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
12565 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
12568 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
12572 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
12573 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
12574 regexps in the list.
12577 A list where the first element is not a string:
12579 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
12580 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
12581 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
12585 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
12590 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
12591 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
12592 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
12593 considered to contain just a single part.
12595 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
12596 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
12597 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
12598 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
12599 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
12600 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
12601 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
12604 @c Avoid sort of redundant entries in the same section for the printed
12605 @c manual, but add them in info to allow `i gnus-treat-foo-bar RET' or
12607 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize
12608 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize-head
12609 @vindex gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
12610 @vindex gnus-treat-overstrike
12611 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-cr
12612 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
12613 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
12614 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
12615 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-pem
12616 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
12617 @vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
12618 @vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
12619 @vindex gnus-treat-date-english
12620 @vindex gnus-treat-date-iso8601
12621 @vindex gnus-treat-date-lapsed
12622 @vindex gnus-treat-date-local
12623 @vindex gnus-treat-date-original
12624 @vindex gnus-treat-date-user-defined
12625 @vindex gnus-treat-date-ut
12626 @vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
12627 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
12628 @vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
12629 @vindex gnus-treat-display-smileys
12630 @vindex gnus-treat-body-boundary
12631 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12632 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12633 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12634 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12635 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12636 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12637 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12638 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12639 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12640 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12641 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12642 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12643 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12644 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12645 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12646 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12647 @vindex gnus-treat-translate
12648 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12649 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12650 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12651 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12652 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12655 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
12656 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
12657 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
12658 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
12661 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
12662 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
12664 @xref{Article Buttons}.
12666 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
12667 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
12668 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
12669 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
12670 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
12671 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
12672 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
12673 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
12674 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
12675 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
12677 @xref{Article Washing}.
12679 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
12680 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
12681 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
12682 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
12683 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
12684 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
12685 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
12687 @xref{Article Date}.
12689 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
12690 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
12691 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
12695 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
12697 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
12699 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
12700 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
12701 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
12705 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12706 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
12710 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12711 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
12715 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12716 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
12717 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12718 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
12719 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12720 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
12721 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12722 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
12723 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12724 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
12725 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12726 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
12727 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12728 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
12729 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12730 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
12731 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12732 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
12733 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12734 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
12736 @xref{Article Hiding}.
12738 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12739 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
12740 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12741 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
12742 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12743 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
12745 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
12747 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12748 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
12749 @vindex gnus-treat-translate
12750 @item gnus-treat-translate
12751 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
12752 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12753 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
12755 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12756 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
12757 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12758 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
12759 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12760 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
12761 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12762 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
12764 @xref{Article Header}.
12769 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
12770 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
12771 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
12772 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
12773 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
12777 @node Article Keymap
12778 @section Article Keymap
12780 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
12781 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
12782 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
12783 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
12786 @kindex v (Article)
12787 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
12788 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
12789 command or better use it as a prefix key.
12791 A few additional keystrokes are available:
12796 @kindex SPACE (Article)
12797 @findex gnus-article-next-page
12798 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
12799 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
12802 @kindex DEL (Article)
12803 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
12804 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
12805 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
12808 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
12809 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
12810 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
12811 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
12812 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
12815 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
12816 @findex gnus-article-mail
12817 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
12818 given a prefix, include the mail.
12821 @kindex s (Article)
12822 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
12823 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
12824 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
12827 @kindex ? (Article)
12828 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
12829 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
12830 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
12833 @kindex TAB (Article)
12834 @findex gnus-article-next-button
12835 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
12836 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
12839 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
12840 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
12841 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
12844 @kindex R (Article)
12845 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
12846 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
12847 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If the region is active,
12848 only yank the text in the region.
12851 @kindex S W (Article)
12852 @findex gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original
12853 Send a wide reply to the current article and yank the current article
12854 (@code{gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original}). If the region is
12855 active, only yank the text in the region.
12858 @kindex F (Article)
12859 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
12860 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
12861 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If the region is active,
12862 only yank the text in the region.
12869 @section Misc Article
12873 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
12874 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
12875 @cindex article buffers, several
12876 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
12877 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
12880 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
12881 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
12882 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12883 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
12884 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
12886 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
12887 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
12888 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
12889 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
12890 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
12891 the contents of the article buffer.
12893 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
12894 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
12895 Hook called in article mode buffers.
12897 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12898 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12899 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
12900 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
12902 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
12903 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
12904 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
12905 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
12907 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
12908 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
12909 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
12910 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
12911 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
12912 with two extensions:
12917 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
12918 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
12919 performed. The characters and their meaning:
12924 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
12927 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
12930 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
12931 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
12932 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
12935 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
12938 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
12941 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasized strings in the article buffer.
12946 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
12950 @vindex gnus-break-pages
12952 @item gnus-break-pages
12953 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
12954 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
12955 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
12956 paging will not be done.
12958 @item gnus-page-delimiter
12959 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
12960 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
12964 @cindex internationalized domain names
12965 @vindex gnus-use-idna
12966 @item gnus-use-idna
12967 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
12968 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
12969 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
12970 for how to compose such messages. This requires
12971 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
12972 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
12977 @node Composing Messages
12978 @chapter Composing Messages
12979 @cindex composing messages
12982 @cindex sending mail
12987 @cindex using s/mime
12988 @cindex using smime
12990 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
12991 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
12992 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
12993 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
12994 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
12995 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
12998 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
12999 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
13000 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
13001 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
13002 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
13003 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
13004 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
13005 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
13006 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
13009 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
13010 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
13016 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
13019 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
13020 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
13021 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
13022 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
13023 @code{nil} include all headers.
13025 @item gnus-add-to-list
13026 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
13027 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
13028 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
13030 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
13031 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
13032 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
13033 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
13034 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
13035 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
13036 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
13037 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
13039 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
13040 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
13042 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13043 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13044 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
13045 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
13046 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
13051 @node Posting Server
13052 @section Posting Server
13054 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
13055 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
13057 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
13059 It can be quite complicated.
13061 @vindex gnus-post-method
13062 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
13063 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
13064 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
13065 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
13066 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
13067 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
13068 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
13069 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
13070 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
13073 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
13076 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
13077 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
13078 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
13079 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
13081 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
13082 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
13084 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
13085 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
13088 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
13089 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
13091 @vindex message-send-mail-function
13092 When sending mail, Message invokes the function specified by the
13093 variable @code{message-send-mail-function}. Gnus tries to set it to a
13094 value suitable for your system.
13095 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Mail Variables,message,Message manual}, for more
13098 @node POP before SMTP
13099 @section POP before SMTP
13100 @cindex pop before smtp
13101 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
13102 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
13104 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
13105 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
13106 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
13107 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
13108 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13111 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
13112 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
13116 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
13117 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
13118 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
13119 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
13120 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
13121 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
13122 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
13123 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
13125 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
13126 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
13127 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
13128 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
13129 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
13130 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
13133 (setq mail-source-primary-source
13134 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13135 :password "secret"))
13139 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
13140 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
13143 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
13145 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
13146 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13147 :password "secret")))
13148 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
13151 @node Mail and Post
13152 @section Mail and Post
13154 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
13158 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
13159 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
13160 @cindex mailing lists
13162 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
13163 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
13164 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
13165 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
13166 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
13167 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
13168 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
13169 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
13170 still a pain, though.
13172 @item gnus-user-agent
13173 @vindex gnus-user-agent
13176 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
13177 User-Agent header. It can be a list of symbols or a string. Valid
13178 symbols are @code{gnus} (show Gnus version) and @code{emacs} (show Emacs
13179 version). In addition to the Emacs version, you can add @code{codename}
13180 (show (S)XEmacs codename) or either @code{config} (show system
13181 configuration) or @code{type} (show system type). If you set it to a
13182 string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
13186 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
13187 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
13188 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
13191 @findex ispell-message
13193 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
13196 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
13197 you're in, you could say something like the following:
13200 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
13204 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
13205 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
13207 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
13210 Modify to suit your needs.
13212 @vindex gnus-message-highlight-citation
13213 If @code{gnus-message-highlight-citation} is t, different levels of
13214 citations are highlighted like in Gnus article buffers also in message
13217 @node Archived Messages
13218 @section Archived Messages
13219 @cindex archived messages
13220 @cindex sent messages
13222 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
13223 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
13224 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
13225 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
13228 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
13229 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
13232 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
13233 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
13234 use to store sent messages. The default is @code{"archive"}, and when
13235 actually being used it is expanded into:
13238 (nnfolder "archive"
13239 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
13240 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
13241 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
13242 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
13246 @vindex gnus-update-message-archive-method
13247 Note: a server like this is saved in the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file first
13248 so that it may be used as a real method of the server which is named
13249 @code{"archive"} (that is, for the case where
13250 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} is set to @code{"archive"}) ever
13251 since. If it once has been saved, it will never be updated by default
13252 even if you change the value of @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13253 afterward. Therefore, the server @code{"archive"} doesn't necessarily
13254 mean the @code{nnfolder} server like this at all times. If you want the
13255 saved method to reflect always the value of
13256 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, set the
13257 @code{gnus-update-message-archive-method} variable to a non-@code{nil}
13258 value. The default value of this variable is @code{nil}.
13261 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
13262 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
13263 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
13264 directory chosen, you could say something like:
13267 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
13268 '(nnfolder "archive"
13269 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
13270 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
13271 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
13274 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
13276 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
13277 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
13278 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
13280 This variable can be used to do the following:
13284 Messages will be saved in that group.
13286 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
13287 message will not be stored in the select method given by
13288 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
13289 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13290 has the default value shown above. Then setting
13291 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
13292 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
13293 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
13296 @item a list of strings
13297 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
13299 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
13300 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
13303 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
13308 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
13310 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
13313 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
13315 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
13318 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
13320 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13321 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
13322 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
13323 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
13326 More complex stuff:
13328 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13329 '((if (message-news-p)
13334 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
13335 messages in one file per month:
13338 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13339 '((if (message-news-p)
13341 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
13344 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
13345 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
13347 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
13348 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
13349 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
13350 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
13351 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
13352 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
13353 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
13354 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
13355 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
13356 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
13358 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
13359 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
13360 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
13361 this will disable archiving.
13364 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
13365 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
13366 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
13367 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
13368 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
13371 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
13372 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
13373 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
13376 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
13377 but the latter is the preferred method.
13379 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13380 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13381 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
13383 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13384 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13385 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
13386 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
13387 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
13388 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
13389 changed in the future.
13394 @node Posting Styles
13395 @section Posting Styles
13396 @cindex posting styles
13399 All them variables, they make my head swim.
13401 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
13402 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
13403 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
13406 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
13407 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
13408 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
13409 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
13410 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
13415 (signature "Peace and happiness")
13416 (organization "What me?"))
13418 (signature "Death to everybody"))
13419 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
13420 (organization "Emacs is it")))
13423 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
13424 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
13425 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
13426 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
13427 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
13428 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
13429 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
13430 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
13432 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
13433 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
13434 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
13435 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
13436 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
13437 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
13438 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
13439 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
13440 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
13441 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
13442 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
13443 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
13444 said to @dfn{match}.
13446 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
13447 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
13448 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
13449 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
13450 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
13451 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
13452 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
13453 name can be one of:
13456 @item @code{signature}
13457 @item @code{signature-file}
13458 @item @code{x-face-file}
13459 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
13460 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
13464 Note that the @code{signature-file} attribute honors the variable
13465 @code{message-signature-directory}.
13467 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
13468 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
13469 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
13470 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
13471 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
13473 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
13474 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
13475 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
13476 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
13477 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
13478 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
13479 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
13480 references chars lines xref extra.
13482 @vindex message-reply-headers
13484 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
13485 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
13486 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
13488 @findex message-mail-p
13489 @findex message-news-p
13491 So here's a new example:
13494 (setq gnus-posting-styles
13496 (signature-file "~/.signature")
13498 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
13499 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
13500 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
13502 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
13503 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
13504 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
13505 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
13506 (signature my-news-signature))
13507 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
13508 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
13509 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
13510 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
13511 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
13512 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
13513 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
13514 (address "user@@bar.foo")
13515 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
13516 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
13518 (From (with-current-buffer gnus-article-buffer
13519 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
13521 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
13524 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
13525 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
13526 if you fill many roles.
13527 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
13528 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
13534 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
13535 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
13536 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
13537 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
13538 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
13540 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
13541 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
13542 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
13543 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
13544 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
13548 @vindex nndraft-directory
13549 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
13550 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
13551 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
13552 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
13553 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
13554 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
13556 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
13557 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
13558 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
13559 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
13560 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
13561 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
13562 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
13563 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
13564 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
13566 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
13567 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
13568 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
13569 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
13570 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
13571 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
13572 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
13573 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
13574 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
13575 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
13576 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
13577 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
13578 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
13579 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
13581 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
13582 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
13583 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
13585 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
13586 @kindex D e (Draft)
13587 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
13588 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
13589 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
13591 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
13594 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
13595 @kindex D s (Draft)
13596 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
13597 @kindex D S (Draft)
13598 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
13599 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
13600 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
13601 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
13602 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
13605 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
13606 @kindex D t (Draft)
13607 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
13608 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
13609 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
13611 Finally, if you want to delete a draft, use the normal @kbd{B DEL}
13612 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13615 @node Rejected Articles
13616 @section Rejected Articles
13617 @cindex rejected articles
13619 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
13620 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
13621 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
13622 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
13624 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
13625 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
13626 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
13627 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
13628 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
13630 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
13631 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
13632 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
13634 @node Signing and encrypting
13635 @section Signing and encrypting
13637 @cindex using s/mime
13638 @cindex using smime
13640 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
13641 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
13642 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
13643 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
13645 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
13646 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
13647 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
13648 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
13649 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
13650 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
13651 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
13652 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
13653 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
13654 automatically encrypted messages.
13656 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
13657 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
13658 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
13663 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
13664 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
13666 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13669 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
13670 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13672 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13675 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
13676 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13678 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13681 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
13682 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
13684 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13687 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
13688 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
13690 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13693 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
13694 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
13696 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13699 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
13700 @findex mml-unsecure-message
13701 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
13705 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
13707 @node Select Methods
13708 @chapter Select Methods
13709 @cindex foreign groups
13710 @cindex select methods
13712 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
13713 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
13714 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
13715 personal mail group.
13717 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
13718 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
13719 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
13720 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
13721 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
13722 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
13724 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
13725 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
13727 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
13730 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
13731 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
13732 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
13733 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
13734 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
13736 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
13739 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
13740 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
13741 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
13742 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
13743 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
13744 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
13745 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
13746 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
13747 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
13751 @node Server Buffer
13752 @section Server Buffer
13754 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
13755 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
13756 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
13757 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
13758 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
13759 back end represents a virtual server.
13761 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
13762 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
13763 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
13764 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
13766 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
13767 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
13768 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
13769 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
13770 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
13771 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
13772 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
13774 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
13775 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
13778 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
13779 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
13780 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
13781 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
13782 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
13783 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
13784 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
13787 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
13788 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
13791 @node Server Buffer Format
13792 @subsection Server Buffer Format
13793 @cindex server buffer format
13795 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
13796 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
13797 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
13798 variable, with some simple extensions:
13803 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
13806 The name of this server.
13809 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
13812 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
13815 Whether this server is agentized.
13818 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
13819 The mode line can also be customized by using the
13820 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
13821 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
13831 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
13834 @node Server Commands
13835 @subsection Server Commands
13836 @cindex server commands
13842 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
13843 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
13844 command or better use it as a prefix key.
13848 @findex gnus-server-add-server
13849 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
13853 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
13854 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
13857 @kindex SPACE (Server)
13858 @findex gnus-server-read-server
13859 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
13863 @findex gnus-server-exit
13864 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
13868 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
13869 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
13873 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
13874 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
13878 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13879 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
13883 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
13884 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
13888 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
13889 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
13890 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
13895 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
13896 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
13897 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
13898 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
13902 @findex gnus-server-compact-server
13904 Compact all groups in the server under point
13905 (@code{gnus-server-compact-server}). Currently implemented only in
13906 nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes gaps between article numbers,
13907 hence getting a correct total article count.
13912 @node Example Methods
13913 @subsection Example Methods
13915 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
13918 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
13921 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
13927 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
13928 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
13931 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
13932 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
13934 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
13935 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
13939 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
13942 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
13943 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
13945 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
13946 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
13947 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
13951 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
13954 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
13957 Here's the method for a public spool:
13961 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
13962 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
13968 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
13969 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
13970 on the firewall machine and connect with
13971 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} from there to the
13972 @acronym{NNTP} server.
13973 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
13974 should probably look something like this:
13978 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)
13979 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
13980 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host"))
13983 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
13984 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
13985 configuration to the example above:
13988 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13991 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
13992 an indirect connection:
13995 (setq gnus-select-method
13997 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
13998 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
13999 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
14000 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
14001 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C"))
14002 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)))
14005 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
14006 provide automatic authorization, of course.
14008 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
14009 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
14010 netcat connection to the news server as follows:
14014 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14015 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
14016 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
14020 @node Creating a Virtual Server
14021 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
14023 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
14024 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
14026 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
14027 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
14028 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
14030 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
14032 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
14033 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
14034 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
14035 will contain the following:
14045 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
14046 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
14049 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
14050 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
14051 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
14054 @node Server Variables
14055 @subsection Server Variables
14056 @cindex server variables
14057 @cindex server parameters
14059 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
14060 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
14061 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
14062 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
14063 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
14065 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
14066 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
14067 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
14068 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
14069 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
14070 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
14071 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
14072 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
14073 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
14077 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
14078 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
14079 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
14082 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
14084 @node Servers and Methods
14085 @subsection Servers and Methods
14087 Wherever you would normally use a select method
14088 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
14089 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
14090 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
14094 @node Unavailable Servers
14095 @subsection Unavailable Servers
14097 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
14098 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
14099 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
14100 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
14101 actually the case or not.
14103 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
14104 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
14105 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
14106 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
14107 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
14108 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
14109 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
14110 it will regard that server as ``down''.
14112 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
14113 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
14115 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
14116 with the following commands:
14122 @findex gnus-server-open-server
14123 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
14124 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
14128 @findex gnus-server-close-server
14129 Close the connection (if any) to the server
14130 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
14134 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
14135 Mark the current server as unreachable
14136 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
14139 @kindex M-o (Server)
14140 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
14141 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
14142 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
14145 @kindex M-c (Server)
14146 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
14147 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
14148 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
14152 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
14153 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
14154 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
14158 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
14159 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
14165 @section Getting News
14166 @cindex reading news
14167 @cindex news back ends
14169 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
14170 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
14171 or it can read from a local spool.
14174 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14175 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
14183 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
14184 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
14185 server as the, uhm, address.
14187 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
14188 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
14189 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
14190 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14192 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
14193 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
14194 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
14196 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
14201 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
14202 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
14203 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
14205 @cindex authentication
14206 @cindex nntp authentication
14207 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14208 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
14209 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
14210 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
14211 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
14212 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
14213 present in this hook.
14215 @item nntp-authinfo-function
14216 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
14217 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14218 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
14219 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
14220 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
14221 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
14222 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
14223 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
14224 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
14225 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
14226 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
14230 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
14233 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
14235 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
14236 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
14237 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
14238 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
14239 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
14240 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
14241 @samp{force} is explained below.
14245 Here's an example file:
14248 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
14249 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
14252 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
14253 have to be first, for instance.
14255 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
14256 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
14257 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
14258 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
14259 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
14260 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
14261 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
14263 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
14264 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
14270 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
14271 previously mentioned.
14273 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
14275 @item nntp-server-action-alist
14276 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
14277 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
14278 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
14279 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
14282 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
14283 '(("innd" (ding))))
14286 You probably don't want to do that, though.
14288 The default value is
14291 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
14292 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
14293 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
14296 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
14297 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
14299 @item nntp-maximum-request
14300 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
14301 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
14302 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
14303 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
14304 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
14305 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
14306 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
14308 @item nntp-connection-timeout
14309 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
14310 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
14311 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
14312 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
14313 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
14314 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
14315 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
14316 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
14317 no timeouts are done.
14319 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
14320 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
14321 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
14322 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
14325 @item nntp-xover-commands
14326 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
14327 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
14329 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
14330 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
14334 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
14335 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
14336 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
14337 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
14338 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
14339 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
14340 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
14341 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
14342 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
14343 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
14344 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
14346 @item nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14347 @vindex nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14348 When Gnus refers to an article having the @code{Message-ID} that a user
14349 specifies or having the @code{Message-ID} of the parent article of the
14350 current one (@pxref{Finding the Parent}), Gnus sends a @code{HEAD}
14351 command to the @acronym{NNTP} server to know where it is, and the server
14352 returns the data containing the pairs of a group and an article number
14353 in the @code{Xref} header. Gnus normally uses the article number to
14354 refer to the article if the data shows that that article is in the
14355 current group, while it uses the @code{Message-ID} otherwise. However,
14356 some news servers, e.g., ones running Diablo, run multiple engines
14357 having the same articles but article numbers are not kept synchronized
14358 between them. In that case, the article number that appears in the
14359 @code{Xref} header varies by which engine is chosen, so you cannot refer
14360 to the parent article that is in the current group, for instance. If
14361 you connect to such a server, set this variable to a non-@code{nil}
14362 value, and Gnus never uses article numbers. For example:
14365 (setq gnus-select-method
14367 (nntp-address "newszilla.example.com")
14368 (nntp-xref-number-is-evil t)
14372 The default value of this server variable is @code{nil}.
14374 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
14375 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
14376 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14378 @item nntp-record-commands
14379 @vindex nntp-record-commands
14380 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
14381 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
14382 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
14383 that doesn't seem to work.
14385 @item nntp-open-connection-function
14386 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
14387 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
14388 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
14389 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
14390 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
14391 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
14392 indirect ones (three pre-made).
14394 @item nntp-never-echoes-commands
14395 @vindex nntp-never-echoes-commands
14396 Non-@code{nil} means the nntp server never echoes commands. It is
14397 reported that some nntps server doesn't echo commands. So, you may want
14398 to set this to non-@code{nil} in the method for such a server setting
14399 @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream} for
14400 example. The default value is @code{nil}. Note that the
14401 @code{nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands} variable
14402 overrides the @code{nil} value of this variable.
14404 @item nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14405 @vindex nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14406 List of functions that never echo commands. Add or set a function which
14407 you set to @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to this list if it does
14408 not echo commands. Note that a non-@code{nil} value of the
14409 @code{nntp-never-echoes-commands} variable overrides this variable. The
14410 default value is @code{(nntp-open-network-stream)}.
14412 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
14413 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
14414 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
14415 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
14416 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
14417 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
14418 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
14421 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
14424 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
14425 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
14430 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
14431 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
14432 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
14433 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
14437 @node Direct Functions
14438 @subsubsection Direct Functions
14439 @cindex direct connection functions
14441 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
14442 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
14443 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
14444 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14447 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
14448 @item nntp-open-network-stream
14449 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
14452 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
14453 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
14454 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14455 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
14456 installed. You then define a server as follows:
14459 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14460 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
14462 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14463 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
14464 (nntp-port-number 563)
14465 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14468 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
14469 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
14470 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14471 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
14472 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
14473 then define a server as follows:
14476 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14477 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
14479 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14480 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
14481 (nntp-port-number 563)
14482 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14485 @findex nntp-open-netcat-stream
14486 @item nntp-open-netcat-stream
14487 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server using the @code{netcat}
14488 program. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have
14489 the default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
14490 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
14491 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
14492 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
14496 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14497 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
14498 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
14501 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
14502 session, which is not a good idea.
14504 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
14505 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
14506 Like @code{nntp-open-netcat-stream}, but uses @code{telnet} rather than
14507 @code{netcat}. @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things
14508 like line-end-conversion, but sometimes netcat is simply
14509 not available. The previous example would turn into:
14513 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14514 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
14515 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
14516 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
14521 @node Indirect Functions
14522 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
14523 @cindex indirect connection functions
14525 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
14526 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14527 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
14528 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
14529 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
14530 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14533 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14534 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14535 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then uses @code{netcat} to connect
14536 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
14537 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
14539 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
14542 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14543 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14544 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14545 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14547 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14548 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14549 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14550 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
14551 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
14552 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections.
14555 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14556 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14557 Does essentially the same, but uses @code{telnet} instead of @samp{netcat}
14558 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
14559 @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things like
14560 line-end-conversion, but sometimes @code{netcat} is simply not available.
14562 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14565 @item nntp-telnet-command
14566 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
14567 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
14568 intermediate host. The default is @samp{telnet}.
14570 @item nntp-telnet-switches
14571 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
14572 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14573 @code{nntp-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{("-8")}.
14575 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14576 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14577 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14578 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14580 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14581 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14582 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14583 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. If you use @samp{ssh}, you may need to set
14584 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
14585 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
14586 host. The default is @code{nil}.
14589 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14590 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14592 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14593 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14594 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
14595 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
14597 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14600 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
14601 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
14602 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
14605 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
14606 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
14607 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14608 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
14610 @item nntp-via-user-password
14611 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
14612 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
14614 @item nntp-via-envuser
14615 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
14616 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
14617 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
14618 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
14620 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
14621 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
14622 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
14623 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
14627 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14628 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14632 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
14637 @item nntp-via-user-name
14638 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
14639 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
14641 @item nntp-via-address
14642 @vindex nntp-via-address
14643 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
14648 @node Common Variables
14649 @subsubsection Common Variables
14651 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
14652 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
14653 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
14654 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
14655 variables individually).
14659 @item nntp-pre-command
14660 @vindex nntp-pre-command
14661 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
14662 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
14663 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
14664 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
14667 @vindex nntp-address
14668 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14670 @item nntp-port-number
14671 @vindex nntp-port-number
14672 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14673 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
14674 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
14675 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
14676 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
14677 not work with named ports.
14679 @item nntp-end-of-line
14680 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
14681 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
14682 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
14683 using a non native telnet connection function.
14685 @item nntp-netcat-command
14686 @vindex nntp-netcat-command
14687 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
14688 @samp{netcat}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
14689 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14692 @item nntp-netcat-switches
14693 @vindex nntp-netcat-switches
14694 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-netcat-command}. The default
14700 @subsubsection NNTP marks
14701 @cindex storing NNTP marks
14703 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
14704 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
14705 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
14706 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
14707 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
14708 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
14709 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
14710 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
14712 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
14713 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
14714 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
14715 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
14716 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14718 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
14719 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
14720 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
14721 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
14722 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
14723 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
14724 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
14726 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
14727 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
14728 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14734 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
14735 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
14736 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
14737 default is @code{nil}.
14739 @item nntp-marks-directory
14740 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
14741 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
14747 @subsection News Spool
14751 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
14752 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
14753 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
14756 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
14757 anything else) as the address.
14759 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
14760 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
14761 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
14762 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
14766 @item nnspool-inews-program
14767 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
14768 Program used to post an article.
14770 @item nnspool-inews-switches
14771 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
14772 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
14774 @item nnspool-spool-directory
14775 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
14776 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
14777 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
14779 @item nnspool-nov-directory
14780 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
14781 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
14782 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
14784 @item nnspool-lib-dir
14785 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
14786 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
14788 @item nnspool-active-file
14789 @vindex nnspool-active-file
14790 The name of the active file.
14792 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
14793 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
14794 The name of the group descriptions file.
14796 @item nnspool-history-file
14797 @vindex nnspool-history-file
14798 The name of the news history file.
14800 @item nnspool-active-times-file
14801 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
14802 The name of the active date file.
14804 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
14805 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
14806 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
14809 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14810 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14812 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
14813 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
14814 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
14821 @section Getting Mail
14822 @cindex reading mail
14825 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
14829 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
14830 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
14831 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
14832 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
14833 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
14834 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
14835 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
14836 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
14837 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
14838 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
14839 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
14840 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
14841 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
14845 @node Mail in a Newsreader
14846 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
14848 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
14849 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
14850 of a culture shock.
14852 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
14853 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
14855 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
14856 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
14857 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
14858 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
14860 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
14862 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
14863 deleted? How awful!
14865 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
14866 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
14867 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
14868 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
14871 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
14872 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
14873 they want to treat a message.
14875 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
14876 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
14877 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
14878 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
14879 archived somewhere else.
14881 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
14882 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
14883 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
14884 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
14885 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
14887 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
14888 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
14889 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
14891 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
14892 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
14895 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
14896 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
14897 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
14898 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
14899 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
14901 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
14902 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
14903 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
14904 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
14905 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
14906 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
14910 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
14911 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
14913 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
14914 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
14915 and things will happen automatically.
14917 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
14918 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14921 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14924 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
14925 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
14926 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
14927 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
14928 like any other group.
14930 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
14933 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14934 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14935 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14939 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
14940 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
14941 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
14944 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
14945 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
14946 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
14949 @node Splitting Mail
14950 @subsection Splitting Mail
14951 @cindex splitting mail
14952 @cindex mail splitting
14953 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
14955 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
14956 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
14957 to be split into groups.
14960 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14961 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14962 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14963 ("mail.other" "")))
14966 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
14967 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
14968 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
14969 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
14970 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
14971 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
14972 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
14975 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
14979 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
14980 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14982 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14983 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
14984 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
14985 mail belongs in that group.
14987 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
14988 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
14989 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
14990 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
14991 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
14992 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
14993 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
14994 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
14995 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
14996 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
14998 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
14999 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
15000 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
15001 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
15002 thinks should carry this mail message.
15004 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
15005 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
15006 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
15007 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
15009 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
15010 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
15011 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
15012 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
15013 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
15015 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
15018 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
15019 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
15020 links. If that's the case for you, set
15021 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
15022 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
15024 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
15025 @findex nnmail-split-history
15026 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
15027 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
15028 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
15029 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
15032 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
15033 Header lines longer than the value of
15034 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
15037 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
15038 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
15039 By default, splitting does not decode headers, so you can not match on
15040 non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. But it is useful if you want to match
15041 articles based on the raw header data. To enable it, set the
15042 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} variable to a non-@code{nil} value.
15043 In addition, the value of the @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
15044 variable is used for decoding non-@acronym{MIME} encoded string when
15045 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} is non-@code{nil}. The default
15046 value is @code{nil} which means not to decode non-@acronym{MIME} encoded
15047 string. A suitable value for you will be @code{undecided} or be the
15048 charset used normally in mails you are interested in.
15050 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15051 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
15052 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
15053 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
15054 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
15055 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
15056 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
15057 other kinds of entries.)
15059 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
15060 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
15061 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
15062 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
15063 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
15064 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
15065 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
15066 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
15067 month's rent money.
15071 @subsection Mail Sources
15073 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
15074 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
15075 maildir, for instance.
15078 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
15079 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
15080 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
15084 @node Mail Source Specifiers
15085 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
15087 @cindex mail server
15090 @cindex mail source
15092 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
15093 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
15098 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
15101 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
15102 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
15103 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
15106 The @code{mail-sources} is global for all mail groups. You can specify
15107 an additional mail source for a particular group by including the
15108 @code{group} mail specifier in @code{mail-sources}, and setting a
15109 @code{mail-source} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) specifying
15110 a single mail source. When this is used, @code{mail-sources} is
15111 typically just @code{(group)}; the @code{mail-source} parameter for a
15112 group might look like this:
15115 (mail-source . (file :path "home/user/spools/foo.spool"))
15118 This means that the group's (and only this group's) messages will be
15119 fetched from the spool file @samp{/user/spools/foo.spool}.
15121 The following mail source types are available:
15125 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
15131 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
15132 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
15133 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
15137 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15140 An example file mail source:
15143 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
15146 Or using the default file name:
15152 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
15153 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
15154 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
15155 mail spool while moving the mail.
15157 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
15161 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
15164 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
15168 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
15171 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
15173 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
15176 Alter this script to fit the @samp{movemail} and temporary
15177 file you want to use.
15181 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
15182 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
15183 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
15184 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
15185 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
15186 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
15187 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
15188 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
15189 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
15190 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
15192 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15193 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
15194 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
15195 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
15201 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
15205 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
15209 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
15210 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
15211 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
15212 predicate are considered.
15216 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15220 An example directory mail source:
15223 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
15228 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15234 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
15235 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15238 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
15239 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
15240 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
15241 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
15242 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
15245 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
15249 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
15250 the user is prompted.
15253 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
15254 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
15257 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
15260 The valid format specifier characters are:
15264 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
15265 included in this string.
15268 The name of the server.
15271 The port number of the server.
15274 The user name to use.
15277 The password to use.
15280 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15281 corresponding keywords.
15284 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15285 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15288 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15289 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15292 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
15293 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
15294 mail should be moved to.
15296 @item :authentication
15297 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
15298 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
15303 @vindex pop3-movemail
15304 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
15305 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
15306 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server}
15307 is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
15308 after fetching when using @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers
15309 maintain no state information between sessions, so what the client
15310 believes is there and what is actually there may not match up. If they
15311 do not, then you may get duplicate mails or the whole thing can fall
15312 apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
15314 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15315 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
15316 name, and default fetcher:
15322 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
15325 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
15326 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
15329 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
15332 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
15336 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
15337 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
15338 contains exactly one mail.
15344 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
15345 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
15348 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
15349 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
15351 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
15352 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
15353 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
15356 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
15357 from locking problems).
15361 Two example maildir mail sources:
15364 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
15365 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
15369 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
15374 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
15375 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
15376 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
15377 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
15378 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
15380 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
15381 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
15387 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
15388 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15391 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
15392 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
15395 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
15399 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
15403 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
15404 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
15405 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
15406 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
15408 @item :authentication
15409 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
15410 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
15411 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
15412 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
15415 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
15416 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
15417 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
15423 Make sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g.,
15424 don't forget to redirect the error output to the void. The valid format
15425 specifier characters are:
15429 The name of the server.
15432 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
15435 The port number of the server.
15438 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15439 corresponding keywords.
15442 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
15443 which normally is the mailbox which receives incoming mail.
15446 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
15447 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
15448 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
15449 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
15450 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
15451 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
15454 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
15455 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
15456 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
15457 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
15460 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
15461 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
15465 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
15468 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
15470 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
15474 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
15475 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
15476 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
15478 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
15479 required for url "4.0pre.46".
15481 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
15487 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
15488 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
15491 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
15495 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
15499 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
15500 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
15504 An example webmail source:
15507 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
15509 :password "secret")
15513 Get the actual mail source from the @code{mail-source} group parameter,
15514 @xref{Group Parameters}.
15519 @item Common Keywords
15520 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
15526 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
15527 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
15532 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
15537 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
15538 useful when you use local mail and news.
15543 @subsubsection Function Interface
15545 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
15546 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
15547 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
15548 consider the following mail-source setting:
15551 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
15552 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
15555 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
15556 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
15557 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
15558 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
15559 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
15561 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
15564 @node Mail Source Customization
15565 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
15567 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
15568 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
15572 @item mail-source-crash-box
15573 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
15574 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
15575 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
15578 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
15579 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
15580 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
15581 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
15582 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
15583 (the deletion will only happen when receiving new mail). You may also
15584 set @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
15585 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
15586 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{10} in alpha Gnusae
15587 and @code{2} in released Gnusae. @xref{Gnus Development}.
15589 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15590 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15591 If non-@code{nil}, ask for confirmation before deleting old incoming
15592 files. This variable only applies when
15593 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
15595 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
15596 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
15597 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
15599 @item mail-source-directory
15600 @vindex mail-source-directory
15601 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
15602 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
15603 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
15604 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
15606 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15607 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15608 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
15609 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
15610 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
15611 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
15614 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
15615 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
15616 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
15618 @item mail-source-movemail-program
15619 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
15620 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
15621 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
15626 @node Fetching Mail
15627 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
15629 @vindex mail-sources
15630 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
15631 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
15632 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
15634 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to
15635 fetch mail by themselves.
15637 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
15638 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
15643 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15644 :password "secret")))
15647 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
15651 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
15652 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15655 :password "secret")))
15659 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
15660 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
15661 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
15662 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
15663 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
15664 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
15668 @node Mail Back End Variables
15669 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
15671 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
15675 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15676 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15677 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
15678 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
15680 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
15681 @item nnmail-split-hook
15682 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
15683 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
15684 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
15685 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
15686 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
15687 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
15688 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
15689 in the buffer will show up in any files.
15690 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
15693 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15694 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15695 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15696 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15697 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
15698 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
15699 starting to handle the new mail) and
15700 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
15701 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
15702 default file modes the new mail files get:
15705 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15706 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
15708 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15709 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
15712 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
15713 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
15714 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
15715 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
15716 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
15717 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
15718 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
15720 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
15721 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
15722 @findex delete-file
15723 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
15725 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15726 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15727 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
15728 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
15729 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
15731 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15732 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15733 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
15734 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
15735 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
15737 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
15738 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
15739 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
15744 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
15745 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
15746 @cindex mail splitting
15747 @cindex fancy mail splitting
15749 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
15750 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
15751 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
15752 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
15753 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
15754 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
15756 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
15759 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
15760 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
15761 ;; @r{from real errors.}
15762 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
15764 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
15765 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
15766 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
15767 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
15768 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
15769 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
15770 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
15771 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
15772 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
15773 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
15774 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
15775 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
15776 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
15777 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
15778 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
15779 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
15780 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
15784 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
15785 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
15786 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
15791 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
15792 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
15794 @c Don't fold this line.
15795 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
15796 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
15797 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
15798 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
15801 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
15802 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
15803 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
15804 @var{split} is processed.
15806 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
15807 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
15808 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
15809 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15811 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
15812 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
15813 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
15814 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
15815 stored in one or more groups.
15817 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
15818 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
15819 process all @var{split}s in the list.
15822 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
15823 this message. Use with extreme caution.
15825 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
15826 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
15827 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
15828 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
15831 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
15832 body of the messages:
15835 (defun split-on-body ()
15839 (goto-char (point-min))
15840 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
15844 The buffer is narrowed to the header of the message in question when
15845 @var{function} is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called
15846 after @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
15847 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
15848 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
15849 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
15850 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
15852 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
15853 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
15854 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
15855 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
15856 should return a split.
15859 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
15863 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
15865 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
15866 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
15867 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
15868 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
15872 (any "joe" "joemail")
15876 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
15877 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
15878 of the following three ways:
15882 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
15883 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
15884 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
15885 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
15886 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
15889 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
15892 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
15893 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
15894 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
15895 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
15896 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
15899 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
15900 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
15901 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
15902 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15903 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
15904 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15905 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15908 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
15909 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
15910 they are expanded as specified by the variable
15911 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
15912 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
15913 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
15914 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
15918 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
15920 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
15921 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
15923 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
15926 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
15927 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
15928 when all this splitting is performed.
15930 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
15931 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
15932 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
15935 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
15938 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
15939 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
15941 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
15942 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
15943 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
15944 groupings 1 through 9.
15946 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
15947 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
15948 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
15949 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
15950 groups when users send to an address using different case
15951 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
15954 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
15955 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
15956 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
15957 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
15958 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
15959 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
15960 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
15961 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
15962 it once per thread.
15964 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
15965 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
15966 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
15967 using the colon feature, like so:
15969 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
15970 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
15972 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
15973 ;; @r{other splits go here}
15977 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
15978 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
15979 in the file specified by the variable
15980 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
15981 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
15982 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
15983 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
15984 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
15985 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
15986 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
15987 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
15988 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
15989 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
15990 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
15991 300 kBytes in size.)
15992 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15993 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
15994 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
15995 messages goes into the new group.
15997 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
15998 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
15999 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
16000 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
16001 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
16002 ``outgoing'' group.
16005 @node Group Mail Splitting
16006 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
16007 @cindex mail splitting
16008 @cindex group mail splitting
16010 @findex gnus-group-split
16011 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
16012 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
16013 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
16014 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
16015 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
16016 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
16017 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
16018 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
16020 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
16021 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
16022 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
16023 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
16025 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
16026 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
16027 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
16028 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
16029 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
16030 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
16031 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
16033 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
16034 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
16035 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
16036 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
16037 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
16038 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
16039 @code{gnus-group-split}.
16041 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
16042 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
16043 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
16044 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
16045 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
16046 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
16047 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
16048 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
16049 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
16050 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
16051 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
16052 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
16053 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
16055 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
16060 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
16061 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
16063 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
16064 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
16065 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
16066 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
16068 ((split-spec . catch-all))
16071 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
16072 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
16073 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
16076 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
16077 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
16078 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
16082 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
16083 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
16084 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
16088 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
16091 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
16092 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
16093 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
16094 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
16095 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
16096 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
16097 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
16098 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
16099 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
16101 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
16102 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
16103 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
16104 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
16105 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
16106 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
16107 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
16108 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
16109 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
16111 @findex gnus-group-split-update
16112 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
16113 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
16114 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
16115 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
16116 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
16119 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
16122 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
16123 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
16124 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
16125 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
16126 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
16129 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
16130 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
16131 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
16132 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
16134 @node Incorporating Old Mail
16135 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
16136 @cindex incorporating old mail
16137 @cindex import old mail
16139 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
16140 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
16141 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
16144 Doing so can be quite easy.
16146 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
16147 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
16148 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
16149 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
16150 your @code{nnml} groups.
16156 Go to the group buffer.
16159 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
16160 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
16163 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
16166 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
16167 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16170 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
16171 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
16174 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
16175 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
16176 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
16177 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
16178 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
16180 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
16181 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
16182 using the new mail back end.
16185 @node Expiring Mail
16186 @subsection Expiring Mail
16187 @cindex article expiry
16188 @cindex expiring mail
16190 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
16191 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
16192 different approach to mail reading.
16194 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
16195 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
16196 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
16197 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
16198 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
16199 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
16202 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
16203 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
16204 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
16205 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
16206 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
16207 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
16208 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
16209 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
16210 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
16212 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
16213 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
16214 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
16215 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
16216 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
16217 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
16218 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
16221 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
16222 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
16223 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
16224 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
16225 into its own group.)
16227 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
16228 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
16229 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
16230 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
16231 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
16232 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
16233 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
16234 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
16237 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16238 Groups that match the regular expression
16239 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
16240 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
16241 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
16243 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
16244 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
16245 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
16246 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
16247 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
16249 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
16251 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
16252 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
16253 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
16256 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
16257 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
16258 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
16259 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
16260 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
16262 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
16263 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
16266 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16267 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
16270 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
16271 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
16273 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
16274 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
16275 don't really mix very well.
16277 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
16278 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
16279 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
16280 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
16283 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
16284 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
16285 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
16286 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
16289 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16291 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16293 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
16295 ((string= group "mail.junk")
16297 ((string= group "important")
16303 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
16304 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
16306 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
16307 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
16308 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
16311 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
16312 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16314 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
16315 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
16316 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
16317 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
16318 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
16319 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
16320 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
16321 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
16322 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
16323 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
16324 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
16325 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
16326 name or @code{delete}.
16328 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
16330 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
16333 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16334 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16335 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
16336 expire mail to groups according to the variable
16337 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
16340 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16341 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16342 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
16343 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
16344 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
16347 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
16348 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
16349 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
16350 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
16351 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
16352 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
16354 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
16355 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
16356 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
16357 easier for procmail users.
16359 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
16360 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
16361 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
16362 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
16363 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
16364 caution. Even more dangerous is the
16365 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
16366 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
16367 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
16368 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
16369 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
16370 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
16371 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
16374 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
16376 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
16377 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
16378 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
16379 auto-expire turned on.
16381 @vindex gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable
16382 The expirable marks of articles will be removed when copying or moving
16383 them to a group in which auto-expire is not turned on. This is for
16384 preventing articles from being expired unintentionally. On the other
16385 hand, to a group that has turned auto-expire on, the expirable marks of
16386 articles that are copied or moved will not be changed by default. I.e.,
16387 when copying or moving to such a group, articles that were expirable
16388 will be left expirable and ones that were not expirable will not be
16389 marked as expirable. So, even though in auto-expire groups, some
16390 articles will never get expired (unless you read them again). If you
16391 don't side with that behavior that unexpirable articles may be mixed
16392 into auto-expire groups, you can set
16393 @code{gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable} to a
16394 non-@code{nil} value. In that case, articles that have been read will
16395 be marked as expirable automatically when being copied or moved to a
16396 group that has auto-expire turned on. The default value is @code{nil}.
16400 @subsection Washing Mail
16401 @cindex mail washing
16402 @cindex list server brain damage
16403 @cindex incoming mail treatment
16405 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
16406 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
16407 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
16408 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
16409 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
16410 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
16412 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
16413 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
16414 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
16417 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
16418 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
16419 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
16420 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
16423 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16424 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16425 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
16426 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
16427 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
16430 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16431 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16432 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
16433 Emacs running on MS machines.
16437 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16438 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16439 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
16440 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
16443 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16444 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16445 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
16446 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
16448 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
16449 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
16450 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
16451 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
16452 into a feature by documenting it.)
16454 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16455 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16456 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
16457 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
16458 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
16459 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
16460 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
16463 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
16464 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
16467 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
16468 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
16471 This can also be done non-destructively with
16472 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
16474 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
16475 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
16476 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
16478 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16479 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16480 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
16483 Some mail user agents (e.g. Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
16484 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
16485 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
16486 contain a line matching the regular expression
16487 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
16491 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16492 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16493 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
16497 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
16498 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
16499 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
16506 @subsection Duplicates
16508 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
16509 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
16510 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
16511 @cindex duplicate mails
16512 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
16513 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
16514 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
16515 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
16516 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
16517 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
16518 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
16519 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
16520 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
16521 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
16522 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
16523 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
16524 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
16526 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
16527 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
16528 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
16529 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
16531 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
16534 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
16535 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
16539 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
16540 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
16541 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
16542 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
16543 (any mail "mail.misc")
16544 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16550 (setq nnmail-split-methods
16551 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
16552 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16556 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
16557 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
16558 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
16559 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
16560 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
16563 @node Not Reading Mail
16564 @subsection Not Reading Mail
16566 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
16567 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
16568 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
16570 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
16571 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
16572 mail, which should help.
16574 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16575 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16576 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16577 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16578 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16579 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
16580 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old (pre-Emacs
16581 23) Rmail file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
16582 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
16583 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
16584 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
16586 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
16587 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
16591 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
16592 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
16594 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
16595 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
16596 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
16598 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
16599 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
16600 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
16604 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
16605 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
16606 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
16607 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
16608 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
16609 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
16610 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
16614 @node Unix Mail Box
16615 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
16617 @cindex unix mail box
16619 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16620 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16621 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
16622 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
16623 which group it belongs in.
16625 Virtual server settings:
16628 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
16629 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16630 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
16633 @item nnmbox-active-file
16634 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16635 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
16636 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
16638 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
16639 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16640 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
16641 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
16646 @subsubsection Babyl
16649 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16650 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16651 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box to store mail.
16652 @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail article to say which
16653 group it belongs in.
16655 Virtual server settings:
16658 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
16659 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16660 The name of the Babyl file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
16662 @item nnbabyl-active-file
16663 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16664 The name of the active file for the Babyl file. The default is
16665 @file{~/.rmail-active}
16667 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16668 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16669 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
16675 @subsubsection Mail Spool
16677 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
16679 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
16680 format. It should be used with some caution.
16682 @vindex nnml-directory
16683 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
16684 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
16685 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
16686 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
16688 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
16691 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
16692 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
16693 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
16694 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
16695 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
16696 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
16697 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
16698 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
16700 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
16701 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
16702 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
16703 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
16705 @cindex self contained nnml servers
16707 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
16708 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
16709 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
16710 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
16711 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
16712 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
16713 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
16714 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
16717 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
16718 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
16719 them next time it starts.
16721 Virtual server settings:
16724 @item nnml-directory
16725 @vindex nnml-directory
16726 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
16727 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
16730 @item nnml-active-file
16731 @vindex nnml-active-file
16732 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
16733 @file{~/Mail/active}.
16735 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
16736 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
16737 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16738 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
16740 @item nnml-get-new-mail
16741 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16742 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
16745 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
16746 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
16747 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16748 default is @code{nil}.
16750 @item nnml-nov-file-name
16751 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
16752 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
16754 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16755 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16756 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
16758 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
16759 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
16760 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16761 default is @code{nil}.
16763 @item nnml-marks-file-name
16764 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
16765 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
16767 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
16768 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
16769 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
16770 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
16771 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
16772 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
16773 as the file extension specifying the compression program. You can set it
16774 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
16775 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
16777 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16778 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16779 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
16780 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
16781 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
16785 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
16786 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
16787 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
16788 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
16789 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
16790 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
16791 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
16796 @subsubsection MH Spool
16798 @cindex mh-e mail spool
16800 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
16801 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
16802 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
16803 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
16806 Virtual server settings:
16809 @item nnmh-directory
16810 @vindex nnmh-directory
16811 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
16812 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
16815 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
16816 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16817 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
16821 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
16822 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
16823 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
16824 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
16825 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
16826 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
16827 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
16832 @subsubsection Maildir
16836 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
16837 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
16838 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
16839 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
16840 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
16843 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
16844 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
16845 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
16846 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
16847 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
16848 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
16849 that appear as group in Gnus.
16851 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
16852 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
16853 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
16855 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
16856 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
16857 another, and you will keep your marks.
16859 Virtual server settings:
16863 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
16864 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
16865 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
16866 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
16867 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
16868 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
16869 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
16870 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
16871 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
16872 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
16874 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
16875 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
16876 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
16877 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
16878 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
16879 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
16880 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
16881 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
16882 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
16883 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
16886 @item target-prefix
16887 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
16888 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
16889 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
16892 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
16893 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
16894 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
16895 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
16896 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
16897 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
16898 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
16899 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
16900 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
16902 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
16903 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
16904 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
16905 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
16906 symlinks pointing to them will be).
16908 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
16909 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
16910 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
16911 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
16912 @code{force} argument.
16914 @item directory-files
16915 This should be a function with the same interface as
16916 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
16917 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
16918 parameter is optional; the default is
16919 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
16920 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
16921 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
16922 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
16923 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
16924 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
16927 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
16928 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
16929 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
16930 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
16931 value is @code{nil}.
16933 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
16934 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
16935 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
16936 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
16937 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
16940 @subsubsection Group parameters
16942 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
16943 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
16944 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
16945 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
16946 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
16947 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
16950 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
16951 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
16952 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
16953 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
16954 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
16955 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
16956 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
16957 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
16958 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
16962 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
16963 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
16964 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
16965 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
16966 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
16967 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
16968 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
16969 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
16970 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
16971 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
16972 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
16973 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
16974 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
16977 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
16979 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
16981 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
16982 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
16983 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
16984 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
16985 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
16986 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
16987 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
16988 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
16989 article. So that form can refer to
16990 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
16991 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
16992 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
16993 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
16996 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
16997 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
16998 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
16999 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
17000 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
17001 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
17002 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
17003 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
17004 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
17005 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
17006 contain extra copies of the articles.
17008 @item directory-files
17009 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
17010 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
17011 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
17012 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
17014 @item distrust-Lines:
17015 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
17016 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
17017 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
17020 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
17021 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17022 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
17023 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
17024 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
17025 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17028 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
17029 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17030 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
17031 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
17032 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
17033 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
17034 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17036 @item nov-cache-size
17037 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
17038 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
17039 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
17040 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
17041 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
17042 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
17043 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
17044 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
17045 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
17046 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
17047 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
17050 @subsubsection Article identification
17051 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
17052 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
17053 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
17054 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
17055 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
17056 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
17057 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
17058 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
17059 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
17060 request the article in the summary buffer.
17062 @subsubsection NOV data
17063 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
17064 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
17065 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
17066 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
17067 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
17068 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
17069 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
17070 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
17071 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
17072 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
17073 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
17075 @subsubsection Article marks
17076 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
17077 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
17078 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17079 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
17080 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17081 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
17082 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
17083 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
17085 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
17086 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
17087 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
17088 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
17089 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
17090 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
17091 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
17092 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
17093 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
17097 @subsubsection Mail Folders
17099 @cindex mbox folders
17100 @cindex mail folders
17102 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
17103 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
17104 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
17105 numbers and arrival dates.
17107 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
17109 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
17110 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
17111 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
17112 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
17113 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
17114 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
17115 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
17116 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
17117 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
17118 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
17120 Virtual server settings:
17123 @item nnfolder-directory
17124 @vindex nnfolder-directory
17125 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
17126 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
17127 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
17129 @item nnfolder-active-file
17130 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
17131 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
17133 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17134 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17135 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
17136 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
17138 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
17139 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
17140 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
17141 default is @code{t}
17143 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17144 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17145 @cindex backup files
17146 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
17147 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
17148 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
17149 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
17152 (defun turn-off-backup ()
17153 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
17155 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
17158 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17159 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17160 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
17161 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
17162 extract some information from it before removing it.
17164 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17165 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17166 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
17167 default is @code{nil}.
17169 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17170 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17171 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
17173 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
17174 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
17175 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
17176 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17178 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17179 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17180 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
17181 default is @code{nil}.
17183 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17184 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17185 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
17187 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
17188 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
17189 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
17190 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17195 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
17196 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
17197 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
17198 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
17199 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
17200 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
17203 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
17204 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
17206 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
17207 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
17208 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
17209 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
17210 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
17212 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
17213 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
17214 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
17215 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
17216 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
17217 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
17218 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
17219 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
17222 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
17223 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
17224 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
17225 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
17230 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
17231 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
17232 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
17233 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
17234 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
17235 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
17236 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
17237 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
17238 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
17239 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
17240 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
17241 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
17242 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
17247 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
17248 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
17249 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
17250 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
17251 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
17252 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
17253 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
17254 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
17255 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
17256 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
17257 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
17258 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
17259 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
17260 course, and is still maintained within Emacs. Since Emacs 23, it
17261 uses standard mbox format rather than Babyl.
17263 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
17264 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
17269 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
17270 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
17271 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
17272 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
17273 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
17274 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
17275 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
17276 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
17277 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
17278 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
17279 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
17280 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
17281 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
17282 provided by the active file and overviews.
17284 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
17285 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
17286 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
17287 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
17288 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
17291 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
17292 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
17297 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
17298 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
17299 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
17300 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
17301 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
17302 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
17303 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
17307 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
17308 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
17309 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
17310 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
17311 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
17312 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
17313 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
17314 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
17315 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
17317 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
17318 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
17319 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
17320 friendly mail back end all over.
17324 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
17325 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
17328 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
17329 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
17330 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
17331 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
17332 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
17333 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
17334 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
17335 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
17338 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
17339 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
17340 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
17341 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
17342 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
17343 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
17344 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
17345 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
17346 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
17347 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
17348 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
17350 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
17351 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
17352 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
17353 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
17354 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
17357 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
17358 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
17359 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
17360 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
17361 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
17362 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
17363 removed in the future.
17365 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
17366 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
17367 on your file system.
17369 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
17370 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
17375 @node Browsing the Web
17376 @section Browsing the Web
17378 @cindex browsing the web
17382 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
17383 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
17384 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
17385 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
17386 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
17387 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
17388 even know what a news group is.
17390 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
17391 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
17392 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
17393 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
17394 you mad in the end.
17396 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
17399 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
17400 interfaces to these sources.
17404 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
17405 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
17406 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
17409 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
17410 alternatives to work.
17412 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
17413 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
17414 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
17415 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
17416 though, you should be ok.
17418 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
17419 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
17420 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
17421 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
17422 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
17424 @node Archiving Mail
17425 @subsection Archiving Mail
17426 @cindex archiving mail
17427 @cindex backup of mail
17429 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
17430 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
17431 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
17432 marks is fairly simple.
17434 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
17435 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
17438 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
17439 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
17440 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
17441 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
17442 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
17443 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
17444 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
17445 before you restore the data.
17447 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
17448 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
17449 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
17450 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
17451 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
17452 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
17453 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
17454 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
17455 is unnecessary in that case.
17458 @subsection Web Searches
17463 @cindex Usenet searches
17464 @cindex searching the Usenet
17466 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
17467 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
17468 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
17469 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
17470 searches without having to use a browser.
17472 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
17473 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
17474 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
17475 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
17476 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
17478 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
17479 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
17480 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
17481 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
17482 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
17483 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
17484 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
17485 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
17486 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
17487 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
17490 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
17491 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
17492 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
17493 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
17494 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
17495 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
17497 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
17498 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
17499 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
17501 Virtual server variables:
17506 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
17507 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
17508 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
17511 @vindex nnweb-search
17512 The search string to feed to the search engine.
17514 @item nnweb-max-hits
17515 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
17516 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
17519 @item nnweb-type-definition
17520 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
17521 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
17522 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
17527 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
17531 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
17534 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
17537 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
17541 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
17552 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
17553 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
17554 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
17555 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
17556 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
17558 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
17559 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
17561 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
17562 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
17563 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
17566 @kindex G R (Group)
17567 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
17568 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
17569 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
17570 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
17572 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
17573 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
17574 subscribe to groups.
17576 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
17577 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
17578 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
17579 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
17580 variable or other. Also @xref{Non-ASCII Group Names}, for more
17583 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
17584 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
17585 and a @samp{text/html} part.
17588 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
17589 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
17592 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
17593 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
17597 @defun nnrss-opml-export
17598 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
17599 @acronym{OPML} format.
17602 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
17605 @item nnrss-directory
17606 @vindex nnrss-directory
17607 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
17608 @file{~/News/rss/}.
17610 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
17611 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
17612 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
17613 data files. The default is the value of
17614 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
17615 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
17617 @item nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17618 @vindex nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17619 Some feeds update constantly article fields during their publications,
17620 e.g. to indicate the number of comments. However, if there is
17621 a difference between the local article and the distant one, the latter
17622 is considered to be new. To avoid this and discard some fields, set this
17623 variable to the list of fields to be ignored. The default is
17624 @code{'(slash:comments)}.
17626 @item nnrss-use-local
17627 @vindex nnrss-use-local
17628 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
17629 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
17630 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
17631 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
17632 download script using @command{wget}.
17634 @item nnrss-wash-html-in-text-plain-parts
17635 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{nnrss} renders text in @samp{text/plain}
17636 parts as @acronym{HTML}. The function specified by the
17637 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} variable (@pxref{Display Customization,
17638 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) will be used
17639 to render text. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default, text will
17640 simply be folded. Leave it @code{nil} if you prefer to see
17641 @samp{text/html} parts.
17644 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
17645 the summary buffer.
17648 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
17649 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
17651 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
17653 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
17654 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
17657 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
17661 (require 'browse-url)
17663 (defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
17665 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
17668 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
17669 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
17672 (browse-url (cdr url))
17673 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
17674 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
17676 (eval-after-load "gnus"
17677 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
17678 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
17679 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
17682 Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
17683 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
17684 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
17685 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
17686 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
17687 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
17688 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
17689 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
17690 @code{nnrss} groups:
17693 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
17694 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
17696 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
17697 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
17698 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
17700 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
17703 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
17707 @node Customizing W3
17708 @subsection Customizing W3
17714 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
17715 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
17716 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
17719 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
17720 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
17721 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
17724 (eval-after-load "w3"
17726 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
17727 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
17728 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
17729 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
17731 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
17734 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
17735 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
17742 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
17744 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
17745 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
17746 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
17747 specify the network address of the server.
17749 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
17750 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
17751 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
17752 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
17753 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
17754 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
17756 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
17757 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
17758 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
17759 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
17761 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
17762 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
17763 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
17764 usage explained in this section.
17766 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
17767 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
17768 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
17772 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
17773 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
17774 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
17776 (nnimap-address "localhost")
17777 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
17778 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
17780 (nnimap-server-port 143)
17781 (nnimap-address "localhost")
17782 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
17783 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
17784 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
17785 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
17786 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
17787 (nnimap-stream network))
17788 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
17790 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
17791 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
17792 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
17795 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
17796 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
17797 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
17798 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
17800 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
17805 @item nnimap-address
17806 @vindex nnimap-address
17808 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
17809 server name if not specified.
17811 @item nnimap-server-port
17812 @vindex nnimap-server-port
17813 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
17815 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
17818 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17819 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
17822 @item nnimap-list-pattern
17823 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
17824 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
17825 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
17826 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
17827 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
17828 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
17830 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
17831 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
17832 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
17835 Example server specification:
17838 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17839 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
17840 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
17843 @item nnimap-stream
17844 @vindex nnimap-stream
17845 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
17846 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
17847 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
17848 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
17849 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
17851 Example server specification:
17854 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17855 (nnimap-stream ssl))
17858 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
17862 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
17863 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
17865 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
17867 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
17868 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
17871 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
17872 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
17874 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
17875 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
17877 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
17879 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
17882 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
17883 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
17884 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
17885 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
17886 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
17887 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
17888 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
17889 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
17890 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
17893 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
17894 needed. It is available from
17895 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
17897 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
17898 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
17899 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
17900 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
17901 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
17902 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
17903 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
17906 @vindex imap-ssl-program
17907 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
17908 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
17909 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
17910 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
17911 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
17912 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
17915 @vindex imap-shell-program
17916 @vindex imap-shell-host
17917 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the
17918 variable @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call. Make
17919 sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g., don't
17920 forget to redirect the error output to the void.
17922 @item nnimap-authenticator
17923 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
17925 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
17926 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
17928 Example server specification:
17931 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
17932 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
17935 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
17939 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
17940 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
17942 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
17945 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
17946 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
17948 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
17950 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
17952 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
17955 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
17957 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
17958 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
17959 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
17960 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
17961 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
17962 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
17965 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
17966 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
17967 running in circles yet?
17969 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
17970 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
17973 The possible options are:
17978 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
17981 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
17982 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
17983 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
17984 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
17986 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
17991 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
17992 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
17994 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
17995 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
17996 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
17997 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
17998 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
18001 Probably the only reason for frobbing this would be if you're trying
18002 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
18005 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
18006 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
18007 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
18008 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
18011 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
18012 as ticked for other users.
18014 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
18016 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
18017 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
18019 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
18020 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
18021 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
18022 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
18024 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
18025 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
18026 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
18027 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
18029 However, if @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}
18030 is true, this variable has no effect since the search logic
18031 is reversed, as described below.
18033 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
18034 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
18036 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
18037 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
18038 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
18039 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
18042 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
18045 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
18046 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
18047 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
18048 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
18051 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
18052 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
18054 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
18055 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
18058 @item nnimap-nov-is-evil
18059 @vindex nnimap-nov-is-evil
18060 @cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
18061 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
18063 Never generate or use a local @acronym{NOV} database. Defaults to the
18064 value of @code{gnus-agent}.
18066 Using a @acronym{NOV} database usually makes header fetching much
18067 faster, but it uses the @code{UID SEARCH UID} command, which is very
18068 slow on some servers (notably some versions of Courier). Since the Gnus
18069 Agent caches the information in the @acronym{NOV} database without using
18070 the slow command, this variable defaults to true if the Agent is in use,
18071 and false otherwise.
18073 @item nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
18074 @vindex nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
18075 @cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
18076 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
18078 Avoid the @code{UID SEARCH UID @var{message numbers} NOT SINCE
18079 @var{date}} command, which is slow on some @acronym{IMAP} servers
18080 (notably, some versions of Courier). Instead, use @code{UID SEARCH SINCE
18081 @var{date}} and prune the list of expirable articles within Gnus.
18083 When Gnus expires your mail (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), it starts with a
18084 list of expirable articles and asks the IMAP server questions like ``Of
18085 these articles, which ones are older than a week?'' While this seems
18086 like a perfectly reasonable question, some IMAP servers take a long time
18087 to answer it, since they seemingly go looking into every old article to
18088 see if it is one of the expirable ones. Curiously, the question ``Of
18089 @emph{all} articles, which ones are newer than a week?'' seems to be
18090 much faster to answer, so setting this variable causes Gnus to ask this
18091 question and figure out the answer to the real question itself.
18093 This problem can really sneak up on you: when you first configure Gnus,
18094 everything works fine, but once you accumulate a couple thousand
18095 messages, you start cursing Gnus for being so slow. On the other hand,
18096 if you get a lot of email within a week, setting this variable will
18097 cause a lot of network traffic between Gnus and the IMAP server.
18099 @item nnimap-logout-timeout
18100 @vindex nnimap-logout-timeout
18102 There is a case where a connection to a @acronym{IMAP} server is unable
18103 to close, when connecting to the server via a certain kind of network,
18104 e.g. @acronym{VPN}. In that case, it will be observed that a connection
18105 between Emacs and the local network looks alive even if the server has
18106 closed a connection for some reason (typically, a timeout).
18107 Consequently, Emacs continues waiting for a response from the server for
18108 the @code{LOGOUT} command that Emacs sent, or hangs in other words. If
18109 you are in such a network, setting this variable to a number of seconds
18110 will be helpful. If it is set, a hung connection will be closed
18111 forcibly, after this number of seconds from the time Emacs sends the
18112 @code{LOGOUT} command. It should not be too small value but too large
18113 value will be inconvenient too. Perhaps the value 1.0 will be a good
18114 candidate but it might be worth trying some other values.
18116 Example server specification:
18119 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
18120 (nnimap-logout-timeout 1.0))
18126 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
18127 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
18128 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
18129 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
18130 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
18131 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
18136 @node Splitting in IMAP
18137 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
18138 @cindex splitting imap mail
18140 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
18141 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
18142 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
18143 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
18144 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
18148 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
18149 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
18150 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
18152 Here are the variables of interest:
18156 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
18157 @cindex splitting, crosspost
18159 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
18161 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
18162 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
18163 found will be used.
18165 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
18167 @item nnimap-split-inbox
18168 @cindex splitting, inbox
18170 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
18172 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
18173 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
18174 splitting is disabled!
18177 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
18178 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
18181 No nnmail equivalent.
18183 @item nnimap-split-rule
18184 @cindex splitting, rules
18185 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
18187 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
18190 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
18191 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
18192 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
18193 Neither did I, we need examples.
18196 (setq nnimap-split-rule
18198 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
18199 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
18200 ("INBOX.private" "")))
18203 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
18204 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
18205 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
18207 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
18208 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
18212 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
18215 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
18216 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
18218 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
18219 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
18220 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
18221 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
18223 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
18224 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
18225 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
18226 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
18227 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
18228 them every time you fetch new mail.)
18230 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
18231 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
18232 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
18234 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
18235 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
18236 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
18238 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
18240 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
18241 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
18242 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
18245 (setq nnimap-split-rule
18246 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
18247 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
18248 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
18249 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
18250 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
18253 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
18254 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
18255 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
18256 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
18257 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
18258 group/function elements.
18260 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
18262 @item nnimap-split-predicate
18264 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
18266 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
18267 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
18269 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
18270 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
18271 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
18274 @item nnimap-split-fancy
18275 @cindex splitting, fancy
18276 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
18277 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
18279 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
18280 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
18281 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
18283 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
18284 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
18285 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
18286 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
18291 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
18292 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
18295 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
18297 @item nnimap-split-download-body
18298 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
18299 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
18301 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
18302 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
18303 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
18304 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
18308 @node Expiring in IMAP
18309 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
18310 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
18312 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
18313 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
18314 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
18315 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
18316 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
18317 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
18320 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
18321 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
18322 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
18323 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
18324 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
18325 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
18326 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
18327 messages. Most do, fortunately.
18329 If expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail seems very slow, try setting the server
18330 variable @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}.
18334 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
18335 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
18337 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
18338 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
18340 @item nnmail-expiry-target
18342 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
18343 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
18344 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
18345 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
18349 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
18350 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
18351 @cindex editing imap acls
18352 @cindex Access Control Lists
18353 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
18354 @kindex G l (Group)
18355 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
18357 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
18358 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
18359 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
18362 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
18363 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
18364 editing window with detailed instructions.
18366 Some possible uses:
18370 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
18371 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
18372 follow the list without subscribing to it.
18374 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
18375 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
18376 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
18380 @node Expunging mailboxes
18381 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
18385 @cindex manual expunging
18386 @kindex G x (Group)
18387 @findex gnus-group-expunge-group
18389 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
18390 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
18391 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
18393 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
18396 @node A note on namespaces
18397 @subsection A note on namespaces
18398 @cindex IMAP namespace
18401 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
18402 by the following text in the RFC2060:
18405 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
18407 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
18408 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
18409 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
18410 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
18412 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
18413 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
18414 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
18415 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
18416 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
18417 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
18420 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
18421 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
18422 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
18424 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
18425 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
18426 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
18427 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
18428 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
18429 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
18430 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
18431 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
18434 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
18435 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
18436 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
18438 @node Debugging IMAP
18439 @subsection Debugging IMAP
18440 @cindex IMAP debugging
18441 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
18443 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
18444 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
18445 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
18446 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
18448 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
18449 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
18450 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
18451 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
18452 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
18453 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
18454 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
18458 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
18459 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
18466 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
18467 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
18468 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
18469 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
18472 @node Other Sources
18473 @section Other Sources
18475 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
18476 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
18480 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
18481 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
18482 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
18483 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
18487 @node Directory Groups
18488 @subsection Directory Groups
18490 @cindex directory groups
18492 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
18493 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
18496 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
18497 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
18498 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
18499 back end to read directories. Big deal.
18501 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
18502 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
18503 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
18504 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
18505 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
18507 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
18509 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
18510 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
18511 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
18512 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
18515 @node Anything Groups
18516 @subsection Anything Groups
18519 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
18520 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
18521 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
18524 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
18525 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
18526 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
18527 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
18528 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
18529 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
18530 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
18531 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
18532 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
18533 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
18536 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
18537 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
18538 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
18539 in the article buffer, just as usual.
18541 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
18542 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
18543 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
18544 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
18546 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
18547 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
18548 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
18549 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
18550 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
18551 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
18552 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
18553 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
18558 @item nneething-map-file-directory
18559 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
18560 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
18561 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
18563 @item nneething-exclude-files
18564 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
18565 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
18566 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
18568 @item nneething-include-files
18569 @vindex nneething-include-files
18570 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
18571 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
18573 @item nneething-map-file
18574 @vindex nneething-map-file
18575 Name of the map files.
18579 @node Document Groups
18580 @subsection Document Groups
18582 @cindex documentation group
18585 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
18586 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
18596 The standard Unix mbox file.
18598 @cindex MMDF mail box
18600 The MMDF mail box format.
18603 Several news articles appended into a file.
18605 @cindex rnews batch files
18607 The rnews batch transport format.
18610 Netscape mail boxes.
18613 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
18615 @item standard-digest
18616 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
18619 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
18621 @item lanl-gov-announce
18622 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
18624 @cindex forwarded messages
18625 @item rfc822-forward
18626 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
18629 The Outlook mail box.
18632 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
18635 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
18638 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
18641 An RFC934-forwarded message.
18647 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
18650 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
18656 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
18657 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
18658 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
18661 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
18662 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
18663 group. And that's it.
18665 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
18666 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
18667 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
18668 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
18669 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
18670 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
18671 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
18672 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
18673 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
18674 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
18676 Virtual server variables:
18679 @item nndoc-article-type
18680 @vindex nndoc-article-type
18681 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
18682 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
18683 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
18684 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
18685 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
18687 @item nndoc-post-type
18688 @vindex nndoc-post-type
18689 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
18690 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
18695 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
18699 @node Document Server Internals
18700 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
18702 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
18703 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
18704 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
18705 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
18707 First, here's an example document type definition:
18711 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
18712 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
18715 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
18716 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
18717 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
18718 types can be defined with very few settings:
18721 @item first-article
18722 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
18723 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
18726 @item article-begin
18727 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
18728 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
18729 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
18730 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
18732 @item article-begin-function
18733 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
18734 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
18737 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
18738 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
18739 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
18741 @item head-begin-function
18742 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
18743 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
18746 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
18747 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
18750 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
18751 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
18752 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
18754 @item body-begin-function
18755 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
18756 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
18759 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
18760 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
18761 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
18763 @item body-end-function
18764 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
18765 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
18768 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
18769 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
18772 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
18773 regexp will be totally ignored.
18777 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
18778 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
18779 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
18780 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
18781 something that's palatable for Gnus:
18784 @item prepare-body-function
18785 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
18786 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
18787 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
18789 @item article-transform-function
18790 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
18791 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
18792 body of the article.
18794 @item generate-head-function
18795 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
18796 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
18797 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
18798 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
18800 @item generate-article-function
18801 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
18802 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
18803 parameter when requesting all articles.
18805 @item dissection-function
18806 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
18807 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
18808 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
18809 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
18810 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
18811 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
18815 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
18820 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18821 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18822 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
18823 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
18824 (head-end . "^ ?$")
18825 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
18826 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
18827 (subtype digest guess))
18830 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
18831 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
18832 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
18833 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
18834 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
18836 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
18837 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
18838 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
18839 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
18840 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
18841 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
18842 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
18843 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
18844 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
18845 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
18846 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
18847 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
18850 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
18851 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
18852 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
18855 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
18856 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
18857 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
18859 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
18865 @item nngateway-address
18866 @vindex nngateway-address
18867 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
18869 @item nngateway-header-transformation
18870 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
18871 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
18872 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
18873 transformation should be called, and defaults to
18874 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
18875 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
18878 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
18879 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
18880 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
18883 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
18886 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
18889 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
18892 The following pre-defined functions exist:
18894 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18897 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18898 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18899 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
18901 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18903 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18904 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18905 @code{nngateway-address}.
18913 (setq gnus-post-method
18915 "mail2news@@replay.com"
18916 (nngateway-header-transformation
18917 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
18920 So, to use this, simply say something like:
18923 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
18928 @node Combined Groups
18929 @section Combined Groups
18931 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
18935 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
18939 @node Virtual Groups
18940 @subsection Virtual Groups
18942 @cindex virtual groups
18943 @cindex merging groups
18945 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
18948 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
18949 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
18950 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
18952 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
18953 regexp to match component groups.
18955 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
18956 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
18957 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
18958 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
18959 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
18960 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
18961 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
18962 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
18964 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
18965 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
18968 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
18971 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
18972 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
18974 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
18975 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
18976 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
18977 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
18980 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
18983 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
18984 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
18985 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
18987 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
18988 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
18989 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
18990 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
18991 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
18993 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
18994 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
18995 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
18997 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
18998 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
18999 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
19000 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
19001 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
19002 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
19003 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
19004 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
19005 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
19006 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
19007 it---it'll have much the same effect.
19009 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
19010 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
19011 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
19012 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
19013 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
19014 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
19015 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
19017 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
19018 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
19020 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
19021 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
19025 @node Email Based Diary
19026 @section Email Based Diary
19028 @cindex email based diary
19031 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
19032 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
19033 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
19034 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
19035 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
19036 namely, as event reminders.
19038 Here is a typical scenario:
19042 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
19043 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
19045 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
19047 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
19049 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
19050 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
19051 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
19053 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
19054 of the night you're gonna have.
19056 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
19057 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
19060 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
19061 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
19062 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
19063 explained in the sections below.
19066 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
19067 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
19068 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
19072 @node The NNDiary Back End
19073 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
19075 @cindex the nndiary back end
19077 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
19078 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
19079 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
19080 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
19081 directory per group.
19083 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
19084 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
19085 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
19086 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
19089 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
19090 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
19091 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
19094 @node Diary Messages
19095 @subsubsection Diary Messages
19096 @cindex nndiary messages
19097 @cindex nndiary mails
19099 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
19100 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
19101 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
19102 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
19103 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
19104 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
19105 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
19109 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
19110 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
19111 (separated by a comma).
19113 A field is either an integer, or a range.
19115 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
19117 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
19118 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
19119 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
19121 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
19122 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
19123 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
19125 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
19126 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
19127 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
19128 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
19129 list of available time zone values, see the variable
19130 @code{nndiary-headers}.
19133 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
19134 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
19135 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
19140 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
19143 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
19145 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
19148 @node Running NNDiary
19149 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
19150 @cindex running nndiary
19151 @cindex nndiary operation modes
19153 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
19154 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
19155 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
19156 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
19157 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
19158 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
19160 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
19161 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
19162 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
19163 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
19164 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
19165 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
19166 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
19169 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
19174 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
19175 line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
19178 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
19181 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
19182 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
19183 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
19184 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
19185 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
19187 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
19188 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
19197 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
19198 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
19200 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
19201 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
19202 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
19203 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
19206 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
19207 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
19208 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
19211 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
19212 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
19213 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
19215 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
19216 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
19217 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
19218 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
19219 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
19221 @node Customizing NNDiary
19222 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
19223 @cindex customizing nndiary
19224 @cindex nndiary customization
19226 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
19227 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
19228 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
19229 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
19231 @defvar nndiary-reminders
19232 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
19233 appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
19234 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
19235 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
19239 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
19240 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
19245 @node The Gnus Diary Library
19246 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
19248 @cindex the gnus diary library
19250 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
19251 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
19252 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
19253 useful things for you.
19255 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
19258 (require 'gnus-diary)
19261 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
19262 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
19263 (sorry if you used them before).
19267 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
19268 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
19269 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
19270 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
19273 @node Diary Summary Line Format
19274 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
19275 @cindex diary summary buffer line
19276 @cindex diary summary line format
19278 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
19279 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
19280 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
19281 see the event's date.
19283 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
19284 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
19285 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
19286 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
19287 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
19289 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
19290 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
19291 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
19294 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
19297 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
19298 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
19301 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
19304 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
19305 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
19306 with the following user options:
19308 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
19309 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
19310 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
19311 diary groups'parameters.
19314 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
19315 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
19316 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
19319 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
19320 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
19321 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
19322 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
19323 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
19326 @node Diary Articles Sorting
19327 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
19328 @cindex diary articles sorting
19329 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
19330 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
19331 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
19332 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
19334 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
19335 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
19336 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
19337 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
19338 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
19340 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
19341 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
19342 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
19343 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
19346 @node Diary Headers Generation
19347 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
19348 @cindex diary headers generation
19349 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
19351 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
19352 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
19353 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
19354 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
19357 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
19358 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
19359 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
19360 @code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
19361 process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
19363 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
19364 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
19365 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
19368 @node Diary Group Parameters
19369 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
19370 @cindex diary group parameters
19372 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
19373 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
19374 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
19375 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
19376 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
19377 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
19378 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
19379 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
19381 @node Sending or Not Sending
19382 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
19384 Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
19385 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
19389 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
19390 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
19391 appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
19392 sending the diary message to them as well.
19394 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
19395 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
19396 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
19397 comes in very handy for private appointments.
19400 @node Gnus Unplugged
19401 @section Gnus Unplugged
19406 @cindex Gnus unplugged
19408 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
19409 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
19410 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
19411 read news. Believe it or not.
19413 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
19414 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
19415 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
19416 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
19417 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
19419 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
19420 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
19421 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
19422 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
19423 reading news on a machine.
19425 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
19426 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
19427 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
19429 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
19432 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
19433 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
19434 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
19435 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
19436 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
19437 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
19438 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
19439 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
19440 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
19441 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
19442 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
19443 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
19444 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
19445 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
19450 @subsection Agent Basics
19452 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
19454 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
19455 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
19456 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
19457 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
19459 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
19460 connected to the net continuously.
19462 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
19463 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
19465 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
19466 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
19467 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
19468 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
19469 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
19471 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
19472 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
19473 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
19474 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
19475 they're kinda like plugged always).
19477 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
19478 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
19479 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
19482 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
19483 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
19484 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
19485 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
19486 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
19488 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
19493 @findex gnus-unplugged
19494 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
19495 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
19496 already fetched while in this mode.
19499 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
19500 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
19501 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
19502 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
19503 Source Specifiers}).
19506 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
19507 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
19508 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
19509 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
19510 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
19513 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
19514 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
19515 then you read the news offline.
19518 And then you go to step 2.
19521 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
19527 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
19528 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
19529 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
19530 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
19531 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
19532 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
19533 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
19534 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
19537 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
19538 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
19539 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
19540 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
19542 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
19543 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
19544 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
19545 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
19546 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
19547 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
19551 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
19555 @node Agent Categories
19556 @subsection Agent Categories
19558 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
19559 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
19560 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
19561 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
19562 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
19563 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
19564 you're interested in the articles anyway.
19566 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
19567 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
19568 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
19569 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
19570 buffer for creating and managing categories.
19572 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
19573 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
19574 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
19575 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
19576 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
19579 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
19580 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
19581 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
19582 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
19583 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
19584 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
19588 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
19589 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
19590 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
19594 @node Category Syntax
19595 @subsubsection Category Syntax
19597 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
19598 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
19599 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
19602 @cindex Agent Parameters
19605 The list of groups that are in this category.
19607 @item agent-predicate
19608 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
19609 are eligible for downloading; and
19612 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
19613 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
19614 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
19616 @item agent-enable-expiration
19617 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
19618 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
19619 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
19620 only groups that should not be expired.
19622 @item agent-days-until-old
19623 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
19624 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
19626 @item agent-low-score
19627 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
19629 @item agent-high-score
19630 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
19632 @item agent-short-article
19633 an integer that overrides the value of
19634 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
19636 @item agent-long-article
19637 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
19639 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
19640 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
19641 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
19642 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
19643 undownloaded faces.
19646 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
19649 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
19650 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
19651 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
19654 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
19655 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
19656 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
19657 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
19659 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
19660 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
19661 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
19663 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
19664 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
19665 operators sprinkled in between.
19667 Perhaps some examples are in order.
19669 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
19670 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
19676 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
19677 short (for some value of ``short'').
19679 Here's a more complex predicate:
19688 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
19689 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
19692 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
19693 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
19694 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
19696 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
19697 you want to do, you can write your own.
19699 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
19700 bound to the value determined by calling
19701 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
19702 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
19703 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
19704 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
19705 predicate to individual groups.
19709 True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
19710 lines; default 100.
19713 True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
19714 lines; default 200.
19717 True if the article has a download score less than
19718 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
19721 True if the article has a download score greater than
19722 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
19725 True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
19726 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
19727 checksum and sees whether articles match.
19736 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
19737 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
19738 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
19741 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
19742 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
19743 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
19744 something along the lines of the following:
19747 (defun my-article-old-p ()
19748 "Say whether an article is old."
19749 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
19750 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
19753 with the predicate then defined as:
19756 (not my-article-old-p)
19759 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
19760 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
19764 (require 'gnus-agent)
19765 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
19766 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
19767 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
19770 and simply specify your predicate as:
19776 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
19777 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
19778 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
19779 just don't give a damn.
19781 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
19782 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
19783 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
19784 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
19785 parameters like so:
19788 (agent-predicate . short)
19791 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
19792 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
19793 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
19795 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
19798 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
19801 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
19802 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
19803 predicate is assumed to be a list.
19806 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
19807 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
19808 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
19809 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
19810 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
19811 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
19813 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
19814 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
19815 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
19816 if it's to be specific to that group.
19818 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
19825 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
19826 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
19832 Category specification
19836 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19842 Group/Topic Parameter specification
19845 (agent-score ("from"
19846 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19851 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
19857 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
19858 keywords stated above.
19864 Category specification
19867 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
19873 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
19877 Group Parameter specification
19880 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
19883 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
19888 Use @code{normal} score files
19890 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
19891 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
19892 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
19893 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
19895 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
19896 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
19897 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
19898 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
19902 Category Specification
19909 Group Parameter specification
19912 (agent-score . file)
19917 @node Category Buffer
19918 @subsubsection Category Buffer
19920 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
19921 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
19922 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
19924 The following commands are available in this buffer:
19928 @kindex q (Category)
19929 @findex gnus-category-exit
19930 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
19933 @kindex e (Category)
19934 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
19935 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
19936 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
19939 @kindex k (Category)
19940 @findex gnus-category-kill
19941 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
19944 @kindex c (Category)
19945 @findex gnus-category-copy
19946 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
19949 @kindex a (Category)
19950 @findex gnus-category-add
19951 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
19954 @kindex p (Category)
19955 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
19956 Edit the predicate of the current category
19957 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
19960 @kindex g (Category)
19961 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
19962 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
19963 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
19966 @kindex s (Category)
19967 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
19968 Edit the download score rule of the current category
19969 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
19972 @kindex l (Category)
19973 @findex gnus-category-list
19974 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
19978 @node Category Variables
19979 @subsubsection Category Variables
19982 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
19983 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
19984 Hook run in category buffers.
19986 @item gnus-category-line-format
19987 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
19988 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
19989 Variables}). Valid elements are:
19993 The name of the category.
19996 The number of groups in the category.
19999 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
20000 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
20001 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
20003 @item gnus-agent-short-article
20004 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
20005 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
20007 @item gnus-agent-long-article
20008 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
20009 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
20011 @item gnus-agent-low-score
20012 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
20013 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
20016 @item gnus-agent-high-score
20017 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
20018 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
20021 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
20022 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
20023 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
20024 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
20025 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
20026 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
20027 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
20028 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
20032 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
20033 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
20034 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
20035 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
20036 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
20037 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
20038 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
20043 @node Agent Commands
20044 @subsection Agent Commands
20045 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
20046 @kindex J j (Agent)
20048 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
20049 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
20050 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
20054 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
20055 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
20056 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
20062 @node Group Agent Commands
20063 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
20067 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
20068 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
20069 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
20070 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
20073 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
20074 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
20075 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
20078 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
20079 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
20080 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
20081 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
20084 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
20085 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
20086 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
20087 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
20090 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
20091 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
20092 Add the current group to an Agent category
20093 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
20094 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20097 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
20098 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
20099 Remove the current group from its category, if any
20100 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
20101 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20104 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
20105 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20106 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
20112 @node Summary Agent Commands
20113 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
20117 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
20118 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
20119 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
20122 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
20123 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
20124 Remove the downloading mark from the article
20125 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
20129 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
20130 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
20131 Toggle whether to download the article
20132 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
20136 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
20137 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
20138 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
20141 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
20142 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
20143 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
20144 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
20147 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
20148 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
20149 Download all processable articles in this group.
20150 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
20153 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
20154 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
20155 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
20156 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
20161 @node Server Agent Commands
20162 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
20166 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
20167 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
20168 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
20169 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
20172 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
20173 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
20174 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
20175 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
20180 @node Agent Visuals
20181 @subsection Agent Visuals
20183 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
20184 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
20185 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
20186 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
20187 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
20188 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
20189 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
20190 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
20191 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
20192 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
20194 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
20195 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
20196 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
20197 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
20198 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
20199 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
20200 the download status of each article so that you always know which
20201 articles will be available when unplugged.
20203 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
20204 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
20205 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
20206 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
20207 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
20208 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
20209 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
20210 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
20212 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
20213 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
20214 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
20215 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
20216 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
20217 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
20218 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
20219 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
20220 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
20222 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
20223 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
20224 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
20225 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
20226 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
20227 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
20228 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
20229 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
20230 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
20231 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
20233 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
20234 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
20235 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
20236 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
20237 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
20238 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20240 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
20241 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
20242 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
20243 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
20244 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
20245 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
20246 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
20247 expiring'' articles.
20249 @node Agent as Cache
20250 @subsection Agent as Cache
20252 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
20253 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
20254 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
20255 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
20256 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
20257 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
20258 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
20259 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
20260 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
20262 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
20263 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
20264 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
20265 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
20266 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
20269 @subsection Agent Expiry
20271 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
20272 @findex gnus-agent-expire
20273 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
20274 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
20275 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
20276 @cindex agent expiry
20277 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
20278 @cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
20280 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
20281 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
20282 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
20283 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
20284 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
20285 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
20286 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
20287 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
20289 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
20290 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
20291 synchronized with the group.
20293 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
20294 prevent expiration in selected groups.
20296 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
20297 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
20298 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
20299 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
20300 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
20301 be kept indefinitely.
20303 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
20304 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
20305 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
20306 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
20308 @node Agent Regeneration
20309 @subsection Agent Regeneration
20311 @cindex agent regeneration
20312 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
20313 @cindex regeneration
20315 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
20316 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
20317 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
20318 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
20319 internal inconsistencies.
20321 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
20322 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
20323 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
20324 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
20325 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
20326 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
20328 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
20329 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
20330 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
20331 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
20332 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
20333 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
20335 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
20336 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
20337 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
20338 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
20339 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
20340 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
20343 @node Agent and flags
20344 @subsection Agent and flags
20346 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
20347 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
20348 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
20349 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
20350 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
20351 to the flags in its own files.
20353 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
20354 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
20355 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
20357 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20358 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
20359 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
20360 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
20361 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
20362 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
20364 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
20365 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
20366 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
20367 in the group buffer.
20369 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
20370 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
20371 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
20372 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
20373 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
20374 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
20375 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
20376 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
20378 @node Agent and IMAP
20379 @subsection Agent and IMAP
20381 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
20382 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
20383 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
20384 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
20386 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
20387 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
20392 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
20395 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
20399 @node Outgoing Messages
20400 @subsection Outgoing Messages
20402 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
20403 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
20404 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
20406 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
20407 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
20408 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
20410 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
20411 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
20412 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
20413 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
20416 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
20417 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
20418 ask you to confirm your action (see
20419 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
20421 @node Agent Variables
20422 @subsection Agent Variables
20427 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
20428 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
20429 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
20430 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
20432 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
20433 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
20436 @item gnus-agent-directory
20437 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
20438 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
20439 @file{~/News/agent/}.
20441 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
20442 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
20443 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
20444 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
20445 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
20448 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
20449 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
20450 Hook run when connecting to the network.
20452 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
20453 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
20454 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
20456 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
20457 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
20458 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
20460 @item gnus-agent-cache
20461 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
20462 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
20463 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
20464 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
20466 @item gnus-agent-go-online
20467 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
20468 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
20469 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
20470 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
20471 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
20472 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
20475 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
20476 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
20477 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
20478 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
20479 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
20480 read. The default is @code{t}.
20482 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20483 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
20484 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
20485 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
20486 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
20487 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
20488 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
20490 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
20491 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
20492 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
20493 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
20494 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
20495 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
20496 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
20497 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
20498 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
20499 over and over again.
20501 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
20502 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
20503 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
20504 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
20505 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
20506 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
20507 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
20508 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
20509 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
20510 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
20511 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
20512 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
20515 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
20516 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
20517 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
20518 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
20519 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
20520 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
20521 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
20522 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
20523 is only valid if the Agent is used.
20525 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
20526 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
20527 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
20528 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
20529 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
20530 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
20532 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
20533 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
20534 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
20535 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
20536 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
20538 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
20539 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
20540 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
20541 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
20542 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
20543 mail. The default is @code{t}.
20545 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
20546 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
20547 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
20548 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
20549 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
20551 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
20552 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
20553 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
20554 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
20555 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
20556 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
20557 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
20558 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
20559 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
20560 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
20561 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
20566 @node Example Setup
20567 @subsection Example Setup
20569 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
20570 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
20571 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
20574 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
20575 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
20576 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
20578 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
20579 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
20580 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
20582 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
20583 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
20585 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
20586 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
20587 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
20590 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
20591 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
20594 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
20595 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
20596 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
20597 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
20598 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
20601 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
20602 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
20603 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
20604 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
20605 back all the killed groups.)
20607 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
20608 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
20609 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
20612 @node Batching Agents
20613 @subsection Batching Agents
20614 @findex gnus-agent-batch
20616 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
20617 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
20618 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
20620 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
20621 following incantation:
20625 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
20629 @node Agent Caveats
20630 @subsection Agent Caveats
20632 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
20633 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
20637 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
20639 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
20640 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
20641 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
20643 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
20644 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
20646 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
20650 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
20651 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
20652 locally stored articles.
20659 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
20660 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
20661 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
20664 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
20665 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
20666 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
20667 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
20668 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
20670 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
20671 before generating the summary buffer.
20673 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
20674 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
20675 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
20677 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
20678 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
20679 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
20680 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
20683 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
20684 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
20685 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
20686 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
20687 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
20688 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
20689 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
20690 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
20691 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
20692 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
20693 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
20694 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
20695 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
20696 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
20697 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
20698 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
20702 @node Summary Score Commands
20703 @section Summary Score Commands
20704 @cindex score commands
20706 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
20707 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
20708 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
20709 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
20710 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
20712 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
20713 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
20714 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
20715 score file the current one.
20717 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
20722 @kindex V s (Summary)
20723 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
20724 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
20727 @kindex V S (Summary)
20728 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
20729 Display the score of the current article
20730 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
20733 @kindex V t (Summary)
20734 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
20735 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
20736 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
20737 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
20738 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
20739 score file and edit it.
20742 @kindex V w (Summary)
20743 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
20744 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
20747 @kindex V R (Summary)
20748 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
20749 Run the current summary through the scoring process
20750 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
20751 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
20752 effect you're having.
20755 @kindex V c (Summary)
20756 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
20757 Make a different score file the current
20758 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
20761 @kindex V e (Summary)
20762 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
20763 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
20764 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
20768 @kindex V f (Summary)
20769 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
20770 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
20771 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
20774 @kindex V F (Summary)
20775 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20776 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
20777 after editing score files.
20780 @kindex V C (Summary)
20781 @findex gnus-score-customize
20782 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
20783 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
20787 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
20792 @kindex V m (Summary)
20793 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
20794 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
20795 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
20798 @kindex V x (Summary)
20799 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
20800 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
20801 expunge all articles below this score
20802 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
20805 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
20806 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
20809 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
20810 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
20814 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
20815 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
20817 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
20818 keys are available:
20822 Score on the author name.
20825 Score on the subject line.
20828 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
20831 Score on the @code{References} line.
20837 Score on the number of lines.
20840 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
20843 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
20844 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
20847 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
20848 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
20849 @file{ADAPT} files.)
20858 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
20864 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
20865 what headers you are scoring on.
20877 Substring matching.
20880 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
20909 Greater than number.
20914 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
20915 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
20916 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
20921 Temporary score entry.
20924 Permanent score entry.
20927 Immediately scoring.
20931 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
20932 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
20933 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
20937 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
20938 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
20939 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
20940 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
20942 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
20943 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
20944 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
20945 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
20946 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
20948 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
20949 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
20950 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
20951 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
20952 current score file.
20954 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
20955 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
20956 pretend they are keymaps or not.
20959 @node Group Score Commands
20960 @section Group Score Commands
20961 @cindex group score commands
20963 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
20968 @kindex W e (Group)
20969 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
20970 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
20971 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
20974 @kindex W f (Group)
20975 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20976 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
20977 all the time. This command will flush the cache
20978 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
20982 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
20984 @findex gnus-batch-score
20985 @cindex batch scoring
20987 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
20991 @node Score Variables
20992 @section Score Variables
20993 @cindex score variables
20997 @item gnus-use-scoring
20998 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
20999 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
21000 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
21002 @item gnus-kill-killed
21003 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
21004 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
21005 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
21006 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
21007 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
21008 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
21009 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
21011 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
21012 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
21013 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
21014 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
21015 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
21017 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
21018 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
21019 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
21020 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
21022 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
21023 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
21024 @cindex score cache
21025 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
21026 score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
21027 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
21028 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
21029 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
21030 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
21031 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
21034 @item gnus-save-score
21035 @vindex gnus-save-score
21036 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
21037 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
21038 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21040 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
21041 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
21042 across group visits.
21044 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
21045 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
21046 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
21047 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
21048 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
21049 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
21050 manually entered data.
21052 @item gnus-summary-default-score
21053 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
21054 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
21056 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
21057 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
21058 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
21059 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
21060 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
21061 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
21063 @item gnus-score-over-mark
21064 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
21065 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
21066 default. Default is @samp{+}.
21068 @item gnus-score-below-mark
21069 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
21070 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
21071 default. Default is @samp{-}.
21073 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
21074 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
21075 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
21076 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
21078 Predefined functions available are:
21081 @item gnus-score-find-single
21082 @findex gnus-score-find-single
21083 Only apply the group's own score file.
21085 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
21086 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
21087 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
21088 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
21089 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
21090 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
21091 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
21092 then a regexp match is done.
21094 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
21095 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
21097 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
21098 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
21099 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
21100 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
21102 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
21103 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
21104 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
21105 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
21106 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
21110 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
21111 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
21112 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
21113 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
21114 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
21115 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
21116 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
21119 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
21120 overall score file, you could use the value
21122 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
21123 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
21126 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
21127 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
21128 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
21129 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
21130 are expired. It's 7 by default.
21132 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
21133 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
21134 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
21135 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
21136 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
21137 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
21138 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
21139 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
21141 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
21142 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
21143 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
21145 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
21146 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
21147 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
21148 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
21149 threading---according to the current value of
21150 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
21151 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
21152 simplified in this manner.
21157 @node Score File Format
21158 @section Score File Format
21159 @cindex score file format
21161 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
21162 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
21163 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
21165 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
21169 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
21171 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
21173 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
21175 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
21180 (mark-and-expunge -10)
21184 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
21185 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
21186 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
21187 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
21191 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
21192 Scoring}, for a different approach.
21194 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
21195 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
21196 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
21198 Six keys are supported by this alist:
21203 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
21204 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
21205 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
21206 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
21207 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
21208 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
21209 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
21210 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
21211 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
21212 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
21213 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
21214 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
21215 to articles that matches these score entries.
21217 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
21218 score entry has one to four elements.
21222 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
21223 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
21227 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
21228 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
21229 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
21230 is successful. If this element is not present, the
21231 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
21232 instead. This is 1000 by default.
21235 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
21236 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
21237 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
21238 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
21239 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
21242 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
21243 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
21244 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
21245 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
21248 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
21249 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
21250 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
21251 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
21252 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
21253 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
21254 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
21255 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
21256 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
21257 instead, if you feel like.
21260 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
21261 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
21262 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
21263 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
21264 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
21265 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
21269 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
21270 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
21274 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
21275 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
21277 These predicates are true if
21280 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
21283 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
21284 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
21291 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
21292 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
21293 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
21294 it's not. I think.)
21296 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
21297 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
21298 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
21299 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
21302 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
21303 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
21304 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
21305 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
21306 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
21307 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
21308 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
21312 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
21313 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
21314 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
21315 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
21316 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
21317 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
21318 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
21319 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
21322 @item Head, Body, All
21323 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
21327 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
21328 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
21329 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
21330 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
21331 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
21332 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
21333 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
21337 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
21338 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
21339 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
21340 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
21341 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
21342 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
21343 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
21344 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
21345 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
21346 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
21347 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
21351 @cindex score file atoms
21353 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
21354 lower than this number will be marked as read.
21357 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
21358 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
21360 @item mark-and-expunge
21361 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
21362 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
21365 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
21366 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
21367 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
21368 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
21369 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
21372 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
21373 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
21376 @item exclude-files
21377 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
21378 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
21382 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
21383 ignored when handling global score files.
21386 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
21387 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
21388 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
21389 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
21392 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
21393 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
21394 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
21395 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
21397 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
21401 (mark-and-expunge -100)
21404 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
21405 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
21406 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
21407 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
21408 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
21410 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
21411 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
21412 scoring rules exist.
21415 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
21416 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
21417 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
21418 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
21419 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
21420 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
21421 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
21422 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
21423 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
21424 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
21425 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
21429 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
21430 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
21431 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
21432 file for a number of groups.
21435 @cindex local variables
21436 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
21437 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
21438 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
21439 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
21440 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
21445 @node Score File Editing
21446 @section Score File Editing
21448 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
21449 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
21450 with a mode for that.
21452 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
21453 additional commands:
21458 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
21459 @findex gnus-score-edit-exit
21460 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
21461 (@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
21464 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
21465 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
21466 Insert the current date in numerical format
21467 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
21468 you were wondering.
21471 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
21472 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
21473 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
21474 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
21475 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
21480 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
21482 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
21483 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
21485 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
21486 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
21489 @node Adaptive Scoring
21490 @section Adaptive Scoring
21491 @cindex adaptive scoring
21493 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
21494 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
21495 stupidity, to be precise.
21497 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
21498 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
21499 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
21500 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
21501 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
21502 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
21503 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
21504 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
21505 variable to @code{(word line)}.
21507 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
21508 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
21509 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
21510 might look something like this:
21513 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
21514 '((gnus-unread-mark)
21515 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
21516 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
21517 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
21518 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
21519 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
21520 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
21521 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
21522 (gnus-ancient-mark)
21523 (gnus-low-score-mark)
21524 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
21527 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
21528 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
21529 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
21530 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
21531 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
21532 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
21535 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
21536 will be applied to each article.
21538 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
21539 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
21540 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
21541 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
21543 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
21544 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
21545 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
21546 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
21548 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
21549 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
21550 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
21551 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
21553 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
21554 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
21555 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
21556 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
21557 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
21558 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
21560 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
21561 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
21562 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
21564 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
21565 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
21566 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
21568 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
21569 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
21570 let you use different rules in different groups.
21572 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
21573 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
21574 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
21577 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
21578 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
21579 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
21580 default) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
21582 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
21583 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
21584 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
21585 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
21586 the length of the match is less than
21587 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
21588 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
21591 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
21592 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
21593 headers. If you adapt on words, the
21594 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
21595 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
21598 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
21599 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
21600 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
21601 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
21602 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
21605 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
21606 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
21607 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
21608 score with 30 points.
21610 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
21611 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
21612 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
21613 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
21614 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
21616 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
21617 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
21618 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
21619 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
21620 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
21622 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
21623 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
21624 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
21625 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
21627 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
21628 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
21629 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
21630 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
21632 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
21633 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
21634 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
21635 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
21636 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
21638 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
21639 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
21640 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
21642 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
21643 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
21644 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
21645 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
21648 @node Home Score File
21649 @section Home Score File
21651 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
21652 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
21653 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
21654 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
21656 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
21657 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
21658 could perhaps use the same home score file.
21660 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
21661 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
21666 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
21670 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
21671 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
21675 A list. The elements in this list can be:
21679 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
21680 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
21683 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
21684 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
21685 name of the group as the parameter.
21688 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
21691 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
21696 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
21699 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21700 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
21703 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
21704 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
21706 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
21708 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21709 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
21712 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
21713 Other functions include
21716 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
21717 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
21718 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
21719 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
21723 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
21724 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
21725 their own home score files:
21728 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21729 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
21730 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
21731 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
21732 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
21735 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
21736 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
21737 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
21738 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
21739 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
21741 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
21742 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
21743 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
21744 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
21745 precedence over this variable.
21748 @node Followups To Yourself
21749 @section Followups To Yourself
21751 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
21752 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
21753 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
21754 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
21755 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
21756 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
21760 @item gnus-score-followup-article
21761 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
21762 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
21765 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
21766 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
21767 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
21771 @vindex message-sent-hook
21772 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
21773 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
21775 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
21779 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
21780 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
21784 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21785 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21788 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
21789 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
21794 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
21798 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
21799 is system-dependent.
21802 @node Scoring On Other Headers
21803 @section Scoring On Other Headers
21804 @cindex scoring on other headers
21806 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
21807 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
21808 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
21809 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
21810 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
21812 @vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
21813 You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
21814 variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
21815 @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
21816 the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
21817 inhibited for all groups.
21819 Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
21820 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
21821 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
21822 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
21823 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
21825 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21828 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
21829 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
21832 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
21833 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
21834 time if you have much mail.
21836 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
21837 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
21843 @section Scoring Tips
21844 @cindex scoring tips
21850 @cindex scoring crossposts
21851 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
21852 the @code{Xref} header.
21854 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
21857 @item Multiple crossposts
21858 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
21859 more than, say, 3 groups:
21862 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
21866 @item Matching on the body
21867 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
21868 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
21869 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
21870 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
21871 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
21872 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
21873 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
21876 @item Marking as read
21877 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
21878 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
21879 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
21883 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
21885 @item Negated character classes
21886 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
21887 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
21888 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
21892 @node Reverse Scoring
21893 @section Reverse Scoring
21894 @cindex reverse scoring
21896 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
21897 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
21898 like this in your score file:
21902 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
21907 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
21908 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
21911 @node Global Score Files
21912 @section Global Score Files
21913 @cindex global score files
21915 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
21916 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
21917 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
21919 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
21920 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
21921 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
21923 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
21924 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
21925 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
21926 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
21927 files are applicable to which group.
21929 To use the score file
21930 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
21931 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
21935 (setq gnus-global-score-files
21936 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
21937 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
21940 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
21942 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
21943 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
21944 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
21945 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
21947 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
21948 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
21950 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
21951 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
21952 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
21953 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
21954 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
21955 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
21957 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
21963 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
21965 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
21967 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
21969 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
21970 lowered out of existence.
21972 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
21973 articles completely.
21976 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
21977 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
21978 old articles for a long time.
21981 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
21982 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
21983 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
21984 holding our breath yet?
21988 @section Kill Files
21991 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
21992 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
21993 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
21995 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
21996 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
21997 files into score files.
21999 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
22000 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
22001 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
22002 that isn't a very good idea.
22004 Normal kill files look like this:
22007 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22008 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
22012 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
22013 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
22015 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
22016 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
22019 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
22024 @kindex M-k (Summary)
22025 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
22026 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
22029 @kindex M-K (Summary)
22030 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
22031 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
22034 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
22039 @kindex M-k (Group)
22040 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
22041 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
22044 @kindex M-K (Group)
22045 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
22046 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
22049 Kill file variables:
22052 @item gnus-kill-file-name
22053 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
22054 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
22055 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
22056 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
22057 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
22058 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
22060 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
22061 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
22062 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
22063 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
22066 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
22067 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
22068 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
22069 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
22070 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
22071 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
22072 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
22073 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
22074 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
22076 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
22077 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
22078 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
22083 @node Converting Kill Files
22084 @section Converting Kill Files
22086 @cindex converting kill files
22088 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
22089 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
22090 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
22093 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
22094 You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
22096 @uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
22098 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
22099 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
22100 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
22104 @node Advanced Scoring
22105 @section Advanced Scoring
22107 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
22108 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
22109 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
22110 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
22111 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
22113 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
22117 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
22118 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
22119 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
22123 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
22124 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
22126 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
22127 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
22128 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
22129 non-@code{nil} value.
22131 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
22132 operator, and various match operators.
22139 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
22140 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
22141 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
22146 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
22147 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
22148 then this operator will return @code{false}.
22153 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
22154 logical negation of the value of its argument.
22158 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
22159 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
22160 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
22161 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
22162 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
22163 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
22164 the ancestry you want to go.
22166 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
22167 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
22168 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
22169 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
22170 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
22173 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
22174 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
22176 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
22177 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
22180 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
22181 when he's talking about Gnus:
22186 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22187 ("subject" "Gnus"))
22194 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
22198 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22205 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
22206 really don't want to read what he's written:
22210 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
22211 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
22215 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
22216 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
22217 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
22224 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
22225 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
22226 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
22227 ("body" "white.*socks"))
22231 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
22232 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
22233 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
22234 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
22237 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
22239 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
22243 The possibilities are endless.
22245 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
22246 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
22248 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
22249 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
22250 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
22251 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
22252 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
22253 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
22254 @samp{subject}) first.
22256 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
22257 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
22268 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
22269 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
22275 ("subject" "Gnus")))
22282 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
22283 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
22288 @section Score Decays
22289 @cindex score decays
22292 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
22293 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
22294 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
22295 use them in any sensible way.
22297 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
22298 @findex gnus-decay-score
22299 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
22300 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
22301 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
22302 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
22303 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
22304 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
22305 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
22306 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
22307 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
22308 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
22312 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
22313 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
22314 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
22316 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
22318 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
22320 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
22321 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
22322 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
22323 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
22324 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
22326 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
22330 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
22331 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
22332 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
22333 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
22337 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
22340 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
22343 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
22347 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
22348 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
22349 the new score, which should be an integer.
22351 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
22352 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
22357 @include message.texi
22358 @chapter Emacs MIME
22359 @include emacs-mime.texi
22361 @include sieve.texi
22373 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
22374 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
22375 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
22376 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
22377 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
22378 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
22379 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
22380 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
22381 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
22382 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
22383 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
22384 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
22385 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
22386 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
22387 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
22388 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
22389 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
22390 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
22391 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
22392 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
22393 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
22394 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
22395 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
22399 @node Process/Prefix
22400 @section Process/Prefix
22401 @cindex process/prefix convention
22403 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
22404 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
22406 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
22407 command to be performed on.
22411 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
22412 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
22413 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
22414 with the current one.
22416 @vindex transient-mark-mode
22417 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
22418 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
22420 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
22421 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
22424 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
22425 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
22427 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
22430 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
22431 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
22432 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
22433 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22435 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
22436 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
22437 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
22438 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
22439 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
22440 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
22441 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
22442 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
22444 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
22445 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
22446 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
22447 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
22448 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
22452 @section Interactive
22453 @cindex interaction
22457 @item gnus-novice-user
22458 @vindex gnus-novice-user
22459 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
22460 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
22461 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
22462 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
22465 @item gnus-expert-user
22466 @vindex gnus-expert-user
22467 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
22468 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing,
22469 no matter how strange. For example, quitting Gnus, exiting a group
22470 without an update, catching up with a group, deleting expired
22471 articles, and replying by mail to a news message will not require
22474 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
22475 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
22476 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
22477 is @code{t} by default.
22479 @item gnus-interactive-exit
22480 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
22481 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22486 @node Symbolic Prefixes
22487 @section Symbolic Prefixes
22488 @cindex symbolic prefixes
22490 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
22491 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
22492 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
22493 rule of 900 to the current article.
22495 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
22496 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
22497 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
22498 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
22499 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
22500 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
22501 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
22503 @kindex M-i (Summary)
22504 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
22505 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
22506 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
22507 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
22508 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
22509 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
22510 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
22511 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
22513 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
22514 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
22515 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
22517 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
22521 @node Formatting Variables
22522 @section Formatting Variables
22523 @cindex formatting variables
22525 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
22526 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
22527 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
22528 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
22529 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
22532 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
22533 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
22534 lots of percentages everywhere.
22537 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
22538 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
22539 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
22540 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
22541 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
22542 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
22543 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
22544 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
22547 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
22548 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
22549 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
22550 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
22551 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
22552 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
22553 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
22554 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
22556 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
22557 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
22559 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
22560 @findex gnus-update-format
22561 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
22562 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
22563 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
22564 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
22568 @node Formatting Basics
22569 @subsection Formatting Basics
22571 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
22572 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
22573 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
22575 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
22576 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
22577 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
22578 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
22579 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
22582 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
22583 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
22584 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
22585 less than 4 characters wide.
22587 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
22588 @samp{%&user-date;}.
22591 @node Mode Line Formatting
22592 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
22594 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
22595 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
22596 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
22597 with the following two differences:
22602 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
22605 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
22606 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
22607 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
22608 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
22609 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
22610 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
22611 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
22616 @node Advanced Formatting
22617 @subsection Advanced Formatting
22619 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
22620 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
22621 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
22622 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
22624 These are the valid modifiers:
22629 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
22633 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
22638 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
22641 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
22646 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
22649 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
22652 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
22655 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
22661 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
22666 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
22667 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
22668 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
22669 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
22670 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
22671 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
22672 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
22674 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
22675 last operation, padding.
22677 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
22678 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
22679 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
22680 @xref{Compilation}.
22683 @node User-Defined Specs
22684 @subsection User-Defined Specs
22686 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
22687 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
22688 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
22689 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
22690 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
22691 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
22692 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
22693 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
22694 should protect against that.
22696 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
22697 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
22699 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
22700 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
22701 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
22702 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
22706 @node Formatting Fonts
22707 @subsection Formatting Fonts
22710 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22711 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
22712 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
22713 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
22714 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
22718 @vindex gnus-face-0
22719 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
22720 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
22721 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
22722 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
22723 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
22724 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
22726 @cindex %<<, %>>, guillemets
22727 @c @cindex %<<, %>>, %«, %», guillemets
22728 @vindex gnus-balloon-face-0
22729 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
22730 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
22731 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
22732 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
22733 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
22734 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
22735 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
22736 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
22737 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
22738 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
22739 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
22742 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
22745 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
22746 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
22747 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
22749 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
22750 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
22751 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
22752 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
22753 ;; @r{Set the color.}
22754 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
22755 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
22757 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
22758 (setq gnus-group-line-format
22759 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
22762 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
22763 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
22765 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
22766 mode-line variables.
22768 @node Positioning Point
22769 @subsection Positioning Point
22771 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
22772 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
22773 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
22775 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
22777 @findex gnus-goto-colon
22778 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
22779 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
22781 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
22782 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
22783 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
22788 @subsection Tabulation
22790 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
22791 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
22792 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
22793 about lining up the following text afterwards.
22795 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
22796 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
22798 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22799 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
22800 This is the soft tabulator.
22802 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22803 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
22804 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
22807 @node Wide Characters
22808 @subsection Wide Characters
22810 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
22811 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
22812 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
22814 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
22815 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
22816 these countries, that's not true.
22818 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
22819 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
22820 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
22821 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
22825 @node Window Layout
22826 @section Window Layout
22827 @cindex window layout
22829 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
22831 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
22832 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
22833 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
22834 @code{t} by default.
22836 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
22837 glitches. Use at your own peril.
22839 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
22840 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
22841 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
22844 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
22845 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
22846 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22850 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
22851 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
22852 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
22853 possible names is listed below.
22855 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
22856 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
22859 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22863 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
22864 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
22865 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
22866 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
22867 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
22868 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
22869 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
22870 size spec per split.
22872 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
22873 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
22874 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
22875 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
22876 present) gets focus.
22878 Here's a more complicated example:
22881 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
22882 (summary 0.25 point)
22883 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
22887 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
22888 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
22889 occupy, not a percentage.
22891 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
22892 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
22893 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
22894 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
22895 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
22898 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
22901 (article (horizontal 1.0
22906 (summary 0.25 point)
22911 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
22912 @code{horizontal} thingie?
22914 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
22915 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
22916 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
22917 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
22918 the screen is to be given to this strip.
22920 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
22921 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
22922 lines from the splits.
22924 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
22929 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
22930 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
22931 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
22932 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
22933 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
22934 size = number | frame-params
22935 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
22939 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
22940 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
22941 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
22942 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
22944 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
22945 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
22946 @cindex window height
22947 @cindex window width
22948 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
22949 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
22950 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
22951 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
22952 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
22953 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
22955 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
22956 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
22957 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
22958 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
22960 @findex gnus-configure-frame
22961 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
22962 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
22963 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
22964 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
22965 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
22966 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
22967 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
22968 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
22969 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
22970 configuration list.
22973 (gnus-configure-frame
22977 (article 0.3 point))
22985 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
22986 @code{frame} split:
22989 (gnus-configure-frame
22992 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
22994 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
22995 (user-position . t)
22996 (left . -1) (top . 1))
23001 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
23002 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
23003 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
23004 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
23005 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
23006 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
23007 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
23008 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
23010 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
23011 be found in its default value.
23013 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
23014 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
23015 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
23019 (message (horizontal 1.0
23020 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
23022 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
23027 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
23028 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
23029 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
23034 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
23035 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
23036 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
23037 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
23038 (name . "Message"))
23039 (message 1.0 point))))
23042 @findex gnus-add-configuration
23043 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
23044 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
23045 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
23046 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
23049 (gnus-add-configuration
23050 '(article (vertical 1.0
23052 (summary .25 point)
23056 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
23057 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
23058 Gnus has been loaded.
23060 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
23061 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
23062 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
23063 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
23064 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
23066 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
23067 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
23068 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
23071 @subsection Example Window Configurations
23075 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
23076 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
23091 (gnus-add-configuration
23094 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
23096 (summary 0.16 point)
23099 (gnus-add-configuration
23102 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
23103 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
23109 @node Faces and Fonts
23110 @section Faces and Fonts
23115 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
23116 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
23117 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
23122 @section Compilation
23123 @cindex compilation
23124 @cindex byte-compilation
23126 @findex gnus-compile
23128 Remember all those line format specification variables?
23129 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
23130 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
23131 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
23132 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
23133 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
23136 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
23137 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
23138 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
23139 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
23140 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
23141 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
23142 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
23146 @section Mode Lines
23149 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
23150 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
23151 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
23152 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
23153 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
23154 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
23155 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
23158 @cindex display-time
23160 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
23161 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
23162 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
23163 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
23164 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
23165 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
23166 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
23167 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
23170 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
23172 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
23173 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
23175 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
23176 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
23177 (length display-time-string)))))
23180 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
23181 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
23182 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
23183 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
23184 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
23187 @node Highlighting and Menus
23188 @section Highlighting and Menus
23190 @cindex highlighting
23193 @vindex gnus-visual
23194 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
23195 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
23196 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
23199 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
23200 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
23203 @item group-highlight
23204 Do highlights in the group buffer.
23205 @item summary-highlight
23206 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
23207 @item article-highlight
23208 Do highlights in the article buffer.
23210 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
23212 Create menus in the group buffer.
23214 Create menus in the summary buffers.
23216 Create menus in the article buffer.
23218 Create menus in the browse buffer.
23220 Create menus in the server buffer.
23222 Create menus in the score buffers.
23224 Create menus in all buffers.
23227 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
23228 buffers, you could say something like:
23231 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
23234 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
23237 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
23240 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
23241 in all Gnus buffers.
23243 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
23246 @item gnus-mouse-face
23247 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
23248 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
23249 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
23253 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
23257 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
23258 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
23259 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
23261 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
23262 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
23263 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
23265 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
23266 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
23267 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
23269 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
23270 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
23271 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
23273 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
23274 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
23275 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
23277 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
23278 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
23279 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
23290 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
23291 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
23292 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
23293 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
23294 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
23298 @vindex gnus-carpal
23299 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
23300 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
23301 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
23306 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
23307 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
23308 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
23310 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
23311 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
23312 Face used on buttons.
23314 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
23315 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
23316 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
23318 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
23319 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
23320 Buttons in the group buffer.
23322 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
23323 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
23324 Buttons in the summary buffer.
23326 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
23327 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
23328 Buttons in the server buffer.
23330 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
23331 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
23332 Buttons in the browse buffer.
23335 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
23336 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
23337 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
23345 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
23346 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
23347 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
23348 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
23349 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
23351 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
23352 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
23353 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
23355 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
23356 been idle for thirty minutes:
23359 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
23362 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
23366 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
23369 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
23370 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
23371 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23373 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
23374 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
23375 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
23376 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23378 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
23379 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
23380 @var{idle} minutes.
23382 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
23383 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
23386 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
23387 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
23388 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
23390 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
23391 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
23392 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
23393 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
23395 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
23396 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23398 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
23400 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
23403 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
23404 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
23405 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
23406 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
23407 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
23408 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
23409 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
23410 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
23411 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
23412 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
23413 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
23415 @findex gnus-demon-init
23416 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
23417 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
23418 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
23419 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
23420 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
23422 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
23423 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
23424 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
23433 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
23434 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
23436 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
23437 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
23438 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
23439 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
23442 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
23443 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
23444 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
23445 messages, which are distributed in the newsgroups
23446 @samp{news.lists.filters}, @samp{alt.nocem.misc}, etc.
23448 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
23449 this will make spam disappear.
23451 There are some variables to customize, of course:
23454 @item gnus-use-nocem
23455 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
23456 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
23459 You can also set this variable to a positive number as a group level.
23460 In that case, Gnus scans NoCeM messages when checking new news if this
23461 value is not exceeding a group level that you specify as the prefix
23462 argument to some commands, e.g. @code{gnus},
23463 @code{gnus-group-get-new-news}, etc. Otherwise, Gnus does not scan
23464 NoCeM messages if you specify a group level that is smaller than this
23465 value to those commands. For example, if you use 1 or 2 on the mail
23466 groups and the levels on the news groups remain the default, 3 is the
23469 @item gnus-nocem-groups
23470 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
23471 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
23474 ("news.lists.filters" "alt.nocem.misc")
23477 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
23478 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
23479 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
23480 people you want to listen to. The default is:
23484 "alba-nocem@@albasani.net"
23485 "bleachbot@@httrack.com"
23486 "news@@arcor-online.net"
23487 "news@@uni-berlin.de"
23489 "pgpmoose@@killfile.org"
23493 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
23494 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
23496 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
23497 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
23498 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
23499 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
23500 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
23501 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
23502 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
23503 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
23504 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
23505 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
23507 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
23508 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
23511 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
23514 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
23515 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
23518 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
23521 The specs are applied left-to-right.
23524 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
23525 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
23526 @findex gnus-nocem-epg-verify
23528 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
23529 says she is. This variable defaults to @code{gnus-nocem-epg-verify} if
23530 EasyPG is available, otherwise defaults to @code{pgg-verify}. The
23531 function should return non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful,
23532 otherwise (including the case the NoCeM message was not signed) should
23533 return @code{nil}. If this is too slow and you don't care for
23534 verification (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to
23537 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
23538 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into
23539 @code{gnus-nocem-epg-verify} or @code{pgg-verify} running with GnuPG if
23540 you are willing to add the @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
23542 @item gnus-nocem-directory
23543 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
23544 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
23545 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
23547 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
23548 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
23549 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
23550 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
23551 might then see old spam.
23553 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
23554 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
23555 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
23556 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
23557 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
23560 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
23561 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
23562 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
23563 group. @code{nil} means no restriction. NoCeM groups can be huge and
23564 very slow to process.
23568 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
23569 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
23570 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
23571 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
23578 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
23579 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
23580 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
23582 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
23583 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
23584 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
23585 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
23586 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
23587 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
23588 @code{undo} function.
23590 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
23591 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
23592 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
23593 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
23594 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
23595 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
23596 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
23597 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
23598 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
23599 never be totally undoable.
23601 @findex gnus-undo-mode
23602 @vindex gnus-use-undo
23604 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
23605 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
23606 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
23607 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
23611 @node Predicate Specifiers
23612 @section Predicate Specifiers
23613 @cindex predicate specifiers
23615 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
23616 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
23617 to type all that much.
23619 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
23624 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
23625 gnus-article-unread-p)
23628 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
23629 functions all take one parameter.
23631 @findex gnus-make-predicate
23632 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
23633 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
23634 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
23639 @section Moderation
23642 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
23643 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
23644 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
23647 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
23651 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
23654 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
23656 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
23661 You split your incoming mail by matching on
23662 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
23663 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
23666 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
23667 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
23670 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
23671 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
23675 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
23678 (setq gnus-moderated-list
23679 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
23683 @node Fetching a Group
23684 @section Fetching a Group
23685 @cindex fetching a group
23687 @findex gnus-fetch-group
23688 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
23689 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
23690 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
23691 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
23692 It takes the group name as a parameter.
23695 @node Image Enhancements
23696 @section Image Enhancements
23698 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
23699 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
23700 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
23703 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
23704 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
23705 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
23706 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
23707 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
23715 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
23716 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
23717 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
23721 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
23722 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
23723 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
23731 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
23732 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions have), or that you
23733 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
23734 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
23735 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
23736 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
23737 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends, see below. For XEmacs it's
23738 faster if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The
23739 default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
23740 @code{display} program.
23742 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is included in the
23743 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
23744 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
23745 On Windows, you may use the packages @code{netpbm} and @code{compface}
23746 from @url{http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net}. You need to add the
23747 @code{bin} directory to your @code{PATH} environment variable.
23748 @c In fact only the following DLLs and binaries seem to be required:
23749 @c compface1.dll uncompface.exe libnetpbm10.dll icontopbm.exe
23751 The variable @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} controls which programs
23752 are used to display the @code{X-Face} header. If this variable is a
23753 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
23754 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
23755 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches the
23756 @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
23758 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
23766 @vindex gnus-x-face
23767 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
23768 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
23769 default colors are black and white.
23771 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
23772 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
23773 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
23774 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
23775 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
23776 XEmacs. Here are examples:
23779 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
23780 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23781 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
23782 (png . (:ascent 80))))
23784 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
23785 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23786 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
23787 (png . (:relief -2))))
23790 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
23791 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
23792 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
23793 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
23794 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
23795 @samp{libcompface} library.
23798 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
23799 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
23800 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
23801 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
23802 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
23803 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
23805 @findex gnus-random-x-face
23806 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
23807 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
23808 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
23809 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
23810 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
23811 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
23812 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
23813 header data as a string.
23815 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
23816 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
23817 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
23818 randomly generated data.
23820 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
23821 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
23822 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
23823 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
23824 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
23826 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
23827 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23830 (setq message-required-news-headers
23831 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23832 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
23835 Using the last function would be something like this:
23838 (setq message-required-news-headers
23839 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23840 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
23841 (gnus-x-face-from-file
23842 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
23850 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
23852 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
23853 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
23854 represent the author of the message.
23857 @findex gnus-article-display-face
23858 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
23859 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
23862 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
23863 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
23865 Viewing an @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
23868 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
23870 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
23872 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
23873 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
23875 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
23876 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
23877 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
23879 @findex gnus-face-from-file
23880 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
23881 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
23882 converts the file to Face format by using the
23883 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
23885 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
23886 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23889 (setq message-required-news-headers
23890 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23891 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
23892 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
23897 @subsection Smileys
23902 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
23907 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
23908 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
23910 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
23911 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23914 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
23917 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
23918 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
23919 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
23920 text and maps that to file names.
23922 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
23923 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
23924 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
23925 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
23926 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
23929 The following variables customize the appearance of the smileys:
23934 @vindex smiley-style
23935 Specifies the smiley style. Predefined smiley styles include
23936 @code{low-color} (small 13x14 pixel, three-color images), @code{medium}
23937 (more colorful images, 16x16 pixel), and @code{grayscale} (grayscale
23938 images, 14x14 pixel). The default depends on the height of the default
23941 @item smiley-data-directory
23942 @vindex smiley-data-directory
23943 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files. You shouldn't set this
23944 variable anymore. Customize @code{smiley-style} instead.
23946 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
23947 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
23948 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
23962 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
23963 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
23964 over your shoulder as you read news.
23966 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
23975 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
23976 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
23977 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
23978 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
23979 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
23980 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
23981 @code{GIF} formats.
23984 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23985 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
23986 point your Web browser at
23987 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
23989 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
23990 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
23992 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
23993 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
23996 @vindex gnus-picon-style
23997 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
23998 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
23999 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
24001 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
24005 @item gnus-picon-databases
24006 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
24007 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
24008 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
24009 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
24010 "/usr/local/faces")}.
24012 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
24013 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
24014 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
24015 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
24017 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
24018 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
24019 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
24020 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
24022 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
24023 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
24024 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
24025 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
24026 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
24028 @item gnus-picon-file-types
24029 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
24030 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
24031 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
24037 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
24040 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
24041 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
24042 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
24043 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
24044 unusual directory structure.
24046 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
24047 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
24048 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
24053 @subsubsection Toolbar
24057 @item gnus-use-toolbar
24058 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
24059 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
24060 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
24061 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
24062 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
24063 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
24064 names show. The default is @code{default}.
24066 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
24067 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
24068 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
24069 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
24070 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
24071 The default is that of the default toolbar.
24073 @item gnus-group-toolbar
24074 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
24075 The toolbar in the group buffer.
24077 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
24078 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
24079 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
24081 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
24082 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
24083 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
24094 @node Fuzzy Matching
24095 @section Fuzzy Matching
24096 @cindex fuzzy matching
24098 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
24099 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
24101 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
24102 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
24103 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
24105 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
24106 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
24107 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
24108 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
24109 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
24112 @node Thwarting Email Spam
24113 @section Thwarting Email Spam
24117 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
24119 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
24120 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
24121 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
24122 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
24123 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
24124 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
24125 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
24126 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
24129 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
24130 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
24131 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
24132 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
24133 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
24134 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
24136 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
24139 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
24140 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
24141 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
24142 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
24145 @node The problem of spam
24146 @subsection The problem of spam
24148 @cindex spam filtering approaches
24149 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
24151 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
24153 First, some background on spam.
24155 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
24156 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
24157 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
24158 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
24159 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
24160 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
24161 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
24162 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
24163 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
24165 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
24166 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
24167 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
24168 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
24169 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
24170 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
24171 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
24172 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
24173 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
24176 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
24177 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
24178 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
24179 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
24180 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
24181 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
24182 from Bulgarian IPs.
24184 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
24185 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
24186 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
24187 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
24189 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
24190 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
24191 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
24192 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
24194 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
24195 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
24196 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
24197 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
24198 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
24199 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
24200 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
24201 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
24202 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
24204 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
24205 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
24206 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
24207 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
24208 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
24209 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
24210 down for some time because of the incident.
24212 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
24213 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
24214 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
24215 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
24216 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
24217 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
24218 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
24219 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
24220 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
24221 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
24222 the server that it has misclassified mail.
24224 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
24225 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
24226 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
24227 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
24228 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
24229 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
24230 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
24233 @node Anti-Spam Basics
24234 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
24238 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
24240 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
24241 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
24243 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
24244 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
24245 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
24246 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
24247 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
24248 part of the mail address.)
24251 (setq message-default-news-headers
24252 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
24255 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24256 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
24260 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
24261 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
24262 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
24267 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
24268 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
24269 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
24270 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
24272 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
24273 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
24274 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
24275 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
24276 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
24277 your fancy split rule in this way:
24282 (to "larsi" "misc")
24286 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
24287 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
24288 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
24289 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
24290 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
24292 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
24293 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
24294 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
24295 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
24297 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
24301 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
24302 @cindex SpamAssassin
24303 @cindex Vipul's Razor
24306 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
24307 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
24308 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
24309 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
24310 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
24311 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
24312 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
24314 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
24315 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
24316 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
24319 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
24320 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
24321 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
24322 Specifiers}) follow.
24326 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
24330 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
24333 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
24334 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
24335 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
24338 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
24342 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
24345 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
24346 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
24350 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
24351 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
24352 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
24353 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
24356 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
24358 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
24362 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
24363 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
24367 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
24368 downloaded by default. You need to set
24369 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
24370 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
24372 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
24373 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
24374 spam. And here is the nifty function:
24377 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
24378 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
24380 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d" t)
24381 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
24385 @subsection Hashcash
24388 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
24389 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
24390 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
24391 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
24392 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
24394 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
24395 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
24396 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
24397 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
24398 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
24399 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
24400 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
24401 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
24402 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
24403 one of them separately.
24406 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
24407 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
24408 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
24409 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
24410 need to install to use this feature, see
24411 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
24412 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
24414 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
24415 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
24416 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
24419 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
24422 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
24426 @item hashcash-default-payment
24427 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
24428 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
24429 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
24432 @item hashcash-payment-alist
24433 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
24434 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
24435 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
24436 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
24437 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
24438 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
24439 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
24440 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
24442 @item hashcash-path
24443 @vindex hashcash-path
24444 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
24445 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
24446 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
24447 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
24448 when you generate hashcash payments.
24452 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
24453 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
24454 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
24455 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
24456 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
24457 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
24458 Hashcash Payments}).
24461 @section Spam Package
24462 @cindex spam filtering
24465 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
24466 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
24467 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
24468 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
24471 * Spam Package Introduction::
24472 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
24473 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
24474 * Spam and Ham Processors::
24475 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
24477 * Extending the Spam package::
24478 * Spam Statistics Package::
24481 @node Spam Package Introduction
24482 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
24483 @cindex spam filtering
24484 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
24487 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
24488 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
24490 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
24491 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
24493 @cindex spam-initialize
24494 @vindex spam-use-stat
24495 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
24496 @code{spam-initialize}:
24502 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
24503 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
24504 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
24505 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
24506 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
24508 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
24509 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
24511 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
24512 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
24514 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
24515 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
24516 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
24517 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
24518 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
24520 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
24521 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
24522 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
24523 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
24524 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
24527 @cindex spam back ends
24528 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
24529 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
24530 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
24531 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
24532 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24534 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
24535 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
24537 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
24538 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
24539 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
24540 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
24541 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
24542 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
24543 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
24545 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
24546 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
24547 point, the Spam package does several things:
24549 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
24550 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
24551 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
24552 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
24553 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
24554 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
24555 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
24556 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
24559 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
24560 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
24570 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24571 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24572 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
24573 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
24577 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
24578 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
24580 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
24581 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
24582 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
24583 to be processed as ham by setting
24584 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
24585 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
24587 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24588 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24589 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
24590 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
24591 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
24592 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
24593 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
24594 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
24595 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
24596 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
24597 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
24598 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
24600 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
24601 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
24602 want each article to be processed only once, load the
24603 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
24604 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
24605 Configuration Examples}.
24607 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
24608 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
24609 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
24610 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
24612 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
24613 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
24615 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
24616 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
24617 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
24619 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
24620 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
24621 @cindex spam filtering
24622 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
24625 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
24626 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
24627 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
24628 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
24629 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
24635 @vindex spam-split-group
24637 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
24638 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
24639 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
24640 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
24641 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
24642 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
24643 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
24644 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
24645 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
24647 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
24649 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
24650 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
24651 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
24652 you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body}
24653 to @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can
24654 ``scan'' the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only
24655 retrieves the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells
24656 it to retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by
24657 default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
24658 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Splitting
24661 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
24662 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
24663 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
24664 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
24665 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
24666 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
24667 ends, and the following split rule:
24670 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24671 (any "ding" "ding")
24673 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24678 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
24679 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
24680 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
24681 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
24682 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
24683 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
24685 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
24686 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
24687 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
24688 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
24693 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
24694 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24695 (any "ding" "ding")
24696 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
24698 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24703 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
24704 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
24705 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
24706 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
24707 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
24708 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
24709 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
24711 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24712 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24713 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24714 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24716 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
24717 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
24720 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
24721 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
24723 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
24724 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
24725 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
24726 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24728 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24729 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24730 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24731 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
24733 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
24734 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
24735 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
24737 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
24738 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
24739 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
24740 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
24741 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
24742 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
24743 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
24745 @node Spam and Ham Processors
24746 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
24747 @cindex spam filtering
24748 @cindex spam filtering variables
24749 @cindex spam variables
24752 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
24753 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
24754 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
24755 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
24756 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
24757 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
24758 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
24760 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
24761 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
24762 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
24763 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
24765 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24766 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
24767 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
24768 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
24769 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
24770 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
24771 by customizing the corresponding variable
24772 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
24773 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
24774 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
24775 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
24776 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
24777 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
24778 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
24781 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
24783 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
24784 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
24785 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
24786 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
24787 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
24788 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
24789 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
24790 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
24791 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
24792 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
24793 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
24794 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
24795 processor which will study them as spam samples.
24797 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
24798 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
24799 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
24800 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
24801 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
24802 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
24803 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
24804 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
24807 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24808 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
24809 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
24810 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
24811 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
24812 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
24813 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
24818 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24819 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
24820 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
24821 you really want to.
24824 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
24825 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
24826 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
24827 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
24828 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
24829 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
24832 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24833 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
24834 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
24835 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
24836 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
24837 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
24838 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
24839 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
24840 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
24841 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
24842 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
24843 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
24844 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
24845 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
24846 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
24848 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24849 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24851 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24852 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
24853 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
24855 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
24856 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
24858 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
24859 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
24860 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
24861 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
24862 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
24864 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
24865 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
24866 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
24867 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
24868 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
24871 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24872 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
24873 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
24874 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
24875 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
24876 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
24877 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
24878 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
24879 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
24880 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
24881 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
24882 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
24883 group buffer then you need it here as well.
24885 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24886 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24888 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24889 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
24892 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
24893 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
24894 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
24895 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
24896 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
24897 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
24898 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
24900 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
24901 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
24902 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
24903 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
24905 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
24906 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
24907 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
24908 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
24909 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
24910 from the mail server.
24912 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
24913 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
24914 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
24915 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
24917 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
24918 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
24919 @cindex spam filtering
24920 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
24921 @cindex spam configuration examples
24924 @subsubheading Ted's setup
24926 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
24928 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
24929 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
24930 (gnus-registry-initialize)
24934 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
24936 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
24937 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
24938 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24939 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24940 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
24941 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
24942 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
24943 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
24944 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24945 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
24946 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24947 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
24948 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
24949 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
24950 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24951 (any "ding" "ding")
24952 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
24954 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24957 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
24959 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
24960 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
24961 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
24962 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
24964 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24966 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
24967 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
24968 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
24969 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
24970 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24972 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
24973 ((spam-autodetect . t))
24975 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
24977 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
24978 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
24980 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
24981 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
24982 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
24984 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
24986 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
24987 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
24989 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
24990 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
24991 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
24993 (gnus-ticked-mark))
24994 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
24995 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
24996 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
24998 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
24999 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
25000 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
25004 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
25005 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
25007 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
25008 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
25009 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
25010 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
25011 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
25012 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
25013 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
25014 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
25015 @samp{training.spam} folders.
25017 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
25018 does most of the job for me:
25021 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
25022 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
25023 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
25024 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
25025 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
25026 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
25027 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
25032 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
25034 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
25035 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
25036 bogofilter or DCC).
25038 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
25039 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
25040 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
25041 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
25042 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
25043 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
25044 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
25046 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
25047 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
25048 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
25049 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
25050 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
25051 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
25053 @item @b{Ham folders:}
25055 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
25056 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
25057 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
25058 @samp{training.spam}.
25061 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
25063 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
25065 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
25066 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
25067 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
25071 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
25074 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
25075 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
25076 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
25077 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
25078 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
25080 @node Spam Back Ends
25081 @subsection Spam Back Ends
25082 @cindex spam back ends
25084 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
25085 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
25086 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
25087 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
25091 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
25092 * BBDB Whitelists::
25093 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
25094 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
25096 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
25098 * SpamAssassin back end::
25099 * ifile spam filtering::
25100 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
25104 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
25105 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
25106 @cindex spam filtering
25107 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
25108 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
25111 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
25113 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
25114 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
25115 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
25116 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
25121 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
25123 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
25124 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
25125 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
25126 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
25127 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25131 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
25133 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
25134 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
25135 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
25139 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
25141 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25142 customizing the group parameters or the
25143 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25144 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
25145 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
25149 Instead of the obsolete
25150 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
25151 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
25152 the same way, we promise.
25156 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
25158 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25159 customizing the group parameters or the
25160 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25161 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
25162 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
25167 Instead of the obsolete
25168 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
25169 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
25170 the same way, we promise.
25174 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
25175 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
25176 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
25177 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
25178 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
25180 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
25181 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
25182 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
25183 Emacs regular expression syntax.
25185 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
25186 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
25187 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
25188 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
25189 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
25190 @file{blacklist} respectively.
25192 @node BBDB Whitelists
25193 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
25194 @cindex spam filtering
25195 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
25196 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
25199 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
25201 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
25202 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
25203 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
25204 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
25205 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
25206 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
25207 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25211 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
25213 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
25214 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
25215 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
25216 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
25217 classified as spammers.
25219 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
25220 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
25221 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
25222 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
25227 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
25229 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25230 customizing the group parameters or the
25231 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25232 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
25233 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
25238 Instead of the obsolete
25239 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
25240 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
25241 the same way, we promise.
25245 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
25246 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
25247 @cindex spam reporting
25248 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
25249 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
25252 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
25254 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25255 customizing the group parameters or the
25256 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25257 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
25258 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
25261 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
25265 Instead of the obsolete
25266 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
25267 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
25268 same way, we promise.
25272 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
25274 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
25275 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
25276 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
25277 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
25278 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
25282 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
25284 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
25285 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
25286 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
25290 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
25291 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
25292 @cindex spam filtering
25293 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
25296 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
25298 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
25299 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
25300 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
25301 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
25302 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
25303 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25308 @subsubsection Blackholes
25309 @cindex spam filtering
25310 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
25313 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
25315 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
25316 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
25317 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
25318 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
25319 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
25320 contains outdated servers.
25322 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
25323 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
25324 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
25325 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
25326 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
25327 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
25331 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
25333 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
25337 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
25339 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
25340 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
25344 @defvar spam-use-dig
25346 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
25347 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
25351 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
25352 ham processor for blackholes.
25354 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
25355 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
25356 @cindex spam filtering
25357 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
25360 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
25362 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
25363 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
25364 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
25365 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
25366 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
25367 message is spam or ham, respectively.
25371 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
25373 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25374 the message, positively identify it as spam.
25378 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
25380 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25381 the message, positively identify it as ham.
25385 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
25386 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
25389 @subsubsection Bogofilter
25390 @cindex spam filtering
25391 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
25394 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
25396 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25399 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
25400 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
25401 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
25402 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
25403 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
25404 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
25406 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
25407 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
25410 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
25411 processing will be turned off.
25413 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
25422 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
25423 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
25426 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
25428 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25429 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
25430 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
25431 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
25432 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
25433 installation documents for details.
25435 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
25439 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
25440 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25441 customizing the group parameters or the
25442 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25443 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
25444 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
25448 Instead of the obsolete
25449 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25450 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25451 the same way, we promise.
25454 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
25455 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25456 customizing the group parameters or the
25457 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25458 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25459 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
25460 of non-spam messages.
25464 Instead of the obsolete
25465 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25466 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25467 the same way, we promise.
25470 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
25472 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
25473 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
25474 database directory.
25478 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
25479 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25480 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
25481 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
25482 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
25483 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
25485 @node SpamAssassin back end
25486 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
25487 @cindex spam filtering
25488 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
25491 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
25493 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
25495 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
25496 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
25497 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
25498 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
25501 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
25502 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
25503 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
25504 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
25507 You should not enable this if you use
25508 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
25512 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
25514 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
25515 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
25517 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
25521 @defvar spam-spamassassin-program
25523 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
25524 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
25525 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
25526 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
25530 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
25531 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
25532 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
25533 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
25534 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
25535 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
25536 to test this functionality.
25538 @node ifile spam filtering
25539 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
25540 @cindex spam filtering
25541 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
25544 @defvar spam-use-ifile
25546 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
25547 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
25551 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
25553 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
25554 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
25555 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
25559 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
25561 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
25562 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
25563 the default value of @samp{spam}.
25566 @defvar spam-ifile-database
25568 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
25569 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
25573 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
25574 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25575 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
25576 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
25579 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
25580 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
25581 @cindex spam filtering
25582 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
25586 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
25587 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
25588 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
25589 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
25590 spam-stat dictionary}.
25592 @defvar spam-use-stat
25596 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
25597 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25598 customizing the group parameters or the
25599 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25600 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
25601 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
25605 Instead of the obsolete
25606 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25607 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25608 the same way, we promise.
25611 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
25612 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25613 customizing the group parameters or the
25614 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25615 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25616 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
25617 of non-spam messages.
25621 Instead of the obsolete
25622 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25623 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25624 the same way, we promise.
25627 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
25628 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
25629 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
25630 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
25631 @code{spam-split} are provided.
25634 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
25635 @cindex spam filtering
25639 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
25640 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
25641 installed separately.
25643 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
25644 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
25645 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
25646 mail as a spam mail or not.
25648 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
25649 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
25650 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
25652 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
25655 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
25656 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
25657 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
25658 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
25659 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
25660 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
25661 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
25662 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
25665 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
25666 spam-split-group "Junk"
25667 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
25668 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
25669 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
25672 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
25673 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
25677 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
25678 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
25679 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
25683 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
25684 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
25685 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
25686 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
25687 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
25688 database to live somewhere special, set
25689 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
25692 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
25693 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
25694 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
25695 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
25696 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
25697 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
25698 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
25699 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
25700 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
25701 @xref{Spam Package}.
25703 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
25704 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25705 customizing the group parameter or the
25706 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25707 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
25708 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
25712 Instead of the obsolete
25713 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25714 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25715 the same way, we promise.
25718 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
25719 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25720 customizing the group parameter or the
25721 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25722 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
25723 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
25728 Instead of the obsolete
25729 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25730 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25731 the same way, we promise.
25734 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
25735 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
25738 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
25739 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
25740 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
25742 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
25743 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
25744 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
25745 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
25746 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
25747 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
25749 @node Extending the Spam package
25750 @subsection Extending the Spam package
25751 @cindex spam filtering
25752 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
25753 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
25755 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
25756 incoming mail, provide the following:
25764 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
25765 "True if blackbox should be used.")
25768 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
25770 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
25771 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
25772 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
25773 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
25774 register/unregister spam and ham.
25779 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
25780 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
25781 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
25782 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
25787 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
25794 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
25795 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
25797 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
25798 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
25799 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
25800 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
25803 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
25804 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
25805 Only applicable to spam groups.")
25807 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
25808 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
25809 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
25818 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
25819 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
25821 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
25822 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
25823 variable customization.
25827 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
25829 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
25830 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
25832 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
25833 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
25839 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
25841 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
25842 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
25843 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
25846 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
25848 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
25849 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
25853 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
25855 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
25856 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
25857 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
25861 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
25863 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
25864 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
25865 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
25868 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
25870 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
25871 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
25875 @code{spam-install-backend}
25877 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
25878 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
25879 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
25882 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
25884 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
25885 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
25886 never install such a back end.
25891 @node Spam Statistics Package
25892 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
25893 @cindex Paul Graham
25894 @cindex Graham, Paul
25895 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
25896 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
25897 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
25899 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
25900 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
25901 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
25902 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
25903 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
25904 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
25905 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
25906 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
25907 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
25910 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
25911 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
25912 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
25913 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
25914 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
25915 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
25916 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
25917 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
25919 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
25920 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
25921 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
25923 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
25924 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
25925 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
25926 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
25927 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
25930 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
25931 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
25932 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
25935 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25936 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25938 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
25939 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
25940 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
25941 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
25942 need several hundred emails in both collections.
25944 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
25945 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
25946 per mail. Use the following:
25948 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
25949 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
25950 is treated as one spam mail.
25953 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
25954 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
25955 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
25958 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
25959 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
25960 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
25961 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
25962 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
25963 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
25965 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
25966 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
25967 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
25968 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
25969 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
25972 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
25973 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
25974 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
25975 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
25978 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
25979 reset the dictionary.
25981 @defun spam-stat-reset
25982 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
25985 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
25986 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
25987 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
25988 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
25989 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
25990 only non-spam mails.
25992 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
25993 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
25994 to update the dictionary incrementally.
25997 @defun spam-stat-save
25998 Save the dictionary.
26001 @defvar spam-stat-file
26002 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
26003 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
26006 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
26007 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
26009 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
26010 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
26012 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
26015 (require 'spam-stat)
26019 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
26022 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
26023 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
26024 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
26025 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
26027 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
26028 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
26029 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
26030 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
26033 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26034 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26038 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
26039 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
26042 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
26043 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
26044 expression are considered potential spam.
26047 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26048 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
26049 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26053 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
26054 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
26055 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
26056 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
26057 mails, when creating the dictionary!
26060 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26061 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26062 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
26066 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
26067 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
26068 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
26069 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
26070 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
26074 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
26075 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
26076 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
26077 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
26082 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
26083 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
26085 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
26087 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
26088 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
26089 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
26092 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
26093 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
26094 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
26097 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
26098 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
26099 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
26100 already been processed as non-spam.
26103 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
26104 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
26105 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
26106 been processed as spam.
26109 @defun spam-stat-save
26110 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
26111 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
26114 @defun spam-stat-load
26115 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
26116 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
26119 @defun spam-stat-score-word
26120 Return the spam score for a word.
26123 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
26124 Return the spam score for a buffer.
26127 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
26128 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
26129 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
26132 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
26133 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
26136 (require 'spam-stat)
26140 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
26143 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
26144 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26145 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26146 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
26147 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
26148 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
26149 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26150 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26151 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
26152 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
26153 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
26154 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
26155 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26156 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26159 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
26162 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
26163 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
26164 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
26165 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
26166 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
26167 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
26170 @node The Gnus Registry
26171 @section The Gnus Registry
26176 The Gnus registry is a package that tracks messages by their
26177 Message-ID across all backends. This allows Gnus users to do several
26178 cool things, be the envy of the locals, get free haircuts, and be
26179 experts on world issues. Well, maybe not all of those, but the
26180 features are pretty cool.
26182 Although they will be explained in detail shortly, here's a quick list
26183 of said features in case your attention span is... never mind.
26187 Split messages to their parent
26189 This keeps discussions in the same group. You can use the subject and
26190 the sender in addition to the Message-ID. Several strategies are
26194 Store custom flags and keywords
26196 The registry can store custom flags and keywords for a message. For
26197 instance, you can mark a message ``To-Do'' this way and the flag will
26198 persist whether the message is in the nnimap, nnml, nnmaildir,
26202 Store arbitrary data
26204 Through a simple ELisp API, the registry can remember any data for a
26205 message. A built-in inverse map, when activated, allows quick lookups
26206 of all messages matching a particular set of criteria.
26211 * Fancy splitting to parent::
26212 * Store custom flags and keywords::
26213 * Store arbitrary data::
26219 Fortunately, setting up the Gnus registry is pretty easy:
26222 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500
26223 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t)
26225 (gnus-registry-initialize)
26228 This adds registry saves to Gnus newsrc saves (which happen on exit
26229 and when you press @kbd{s} from the @code{*Group*} buffer. It also
26230 adds registry calls to article actions in Gnus (copy, move, etc.) so
26231 it's not easy to undo the initialization. See
26232 @code{gnus-registry-initialize} for the gory details.
26234 Here are other settings used by the author of the registry (understand
26235 what they do before you copy them blindly).
26239 gnus-registry-split-strategy 'majority
26240 gnus-registry-ignored-groups '(("nntp" t)
26244 gnus-registry-max-entries 500000
26245 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t
26246 gnus-registry-track-extra '(sender subject))
26249 They say: keep a lot of messages around, use long group names, track
26250 messages by sender and subject (not just parent Message-ID), and when
26251 the registry splits incoming mail, use a majority rule to decide where
26252 messages should go if there's more than one possibility. In addition,
26253 the registry should ignore messages in groups that match ``nntp'',
26254 ``nnrss'', ``spam'', or ``train.''
26256 You are doubtless impressed by all this, but you ask: ``I am a Gnus
26257 user, I customize to live. Give me more.'' Here you go, these are
26258 the general settings.
26260 @defvar gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups
26261 The groups that will not be followed by
26262 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}. They will still be
26263 remembered by the registry. This is a list of regular expressions.
26266 @defvar gnus-registry-ignored-groups
26267 The groups that will not be remembered by the registry. This is a
26268 list of regular expressions, also available through Group/Topic
26269 customization (so you can ignore or keep a specific group or a whole
26273 @defvar gnus-registry-use-long-group-names
26274 Whether the registry will use long group names. It's recommended to
26275 set this to @code{t}, although everything works if you don't. Future
26276 functionality will require it.
26279 @defvar gnus-registry-max-entries
26280 The number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries the
26281 registry will keep.
26284 @defvar gnus-registry-cache-file
26285 The file where the registry will be stored between Gnus sessions.
26288 @node Fancy splitting to parent
26289 @subsection Fancy splitting to parent
26291 Simply put, this lets you put followup e-mail where it belongs.
26293 Every message has a Message-ID, which is unique, and the registry
26294 remembers it. When the message is moved or copied, the registry will
26295 notice this and offer the new group as a choice to the splitting
26298 When a followup is made, usually it mentions the original message's
26299 Message-ID in the headers. The registry knows this and uses that
26300 mention to find the group where the original message lives. You only
26301 have to put a rule like this:
26304 (setq nnimap-my-split-fancy '(|
26306 ;; split to parent: you need this
26307 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
26309 ;; other rules, as an example
26315 in your fancy split setup. In addition, you may want to customize the
26316 following variables.
26318 @defvar gnus-registry-track-extra
26319 This is a list of symbols, so it's best to change it from the
26320 Customize interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to
26321 track @code{subject} and @code{sender} as well when splitting by parent.
26322 It may work for you. It can be annoying if your mail flow is large and
26323 people don't stick to the same groups.
26326 @defvar gnus-registry-split-strategy
26327 This is a symbol, so it's best to change it from the Customize
26328 interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to set it to
26329 @code{majority} or @code{first} to split by sender or subject based on
26330 the majority of matches or on the first found.
26333 @node Store custom flags and keywords
26334 @subsection Store custom flags and keywords
26336 The registry lets you set custom flags and keywords per message. You
26337 can use the Gnus->Registry Marks menu or the @kbd{M M x} keyboard
26338 shortcuts, where @code{x} is the first letter of the mark's name.
26340 @defvar gnus-registry-marks
26341 The custom marks that the registry can use. You can modify the
26342 default list, if you like. If you do, you'll have to exit Emacs
26343 before they take effect (you can also unload the registry and reload
26344 it or evaluate the specific macros you'll need, but you probably don't
26345 want to bother). Use the Customize interface to modify the list.
26347 By default this list has the @code{Important}, @code{Work},
26348 @code{Personal}, @code{To-Do}, and @code{Later} marks. They all have
26349 keyboard shortcuts like @kbd{M M i} for Important, using the first
26353 @defun gnus-registry-mark-article
26354 Call this function to mark an article with a custom registry mark. It
26355 will offer the available marks for completion.
26358 @node Store arbitrary data
26359 @subsection Store arbitrary data
26361 The registry has a simple API that uses a Message-ID as the key to
26362 store arbitrary data (as long as it can be converted to a list for
26365 @defun gnus-registry-store-extra-entry (id key value)
26366 Store @code{value} in the extra data key @code{key} for message
26370 @defun gnus-registry-delete-extra-entry (id key)
26371 Delete the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26374 @defun gnus-registry-fetch-extra (id key)
26375 Get the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26378 @defvar gnus-registry-extra-entries-precious
26379 If any extra entries are precious, their presence will make the
26380 registry keep the whole entry forever, even if there are no groups for
26381 the Message-ID and if the size limit of the registry is reached. By
26382 default this is just @code{(marks)} so the custom registry marks are
26387 @section Interaction with other modes
26392 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
26393 buffers. It is enabled with
26395 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
26400 @findex gnus-dired-attach
26401 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
26402 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
26403 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
26406 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
26407 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
26408 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
26412 @findex gnus-dired-print
26413 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
26414 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
26417 @node Various Various
26418 @section Various Various
26424 @item gnus-home-directory
26425 @vindex gnus-home-directory
26426 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
26427 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
26429 @item gnus-directory
26430 @vindex gnus-directory
26431 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
26432 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
26433 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
26435 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
26436 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
26437 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
26438 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
26440 @item gnus-default-directory
26441 @vindex gnus-default-directory
26442 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
26443 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
26444 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
26445 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
26446 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
26447 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
26450 @vindex gnus-verbose
26451 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
26452 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
26453 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
26454 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
26455 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
26457 @item gnus-verbose-backends
26458 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
26459 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
26460 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
26462 @item gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26463 @vindex gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26464 This variable controls whether to add timestamps to messages that are
26465 controlled by @code{gnus-verbose} and @code{gnus-verbose-backends} and
26466 are issued. The default value is @code{nil} which means never to add
26467 timestamp. If it is @code{log}, add timestamps to only the messages
26468 that go into the @samp{*Messages*} buffer (in XEmacs, it is the
26469 @w{@samp{ *Message-Log*}} buffer). If it is neither @code{nil} nor
26470 @code{log}, add timestamps not only to log messages but also to the ones
26471 displayed in the echo area.
26473 @item nnheader-max-head-length
26474 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
26475 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
26476 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
26477 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
26478 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
26479 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
26480 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
26481 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
26482 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
26484 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
26485 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
26486 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
26487 read when doing the operation described above.
26489 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26490 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26492 @cindex invalid characters in file names
26493 @cindex characters in file names
26494 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
26495 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
26496 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
26500 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26505 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
26506 Windows (phooey) systems.
26508 @item gnus-hidden-properties
26509 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
26510 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
26511 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
26512 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
26514 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
26515 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
26516 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
26517 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
26518 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
26520 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
26521 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
26522 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
26524 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26525 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26527 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
26528 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
26529 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
26530 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
26533 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
26535 @item gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26536 @vindex gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26537 Groups in which links in html articles are considered all safe. The
26538 value may be a regexp matching those groups, a list of group names, or
26539 @code{nil}. This overrides @code{mm-w3m-safe-url-regexp}. The default
26540 value is @code{"\\`nnrss[+:]"}. This is effective only when emacs-w3m
26541 renders html articles, i.e., in the case @code{mm-text-html-renderer} is
26542 set to @code{w3m}. @xref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization,
26543 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}.
26550 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
26551 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
26553 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
26555 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
26561 Not because of victories @*
26564 but for the common sunshine,@*
26566 the largess of the spring.
26570 but for the day's work done@*
26571 as well as I was able;@*
26572 not for a seat upon the dais@*
26573 but at the common table.@*
26578 @chapter Appendices
26581 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
26582 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
26583 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
26584 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
26585 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
26586 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
26587 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
26588 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
26589 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
26596 @cindex installing under XEmacs
26598 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
26599 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
26600 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
26601 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
26602 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
26603 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
26610 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
26611 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
26613 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
26614 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
26615 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
26616 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
26617 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
26619 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
26620 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
26621 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
26622 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
26623 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
26624 appropriate name, don't you think?)
26626 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
26627 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
26628 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
26629 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
26632 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
26633 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
26634 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
26635 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
26636 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
26637 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
26638 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
26639 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
26640 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
26644 @node Gnus Versions
26645 @subsection Gnus Versions
26647 @cindex September Gnus
26649 @cindex Quassia Gnus
26650 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
26653 @cindex Gnus versions
26655 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
26656 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
26657 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
26659 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
26660 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
26662 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
26663 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
26665 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
26666 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
26668 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
26669 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
26672 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
26673 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
26675 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
26677 On April 19, 2010 Gnus development was moved to Git. See
26678 http://git.gnus.org for details (http://www.gnus.org will be updated
26679 with the information when possible).
26681 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
26682 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
26683 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
26684 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
26685 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
26686 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
26689 @node Other Gnus Versions
26690 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
26693 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
26694 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
26695 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
26696 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
26698 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
26699 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
26700 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
26701 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
26708 What's the point of Gnus?
26710 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
26711 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
26712 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
26713 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
26714 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
26715 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
26716 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
26717 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
26718 keep track of millions of people who post?
26720 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
26721 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
26722 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
26723 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
26724 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
26725 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
26726 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
26727 every one of you to explore and invent.
26729 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
26730 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
26733 @node Compatibility
26734 @subsection Compatibility
26736 @cindex compatibility
26737 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
26738 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
26739 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
26744 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
26748 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
26751 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
26754 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
26755 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
26756 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
26757 important variables have their values copied into their global
26758 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
26759 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
26761 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
26762 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
26763 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
26764 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
26765 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
26769 @cindex highlighting
26770 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
26771 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
26772 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
26773 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
26774 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
26775 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
26778 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
26779 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
26780 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
26781 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
26783 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
26784 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
26785 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
26786 to stop doing it the old way.
26788 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
26790 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26792 @cindex reporting bugs
26794 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
26795 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
26796 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
26798 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
26799 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
26800 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
26801 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
26806 @subsection Conformity
26808 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
26809 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
26817 There are no known breaches of this standard.
26821 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
26823 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
26824 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
26825 We do have some breaches to this one.
26831 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
26832 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
26833 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
26834 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
26835 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
26840 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
26841 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
26842 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
26843 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
26845 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
26846 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
26847 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
26849 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
26850 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
26852 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
26855 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
26856 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
26857 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
26858 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
26859 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
26862 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
26863 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
26864 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
26865 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
26867 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
26868 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
26870 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
26871 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
26872 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
26873 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
26874 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
26875 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
26876 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
26877 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
26881 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
26882 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
26887 @subsection Emacsen
26893 This version of Gnus should work on:
26901 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
26905 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
26906 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
26907 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
26908 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
26910 @c No-merge comment: The paragraph added in v5-10 here must not be
26913 @node Gnus Development
26914 @subsection Gnus Development
26916 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
26917 discussion on the development mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}, where people
26918 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
26919 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
26920 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
26921 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
26922 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
26923 have names like ``Oort Gnus'' and ``No Gnus''. @xref{Gnus Versions}.
26925 After futzing around for 10-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
26926 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
26927 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.10.1'' instead. Normal people are
26928 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
26929 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup. This newgroup is mirrored to the
26930 mailing list @samp{info-gnus-english@@gnu.org} which is carried on Gmane
26931 as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.user}. These releases are finally integrated
26935 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26936 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26937 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26938 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26939 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26941 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
26942 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
26943 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
26944 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
26945 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
26946 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
26947 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
26948 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
26949 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
26950 can't be assumed to do so.
26952 So if you have problems with or questions about the alpha versions,
26953 direct those to the ding mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}. This list
26954 is also available on Gmane as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.general}.
26957 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26958 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26959 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26960 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26961 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26964 @subsection Contributors
26965 @cindex contributors
26967 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
26968 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
26969 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
26970 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
26971 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
26972 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
26973 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
26974 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
26975 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
26976 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
26978 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
26984 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
26987 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
26988 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
26989 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
26990 functionality and stuff.
26993 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
26994 well as numerous other things).
26997 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
27000 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
27003 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
27006 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
27009 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
27010 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
27013 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
27016 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
27019 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
27022 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
27025 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
27028 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
27031 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
27032 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
27035 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
27038 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
27041 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
27044 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
27048 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
27051 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
27054 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
27057 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
27058 well as autoconf support.
27062 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
27063 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
27065 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
27080 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
27082 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
27086 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
27096 Alexei V. Barantsev,
27111 Massimo Campostrini,
27116 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
27117 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
27121 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
27124 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
27130 Michael Welsh Duggan,
27135 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
27139 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
27147 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
27149 Michelangelo Grigni,
27153 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
27155 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
27157 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
27165 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
27166 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
27167 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
27169 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
27179 Peter Skov Knudsen,
27180 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
27182 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
27183 Thor Kristoffersen,
27186 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
27204 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
27205 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
27212 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
27217 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
27221 John McClary Prevost,
27227 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
27232 Christian von Roques,
27235 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
27242 Philippe Schnoebelen,
27244 Randal L. Schwartz,
27258 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
27263 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
27283 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
27284 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
27285 (550kB and counting).
27287 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
27290 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
27291 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
27295 @subsection New Features
27296 @cindex new features
27299 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
27300 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
27301 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
27302 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
27303 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
27304 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
27305 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
27308 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
27309 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
27310 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
27313 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
27315 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
27320 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
27321 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
27324 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
27325 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
27328 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
27331 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
27332 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
27333 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
27336 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
27337 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
27338 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
27339 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27342 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
27343 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27346 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
27347 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
27348 (@pxref{The Active File}).
27351 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
27352 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
27355 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
27356 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
27357 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27360 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
27361 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
27362 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
27365 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
27366 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
27369 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
27370 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
27373 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
27374 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27377 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
27378 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
27381 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
27382 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27385 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
27388 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
27389 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
27392 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
27393 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
27396 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
27397 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
27400 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
27403 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
27404 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27407 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
27411 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
27415 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
27416 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
27419 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
27425 @node September Gnus
27426 @subsubsection September Gnus
27430 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
27434 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
27439 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
27440 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
27444 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
27445 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
27449 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
27453 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
27454 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
27457 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
27461 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
27464 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
27467 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
27470 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
27474 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
27475 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
27478 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
27482 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
27486 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
27490 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
27494 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
27497 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
27498 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
27501 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
27505 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
27506 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
27509 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
27512 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
27513 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
27514 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27517 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets.
27520 The Gnus cache is much faster.
27523 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
27527 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
27528 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
27531 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
27532 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
27535 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
27536 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
27539 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
27540 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
27541 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
27544 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
27545 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
27548 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
27551 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27554 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
27557 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
27560 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
27561 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
27564 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
27568 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
27571 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
27576 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
27579 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
27583 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27586 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
27590 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
27593 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
27596 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
27597 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27600 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
27601 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
27605 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
27606 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
27609 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
27613 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
27614 buffer to allow easier treatment.
27617 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
27620 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
27624 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
27628 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
27629 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
27632 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
27636 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
27637 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27640 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
27641 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27644 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
27648 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27651 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
27654 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
27660 @subsubsection Red Gnus
27662 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
27666 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
27673 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
27676 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
27677 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27680 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
27681 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
27685 Article washing status can be displayed in the
27686 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
27689 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
27692 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
27693 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
27696 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
27700 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
27701 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
27705 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
27706 Server Internals}).
27709 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
27713 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
27716 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
27717 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
27720 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
27721 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
27722 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
27725 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
27726 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27729 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
27730 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
27733 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
27737 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
27738 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27741 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
27742 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27745 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
27749 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
27752 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
27756 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
27757 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27760 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
27761 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27764 A new command for reading collections of documents
27765 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
27766 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
27769 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
27773 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
27774 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
27777 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
27778 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
27779 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
27782 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
27783 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
27787 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
27791 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
27795 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
27800 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
27804 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
27808 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
27809 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
27812 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
27818 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
27820 New features in Gnus 5.6:
27825 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
27826 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
27827 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
27830 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
27831 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
27832 group, which is created automatically.
27835 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
27839 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
27842 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
27843 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
27846 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
27850 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
27853 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
27854 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
27857 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
27860 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
27864 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
27865 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
27868 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
27869 control over simplification.
27872 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
27875 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
27879 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
27882 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
27885 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
27886 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
27887 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
27890 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
27891 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
27894 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
27898 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
27899 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
27902 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
27903 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
27906 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
27910 A history of where mails have been split is available.
27913 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
27916 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
27917 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
27920 A new function for citing in Message has been
27921 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
27924 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
27927 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
27931 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
27932 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
27935 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
27936 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
27939 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
27942 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
27946 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
27947 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
27949 New features in Gnus 5.8:
27954 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
27955 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
27957 If you used procmail like in
27960 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
27961 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
27962 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
27963 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
27966 this now has changed to
27970 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
27974 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
27977 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
27978 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
27981 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
27982 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
27985 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
27986 called to position point.
27989 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
27990 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
27993 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
27994 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
27997 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
27998 subtly different manner.
28001 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
28002 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
28003 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
28006 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
28011 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
28014 New features in Gnus 5.10:
28018 @item Installation changes
28019 @c ***********************
28023 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
28025 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
28026 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
28027 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
28028 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
28029 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
28030 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
28031 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
28032 isn't save in general.
28035 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
28036 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
28037 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
28038 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
28039 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
28040 remove-installed-shadows}.
28043 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
28045 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
28046 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
28047 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, if you want
28048 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
28049 the second parameter.
28051 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
28052 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
28053 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
28054 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
28055 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
28056 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
28057 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
28058 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
28059 cycle used under Unix systems.
28061 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
28062 superfluous, so they have been removed.
28065 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
28067 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
28068 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
28071 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
28072 @c the repository. We should find a better place for this item.
28074 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
28076 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
28077 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
28078 lisp directory into load-path.
28080 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
28081 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
28085 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
28086 @c *****************************************
28091 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
28092 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
28095 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
28097 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
28098 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
28099 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
28100 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
28103 Improved anti-spam features.
28105 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
28106 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
28107 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
28108 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
28109 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
28110 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
28113 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
28115 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
28116 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
28117 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
28118 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
28119 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
28123 @item Changes in group mode
28124 @c ************************
28129 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
28133 Retrieval of charters and control messages
28135 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
28136 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
28139 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
28141 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
28142 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
28143 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
28144 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
28145 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
28148 (setq gnus-parameters
28150 (gnus-show-threads nil)
28151 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
28152 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
28153 (to-group . "\\1"))))
28157 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
28159 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
28160 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
28161 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
28162 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
28163 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
28164 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
28165 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
28166 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
28167 when getting new mail, remove the function.
28170 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
28172 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
28173 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
28174 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
28177 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
28178 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
28180 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
28181 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
28182 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
28184 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
28188 Old intermediate incoming mail files (@file{Incoming*}) are deleted
28189 after a couple of days, not immediately. @xref{Mail Source
28190 Customization}. (New in Gnus 5.10.10 / Emacs 22.2)
28194 @item Changes in summary and article mode
28195 @c **************************************
28200 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
28201 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
28202 region if the region is active.
28205 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
28206 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
28211 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
28212 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
28213 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
28214 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
28217 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
28222 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
28223 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
28225 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
28226 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
28230 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
28231 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
28234 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
28237 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
28238 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
28241 Warn about email replies to news
28243 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
28244 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
28248 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
28249 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
28253 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
28254 opposed to old but unread messages).
28257 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
28258 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
28261 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
28262 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
28265 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
28266 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
28269 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
28271 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
28272 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
28273 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
28274 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
28277 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
28278 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
28279 Outlook (Express) articles.
28282 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
28284 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
28285 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
28286 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
28287 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
28289 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
28290 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
28291 message cited below.
28294 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
28297 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
28301 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
28304 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
28305 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
28308 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
28311 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
28313 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
28314 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
28315 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
28316 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
28317 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
28321 Deleting of attachments.
28323 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
28324 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
28325 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
28326 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
28327 that support editing.
28330 @code{gnus-default-charset}
28332 The default value is determined from the
28333 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
28334 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
28335 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
28338 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
28340 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
28341 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
28342 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
28345 Extended format specs.
28347 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
28348 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
28349 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
28350 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
28351 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
28352 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
28355 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
28356 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
28358 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
28359 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
28360 out other articles.
28363 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
28365 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
28366 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
28367 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
28368 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
28371 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
28375 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
28376 @c ****************************************************
28383 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
28384 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
28385 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
28388 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
28389 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
28392 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
28393 Gcc articles as read.
28396 Externalizing of attachments
28398 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
28399 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
28400 local files as external parts.
28403 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
28404 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
28407 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
28409 Earlier it was generated when the user configurable email address was
28410 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
28411 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
28412 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
28413 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
28414 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
28415 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
28416 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
28417 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
28420 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
28422 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
28423 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
28424 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
28425 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
28426 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
28427 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
28430 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
28431 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
28435 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
28438 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
28440 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
28441 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
28442 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
28443 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
28444 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
28445 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
28446 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
28447 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
28448 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
28449 was inserted directly.
28452 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
28454 @c FIXME should that not be 'message-user-agent?
28455 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
28456 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
28457 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
28458 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
28461 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
28463 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
28465 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
28466 'bbdb-complete-name)
28470 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
28472 Add a new format of match like
28474 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
28475 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28477 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
28479 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
28480 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28484 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
28486 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
28487 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
28488 need add those two headers too.
28491 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
28492 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
28493 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
28497 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
28498 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
28499 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
28500 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
28501 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
28504 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
28506 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
28509 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
28511 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
28515 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
28517 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
28518 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
28519 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
28520 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
28521 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
28522 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
28523 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
28524 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
28527 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
28528 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
28530 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
28531 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
28532 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
28533 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
28536 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
28539 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
28540 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
28543 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
28546 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
28547 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
28548 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
28549 invalidate the digital signature.
28552 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
28553 decompressed when activated.
28554 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
28557 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
28559 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
28560 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
28561 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
28562 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
28563 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
28566 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
28567 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
28568 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
28569 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.1)
28571 @item @code{auto-fill-mode} is enabled by default in Message mode.
28572 See @code{message-fill-column}. @xref{Various Message Variables, ,
28573 Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
28574 @c New in Gnus 5.10.12 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.3)
28578 @item Changes in back ends
28579 @c ***********************
28583 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
28586 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
28589 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
28591 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
28594 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
28596 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
28597 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
28598 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
28599 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
28600 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
28601 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
28602 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
28603 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
28604 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
28605 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
28606 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
28616 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
28617 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
28620 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
28621 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
28622 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
28623 message, Message Manual}).
28626 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
28627 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars: @kbd{M-x
28628 customize-apropos RET -tool-bar$} should get you started. This is a new
28629 feature in Gnus 5.10.10. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
28631 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
28632 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
28633 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
28638 @item Miscellaneous changes
28639 @c ************************
28646 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
28647 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
28648 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
28649 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
28650 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
28651 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
28652 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
28653 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
28654 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
28655 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
28656 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
28657 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
28658 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
28659 is not needed any more.
28662 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
28664 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
28665 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
28666 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
28671 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
28672 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
28673 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
28677 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
28680 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
28682 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
28689 @subsubsection No Gnus
28692 New features in No Gnus:
28693 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
28695 @include gnus-news.texi
28701 @section The Manual
28705 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
28706 either @code{texi2dvi}
28708 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
28709 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
28711 to get what you hold in your hands now.
28713 The following conventions have been used:
28718 This is a @samp{string}
28721 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
28724 This is a @file{file}
28727 This is a @code{symbol}
28731 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
28735 (setq flargnoze "yes")
28738 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
28741 (setq flumphel 'yes)
28744 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
28745 ever get them confused.
28749 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
28750 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
28751 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
28752 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
28753 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
28754 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
28755 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
28761 @node On Writing Manuals
28762 @section On Writing Manuals
28764 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
28765 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
28766 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
28767 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
28768 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
28769 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code go hand
28772 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
28773 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
28774 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
28777 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
28778 reference manual as source material. It would look quite different.
28783 @section Terminology
28785 @cindex terminology
28790 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
28791 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
28792 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
28793 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
28794 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
28798 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
28799 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
28800 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
28801 not posting, and replying is not following up.
28805 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
28809 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
28814 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
28815 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
28816 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
28817 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
28818 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
28819 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
28820 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
28821 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
28822 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
28825 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
28826 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
28827 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
28828 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
28829 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
28830 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
28832 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
28833 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
28834 access the articles.
28836 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
28837 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
28838 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
28843 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
28844 default, way of getting news.
28848 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
28849 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
28854 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
28855 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
28859 A message that has been posted as news.
28862 @cindex mail message
28863 A message that has been mailed.
28867 A mail message or news article
28871 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
28876 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
28881 A line from the head of an article.
28885 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
28886 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
28888 @item @acronym{NOV}
28889 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
28890 @acronym{NOV} stands for News OverView, which is a type of news server
28891 header which provide datas containing the condensed header information
28892 of articles. They are produced by the server itself; in the @code{nntp}
28893 back end Gnus uses the ones that the @acronym{NNTP} server makes, but
28894 Gnus makes them by itself for some backends (in particular, @code{nnml}).
28896 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
28897 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
28898 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
28899 normal @sc{head} format.
28901 The @acronym{NOV} data consist of one or more text lines (@pxref{Text
28902 Lines, ,Motion by Text Lines, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual})
28903 where each line has the header information of one article. The header
28904 information is a tab-separated series of the header's contents including
28905 an article number, a subject, an author, a date, a message-id,
28908 Those data enable Gnus to generate summary lines quickly. However, if
28909 the server does not support @acronym{NOV} or you disable it purposely or
28910 for some reason, Gnus will try to generate the header information by
28911 parsing each article's headers one by one. It will take time.
28912 Therefore, it is not usually a good idea to set nn*-nov-is-evil
28913 (@pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}) to a non-@code{nil} value unless you
28914 know that the server makes wrong @acronym{NOV} data.
28918 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
28919 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
28920 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
28921 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
28922 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
28923 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
28925 @item killed groups
28926 @cindex killed groups
28927 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
28928 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
28930 @item zombie groups
28931 @cindex zombie groups
28932 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
28935 @cindex active file
28936 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
28937 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
28938 is rather large, as you might surmise.
28941 @cindex bogus groups
28942 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
28943 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
28944 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
28947 @cindex activating groups
28948 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
28949 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
28950 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
28954 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
28955 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
28956 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
28960 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
28962 @item select method
28963 @cindex select method
28964 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
28967 @item virtual server
28968 @cindex virtual server
28969 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
28970 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
28971 whole is a virtual server.
28975 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
28976 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
28979 @item ephemeral groups
28980 @cindex ephemeral groups
28981 @cindex temporary groups
28982 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
28983 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
28984 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
28987 @cindex solid groups
28988 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
28989 group buffer are solid groups.
28991 @item sparse articles
28992 @cindex sparse articles
28993 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
28994 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
28998 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
28999 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
29003 @cindex thread root
29004 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
29005 articles in the thread.
29009 An article that has responses.
29013 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
29017 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
29018 specified by RFC 1153.
29021 @cindex splitting, terminology
29022 @cindex mail sorting
29023 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
29024 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
29025 incorrectly called mail filtering.
29031 @node Customization
29032 @section Customization
29033 @cindex general customization
29035 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
29036 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
29037 for some quite common situations.
29040 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
29041 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
29042 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
29043 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
29047 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
29048 @subsection Slow/Expensive Connection
29050 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
29051 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
29052 Gnus has to get from the server.
29056 @item gnus-read-active-file
29057 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
29058 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
29059 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
29060 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
29061 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
29063 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
29064 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
29065 Usually this one must @emph{always} be @code{nil} (which is the
29066 default). If, for example, you wish to not use @acronym{NOV}
29067 (@pxref{Terminology}) with the @code{nntp} back end (@pxref{Crosspost
29068 Handling}), set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to a non-@code{nil} value
29069 instead of setting this. But you normally do not need to set
29070 @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} since Gnus by itself will detect whether the
29071 @acronym{NNTP} server supports @acronym{NOV}. Anyway, grabbing article
29072 headers from the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast if you tell
29073 Gnus not to use @acronym{NOV}.
29075 As the variables for the other back ends, there are
29076 @code{nndiary-nov-is-evil}, @code{nndir-nov-is-evil},
29077 @code{nnfolder-nov-is-evil}, @code{nnimap-nov-is-evil},
29078 @code{nnml-nov-is-evil}, and @code{nnspool-nov-is-evil}. Note that a
29079 non-@code{nil} value for @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} overrides all those
29084 @node Slow Terminal Connection
29085 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
29087 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
29088 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
29089 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
29093 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
29094 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
29095 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
29096 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
29097 horizontal and vertical recentering.
29099 @item gnus-visible-headers
29100 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
29101 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
29102 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
29103 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
29105 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
29107 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
29108 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
29109 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
29112 @item gnus-use-full-window
29113 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
29114 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
29115 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
29116 want to read them anyway.
29118 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
29119 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
29123 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
29124 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
29125 lines, which might save some time.
29129 @node Little Disk Space
29130 @subsection Little Disk Space
29133 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
29134 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
29138 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
29139 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
29140 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
29141 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
29144 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
29145 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
29146 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
29147 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
29150 @item gnus-save-killed-list
29151 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
29152 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
29153 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
29154 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
29160 @subsection Slow Machine
29161 @cindex slow machine
29163 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
29164 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
29166 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
29167 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
29169 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
29170 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
29171 summary buffer faster. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
29175 @node Troubleshooting
29176 @section Troubleshooting
29177 @cindex troubleshooting
29179 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
29187 Make sure your computer is switched on.
29190 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
29191 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
29195 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
29197 @samp{No Gnus v0.10} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
29199 you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old @file{.el}
29200 files lying around. Delete these.
29203 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
29204 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
29207 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
29208 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
29209 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
29210 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
29211 something like that.
29214 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
29217 @cindex reporting bugs
29219 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
29221 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
29222 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
29223 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
29224 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
29226 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
29227 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
29228 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
29229 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
29232 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
29233 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
29234 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
29235 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
29236 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
29237 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
29239 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
29240 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
29241 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
29245 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
29246 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
29249 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
29250 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
29251 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
29252 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
29253 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
29254 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
29255 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
29256 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
29257 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
29258 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
29259 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
29260 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
29261 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
29262 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
29267 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
29268 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
29269 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
29270 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
29271 helps isolating the real problem areas).
29273 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
29274 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
29275 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
29276 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
29277 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
29278 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
29279 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
29280 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
29281 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
29282 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
29283 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
29284 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
29285 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
29288 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
29289 @cindex ding mailing list
29290 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
29291 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
29292 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
29293 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
29297 @node Gnus Reference Guide
29298 @section Gnus Reference Guide
29300 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
29301 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
29302 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
29303 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
29306 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
29307 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
29308 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
29309 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
29310 and general methods of operation.
29313 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
29314 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
29315 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
29316 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
29317 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
29318 * Group Info:: The group info format.
29319 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
29320 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
29321 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
29325 @node Gnus Utility Functions
29326 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
29327 @cindex Gnus utility functions
29328 @cindex utility functions
29330 @cindex internal variables
29332 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
29333 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
29334 Below is a list of the most common ones.
29338 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
29339 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
29340 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
29342 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
29343 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
29344 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
29346 @item gnus-group-real-name
29347 @findex gnus-group-real-name
29348 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
29351 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
29352 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
29353 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
29354 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
29356 @item gnus-get-info
29357 @findex gnus-get-info
29358 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
29360 @item gnus-group-unread
29361 @findex gnus-group-unread
29362 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
29366 @findex gnus-active
29367 The active entry for @var{group}.
29369 @item gnus-set-active
29370 @findex gnus-set-active
29371 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
29373 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29374 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29375 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
29378 @item gnus-continuum-version
29379 @findex gnus-continuum-version
29380 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
29381 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
29384 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
29385 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
29386 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
29388 @item gnus-news-group-p
29389 @findex gnus-news-group-p
29390 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
29392 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29393 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29394 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
29396 @item gnus-server-to-method
29397 @findex gnus-server-to-method
29398 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
29400 @item gnus-server-equal
29401 @findex gnus-server-equal
29402 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
29404 @item gnus-group-native-p
29405 @findex gnus-group-native-p
29406 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
29408 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
29409 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
29410 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
29412 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
29413 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
29414 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
29416 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
29417 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
29418 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
29419 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
29421 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
29422 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
29423 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
29425 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
29426 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
29427 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
29429 @item gnus-check-backend-function
29430 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
29431 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
29432 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
29435 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
29439 @item gnus-read-method
29440 @findex gnus-read-method
29441 Prompts the user for a select method.
29446 @node Back End Interface
29447 @subsection Back End Interface
29449 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
29450 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
29451 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
29452 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
29453 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
29454 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
29456 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
29457 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
29458 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
29459 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
29460 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
29461 been opened, the function should fail.
29463 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
29464 name. Take this example:
29468 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
29469 (nntp-port-number 4324))
29472 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
29473 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
29475 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
29476 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
29477 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
29479 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
29480 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
29481 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
29483 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
29484 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
29485 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
29486 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
29487 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
29488 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
29491 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
29492 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
29493 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
29494 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
29497 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
29498 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
29499 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
29500 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
29501 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
29502 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
29503 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
29504 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
29505 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
29506 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
29508 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
29509 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
29510 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
29511 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
29512 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
29513 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
29514 of numbers as long as possible.
29516 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
29517 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
29518 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
29520 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
29523 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
29526 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
29527 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
29528 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
29529 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
29530 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
29531 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
29535 @node Required Back End Functions
29536 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
29540 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
29542 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
29543 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
29544 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
29545 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
29547 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
29548 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
29549 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
29550 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
29552 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
29553 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
29554 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
29555 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
29556 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
29557 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
29558 number, do maximum fetches.
29560 Here's an example HEAD:
29563 221 1056 Article retrieved.
29564 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
29565 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
29566 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
29567 Subject: Re: Something very droll
29568 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
29569 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
29571 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
29572 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
29573 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
29577 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
29578 these in the data buffer.
29580 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
29584 head = error / valid-head
29585 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
29586 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
29587 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
29588 header = <text> eol
29592 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
29594 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
29595 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
29599 nov-buffer = *nov-line
29600 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
29601 field = <text except TAB>
29604 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
29608 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
29610 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
29611 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
29613 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
29614 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
29615 server. In fact, it should do so.
29617 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
29618 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
29621 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
29623 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
29624 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
29627 There should be no data returned.
29630 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
29632 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
29633 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
29634 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
29635 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
29637 There should be no data returned.
29640 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
29642 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
29643 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
29644 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
29645 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
29647 There should be no data returned.
29650 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
29652 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
29654 There should be no data returned.
29657 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
29659 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
29660 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
29661 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
29662 it would be nice if that were possible.
29664 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
29665 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
29666 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
29667 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
29668 into its article buffer.
29670 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
29671 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
29672 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
29673 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
29674 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
29675 on successful article retrieval.
29678 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST INFO)
29680 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
29681 making @var{group} the current group.
29683 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
29686 If @var{info}, it allows the backend to update the group info
29689 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
29692 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
29695 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
29696 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
29697 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
29698 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
29699 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
29700 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
29701 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
29702 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
29703 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
29707 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
29708 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
29709 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
29713 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29715 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
29716 a no-op on most back ends.
29718 There should be no data returned.
29721 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
29723 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
29726 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
29729 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
29730 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
29733 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
29734 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
29735 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
29736 and the highest as 0.
29739 active-file = *active-line
29740 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
29742 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
29745 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
29746 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
29747 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
29750 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
29752 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
29753 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
29754 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
29755 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
29756 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
29757 clear if the posting could not be completed.
29759 There should be no result data from this function.
29764 @node Optional Back End Functions
29765 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
29769 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
29771 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
29772 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
29773 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
29775 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
29776 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
29777 former is in the same format as the data from
29778 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
29779 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
29782 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
29786 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
29788 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
29789 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
29790 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
29791 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
29792 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
29793 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
29794 the network resources).
29796 There should be no result data from this function.
29799 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
29801 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
29802 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
29803 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
29804 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
29805 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
29806 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
29807 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
29808 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
29810 There should be no result data from this function.
29813 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
29815 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
29816 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
29817 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
29818 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
29819 propagate the mark information to the server.
29821 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
29824 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
29827 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
29828 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
29829 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
29830 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
29831 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
29832 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
29833 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
29834 possible, not limit itself to these.
29836 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
29837 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
29838 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
29839 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
29841 An example action list:
29844 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
29845 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
29846 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
29849 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
29850 mark on (currently not used for anything).
29852 There should be no result data from this function.
29854 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
29856 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
29857 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
29858 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
29859 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
29860 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
29862 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
29863 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
29864 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
29867 There should be no result data from this function.
29870 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
29872 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
29873 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
29874 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
29875 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
29876 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
29877 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
29878 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
29879 local if that's practical.
29881 There should be no result data from this function.
29884 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
29886 The result data from this function should be a description of
29890 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
29892 description = <text>
29895 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
29897 The result data from this function should be the description of all
29898 groups available on the server.
29901 description-buffer = *description-line
29905 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
29907 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
29908 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
29909 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
29910 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
29911 in the active buffer format.
29913 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
29914 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
29915 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
29916 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
29917 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
29918 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
29919 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
29922 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29924 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
29926 There should be no return data.
29929 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
29931 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
29932 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
29933 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
29934 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
29935 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
29938 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
29941 There should be no result data returned.
29944 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
29946 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
29947 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
29949 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
29950 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
29951 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
29952 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
29953 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
29954 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
29956 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
29957 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
29960 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29961 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29963 There should be no data returned.
29966 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
29968 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
29969 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
29970 this function in short order.
29972 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29973 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29975 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
29976 article for that group.
29978 There should be no data returned.
29981 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
29983 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
29984 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
29986 There should be no data returned.
29989 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
29991 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
29992 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
29993 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
29995 There should be no data returned.
29998 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
30000 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
30001 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
30003 There should be no data returned.
30008 @node Error Messaging
30009 @subsubsection Error Messaging
30011 @findex nnheader-report
30012 @findex nnheader-get-report
30013 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
30014 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
30015 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
30016 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
30017 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
30018 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
30021 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
30023 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
30026 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
30027 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
30028 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
30029 takes one argument---the server symbol.
30031 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
30032 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
30033 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
30036 @node Writing New Back Ends
30037 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
30039 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
30040 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
30041 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
30042 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
30043 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
30046 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
30047 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
30048 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
30050 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
30051 package called @code{nnoo}.
30053 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
30054 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
30060 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
30061 parameters. For instance:
30064 (nnoo-declare nndir
30068 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
30069 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
30072 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
30073 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
30074 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
30076 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
30077 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
30078 a function in those back ends.
30081 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
30082 "Where nndir will look for groups."
30083 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
30086 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
30087 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
30088 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
30090 @item nnoo-define-basics
30091 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
30095 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
30099 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
30100 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
30101 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
30103 @item nnoo-map-functions
30104 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
30105 functions from the parent back ends.
30108 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
30109 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
30110 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
30113 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
30114 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
30115 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
30116 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
30119 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
30120 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
30121 haven't already been defined.
30127 nnmh-request-newgroups)
30131 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
30132 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
30133 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
30138 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
30141 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
30142 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
30146 (require 'nnheader)
30150 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
30152 (nnoo-declare nndir
30155 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
30156 "Where nndir will look for groups."
30157 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
30159 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
30160 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
30163 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
30165 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
30166 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
30167 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
30169 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
30170 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
30172 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
30174 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
30176 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
30177 (setq nndir-directory
30178 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
30180 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
30181 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
30182 (push `(nndir-current-group
30183 ,(file-name-nondirectory
30184 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
30186 (push `(nndir-top-directory
30187 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
30189 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
30191 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
30192 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
30193 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
30194 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
30195 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
30199 nnmh-status-message
30201 nnmh-request-newgroups))
30207 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
30208 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
30210 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
30211 @findex gnus-declare-backend
30212 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
30213 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
30214 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
30216 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
30217 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
30222 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
30225 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
30227 The abilities can be:
30231 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
30233 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
30235 This back end supports both mail and news.
30237 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
30240 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
30241 articles and groups.
30243 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
30244 true for almost all back ends.
30245 @item prompt-address
30246 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
30247 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
30248 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
30252 @node Mail-like Back Ends
30253 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
30255 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
30256 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
30257 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
30258 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
30261 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
30262 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
30263 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
30266 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
30267 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
30270 This function takes four parameters.
30274 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
30277 @item exit-function
30278 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
30280 @item temp-directory
30281 Where the temporary files should be stored.
30284 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
30285 performed for one group only.
30288 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
30289 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
30290 find the article number assigned to this article.
30292 The function also uses the following variables:
30293 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
30294 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
30295 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
30296 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
30300 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
30301 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
30305 @node Score File Syntax
30306 @subsection Score File Syntax
30308 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
30309 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
30310 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
30312 Here's a typical score file:
30316 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
30323 BNF definition of a score file:
30326 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
30327 element = rule / atom
30328 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
30329 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
30330 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
30331 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
30333 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
30334 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
30335 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
30336 date-header = "date"
30337 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30338 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30339 score = "nil" / <integer>
30340 date = "nil" / <natural number>
30341 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
30342 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
30343 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
30344 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
30345 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30346 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30347 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
30348 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30349 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
30350 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
30351 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
30352 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
30353 exclude-files / read-only / touched
30354 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
30355 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
30356 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
30357 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
30358 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
30359 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
30360 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
30361 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
30362 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
30363 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
30364 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
30365 eval = "eval" space <form>
30366 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
30369 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
30372 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
30373 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
30374 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
30375 one looong line, then that's ok.
30377 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
30378 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
30382 @subsection Headers
30384 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
30385 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
30386 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
30387 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
30389 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
30390 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
30391 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
30392 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
30393 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
30394 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
30395 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
30397 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
30398 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
30399 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
30400 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
30401 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
30403 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
30404 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
30410 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
30411 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
30413 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
30414 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
30415 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
30416 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
30418 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
30422 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
30425 is transformed into
30428 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
30431 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
30432 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
30435 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
30438 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
30439 is slightly tricky:
30442 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
30448 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
30451 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
30457 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
30464 and is equal to the previous range.
30466 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
30467 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
30468 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
30472 range = simple-range / normal-range
30473 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
30474 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
30475 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
30476 number *[ " " contents ]
30479 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
30480 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
30481 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
30482 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
30483 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
30488 @subsection Group Info
30490 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
30491 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
30492 describes the group.
30494 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
30495 second is a more complex one:
30498 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
30500 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
30501 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
30503 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
30506 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
30507 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
30508 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
30509 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
30510 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
30511 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
30512 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
30513 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
30514 this section is about.
30516 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
30517 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
30518 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
30520 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
30523 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
30524 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
30525 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30526 group = quote <string> quote
30527 ralevel = rank / level
30528 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30529 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
30530 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30532 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
30533 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
30534 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
30535 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
30538 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
30539 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
30542 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
30543 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
30546 @item gnus-info-group
30547 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
30548 @findex gnus-info-group
30549 @findex gnus-info-set-group
30550 Get/set the group name.
30552 @item gnus-info-rank
30553 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
30554 @findex gnus-info-rank
30555 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
30556 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
30558 @item gnus-info-level
30559 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
30560 @findex gnus-info-level
30561 @findex gnus-info-set-level
30562 Get/set the group level.
30564 @item gnus-info-score
30565 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
30566 @findex gnus-info-score
30567 @findex gnus-info-set-score
30568 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
30570 @item gnus-info-read
30571 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
30572 @findex gnus-info-read
30573 @findex gnus-info-set-read
30574 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
30576 @item gnus-info-marks
30577 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
30578 @findex gnus-info-marks
30579 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
30580 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
30582 @item gnus-info-method
30583 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
30584 @findex gnus-info-method
30585 @findex gnus-info-set-method
30586 Get/set the group select method.
30588 @item gnus-info-params
30589 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
30590 @findex gnus-info-params
30591 @findex gnus-info-set-params
30592 Get/set the group parameters.
30595 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
30596 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
30598 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
30599 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
30600 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
30601 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
30604 @node Extended Interactive
30605 @subsection Extended Interactive
30606 @cindex interactive
30607 @findex gnus-interactive
30609 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
30610 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
30611 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
30614 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
30615 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
30620 The best thing to do would have been to implement
30621 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
30622 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
30623 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
30624 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
30625 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
30626 @code{interactive}.
30628 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
30633 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
30634 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
30638 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
30639 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
30640 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
30643 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
30647 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
30651 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
30657 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
30658 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
30662 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
30663 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
30664 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
30666 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
30667 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
30668 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
30669 Gnus, that's very useful.
30671 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
30672 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
30673 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
30674 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
30675 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
30676 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
30677 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
30678 following function:
30681 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
30685 (,function ,@@args))
30689 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
30690 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
30691 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
30694 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
30695 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
30696 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
30698 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
30699 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
30700 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
30703 @node Various File Formats
30704 @subsection Various File Formats
30707 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
30708 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
30712 @node Active File Format
30713 @subsubsection Active File Format
30715 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
30716 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
30719 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
30722 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
30723 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
30724 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
30725 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
30726 no.general 1000 900 y
30729 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
30732 active = *group-line
30733 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
30734 group = <non-white-space string>
30736 high-number = <non-negative integer>
30737 low-number = <positive integer>
30738 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
30741 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
30742 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
30745 @node Newsgroups File Format
30746 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
30748 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
30749 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
30750 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
30753 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
30754 Here's the definition:
30758 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
30759 group = <non-white-space string>
30761 description = <string>
30766 @node Emacs for Heathens
30767 @section Emacs for Heathens
30769 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
30770 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
30771 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
30772 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
30773 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
30774 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
30775 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
30779 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
30780 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
30785 @subsection Keystrokes
30789 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
30792 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
30795 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
30796 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
30797 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
30798 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
30799 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
30800 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
30802 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
30803 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
30804 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
30805 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
30806 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
30807 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
30808 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
30810 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
30811 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
30812 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
30813 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
30814 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
30815 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
30816 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
30818 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
30819 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
30820 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
30821 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
30822 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
30828 @subsection Emacs Lisp
30830 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
30831 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
30832 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
30833 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
30835 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
30836 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
30837 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
30838 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
30839 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
30840 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
30841 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
30842 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
30843 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
30844 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
30846 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
30847 write the following:
30850 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
30853 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
30854 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
30855 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
30856 change how Gnus works.
30858 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
30859 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
30860 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
30861 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
30862 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
30864 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
30865 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
30866 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
30870 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
30874 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
30877 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
30878 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
30881 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
30884 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
30885 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
30888 @include gnus-faq.texi
30890 @node GNU Free Documentation License
30891 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
30892 @include doclicense.texi
30910 @c Local Variables:
30912 @c coding: iso-8859-1